The Old Man completely ignored Zhao Yun’s words and dragged us deeper into the Deep Mountains.
“Hunting is also great for honing your martial skills, and archery is absolutely essential for any warrior.” The Old Man spoke softly as he walked, “When hunting, hiding your presence is extremely important. The animals in the Deep Mountains are very sensitive to movement—even the sound of stepping on a leaf will alert them and send them fleeing instantly.”
The Old Man used the time on the road to teach us. When we reached an area where prey appeared more frequently, he lowered his voice again, signaled for us to be quiet, and began carefully observing the surroundings.
The three of us crept forward on tiptoe, groping our way ahead. After a while, the Old Man raised his hand, signaling us to stop.
Zhao Yun and I craned our necks to look, and saw a gray Wild Rabbit not far ahead, nibbling on some grass. The Old Man glanced back at us, his eyes telling us to watch carefully.
We watched as the Old Man bent low and moved silently, not making a single sound with his steps. He skillfully chose terrain and paths that allowed him to stay fully hidden, closing the distance to the Wild Rabbit bit by bit. Then, he nocked an arrow, held his breath, and focused.
With a “whoosh” as the arrow sliced through the air, it struck the rabbit squarely. The rabbit twitched twice, then lay still.
Why kill such a cute bunny?
The Old Man couldn’t care less about that. With two quick steps, he caught up and grabbed the rabbit by its ears, holding it up in front of us. “Did you see my movements? Keep low and move cautiously. Only shoot when you’re within a distance you’re sure you can hit. Remember, you only get one chance—the prey won’t stand there waiting for you. When you shoot, aim for the vital points, or at least the legs. Otherwise, if the prey is wounded and runs, you’ll never catch up. Then, just recover your arrow.”
As he spoke, the Old Man yanked the arrow out, leaving a bloody hole in the once cute and lively Wild Rabbit.
This scared poor Zhao Yun so much that she hid behind me, not daring to look again. Seeing me shrug my shoulders, the Old Man could only shake his head helplessly. “Forget it, maybe you’ll need a couple of days to get used to this. For today, just watch and learn from me.”
Then he tossed the dead Wild Rabbit to me. I caught it, but didn’t dare look at its body for even a second.
The Old Man led us onward, teaching us how to find and track prey. “Remember, this kind of footprint belongs to a Wild Rabbit, and this one is from a deer. Also, keep an eye on the underbrush—Wild Boars will flatten the grass, which is easier to spot than tracks. Their droppings are also a good way to track them. When we get back, I’ll make two Targets for you to practice your archery.”
As he spoke, the Old Man spotted a Wild Deer. The cheerful, leaping deer didn’t escape his deadly aim either. After dragging back the Wild Deer with an arrow in its neck and saying, “We’ve had a good haul today,” he turned to look at Zhao Yun, who was hiding behind me with teary eyes.
So tell me, deer are so cute, why do you have to kill them?
If I, Xiao Qing, die today, even if I have to jump off here, I absolutely won’t eat a single bite of the deer or rabbit you slaughtered!!
“Eh? Oh, it smells so good.”
Back at home with the Old Man and the others, I devoured the delicious dishes laid out on the table, completely forgetting how cute they were when alive, eating mouthful after mouthful.
There was no helping it—Mistress’s cooking was just too good, you can’t blame me for this.
“If you think it’s tasty, eat more! Here, have another piece.” Mistress beamed as she watched me wolf down the food, quickly picking up another piece for me. Then she glanced at Zhao Yun, who was wiping her tears and not touching her chopsticks, and asked curiously, “What’s wrong, Yun’er? Why aren’t you eating?”
“Bunnies and deer are so cute, I can’t eat them.” Zhao Yun shook her head like a rattle drum, her eyes full of reluctance.
“Mistress’s cooking is really good, you should at least try a bite.”
Yun’s Mother also urged, “It’s rare for Mistress to cook, you should eat some. You’re so thin, you need to eat some meat and grow.”
Bing Qiao, ever thoughtful, picked a smaller piece and placed it in Zhao Yun’s bowl. Facing Mistress and her own mother, Zhao Yun had no choice but to close her eyes, open her mouth, and force herself to eat it, fighting the urge to gag.
“It really is tasty…”
After chewing for a bit, Zhao Yun sniffled and said pitifully.
Her expression made everyone burst out laughing.
“We really did well today. That Wild Deer was a good size—I’ve already put it in the cellar. We’ll keep some, and I’ll take the rest down the mountain to sell tomorrow.”
“Mm, you’ve worked hard, dear.”
Mistress also picked up a piece for the Old Man. I pretended not to hear, continuing to stuff my face, silently praying the Old Man wouldn’t turn his attention to me.
But fate was not on my side. The Old Man swept his gaze over us, and still said the words I least wanted to hear.
“Qing’er, you’ll come down the mountain with me tomorrow.”
Suddenly, the meat in my mouth just didn’t taste as good anymore.
The next morning, the Servant Girl Leng Yu came to wake me. I glanced at Zhao Yun, still sound asleep beside me, and carefully got up so as not to disturb her.
Ever since coming to the mountain, I’ve been sharing a room with Zhao Yun, while Bing Qiao and Leng Yu, the two servant girls, shared another room.
As for why Zhao Yun wasn’t rooming with Yun’s Mother, in the Old Man’s words—Zhao Yun depends on her mother too much, which isn’t good for her growth. And as for you, you brat, you rely entirely on those two servant girls for daily life, so you’re going to share a room with Yun’er.
Who’s relying entirely on Bing Qiao and Leng Yu? All I need is for them to prepare a change of clothes, serve the food, fetch water for washing, and hand me a towel, that’s all.
Hmm… Wait a minute, isn’t there something wrong with that?
In my previous life, I always lived on my own. When did I become someone who can’t do anything without being taken care of?
Ah, right, it’s Bing Qiao. That girl always insists on doing everything for me. When it’s time to eat, the food is already served; when I get up in the morning, my clothes and washing things are all laid out by the bed…
I did try to persuade her not to, but stubborn Bing Qiao kept taking care of me this way, and over time, I just got used to it… This isn’t good. I’d better be careful not to let Bing Qiao spoil me into a useless master who can’t live without his servant girls.
Thinking about all this nonsense, I naturally put on the clothes Bing Qiao handed me, then washed my face and rinsed my mouth with Leng Yu’s help, sat at the table eating the breakfast they’d already set out, and pondered how I might return to my independent ways of my past life.
Hmm, maybe there’s no saving me anymore.