Commoner Hero

Chapter Vol. 1 Ch. 5

As time passed, the black night grew increasingly cool, and the bright moon overhead gradually thinned. If one listened carefully, intermittent light snoring from those deep in sleep could be heard.

Perhaps this was one of the rare moments of peace in Dongshan Village.

It was already late at night, and in the darkness of Dongshan Village, a single candlelight flickered in a thatched cottage.

Su Qi'an sat on a small stool, concentrating on modifying the longbow in his hands.

In his previous life, he was a professional archer, most passionate about making bows and crossbows. Though not a grand master, modifying this simple wooden longbow was child's play for him.

The bow seemed largely unchanged, with just a sight added and the bowstring slightly thickened. But its power would surely surprise Li Hu and Zhao Da.

Su Qi'an blew off the dust from the wooden bow, lightly plucking the bowstring, producing a crisp, taut sound.

Satisfied, he turned his head to look at Qin Zi'yin sleeping soundly, reassured that he hadn't disturbed her.

Glancing out the window at the increasingly dark night, everything remained completely silent.

Su Qi'an furrowed his brow, muttering, "Could I be overthinking this?"

"Yes, perhaps I'm just being too cautious. This is good, I can sleep peacefully now."

Feeling relieved, he was about to lie down when suddenly, a sharp, piercing wind sound erupted.

The screech was so loud it could be heard throughout Dongshan Village.

"As expected, something's happened," Su Qi'an's expression dramatically changed.

The incident he had anticipated had indeed occurred.

The sharp sound was a warning arrow, a method of transmitting messages.

Initially used only by the military, it gradually spread throughout the Great Liang Dynasty as a quick warning system, especially in less stable regions.

Its production wasn't complex. Even old hunters could make them, and most villages would keep around ten warning arrows.

When Su Qi'an returned to the village, he had specifically asked Li Hu and Zhao Da to be vigilant these days.

As hunters who also protected the village, they naturally agreed.

This time, three arrows were fired - a signal that either mountain bandits were descending or a large beast was approaching.

Within moments, the previously silent Dongshan Village erupted into chaos, with gong and drum sounds mixed with noisy shouting.

"Keep your women and children inside! Men, follow me to fight the beast!"

"Kill the beast! Kill the beast!"

Just as Su Qi'an had thought, the danger was indeed a wild beast from the forest.

Qin Zi'yin, awakened by the commotion, sat up and looked at Su Qi'an standing motionless. She knew what he wanted to do, worry etched deeply on her face. She opened her mouth but said nothing.

Su Qi'an placed the longbow beside the arrow quiver and embraced Qin Zi'yin, whispering in her ear, "Wife, don't worry. Your husband will return safely. After all, I haven't yet given you a good life."

Qin Zi'yin nodded, wrapping her arms around him and looking deeply into his eyes. She then whispered something in his ear, her ears turning red.

Su Qi'an laughed, ruffling her hair, nodded solemnly, and then shouldered his bow and quiver, striding out.

Looking closely, an iron knife was firmly lodged in the beast's mouth, its bloody saliva dripping down.

Li Hu's face was red, clearly struggling to hold on.

Zhao Da, Shui Sheng, Tie Niu, and other hunters threw ropes, binding the beast. The ropes tightened, controlling the beast's four legs.

The white beast growled low, understanding its situation, but didn't retreat. Its blood-red eyes remained fixed on Li Hu beneath its feet, seemingly determined to take his life.

Its massive head continuously approached, and no matter how the hunters pulled the ropes, they couldn't stop the beast's advance.

Suddenly, whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Several sharp sounds came from the distant darkness.

Unfortunately, only one arrow accurately hit the beast's left hind leg. The others missed.

The beast, wounded, began to tremble. The villagers' spirits lifted, focusing their strength on its injured leg.

With everyone's full effort, they managed to drag the massive beast two to three meters.

Simultaneously, Li Hu was quickly pulled away by waiting villagers.

Although the beast was temporarily controlled, no one dared to be careless. If not for the mysterious arrow that struck the beast, they wouldn't have momentarily turned the situation around.

The beast and the villagers remained in a stalemate. Then, several more whooshing sounds erupted.

This time, more arrows came - at least a dozen, though the archer's aim was quite poor. Only one arrow hit its mark.

Then, Su Qi'an's figure slowly emerged.

The villagers' faces showed astonishment. A weak-looking scholar actually dared to come to such a dangerous place.

Their surprise quickly turned to admiration for Su Qi'an's luck. By appearing now, he faced much less danger.

Most crucially, his lucky arrow had somehow struck the beast's eye.

The already wounded beast was now half-blind. With so many people, they believed they could eventually subdue it.

The beast was valuable - delivering it to the authorities could earn a significant reward. If the officials took notice, their future prospects would be bright.

The villagers' eyes, previously filled with fear, now gleamed with greed. Su Qi'an was completely ignored.

Although events were proceeding as they hoped, they overlooked one critical point.

A already-savage beast would become even more ferocious when wounded!

Indeed, after a few agonized howls, the white beast suddenly roared to the sky. Even children and women behind closed doors were terrified by this sudden roar.

Immediately, the beast's massive body - like a moving mountain - violently attacked the villagers who had injured its leg, viciously biting and tearing.

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