Abandoning literature for martial arts, starting by unleashing the beauty's bow.

Carrying loads of thatch, they climbed to the top of Blackwater Ridge.

Lu Fengnian was panting heavily, not because he lacked strength, but because he was starving and had no energy left.

They found a place, put down their load, and rested for a while before heading down the mountain.

Not long after I sat down, I turned my head and saw a patch of wild strawberries growing in the grass not far away.

Snakeberries, also known as wild strawberries, are said to be fruits eaten by snakes or guarded by snakes. The white foam on them is said to be snake saliva, which is highly poisonous and should never be eaten.

In reality, this fruit is not poisonous, and the white foam on it is not snake saliva, but a liquid secreted by a parasitic insect called a foamphopper.

However, although wild strawberries look vibrant, they taste bland and are far less delicious than strawberries.

Lu Fengnian was starving at the moment, and he didn't care whether it was bland or not. Even if it was bland, it was still better than those gruels.

So he got up, picked a large bunch of wild strawberries, took off his water bottle, and washed away the white foam and dust.

Just as they were about to enjoy their meal, they heard footsteps.

Looking up, I saw that it was the grandfather and grandson I had met when I entered Blackwater Ridge.

The old man was still somewhat wary when he saw the two bundles of thatch from afar, but his expression relaxed considerably when he saw that it was Lu Fengnian.

Judging from Lu Fengnian's posture, he wanted to eat snakeberries.

His expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly said, "Young man, this is a snake fruit. You can't eat it. It's extremely poisonous. You'll die if you eat it."

The young man beside him added, "Our village's Gou Dan ate a snake fruit and his stomach hurt so badly he was rolling on the ground in pain. He had to take herbal medicine for half a month before he survived."

Lu Fengnian knew that Gou Dan's stomachache was definitely not because he ate snakeberries.

It wasn't because snakes or insects often crawl through the areas where wild strawberries grow, that they become contaminated with toxins. Dog Egg didn't wash them before eating them and was poisoned.

However, seeing the old man's anxious look, Lu Fengnian put away the snakeberries and said with a smile, "Thank you for reminding me, sir."

At the same time, he turned his gaze to the young man.

There was a cloth bag slung over the young man's shoulder, and it was bulging, probably because he had caught some prey.

However, he only glanced at it before immediately looking away, worried that it might cause them to misunderstand.

The old man looked at the two bundles of thatch on the ground and said softly, "It's common to return empty-handed from hunting. Being able to cut two bundles of thatch is considered a good harvest."

Lu Fengnian smiled slightly and asked, "Are you going back, old man?"

The old man nodded. "It's getting late, and the child is still young. It's best not to spend the night in the woods."

At this point, he added a word of caution, "Young man, no matter how hungry you are, you must not eat poisonous creatures, and you must never eat snake fruit."

Lu Fengnian replied with a smile, "I understand, thank you, sir."

The old man waved to Lu Fengnian and led his grandson down the mountain.

After watching the grandfather and grandson walk away, Lu Fengnian took out a wild strawberry and popped one into his mouth.

With a gentle chew, the flavor was indeed bland, but it was quite moist, making it more than 100 times tastier than the porridge made by Lu Xiaoyu.

So, in no time at all, he devoured the whole bunch of wild strawberries.

My stomach finally stopped protesting, relieving my immediate worry.

Lu Fengnian took out the cloth bag that Lu Xiaoyu used to pack the cakes, picked all the remaining snakeberries, filled the bag to the brim, and took it back to eat as fruit.

With meat and fruit, life can instantly leap from abject poverty to a comfortable standard of living.

With something in his stomach and some strength restored, Lu Fengnian picked up the bundle of straw and headed towards the foot of Blackwater Ridge.

…………

After descending Blackwater Ridge, walk another ten miles to approach the fork in the road.

Lu Fengnian suddenly heard crying and a mournful accusation: "You two robbers, this is the game my grandfather and I hunted, give it back to us..."

It's that grandfather and grandson!

Lu Fengnian recognized the crying as coming from a young boy, so he quickly quickened his pace.

Turning a corner, I saw an old man lying on the ground, his head covered in blood, at the intersection of three roads, his bow and arrows thrown far away.

The young man helped him up and cried incessantly.

In front of the two men stood two middle-aged men, one of whom was shirtless, holding a pheasant in one hand and a wooden stick covered with iron in the other.

The other man was short and held a wooden mallet about half his height.

"You little brat, what nonsense are you spouting? This pheasant was clearly shot by the two of us brothers."

"Trying to scam our brothers out of their wild chickens? They're asking for trouble."

The shirtless man said menacingly, "Still wailing here? I'll beat you up too."

After saying that, he winked at the short man next to him and said smugly, "We can have a nice meal tonight. Let's go home!"

Just then, a voice rang out, "Wait!"

The two men turned around and saw Lu Fengnian carrying a load of thatch, walking slowly towards them.

The shirtless man frowned, glaring menacingly at Lu Fengnian. "Kid, mind your own business and get out of my way."

Otherwise, I'll beat you up too.

When the young man saw Lu Fengnian approaching, he looked at him as if he had seen a savior and shouted, "Big brother, these two people stole our pheasants and injured my grandfather! Please help us..."

The old man turned his head, blood still flowing from his forehead. He shook his head repeatedly, "Young man, don't worry about this, just go."

Lu Fengnian stopped, put down the bundle of straw, grabbed the hunting bow, and nocked a bamboo arrow.

The skinny man's face changed. He picked up the wooden mallet and said coldly, "Kid, don't put on airs. You think you can shoot us?"

Lu Fengnian drew back the bowstring, his eyes sharp as knives as he stared at the two men. "I'll count to three. If you don't put the pheasant down, you'll be eating my arrows."

The shirtless man laughed loudly, "Shoot! Show me how you shoot one!"

Lu Fengnian remained expressionless and coldly uttered a single word, "One".

The skinny man swallowed hard. "Who are you trying to scare?"

Lu Fengnian's voice grew even colder, "Two."

The shirtless man was visibly nervous, but still stubbornly shouted, "Do you know who I am? Within a fifty-mile radius, who doesn't know the name of Wang Hu..."

Before he could finish speaking, Lu Fengnian coldly uttered another word, "Three".

Then, with a snap, the bamboo arrow shot out and hit the bare-chested man's hand holding the pheasant, piercing through his palm and the arrowhead going from his palm to the back of his hand.

The shirtless man immediately screamed in pain, and the pheasant fell to the ground with a thud.

The skinny man and the grandfather and grandson were stunned. None of them expected that Lu Fengnian, who looked so frail, would be so ruthless, shooting without hesitation.