Chapter 33: The Mysterious Woman

[Tai Chi Style: lv3 (0%), Characteristics: Level 3 Strong, Level 1 Strong]

After two upgrades, [Tai Chi Style] had reached level 3, enabling Chen Fan to fire two arrows consecutively even when fatigued.

"No wonder I felt a surge in power. It seems the upgraded characteristics are responsible for this," Chen Fan realized.

The only downside was that the first-level Strong characteristic seemed to provide only a marginal increase in strength, while the Robust characteristic offered a more substantial boost in constitution.

Chen Fan felt a tinge of regret but then shifted his gaze to his attributes panel:

- Realm: Body Tempering Level 1

- Grade: 4 (0/8)

- Physical: 26.6

- Strength: 18.51

- Agility: 11.45

- Spirit: 7.32

- Potential Points: 6 (3 points/1 day)

His physique had increased by four points, his strength by one point, and his potential points had accumulated to 3.

With his current strength attributes, handling a bow with a 100-pound draw weight shouldn't pose a significant challenge, Chen Fan thought with excitement.

In the future, he could venture out to hunt with a 100-pound bow, easily dispatching elusive prey from distances of up to 150 meters. Weaker low-level creatures like wilderness rabbits would fall with a single shot from 200 meters away, all without raising the alarm.

But he couldn't help but daydream about the possibilities of using a 200-pound or even 300-pound bow; the thought made him salivate.

By the way, how had his proficiency in Basic Archery fared?

Chen Fan checked quickly:

[Basic Arrow Technique: lv5 (25%)...]

"Wow!" Chen Fan's eyes widened in astonishment. Before embarking on the hunt, his proficiency had been less than 10%, but now it had increased by nearly 16%. Even after deducting the 1% for the arrow that killed the bull, it was still a substantial 15% increase.

If only a few more attempts...

But then Chen Fan halted that thought. Pushing his luck any further might be unwise.

Nonetheless, he reassured himself; things were fine as they were. While actual combat provided the fastest proficiency growth, it also came with considerable risks. Without the support of the village's seasoned hunters, he wouldn't have dared to engage the wolves on his own.

In contrast, training within the safety of the village was slower but much safer.

Chen Fan sighed; in this world, nothing was perfect.

…

Within the village, people gathered in small groups, soaking in the sun, discussing daily tasks, and passing the time. Nearby, children laughed and played games like hopscotch, reveling in the joy of youth.

At that moment, a six or seven-year-old girl with twin ponytails approached a young woman, tugging at her clothes as she sweetly said, "Sister Meng, come play with us."

The woman, in her early twenties with an oval face and long hair, had been gazing at the village gate absentmindedly. Upon sensing the girl's tug, she lowered her head, looked at the little one with a tender smile, and replied, "Yaoyao, let's play."

"No," the little girl tugged at her sleeve, pleading, "Sister Meng, play with us, play with us."

Several other boys and girls joined in.

With a resigned smile, the woman conceded, "Alright, alright, I'll play with you for a while, just a while."

The children cheered in delight.

Meng Yu shook her head slightly. The hunting team had returned yesterday with a bountiful haul, lifting the spirits of the entire village. The elderly were no longer confined to their homes, and the children had regained their youthful vitality.

However, if her intuition was correct, today's hunting team hadn't returned with much by dusk—only a large piece of beef and a single wilderness rabbit.

With so many mouths to feed in the village, such meager prey wouldn't suffice.

People should conserve their energy and sit more, but they were too elated.

Just then, a figure sprinted from the distance, shouting excitedly, "The hunting team is back! Guodong and the others are back! They've brought so much prey!"

In an instant, everyone present was startled, and regardless of age, children and the elderly rushed to the village gate.

Meng Yu, however, froze in place, wearing an incredulous expression.

How could this be?

Shortly after, the village gate swarmed with people again. Wang Ping and others, upon hearing the news, rushed over, and surprisingly, Zhang Ren had come too. Before he could approach, he overheard the crowd's exclamations.

"Oh my God, one, two, three, four, five, six! Six Steppenwolves! Is the hunting party too fierce?"

"Yes, these are Steppenwolves! The consequences would be unimaginable if one were bitten accidentally. But these wolves roam in packs. How did Guodong and the others manage to kill so many?"

"Hahaha," the bald man laughed, "Of course, they were shot to death by arrows."

The arrows had been removed from the Steppenwolves' bodies for transportation, making it impossible for the crowd to see immediately.

The crowd erupted in astonishment again.

"They were shot to death by arrows?"

"It seems so. Look at these wounds, they're relatively narrow. I doubt they'd be caused by spears."

"Arrows, you say? Could it be that Brother Fan shot all these wolves to death!" Wang Ping's eyes nearly popped out.

Others also turned their attention to Chen Fan, belatedly realizing the astonishing truth.

In their eyes, Chen Fan had already proven his skill by downing a wildebeest the size of a person yesterday. Now, they learned that he had taken down six Steppenwolves, creatures far more ferocious than wildebeests. This left them awestruck.

Chen Fan, embarrassed by all the attention, coughed twice and said, "It's all thanks to everyone. I couldn't have done it alone."

"Come on, Xiao Fan," a member of the hunting team chimed in with a smile, "We didn't do anything but watch."

"Exactly! If it weren't for Yi Gao's boldness in suggesting we return, we wouldn't have had such a huge haul today."

"At this point, don't be modest."

The group of hunters took turns praising Chen Fan, and their admiration for him only grew.

Wang Ping and the others, who had thrown themselves to the ground earlier, were especially astounded. They now understood the enormity of this feat. Such an accomplishment required not only great skill but also nerves of steel to elude the wolves so closely. One wrong move, and the consequences could have been dire.

Chen Fan blushed under the shower of compliments. He had expected this kind of reception upon his return, but the magnitude of their praise exceeded his expectations.

"This kid certainly has skills. It works well against low-level beasts, but it won't be as easy with mid-level and high-level ones," Zhang Ren mused, a wry smile on his lips, before turning and departing.

As Chen Fan was about to follow, he suddenly felt something and turned to the left. There, he met the gaze of a black-haired woman.