Night fell.
Qingyun Village bordered the great river to the west, had bamboo on North Mountain, giant wood spread to the east, and sat in a secluded valley.
Though it was the scorching month of July, the night was cool and quiet.
Clingy Little Jiu Niang had already gone to sleep in the East Wing with Aunt Chun, while Lin Ning lived alone in the West Wing. At this moment, the oil lamp inside had yet to be extinguished.
On the wooden table before him lay a thin, yellowed book.
It was the 《Arrow Scripture》 that the Qingyun Village Second Boss, Fang Lin, had given him today.
Of course, it was only a fragment.
Fang Lin had said that the 《Arrow Scripture》 originally came from the Western Qin Divine Arrow Villa and contained the world's highest secret archery techniques. However, the Divine Arrow Villa was later annihilated by the Black Ice Platform, and the 《Arrow Scripture》 was lost. What circulated in the world now was mostly just ordinary bow-training methods, while the unfathomable Seven Divine Arrow Forms had long since vanished without a trace.
However, as long as one thoroughly mastered the ordinary bow-training methods within the 《Arrow Scripture》, they would still possess formidable lethality.
Lin Ning opened the book and skimmed through it roughly, only to discover that practicing archery was far less simple than he'd imagined—it wasn't just a matter of drawing the bowstring and loosing an arrow.
One had to train the eyes, the palms, the shoulders, the body, the feet—there was nothing in the whole body that didn't need training!
And training courage came first, because "courage is the technique of the heart; if courage is lacking, the heart trembles, and when facing danger, one's ears, eyes, hands, and feet are no longer one's own."
In short, even to train to become the most ordinary archer required two or three years of diligent daily practice without interruption.
And to reach the realm of Second Boss Fang Lin would take decades of slow polishing.
But obviously, Lin Ning didn't need any of that.
The moment he thought of the words "Heavenly Dao," a panel appeared before his eyes:
Lin Ning: Lv 2（10/20）
Merit Points: 10
Strength: 42 Agility: 19 Intelligence: 8 Charisma: 4
Skill Slots:
Qiankun Strength: Minor Accomplishment（0/150）
Hundred Herbs Scripture: Minor Accomplishment（0/120）
Then a dialogue box appeared:
《Arrow Scripture》 fragment discovered. Learn it? Requires 2 Merit Points to consume.
Without hesitation, Lin Ning selected "Yes."
Living among the ruffians of Jianghu, he couldn't afford to pin all his hopes on one woman.
Even though that woman was ferociously formidable...
But as Lin Ning saw it, whatever feelings Tian Wuniang had for him amounted only to gratitude and fond attachment toward his parents.
Tian Wuniang's birth mother had died young, and her relationship with her stepmother—who was also Jiu Niang's birth mother—had been lukewarm. Madam Ning, however, had been very fond of her, keeping her close and doting on her as if she were her own daughter.
This was also one of the major reasons the original body, Lin Xiaoning, had resented Wuniang: jealousy.
Before her death, Madam Ning, already unable to speak, had looked at Wuniang and pointed a finger at Lin Xiaoning.
It was precisely this entrustment that gave Tian Wuniang a sense of responsibility toward Lin Xiaoning.
That was also why she had tolerated his misbehavior all this time...
It wasn't that Lin Ning didn't trust Tian Wuniang, but having lived two lives, how could he place all the pressure on the shoulders of one girl?
As the merit points on the panel dropped by two, Lin Ning felt a faint change occur in the Yangming, Shaoyang, and Taiyang meridians of his outer arms, and the Jueyin, Shaoyin, and Taiyin meridians of his inner arms.
In his mind, his understanding of archery suddenly gained a preliminary grasp.
Looking again at the skill slots, he found a new option had appeared:
Arrow Scripture（Fragment）: Initial Glimpse（0/6）
Since it was only a fragment, leveling it up required just 6 merit points, so Lin Ning had no reason to hold back.
He'd earned a total of 10 merit points today, far too few to level up either the Hundred Herbs Scripture or Qiankun Strength. He might as well level up the 《Arrow Scripture》 instead—reaching Minor Accomplishment would give him a bit more power for self-protection.
Moreover, he'd also be able to go hunting in the mountains alone.
After confirming the upgrade once more, Lin Ning again felt changes occur in his mind and the meridians of his arms, and at this moment the data on the panel shifted once more:
Lin Ning: Lv 2（10/20）
Merit Points: 2
Strength: 42 Agility: 19 Intelligence: 8 Charisma: 4
Skill Slots:
Qiankun Strength: Minor Accomplishment（0/150）
Hundred Herbs Scripture: Minor Accomplishment（0/120）
Arrow Scripture（Fragment）: Minor Accomplishment（0/80）
Lowering his head to glance at his arm, which seemed to have thickened by a fraction, Lin Ning's lips curved into a smile.
With countless archery experiences now filling his mind, Lin Ning was confident that against a stationary target, he could hit a hundred out of a hundred shots within fifty paces!
Even against a moving person or object, he had an eighty percent chance of hitting the mark.
For a moment, he found himself itching to get his hands on a bow...
Lin Ning suddenly "recalled" that a large bow seemed to hang on the wall of his father Lin Long's room.
Though Lin Long hadn't mainly relied on archery, he was, after all, a bandit leader, and was well-versed in both bow and horse.
With that thought, Lin Ning lifted the oil lamp and headed to the main bedroom, which had stood vacant for years.
With a creak, he pushed the door open and stepped inside. A feeling both unfamiliar and yet deeply intimate and familiar washed over him, and Lin Ning couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion.
The disciplining rod still hung behind the door, but by the pond there was no longer any voice calling for him.
In the memories of the original body, Lin Xiaoning, he clearly held deep feelings for his parents.
A large part of why Lin Xiaoning had so despised and resented Wuniang stemmed from jealousy over his parents' favoritism toward her...
"The past" was too painful to dwell on, so Lin Ning stopped himself from recalling further. Walking to the eastern wall, beside a painting of a court lady, he saw the ox horn great bow from his "memories."
Setting the oil lamp on the table, he took down the great bow and gave the string a firm pull.
With his current foundation as a second-rate master, he drew the great bow open without much effort at all.
Aiming toward the window, he released his grip—a resounding twang rang out.
A familiar and powerful sensation!
Lin Ning admired the great bow in his hands with satisfaction. In ancient times, bows were classified by "shi."
A one-shi bow required 120 catties of arm strength to draw.
For an ordinary archer, being able to draw a one-shi bow already marked them as an elite soldier.
Huang Zhong, one of the Five Tiger Generals of the Three Kingdoms, had wielded a three-shi strong bow.
And the ox horn great bow in Lin Ning's hands should be a five-shi bow!
The bow's body, crafted from wild ox horn, could withstand the boost of internal energy.
Holding the great bow, Lin Ning felt deeply pleased.
The last time, though he'd been able to thoroughly beat down Zhou Shi and Zeng Niu, that was only because he'd taken advantage of the two underestimating him.
Had it come down to a real contest of skill, Lin Ning would have been no match for the two of them at all.
But now...
Killing them with an arrow would no longer be a difficult task.
"Ning'er?"
Suddenly, a startled voice came from outside the window under the corridor—it was Aunt Chun's voice.
Lin Ning quickly answered, "Aunt Chun, it's me."
He felt a bit annoyed with himself—he'd forgotten that every night, Aunt Chun would come to his room to check whether he was sleeping soundly and whether his blankets were properly covered.
She must have come out to search for him after finding him missing.
Aunt Chun did indeed look somewhat flustered as she stepped in from outside. Seeing Lin Ning holding a great bow, she said in surprise, "Ning'er, why aren't you sleeping? What are you doing? You... you'd better not do anything foolish again!" By the end, her voice had begun to tremble.
She thought Lin Ning still intended to storm Yulin City again to take revenge for his father.
Lin Ning quickly said, "Aunt Chun, don't think too much of it. I just got some pointers from Third Uncle during the day and started learning archery. I couldn't sleep tonight, and remembering there was a strong bow in father's room, I came to take a look."
Hearing this, Aunt Chun breathed a sigh of relief, then said reproachfully, "Giving up a perfectly good career as a doctor to learn this whatsit archery?"
Lin Ning laughed and said, "We're bandits, after all—we need some means of self-protection. If anything ever happens, I'll be able to protect Aunt Chun and Jiu Niang and help you escape."
Hearing this, Aunt Chun was moved, and said, "Ning'er really has grown up..." But then she grew doubtful: "Can you even draw a bow this big? Why don't I go ask around tomorrow for a smaller bow for you?"
Lin Ning chuckled, "Aunt Chun, don't underestimate me!"
After speaking, he drew the powerful bow in his hands into a full moon shape with force.
"Oh my!"
Seeing this, Aunt Chun cried out in surprise, repeating, "Ning'er, where did you get such strength? Ning'er, where did you get such strength?"
Lin Ning laughed, "It's all thanks to Aunt Chun—all these years you've been giving me Dragon Blood Rice to nourish my body, that's how I grew such great strength."
Hearing this, Aunt Chun grew even happier and said, "Good, good, good, it wasn't for nothing that I set aside my pride these past years, going to argue with them day after day. If only the Great Chieftain and Madam could see you like this today, how wonderful that would be!"
Lin Ning was about to offer some words of comfort, but his expression suddenly changed, and he abruptly turned his head to look toward the window.
Not understanding what was happening, Aunt Chun watched as Lin Ning stepped forward and pushed open the window—and in the distance, toward the Mountain Gate, flames could be seen rising.
"Heavens!"
Aunt Chun, an old resident of the mountain stronghold, knew all too well what it meant for flames to rise near the Mountain Gate at this hour. Her voice trembling, she said, "Something's happened, something's happened, Ning'er, something terrible is happening... what do we do, Wuniang isn't home, there's no one here, Ning'er..."
Lin Ning's expression turned grave and stern. He slung the great bow across his back, took Aunt Chun's hand with one of his own, and said as he strode forward, "Rest assured, Aunt Chun, it'll be fine. Third Uncle is here, and so am I!"
Aunt Chun's body trembled all over. As an old resident of the stronghold, she'd heard of countless tragic fates befalling villagers after their strongholds were destroyed.
Not to mention distant cases—even the neighboring Sand Sea Stronghold had been betrayed by its own people, and what happened there was worse than what beasts would do.
She wasn't afraid for herself—at worst, she'd take her own life before being captured—but how could she stand by and watch Lin Ning and Jiu Niang come to harm?
Seeing that she was too frightened to walk, Lin Ning bent down and carried her on his back, saying in a deep voice, "Aunt Chun, there's truly no need to be afraid. Stay here with Little Jiu'er for now, and I'll go down to find Third Uncle. If things truly can't be avoided, we'll head into the Back Mountain and wait for Wuniang and Fourth Uncle to return. Nothing bad will happen. Rest assured."
"Ning'er, you can't go alone, it's dangerous!"
Hearing Lin Ning's words, Aunt Chun's fear eased slightly, but she still grabbed onto Lin Ning's lapel and wouldn't let go.
Lin Ning smiled and said, "Aunt Chun, you yourself said I've grown up. I'm a man, the last man of the Lin Family. This stronghold bears the Lin name."
By this time, the flames at the Mountain Gate had already shot into the sky, and the sounds of battle could be heard.
The door of the East Wing opened, and Cui'er, her face full of killing intent, emerged protecting Jiu Niang, whose face was streaked with tears. Seeing Lin Ning carrying Aunt Chun on his back, she was visibly stunned for a moment.
Jiu Niang, however, cried out in delighted surprise, shouting loudly, "Aunt Chun and Brother-in-law didn't abandon me! Aunt Chun and Brother-in-law didn't abandon me!"
Cui'er's big face was full of embarrassment, but Lin Ning paid it no mind. Setting Aunt Chun down, he said to Cui'er in a deep voice, "Protect Aunt Chun and Jiu Niang. If things can't be avoided and someone comes up the mountain, head to the bamboo forest in the Back Mountain. I'll follow soon after..."
Aunt Chun still wasn't at ease and didn't want Lin Ning to go, but Lin Ning only embraced her briefly, then bent down to hug Jiu Niang, whose little face still hadn't fully shed its look of grievance and fright, before slinging the ox horn great bow onto his back and striding down North Mountain.
This year, before the youth had even properly fastened his arrows, he was already stepping out into the Jianghu.
……
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