After changing into the sheepskin coat, Xu Changnian didn’t feel as cold this time when entering the mountain.
“Good day, Grandpa, enjoying the sun~”
Passing by the village entrance, Xu Changnian tried greeting a few villagers who were squatting against the wall basking in the sun.
But his reputation was simply too… good.
At first, the villagers seemed pleased to be greeted, but the moment they saw it was Xu Changnian, they all hunched up and turned their heads away.
Why bother acknowledging that rascal?
Who knows, he might cling to you and ask for help next!
“You heard? That rascal Xu is heading up the mountain with a bow and arrow? Did he actually straighten out?”
“Aiya! Don’t scare me like that. Him? Hunt?”
“Wasn’t it just dumb luck yesterday? Picked up a rabbit, that’s it. What does he know about hunting?”
“I’m telling you, better guard your own doors. The Xu family’s probably going to start borrowing grain soon…”
“Really?”
“True. That brat picked up two delicate little wives. You think Xu family can afford to feed them?”
“I better go home and tell my wife to hide the grain…”
…
After leaving the village, Xu Changnian immediately called out the system.
A small minimap-like intel display clearly marked the location of the Hungry Wild Chicken.
Following the intel guidance, he soon arrived at a patch of pine forest.
“This is it. Look at the tracks on the ground—three spread toes, similar to bamboo leaves… definitely a wild pheasant!”
Stepping into the forest, Xu Changnian spotted several pheasant tracks. He was delighted.
He crept forward slowly, avoiding noise to prevent startling the Hungry Wild Chickens.
Not long after, he heard faint clucking sounds nearby.
In the distance, two vibrantly feathered pheasants came strutting along while pecking at the ground.
They weren’t overly plump, but definitely better than yesterday’s rabbit. Each looked to be at least four or five kilograms.
Xu Changnian carefully pulled out a cloth pouch from his chest—his secret weapon!
Millet soaked in wine!
This was a trick Xu Tielin had taught him last night. Based on the pheasants’ love of grains, he had soaked millet in rice wine overnight.
After absorbing the wine, the millet had a strong aroma that wild chickens adored.
Once they ate it, it was like drinking—soon, they’d slow down and get dizzy.
At that point, you could catch them with your hands!
After taking out the millet, Xu Changnian began sprinkling it bit by bit in a loose line to avoid startling the pheasants.
“Done. Now just wait for them to come.”
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he backed away quietly to a safe distance and waited patiently.
Time passed.
The two Hungry Wild Chickens, lured by the scent, clucked their way over.
Xu Changnian’s heart leapt to his throat. He prayed the secret weapon would work.
The lead chicken sniffed the millet, looked around cautiously, but couldn’t resist the temptation and started pecking the grains.
Clearly starving.
Once the first started, the second quickly followed, flapping over to snatch some of the food.
Xu Changnian smiled.
Soon, the once-vigilant birds began stumbling like drunks, their steps unsteady, unable to walk straight.
Before long, their reactions dulled, wings drooping, heads bobbing like dozing people.
Xu Tielin really deserved to be called an old hunter—this method was brilliant. You could catch pheasants effortlessly.
A while later, Xu Changnian judged the moment was right.
The first bird had eaten the most and now stood dazed, clucking faintly.
He stood up and crept toward them.
He accidentally stepped on a branch—but the pheasants didn’t even flinch.
His target was the one only slightly tipsy—take it out first.
The extremely drunk one wouldn’t be going anywhere anyway.
If he did it the other way around, the one still half-sober might escape.
Xu Changnian sneaked up from behind, lunged forward, and grabbed the bird in one swift move.
Cluck cluck cluck——
The bird flailed its wings wildly in his hands, trying to break free.
Too bad it was drunk and slow. Xu Changnian didn’t give it a chance and snapped its neck right away.
The bird went limp.
He weighed it—at least four kilograms of meat.
Sure, it would taste a little gamey without draining the blood, but who cared? They barely had enough to eat at home.
The other bird, hearing the commotion, suddenly realized what was happening and began staggering around like a drunk.
It tried to flap its wings and flee, but it had no strength, stumbling clumsily across the snow.
At the same time,
Xu Changnian drew his bow, aimed, and released a willow arrow.
Whoosh—
“Damn it! That was so close—did I hit or not?”
Watching the arrow graze the side of the bird, Xu Changnian stomped in frustration.
He needed more practice.
Archery wasn’t something the system could fast-track—he’d have to train properly.
Now it was fleeing in panic.
Strapping the first bird to his waist, Xu Changnian rushed forward to retrieve the arrow.
It hadn’t completely missed—there were streaks of blood and a few small feathers on the tip.
“It grazed the leg—it won’t get far!”
Energized, Xu Changnian followed the blood trail and the unsteady claw prints in the snow.
Sure enough, after less than 20 steps, he spotted the brightly colored pheasant behind a patch of dry brush.
The bird had its head buried in the shrubs, trembling, with its tail feathers sticking out.
A classic drunken fool—covering its head but leaving its butt exposed!
Xu Changnian quietly crept up and grabbed the bird, then swiftly snapped its neck.
Two birds caught. This one was fat—easily five kilograms.
“One for stew, the other roasted. Xiaoyue’s been craving chicken every day.”
Looking at the two pheasants in his arms, Xu Changnian planned it out.
Two birds… glorious.
Thinking of the flavor of stewed chicken, he hummed happily as he headed back to the village.
…
Outside the Xu household, two sneaky pairs of eyes peeked inside.
“Master Liu, what’s going on? Didn’t the Xu family fall apart? Why’s it so peaceful?”
“That little lady is real pale…”
“This is ridiculous. That shrew Yun Niang actually didn’t lose her temper and even let those two girls stay?”
“Yeah, I heard… the Xu family even had meat yesterday—stewed rabbit!”
“You serious?”
“I swear. While we were getting stung by hornets, half the village smelled it.”
“Damn it…”
Outside the Xu house, those two pairs of shady eyes kept peering inside.
It was Liu Ermazi and Lai Dou, squatting by the wall, looking utterly shocked.
The Xu family, which should’ve been a chaotic mess, was perfectly fine? They even had meat last night?
If they hadn’t been tricked yesterday, they would’ve joined in the fun.
But instead, they were left with swollen faces from hornet stings, their wine was stolen, and Xu Changnian got to enjoy meat and beautiful wives?
They were absolutely furious.
Liu Ermazi’s face turned red with anger.
Could it be that the one who played them yesterday… was Xu Changnian?
As he thought about it, a familiar figure appeared.