Water Ink Panel: Starting with Bow Technique to Hunt the Sun and Patrol the Skies

Chapter 11 - 11: Returning Full, The Opportunity of Martial Arts

The forest was blanketed in white snow.

Shen Qing treaded through the deep layers of snow, following the traces from his recent chase, and walked to the vicinity of Chen An's body.

From afar, he saw Chen An's body lying still on the silvery white snow.

In just a short while, the body had already been covered by a thin layer of white snow, as though it had become one with the icy world.

The thick animal hide draped over him was originally meant to ward off the cold, but now it was mottled with dried blood, seeping into the snow beneath.

Shen Qing walked over, crouched down, and found that the blood stains on the chest were no longer bright liquid but had turned dull and congealed, closely adhering the originally rough hide to Chen An's body.

The cold wind blew, bringing tiny particles of snow that covered large patches of red.

Shen Qing, disregarding the bloodstains, pulled out an intact arrow from his chest and placed it into his empty quiver. Then he used a dagger to cut open his clothes and carefully

Snowflakes mixed with sporadic snow crystals drifted leisurely from the sky.

The mountain forest was draped in silver, with branches glistening with snow beads.

After Shen Qing left, the bustling forest returned to its quiet.

A snow wolf, having caught the scent of blood, found its way near Chen Tai's body, surveyed the surroundings cautiously, then approached carefully.

After confirming no danger, it opened its blood-filled maw and began to tear at Chen Tai's corpse.

Following after it, seven or eight more snow wolves gathered.

In a few moments, they cleaned up Chen Tai's body.

A snow wolf, the last to arrive and of low status within the pack, stuck out its tongue, licked its lips, puffed out warm breath, and sniffed towards another direction...

With his spoils in tow, Shen Qing was in high spirits, walking briskly through the forest.

When he got to the village entrance, he decided to take a side path for safety, avoiding the main road, and went through a bamboo grove behind his house to avoid the villagers.

Just as Shen Qing quickly reached near his home, he happened to encounter Chen Dahe returning from outside.

Chen Dahe immediately noticed the wild roe deer on Shen Qing's shoulder and the arrows at his waist, a hint of surprise flashing across his face.

"Shen Qing, where have you been hunting?" Chen Dahe asked curiously.

His voice was somewhat resonant, at odds with his hunched appearance.

Shen Qing paused, a smile suddenly appearing on his usually expressionless face, pointed to the forest behind him, and said in a casual tone, "Just in that forest. Today was lucky, got this wild roe deer."

Chen Dahe stepped forward, took a close look at the prey Shen Qing was carrying, and couldn't help but praise, "You've got real skills, this roe deer looks quite fat."

"I put a lot of effort into getting this roe deer. Do you want to buy some to have a feast?" Shen Qing asked with a smile. "Besides this wild roe deer, I also got three hunting crossbows. If you're interested, they're twenty wen each."

Chen Dahe waved his hand, saying, "No, no. If I want to eat meat, I'll just go hunting. Why waste the money?"

"Hahaha... Alright then, I guess my sister and I won't finish it anytime soon. If you change your mind, just let me know. I can sell it to you anytime. But once the snow stops, I'll be taking it to the county, won't sell it to you then."

Chen Dahe touched his deflated money pouch, nodded sheepishly, and with a bit of envy, casually agreed before heading back inside his home.

Seeing Chen Dahe return indoors, Shen Qing's face quickly turned cold, and he kicked open the door, swiftly slipping inside.

He finally felt at ease once back home, after putting down the quiver and other items, confirming there was no one outside, and closing the door.