Overdraw the future and become a peerless martial god

Chapter 5 Fur Traders
In an instant, a vast amount of archery experience flooded into his mind.

Chu Ning seemed to see himself drawing the bow and shooting arrows thousands of times, his fingers rubbed by the bowstring, bloody and mangled, exposed to the wind and sun, and practicing hard without stopping.

In the wilderness, in the wind and snow, under the scorching sun, he adjusted his breathing again and again, and overcame his trembling arms again and again.

He saw himself standing on the edge of a cliff, facing the violent storm, shooting an arrow through a dead tree a hundred meters away; he also saw himself standing as steady as a rock amidst the charging beasts, and never missing a shot!
When consciousness returned, he slowly opened his eyes, his gaze sharp as an eagle.

Chu Ning took a deep breath, looked up at the target, and slowly stroked the bow with his palm, feeling the long-lost yet extremely familiar power.

The wind rises, making a rustling sound.

He bent his bow and drew his arrow, his expression as calm as still water, his movements smooth and precise.

The arrow is on the string, as powerful as a dragon!
The next moment, the bowstring vibrated and the sound of breaking wind suddenly rang out.

Whoosh!
The arrow flew by like lightning and hit the bull's eye steadily.

"This is the real bow technique!"

……

The morning mist had not yet dissipated, but Chu Ning had already walked into the mountains on the dew.

The forest was freezing cold, but he was only wearing a thin piece of cloth, and his back was faintly shining with a cold stone light.

After achieving a small success in "Rough Stone Hard Skill", ordinary coldness will no longer be able to invade the body.

He unhooked the longbow from his back and caressed it with his fingertips. The bow was jet black, its string like silver. It had been purchased from the county blacksmith shop when his father was still alive. It had a draw weight of three hundred kilograms, but in his hands, it felt as light as a feather.

After practicing the bow technique, Chu Ning's senses became even sharper. He closed his eyes and concentrated, and the sounds of the wind suddenly became clear in his ears: the rustle of falling leaves, the flutter of a tit's wings, and even the subtle sound of a snow fox licking its paw a hundred steps away.
He suddenly opened his eyes, and his pupils gleamed like lightning.

Nocking an arrow, firing the bow!
"Whoosh——"

The arrow pierced through the air, piercing through three layers of bushes and piercing the snow fox's throat with pinpoint accuracy. The beast didn't even have time to whimper before it collapsed to the ground, its pure white fur unstained by a single speck of blood.

"The seventh one." Chu Ning stepped forward, her bow drawn, and grasped the snow fox by the scruff of its neck. Its fur was as soft and smooth as warm jade, a treasure prized by the nobles in the cold winter.

"Now I can ask a doctor to treat my sister's illness and also repair the house."

He raised his lips slightly as he stuffed the prey into the sack. The sack was already bulging with the snow fox, two silver sables, and three fire fox skins, all killed with a single arrow.

"Chengnan Zhaoji? That old bastard always tries to rip off strangers!"

The restaurant waiter's sneer from yesterday, while selling the wild boar, came to mind. Chu Ning sneered, shouldering the sack and stepping into the East Market. This place was completely different from the extravagant restaurants in the West Market. On the cobblestone streets, stained with sewage, the vendors' cries on both sides were hoarse like broken gongs.

The coolies in coarse shorts and the old women selling wilted vegetables with baskets, all kinds of people have their backs bent by the world.

The beggar was huddled against the wall, chewing on a bran cake. When he saw the warrior passing by with a sword, he huddled up in a ball and trembled in panic.

Chu Ning walked straight towards the fur shop at the innermost part without looking around.

The shop owner was a skinny old man, squinting his eyes and fiddling with an abacus. Seeing Chu Ning unload the sack, he lazily raised his eyelids and said, "A piece of hare skin costs three cents, and a piece of pheasant..."

The words stopped abruptly.

The sack fell over, and the snow fox and silver mink rolled onto the counter, their fur gleaming in the dim light. The old man's throat rolled, and his withered hand trembled as he touched the arrow hole in the snow fox's neck, and he cried out in surprise: "An arrow through the throat? This, this technique..."

"Name your price." Chu Ning stood with his arms folded, his eyes glancing out the door. Several warriors with swords were riding through the market, their hooves kicking up mud that splashed all over the old vegetable vendor.

The old man swallowed, greed flashing in his eyes: "Five taels of snow fox fur, four taels of silver sable, and fire fox..." "Goodbye." Chu Ning sneered and bent down to collect the fur.

The old man hurriedly pulled his sleeve, but was grabbed by the wrist with the backhand, causing him to scream in pain.

"The market price of a snow fox is ten taels, and a silver mink is eight taels." Chu Ning shook off his hand and threw the sack onto his shoulder. "Zhao Ji Leather Shop in the south of the city is not as black-hearted as you."

The old man's face flushed red, and he was about to argue when he heard a chuckle from behind him: "You're such a hot-tempered young man."

In the shadow of the threshold, a man in brocade clothes leaned against the door frame, his thumb creaking against a jade ring, and the thick calluses on his knuckles looked like they were carved by a knife. It was obvious that he was an expert in handling a knife.

Chu Ning retreated half a step, his knuckles quietly pressing against the short blade at his waist.

The man in brocade clothes stepped forward, his ring brushing against the arrow hole of the snow fox. "Skinning alive is a job for experts. Your arrow is three inches into the bone, breaking the tendons without damaging the skin." He suddenly approached, and the calluses on his knuckles brushed against the back of Chu Ning's hand. "Qingyang County can't hide such a person. Boy, have you ever killed someone?"

Chu Ning shook off the old man's hand and threw the sack onto his shoulder: "Who are you? Are you buying my skin or my life?"

"My surname is Shen, and my given name is Yan." The man bowed and smiled. "I do some fur business, and occasionally help distinguished people find some rare items." He suddenly lowered his voice, "For example, the blue-eyed snow fox."

Chu Ning's heart was shocked.

The blue-eyed snow fox is a legendary spirit beast, its pupils used as medicine to prolong life, and its fur impervious to water and fire. Three months ago, the prefecture offered a reward of 1,000 taels of gold, attracting countless warriors into the mountains to search for it, but no one succeeded.

"Little brother, what you hunted today was just an ordinary item, but your archery skills..." Shen Yan's eyes were blazing, "It's worth a gamble for me."

Shen Yan laughed loudly and shook out a bag of silver ingots from his sleeve: "Ten taels of snow fox, eight taels of silver sable! If you are willing to supply high-quality goods every month, the price will be doubled!" He threw out the deed, and next to the official seal was the private pattern of the word "Wang".

Chu Ning's pupils suddenly shrank.

The Wang family, the creditors who forced the original body's father to death, is a powerful family with complicated connections in the county.

He clenched his fists hard, his knuckles crackling. The scarred man's sinister laugh seemed to echo in his ears again: "Four ounces of silver? Your sister's selling her body isn't worth that much..."

Chu Ning picked up the contract and took a closer look. The terms were clear and there was no trap at all.

He pondered for a moment. Hunting was his main source of income at present, and a stable high-priced buyer would obviously bring him more benefits.

The autumn wind blew dead leaves into the shop, causing the snow fox fur in the sack to tremble slightly, as if urging him to make a decision. Shen Yan was not in a hurry. He poured himself a cup of cold tea, his hand holding the teacup as steady as a rock.

"Pay in cash, no credit or debt." Chu Ning pressed his seal, and the silver bag felt as heavy as a piece of iron in his hand.

Shen Yan clapped his hands: "Great!"

The old man had already collapsed on the ground, sweating profusely.

Chu Ning glanced at the purse and sneered, "Boss Shen, aren't you afraid of losing all your money?"

"The greater the risk, the higher the reward." Shen Yan stroked his finger ring, his smile growing deeper. "Three days later, there will be traces of a blue-eyed snow fox in the North Mountain. If you're interested..."

"Not interested." Chu Ning turned around and disappeared into the crowd.

He was not unmoved by the clue of "Blue-eyed Snow Fox" mentioned by Shen Yan, but the glaring mark of Wang family's private pattern made him instinctively alert. If you want to get the skin of a tiger, you must hide your throat first.

Shen Yan's smile was like a venomous snake spitting out its tongue, and Chu Ning clenched his purse. In this world, how could there be kindness without reason? But right now, he needed silver, and even more so, a knife.

Chu Ning gripped the bow tightly, blood boiling in his throat, but he finally lowered his head and walked quickly.

While the Wang family's debts have been temporarily settled, the sword still hangs over the heads of those who enter the rank of martial artist. Once the price of "Hundred Steps Through the Willow" is paid, I'll advance you another sword technique.
(End of this chapter)