After sharpening the wooden stakes, Li Chen used some fittings he had made the previous day, along with the white birch and sour jujube wood he had cut, and paired them with the bowstring left behind by his predecessor father to craft two very simple crossbow-style launchers.
Though crude in appearance, strengthened by his modern design concepts, they could easily pierce a human body within 20 meters.
Setting the simple crossbows aside, he carried the sharpened stakes into the courtyard. At three locations he had already selected, he began digging pit traps.
He had killed Zhang Guang. That would inevitably alert the Black Wind Stronghold.
Given the bandits’ vengeful nature, once they discovered he was responsible, they would surely come to kill him. It was only a matter of time.
He had to prepare in advance.
Yu Qingwan, sitting by the doorway sewing clothes, asked curiously, “My lord, what are you doing?”
Without stopping his work, Li Chen replied, “When I went into the mountains recently, I saw many wild beasts. Our house is right by the mountain. At night, a beast might rush in. I’m digging a few traps to prevent accidents. Remember these locations carefully. Never walk near them, or you might hurt yourself.”
He did not want to tell her yet about killing Zhang Guang in Pingyang County City. It would frighten her.
There would be time later.
“Yes, my lord.”
Yu Qingwan was startled and nodded obediently. She helped carry soil away and occasionally brought him tea to quench his thirst.
Li Chen worked quickly. Before long, he had finished digging three pits over 1 meter deep. He planted the sharpened stakes inside, then covered them with branches and spread soil back over the top.
Though the pits appeared randomly placed, Li Chen had calculated them precisely from a psychological perspective. They completely covered every possible route from the courtyard wall into the house. No matter how someone maneuvered, they would inevitably step into at least one of the three pits, ensuring lethal effectiveness.
After returning indoors, he tested the two simple crossbows. He was reasonably satisfied.
He then placed bows in two corners of the room and connected them to the windows and doors with thin strings, testing the setup.
If anyone dared enter through the doors or windows, the mechanism would trigger instantly and shoot to kill.
After finishing everything, Li Chen let out a long breath.
If the bandits dared to come, these simple devices would make them pay dearly.
Returning to the workshop, Li Chen sat down to craft real weapons.
He picked up the damaged bow.
It was a Northern Mang infantry war bow the old arrow-maker had salvaged from a battlefield.
Northern Mang war bows were famous for their power.
The bow’s recurved design made it compact yet extraordinarily strong.
This Northern Mang war bow had an effective lethal range of at least 60 meters, far superior to his hunting bow.
Though damaged, Li Chen had the skill to repair it.
After working for some time, he restored the bow and began modifying it into a pulley compound crossbow.
He installed an eccentric wheel above and below, added two auxiliary strings alongside the main string, and adjusted the tension.
It sounded simple but was difficult in practice. He repeatedly calibrated and tested it, ensuring precision and power while also keeping the design rugged. It had to withstand impacts and rough handling. If it were too delicate, breaking at the slightest touch, it would be useless in real combat.
From dusk until midnight, he worked tirelessly until the transformation was complete.
He then went to sleep.
Early the next morning, Li Chen completed his usual training and went into the mountains to test the new crossbow.
With the added pulleys, drawing and holding the string required little effort. He could easily pull it to full draw with one hand. Its power was at least 30 percent greater than when the bow was used manually.
Previously, the bow’s effective lethal range had been around 60 to 70 meters. Even elite soldiers could only fire about fifteen full-draw arrows before exhausting their strength.
Now, after modification into a pulley crossbow, its effective range was at least 100 meters. The power had increased dramatically. Without needing to hold tension manually, it conserved immense energy, theoretically allowing unlimited draws.
Li Chen had also introduced a more advanced concept. Beneath the crossbow, he installed an arrow magazine that could hold ten arrows.
He crafted a clever linkage mechanism using thin bamboo strips. With the elastic tension of the bent bamboo, each time an arrow was fired and the string drawn again, the next arrow would automatically rise into position.
It was efficient and time-saving, essentially a semi-automatic cold weapon far ahead of its time.
Combined with his uncanny ability to empty his mind and strike with perfect accuracy, Li Chen felt a surge of confidence.
Within 100 meters, unmatched in single combat.
Even against a massive tiger, an armored wild boar, or a ferocious bear, he could confront them head-on.
After completing training and testing, Li Chen carried the strange-looking crossbow back inside. He organized his equipment and hung smaller weapons on the individual carrying harness he had crafted the previous day.
He prepared to enter the mountains for another hunt.
This time, he brought both the powerful crossbow and the hunting bow.
For fierce beasts or long-distance shots, he would use the crossbow.
For ordinary prey, the hunting bow.
“Zhang Hu is dead. Be cautious of retaliation. Stay where there are many people.”
“If I don’t return by night, don’t stay home alone. Go stay at Aunt Xu’s house.”
He did not want to attract attention. He fashioned a burlap cover for the crossbow and slung it over his back.
The hunting bow hung over his right shoulder, and the quiver rested beneath the crossbow, slung diagonally across his back with the feathered arrow tails exposed for quick access.
Passing the large elm tree at the village entrance leading into the mountains, he saw a group of women standing there, looking expectantly into the distance.
“Chen-ge, going into the mountains to hunt again?” Liu Jincui spotted him first and stepped forward with a smile.
After receiving the mountain chicken from him, her impression of the young man had improved greatly.
Li Chen smiled and nodded in response.
Xu Xiu’er stood nearby, watching him closely. “Li Chen, don’t rush into the mountains. Word has come back that they’ve found several young wild boars and are hunting them. If you help out, you can get some meat without risking the deep mountains alone.”
“Oh my, Xiu’er, what are you saying? The men of the village worked hard. Why should he get a share in the end?” Wang Caifeng turned around, having just noticed Li Chen and overheard Xu Xiu’er. Her gaze was hostile.
“Exactly. If he wants meat, he can hunt it himself. Why should he share our wild boar?” Zhou Jiao, who had torn Yu Qingwan’s clothes the previous day, glared at Li Chen and curled her lip.
Li Chen turned toward the mother and daughter, his eyes growing cold.
“What are you staring at? If you don’t help, you don’t get a share. And what you did to me yesterday isn’t over. When my father comes back and eats his fill, we’ll come find you and beat you to death!” Zhou Jiao lifted her chin and glared fiercely.
Li Chen ignored the unruly pair and continued walking up the mountain.
As he walked, he reflected that with the villagers’ crude weapons, catching small wild boars might be possible. But if they encountered that armored wild boar, they were overestimating themselves. They would not stand a chance.
After walking for about fifteen minutes, just as he was about to take the left mountain path, chaotic shouting suddenly erupted ahead, along with screams.
“Oh heavens, run! Another big wild boar! Oh mother…”
He could hear trees crashing and snapping, along with heart-rending cries.
“Could it be that armored wild boar?”
Li Chen’s heart tightened slightly as he moved swiftly toward the noise.
Soon he saw dust rising in the distance. Panicked screams, agonized cries of the injured, frantic footsteps, and the sharp, murderous squeals of a wild boar echoed through the forest ahead.
Moments later, about 100 meters ahead, a large group of villagers burst from the woods, terror written across their faces as they fled desperately.
Li Chen could clearly see someone had just thrown down a hunting net. Inside were two young wild boars.
They had caught the small ones, and in doing so, had attracted the large one.