Chapter 14: A Slight Surprise, but Not Much

Inside the room, a resentful expression adorned the woman's face, while Chen Guodong sat solemnly by her side. Their young son observed this scene with confusion until a figure appeared in the doorway. He rushed forward with excitement and wrapped his arms around Chen Fan's thigh.

"Brother, you're back!"

"Yep."

Chen Fan ruffled his little brother's hair with a warm smile. He then turned his attention to his parents inside the room and inquired curiously, "Dad, Mom, what's going on? I overheard you mentioning 'Lijiazhai' just now. Did something happen between them and our village? Is anyone hurt?"

"Don't worry, no one got hurt," Chen Guodong reassured with a shake of his head.

"How can everything be fine?" The woman couldn't hold back her frustration. "They robbed us! Those people are nothing but thieves!"

Chen Guodong furrowed his brows and signaled to the woman with his eyes. He knew that Xiaochen was too young to fully understand, but Chen Fan was different. He didn't want him to add to their troubles.

The woman reluctantly complied, suggesting, "Let's eat first."

Chen Fan frowned, interrupting his mother mid-sentence, unable to accept brushing off such an important matter. "Dad, Mom, what's going on? I'm also a part of this village, right? And if you know about it, Mom, then I'm sure other people in the village know too. I can ask around later. Why keep it a secret from me?"

The woman shot an accusing glance at Chen Guodong, who hesitated for a few seconds before sighing, "Alright, I'll tell you. But after you hear it, don't act impulsively."

After Chen Guodong's explanation, Chen Fan finally grasped the situation. It turned out that his father had led the hunting party to inspect various traps, yielding no results until they stumbled upon the final trap. Coincidentally, a startled wildebeest charged in their direction.

These creatures were tall, almost two meters in height, and were known for the single horn on their heads. They were the largest among low-level beasts.

Initially, they were elated, but the joy quickly waned when they realized that wildebeests lacked long-range attacks, rendering them helpless against it. The wildebeest grew frightened upon spotting them, changed its direction, and inadvertently fell into the trap they had set.

However, Chen Guodong had an uneasy feeling. The wildebeest seemed to be fleeing from something, possibly a group of pursuers. Owing to their slower pace, they had temporarily distanced themselves from the threat. It was imperative to extricate the prey from the trap before any unexpected complications arose.

Regrettably, just as they were halfway through this critical task, members of Lijiazhai appeared. A dispute ensued because the other group believed that the wildebeest had been targeted by Chen Guodong and his team. Tempers flared as they disagreed.

However, the Lijiazhai group gradually recognized that Chen Guodong's team was vastly outnumbered, and the Wei brothers were conspicuously absent. Fourteen versus eight—an almost double disparity. Thus, Lijiazhai insisted on taking the entire wildebeest, refusing to leave any meat for the village. In the past, when both sides were evenly matched, they would divide the prey, but now, with the Wei brothers gone, any conflict would only result in losses for their own village. A brawl would lead to casualties and possibly wipe out their entire party. In this world, the consequences of injuries were clear.

Consequently, the village residents watched helplessly as Lijiazhai destroyed the trap and made off with the wildebeest. Before leaving, they even taunted and ridiculed their village.

"That's what happened, and it's my fault," Chen Guodong sighed. Initially, he had no intention of discussing this matter upon his return, fearing it would undermine morale. However, on their way back, someone in the group expressed their anger, and many people became aware of it. People needed an outlet for their emotions, and he understood that.

"Dad, I believe you made the right choice," Chen Fan affirmed. "If we had clashed with them at that moment, both sides would have suffered losses. It's very likely that our entire group would have been wiped out. Without you, the village would be unable to survive."

He sighed inwardly. In this world, one had to contend not only with fierce beasts but also with other humans. Perhaps, humans were even more perilous than fierce beasts.

Chen Guodong glanced at him in surprise. He had anticipated Chen Fan to be highly agitated and eager to seek revenge.

The woman, too, remained silent. While she understood this truth, scolding was still necessary, even if it proved futile.

"Alright, let's sit down and eat first. You've practiced diligently all day," Chen Guodong suggested.

Chen Fan nodded and took his place at the dining table with his younger brother. Dinner consisted of the same fare as the previous night—a bowl of porridge and a plate of sliced meat.

"Xiaofan, eat more," Chen Guodong offered, intending to add more meat to his son's bowl. However, Chen Fan stopped him with his chopsticks.

"Dad, you eat. A piece or two is enough for me, and there's something else I want to discuss with you after we finish eating."

Chen Guodong was taken aback, witnessing his son's serious expression for the first time. He withdrew his chopsticks. "What's the matter?"

"I think I should join the hunting party tomorrow," Chen Fan declared.

"What?" Both Chen Guodong and his wife exclaimed almost simultaneously.

The woman quickly interjected, "No! You're too young. Do you understand how dangerous it is out there? What if something happens to you?"

Chen Guodong glanced at his wife, agreeing with her. "Xiaofan, I appreciate your willingness to contribute to the village, but you've only been practicing archery for a few days. How about waiting for a month or two and then joining us?"

Their younger son, Chen Chen, pleaded with his brother not to go. "Brother, please don't go. It's very dangerous out there."

Chen Fan shook his head resolutely. "Dad, I'm confident in saying this. After dinner, both of you should accompany me to the warehouse, and you'll understand everything."

Waiting for a month or two? Chen Fan wondered if the village could endure that long.

Chen Guodong and his wife exchanged glances. Where did this newfound confidence come from? What gave him the audacity to speak like this? Had he learned archery in just two or three days? Even if he had, it should only be superficial, right?

Finally, Chen Guodong nodded, reasoning that it wasn't too late to decide after hearing him out.

After the family finished dinner, Chen Fan led Chen Guodong to the warehouse, and the worried woman took Chen Chen along as well. The family of four ventured out together.

The lame man couldn't help but look bewildered as he

witnessed this scene. What was going on? Weren't they just practicing archery? Why bring so many people along?

Chen Fan offered him a smile as he picked up the 60-pound longbow.

At that moment, Chen Guodong squinted his eyes, his expression growing serious. If he recalled correctly, Chen Fan had been using a 40-pound bow for practice yesterday. When had he switched to a 60-pound bow?

Hunting low-level ferocious beasts with a 40-pound bow was a bit challenging, but a 60-pound bow could handle most of them and even some mid-level ones.

Chen Guodong admitted that Chen Fan had surprised him a little, but he wondered if it was enough.