"If we plan this right, not only do we have a chance of winning, but it's a very good one!"
The two went to the same restaurant where they had drunk before. They ordered a pot of tea and a plate of melon seeds. Seeing no one around, Zhou Pao lowered his voice and said,
Zhao Lin asked, "What's the plan, exactly?"
Zhou Pao answered with a question of his own, "What season is it now?"
Zhao Lin gave him a surprised look and said, "Winter."
"And what do bears do in the winter?"
"Hibernate."
Zhao Lin froze for a moment, then it dawned on him. "You know where it's hibernating. You want to launch a surprise attack?"
Zhou Pao's face was all smiles. "You think we're going to fight it head-on? We Hunters call a bear's hibernation 'holing up,' and killing a hibernating bear is called 'clearing the hole.'"
"I've been tracking that bear for years. I know exactly where it holes up for the winter."
'If it's a sneak attack,' Zhao Lin thought, 'the difficulty will be cut in half, at least.'
His mind kept racing, even considering methods like setting a fire or smoking it out with poison gas.
"That's just the first thing..."
Zhou Pao continued, "This bear has lived for nearly forty years. For a human, that's like being in your seventies or eighties. It's old and frail, and its strength has greatly diminished. That's the second thing."
"This autumn, it fought with another beast and severely injured its left leg. That gives us yet another advantage. And that's the third thing."
At this point, Zhou Pao stared intently at Zhao Lin. "So, what do you think? Isn't this fate?"
'This guy seems so carefree, but he's actually a meticulous planner,' Zhao Lin thought. After careful consideration, he finally said, "Alright, I'm in!"
Zhou Pao was overjoyed to hear this and excitedly grabbed his hand. "Excellent! Let's leave the city right now and go plan the details."
Zhao Lin calmly pulled his hand back. "Aren't we going back to the docks first?"
Zhou Pao scoffed, "We're about to do something big, brother! Why would we go back to hauling sacks? There's no point in earning that chump change."
Zhao Lin thought that made sense. "Then I'll go tell Boss Bang."
Zhou Pao was confused. "Just tell the foreman, then up and leave. Why do you need to find Boss Bang?"
Zhao Lin shook his head. "Boss Bang gave me a chance when I was at my lowest. I have to tell him in person."
Zhou Pao sighed in resignation and had no choice but to go with him to find Boss Bang.
"Boss Bang, I have some personal matters to attend to at home, so I can't continue working at the docks. I'd like to resign."
Zhao Lin walked to the riverbank and spoke respectfully to Boss Bang, who was drinking tea.
Zhou Pao sidled up, grinning sheepishly. "Boss Bang, me too."
"Me too, my ass."
Boss Bang cursed with a laugh, then turned to Zhao Lin. "What, not earning enough here?"
Zhao Lin said in a serious tone, "It really is a family matter."
Boss Bang nodded and didn't ask any more questions. He called over the bookkeeper. "Return their deposits."
"Thank you, Boss Bang," Zhao Lin and Zhou Pao said in unison.
...
"Heh heh, the sun must've risen in the west today!"
Zhao Lin and Zhou Pao left the city and headed straight for Baitou Mountain.
Zhou Pao tossed the money pouch in his hand up and down, thoroughly enjoying himself.
Zhao Lin laughed. "It's just our own deposit. What's there to be so happy about getting it back?"
Zhou Pao shook his head. "You don't understand, brother. For guys like us who haven't even worked a full year, we'd be lucky to get half our deposit back. But he returned the whole thing to us today."
Zhao Lin said, "Maybe Boss Bang was just in a good mood today?"
Zhou Pao shot him a sideways glance. "I doubt it. I think it was most likely because of you."
Zhao Lin didn't say anything, but he also felt it was possible Boss Bang had been lenient because he thought Zhao Lin had practiced martial arts. This strengthened his resolve to learn them.
It was still early when the two arrived at Baiqiao Village, where Zhou Pao lived.
"This is it."
Zhou Pao said, pointing to a large, dilapidated stone house.
After they went inside, he told Zhao Lin to wait in the courtyard while he ran into the house.
A moment later, Zhou Pao came out carrying a large iron spear and tossed it over horizontally.
"Catch!"
Zhao Lin reached out and caught it. The iron spear was extremely heavy, weighing about the same as a sack of rice from the docks—around a hundred catties.
The spear was over two meters long and jet-black. The rear half was carved with cloud patterns to prevent it from slipping from one's grasp.
"A fine spear!"
Zhao Lin exclaimed in praise. Recalling moves from movies and TV shows, he stepped forward and thrusted the spear.
"Sigh. Looks like you really haven't trained before."
Zhou Pao walked to the wall and picked up a wooden bar used to bolt the door. He held it with one hand in front of the other and lifted one foot to tap the ground lightly.
"When using a spear, it's all about 'momentum.' Your front foot should be light, your back foot solid. Hold the spear at your side and imagine your body is a bow. When you exert force, push off with the ball of your back foot, use the thrust from your waist and back, and send your arms forward."
After speaking, he took a sudden step forward, his back foot exploding with power. His upper body twisted into a straight line as he thrust the wooden staff, which let out a "WHUMM."
"Whoa... You've practiced martial arts?" Zhao Lin said in surprise.
"This is called the Piercing Spear Stance."
Zhou Pao explained, and then casually told him the origin of the spear technique.
It turned out that an ancestor of the Zhou family had been a chief sentry at a signal tower on Baitou Mountain. After retiring from the army, he stayed in the mountains to become a Hunter. The skills were passed down from generation to generation, making Zhou Pao the ninth.
The first ancestor was an expert in the army, and this very iron spear had been passed down since his time.
Zhao Lin asked curiously, "Since your ancestor knew martial arts, why didn't he pass it down to his descendants?"
Zhou Pao twirled the staff in his hand and said with a wry smile, "It's not that simple. The first stage of martial arts is the Power Realm. It not only requires breathing techniques, but also special medicinal bath formulas."
"Without medicinal aid for Body Refining, it's difficult to even get started. The formulas are controlled by the imperial court. Even if an individual is a martial arts master, they can't pass on the knowledge if they don't know the herbal recipes."
"It's like this in the army, and it's the same for sects and martial arts schools."
"That's why I can only practice some basic stances and forms. I don't have any Inner Power, so my strength isn't much greater than an ordinary person's. I even struggle just to hold that iron spear in your hands, let alone wield it."
This was the first time Zhao Lin had heard about the intricacies of learning martial arts, and he was quite surprised. He said no more and began practicing the moves Zhou Pao had just demonstrated.
"Right, pay attention to coordinating your hips and arms."
"Hold it steady with both hands, thrust quickly, keep your eyes fixed forward, and make the spear move in a straight line..."
Although Zhou Pao didn't know Inner Power, he had been playing with spears and staves since he was a child. His fundamentals were incredibly solid, and he would point out Zhao Lin's shortcomings from time to time.
Under his guidance, Zhao Lin grasped the basics of generating force in under two hours. The rest was just a matter of constant practice.
Zhou Pao nodded repeatedly. "Once you have enough power, the next step is to practice your aim."
Zhao Lin practiced for a while longer, then stood the iron spear in front of him and wiped the sweat from his brow. "When are we going into the mountains to kill the bear?"
Zhou Pao chuckled. "No rush. Our chances will be much better once you've mastered the spear techniques. Besides, we still have other things to prepare."
"The bear hasn't eaten all winter, so it's at its weakest. We'll let it starve for a few more days and make our move just before spring arrives."
"Good idea!"
Zhao Lin praised him sincerely, thinking, 'That's devious. It's safer to work with a smart guy like this.'
They practiced with the spear until dusk, then went back inside to make dinner.
Although Zhou Pao's house was messy and humble, his pantry was surprisingly well-stocked. Zhao Lin guessed he spent all his money on food.
The two lit the stove, put on a pot of rice, and deftly prepared four hot dishes.
Stir-fried wild duck eggs with wood ear mushrooms, mushroom and chicken stew, braised glass noodles with cabbage and fatty pork, and blood sausage with tofu.
They also fished two pickled cucumbers from the pickle jar and served it all with a pot of warm wine. The dinner could only be described as extravagant.
The two of them finished the entire pot of rice and wiped the dishes clean.
Zhao Lin felt his health bar instantly refill to full. The slot for the old yellow ox in his Spirit Beast Scroll filled with a white mist.
The abundant Primordial Qi provided his body with a continuous stream of power. His muscles, tendons, bones, and skin were all undergoing subtle changes, growing tougher and stronger.
'It seems the Spirit Beast Scroll can only unleash its true power with an ample supply of energy!'