Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

On the fifth night, when Wei Chen shot the last goat, the familiar warmth surged up again.

"Upgrade! Current level: 4 (0/5000), gained 4 years of True Essence."

The attribute panel has been completely revamped:

Name: Wei Chen (Hunter)

Level: 4 (0/5000)

Cultivation Technique: Nine Heavens Sun-Shooting Technique

True Yuan: 10 years

Skill: Piercing Arrow (Piercing)

A surge of energy began to strengthen and transform his physical body and spirit once again; this was a benefit he received with each level up. Then, another surge of energy began to merge into his true essence.

Wei Chen clenched his fist, feeling the surging power within his body. Ten years of true essence flowed ceaselessly through his meridians like a stream. He tried to lift the stone mill in the courtyard—a mill that used to require two strong men to lift, but now he could easily lift with one hand.

"This strength..." Wei Chen estimated that without using true energy, he could lift at least four or five hundred pounds. He hadn't tested the upper limit yet, as there wasn't anything that heavy for him to test. If he circulated his true energy, his strength could increase several times over.

The changes to his skill bar surprised him even more. His "Piercing Arrow" skill had upgraded from "Beginner" to "Master," integrating many archery techniques into his mind and muscles, significantly increasing his archery power. Wei Chen tried shooting at an old locust tree fifty paces away, and the arrow actually pierced through the trunk, which was as thick as a bowl!

"This power is comparable to a rifle." Wei Chen clicked his tongue in amazement. You have to know that the hardwood bow is just a beginner's equipment given away in the game. If you had a better bow, with the support of true energy, its power would be unimaginable.

一周下来，卫辰积累了惊人的收穫：3150点经验，3150铜币（相当于31银50铜），加上以前剩余的现在背包金钱显示：10金3银60铜。

以及游戏内猎杀的350只鸡、350只鸭、350只鹅、350只兔、140头家猪和140头山羊。这些猎物尸体都整齐地码放在猎人小屋的仓库里，占据了整整一面墙。

"I need to find a way to sell them for some money in the real world," Wei Chen pondered, stroking his chin. The game store's purchase price was too low; a goat only cost 20 copper coins, which was practically robbery. In comparison, the black market price in the real world was much higher—although the risks were also greater.

After a week of exploration and preparation, Wei Chen had figured out some of the rules of the game world, and his backpack had accumulated a large amount of meat. He had also leveled up to level 4, and all aspects of his abilities had been greatly enhanced, especially his mental detection, which had increased to 10 meters. This gave Wei Chen great confidence and a sense of security, which is why he decided to go and check out Pigeon Market and Ghost Market.

The afterglow of the setting sun bathed Baoyuquan Village in a warm golden light, and wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys of every household. Wei Chen stood at the door of his own kitchen, watching his mother, Wang Xiulan, deftly add firewood to the stove, while the corn porridge in the pot bubbled and steamed.

"Mom," Wei Chen said, "I'm going out after dinner."

Wang Xiulan looked up and wiped the sweat from her forehead: "Where are you going so late? You have to go to work tomorrow."

"Let's go to the pigeon market in Shangyuan Commune," Wei Chen said casually. "Brother Wei Feng said it's quite lively there. I'm not young anymore, and I want to go and see what's new and interesting there."

Wang Xiulan's hands didn't stop moving, but a knowing look appeared on her face: "Do you want to exchange something? Do you have enough money? Mom will give you some?" She didn't think too much about it, just assuming her son was young and curious. Pigeon City wasn't a dangerous place, and she knew her son's skills; no one in the village could beat him.

"No need, I'll just take a look. I'll only bring some change." Wei Chen paused, then added, "Don't worry, I'll be back soon."

Looking at her son's upright figure, and recalling his increasingly composed demeanor these days, as well as his archery skills that even the old hunter praised and the kung fu he learned from Old Zhao, Wang Xiulan felt much more at ease.

"Go on, be careful on the road, don't take any detours, and don't try to be a hero if anything happens," she instructed, her tone revealing the concern of an ordinary mother for her son.

"Okay, Mom," Wei Chen replied, turning and going back to his room.

After finishing his meal, Wei Chen set off carrying the large basket from home. At a deserted bend in the road, Wei Chen looked around to make sure no one was watching, then approached a large tree and slipped into the "Hunter's Hut".

In the hunter's hut, Wei Chen sat cross-legged on the ground. The Nine Heavens Sun-Shooting Technique quietly circulated, and the pure true essence accumulated in his dantian over ten years surged like a gentle river under the guidance of his will. He focused his mind on the subtle control of his face and body, and the true essence flowed and permeated accordingly.

A slight, tingling sensation, like countless fine needles piercing and then withdrawing, spread through his skin and muscles. Wei Chen could clearly "feel" the changes in his facial contours under the shaping of his true essence—his cheekbones rose slightly, his jawline became more square, and his nose bridge seemed to have sunk a bit.

At the same time, he used the technique of shrinking bones and contracting muscles. His originally upright and well-proportioned figure became a little hunched over due to the slight misalignment of his joints and the contraction of his muscles. His shoulders slumped down, and he seemed to have shortened his height by half a head and become thicker.

He walked to the blurry mercury mirror in the corner. The reflection showed a farmer in his early twenties, with a dark complexion and a somewhat simple and sorrowful air, completely different from his original handsome young appearance. Wei Chen tried to stretch his limbs to make sure he could move freely; this "disguise" could last for at least two hours with the support of his true energy.

This was a sudden idea of ​​his, and unexpectedly, it actually succeeded with the support of his true essence. This can be considered as an development of his own use of true essence, which Wei Chen called "disguise technique".

As dusk fell, it was time for the pigeon market to open.

Outside the Shangyuan Commune, on the riverbank, the last rays of the setting sun sank below the horizon, and twilight descended. Using the remaining light on the horizon and the few dim lanterns that were lit one after another (mostly kerosene lamps or gas lamps brought by the stall owners), the pigeon market gradually came alive. It was more crowded and noisier than when Wei Chen had come with his family before, but the conversations were still kept low, carrying a cautious excitement.

Wei Chen (at this moment, he appeared as a dark-skinned, sorrowful man) carried a worn-out bamboo basket lined with dry straw and covered with a tattered burlap sack. He found a spot to the side, lifted a corner of the burlap sack, and revealed five plump hens and five mallard ducks inside. The poultry were already lifeless, but their feathers were glossy, their bodies round and plump, and in the dim light, the thick layer of subcutaneous fat seemed to gleam with oil.

This quality was far too conspicuous in the pigeon market. Soon, a man dressed in a faded cadre uniform strolled over, holding an aluminum lunchbox in his hand. His gaze swept over the chickens and ducks several times with scrutiny.

"How much?" the man asked in a low voice, with a slight local accent.

Wei Chen deliberately made his voice rough and hoarse: "Two yuan each, no pick and choose, dead ones." "Two yuan?" The man frowned. "The supply and marketing cooperative only gives you one yuan and twenty cents for a live one, and you..."

"Feel this," Wei Chen said, grabbing a chicken and handing it over. "Look at this fat! One chicken is as heavy as two others. Make a whole pot of soup, and the oil will cover the entire bowl. These days, oil and fat are precious, don't you think?"

The man took the chicken; it was indeed heavy in his hand. He squeezed the breast meat, and the thick layer of fat made his eyes light up. He hesitated for a moment, then pulled out a large ten from his inner pocket: "Alright, give me two chickens, the fattest ones!"

The transaction was completed quickly. Wei Chen deftly tied the two chickens together with straw rope. As soon as the man turned around with the chickens, several onlookers immediately surrounded him.

"Two pieces of duck too? Give me two!"

"I want the remaining three chickens!"

"This duck is so plump! My wife is in postpartum confinement, and this is exactly what we need!"

The gathering of the crowd and the somewhat hurried transactions caused a small commotion. While dealing with the buyers, Wei Chen reached into the basket and, using the burlap and his body as cover, with a slight thought, instantly "replaced" three equally plump chickens in the places where the three chickens he had just sold.

In less than twenty minutes, all ten chickens and ducks (thirteen were actually sold) were gone. Wei Chen clutched the twenty-six yuan he had just received and stuffed it into his inner pocket.

The money was warm, but the chill on his back grew even stronger. The mental detection system, with its ten-meter range, acted like an invisible radar, clearly capturing several gazes filled with greed and calculation as they pierced through the shadows along the riverbank, locking onto the spot where he had stored the money. Two of these gazes were particularly malevolent.

"Let's go!" Alarm bells rang in Wei Chen's mind. He quickly covered the basket with a burlap sack, slung the empty basket over his shoulder, lowered his head, and walked slowly into the dispersing crowd, heading towards the edge of the village.

After walking a few dozen meters away from the main flow of people on the riverbank, he keenly "senses" that the two most hostile gazes are following him!

Without further hesitation, Wei Chen swayed, veering off the main road and disappearing into a field of stubble that had just been harvested from sorghum. The darkness provided perfect cover; he channeled his inner energy into his legs, instantly increasing his speed. He moved through the sorghum stubble as if walking on flat ground, moving swiftly and silently.

With his mental field fully activated, he clearly "saw" the two men chase them to the edge of the field, stare at the dark field for a while, mutter a few curses, and finally give up the chase in frustration.

"Selling meat at the pigeon market is too 'open.' This is just a trading place for simple agricultural products. Selling one chicken won't attract attention, but selling more won't work." Wei Chen stopped on a field ridge far from the road, slightly out of breath, thinking to himself, "This little bit of meat is already so conspicuous. If I want to sell in large quantities, I have to find a more hidden, more 'shady' place."

Two days later, in the latter half of the night, around 2:45 AM. All was quiet, even the barking of dogs was rare. Outside Changping City, at the foot of that forgotten, dilapidated city wall, the ghost market was in full swing.

The pale waning moon, like a cold jade pendant, hung obliquely in the sky, sparingly casting its faint, clear light. The withered vines entwined the broken walls and ruins, casting eerie shadows, while the night wind whistled through the poplar grove.

Wei Chen changed his appearance once again. This time, he used his true energy to make his body even thinner and more hunched, with deep wrinkles on his face, like an old farmer who had been through many hardships, and even his eyes were deliberately made a little cloudy.

He still carried that huge willow basket on his back, lined with thick straw and covered with a tightly sealed old burlap sack. Underneath the sack was a neatly cut half-pig—thick, snow-white fat, with clearly defined lean meat, seemingly glowing with an alluring glimmer in the darkness.

Beneath the crooked old willow tree, a dark figure, as sculpted as a stone statue, crouched there. Wei Chen approached, and the figure raised its head, revealing a pair of eyes that gleamed sharply in the darkness.