All Heavens Strategy Game

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the snow stopped, but the chill still lingered to the bone.

Su Ming carefully wrapped the half-dried, still slightly fishy-smelling wild boar hide in a cloth, then tucked the half-empty earthenware jar of heavy copper coins into his pocket and went out.

He was going to the village chief Su Dashun's house to borrow his donkey cart.

Sishui Village is more than 20 miles away from the nearest county town of Linjiang. Although the heavy snow has stopped, walking is still difficult. If there is a donkey cart, it can save a lot of time and effort.

In the entire village, only the village chief's family had a donkey cart for transportation; the other villagers simply couldn't afford one.

As soon as I reached the village chief's courtyard, I saw a woman wearing a gray cotton-padded jacket that was patched all over but washed clean. She was standing in front of the closed gate, her head down, her hands red from the cold, twisting the hem of her clothes in a somewhat helpless manner.

Hearing footsteps, she suddenly looked up.

Su Ming recognized her; she was the daughter of the Cui family, who had fled to Sishui Village a few years ago and later settled at the end of the village. The villagers called her Cui the Ugly Girl.

It wasn't that she was really ugly, but she had a birthmark about the size of a coin, quite dark in color, near the corner of her left eye. In this poor, remote place, it became a mark of "ugliness".

On ordinary days, she rarely walks around the village. She always keeps her head down and silently does chores such as chopping firewood and digging wild vegetables. You can hardly hear her speak.

Upon seeing Su Ming, Cui Chou Nu visibly flinched, lowering her head even further and taking a slight step back, as if trying to avoid him.

Su Ming didn't stop walking. He approached and calmly asked, "Sister Cui, are you also looking for the village chief?"

Cui Chounu trembled, quickly glanced at Su Ming, then lowered her eyes again, her voice barely audible, with a heavy accent and anxiety: "Um... my... my grandfather is sick, he's coughing badly and can't breathe... the village's folk remedies aren't working, I... I have to go to the city to get medicine... I was thinking of asking the village chief if we could borrow his donkey cart..."

Her voice trailed off as she spoke, her head almost buried in her chest, clearly lacking confidence in her "excessive" request.

Her family is not of the same surname, and they came here as refugees. They have no relatives or friends in the village and are already struggling. Now they are asking to borrow the village chief's important livestock cart. No wonder they are in such a predicament.

Su Ming nodded, said nothing more, and stepped forward to knock on the courtyard gate.

Su Dashun opened the door, and upon seeing Su Ming, his face immediately lit up with a smile: "Ming-ge'er, so early? Come in quickly! Perfect timing, I just made some millet porridge, it's still warm!"

Upon seeing Cui Chounu behind Su Ming, his smile faded slightly, and he looked somewhat puzzled.

Su Ming stated his purpose directly: "Grandpa Da Shun, I would like to borrow your donkey cart to go to Linjiang County to sell this wild boar hide and buy some other things while I'm at it."

He paused, stepped aside to let Cui Chounu, who was standing awkwardly behind him, said, "Cui's grandfather is seriously ill and needs to go to the city to get medicine. If it's not too much trouble, could she ride with me? That way, we can look after each other."

Su Dashun glanced at Su Ming, then at Cui Chounu, whose face was full of pleading and who was almost crying, and pondered for a moment.

Donkey carts are precious and are usually not lent out easily, but Su Ming's request was different.

He is now the "hope" of the village, so we have to give him this much face.

As for Cui Chounu… he sighed, they were all unfortunate people.

"Alright!" Su Dashun decided. "The donkey cart is in the shed. I'll have Shanzi hitch it up for you."

Cui Chou Nu quickly thanked him, saying, "Thank you, thank you, village chief, thank you, Su Sanlang."

Before long, a simple wooden donkey cart was harnessed, pulled by an old but still sturdy black donkey.

Cui Chounu sat in the back.

Su Ming placed the wild boar skin on the other side and sat down on it himself.

Su Dashan gave them a few instructions on how to drive the carriage, then waved for them to set off.

The black donkey, with steady steps, pulled the creaking, dilapidated cart, crushing the snow that had not yet been completely cleared from the village, and slowly drove out of Sishui Village, onto the rugged mountain road covered with ice and snow, trodden out by predecessors, leading to the county town.

Throughout the journey, Cui Chounu remained quiet and silent, like a statue.

Su Ming drove carefully, his gaze sweeping over the withered trees with icicles hanging from them and the snow-covered plains by the roadside, as he considered his plans after entering the city.

The two barely spoke.

After a bumpy ride of nearly an hour, around noon, the low mud-brick city walls and dilapidated city gate towers finally came into view.

Linjiang County is not a large town, but in this area, it is the most prosperous place within a radius of dozens of miles.

After entering the city, Cui Chou Nu got off the bus at a fork in the road, asked Su Ming about the approximate time of their return, and then hurriedly went to find a pharmacy.

Following Su Shunfa's instructions, Su Ming drove the donkey cart through the not-so-wide streets, eventually stopping at the entrance of a relatively quiet alley in front of a shop with an old sign that read "Pi Run Zhai".

The shop was small and dimly lit, filled with a smell of tannins, herbs, and old wood.

Behind the counter sat a lean old man wearing a melon-shaped hat and sporting a goatee, fiddling with an abacus by the light from the window.

Hearing the noise, the old man looked up and glanced at Su Ming. Seeing that he was young and poorly dressed, a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes. But when he saw the roll of leather goods wrapped in cloth that Su Ming was carrying, which looked quite heavy, his expression became more serious.

"Shopkeeper, do you want to collect the leather?" Su Ming put the leather roll on the counter.

"What kind of skin?" Manager Huang slowly got up and untied the cloth bag.

When the large, stiff-bristled, and somewhat tanned wild boar hide was fully unfolded, a glint flashed in his eyes, and his fingers carefully ran over the thickness, elasticity, and damaged areas of the hide.

"The wild boar hide was just peeled off recently, and I did some preliminary tanning myself," Su Ming said.

"The quality is alright, but the tanning process... is a bit rough." Manager Huang habitually nitpicked, then looked up at Su Ming: "Young man, where are you from? How did you get this hide?"

"Su Shunfa is my uncle from Sishui Village," Su Ming said, giving his name.

Uncle Shunfa said that Manager Huang was an old friend of his, and that mentioning his name when selling leather would get him a higher price.

Shopkeeper Huang's expression immediately softened considerably, even showing a hint of a smile: "Oh? You're a young man from Brother Shunfa's village? No wonder. Brother Shunfa is a regular customer here; his leather is always of high quality."

He re-examined Su Ming, then looked at the wild boar hide. "Since he's Brother Shunfa's junior, I won't haggle. This hide is large, and although the tanning is a bit rough, it's intact and fresh. How about three hundred copper coins?"

Three hundred coins!

The price was much higher than Su Ming had expected.

He inquired and found that wild boar hides usually cost 100-150 coins, but the price would rise during heavy snow, generally to around 200-280 coins.

It seems the name Su Shunfa is indeed effective here.

He nodded: "Sure. Also, Uncle Shunfa asked me to inquire about the rabbit pelts and fox pelts he previously stored with you. If they're ready for tanning, could we settle the accounts for them together this time?"

"Everything's ready, just waiting for him to come and collect it." Manager Huang turned around and took down several soft and smooth hides from the shelf behind him, counting them. "Five rabbit hides, average quality, fifteen coins each. One fox hide, good color, eighty coins for that. Add to that your wild boar hide, three hundred coins, the total is... four hundred and fifty-five coins."

He quickly calculated the bill, took out a string of coins from under the counter, counted out the corresponding copper coins, and counted out five extra. "A total of four hundred and sixty coins. The extra five are for Brother Shunfa's wine money, so he can come over for tea when he has time."

He didn't think Su Ming was a fraud. He recognized the donkey cart parked outside. Su Shunfa would always drive that donkey cart here. In addition, Su Shunfa had left information about the leather goods here. No one but his descendants would know about it.

Su Ming accepted the heavy string of copper coins and thanked him.

This trip not only involved selling his own hide, but also settling old debts for Su Shunfa. He also used the money to buy several dozen kilograms of rice for Su Shunfa to take back, as a way of repaying the favor of being a witness and sharing the meat yesterday.

After carefully pocketing the money, Su Ming walked out of Pi Runzhai's residence.

Next door was a shop selling farm tools and hunting equipment, with a sign that read "Wang's Ironwood Shop". He went inside.

The shop was filled with a variety of items: hoes, sickles, and axes hung on the walls, timber was piled on the floor, and several hunting bows and quivers were placed in the corner.

A clever-looking young man, around seventeen or eighteen years old, was polishing a wood-chopping knife.

"Buy a bow," Su Ming said succinctly.

The waiter looked up and saw that it was a teenager. He smiled and pointed to a few bows in the corner: "Young man, there are some over there. They are the kind of soft bows that hunters often use. They are one and a half to two stones long, light and easy to draw, suitable for beginners."

Su Ming walked over and picked up each bowstring one by one to test it.

With his current strength of 300 pounds in both arms, these bows are light and easy to pull, and he feels nothing at all.

He shook his head: "Too soft. Do you have anything harder?"

The shopkeeper was somewhat surprised. He walked over, picked up what he considered to be the hardest two-stone bow, and handed it to Su Ming: "This is the hardest. Many old hunters in our county use this."

Su Ming took the bow, nocked a practice arrow without aiming, strained his arms, and easily drew the bowstring to its fullest extent. The bowstring made a slight "creaking" sound, and the bow arm bent to an astonishing arc.

The waiter's eyes widened instantly, and he gasped, "Wow! Young man, you've got real strength!"

Only then did he take a good look at Su Ming. Although he was dressed in shabby clothes, he had an upright posture, smooth arm lines, and calm eyes. He was no ordinary person.

Su Ming put down the two-stone bow and shook his head again: "It's still too soft. Do you have a three-stone one?"

"San Shi?!" The waiter's voice changed.

"Young man, the three-stone bow is used only by soldiers and some true masters. It's extremely difficult to draw and requires exceptional arm strength..."

"We do have one in our shop... It was acquired by the owner years ago, but we haven't been able to sell it because no one can pull it."

He hesitated for a moment, then turned and went to the back room. A short while later, he came out with a long, dusty wooden box.

Opening the wooden box reveals a longbow, entirely black, with an antique design and bearing the marks of time.

The bow arm was made of some kind of wood; it was heavy and cold to the touch.

The bowstring was made of ox tendon mixed with some kind of silk thread, twisted together and stretched extremely tightly.

"This bow is called the Black Horn Bow, it's made of bull horn..."

Su Ming picked up the bow and immediately noticed its difference.

He held his breath and concentrated, slowly exerting force.

"Squeak—"

A deep, resilient sound rang out, far heavier than the two-stone bow from before.

Su Ming felt a noticeable resistance coming from his arms, and the wisp of internal energy in his body spontaneously flowed to his arms, unleashing its power.

His arm gradually bent until he steadily drew the bow into a full arc, the bowstring pressed firmly against his cheek, motionless.

The waiter was speechless, his jaw dropping. After a long while, he murmured, "My God...it really opened...and it's so steady! Young man, you...you must be some kind of superhuman strength?"

Su Ming slowly released his grip, allowing the bowstring to return to its original position, and felt satisfied.

The power of this bow is just right for his current arm strength.

It is slightly challenging, but not uncontrollable, and the bow is stable and made of excellent materials, far superior to those soft bows.

"How much is this bow?" Su Ming asked.

The shop assistant composed himself, rubbing his hands together, and said, "This bow... the owner spent a considerable sum to acquire it back then and has always kept it as the shop's prized possession. Seeing that you, young man, are truly skilled at using it, I won't overcharge. Fifteen taels of silver."

This price is absolutely astronomical for farmers.

Ordinary hunters wouldn't be willing to spend so much money on a bow, and even if they were, they wouldn't have the money!

Su Ming frowned slightly.

So expensive!

He had just sold the hides, and with the income from selling wild boar meat yesterday, plus the money he received as a subsidy from the village, he had taken seventeen taels of silver with him on this trip.

That cost most of it!

The shopkeeper thought the boy would give up on buying the bow, since the boy's clothes were so shabby that he probably couldn't afford it.

But to his surprise, Su Ming did not hesitate at all and chose to pay for it!

"You have excellent taste, sir! This money was absolutely well spent!"

The waiter took the money, his face beaming with joy.

Not only did they make a big deal, but they also witnessed a young prodigy.

He quickly took out a brand-new quiver from under the counter, which contained ten finely crafted feathered arrows with gleaming arrowheads.

"Young man, here's a quiver of arrows for you! Consider it a gesture of friendship! If you ever hunt down any good hides, just bring them to me! Our master also deals in furs, and his prices are definitely fairer than others!"

The boss once said that selling things is one thing, but maintaining good relationships is another.

The boy, buying a hunting bow and dressed shabbily, is most likely a hunter from the mountains. With such extraordinary strength, he's destined to be a renowned hunter. He has no shortage of furs, so it's a good opportunity to make friends with him; it could be a potential path for him in the future…

Su Ming took the quiver, hung it on his simple backpack, and nodded to the shopkeeper: "Thank you. If I find anything useful, I'll come again."

Wasn't he deliberately displaying his arm strength and divine power just now for this moment?

Sure enough, the guy, recognizing his skills, actually gave him some discounts and freebies.

After buying the bow, Su Ming went to the general store and bought some salt, needles and thread, and other odds and ends that the family urgently needed. He then drove the donkey cart to the vicinity of the city gate where he had arranged to meet Cui Chou Nu.

After waiting for about half an hour, Cui Chou Nu arrived in a hurry, carrying several packets of herbs.

Her face was still pale, but there was a hint of relief in her eyes.

Seeing that Su Ming and the donkey cart were still there, she visibly breathed a sigh of relief, thanked him again in a low voice, and quickly got on the cart.

On the way back, perhaps having obtained the medicine and feeling more confident, Cui Chou Nu was no longer as silent as she had been on the way there. She whispered to Su Ming:

"Su Sanlang, thank you so much for today. Otherwise, my grandfather and I really wouldn't know what to do."

Her voice was still soft, with a regional accent, but clear and articulate.

Su Ming simply shook his head: "It's just on the way."

His gaze inadvertently swept over Cui Chou Nu's hand, which was carrying the medicine bag.

Those hands, though rough and swollen, had long, slender fingers, and their movements possessed an unconscious steadiness and gentleness that seemed somewhat out of place with her usual clumsy manner of chopping wood and digging vegetables.

Recalling her words of thanks, although she had her head down, the fleeting glimpse of her eyes when she looked up revealed a sharpness beneath her calm demeanor, which vanished in an instant.

This woman, seemingly simple-minded and timid in speech, is likely just putting on an act.

Su Ming's heart stirred slightly.

The Cui family, including the ugly woman, fled here a few years ago, saying that the north had suffered from war.

She rarely goes out and is extremely quiet, almost to the point of being withdrawn.

But judging from today's appearance, this woman... seems to be more than she appears.

At the very least, she was no ordinary village girl.

However, this was none of his business, so Su Ming put aside his thoughts and stopped thinking about it.

It was already evening when we returned to Sishui Village.

After escorting Cui Chou Nu to her lonely, dilapidated house, Cui Chou Nu thanked him solemnly once again, watched Su Ming drive away in his donkey cart, and then turned to go inside.

Su Ming glanced back at the broken wooden door that was quickly closed, temporarily suppressing his doubts.

After returning the donkey cart and thanking Su Dashun's family, Su Ming carried his newly bought three-stone black bow and quiver, along with his groceries, back home.

When Liu saw that he had returned safely and had even bought such a frighteningly large bow, she began to grumble about it again.

After lunch, the sky brightened.

Instead of resting immediately, Su Ming carried the new bow and went straight to Su Shunfa's house.

Su Shunfa had just finished his porridge and was idly polishing his precious hunting bow when he saw Su Ming arrive, carrying such a rare three-stone black bow. He was so surprised that he almost jumped up.

"Sanlang! Where did you get this? This bow..."

He took the black bow, tried to pull it, and even with all his might, he could only pull it a little more than halfway. His face turned red, and he clicked his tongue in amazement. "Good heavens! This strength! You can actually pull it?"

Su Ming nodded: "Uncle Shunfa, I have the bow, but I know nothing about the tricks of archery. I would like to ask you to teach me."

Su Shunfa returned the bow to Su Ming, looking at the increasingly unfathomable young man with a complex expression, a mixture of admiration and感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a feeling of mixed emotions).

He nodded emphatically: "Alright! Since you dared to kill a wild boar all by yourself and can even draw this bow, I'll tell you everything I know!"

The two arrived at a relatively open snowfield behind the house.

Su Shunfa took out his bow and explained and demonstrated in detail each step, from the most basic stance, holding the bow, nocking the arrow, drawing the string, positioning, aiming, breathing, and releasing.

Although he was not a sharpshooter, his years of hunting experience had led him to summarize the most practical methods for survival and hunting.

In Sishui Village, he was the best hunter, thanks to his archery skills!

"...Keep your breath steady, keep your mind calm, and align your eyes, hands, bow, and target in a straight line. Release the arrow decisively, without hesitation. If you hesitate, your strength will be lost, and the arrow will go astray."

As Su Shunfa spoke, he demonstrated, shooting an arrow that snapped a withered branch thirty paces away.

Su Ming listened intently, combining his understanding of power exertion and precision from his previous life, and quickly digested the information.

He picked up his black bow, nocked an arrow, and, following Su Shunfa's instructions, adjusted his breathing and slowly drew the bow.

The heavy bow provided a solid feedback, and he tried to feel the balance between the tension of the bowstring and the strength of his arm.

"Whoosh!"

The arrow left the bowstring, but missed its target by a great distance, landing in the snow a dozen paces away.

Su Shunfa laughed and said, "It's good enough if you can even pull it apart the first time! Don't rush, take your time to get the feel for it. This thing is all about practice."

Undeterred, Su Ming nocked the arrow again, recalling the previous deviation, and fine-tuned the angle and force.

One arrow after another... His learning speed was astonishing. In less than an hour, his arrows were already able to barely hit the target.

Although his accuracy was still far from perfect, the steady hand he used to draw the bow and the decisiveness with which he released it had already secretly alarmed Su Shunfa.

Having finished teaching, Su Shunfa remembered something and said, "Sanlang, in archery, the arrow is also very important."

"We mostly use bamboo arrows and wooden arrows now, and the fletching is mostly made of bird feathers glued together. The best ones are made of eagle feathers or hawk feathers, which make the arrows fly steadily and accurately! It's a pity they're hard to get."

"If it's the feathers of a common pheasant or goose, that will do, but the effect will be less."

"If you ever hunt a pheasant or anything like that, don't throw away the feathers. Give them to me, and I'll teach you how to process them and glue them onto your arrows. Arrows you make yourself are much easier to use!"

Su Ming took notes carefully.

This is another valuable experience.

In the following days, in addition to his daily stance training and Five Elements Fist practice, Su Ming devoted a lot of time to archery practice.

In a secluded spot outside the village, the heavy thud of the black bow and the sharp whistling of arrows piercing the air could be heard every day.

He has an exceptionally high talent for precise control of his strength and is progressing at a rapid pace.

A new line of text has quietly appeared on the panel:

[Beginner Archery: Introduction (1/10)]

One afternoon, just as Su Ming was basking in the newfound power and had barely grasped the basics of archery, three figures arrived together outside the dilapidated gate of his house…

—These were the three hunting families in the village.