"Over three hundred jin of full-grown boar meat, plus five piglets."
"That's enough to cover the tax—and I'll still have money left over!"
"Though… getting all this back home might be a problem."
He was deep in the mountains now, at least dozens of li from Poyang County. Even if he could lift the carcasses, carrying them all by himself would be impossible.
After thinking for a moment, Chen Sanshi nocked a whistling arrow and shot it into the sky.
"I've gone quite far from where we split up."
"I don't know if Uncle Zhao's still nearby or if he'll even hear the signal."
Before long, footsteps rustled outside the bamboo grove.
But it wasn't Zhao Qiao who arrived—it was a burly man with a scar slashing across his face.
The man's eyes lit up when he saw the wild boar on the ground. Then, noticing that the hunter was a young man he didn't recognize, his expression shifted from envy to surprise—and then to something hard to read.
"Brother!"
The man strode forward, giving Chen Sanshi a once-over. "Haven't seen you around before."
"I came with Uncle Zhao Qiao from Swallow-Edge Village," Chen Sanshi replied politely. "Name's Chen Sanshi."
"I've been wandering around here for three or four days," the man muttered, squinting at the massive carcass. "Didn't manage to get anything worth a damn… and you, on your first day, land a haul like this."
"Just luck," Chen Sanshi said, cupping his fists. "Could I trouble brother to help carry this down to the county? I'll pay according to local rates."
"No problem at all," the man said with a grin, though his eyes glinted slyly. "But from here to the county is quite the trek, and, well… the price should match the effort, yeah?"
He hadn't caught anything for days. His family was running out of food, and now that he'd stumbled upon such a fat opportunity, there was no way he wouldn't try to squeeze a few extra coins.
But before he could say another word, the sudden thrum of a bowstring exploded in his ears like thunder.
He looked up just in time to see Chen Sanshi's arrow fly—and a wild hare, more than seventy steps away, dropped dead on the spot.
With all the dense brush around, the man hadn't even noticed there was a rabbit there.
More shocking still, Chen Sanshi had drawn that four-strength bow using only one finger.
One finger.
He'd pulled it to full draw as easily as if it were nothing—and with pinpoint accuracy on top of that.
If he could handle that, then given the chance, he might even be able to draw a one-stone bow.
Since when did Poyang County have such a young master archer?
Whatever thoughts the man had before vanished instantly. A grin split his face as he said, "Brother Sanshi—no, Brother Shi! Don't move, I'll fetch it for you! And I'll help carry your game—no charge! Let's be friends, yeah?"
Before Chen Sanshi could reply, he sprinted off toward where the rabbit had fallen.
Chen Sanshi simply shook his head with a faint smile.
With eyesight sharp enough to spot animal fur in the grass, he'd noticed the man's greedy intent long before. That shot just now had been a warning.
If you didn't show your strength, people would think you were easy prey.
The man soon came back, chopping down two sturdy branches with his hatchet. Together they lashed together a makeshift pole, hoisted the boar, and began heading down the mountain.
"I'm Wu Da," the man said cheerfully, "from the next village over. Sixteen this year! Hope you'll look after me, Brother Shi."
"..."
Chen Sanshi glanced sideways at the towering, scar-faced man grinning at him.
Sixteen?!
By the time they reached the outskirts of Swallow-Edge Village, the commotion had already begun.
"A wild boar!"
"Shi ge'er brought down a wild boar!"
The entire village practically erupted.
A three-hundred-jin boar wasn't unheard of, but usually it took two or three men working together to take one down.
For someone to do it alone—and take out a whole nest of piglets too—that was the mark of a top-tier hunter.
And considering that Chen Sanshi had started hunting only out of desperation after failing to make a living as a scholar, it was nothing short of legendary.
Word spread fast. Within half an hour, his name was being talked about in all the neighboring villages.
…
At the Eight Treasures Restaurant.
"The sow's three hundred twenty jin, eighteen bronze coins per jin."
"The piglets—five of them, about sixty jin two liang total, twenty coins per jin."
"That's 6,964 bronze coins altogether. I'll round it up for you—seven taels of silver even. But from now on, Little Shitou, if you bring in any fresh game, you come to us first, yeah?"
Manager Liu Hongda grinned broadly, tossing a heavy pouch of silver across the counter.
In theory, 1,000 bronze coins = 1 tael of silver, but silver was the harder currency—more valuable and not always easy to exchange. The fact that Liu paid in silver at all was already a generous gesture.
"Thank you, Uncle Liu," Chen Sanshi said, taking the pouch. It weighed solid in his hand.
Seven taels of silver.
More than enough to cover the taxes—and still have some left to buy winter clothes.
"You've really got some skill, kid."
Liu Hongda clicked his tongue. "Keep this up, and you'll be living in the county before long. And if you ever learn some proper martial arts, you'll really make a name for yourself."
"Uncle Liu," Chen Sanshi asked, "do you have any recommendations for a martial hall?"
With his current troubles solved, it was time to think about the next step—training.
"The most famous ones in Poyang County are Tianyuan, Tailei, Yunhe, and Zhao's Martial Hall. But they only recruit disciples at certain times of the year. You've missed this year's intake."
"In my opinion, folks like us don't need to go to those big halls. Learn a few solid moves—that's enough to protect yourself and look the part.
"But if you're dead set on joining one, you could ask Shunzi."
"Shunzi?" Chen Sanshi blinked.
"Yeah. That boy's been cozying up to martial hall disciples lately—treating them to meals almost every day. In fact…" Liu nodded toward the door, "speak of the devil—there he is."
Across the street from the restaurant stood a modest, smaller martial hall.
Turning around, Chen Sanshi spotted Zhang Shun walking out of it with two young men dressed in white robes.
"Shi ge'er?"
Zhang Shun's eyes widened. He immediately left the two disciples behind and ran over, looking guilty. "Brother, I've been meaning to visit you these past few days. About last time—"
Chen Sanshi cut him off gently. "Shunzi, don't worry about it. I've already got the money."
"Your Brother Shi here," Liu Hongda chimed in with a chuckle, "just sold a whole nest of wild boars. Walked out of here with seven taels of silver."
"Really?!" Zhang Shun's jaw dropped. "Brother, that's incredible! It'd take me months of fishing to earn that much!"
Shunzi was full of envy—but the kind that was simple and pure, without even a trace of jealousy.
"Oh right, here. This is for you."
Chen Sanshi took out three qian of silver, ready to return what he had borrowed, with interest.
"Brother, I can't take it! I didn't even manage to help you last time."
"Debt is debt. Besides, your father's leg still needs treatment, doesn't it?"
After several rounds of back-and-forth, Chen Sanshi finally managed to stuff the silver into Shunzi's pocket. Then he changed the subject. "So, you're treating those martial hall disciples to a meal?"
"Yeah."
Shunzi lowered his voice. "I missed the recruitment period for Tailei Martial Hall, so I'm trying to pull a few strings. Maybe they'll squeeze me in."
He had just happened to meet two disciples outside the martial hall. They'd offered to "put in a good word" for him—so, naturally, he'd been treating them to meals to build some rapport.
This was already the third meal he'd paid for.
Even if the little restaurant wasn't as expensive as the Eight Treasures Restaurant, it still cost him quite a bit.
"I see," Chen Sanshi said, glancing at the two disciples across the street.
One had a toothpick dangling from his mouth, the other was patting his full belly, looking impatient.
"Hey, Shunzi!" one of them barked. "What're you standing around for? Let's go—we're hitting the flower house tonight! The senior I'm introducing you to is someone the master personally favors, you get me?"
"Yes, yes, I'm coming!"
Zhang Shun hurriedly excused himself and ran off after them.
Chen Sanshi watched them leave, uneasy. Those disciples didn't look trustworthy at all.
'I'll have to remind Shunzi to be careful later.'
He didn't linger. Without wasting time, he went straight to the yamen and handed in the three taels of silver for his taxes.
When he saw the tax officer mark a check next to his name in the registry, the weight on his chest finally lifted.
"Now it's just that Qin fellow left…"
'I wonder if he'll try something else to stir up trouble.'
'I'd better head home fast. Otherwise Lan jie'er will be worrying herself sick again.'
He hurried back.
At the door, Gu Xinlan was chatting with a few village women. Their conversation was full of envy and praise for her man.
"How lucky you are, Xinlan—your Shi ge'er's so capable. Educated, handsome, and now making good money too!"
"When a man can make money, even his bad habits start sounding like virtues!"
"Xinlan, you better hurry and give your Shi ge'er a baby!"
"No need to worry about that—just look at her hips! She's sure to give birth to a son!"
Gu Xinlan's face flushed crimson as the women teased her from all sides.
"Xinlan, look—your man's home!"
"Shi ge'er!"
Gu Xinlan didn't care about the gossip anymore. She broke into a run to greet him.
"We're having rabbit for dinner tonight."
Chen Sanshi smiled, holding up the rabbit he hadn't sold.
But Gu Xinlan didn't even look at it. She was already fussing over him, patting his arms and shoulders anxiously. "Are you hurt, Shi ge'er? I heard wild boars are terrifying!"
Chen Sanshi paused for a moment, then smiled softly. "I'm fine. Don't worry."
"You'd better not go after such dangerous beasts again, Shi ge'er!"
Once she confirmed he was unharmed, Gu Xinlan finally relaxed, taking the things from his hands. "You must be hungry. I'll cook right away."
Chen Sanshi watched her bustling about the kitchen, a warmth blooming in his chest.
For the first time, he truly felt like he belonged here.
He had a home in this world now.
…
Before long, the rich scent of food wafted from the kitchen, making Chen Sanshi's stomach growl.
Just as they were about to eat—
Knock, knock, knock.
Someone rapped lightly on the door.
"Who is it?"
"It's me! Qin Xiong!"
The name made Gu Xinlan's face instantly pale. She grabbed the corner of Chen Sanshi's sleeve, silently pleading for him not to go.
"It's fine. I'll see what he wants."
Chen Sanshi tucked the kitchen knife into his belt and stepped outside.
He'd expected Qin Xiong to come pick a fight after learning the taxes were paid. Maybe to extort more money—or worse.
But instead, what he saw was… the exact opposite.
Qin Xiong was smiling from ear to ear, holding a jug of the cheapest yellow wine in one hand. "Hahaha! Brother Chen!"
Chen Sanshi frowned. "What's this about?"
"Ah, Brother Chen, I'm here to apologize!"
Qin Xiong laughed as he clapped a hand on Chen Sanshi's shoulder, trying to squeeze hard—but his palm met what felt like solid rock.
'What the hell…?'
Where had this scholar gotten such strength?
He'd only just gotten home and already heard about how that "bookworm" had single-handedly taken down a wild boar.
And not just any boar—an adult sow during autumn, when they were the most violent. Hunters had been killed by such beasts before.
To bring one down alone wasn't something ordinary.
But wasn't this guy supposed to be useless?
'Maybe he's been hiding his strength all along… or maybe just took the wrong path in life.'
Either way, Qin Xiong decided it wasn't worth the risk.
He'd survived this long not by brute force, but by knowing exactly who he could afford to offend—and who he couldn't.
Crossing a man who could draw a bow and pierce through beasts? Not wise. Hunters like that were dangerous—they could shoot you clean through the heart from behind a bush.
As for women… well, there were plenty of others.
If Chen Sanshi was too much trouble, he'd just find another target.
"Brother Chen!" Qin Xiong said loudly, raising his voice so the nearby neighbors could hear. "We had some misunderstandings before. Let's clear the slate in front of everyone, eh?"
He deliberately made a show of it, drawing out curious villagers who peeked from their doorways.
When Chen Sanshi stayed silent, Qin Xiong began to worry the man might refuse and humiliate him publicly. But finally, he heard what he wanted.
"Brother Qin, you're joking."
Chen Sanshi smiled politely. "I've never been one to hold grudges—and honestly, what happened between us hardly counts as one."
"Ha! I knew it! You're a generous man indeed—a true scholar!"
Qin Xiong beamed, setting the wine jar down with a flourish. "This wine's my apology, then. I won't keep you from dinner, Brother Chen."
"Of course. Safe travels, Brother Qin."
When the door closed, Chen Sanshi's expression hardened. His gaze shifted to the recurve bow hanging on the wall.
'Clear the slate?'
'When I was at my lowest, you tried to destroy me and my home. Now that I'm not easy to bully anymore, you want to walk away with a smile?'
'There's no such cheap mercy in this world.'