Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

The biting mountain wind immediately became unrestrained, carrying snow and withered leaves, howling across the exposed rocks and bare branches, making a whistling sound, like the whisper of the wilderness.

The air was crisp and piercing, carrying the chilling scent of ice, snow, and pine needles. Wei Chen tightened the collar of his thick cotton-padded coat, turned down and fastened the ear flaps of his cotton hat, and gazed into the vast, boundless depths of the Yanshan Mountains before him.

"A gun..." Wei Chen muttered to himself, his fingers feeling the hard outline of the steel object through the thick tarpaulin. An indescribable excitement surged through his body like an electric current.

Although he knew that with his current 55 years of refined "Nine Heavens Shooting Sun Technique" skills, plus the extraordinary archery skills he had acquired in the game, the ancient and incredibly powerful hard bow in his hand was far superior to this semi-automatic rifle in terms of lethality, concealment, and flexibility.

But as a time traveler, a man with a modern soul, his yearning and fascination for firearms—industrial creations that symbolize power, conquest, and masculine romance—is an indelible mark etched into his genes.

His brief experience handling a gun during militia training in the village was merely scratching the surface. This time, he could finally truly own one, freely experiencing its roar and recoil in this deserted mountain forest, fulfilling his deep-seated "gun-playing dream."

He took two weeks off and only stayed in the village for four days, which was quite a lot of time. More importantly, walking through this treacherous mountain forest, Wei Chen felt unusually relaxed, even with a touch of leisurely enjoyment.

The game world is his absolute safe haven; he can enter it with a thought and be completely safe.

Fifty-five years of profound skill had long since transcended the realm of ordinary martial artists. His senses were sharp, he was as light as a swallow, and his strength was boundless. The jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards of the mountains and forests were no longer deadly threats in his eyes, but rather... practice targets.

This trip deep into the Yanshan Mountains was less of a grueling hunting mission and more of a wilderness trek with weapons, a journey to release pent-up emotions and experience power and freedom.

He determined his direction, took a deep breath of the cold air, and lightly touched the gravel ground covered with a thin layer of snow with his toes. Without making a sound, he seemed to lose all weight, or like a wisp of smoke, and silently drifted away, yet his speed was astonishing.

The lightness technique brought by the "Nine Heavens Shooting Sun Technique" allowed him to walk on the rugged and steep mountain paths as if on flat ground. Sometimes he would step on the exposed rock walls to gain momentum, and sometimes he would float across the deep ravines like a falling leaf. The heavy gun pouch did not seem to be much of a burden to him.

However, just as he had expected, the forests closer to the village had already been ravaged by countless hunters and militiamen. After walking for half a day, apart from the occasional pheasant that fluttered away into the distance or a short-tailed hare that flashed through the bushes, he could hardly find any trace of any decent prey.

The faint smell of gunpowder in the air and traces of human activity (broken branches, embers of extinguished campfires, and even discarded parts of makeshift traps) all testify to the "barrenness" of this area.

"Sure enough, we need to go further in." Wei Chen stopped and stood on a ridge with a wide view, gazing at the distant, deeper, more precipitous, and more primitive and lush mountain ranges. That was the territory inhabited by large wild beasts.

He took off the canvas bag from his shoulder and untied the tarpaulin. The cold steel, exposed to the frigid air, instantly condensed into fine moisture. Wei Chen skillfully pulled back the bolt to check the chamber, confirmed the safety was on, and then, with a "click," steadily pressed a ten-round magazine into the magazine.

The heavy rifle in his hand, the cold touch of metal spreading through his palm, brought a strange sense of security and control. He raised the gun, made a few simple aiming motions, and felt the balance of the weapon.

"Bang!"

A sudden, deafening roar shattered the silence of the forest, startling a flock of birds into flight. Wei Chen felt a steady force push him backward on the shoulder, a wisp of smoke rising from the muzzle of his gun. A hundred meters away, a clear white crater appeared on a half-buried, grayish-white rock, sending rubble flying.

"The recoil is considerable, and the sound is even louder." Wei Chen rubbed his shoulder, looking at the impact point, and frowned slightly.

The accuracy... was a bit different from what he had imagined. He had aimed for the center of the rock, but hit the edge. He raised his gun again, held his breath, and his mental energy spread forward like an invisible tide. 55 meters! This was the limit of his current mental energy's ability to clearly perceive and precisely control.

When his mental energy covered the area in front of him, the world became completely different in his "eyes." The subtle movement of the wind, the trembling of every leaf, and even the crawling of insects under the soil became clearly discernible. He then aimed at another slightly smaller stone, his mental energy firmly locking onto the core of the target.

"Bang!" The gunshot rang out and the stone shattered! This time, the stone was precisely pierced through the very center!

A flicker of understanding and excitement flashed in Wei Chen's eyes. "So that's how it is!" The mental lock-on allowed him to achieve near-perfect unity between his perception of the target and the aim of the gun, hitting exactly where he pointed! He began his "target practice" with great enthusiasm.

A startled pheasant took flight hastily from the withered grass. "Bang!" A burst of brilliant feathers exploded in the air, and the pheasant crashed to the ground. Wei Chen walked over and picked it up, looking at the bloodied and mangled prey, and shook his head: "What a pity, all this meat is wasted." The immense impact of the bullet was far too brutal for small prey.

A plump gray rabbit peeked out from behind a bush. Wei Chen raised his gun and locked onto it with his mental energy. The rabbit seemed to sense a deadly danger and suddenly kicked its legs, trying to escape!

"Bang!" The bullet grazed the rabbit's hind leg, taking only a tuft of fur and a few drops of blood. The rabbit screamed and disappeared into the dense forest.

"Moving targets are still a bit difficult." Wei Chen was not discouraged; on the contrary, he found it interesting.

And so he walked and stopped, firing a shot whenever he encountered a suitable "live target," treating it as practice. The gunshots occasionally broke the silence of the forest, startling birds and beasts into flight.

After the initial excitement wore off, Wei Chen had to admit a fact: for him, who possessed mental locking and extraordinary archery skills, this rifle, which represented the advanced weaponry of this era, became a mere white elephant in terms of hunting efficiency and practicality.

Bullets are too powerful and can easily damage the appearance of prey, and their loud noise can cause a wide range of disturbances. They also have limited ammunition capacity and are far inferior to bows and arrows, which are silent, accurate, and controllable. Moreover, arrows can be recycled and purchased in the game world, making them an unlimited supply for the player.

That romantic notion of "playing with guns" quickly faded in the face of reality.

"Tsk, a transmigrator's dream of guns is just for fun." Wei Chen chuckled self-deprecatingly, put the few pheasants and rabbits he had shot into his spatial storage, wrapped the rifle in oilcloth again, and slung it over his shoulder. He no longer deliberately sought out targets to shoot, but focused on traveling and appreciating the pristine and magnificent landscape.

Around noon, the sunlight struggled to pierce through the thick clouds, casting a faint glow and warmth. Wei Chen found a sheltered mountain hollow, and with a thought, his figure vanished from the cold forest in an instant.

Warm, dry air, carrying a faint scent of wood, instantly enveloped him. Before him lay the familiar interior of the hunter's cabin—modern decor, a year-round spring-like comfort, a clean kitchen, and a cozy sofa. The modern amenities contrasted sharply with the pristine, snow-covered forest outside, creating two completely different worlds.

Wei Chen took off his heavy cotton-padded coat, feeling much more relaxed. He opened the refrigerator and took out fresh pork, vegetables, and eggs. On the modern gas stove, he skillfully stir-fried a plate of fragrant twice-cooked pork, fried two soft-boiled eggs, and cooked a bowl of clear noodle soup. The aroma of the food filled the small house, dispelling the chill of the trek through the mountains.

After a satisfying meal, weariness washed over him. He went into the bedroom, collapsed onto the soft, comfortable bed, pulled the fluffy, warm down comforter over himself, and almost instantly drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep. The howling mountain winds and the frigid air outside seemed like background noise from another distant planet.

He woke up in the afternoon feeling refreshed. Wei Chen changed into a set of dry underwear, put on a thick cotton-padded coat again, and in a flash, reappeared in the cold mountain hollow.

The biting mountain wind, mixed with snowflakes, swept over him, invigorating him. He discerned the direction leading deeper into the mountains, then once again unleashed his light-footed skill, his figure darting like a ghost through the increasingly steep and treacherous peaks.

Towering ancient trees blocked out the sun, and beneath your feet lay a thick layer of untouched humus and snow, making the air even colder and purer.

Occasionally, fresh footprints left by large wild animals can be seen—wild boar hoof prints the size of a bowl, roe deer's slender hoofprints, and even plum blossom-shaped claw prints that appear to be left by leopards. The ecology here is clearly much richer than that of the surrounding areas.

In the evening, he did the same thing, returning to the hut and stewing a pot of steaming pheasant soup. He ate it with flatbread and felt completely satisfied. He spent the night peacefully in this safe and warm shelter.

In this way, they would explore deeply during the day, occasionally hunting small animals with guns or bows and arrows to practice their skills, and when they got tired, they would return to the cabin to rest, cook delicious food, and catch up on sleep.

Wei Chen was completely immersed in this free and easy, almost vacation-like pace of life in the mountains. In just two days, thanks to his extraordinary stamina, he had already traveled nearly two hundred kilometers into the heart of the Yanshan Mountains. Here, few people ventured, ancient trees reached for the sky, and strange rocks jutted out, exuding a primitive and untamed atmosphere.

On the morning of the third day, the sun was unusually generous, shining through the sparse clouds and scattering its light across the snow-covered mountains and forests, reflecting a dazzling brilliance.

Wei Chen had just turned from a shady hillside and stepped into a relatively open valley filled with low shrubs and sparse larch trees. The air was filled with the crisp scent of pine resin and snow.

Suddenly, a faint yet pungent, fishy odor was detected by my keen sense of smell and entered my nostrils. This smell... was unlike that of ordinary wild animals!

Wei Chen stopped abruptly, his muscles tensing instinctively, his senses heightened to their peak. Like the most experienced hunter, he silently lowered his body, his gaze sweeping over his surroundings like a sharp eagle.