From the village to Jiang Huan Town, it was a journey of dozens of miles of mountain roads; if one didn't rise early, the market would already be dispersing by the time they reached the town.
So, not only did Chen Yushu wake up early, but his father, Chen Baihe, also rose long before.
After washing up, the two walked out of their home together.
On the day of the big market, naturally, many people in the village wanted to go to the town.
The hunter Chen Ping, the blacksmith Zhao Shan, and herbalists like Chen Baihe, all brought some mountain goods and tools, hoping to sell them for a good price, and of course, there were also some women from the village who went along to purchase things.
Mountain roads are difficult to travel, and it is safer to go in groups.
Therefore, at dawn, many people had already gathered at the village entrance.
"Wait a little longer, someone else should be coming."
The speaker was Chen Ping, the hunter from the village, who was said to have a record of single-handedly hunting a fierce tiger with a single arrow.
He was also the person in the village whom Chen Yushu believed was most likely to have practiced Martial Arts.
Previously, Chen Yushu had also considered finding an opportunity to learn Martial Arts from him if there was no other way, or at the very least, learn archery.
However, this idea was rejected by his father.
Hunters, in essence, were even more dangerous than herbalists like Chen Baihe, and he naturally did not want his son to learn that.
After knowing that his father had other arrangements, he did not insist.
Sure enough, soon after, two more people quickly walked over.
"It's her!"
Chen Yushu was startled; the newcomers were precisely the girl he had met yesterday, Qiao'er, and her mother, Liu Shi.
Upon seeing the two, a hint of disdain was clearly visible on the faces of the surrounding group, but no one spoke.
"Alright, let's go."
Chen Ping nodded upon seeing this, then took the lead and walked forward.
The others quickly followed suit.
The mountain path was difficult, and the road was muddy, not to mention that everyone was carrying more or less something, so their pace was not fast.
Chen Yushu's Physique was weak after all, and he felt tired after walking for a while, but he occasionally saw Liu Qiao'er, who was walking at the very back, looking frail but with steady steps, seemingly unaffected at all… he could only grit his teeth and persevere.
This damned competitiveness!
Chen Yushu was panting heavily; if it weren't for his father often pulling him along, he would have truly struggled to keep going.
"I am still too weak now.
I hope to learn Martial Arts as soon as possible, only then can I improve my Physique."
Chen Yushu sighed slightly, his gaze also sweeping over his attribute panel.
Name: Chen Yushu
Age: Twelve years old
Skills:
Reading: Comprehension (12/200), Calligraphy: Self-Discernment (73/100), Throwing: Beginner (15/100)
...
Over the past two days, his Reading Realm had improved.
It had advanced from 'Literacy' to 'Comprehension'.
Although the experience points required for advancement doubled, he indeed felt that after the improvement, he could better understand the content and grasp some of the principles within.
In a trance, he also felt as if he had become smarter.
The effect was excellent.
Even his spirit and vitality seemed subtly different, as if he had gained a scholarly spirit.
The only thing he regretted was that this was, after all, only an improvement in knowledge, with no increase whatsoever in his physical strength or stamina.
In contrast, the improvement in Calligraphy was much smaller.
In his opinion, this was normal.
Calligraphy, after all, requires writing with a brush and being carried by paper for rapid improvement.
His conditions were limited, so as long as he could see progress, he was already satisfied.
"Not to mention.
Over the past two days, besides reading and writing, my attempts at throwing practice have also shown results, directly forming a skill and becoming an entry-level one."
A smile couldn't help but appear on Chen Yushu's face.
Even if it was just beginner level.
But the meaning it represented was entirely different.
Because this meant that he only needed to continue practicing, and this skill could directly improve.
If he practiced it to a profound level, it might even be possible to hit whatever he aimed at, never missing.
This was a tangible means of attack, his first step in exploration.
...
Because they had to look after the old and young, the group walked and rested intermittently.
Suddenly, a burst of horn blowing came from ahead.
From afar, a funeral procession was seen approaching the mountain road from a village.
"It's Xiao Shi Village.
The one who died should be Jiang San, the hunter from Xiao Shi Village."
Someone in the crowd spoke.
They were all from surrounding villages, more or less related, so they naturally knew some of the circumstances.
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Many people knew about Jiang San, the hunter from Xiao Shi Village, encountering a wild boar and having his intestines gored out; to have persisted for so many days and only be buried today was already a sign of extreme tenacity.
Because there was only one path up and down the mountain, the two groups quickly met.
Chen Yushu also saw Zhong Bo's figure in the procession, and besides him, there was also the old man he had met last time at Zhong Bo's doorstep.
That old man should be the head of the family, the biological father of the person in the coffin.
The dead pass, the living yield.
Their group had, of course, stood early on the side.
Upon seeing Zhong Bo, they only greeted him and did not dare to disturb him too much.
Chen Yushu stood beside Chen Baihe, curiously watching several young men slowly approach, carrying the coffin.
Thump!
Suddenly, Chen Yushu was startled.
He heard a sound like wood being struck.
Thump!
After a while, the second sound came.
Thump!
Another sound.
And this sound became gradually clearer as the funeral procession approached.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
One sound followed another.
He quickly realized that the sound was coming from inside the coffin.
It was as if someone was knocking on the coffin.
Knocking on the coffin?
Was there such a custom during funerals?
Moreover, he looked at the few people carrying the coffin; each of them was several steps away from the coffin, and no one was holding a wooden stick to hit the coffin, and they seemed completely unaware, causing his heart to suddenly tighten.
This sound, was it coming from inside the coffin?
The person inside wasn't dead?
He opened his mouth wide, about to speak, when suddenly he heard a muffled thud.
Then he abruptly saw a figure actually sit up directly from the coffin.
This figure, surprisingly, passed through the coffin lid, its upper body appearing on the coffin lid.
But the lid, at this moment, was tightly sealed, with no trace of cracking, yet this figure just sat up so brazenly; from his perspective, he could even see a large rotten patch on its belly, with a cluster of something like strings spilling out.
A chilling aura diffused with it.
Chen Yushu's face instantly turned pale.
This feeling was too familiar.
Just like a few days ago.
At this moment, it seemed to still be unclear about the situation, slowly turning its head, as if observing something.
It was also then that Chen Yushu finally saw its face; it was that of a young person, but tinged with blue-purple, its eyes half-closed, subtly revealing a hint of chilling light.
Almost instinctively, he shifted his gaze, looking towards Zhong Bo, who was walking at the very front, as if seeking help.
However, at this moment, Zhong Bo seemed unaware of the situation, still muttering something continuously, walking forward step by step.
The funeral procession did not pause at all; the four young men carrying the coffin also moved silently amidst the sounds of horns and wails.
But precisely because of this, Chen Yushu saw Liu Qiao'er not far away; she was also looking at the coffin, or more precisely, at the figure on the coffin.
She could see it?!