Water Ink Panel: Starting with Bow Technique to Hunt the Sun and Patrol the Skies
Chapter 36 - 35: Killing is Just the Beginning, Practice Makes Perfect

Deep in the shantytown, "Seven Turns Alley" was a narrow lane that barely allowed a single carriage to pass through.

The low shanties stood shoulder to shoulder, squeezing the cramped space, turning the sky into a long, thin fissure.

Upon entering this alley, where the wide street narrowed, Zhang Shuyuan had no choice but to slow down.

Suddenly, Shen Qing, seated on the cart, straightened instantly, fingers gripping the bow tightly, his mind tense like a taut string on a bow, his expression solemn.

He sidestepped the protruding eaves and said, "Xiao Hu, draw the bow fully, and stay hidden."

"Okay."

Seeing Shen Qing's serious demeanor, Shen Xiaohu quickly nocked an arrow, drew the bow, and stood ready for battle.

It was too quiet around here.

Shen Qing instantly had a bad premonition.

As they rounded the first corner, the cart drawn by an old horse appeared on a short, straight path.

At this moment, Shen Qing saw about six or seven young men lounging at their doorways.

Behind them rested a few farming implements like hoes.

Hearing the sound of hooves, they all raised their heads in unison, exchanging glances and nods.

Shen Qing reacted immediately, pulling the bow's string to its full arc and releasing it instantly.

Whizz!

An arrow shot through the air like a meteor streaking through the night, leaving only the sharp sound of its flight echoing.

A short-haired youth leaning against the doorway jerked violently; having just received the signal to wait, he failed to react before his legs gave way.

The arrow pierced deep into his forehead, and blood seeped down instantly, covering his face, freezing the air around.

Surprise and disbelief flashed in everyone's eyes, and one of them reacted immediately: "We've been discovered! Don't wait, attack!"

With the leader's command, six or seven men grabbed their weapons and rushed forward.

Shen Qing no longer hesitated and shouted, "Xiao Hu, go!"

"Ah... okay..."

Shooting someone for the first time, Shen Xiaohu was flustered, and his first shot went astray.

As he prepared to nock another arrow, Shen Qing had already released another shot himself.

The arrow buried into the opponent's shoulder, causing him to stagger, fall to the ground, and instantly stain his jacket with blood, immobilizing him.

"Damn your mother! They're hunters, hard to deal with!"

The scene devolved into utter chaos.

Yelling, the others charged forward.

Luckily, there was some distance between them; Shen Qing's bow and arrows offered a huge advantage, paired with his great archery skills and precision.

In an instant, he took down two or three men in front.

Seeing this, Zhang Shuyuan hunched his body, whipped the horse furiously.

Neigh!

The small horse neighed and suddenly accelerated.

With a steady posture, Shen Qing remained unaffected and continued to fire arrows.

But he lacked experience in shooting from a moving horse; as the small horse picked up speed, his aim faltered somewhat.

Swish, swish, swish!

Shen Qing shot three arrows by instinct, killing one at last.

The two sides got closer; one young man, with a fierce look, lifted a hoe intending to strike Shen Xiaohu's position, aiming to kill him.

Terrified, Shen Xiaohu's face turned pale, releasing instinctively and blindly.

The arrow turned into a swift light, streaking forth.

It pierced straight through the man's chest, causing the hoe to veer slightly, narrowly missing Shen Xiaohu by an inch.

If it weren't for that arrow, surely this strike would have split his head open.

Shen Xiaohu's mind went blank; not thinking much, he hurriedly shot two more arrows.

At such a close range, his arrows pierced through the man.

The last skinny youth, seeing Shen Qing's ferocity, lost any thought of continuing, watching helplessly as Shen Qing and the others vanished before his eyes.

The surviving skinny youth, filled with lingering fear, swallowed nervously, looking around at the scene of carnage.

They used to pretend to be ordinary people, attacking suddenly when these "fat sheep" let down their guard.

It never failed.

They had done this many times; never had it ended like this.

They hadn't even started, and the other side seemed to have "foreseen" it, attacking cleanly and efficiently.

The living skinny youth steadied his nerves and checked the breath of each fallen comrade.

All dead.

His face changed, hesitating not to take the purses and valuables off his fallen brothers, running quickly toward the core of the shanty town.

The situation was severe; he had to inform Old Ba Zi to avenge the brothers.

Emerging from Seven Turns Alley, the shantytown became sparse, and the road significantly widened.

Zhang Shuyuan let loose, continuously whipping the horse, urging it to gallop madly.

Moments later, the three left the outer city of Taiping County.

Until they lost sight of the county's walls, Zhang Shuyuan slowed slightly.

"We're fine now; they can't catch up."

Shen Qing put away his longbow, sitting cross-legged on the cart, looking somewhat at ease.

Seeing Shen Xiaohu's pale face beside him, he nudged his shoulder: "What, not used to it?"

Shen Xiaohu nodded heavily.

He hadn't intended to kill the man initially but was bewildered, firing a few arrows in a heated state.

Shen Xiaohu remembered clearly; his arrows hit vital spots; the man wouldn't survive.

He had killed.

Shen Qing advised, "It's just killing. The first time is tough, then it becomes second nature, no different from going up the mountain to hunt. If you hadn't killed him earlier, he would've killed you. That's the way this world is, don't overthink it."

Looking up at Shen Qing's calm demeanor, Shen Xiaohu felt a bit envious, reasoning with himself: "Cousin is right; it's not like I wanted to kill him. He ran into my arrow; it's his own fault."

Thinking this way made him feel slightly better.

...

Outer City, Shantytown.

A short-haired youth ran in frantically, gasping, "Old Ba Zi, it's bad, all the brothers in Seven Turns Alley are dead."

"What did you say?" Old Ba Zi, sitting in a chair gnawing on chicken feet, stood up abruptly, disbelief in his eyes: "Say that again!"

"All dead, the faces we saw today were tough guys, the brothers couldn't handle them and were all killed, only Little Six escaped to bring the message!"

Old Ba Zi's face turned ugly.

In all these years, this was the first time he had encountered such an event.

Just then, a youth in straw sandals walked in, announcing, "Old Dog sent word, saying the men we targeted are rootless hunters."

Seeing the short-haired youth's sweaty face as he entered, confused, he asked, "Hey, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be over in Seven Turns Alley?"

The short-haired youth wiped the sweat from his forehead, replied, "Something happened over there, all the brothers got killed."

"Huh?" The straw-sandaled youth exclaimed, looking dazedly at Old Ba Zi.

Old Ba Zi slowly sat back in the chair, his face twitching with menace: "Since they're rootless, I won't have any concerns."

"Tell the brothers to keep an eye out. Next time they enter Taiping County, I'll personally take action, twist their heads off, and hang them from the rafters. Let them learn the consequences of crossing me, Old Ba Zi!"