"Hiss! Damn, be gentle."
With a soft growl, a loud slap followed immediately.
Even though Zhang Kun was injured, this slap wasn't something a rural woman could withstand.
Zhang Liu's spit out a mouthful of bloody phlegm, threw the cloth in her hand onto the table, put her hands on her hips, and cursed aggressively, "Damn you, always hitting me. If you've got the guts, go chop down Zhong Lin! All you're good for is acting tough at home, but you got chopped down by a kid in a real situation. You're such a loser."
Her words directly hit Zhang Kun's sore spot, and in an instant, Zhang Kun's eyes turned blood red, like an angry wolf.
"I'm gonna damn well kill you."
As he spoke, he tried to get up from the lounge chair, but was held down by two other scoundrel friends beside him.
These two weren't good types either, known as the "Three Scourges" with Zhang Kun. The one on the left, as thin as a stick, nicknamed "Thin Monkey," had a lecherous face.
The one on the right, short in stature, with a long scar at the corner of his eye, nicknamed Scarface, had a gloomy and vicious look.
"Kun, bro, don't get angry, don't get angry. It's bad for your health."
"Yes, bad for your health. Sis wasn't intentional."
Zhang Liu snorted coldly, twisting her waist as she walked toward the main room, unwilling to stay there.
This Zhang Liu was Zhang Kun's wife. Compared to other "strong" women in Lower River Village, she was taller, more voluptuous, her large hips swaying as she walked, her bosom full and round. Though the exposed skin from work was a bit tanned, it didn't detract from her beauty, making her a rare beauty in Lower River Village.
It also fit the saying "good men have no good wives, bad men marry tender women."
Slap!
"What are you looking at, damn it."
Zhang Kun slapped the back of the head of the "Thin Monkey" on the left, angrily admonishing him.
Thin Monkey didn't get angry, just laughed: "Sis is just too pretty, isn't she?"
"Get lost." Zhang Kun roared like a man-eating tiger, breathing heavily, eyes bloodshot: "Hunting geese all day, but got pecked in the eyes by one. That little brat ambushed me. Once I'm healed, I'll make him wish he were dead."
"Humph! Kun, you don't need to do it yourself. I'll grab him now for you, let you deal with him. First, I'll break his limbs, make him crawl like a dog and apologize to you."
Scarface had a look of ferocity all over his face.
"Yeah, and his brother too. We'll bring him over. There's people in the city who like little boys like that, we can sell him and make a good amount."
Thin Monkey nodded in agreement.
Bang!
A dull sound came, followed by the courtyard gate being kicked open.
The three instinctively looked up, only to be greeted by two black dots.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
"Ah!"
"Ah!"
"My hand, my hand."
"My leg, Zhong Lin..."
Zhong Lin strode coldly into the courtyard, holding a bow in his left hand, his right hand slightly trembling.
"It was right to come this time. Before even entering, I heard these three plotting how to harm us brothers. The movies taught it right, eliminate evil thoroughly!"
Zhong Lin originally came just to "borrow something" from Zhang Kun, but didn't expect to overhear the "Three Scourges" plotting against him and his brother. Wasn't this something? Of course, he had to strike first; without some skills, facing three big men would mean death.
Zhong Shi was just a child, and Zhong Lin himself hadn't fully developed. All he had was his full-level archery skill, and his body was as weak as a twig. A few arrows would exhaust him, and a direct confrontation might not be in their favor.
Seeing Zhong Lin kick the door open, Zhang Kun and his two cohorts paled. After all, they were plotting harm.
Thin Monkey's eyes darted, holding his pierced right hand, he quickly ran towards the courtyard wall, trying to climb over it.
"Ha, trying to run?"
Zhong Lin sneered, raised his bow and arrow again, accompanied by a clear sound, the arrow pierced through Thin Monkey's chest.
Thin Monkey, who was trying to escape, looked down at the protruding arrowhead in disbelief, his eyes filled with confusion and fear, then collapsed to the ground, dead.
Such a ruthless scene left Zhang Kun and Scarface's faces deathly pale.
"Big... Big Lin, it's a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding."
Zhang Kun, scared, his head covered in sweat, looked fearfully at the frail Zhong Lin.
"Really? Did I hear wrong? Or am I hard of hearing?"
Zhong Lin's tone was full of sarcasm, his gaze icy.
"I..."
Whoosh!
A black line flashed, and like with Thin Monkey, the arrow pierced through Zhang Kun's chest, giving him no chance to explain and killing him with an arrow.
Scarface screamed, utterly terrified, trying to get up and run, but unfortunately, his calf had just been pierced by Zhong Lin, the pain too intense to take a step.
"Ah... no..."
Whoosh!
One arrow, killing blow.
Full-level archery never disappoints.
Zhong Lin exhaled, his expression somewhat complicated as he stood in the courtyard. Three bodies lay awkwardly sprawled in the yard - one in the corner, one on the lounge chair, and one on the ground.
Zhong Lin did not feel the imagined disgust or fear, it was much like hunting, perhaps simpler. The only shock was to his worldview from his previous life, after all, he grew up in a safe, law-abiding society where he had never seen death, let alone murder.
Clang!
Zhong Lin suddenly turned and raised his bow, stepped over to Zhang Kun's corpse, and forcefully pulled out the arrow from his chest, then notched it and aimed at the door.
"Come out."
"Don't kill me, don't kill me."
A trembling voice came from the main room, followed by Zhang Liu peeking out fearfully. Seeing the three bodies in the courtyard, she collapsed, a smell of urine seeping from under her skirt.
Zhong Lin slightly lowered the bow and spoke more gently: "Don't be foolish, big sister-in-law. I don't kill women. Go, bring Zhang Kun's stashed money, and don't say there isn't any!"
"Yes, yes, I'll get it now."
Seizing a chance to live, Zhang Liu scrambled off the ground, struggling up on her third attempt, and rushed into the main room, rummaging through who knows where.
Zhong Lin slowly lowered the bow, retrieved five arrows from the bodies, and headed to the west room, soon emerging with an arrow quiver.
Zhang Kun was a hunter, but rarely hunted. Poor in skills, though rarely hunting, he had accumulated eighteen arrows.
Zhong Lin came this time mainly to "borrow arrows" from Zhang Kun, but didn't expect things to escalate so, though his purpose was achieved.