"System? This is my cheat?"
Qin An recalled the plots of modern novels from his dreams, and his heart pounded wildly.
He was no stranger to things like a System.
Subconsciously, he pinched himself, wanting to confirm this wasn't a hallucination.
The intense pain could not mask the System's voice in his mind at all.
【Newbie Gift Pack has been distributed. Open immediately?】
Qin An's heart stirred, and he silently intoned: "Open."
【Newbie Gift Pack opened successfully. Congratulations, Host, on obtaining: Basic Archery（Beginner）, Hunting Techniques（Intermediate）】
As the System's voice fell, Qin An felt his mind gain some knowledge that seemed innate.
How to track prey and then shoot it dead had all become instinct.
He felt as if he had transformed into an experienced hunter.
At the same time, a virtual panel appeared in his vision.
【System Introduction: Heaven births all things to nourish man, yet man has not one virtue to repay Heaven! Kill the surplus to make up the deficit, kill kill kill kill kill kill kill! Killing one is a sin, slaughtering ten thousand makes a hero, slaughter nine million and you are a hero among heroes...】
【System Host: Qin An】
【Personal Panel: Host detected to be in a state of severe depletion. Personal attributes unstable, temporarily not displayed.】
Seeing that the Personal Panel could not be displayed due to depletion, Qin An's mouth twitched, and he had no strength to complain.
After all, his current skin-and-bones appearance was indeed a bit abnormal, and there was nothing he could do about it.
And seeing the terrifying killing intent displayed on the System made Qin An both shocked and delighted.
A System like this—wasn't it going to make him into a murderous maniac?
But this thought was quickly cast to the back of his mind. With these, he now had the capital to establish himself.
He almost could not resist the urge to let out a long howl.
Beside him, Yang Yuyan, having recovered her senses, noticed his odd behavior and propped herself up to ask: "Husband, what's wrong?"
Qin An shook his head: "Nothing, there's a mosquito!"
The System's gift seemed to have strengthened his eyesight, and he really did see a mosquito perched on Yang Yuyan's fair, perky buttocks.
"Smack~"
A slap landed, sending a ripple of white waves.
Just as Qin An's gaze was drawn over, the System's voice rang out in his mind again.
【Congratulations, Host, on a successful kill. Obtained a trace of Qi and Blood】
The next moment, a warm current flashed through his body, replenishing a bit of strength.
Qin An was stunned. He hadn't expected that killing a mosquito would actually yield something?
This also made him fully understand how to use this System.
"It really is simple and crude, but that's fine too. This way, I can grow stronger quickly."
With his confidence bolstered, Qin An was utterly exhilarated.
Yang Yuyan noticed his gaze and felt his excitement, and immediately misunderstood.
As someone with experience, she considerately reminded him: "Husband, there will be plenty of time ahead. Too much of this is as bad as too little, it'll harm your health."
As she said this, her face also flushed a little red.
It could only be said that this little man of hers was truly a youngster, too impulsive and reckless.
Moreover, she had also noticed by now that Qin An was naturally big-boned, and his strength and such were quite considerable, leaving her with lingering fear.
It would have been better if Yang Yuyan hadn't said anything—the moment she did, Qin An instantly perked up.
He now had a taste of the wonders of a mature woman, and he understood why there were so many Cao thieves in the modern era.
Not to mention, aside from being a bit haggard, Yang Yuyan was big where it should be big and small where it should be small, plump without being greasy—a top-tier specimen of her type.
"We'll talk about it later!" Looking at this woman who had brought him good fortune, Qin An said solemnly: "I swear, I will never mistreat you and your daughter. I'll bring you a good life!"
Such a declaration completely shattered Yang Yuyan's defenses.
...
Early the next morning, Qin An got up early and carried the damp dry grass outside to dry.
After tidying herself up, Yang Yuyan also woke her two daughters and helped them get ready.
Now that he had confidence, Qin An was no longer stingy. He directly cooked all the remaining coarse rice in one pot.
When Cai Yan and Cai Zhen woke up and saw Qin An, there was less of yesterday's timidity in their eyes and a bit more closeness.
Cai Zhen even ran up to Qin An, tilted up her little face and asked: "Father, Mother, did you spend all night swatting mosquitoes for us? It was smack smack smack the whole time!"
As soon as these words came out, Qin An was extremely embarrassed, and Yang Yuyan's face was even redder, not knowing how to respond.
Cai Yan, with a calm expression, hurriedly tugged at her younger sister: "Less nonsense, hurry up and eat!"
Cai Zhen seemed to be somewhat afraid of her elder sister and did not dare say more.
Qin An let out a sigh of relief and hastily shoveled down his food.
After eating until half full, he did not dare delay. The grain jar was already empty, and he had to find a way to get food.
He took a deep breath and said to Yang Yuyan: "I'll go up the mountain to see if I can find some wild vegetables and wild fruits. You stay home, don't wander around."
Yang Yuyan was somewhat worried, but she also knew the family's situation. The whole family was counting on him, so she could only urge: "Husband, be careful. The mountain isn't safe."
Qin An answered and, taking a broken bamboo basket along with a grass rope and some ragged cloth, walked out of the Thatched Hut.
...
Baishan Tun was named for its location at the foot of the Baiing Mountain Range.
The Baiing Mountain Range stretched on endlessly, serving as a natural barrier, and became the dividing line between Xingguo and the Baiji Dynasty.
Because it was located in the Northern Frontier, with short summers and long winters, and extremely low winter temperatures unsuitable for survival, it was sparsely populated.
Under such conditions, the resources in the Baiing Mountain Range were actually quite abundant.
And in 【Hunting Techniques】, there was a great deal of knowledge included—which things were edible and which were poisonous could roughly be distinguished.
More importantly, Qin An now knew how to better find food.
Soon, following the knowledge in his mind, he found quite a lot of wild vegetables just in the outer area at the foot of the mountain, digging up a full basket.
He was not satisfied with just that.
Coming to the mountain was not just to get some wild vegetables—what he needed was meat.
"Too bad there's no bow and arrow. I'll have to make do with this!" Qin An muttered to himself, fiddling with the rope and cloth strips he had brought.
Soon, a simple Sling was completed.
Archery was not just purely bow-and-arrow skill; it included all projection techniques.
A Sling's lethality could not compare to a bow and arrow, but its power was not to be underestimated either. It could still take down small animals.
When there were no other options, it was a decent long-range killing method.
After casually picking up some suitable stones as ammunition, Qin An gripped the crude Sling, his gaze constantly searching the ground.
Some fresh tracks came into his view.
The knowledge of Hunting Techniques in his mind operated like instinct.
He instantly determined that these were traces left by a wild rabbit.
Following the tracks all the way, some movement came from the bushes ahead.
Qin An's heartbeat suddenly sped up—this concerned whether he could eat meat.
He held his breath and crept forward slowly, hunched over.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled light and shadow on the ground, which happened to conceal his figure.
The grass stirred slightly. Three grayish wild rabbits were nibbling on grass roots, their ears perked up warily.
He quietly stuffed a cobblestone into the pouch of the Sling, swung his arm in a full circle, and used the momentum of his turn to suddenly release.
The three wild rabbits had already started to flee the moment Qin An made a sound.
But Qin An had predicted this early. The stone flew out with a whistling sound, appearing on the chosen trajectory.
With a "thud," a fleeing wild rabbit happened to appear right there and was struck in the head.
The wild rabbit twitched twice and then went still.
The other two vanished into the dense forest in the blink of an eye.
"Got it!" Qin An was delighted. Not bothering with the other two, he quickly stepped forward and picked up the wild rabbit.
It was warm to the touch, weighing a full three or four catties.
【Congratulations, Host, on a successful kill. Obtained a wisp of Qi and Blood】
As the System's notification sounded in his mind, a faint warm current traveled through his limbs and bones.
His originally depleted body suddenly felt a few degrees lighter!