As dusk approached, wisps of cooking smoke rose from Baishui Village.
“Bang!”
In front of the open space outside the village, the white mist dissipated, revealing Liu Sheng’s figure.
He carried a wild rabbit and a mountain rat, looking towards Black Wind Mountain with a look of uncertainty, deciding not to enter the mountain for now…
He would just hunt some rabbits, wild chickens, and mountain rats in the outer areas.
That tiger in the mountain was probably a huge creature.
“Grandson, you didn’t just pick these up, did you…”
At the doorstep, Liu Apo glanced at the prey in Liu Sheng’s hand, her voice a little low.
A wild rabbit weighing six or seven catties, and two mountain rats weighing four or five catties together, it wasn’t much, but it was still worth over a hundred copper coins, equivalent to a common hunter’s daily harvest.
More importantly, the wild rabbit’s throat and the mountain rats’ foreheads all had wounds, clearly indicating they were owned by someone.
“Our family may be poor, but we can’t do things like stealing chickens and dogs…”
She blocked the doorway, not letting Liu Sheng enter the house, and for the first time, a serious expression appeared on her wrinkled old face.
Seeing this, Liu Sheng knew he couldn’t bluff his way out this time, so he could only tell the truth:
“Grandma, I caught these behind the village.”
After speaking, he drew a throwing knife and threw it without even looking.
“Swish!”
Seven or eight steps away, a moth was firmly pinned to the tree trunk, its wings still fluttering.
Then, he helped Liu Apo to the tree, explaining as he went:
“After I woke up a few days ago, I don’t know why, but I became exceptionally accurate when throwing things. Today, I bought a few throwing knives in the city to practice…”
He didn’t mention the Golden Finger, attributing the reason to his previous coma.
Liu Apo’s eyes widened as she looked at the moth pinned to the tree trunk, somewhat lost in thought.
After a long while, she finally came to her senses, clasped her hands together, and wept with joy:
“Ancestors bless us, our grandson has overcome this obstacle and finally awakened his Aptitude…”
Aptitude!
Perfect reason!
Liu Sheng’s eyes flickered a few times, and he also pretended to clasp his hands and bow.
From now on, he could openly bring home prey to supplement the family’s income.
Don’t ask why a farmer’s son who previously only knew how to farm could suddenly hunt, and harvest more than old hunters every day…
If you ask, it’s because he awakened his Aptitude.
If you don’t believe it, you try awakening your Aptitude!
Liu Apo happily went to process the prey; after removing the offal and bones from the three animals, there would be five or six catties of meat, and the pelts, when stripped, would be worth six or seven copper coins…
Under the night sky, Grandma’s back seemed to have grown younger by several years, and her steps were much nimbler.
His grandfather, our grandson has awakened his Aptitude and can now shoulder the family’s burden!
Our family’s days now have hope.
Liu Sheng’s lips curved slightly as he withdrew his gaze, reaching out to pull the throwing knife from the tree trunk.
His previous tests had made him deeply realize the power of the Sparrow Incarnation after its advancement.
With this Incarnation and the two talents augmenting his main body, he had no opponent among ordinary people.
But in this world, there were also powerful Martial Artists, like Master Wu in the Tong Family Courtyard…
A one-armed muscular man who could use his sleeve to lift a stone lock weighing several hundred catties more than a zhang high, and whose aura was fiercer than tigers and wolves.
And that tiger on Black Wind Mountain, with just a single Tiger Roar, it scared a group of small animals within a dozen li, making their Essence realm go soft and causing them to defecate and urinate.
Therefore, he still needed to practice martial arts!
Liu Sheng exhaled a breath of turbid Qi, returned to the house, spread his legs, squatted, swung his arms, and assumed the Black Tiger Stance.
This was the first time he had stood in the stance after the Sparrow Incarnation’s advancement. After a few breaths, he clearly felt the difference between before and now…
Easy!
Before, his body felt like it was filled with lead, heavy and clumsy, and after ten breaths, his legs would tremble and his breathing would become erratic.
But now, 50 breaths had passed, and he was still very relaxed.
He even faintly felt a peculiar “Qi” rising from the soles of his feet…
“Could it be… Qi and blood?”
Liu Sheng’s heart stirred, and he vaguely had a guess.
After the Sparrow Incarnation advanced, it greatly improved his Physique, which, in a sense, was equivalent to…
Improving his main body’s root bones?
Hiss!
This was amazing!
Half an hour later, Liu Sheng finally couldn’t hold on any longer, letting out a breath, smoke rising from his head, and his body drenched in sweat.
“This morning I could only hold the stance for 50 breaths, about 5 minutes, but this time I held it for 1 hour…”
A huge improvement!
His face showed a slight fatigue, but his eyes were frighteningly bright as he alternately clapped his sore arms and legs.
According to what Master Wu said, with top-tier Aptitude, one could sense Qi and blood after standing in the stance for ten days to half a month.
With mid-tier Aptitude, one could also sense Qi and blood after standing in the stance for about a month.
With low-tier Aptitude, if one ate enough meat and rice, they could also get started within three months.
If he practiced for another three to five days, he would probably be able to get started. In that case, was he considered to have top-tier Aptitude?
Liu Sheng licked his lips, feeling sticky and uncomfortable all over. He was about to go out to fetch water for a bath…
Suddenly, there was a commotion from the end of the village, with faint wailing sounds, mixed with words like “big beast,” “man-eating,” and “escaped.”
His heart stirred. He grabbed his throwing knife, called out to Grandma, and hurried towards the end of the village.
Halfway there, he saw a large group of people wailing as they approached. From afar, he could smell a strong scent of blood.
Under the firelight, the tall Qin Wuye was supported by his two sons, his face pale and still shaken.
He was the best hunter in the village, always bold, having hunted large wild boars weighing five or six hundred catties and dared to contend with bears weighing a thousand catties…
Yet now he was trembling all over, unable to stand steadily, clearly overly frightened!
Beside them, two figures, resembling blood gourds, were being carried by their families. From their clothing, they were also hunters from the village.
Behind them was a group of old people, women, and children crying and wailing: Er Zhu’s family, Da Shun’s family, Zhou Heizi’s family…
All of them were hunters from the village who had gone into the mountains today!
Surrounding them was a large circle of villagers who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion, chattering and discussing amongst themselves.
Liu Sheng paused for a moment and then understood the general situation.
Qin Wuye and several other hunters went into the mountains today, hoping to catch a large animal to pay this year’s summer tax, so they ventured about a li deeper than usual…
As a result, they encountered a large beast, over three zhang long from head to tail, which could pounce for dozens of zhang.
Its Tiger Roar seemed capable of immobilizing one’s soul, and even experienced old hunters were unable to move after being roared at.
Qin Wuye only managed to escape with Changgen Shu and Er Niu, who were with him, by relying on a peace talisman he had sought.
As for Er Zhu, Da Shun, and Zhou Heizi, who were further away, they had probably already met their demise in the tiger’s mouth.
“It’s become a spirit, that big beast has become a spirit…”
At this moment, Qin Wuye, supported by his two sons, suddenly shrieked, then tilted his head and fainted.
The wailing around them grew louder, carrying far into the night.
The surrounding villagers, seeing this, also looked sorrowful.
These families were considered well-off in the village, but now that they had lost their pillars, their future days would be difficult.
“Eh!”
Liu Sheng stood in the crowd, glanced at Qin Wuye, and a strange look flashed across his face.
He had the Magpie Eyes talent, giving him abnormal eyesight, allowing him to notice many details others couldn’t, such as…
Although Qin Wuye was trembling all over, looking terrified, and eventually fainted, his breathing remained steady and unwavering!
His chest was moving, as if he was hiding something in his embrace?
Moreover, the wounds on his body were blurred, distinctly different from the lacerations on Changgen Shu and Er Niu’s bodies…
A tiger calamity, or… a man-made one?
Liu Sheng couldn’t say for sure, nor did he intend to get involved.
However, he had to warn Zhao Lei to be careful of Qin Wuye.
“Qin Wuye?”
Zhao Lei was stunned, then said with lingering fear:
“He… also asked me to go into the mountains with him yesterday. Luckily, I agreed to go into the city with you…”
Liu Sheng’s gaze was somewhat subtle. He eventually gave a roundabout warning and then took his leave.
Without evidence, some things were difficult to say directly.
However, Stone Ge’s family had been kind to him before, and now that he had the Blade-tailed Finch Incarnation, he had to ensure their safety.