Chapter 9: A Snowy Day is Good for Killing
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Snowflakes drifted down, and the cold wind grew piercing.
In the silvery, snow-covered forest, the atmosphere suddenly turned ominous.
"We will have to act against the siblings sooner or later. Sooner is better than later. Anyway, in the forest, where wolves and tigers roam, a dead person is quite normal. A snowy day is perfect for killing."
Snowflakes fell on Chen An's expressionless face, his icy gaze intimidating.
After listening to Chen An's words, Chen Tai's expression remained calm, yet his mind began to weigh the pros and cons continuously.
As his elder brother said, if the Shen Family's elder sister was sensible, selling herself into a lowly status would indeed be more stable.
Their Chen Family ruled over Hongshan Village, and killing someone wasn't a big deal, but the Taiping County official office still held some authority. Coercing a good person into prostitution was not too big nor too small of a matter.
If it could be avoided, it was best to avoid it.
After careful consideration, Chen Tai's expression turned ruthless. He nodded heavily and said, "You are right, Third Brother. A snowy day is good for killing!"
Seeing Chen Tai agree, Chen An's face relaxed, revealing a slight smile. He said, "Then, Second Brother, you go that way, and I'll go this way. Encircle him; don't let him escape."
"Alright."
The brothers immediately split up.
In their eyes, Shen Qing in the snowy forest had become their prey.
Shen Qing, who was binding a wild roe deer, furrowed his brows and looked toward the distant forest.
Seeing nothing amiss, he withdrew his gaze and continued to tie up the wild roe deer, slinging it over his shoulder.
At this moment, he had already pulled out all the arrows from the wild roe deer.
As the arrow quiver was used to hold roe deer blood, the arrows had been taken out and tucked into his belt, while he held the bow in his hand.
After roughly identifying the direction, Shen Qing began to rush back the way he came.
The Chen brothers, who were hunting them, crawled through the snow, exchanged glances without a word.
Indeed, he was perceptive.
They had almost been discovered a moment ago.
Chen An gestured, and he and Chen Tai each headed in different directions, stealthily following.
They saw Shen Qing walking in the snow, carrying the wild roe deer with his feet making deep and shallow impressions.
And behind him, the blood dripping from the wild roe deer left a zigzagging red line in the snow forest that was especially conspicuous.
A moment later, Chen Tai, following behind, was suddenly startled as he saw Shen Qing's direction of travel.
That didn't seem to be the way back to the village.
By now, the mountain path was covered by heavy snow, long obscuring the original trail.
It seemed Shen Qing did not recognize the way.
This suited their intentions perfectly.
Chen Tai held his breath, clutching his hunting bow, cautiously gave chase.
Gradually, the forest ahead grew denser.
Branches were laden with a thick layer of snow.
A gust of cold wind arose, stirring up tiny snowflakes, blurring the vision.
When this gust passed, Chen Tai unexpectedly found Shen Qing no longer in sight.
Chen Tai squinted, stared at the roe deer blood trail on the ground like a red line leading into the depths of the forest, and made a gesture to Chen An in the distance to close in from both sides.
Chen An saw Chen Tai's signal, knew it was time to act, and couldn't resist licking his lips.
"Once we sell the Shen Family's elder sister and get the money, my chances of entering the Martial Arts Hall will increase. By then, I might even have a chance to mingle with the elites in the county."
As excitement welled up in him, he suddenly discovered that the bright blood trail in the forest had vanished after walking for a while.
And Shen Qing was nowhere to be seen.
"What happened?"
Chen An rushed over, unable to contain himself, searching high and low.
Close behind him, Chen Tai also emerged.
"Where's the person?"
The two spoke in unison.
Chen Tai first calmed down, sprinted along the previous trail, only to find the wild roe deer hoisted high on a tree.
And that's where the blood trail ended.
Chen An grumbled, "Damn it, that brat is really cunning, he actually escaped."
No sooner had his words fallen, they saw Shen Qing standing behind a large tree about a dozen steps away, holding a bow aimed at them.
The Chen brothers were taken aback, a hint of panic flickered in their expressions.
Shen Qing immediately grasped that they harbored malicious intent.
Chen An instinctively shouted, "Attack!"
Whoosh!
Shen Qing's expression grew solemn. He released the bowstring decisively, before they could react.
The bowstring made of deer tendons vibrated gently, accompanied by a low, resonant hum, shooting the arrow at astonishing speed.
The arrow whistled through the air, leaving a silver arc behind.
Thunk.
The arrow struck Chen An's chest.
In less than a dozen steps, the Elm Wood Bow and deer tendon string's combined strength were enough to pierce through Chen An's chest.
Chen An looked down, his eyes fixed on the arrow Shen Qing shot, pain accompanied by the icy arrow shaft, causing him to feel dizzy.
His eyes widened, showing a face of disbelief, filled with astonishment and confusion.
Chen An never expected Shen Qing to be so decisive, quicker than him.
"Third Brother!" Chen Tai was shocked at the sight.
Chen An snapped the arrow shaft protruding from his chest with a fierce cry, "Second Brother, kill him!"
The arrow had penetrated the center of his chest, but it missed the heart, so it wasn't immediately lethal.
Chen An panted painfully, still conscious, knowing he had a slim chance of survival.
However, before he could finish speaking, Shen Qing had already shot another arrow.
Shen Qing's hands moved swiftly, the black arrow zoomed toward Chen Tai. Shockingly, at the life-or-death moment, Chen Tai disregarded brotherly ties, using Chen An as a human shield.
Thud.
Chen An staggered, looked down to see his chest bleeding profusely, the arrow shaft vibrating.
He tried to staunch the wound, but bright red blood seeped through his fingers, staining his hand.
Instantly his face turned pale, breath rapid, eyes flickering with shock and pain, before collapsing headlong into the snow.
Chen Tai couldn't believe it, Shen Qing's archery was astounding, and the arrow hit the heart. If he hadn't reacted quickly, he would have been the one to fall.
"Damn it!"
Realizing Shen Qing was no ordinary foe, Chen Tai disregarded everything else, taking cover behind a tree, using it as a shield to counterattack.
But in haste, his arrow missed, hitting the tree beside Shen Qing.
Snowflakes fell from the branches.
Seeing no opportunity, Shen Qing didn't linger, flanking to one side, undeterred from finishing off Chen Tai.
The winds howled.
Snowflakes mingled with snow, whirling in the forest.
Shen Qing grasped his longbow tightly, his figure darting through the forest like a nimble snow leopard, his movements unfathomable.
Chen Tai shot two more arrows, both missing their mark.
In contrast, Shen Qing's return shots were uncannily accurate.
Each time Shen Qing's arrows brushed past him, Chen Tai felt a shiver of fear.
Chen Tai found it hard to believe, this unassuming person from the village, who struggled for even a meal, possessed such remarkable archery and hunting skills.
So adept it defied reason.
Making him feel like he was the prey in this snowy forest.
Enduring such disgrace from a nobody, Chen Tai felt an immense sense of humiliation.
In the forest, Shen Qing's eyes were sharp, noticing the change in Chen Tai's expression, he knew Chen Tai was at his limit.
He drew the longbow to its full extent once more, aiming at the figure.
Suddenly, an arrow flew from Chen Tai's direction, Shen Qing deftly rolled to the side, narrowly dodging it.
Swiftly, he stood up, his gaze more chilling, without hesitation released another arrow, then reached to his waist.
Shen Qing's expression froze.
He reached but found nothing; the arrows he brought were all used up!
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