Chapter 9 — The Wolf's Speed and The Lackey's Whip
The Teenage Killer
Long Tan moved through the forest like a ghost. The Moon Breathing kept his body cool and his eyes sharp in the darkness.
He found the tracks near the river. They were smaller than the ones Su Lan described.
"A teenage wolf," Long Tan analyzed. "Not fully grown, but old enough to hunt."
He crept forward, knife on his belt, the new Iron-Oak bow in his hand.
In a small clearing, he saw it.
The wolf was gray and lean. It was chasing a fat snow rabbit. The wolf moved like liquid shadow. It pounced—Snap—and crushed the rabbit's neck in one bite.
Long Tan hid behind a thick bush. He was twenty meters away.
He slowly raised his heavy bow. He pulled the thick string back. His 325 Jin muscles held it steady.
"One shot to the head," he thought. "One silver coin."
He aimed.
He took a breath.
CRACK.
Long Tan's boot slipped on a patch of hidden ice. The vibration shook a nearby bush, waking up a nest of sleeping winter birds. They flew up, screeching loudly in the silent night.
The wolf's head snapped toward the bush instantly. Its yellow eyes locked onto Long Tan.
Long Tan panicked. He released the arrow.
Twang!
The arrow flew fast.
But the wolf was faster.
It didn't think; it reacted with pure instinct. It twisted its body mid-air like a snake.
The arrow brushed past its ear, missing the skull by an inch.
Long Tan froze. "It... dodged?"
An arrow flies fast. For a beast to dodge it meant its reflexes were terrifying.
The Tree and The Kick
The wolf didn't run away. It charged.
It covered the twenty meters in two seconds. It ran like a horse.
"Shit!"
Long Tan realized he couldn't reload. He threw the heavy bow at the wolf to distract it and turned to run.
He sprinted toward the largest oak tree.
He jumped, digging his fingers into the rough bark, and hauled himself up.
SNAP.
The wolf's jaws snapped shut just inches below his boot. If he had been one second slower, his foot would be gone.
Long Tan scrambled up the lower branch. He looked down.
His Iron-Oak bow was lying in the snow. He was unarmed.
The wolf growled. It backed up, ran, and jumped up the trunk, digging its claws into the bark, trying to climb up to get him. It was crazy with hunger.
"Get down!"
Long Tan held the branch with his hands and swung his leg down.
He channeled all his strength.
325 Jin Kick.
THUD.
His heavy boot connected with the wolf's snout.
The wolf yelped. It was knocked backward, flipping in the air before hitting the snow hard.
It shook its head, dizzy from the impact. But it didn't die. Its neck muscles were thick.
It stood up and looked at Long Tan with pure hatred.
"Woooh… Woooh…"
It let out a low, angry growl. It paced around the tree, waiting.
The Realization
Long Tan sat on the branch, breathing hard.
He looked at his shaking hands.
"I am strong," he thought. "I have 325 Jin of strength. I can lift rocks. I can pull a heavy bow."
"But I am slow. I have no technique."
He watched the wolf circling the tree.
"That beast dodged an arrow. If I fought it on the ground with just a knife, it would have ripped my throat out before I could stab it. Strength is useless if you cannot hit the target."
He realized a terrifying truth:
In this world, Humans are prey.
Without martial arts movement techniques, without speed, a human is just slow meat to these monsters.
The standoff lasted for an hour.
Finally, the wolf realized it couldn't climb the tree. It sensed something else in the forest—maybe a bigger predator—and ran off into the darkness.
Long Tan didn't move.
He waited another thirty minutes. He used his Moon-enhanced ears to check the surroundings.
"Focus. Is it hiding?"
Only when he was sure the forest was empty did he climb down.
He picked up his bow. He checked the snow.
"It will come back," he whispered. "I need to be stronger. I need speed."
He walked home empty-handed. He didn't get the silver coin, but he kept his life.
The Lackey Arrives
The next morning, the sun rose bright and cold over Meng Village.
But the mood was dark.
A loud gong sounded in the village square.
GONG! GONG!
"The Tax Collector is here!"
Long Tan walked out of his hut. He didn't bring his bow. He had the heavy bag of silver in his pocket.
In the center of the village, a scrawny man on a brown horse looked down at the peasants.
It was Lackey Liu.
He was not a real official. He was just a runner for the 9th Grade Constable in the city. He was weak—maybe 150 Jin strength—but he was cruel because he had the law behind him.
He cracked his leather whip.
"Line up, trash! The Emperor needs his silver!"
Villagers were lining up, handing over bags of grain and coins with trembling hands.
Suddenly, a commotion broke out near the front.
"Please! Officer Liu! The harvest was bad!"
It was Old Zhang, Long Tan's neighbor. He was on his knees.
"I have 8 silver! I sold my grain. I sold my chickens. That is all I have!"
Lackey Liu sneered. "8 Silver? The tax is 10. You are short."
He raised his heavy leather whip.
"If you cannot pay with silver, you pay with blood! Maybe a few lashes will help you find the money!"
CRACK!
He lashed the whip. It hit the ground near Old Zhang, scaring him.
"Please!" Old Zhang cried.
"Silence!" Lackey Liu raised the whip again, aiming for the old man's face. He wanted to leave a scar.
The whip whistled through the air.
THWACK.
The sound of the impact was dull.
The whip did not hit the old man. It stopped in mid-air.
The Iron Grip
Lackey Liu frowned. He pulled the whip back.
It didn't move.
He looked down.
Standing in front of Old Zhang was a young hunter in patched clothes.
Long Tan.
Long Tan had caught the end of the whip with his bare hand.
His grip was like an iron clamp.
Lackey Liu pulled harder. His face turned red.
"Let go, you dirty peasant! Do you want to die?"
Long Tan didn't move. He stood like a statue.
His 325 Jin strength was vastly superior to this weak lackey.
He stared calmly at the official. His eyes were cold, carrying the killing intent from the boar kill.
"He is an old man," Long Tan said calmly. "Do not hit him."
The village went silent.
Everyone stared.
Long Tan, the weak hunter? He was holding an officer's whip?
Lackey Liu was furious. He tried to yank the whip back with two hands.
Long Tan simply opened his hand.
Snap.
Lackey Liu stumbled back on his horse, almost falling off from the sudden release. He looked foolish.
Paying the Debts
Lackey Liu reached for his sword, humiliated. "You dare rebel?"
Long Tan reached into his pocket.
He pulled out a heavy bag.
He threw it.
Clink.
The bag landed perfectly in Lackey Liu's lap.
"Ten Silver Taels," Long Tan said. "My tax. Count it. I have paid."
Lackey Liu froze. He checked the bag. Ten shiny coins.
He looked at Long Tan. He saw the muscles in Long Tan's forearm. He realized this peasant was stronger than him.
He decided not to fight. He put the money away.
"Hmph. You paid. Good."
He looked down at Old Zhang. "But this old fool still owes me 2 Silver! Who will pay for him? You?"
Long Tan looked at Old Zhang. He didn't offer to pay. He had his own family to feed.
Old Zhang scrambled up. He saw that Long Tan had bought him time. He didn't want to waste it.
"Wait! Wait, Officer!"
Old Zhang ran into his house. He came out carrying a heavy copper pot and a thick winter coat—his dead wife's coat.
"This pot is pure copper! And the coat... it is warm. Take it! It is worth 2 silver!"
Lackey Liu looked at the items greedily. He knew he could sell them for 3 silver in the city.
He laughed.
"Fine. Throw it in the cart."
He glared at Long Tan one last time. "You got lucky today, hunter. Watch your back."
Lackey Liu rode away to the next house.
Long Tan helped Old Zhang stand up.
"Are you okay, Uncle?"
Old Zhang wiped his tears. He had lost his heirlooms, but he hadn't been beaten.
"Tan... you saved my skin. Thank you."
Long Tan nodded. He didn't smile.
He walked back to his hut.
The villagers watched him go. They whispered among themselves.
"Did you see his grip?"
"He stopped the whip with one hand."
"Long Tan is not a weak hunter anymore."
Long Tan walked through his door. The tax was paid. The village knew his strength.
Now, the real work could begin.
[
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