Chapter 13: Smoky Steps
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Uncle Zhang’s bow had been used to hunt musk deers and wild goats when he was younger.
The bow was left idle at home after Uncle Zhang got older, so Su Yu wanted to borrow it for the trip.
Jun Moxiao typed, “What an interesting bow. A bow made with traditional methods? Awesome! I rarely see a bow in this kind of color. It must have aged well.”
“This bow is definitely valuable. If it’s sold in the market, it would at least fetch five figures, and if you are lucky enough to meet a collector, you might even get six figures.”
“Really? You made it sound so mystifying. It’s just a bow. Is it that valuable?”
“I’m serious. Traditionally-made bows are getting rarer because bows nowadays are made in factory lines, mostly recurve bows. A traditionally-made bow like this can fetch a high price, let alone a bow from a veteran hunter.”
“Judging from the color, the grip is made from mulberry wood while the bow back is made from buffalo horns, and the bow belly uses a deer’s tender. Even if you spent 100K on it, it’s still going to be worth it.”
Su Yu asked Uncle Zhang, “Uncle, are you selling the bow? Someone in my stream seems to be interested in your bow.”
Uncle Zhang waved his hand. “What are you talking about, boy? Selling the bow? How much can it be worth? I don’t have any use for it anymore. Look, I’m old and I don’t go into the mountains anymore. Besides, even if I do go into the mountains, I’m not strong enough to pull the string anymore. If you want it, you can have it. It’s a waste for me to keep it as well.”
Uncle Zhang had a daughter studying at a university in Nanjing.
A girl would never have any use for a hunting bow, so Uncle Zhang felt it would be useless for him to keep the bow. He might as well give it to Su Yu.
However, despite Uncle Zhang’s generosity to give Su Yu the bow, the latter felt embarrassed to just take it because he knew the value of the bow.
Uncle Zhang might not know the value of the bow, but Su Yu was not someone who would take advantage of others.
“Uncle Zhang, it’s too valuable. I can’t just take it. It’s not cheap either. Someone in the stream offered 100K for it. He’s asking whether are you interested to sell it or not.”
Both Uncle Zhang and Aunt Zhang were shocked when they heard him. “What? How much? How much did you say? 100K?”
Su Yu nodded. “Yeah, Uncle Zhang, Aunt Zhang. You might not know it, but this kind of traditional item is valuable in the city. This bow is considered an antique, so 100K is not ridiculous.”
Uncle Zhang did not expect his bow to be this valuable.
Aunt Zhang then said, “Lil’ Yu, are you sure this bow can fetch 100K?!”
“Aunt Zhang, don’t you believe me? It can really be sold for 100K,” Su Yu answered.
Aunt Zhang looked at Uncle Zhang who nodded. “Okay then, Lil’ Yu. I’ll leave it to you. You can sell it for me.”
After all, Uncle Zhang and Aunt Zhang could use some financial support.
If the bow could really fetch 100,000 RMB, everyone would benefit.
Since Uncle Zhang had given him permission to sell it, Su Yu mentioned it in his stream.
Jun Moxiao was the first to reply. “My friend, if you are selling the bow, I’m offering 120K. Think about it.”
Su Yu said, “Okay. Check your PM later. I’ll send you my Wechat contact.”
Jun Moxiao placed an order for the bow after Su Yu decided to sell it on Uncle Zhang’s behalf. Su Yu then sent Jun Moxiao his Wechat contact through PM.
Then, Su Yu carried Uncle Zhang’s black bow and headed to the back of the village.
Behind Xiantai Village was a large, seemingly endless mountain ridge. The village was originally built beside a mountain.
As the saying went, mountain dwellers live off the mountain whereas shore dwellers live off the sea.
During the early days, more than half of the villagers of Xiantai Village were hunters, but since the country had improved over the years and the government tried to curb hunting, many of the villagers stopped going into the mountains.
Of course, though the prohibition of hunting might have saved the wild animals, there were disadvantages as well.
Xiantai Village was literally beside a mountain.
Back in the days when the villagers were mostly hunters, no wild animals dared to get close or cause trouble.
However, as the years passed by, there were barely any hunters left, so the wild animals in the mountains got bolder. In the past few years, there had been an increase in animal attacks in the village.
As Su Yu made his way to the mountain, he strapped his phone onto Little White’s head. The viewers jokingly commented that he was using Little White as his personal tripod.
Little White wriggled along the path as the stream continued.
The stream captured the golden cornfields on both sides of the path.
“Wow! Truth be told, your hometown’s scenery is really something!”
“The place is beautiful! I haven’t seen golden cornfields for years now.”
“Huh? What’s that? Bro, what happened there? A large part of the field has been ruined.”
Su Yu looked at the cornfield on his right. A large part of the field had been destroyed, seemingly by an external force.
He said, “Judging from the tracks, it must be wild boars. Our village is too close to the mountains. Wild boars coming down to destroy crops isn’t something new.”
“Wild boars? Are you for real? I haven’t seen a real wild boar before! Is the meat tasty?”
“Stop joking. A real wild boar is no joke. Believe me. Even a veteran hunter might get into trouble when facing a matured wild boar in the mountains. A wild boar’s charging attack could rival the attack of a lion or a tiger.”
“Are you serious? I’ve always thought a wild boar is similar to a farm pig. Is it that dangerous?”
“Don’t oversimplify wild boars. There’s an old saying that goes like this: boars first, bears second, and tigers third. Meaning, wherever you go hunting in the forest or mountains, the first animal that you would want to stay away from would be the wild boar, followed by the bear and the tiger respectively.”
“But, bro, are there any wild boars left in the mountains behind your village? Will it be dangerous? Are you sure about this? Why don’t you think about it carefully? There’s no need to take the risk.”
“Yeah. If you really run into a wild boar, things will be bad. You’d better stay safe.”
Su Yu said, “It’s fine. It’s just a wild boar. It’s not that easy to run into one. If I am that unlucky and run into one, I still can run away instead of attacking it. Don’t worry.”
Since he showed his persistence, the viewers stopped dissuading him.
Despite assuring the viewers that he would be fine, he still paid extra attention along the way. After all, it was really dangerous to run into a wild boar in the mountains.
For the sake of his own safety, he opened the Popularity Shop in the system.
He got more than 100,000 Popularity from today’s stream, which was even more than what he earned yesterday.
With 100,000 Popularity in his pocket, he could afford to buy something else.
After a quick thought, he believed that the most important aspect of a hunter was his legs. A pair of strong legs could allow the hunter to chase the animal off or run away from danger.
When he was younger, his father had trained him, and the first lesson had been running in the jungle.
Therefore, Su Yu was looking for something that could increase his movement speed.
In the end, his eyes landed on something called Smoky Steps.
[Smoky Steps]
[50,000 Popularity]
[Common Martial Arts]
[Methodical Martial Arts. Learning this technique will increase your movement speed. Your body will transform into a cloud of purple smoke, leaving no trail in your wake, and you will be able to ride the wind with ease.]
“Methodical Martial Arts? Isn’t this what I need at the moment?”
Su Yu’s eyes grew wide. “Awesome! I choose you!”