Seeing this, Zhao Qiao and Zhuang Yi quickly stopped shooting.
Chen Sanshi steadied his breathing and sank into stance, his feet firm and posture solid. Coordinating his movements with the Haoran Breathing Method, he thrust his plum-blossom iron spear at the black bear, using the beast's resistance and counterforce to simulate a real battle.
One had to admit—black bears were terrifyingly strong creatures.
Even badly wounded, each of its swipes carried more than 1,000 jin of force, and a full-body charge could reach several thousand jin in impact.
Though Chen Sanshi's physical strength had grown explosively since learning martial arts, even he was pushed back again and again under such crushing power. The sheer strain of maintaining spear forms under pressure drenched him in sweat.
But at the same time, his mastery grew at a rapid pace.
As more and more bloody holes opened across the bear's hide, its attacks slowed until dodging became unnecessary.
When it was on the verge of collapse from blood loss, Chen Sanshi struck—his spear pierced through the creature's eye, the tip bursting out from the back of its skull.
"Boom—"
The bear's massive body crashed to the ground, motionless and lifeless.
[Technique: Basic Spearsmanship for Infantry (Uninitiated)]
[Progress: (47/100)]
[Effect: None]
In just a short time, his progress had risen by nearly 10 points—the improvement was remarkable.
Too bad living targets like this weren't something one could find every day.
"Hu…"
Chen Sanshi planted the spear upright in the ground, taking deep breaths to calm his body.
It took quite a while before Wu Da and the others approached, their faces filled with disbelief.
Even with the black bear weakened and sluggish from blood loss, such a beast was still something no ordinary man could handle.
So this was the difference between a martial practitioner and a commoner?
Zhao Qiao, especially, couldn't believe it. Not long ago, this was the same kid who had begged him to bring him up the mountain. In just over half a month, he had grown far stronger than any of them.
"Uncle Zhao, Wu Da," Chen Sanshi said, "please cut some sturdy wood to make a stretcher. Let's carry the bear back together."
The three exchanged uneasy glances and didn't move right away. Their faces looked awkward.
"Li… Little Shitou," Zhao Qiao finally spoke. "Could we… maybe take half a share?"
When hunting together, the spoils were usually divided among all participants. But this time, they felt utterly useless.
From the start, it had been Chen Sanshi who found the bear's den. Then, he had saved their lives.
Without him, all three of them would have died or been gravely injured.
But even without their help, Chen Sanshi could've probably taken the bear down alone—just a bit slower, perhaps, but still certain of victory thanks to his speed and heavy bow.
Yet after paying their taxes, the three men were broke and had already spent a good amount preparing bait. To return empty-handed would be hard to bear.
Of course, if Chen Sanshi refused, they would have no choice but to accept it quietly.
As they waited nervously, the young man standing in the fading sunset smiled brightly. "Uncle Zhao, what are you saying? Half a share's way too little. At least two shares each, right?"
"Huh?"
"N-no, no, no, no!"
Zhao Qiao and the others nearly thought they'd misheard.
They didn't deserve that much.
Just getting anything at all felt like too much.
After much back-and-forth, Zhao Qiao and Zhuang Yi insisted on taking no more than half a share. Wu Da wanted a full share at first, but one glare from Zhao Qiao shut him up fast—he obediently agreed to half as well.
Chen Sanshi didn't press further.
He knew they felt embarrassed. Earning more by contributing more was only natural.
And with the bear weighing about 700 jin, plus valuable parts like the paws, it could easily sell for around 50 taels of silver. Even half a share meant over 2 taels each—a fair amount, equivalent to hunting more than 20 rabbits. Not bad at all.
He didn't feel any heartache over it.
After all, when he'd decided to bring companions, he hadn't been sure he could take down a black bear alone.
Now that he'd succeeded, there was no reason to regret sharing the spoils.
He could always hunt solo once he better understood his own limits.
"Shi ge'er, from now on, you're my blood brother!"
Wu Da grinned, his scarred face twisting into something half-friendly, half-ferocious.
The group quickly chopped wood and tied ropes together, fashioning a sturdy stretcher. They hoisted the massive bear and started their journey back.
As they passed the small stream in the valley, the hound suddenly began barking furiously toward the opposite bank.
Looking closer, Chen Sanshi saw two young men in long robes standing on the far side of the stream, staring at the black bear carcass on his group's shoulders with clear irritation written across their faces.
He recognized them immediately.
More than half a month ago, these were the same two who had tricked Shunzi into going to work on the canal!
After that incident, Chen Sanshi had quietly gathered information about them.
One was named Li Hao, the other Zhang Chao—both from Tailei Martial Hall. But they were merely labor disciples, even lower than outer-sect disciples.
Despite studying martial arts for years, neither had earned a breathing method or cultivated qi and blood.
He hadn't expected to meet them again here.
"Woof! Woof! Woof—!"
Sensing the hostility from across the stream, the hunting dog barked louder and louder.
"Xiao Heizi, quiet!"
Zhuang Yi quickly covered the dog's mouth. "Don't provoke them."
"What's there to be afraid of? It's not like we're hunting on their side—"
Before Wu Da could finish, one of the young men raised his bow and fired on the spot. "You damn mutt! How dare you bark at your grandpa?!"
He said he was shooting the dog, but his arrow was clearly aimed at a man.
A willow-leaf arrow whistled through the air straight toward Zhuang Yi.
The two sides were no more than forty to fifty steps apart—enough for a four-strength bow to easily kill a man.
In the reflection of Zhuang Yi's widening pupils, the arrow grew larger and larger. His legs went weak, his chest turning ice cold.
Then, in that split instant—another arrow shot in from the side.
A Wolf Fang Arrow, sharp and fast, split the willow-leaf arrow clean in half mid-flight!
An arrow blocking another arrow.
"What?!"
Zhang Chao's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
A moving target, that small, in that short a time—how… how could that even be possible?!
"A border soldier's two-stone bow?"
Li Hao's face turned pale. "It's… it's you?"
The two of them recognized Chen Sanshi at once.
"How did this brat end up joining the army?"
"Run!"
Li and Zhang exchanged a glance, instantly turning tail and fleeing in panic. They didn't even give Chen Sanshi a chance to speak before shouting from afar, "You just wait!"
"Cowards who bully the weak and fear the strong," Chen Sanshi said coldly.
Now, he had no reason to fear them.
They weren't even as dangerous as Qin Feng.
From the moment they fired to when Chen Sanshi's arrow forced them to flee, only a few seconds had passed.
It took Wu Da and the others several long moments to even process what had just happened.
"Brother Chen…"
Zhuang Yi's voice trembled. "You… you saved my life. I… I…"
He stammered, unable to form the right words of gratitude.
"It's fine," Chen Sanshi said evenly. "If I hadn't intercepted that shot, their next arrow would've been aimed at me."
Labor disciples from a martial hall—daring to act so arrogantly.
It seemed he had no choice now.
He had to earn the title of military officer.
With that status protecting him, his arrow wouldn't just block another arrow—it would take a life.
"Let's go down the mountain."
With the danger passed, the group carried the bear home safely.
The county was still under lockdown. No one knew where that barbarian fugitive was hiding—they hadn't caught him yet.
As Chen Sanshi had estimated, the black bear sold for a total of 51 taels of silver.
Each of the others received 2 taels and 5 qian.
Chen Sanshi kept the bear heart, worth about 20 taels, and didn't sell it. He also kept 30 jin of bear meat. In total, he took home 20 taels of snowflake silver.
"That should last for a while."
Wrapping the still-warm bear heart in lotus leaves, Chen Sanshi quickened his pace toward home.
The bear's heart was a rare tonic—and for his recent qi and blood depletion, it would surely be of great benefit.