Water Ink Panel: Starting with Bow Technique to Hunt the Sun and Patrol the Skies
Chapter 41 - 40 Breakthrough in Hunting Skills

Taiping County, Outer City, shantytown.

"Lord Ba, spare me, spare me, Lord Ba." A young man covered in blood knelt on the ground, constantly begging for mercy.

"Spare you? Do you know what trouble you have caused recently?" Old Ba Zi sneered coldly.

"I... I... I don't know..." The young man, sweating profusely, forced an awkward smile, uglier than crying: "The prey on the mountain has been hard to catch lately, so I played the role of a woodcutter, sold some firewood for a meal..."

As if recalling something, the young man quickly added, "I didn't know it was Lord Ba's wood; I'm to blame, I'm to blame."

As he spoke, he struck his face with two hard slaps, then hurriedly pulled a washed-out money pouch from his pocket, smiling apologetically: "This is the money I earned from selling firewood, it's all here. Lord Ba, please let it go; I promise I'll never dare again."

Old Ba Zi slapped the young man's money pouch out of his hand to the ground: "Who wants your worthless belongings?"

Old Ba Zi grabbed the young man's collar and pulled him forcefully toward him, asking coldly: "Who did you give the Blood Bird's Nest you got yesterday to?"

Upon hearing the words "Blood Bird's Nest," the young man's face changed, then he forced a laugh and feigned ignorance: "Lord Ba, you must be joking. The Blood Bird's Nest is a rare mountain delicacy, I don't have such a thing."

Old Ba Zi squinted his eyes and said: "Still pretending to be clueless with me?"

He grabbed the young man's wrist, stimulated his Qi-Blood, and instantly bulging veins appeared on his arm, muscles tensed like lumps.

"You refuse to drink the toast, you'd rather drink the punishment wine, don't blame me for being rude, then."

As soon as the words fell, Old Ba Zi exerted force on his wrist and squeezed fiercely.

"Ah!"

A piercing scream tore out from the young man's throat.

His face turned deathly pale, his features contorted in a knot, and his body convulsed involuntarily.

Lowering his head to look, the young man discovered his left wrist had been twisted into a pretzel shape, utterly ruined.

"Spare me, spare me..."

The young man knelt on the ground, constantly begging for mercy, his breath suddenly becoming heavy and laborious.

"Have you thought of anything now?"

Old Ba Zi released his grip, and the fractured wrist dropped limply, the fingers atop twitching feebly.

The young man sucked in gasps sharply, despair and terror washing over his face, knowing he couldn't escape today.

Biting the bullet, he said painfully: "I... really don't have it..."

Yet before he could finish speaking, Old Ba Zi already clutched his right hand, grinning viciously: "You better think carefully before you speak."

The young man's body shook like a sieve, his lips trembled twice: "I... I'll tell, I sold the Blood Bird's Nest to Wang Ma."

"You should have said that sooner." Old Ba Zi released his hand, patted the young man's chest, and said: "If you had said it earlier, you wouldn't have suffered this pain."

"Then... Lord Ba... can I leave?"

"Of course, I'm not stopping you." With that, Old Ba Zi slightly moved to the side.

"Thank you, Lord Ba, thank you, Lord Ba." The young man showed a joyous relief at surviving a disaster and hurried away from the scene.

However, after taking just two steps, Old Ba Zi's sinister voice came over: "But, the entire West City knows I don't get along with Wang Ma. By giving him the Blood Bird's Nest, do you have complaints against me?"

"Ah?"

Startled, the young man turned his head in bewilderment.

Bang!

A crisp sound of bones breaking echoed.

His spine was directly slapped broken by Old Ba Zi's palm.

The young man stared wide-eyed, his body collapsed weakly, and he breathed his last.

Old Ba Zi snorted coldly, shouting: "Little Six."

"Lord Ba!"

A young lad quickly darted inside from outside. Upon seeing the corpse on the ground, he glanced indifferently and then withdrew his gaze, saying: "What do you need from me?"

"Tidily clean up here, then go call some men. We're going to settle accounts with Wang Ma. Damn, he got a copy of Nine Skills and thinks he's invincible after reaching the Great Perfection of Qi and Blood. He even dared to meddle in my matters."

"Okay." Little Six repeated quietly in agreement.

He was about to leave when Old Ba Zi stopped him: "Wait a moment, do we have any news about that person who killed so many of our brothers a few days ago?"

"None yet, the brothers in the Outer City haven't encountered him, he should not have entered the city yet."

"What about his background?"

"The brothers in the city spotted him going to Wanfeng Building. Third Brother hasn't found anything else; he should be a first-time town-enterer, a small hunter from nearby."

Old Ba Zi lifted his chest, saying fiercely: "A hunter from a rundown village dared to attack us, ignoring us like this, it's outrageous. Make sure to tell all the brothers. I've always had a personal vendetta, grievance for a grievance, let them rest easy. Give me a little more time and I'll definitely avenge my brothers."

"The brothers know your nature, Lord Ba; it's just some private grumbling. Most still support you."

So much time had passed, and Old Ba Zi hadn't yet made a move for revenge. Unavoidably, there were some grumbles among the underlings, and some rumors emerged.

Old Ba Zi knew some were eyeing his position, secretly provoking, trying to take advantage of the opportunity to replace him.

With his future at stake, he had no choice but to pay attention.

...

In the forest.

"Snap!"

A goat got caught in a trap, struggling frantically.

"Got one!"

Not far from the trap, Shen Qing, wearing a gray robe with ragged edges, emerged from the forest, skillfully and deftly approaching.

He moved cautiously to avoid provoking more intense resistance from the goat.

When he reached in front of the goat, he grasped a reinforced rope in one hand and quickly pulled out a flexible vine with the other, skillfully tying the goat tightly, his actions quick and neat.

The tied-up goat's resistance gradually weakened, only able to look at Shen Qing with anguished eyes, occasionally snorting resentfully.

"Goat, goat, don't blame me. You've been destined to be a dish. Depart early this year, and you'll return sooner next year."

Shen Qing patted the goat's head, appearing to be in good spirits.

"I've nearly honed my hunting skills proficiency today."

A flash of brilliance glinted in Shen Qing's eyes.

In his vision, segments of ink-like text slowly emerged from swirling ink.

[Skill: Hunting (Small Success)]

[Progress: 202/200 points]

[Status: Can be Promoted]

[Note: Continued practice can lead to a comprehensive breakthrough. There's a certain probability that some techniques in hunting will undergo transformation.]

It's ready.

Shen Qing focused his mind: "Promote!"

Suddenly, countless chaotic memories surged into his mind, and a primal aura permeated his entire body.

A slight movement rippled through his muscles, as if tempered countless times, making his muscle lines smoother and more powerful.

[Skill: Hunting (Level of Mastery)]

[Progress: 2/300 points]

[Status: Cannot be Promoted]

[Note: The continuous breakthrough in hunting skills has caused a transformation in baiting and concealment skills, awakening new skills: Skillful Baiting, Poison Shadow. Utilizing this skill can greatly increase the success rate of hunting.]