“Reporting to you, Magistrate,” Qian Jiang said respectfully to Lou Changfeng, “Qin Ming has successfully slain the man-eating bear that plagued Mu Family Village. The villagers themselves witnessed it.”
“A beast of such ferocity… and you killed it alone?” Lou Changfeng asked.
“Yes, sir.”
“Master Qin, your courage has rid the people of a great menace. You have worked hard. This courtyard is hardly the proper place for a conversation. Please, come with me to the second hall so we may speak in private.”
After glancing at the massive bear on the cart, Magistrate Lou smiled and gestured for him to follow.
“Thank you, Magistrate.”
Qin Ming acknowledged him and followed Lou Changfeng into the county yamen’s second hall.
Passing through the main courtroom, they entered a room on the western side of the second hall.
As soon as they sat down, a servant stepped forward and poured tea for them.
“There’s no need to be nervous here,” Lou Changfeng said with a warm smile when he noticed Qin Ming’s somewhat reserved demeanor. “Treat this place as if it were your own home.”
“Thank you, Magistrate Lou.”
“Master Qin, would you mind telling me exactly how you killed that bear yesterday?”
Lou Changfeng lifted his teacup and took a sip.
“I arrived at Mu Family Village yesterday morning, borrowed some tools from the villagers, and entered the mountains…”
Qin Ming recounted everything that had happened the previous day from beginning to end.
“So you’re saying you killed the bear from over a hundred paces away with heavy arrows, striking it four times in succession?”
Lou Changfeng immediately picked out the most remarkable detail.
“Yes.”
“Master Qin…” Lou Changfeng set down his teacup. “I have a small request. Having heard of such an extraordinary feat, I cannot help but be curious. Would you be willing to let this old man witness your archery skills firsthand?”
His tone was polite, but the skepticism beneath it was unmistakable. Hearing about it was one thing. Seeing it was another.
“Well…”
“If it’s inconvenient, then forget I asked.”
Seeing Qin Ming hesitate, Lou Changfeng raised an eyebrow.
“It’s not that, Magistrate.”
Qin Ming quickly pointed at the bow and arrows behind him.
“My bow uses specially made heavy arrows. They’re extremely powerful. If I loose one indoors and damage the building, or ruin the garden and decorations outside, I wouldn’t dare take responsibility.”
Lou Changfeng chuckled.
“This county office is hardly luxurious. There is nothing here worth worrying over. Even if something is damaged, I won’t hold you responsible.”
“In that case, what would you like me to shoot?”
“Come with me.”
Lou Changfeng rose and led him outside.
Standing by the rear gate of the second hall, he pointed toward the back courtyard.
“The county office stretches over a hundred meters from east to west and nearly two hundred from north to south. From the third hall to this gate is roughly one hundred and ten paces. That should be about the same distance from which you killed the bear, correct?”
“Magistrate Lou, are you asking me to shoot toward your residence?” Qin Ming was startled. “That would be highly inappropriate.”
The third hall was where the magistrate and his family lived. If the shot went astray, it could easily damage property.
“It’s fine.”
Lou Changfeng pointed at a decorative dispaly wall in the distance.
“See that screen? As long as you can hit it, that will be enough.”
“Well…”
“If you hit it, I’ll have your reward brought out immediately.”
At the mention of the reward money, Qin Ming’s eyes brightened.
“Very well.”
He removed his bow, nocked a heavy arrow, and drew the string in one smooth motion.
Whoosh!
Bang!
The arrow streaked through the air and struck the center of the large character Fortune carved into the display wall.
The impact sent fragments of brick flying. The arrow embedded itself deeply into the masonry.
Lou Changfeng’s pupils contracted sharply.
He couldn’t help inhaling sharply.
The precision and force of the shot far exceeded anything he had imagined.
“Who is firing arrows in the courtyard?!”
A booming voice suddenly rang out.
A towering man carrying a long-handled saber charged out from the rear hall.
The man stood nearly six and a half feet tall, dressed in a rough short-sleeved tunic. Thick muscles bulged beneath his skin, and a fierce, battle-hardened aura surrounded him.
Two constables with sabers at their waists followed close behind.
“Magistrate Lou!”
Upon seeing Lou Changfeng, they immediately cupped their fists in greeting.
“Magistrate Lou, what is happening here?”
At the same time, an elderly man with white hair emerged from a nearby room.
“Master Cui,” Lou Changfeng replied with a smile, “this man is Qin Ming, a hunter. Yesterday he single-handedly killed the black bear that had been terrorizing the county. I wished to witness his archery skills for myself.”
Master Cui’s full name was Cui Lin.
He was both Lou Changfeng’s fellow townsman and former teacher.
Born into a prominent local family, Cui Lin possessed extensive learning and a deep understanding of official affairs. Because of this, Lou Changfeng had retained him as his chief adviser.
“This young man killed a bear by himself?”
Cui Lin looked astonished.
“I have never heard of such a thing.”
“Master Qin,” Lou Changfeng said with a smile, “would you fire a couple more arrows for us?”
“Certainly.”
Qin Ming nodded and drew another arrow.
Boom! Crack!
This time, he did not aim for the character itself.
Instead, he targeted the surrounding structure.
Two nearly overlapping impacts thundered through the courtyard.
The center portion of the screen wall shattered as if struck by a siege hammer.
Bricks exploded outward. Dust filled the air.
Two gaping holes, each nearly the size of a washbasin, appeared in the wall.
Chunks of masonry crumbled and fell, leaving the once-pristine screen partially collapsed.
The entire courtyard fell silent.
“Excellent!”
Lou Changfeng finally broke the silence.
Turning to Cui Lin, he said,
“Master Cui, go to the treasury at once. Bring out three hundred taels of silver and present them to Master Qin immediately.”
“Understood.”
Cui Lin departed without delay.
“Thank you, Magistrate!”
Qin Ming hurriedly expressed his gratitude.
“There is no need to thank me,” Lou Changfeng replied with a broad smile. “You earned this reward yourself.”
“Please, come back inside. There are still matters I’d like to discuss.”
“Of course.”
The two returned to the room.
Not long afterward, Cui Lin returned carrying a tray piled with gleaming silver ingots.
“Master Qin, since you have completed the bounty, these three hundred taels belong to you.”
“Thank you, Magistrate.”
“No need for thanks. A man with your skill, who protects the people from danger, is a blessing to this county. The reward was yours by right.”
At that moment, Qin Ming removed a leather pouch and a sealed container from his belongings and respectfully presented them with both hands.
“Magistrate, these are the bear paws and bear gallbladder I recovered from the animal. Please accept them as a token of my respect.”
Earlier, Qin Ming had removed them before the villagers could damage anything valuable in their anger.
Had the county refused to pay the reward, he could still have sold them for a considerable sum.
Now that the silver was safely in hand, offering them to the magistrate seemed only proper.
Lou Changfeng laughed.
“The bear was your kill, so everything from it belongs to you. The county office is neither a medicine shop nor a tavern. We have no use for such things.”
He waved a hand dismissively.
“The bear itself is yours as well. Dispose of it however you wish.”
“Thank you, Magistrate!”
Qin Ming was genuinely grateful.
“Qin Ming,” Lou Changfeng said, his expression growing more serious, “there is one more matter on which I would like your help.”
“Whatever it is, Magistrate, please just say the word.”