Chapter 25 — The Deer in the Snow and The Weight of 20 Silver
The Ghost in the Forest
The Blackwood Forest was silent, buried under three feet of winter snow. Usually, a man walking here would make noise—boots crunching, breath wheezing.
But Long Tan moved like smoke.
He didn't walk on the snow; he glided through it.
With 550 Jin of strength flowing through his body, his muscles were so dense and explosive that he could control his weight distribution perfectly. He felt light, almost weightless, like a feather made of iron.
Snap.
Thirty meters away, a Spotted Winter Deer lifted its head. Its ears twitched.
It was a magnificent beast, weighing at least 200 pounds, with antlers like tree branches.
In the past, Long Tan's heart would have hammered against his ribs. His hands would have shaken from hunger.
Now, his heartbeat was slow. Thump... Thump...
His mind was as still as a frozen lake.
He raised the Iron-Oak Bow.
The heavy string, made from boar tendon, hummed with tension. At 550 Jin strength, pulling this heavy bow felt like pulling a rubber band.
He didn't aim with his eye. He aimed with his instinct.
Twang.
The arrow vanished.
It moved faster than sound.
Before the deer could even tense its muscles to run, the heavy iron arrowhead punched through its skull.
The beast dropped instantly, dead before it hit the ground.
Long Tan lowered the bow. He exhaled a long stream of white steam.
"Too easy," he whispered, walking over to the carcass.
"The forest feels smaller now."
He grabbed the 200-pound deer by the antlers and hoisted it onto his shoulder with one hand.
It felt insignificant.
The Feast of Gratitude
When Long Tan returned to the courtyard, the sun was setting, painting the sky in bruises of purple and orange.
The smell of burning pine wood and boiling soup drifted from the hut.
Little San was playing in the snow with a wooden sword. When he saw his father, he dropped the sword and ran over, his eyes wide.
"Father! Another one? It's huge!"
Long Tan smiled, dropping the deer near the chopping block. THUD.
"The forest is generous today, San. Go tell your mother we have fresh venison."
Inside the hut, the atmosphere was warm.
Su Lan had set the table. The oil lamp cast a golden glow over the room.
They sat down to eat.
It wasn't a rushed meal of starving people anymore. It was a dinner.
Su Lan placed a large bowl of stewed deer meat in front of Long Tan.
"Eat," she said softly. "You spent all day in the cold."
Long Tan took a bite. The meat was tender, rich with fat and vitality.
He looked at his wife. Her face was no longer gaunt. Her skin had a healthy, rosy glow, and her eyes were bright. The Spirit Peach tea and the consistent meat were healing her.
"Do you remember," Su Lan said suddenly, putting down her chopsticks, "last winter?"
Her voice was quiet, trembling slightly.
"We had one cup of rice. We counted the grains. I drank hot water to trick my stomach so San could eat."
She looked at the mountain of meat on the table. Tears welled up in her eyes.
"Now... we have so much. I feel like I am dreaming, Tan. I am afraid I will wake up and be hungry again."
Long Tan reached across the table and took her hand. His grip was warm and solid.
"You will never be hungry again," he promised, his voice deep and serious.
"I will hunt the whole forest empty if I have to. This is our reality now."
Little San, sensing the heavy emotion, stood up on his chair and puffed out his chest.
"I will hunt too! I will catch a bear for Mother!"
Long Tan and Su Lan laughed, the tension breaking.
"Sit down, Little Bear Slayer," Long Tan chuckled. "Finish your vegetables first."
The 600 Jin Barrier
For the next three days, Long Tan did not leave the courtyard.
He was obsessed.
He knew the Zhou Family was watching. He knew the world was dangerous.
He had to be stronger.
Day 1: He ate five pounds of deer meat and practiced the Sun & Moon Breathing for six hours.
The heat in his belly felt like a furnace.
Strength: 565 Jin.
Day 2: He focused on the [Sun Burst] technique theory, trying to circulate the energy without detonating his arm. He refined his control.
Strength: 580 Jin.
Day 3: He pushed his body to the limit. He lifted the heavy stone mill in the garden—something that usually required a donkey—and squatted with it for hours.
Sweat poured off him, turning to steam in the cold air.
Ding...
[Cultivation Breakthrough.]
[Bone Density Increased.]
[Current Strength: 600 Jin.]
Long Tan dropped the stone mill. BOOM. The ground shook.
He looked at his hands.
They looked normal, but under the skin, his muscles were coiled like high-tension springs.
"600 Jin," he murmured, clenching his fist. The air popped.
"I have broken the 600 barrier. I am closing in on the Third Rank (1000 Jin)."
The 20 Silver Anxiety
On the fourth day, the mood in the house shifted from peaceful to anxious.
The "Soap Factory" corner was piled high with wooden crates.
Su Lan was packing the bars. She counted them again.
"We have 200 bars of High-Grade Soap (made with Peach Leaf paste)," she said, her voice nervous.
"And 500 bars of Common Soap."
She looked at Long Tan.
"Tan... if we sell all of this... it is worth almost 20 Silver Taels."
20 Silver.
It was a fortune. It was enough to buy a small farm.
But it was also a target.
"Are you sure about this?" Su Lan asked, her hands shaking as she tied the rope around the last crate.
"Going to the city with this much product... If people see us... If the Zhou Clan sees us..."
Long Tan stood by the window, sharpening his heavy saber. Shhhk. Shhhk.
"We cannot hide forever, Lan," he said, though his own stomach was tight with nerves.
"We need the money to buy more seeds. We need to buy better materials for the house."
He turned to her.
"I will carry it. I will go to the Yan Trading House directly. I won't stop in the market. I will be a ghost."
"Be careful," Su Lan whispered. "The money is not worth your life."
The Garden's Secret
Before the sun rose on the day of the trip, Long Tan went to the garden corner.
He checked the Artificial Spiritual Soil.
It had been one week since he planted the Blood-Clotting Grass and the Iron-Vine seeds he got from Yan Bo.
Yan Bo had said they were "dead stock" and would never grow.
Long Tan brushed away the snow.
He gasped.
Growing out of the warm, black soil were thick, vibrant red sprouts.
The Blood-Clotting Grass wasn't just growing; it was thriving.
It pulsed with a faint red light.
"It works," Long Tan whispered, amazed.
"The Sun-Moon Qi + Bone Dust + Manure... it creates a hyper-growth environment."
"These herbs will be ready in another week. If I get injured... I can heal."
He covered them carefully with straw and snow to hide them from prying eyes.
The Invisible Threat
Long Tan strapped the heavy wooden crate to his back.
It weighed 100 pounds, but to him, it felt like a schoolbag.
He checked his saber. He checked his bow.
"I am leaving," he told Su Lan. "Lock the door. Do not open it until you hear my voice."
He walked out of the village gate, heading toward Meng City.
The winter wind blew against his face.
He felt strong. He felt prepared.
He had 600 Jin of strength. He had a weapon. He had a plan.
But as he walked into the white mist of the road, Long Tan made one mistake.
He thought he was the hunter.
He didn't know that inside Meng City, sitting in a warm tea house overlooking the gate, Zhou Cang was drinking tea.
Zhou Cang wasn't alone.
He had two elite guards with him.
And on the table in front of him lay a drawing of Long Tan's face.
"He will come today," Zhou Cang grinned, crushing a walnut with his bare hand.
"The sheep is bringing the wool to us."
Long Tan walked on, his steps steady, marching straight into the wolf's mouth without knowing it.
[End of Chapter 25]
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