Preparation stance,
First step: Hands raised to the top to benefit the triple burner...
Tang Wen performed the Eight Section Brocade with fluid grace.
If he were to don a Taoist robe and record this routine to post online, it would undoubtedly garner over 100,000 likes.
Little Wen, he's really changed.
Tang Tang narrowed her eyes, unable to pinpoint the exact feeling, but watching her brother's movements, they were noticeably more refined than before.
Hmm, his body also seemed stronger than before, bringing a sense of relief to the older sister. She couldn't help but feel that the 16 pounds of grain hadn't gone to waste.
[Skill: Eight Section Brocade, Beginner (36→43/1000)]
Originally, completing a set of the Brocade took about seven to eight minutes. In the morning, he would practice it at most three times.
By the time he finished the third set, the sky would already be bright.
Not wanting others to see him practicing, Tang Wen would return home to eat and then head out.
Today, Tang Wen practiced a full six sets in one go, until a faint steam rose from his head, and the sky was still not fully lit.
After drinking foxtail millet porridge and eating roasted Red-billed Finch, he prepared to leave.
The rice at home, after his hearty eating yesterday, had dropped to below 60 pounds in stock.
Hmm, today I'll need to exchange for more rice.
However, fate was not on his side. Throughout the entire morning, Tang Wen only encountered a group of Red-billed Finches, totaling three.
Aim, strike!
Crack!
A crisp sound echoed.
A stone the size of half an egg struck a branch as thick as an arm, directly snapping the dry branch.
The Red-billed Finch, startled, fluttered around the tree and flew away into the distance.
Not giving him a chance to finish it off.
Hmm, my strength has increased, and my striking speed is faster than before.
He analyzed the reason for his miss.
For the first time in ten days, he returned empty-handed.
On the way back at noon, some dry branches fell victim to Tang Wen's relentless stone-throwing, which he brought back to the camp as firewood.
Returning home, Tang Tang saw that he hadn't brought anything back, and her heart instantly leapt to her throat, but she said nothing.
Lunch was prepared as usual, with the same portions as always.
The two ate in silence.
Finally, Tang Wen spoke up, "Sis! Help me roast some foxtail millet grains."
"Still hungry?" Tang Tang looked down at her bowl, which still had half a bowl of porridge left, and decided to give it to her brother.
"No, to lure birds."
"Oh~" Tang Tang understood something, put down her bowl, and turned to grab a handful of foxtail millet. Without weighing it, she knew it was at least an ounce.
"Sis, that's too little."
"Hmm, will the Red-billed Finches recognize this as food? Won't it be useless? Should I go to the water's edge this afternoon to catch some insects for you?"
Tang Tang fired off a series of questions but obediently turned to add another handful of foxtail millet.
The foxtail millet, slightly roasted, emitted a unique aroma.
Carefully wrapping the millet in hemp cloth and tucking it into his chest, Tang Wen headed out. Following the path, he walked deep into the forest, choosing a sparse clearing, and opened one of the millet packets, gently scattering it on the ground.
Then he continued forward, walking a few hundred steps, and scattered another handful of millet.
Next, he found a tree to lean against in the middle of the two spots, sitting quietly and waiting.
Cluck cluck cluck...
A sound came, and Tang Wen looked over, his eyes filled with surprise and delight: It's a pheasant!
Standing up, he slowly crept closer, two hundred steps, one hundred steps, fifty steps, forty steps, close enough.
Whoosh!
The stone struck the pheasant's body.
The pheasant squawked, flapping its wings and kicking its legs, trying to take flight.
Whoosh!
Another stone hit the pheasant's outstretched wing.
It tumbled to the ground at an angle.
Tang Wen rushed over, grabbed its wings, and was about to twist its neck when he suddenly noticed the message on his experience panel:
[Skill: Stone Throwing, Mastery (959→973/1000)]
A 14-point increase?
The pheasant struggled in his hands.
In that case...
He took out a spare stone pouch from his pocket, tied it to one of the pheasant's wings, made sure it was secure, and then released the bird.
The newly freed pheasant raised its head, eagerly flapping its wings to take flight.
It was like a new employee who had just been promised the moon by their boss, returning to their seat with high spirits.
But the heavy stone pouch tied to its wing threw it off balance. Despite its efforts, it couldn't fly higher than half a person's height, nor could it fly fast. After all, it was a whole pouch filled with twenty to thirty pebbles.
"Cluck, cluck, cluck,"
The pheasant cried out anxiously.
But no matter how much it cried, it couldn't take off.
It was like a veteran employee who had been working overtime for years, returning home to a nagging wife, but too exhausted to do anything about it.
Whoosh.
Cluck, cluck!
Tang Wen's precise throw hit the mark, and the pheasant fell to the ground with a pitiful cry.
[Skill: Stone Throwing, Mastery (973→986/1000)]
Another 13 points of experience.
This was indeed a great opportunity to grind experience!
Usually, a single stone would kill a Red-billed Finch.
But the pheasant was larger and more resilient!
The pheasant flapped its wings, struggling on the ground. The stone had hit its body and grazed its beak.
It stopped crying.
It just tried to stand up and fly again.
Its clumsy movements were as pitiful as a middle-aged man worn down by life.
"Stand up, you can do it, keep going... Just three more times, no, just two more, and my skill will level up!"
Tang Wen sincerely cheered it on, not feeling cruel at all.
He had heard similar words many times before.
Back when he was working, his boss always urged him to work more overtime, to strive harder. But Tang Wen knew that if he worked himself to the bone, stayed up late every night, and did a good job, by the end of the year, he would surely earn himself a nice case of occupational illness.
And the boss? Not only could he get a new wife, buy a few more houses, drive up property prices, but he could also rent out the extra houses to Tang Wen...
In the woods, the pheasant, after resting for a while, finally managed to wobble into the air again.
Tang Wen took a deep breath and let the stone fly.
Cluck!
A short, sharp cry.
The pheasant fell to the ground, its legs twitching, and then it lay still.
[Skill: Stone Throwing, Mastery→Expertise (1/3000)]
[Skill: Flying Stone, Expertise (1/3000)]
Leveled up!
Good luck, the last hit gave 15 points of experience.
The skill even changed its name?
"Flying Stone" definitely sounds better than "Stone Throwing!"
Tang Wen mused to himself, but he didn't stop moving. He quickly stepped forward, picked up the pheasant, stuffed it into a cloth bag, tucked it into his chest, and hurried away.
He had made some noise earlier; it would be best not to attract any attention.
It was still early in the day. Using his last packet of foxtail millet, Tang Wen finally attracted a flock of Red-billed Finches.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Stones flew in rapid succession, and the birds scattered in chaos.
The expertise-level skill was a world apart from before.
Five stones in a row hit their mark. Without pause, he continued to aim at the agilely flying Red-billed Finches, launching more stones.
Chirp! Chirp!
The Red-billed Finch cried out and fell.
Using two taels of foxtail millet as bait, he managed to catch a pheasant and seven Red-billed Finches.
This round was a huge win.
Tang Wen quickly left the woods, his steps hurried but steady, and safely entered the camp gate.
Only then did he realize that he hadn't felt tired at all today.
It seemed this was the benefit of his improved physical attributes.
Returning to the cabin, Tang Tang jumped with excitement upon seeing the pheasant.
She chattered about how much firewood she had gathered and how many buckets of water she had fetched, while spinning around looking for something.
After a while, it dawned on her: "Xiao Wen, we don't have a kitchen knife. We can't slaughter the chicken."
They did have a small knife, about half a foot long, which was usually used for handling birds the size of a fist, but it was inadequate for a pheasant.
"Let's just sell it then."
"Sell it? That's too risky. What if someone notices us?" Tang Tang disagreed.
Tang Wen thought for a moment: "I'll take it to the blacksmith's shop to exchange for a knife. I'll cover my face and go when it's darker."
Tang Tang shook her head: "Better go during the day. Smear mud and ash on your face, and exchange it for a pair of scissors. When you come back, I'll cut your hair, and no one will recognize you."
"That works."
After some preparation, Tang Wen stepped out with a blackened face.
He first visited two rice shops and ma
naged to exchange for a few pounds of rice.
Upon returning, he saw Tang Tang stuffing firewood into a bamboo basket.
"Sis, what are you doing?"
"Shh," Tang Tang whispered, "I'm putting the chicken in here. You'll carry this to the blacksmith's shop later."
"Smart."
"Hehe…"
Tang Tang's eyes curved into crescents.
(End of Chapter)