Zhou Pao hung many bells at various heights on a clothes-drying pole and had Zhao Lin stand seven feet away to practice his spear thrusts.
After a few days of practice, Zhao Lin could basically make a bell ring with every thrust, and his movements became steadier and steadier.
"Your technique and aim are fine. Now, let's see if you have the guts."
Zhou Pao placed an egg on his head, then sat down in a chair. "Come on. Use a piercing thrust to break the egg."
Zhao Lin didn't move. He stared at him and asked, "Are you crazy?"
"I'm not crazy."
"You put an egg on your head, and you're not worried my hand will shake?"
Zhou Pao said slowly, "Our village once had a master archer who was proficient in all eighteen martial arts—a man of immense skill. The first time he went into the mountains to hunt, he ran into a wild boar. Guess what happened?"
"What happened?"
"He pissed himself in fear, shaking so much he couldn't even draw his bow! And do you know why?"
Zhao Lin pursed his lips. He knew Zhou Pao was right.
'In my past life, many incredibly talented athletes dominated smaller competitions, but they'd choke during major events. Their mentality wasn't strong enough, and their form would break down under pressure.'
'No matter how skilled you are, it's all for nothing if you can't perform when it counts.'
"I want to know if you have courage and guts!" Zhou Pao said, enunciating each word.
Zhu Dachun and Liang Song, who had been practicing archery, walked over.
Zhu Dachun crossed his arms. His gaze shifted between Zhou Pao and Zhao Lin before he chuckled. "Old Zhou, you're really putting it all on the line. Aren't you afraid of an accident?"
Zhou Pao said calmly, "If something happens, I accept it. It's better for me to die alone than for all of us to be killed by the bear."
"Alright!"
Zhao Lin suddenly stepped forward and lunged, his longspear quivering as it shot straight for Zhou Pao's forehead.
Zhou Pao had thought he would need to persuade Zhao Lin repeatedly, but he never expected the young man to strike without any warning. His mouth hung open, and for a long moment, he was speechless.
Zhu Dachun and Liang Song were also stunned by the sight.
Zhou Pao felt a cold, wet, sticky substance trickle down from the top of his head. "Am I bleeding?" he asked in alarm.
"It's egg white."
Zhao Lin stood holding his spear, letting out a sigh of relief in his heart.
'I did that so I wouldn't have time to think and hesitate. It's better to just get it over with in one go. The more you think, the more likely you are to get nervous and make a mistake.'
...
The day before they were set to depart, Zhao Lin only practiced with his spear for half the day to conserve his strength for their journey into the mountains.
He followed Liang Song's and Zhu Dachun's example, applying poison to the blood groove of his iron spear. He then repeatedly polished the spear's shaft, which helped calm his mind.
"Nervous?" Liang Song walked over and sat down next to Zhao Lin.
Zhao Lin replied, half-joking and half-serious, "Not nervous. I've accepted it. This is a one-shot deal, succeed or fail."
Liang Song chuckled upon hearing this. "I figured you wouldn't be. You didn't even blink when you thrust your spear at Zhou Pao."
Zhao Lin laughed along with him, then a question suddenly occurred to him. "By the way, Zhou Pao said the other Hunters weren't willing to help him kill the bear. Why did you agree?"
Liang Song fell silent. After a long moment, he said, "I want to save up money to learn martial arts."
"Learn martial arts?"
Zhao Lin's eyelid twitched. This was the first time he had heard someone with the same aspiration as himself. He couldn't help but ask, "Are you learning martial arts to get ahead in the world, or to become a more confident hunter?"
"Neither."
Liang Song shook his head, his tone flat. "My father and my older brother were killed by bandits. I want revenge."
Hearing the word "bandits," Zhao Lin's expression darkened as well.
The people of Ying Province often called mountain bandits "Beards."
It was said that in the old days, bandits favored red-tasseled spears. When they lined up in formation, they would stick the spear shafts into the ground. From a distance, the fluttering red tassels looked like a lock of red beard growing from a chin.
That's why people called the bandits "Beards," while they called themselves "Strands."
Most Beards came from impoverished backgrounds, forced into banditry to survive. But when it came to preying on common folk, their methods were ten times crueler than the government's.
Take Three Families Village, for example. As poor as it was, besides paying grain taxes to the government every year, the Beards also took a share of the harvest.
If you failed to pay the government's grain tax, you'd at most be dragged off for hard labor. But if you shorted the Beards, you'd be killed on the spot.
Liang Song stroked the longbow in his hands, speaking as if to Zhao Lin, but also as if to himself.
"My family was originally from Guangde County, a hundred li away. Three years ago, my father and my brother were transporting goods with a merchant caravan when they passed through Baitou Mountain and ran into a group of men under the bandit Drilling Mountain Leopard."
"My brother argued with them over protecting our packhorse. For that, the bandits stripped him naked and tied him to a large tree by a cliff."
"It was the middle of summer, and the mountain mosquitoes were as thick as cow hair, swarming everywhere at night. My brother was covered in blood-sucking mosquitoes, on the verge of death."
"My father couldn't bear to watch. When he tried to go save my brother, one of the bandits split him in two with an axe."
"When the news reached our village, my mother immediately coughed up blood. She didn't even survive the night."
Liang Song's calm tone sent a chill seeping from the very depths of one's heart.
Zhao Lin unconsciously tightened his grip on his iron spear.
Liang Song continued, "I was afraid the bandits would come for me to eliminate the last trace, so I hastily buried my mother, changed my name, and sought refuge with my older cousin, looking for a chance to get revenge. Only Zhou Pao and Brother Zhu know about this."
Zhao Lin sighed and patted his shoulder. "You did the right thing. If it were me, I would have done the same."
Liang Song thanked him and said, "I've made inquiries. The leader of Drilling Mountain Leopard's gang is a Qi Realm master, far stronger than your average Power Realm martial artist. He also has the 'Eight Vajra Guardians' under him, each one a formidable fighter."
"I've only learned basic farmer's combat for two years. Wanting to kill them for revenge is, in a word, difficult!"
Zhao Lin comforted him, "A gentleman's revenge can wait ten years. Look at Zhou Pao—he's waited twenty years to kill that bear."
Just then, Zhou Pao walked over carrying a sack. He said to Zhao Lin, "You haven't practiced with a bow, so I prepared these for you."
As he spoke, he opened the sack, revealing five small, gleaming axes, their blades glinting with a cold light.
"Throwing axes?" Zhao Lin asked.
"That's right."
Zhou Pao handed him the sack. "I was afraid of distracting you, so I'm only giving them to you now. If you get a chance, just hurl an axe at it with all your might. Whether it hits or not will be up to the mountain god's blessing."
"Alright." Zhao Lin nodded in agreement.
"I've practiced with throwing axes. I can give you some pointers."
Zhu Dachun came over, took an axe from the sack, and explained, "When you're holding the axe, point the handle toward your body. Don't straighten your thumb; wrap it around the grip."
"Throw it from an over-the-shoulder motion. When you see the handle in your peripheral vision, let go, and then follow through with your arm."
As he spoke, he threw the axe, and it hit a wooden block hanging on the courtyard wall dead center.
Zhao Lin cheered. He practiced for a while, mimicking the motion. Although his aim wasn't perfect, he could at least ensure the blade hit the target.
As the sun began to set, Zhou Pao gathered everyone together.
"Everything is ready. We head into the mountains tomorrow. Does anyone have any last wishes or affairs to settle? Speak up."
This was a custom among the mountain Hunters: when hunting dangerous beasts, casualties were inevitable. If the hunt was successful, even those who died were entitled to their pre-agreed share of the reward.
By settling their affairs beforehand, the survivors could deliver the money to the deceased's family, fulfilling a final duty.
Seeing that no one was speaking, Zhou Pao said casually, "I'll go first then. I'm a lifelong bachelor. If anything happens to me, just buy me a coffin and bury me next to my parents. You all can split the rest of the money."
"But it'd be best not to die. Otherwise, when I get to the underworld, my old man will ask how I got there. If I say I got mauled to death by a bear just like he did, he'll probably get angry enough to kill me all over again."
Hearing his nonchalant words, everyone laughed.
Zhu Dachun said to Liang Song and Zhao Lin, "You two go first. I need to think."
Liang Song was straightforward. "Give all my money to my older cousin."
Zhao Lin thought for a moment and said, "My family is in Three Families Village. My father's name is Zhao Baotian. Just leave the money for them."
"Also, my older brother is doing hard labor. Please have my father take ten taels of silver and find Qian Sanming."
After saying all this, he let out a soft breath.
'I could have refused to join this hunt, and then my life wouldn't be in danger.'
'But a man has to take some responsibility in life. To just run away and cling to survival is no different from being dead.'
When it was Zhu Dachun's turn, a bashful expression suddenly appeared on his face.
Zhou Pao urged him, "Old Zhu, you're a bachelor too. What's there to be so hesitant about?"
Zhu Dachun stammered, "Well... if I die, give the money to Widow Wang of Wujiang Village..."
"What?"
The three of them stared at him, wide-eyed.
Liang Song said in astonishment, "Cousin, you haven't been coming home at night these past few days, saying you were visiting relatives. Were you actually... visiting Widow Wang?"
Zhou Pao roared with laughter. "And here I was, wondering why you were still a bachelor in your thirties. Turns out you've had someone warming your bed all along!"
"No wonder Widow Wang's skin is still as tender as a young girl's after all these years of widowhood! So it turns out you're the one who's been watering her 'pear orchard'!"
Zhu Dachun's face turned beet red. After a long moment, he squeezed out a sentence: "What's wrong with a widow? A widow knows how to care for a man!"