Chapter 5 — The Clear Eye and The Taste of Meat
The Boar's Trail
The forest was silent. The only sound was the crunch of snow under Long Tan's old boots. He gripped his rusty iron knife in one hand and his wooden bow in the other.
He stopped near a large oak tree.
The snow here was messed up. He crouched down to look closer.
There, stamped deep into the frozen mud, was a hoof print.
It was deep. The edges were sharp.
Wild Boar.
Long Tan measured the print with his hand.
"It's big," he thought. "Too big for my weak bow. If I shoot it, the arrow will just bounce off its thick skin. The boar will get angry and kill me."
He looked at the ground. It was lower here, like a natural bowl.
A plan formed in his mind.
"I should dig a hole here. A deep pit trap. I can cover it with sticks, leaves, and snow. If the boar falls in, I can kill it safely."
He memorized the spot.
"Not today," he decided. "Digging a trap takes too much energy. My family is hungry now. I need an easier target first."
The Steady Hand
He moved deeper into the bushes. He stepped carefully, trying not to break any twigs.
Suddenly, he saw movement.
About fifty meters away, in a patch of dry grass, were two rabbits.
These were Giant Winter Rabbits.
They were much bigger than normal rabbits. Each one was the size of a medium dog, fat with winter muscle. They weighed maybe 20 pounds each.
They were chewing on frozen weeds.
Long Tan slowly raised his bow.
In the past, this was a very hard shot for him.
Usually, when he aimed, his hunger made his vision blurry. His arms would shake from weakness. His heart would pound so loud it scared the animals.
But today… something was different.
He pulled the bowstring back. The wood creaked.
He took a deep breath.
Inhale…
He didn't have a magical zoom vision. The rabbit didn't get bigger.
But his mind became Clear.
The fog of hunger disappeared.
The shaking in his hands stopped completely.
His arm felt as steady as a rock.
He could feel the wind touching his cheek—he knew which way the arrow would drift.
He could see the rabbit clearly—not fuzzy, but sharp.
"This is the Sun & Moon Technique," he realized. "It cleaned my eyes. It calmed my nerves. I am not panicking anymore."
He aimed slightly ahead of the big rabbit.
Release.
Twang!
The arrow flew through the cold air. It was a straight, strong shot.
THWACK.
The arrow hit the big rabbit right in the neck.
It fell over instantly. It kicked its legs once, then lay still.
The second rabbit was terrified. It turned and ran into the bushes before Long Tan could even reach for a second arrow.
Long Tan lowered his bow. He wasn't disappointed.
"One is enough," he whispered. "I am not fast enough for two yet. But I didn't miss."
He walked over and picked up the prize.
It was heavy. Solid meat.
"Twenty pounds… This will save us."
The Secret Return
Long Tan tied the rabbit's legs together. He hid the carcass under his thick cloak.
He walked back to the village, sticking to the shadows.
He didn't want the jealous neighbors or the Zhou family spies to see that he had caught such a big animal.
He slipped through the back alley and opened the gate to his courtyard.
Little San was sitting on the doorstep, playing with a frozen stick. He looked bored and hungry.
He looked up when the gate creaked.
"Father?"
Long Tan smiled. He opened his cloak and pulled out the massive gray rabbit.
Little San froze.
His mouth dropped open.
He had never seen so much meat in his life. His stomach gave a loud growl.
"M-Meat?" the boy whispered. His eyes filled with happy tears. "Father caught… meat?"
Long Tan nodded. "Yes, San. Tonight, we feast."
The Kitchen Debate
Inside the hut, Su Lan gasped when Long Tan dropped the heavy rabbit on the table.
Thud.
"Tan!" She touched the soft fur. "This is… huge. How did you catch this?"
Then, a look of worry crossed her face.
"We should sell it," she said quickly, her voice anxious. "The tax is due in 7 days. We need ten silver coins. This rabbit is big… maybe a merchant would pay 50 copper coins for the meat and fur…"
Long Tan shook his head firmly.
"No."
He walked over and put his warm hand on her cold shoulder.
"Su Lan, look at you. You are pale. You are weak from the birth. If you don't eat, you will get sick. If you get sick, the baby gets sick."
"But the tax…"
"I saw Wild Boar prints today," Long Tan lied confidently. "I have a plan for the tax. This rabbit is for us."
Su Lan looked into his eyes. They were clear and confident. He didn't look like the desperate man from yesterday.
She felt safe.
"Okay," she whispered.
The Taste of Life
Long Tan skinned the rabbit carefully. He saved the gray fur—it could be used to make warm gloves or sold later.
He cut the meat into chunks.
Soon, the small hut was filled with the smell of boiling meat and rice. It was a rich, savory smell that made their mouths water.
They sat around the small wooden table.
Long Tan served a huge bowl of meat and soup to Su Lan.
He gave a medium bowl to Little San.
He took a bowl for himself.
Little San didn't wait. He stuffed a piece of meat into his mouth. Grease coated his lips.
"Yummy!" he cheered, chewing happily. "So tasty!"
Su Lan ate slowly. She savored every bite. As the meat hit her stomach, a rosy color returned to her pale cheeks. The nutrition was working instantly.
After dinner, Long Hao started crying in the crib.
Su Lan picked him up.
"He smells the food. He is hungry too."
She breastfed him. Because she had eaten a full meal with high-energy meat, her milk was rich and plentiful. Long Hao drank greedily, then fell into a deep, satisfied sleep.
Green Leaves and High Energy
Night fell. The village was silent and cold.
Long Tan went out to the courtyard. He felt full. His stomach was warm. The meat was digesting, turning into raw fuel for his body.
He stood under the dead Peach Tree.
The moonlight shone down on the branches.
Long Tan noticed something strange.
On the dead, black branch near his head… there were three small green leaves.
Yesterday, the tree was totally dead. Today, it had leaves.
"It is recovering," he realized. "It is drinking the energy I leak out during training."
He ignored the cold wind. He closed his eyes and began the Moon Breathing.
Inhale…
Exhale…
Usually, he felt a small trickle of energy.
But tonight?
It felt like a river.
The energy from the rabbit meat combined with the energy from the universe.
His body absorbed it greedily. His muscles soaked up the nutrition like a dry sponge soaking up water.
Boom.
He felt his strength jump significantly.
Ding…
[Daily Cultivation Complete]
[Base Growth: +10 Jin]
[Nutrition Bonus (Rabbit Meat): +5 Jin]
[Total Strength Increase: +15 Jin]
[Current Strength: 275 Jin]
Long Tan opened his eyes. He exhaled a cloud of white steam.
He clenched his fist. The air popped slightly.
"15 Jin in one day…"
He realized the secret.
Meat + Technique = Fast Growth.
Inside the house, Little San was watching through the crack in the window.
He saw his father standing in the snow, steam rising from his body, looking strong and powerful under the moonlight.
"I want to be a hunter too," Little San whispered to himself, his eyes shining. "I want to be strong like Father."
Long Tan looked at the moon. He felt stronger than ever.
"Tomorrow," he thought. "Tomorrow, I dig the trap for the Boar."
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