Volume 1,Chapter 32: Arrow Letters

After making a secret pact with Cang Feng, Xiahou persistently pestered Xingtian Dafeng, eventually resorting to his Southern Barbarian roots with loud, chaotic yelling. This left Xingtian Dafeng no choice but to stick to his original decision and not send Xiahou back to the new barracks. Watching Xiahou swagger out the door, taking Bai along to browse the streets and look for a suitable estate, Xingtian Dafeng could only sigh deeply.

"Forget it. Keeping him in Anyi will also cause trouble. The Anyi Magistrate just sent someone to lodge a complaint. But if I send him back to the new barracks, and he draws his sword on someone he dislikes, it will be an even bigger mess. Better to confine him within the manor, have someone teach him proper manners and etiquette, and gradually integrate him into our circle." Xingtian Dafeng started feeling satisfied again. "Good, I've gained a powerful sorcerer under my command, and he even brought these cultivators into our fold? Ha!"

These cultivators might not be physically strong, but their powers were undeniable. Having them as allies could be advantageous in future conflicts. Since Xiahou was under Xingtian Dafeng's wing, any alliances Xiahou formed, like with Cang Feng, would also fall under his influence. This personal power would certainly bolster his standing within the family.

Blinking a few times, Xingtian Dafeng quickly headed towards the inner parts of the manor. Building a dojo for Xiahou in Anyi was no easy task. Finding an empty estate in Anyi? Impossible! He'd need his family elders to pull some strings. Of course, they could only help from behind the scenes; openly supporting a dojo for cultivators was out of the question, as the ruling powers of Great Xia saw these cultivators as heretics.

While Xingtian Dafeng worked behind the scenes, Xiahou, Bai, and Cang Feng had just stepped out the door when a shaky voice called from across the street, "Chihu Baolong, over here! I've been waiting for you."

Do I know anyone in Anyi? Xiahou looked up sharply and saw, across the street against the wall of the Shen Gong family estate, the disheveled old man he had escorted out of the city the previous day. The old man was grinning and waving with his wooden staff.

Xiahou was shocked and quickly crossed the street. Grabbing the old man, he asked, "Why are you back in the city? Weren't you afraid of those disrespectful brats? And how did you find me here?"

The old man chuckled, "Ah, young man, my eyes are failing, but my nose is still sharp. I followed your scent all the way here. You've been cooped up for over a day. The thresholds here are too high for me, so I had to wait outside."

"You came specifically to find me?" Xiahou was confused. "What do you need? And how could you track me by scent? That's impossible!"

Cang Feng walked up and nodded at the old man. "Is this the gentleman Brother Chihu saved the other day? The sons of these noble families are incredibly haughty. If they see you here, there might be trouble." This street housed some of the highest-ranking nobles, including three of the Four Great Councillors, a few princes, several marquises, and many noble families. Encountering the old man could indeed lead to an immediate altercation.

The old man coughed, squinting with a smile, "I came, but I fear nothing. These young ones act like they've never had meat, their fists are just giving me a good massage."

Xiahou shook his head, this old man had guts. He grabbed the old man's hand, heading towards the nearest city gate. "Enough talking, sir, let's get you out of the city. Or I'll find you some new clothes so you can pass as a commoner." He noted the old man had no tattoo markings and no visible sorcerer's power, so a change of clothes could indeed disguise him as an ordinary citizen.

Unexpectedly, the old man replied, "According to the laws of Great Xia, commoners cannot wear fine clothes."

Xiahou felt his hair stand on end, almost wanting to punch the old man. Turning abruptly, he scolded, "Then you must leave the city, or do you want to wait for those troublemakers to harass you again? Remember, they have no conscience."

The old man just smiled and sat back down, cross-legged against the wall. He scrutinized Xiahou up and down before saying, "You have good shoulders, such long arms, and well-balanced strength—a fine pair of shoulders."

Xiahou looked at his unusually long arms and nodded, "Well, I was born this way. But it has its advantages; longer arms mean I can swing a longer sword, making it more effective in a fight."

Cang Feng, standing nearby, grimaced. It wasn't just about swinging a longer sword; punching someone while flying was even more effective. The thought made his bones ache all over again.

The old man chuckled, squinting his eyes in amusement, and shook his head repeatedly. "Swinging swords and hacking at people, that's the way of sorcerer-warriors. But those long arms of yours have other uses. Tell me, how are your archery skills? The surname Chihu is found only near the Yunmeng Marshes in the south. You must be familiar with archery, right?"

Xiahou nodded, "Indeed, my archery skills are among the best in my tribe." To be precise, not many Chihu tribesmen preferred using bows and arrows; they usually relied on brute strength to hunt ferocious beasts. Archery required skill, and few in the Chihu tribe were inclined towards it. Hence, Xiahou's archery was indeed top-notch within his tribe.

The old man pulled out a string of thin wooden slats, strung together with silver threads of unknown material, emitting a faint blue light. He grinned, baring his teeth, and gave a sideways glance at Bai, who was trying to paw at him. "Well then. You are a guest warrior for the Xingtian family, aren't you? New guest warriors don't usually get access to powerful sorcery or martial skills. But you saved my life, so I can't be stingy. Here's a book of archery techniques. Train hard with it."

Cang Feng's pupils contracted sharply. He recognized the silver threads as rare materials from the ocean, typically used by cultivators to craft top-grade artifacts. The blue wooden slats were made of the legendary Eastern Bluewood, a treasure born from the concentrated essence of the Five Elements' wood element. What kind of sorcery required such rare materials for recording?

Xiahou instinctively accepted the thin, palm-sized wooden slats. The rich bluewood essence spread from the slats, causing Xiahou's earth-elemental power to surge uncontrollably, merging with the bluewood essence.

Earth and wood mutually reinforce each other!

The wooden slats dissolved into a blue mist and merged into Xiahou's body, leaving behind a three-foot-long silver thread in his hand.

Cang Feng was stunned for a moment, then he laughed. Xiahou was dumbfounded but soon laughed as well. The old man stared at the silver thread, sighed deeply, and said, "I've crossed the ocean countless times without a drop of water touching me, but this time, I've tripped in a small stream. Remember this, I meant to take that bluewood back, but how did you absorb it? You little brat, I didn't realize you had earth-elemental sorcery!"

Xiahou scratched his nose, feeling embarrassed. He could clearly sense that the blue mist had merged into his body, filling his mind with strange incantations. More importantly, the mist surrounded his golden core, causing his internal energy refining speed to increase significantly.

Seeing the old man's frustrated expression, Xiahou realized he might have inadvertently destroyed a valuable treasure. He coughed and bowed repeatedly. "I had no idea this would happen. Sir, is this item very important?"

The old man rolled his eyes, filled with white cataracts, and snapped, "Do you think it's easy to kill seventy-eight of the Eastern Yi's top sorcerers, including three of their Nine-Feather Arrow Gods, and snatch this Shooting Sun Technique? It was a hard-won treasure. But no one in Great Xia cares for Eastern Yi's archery, so I brought it out as a favor, and you went and destroyed it!"

The old man climbed to his feet, glaring at Xiahou, and barked, "You'd better train hard with that archery technique. Since you ruined this treasure, you must do deeds worthy of it, or I won't forgive you."

After scolding Xiahou into thinking he had committed an unforgivable crime and getting him to promise to help the old man whenever needed, the old man finally left, nimble and quick. Before Xiahou and Cang Feng could react, he had turned the corner and disappeared.

Xiahou and Cang Feng stared at each other for a while before Xiahou suddenly cursed, "That old fox! The bluewood is gone, but the archery technique is in my head. I can copy it and give it back to him, can't I? Why did he make it sound like the Shooting Sun Technique is lost because of me? It's just a few pieces of bluewood. I can find more and return them. Why do I feel like I owe him countless jade coins?"

Cang Feng muttered, "That old man is truly mysterious. Could he have been telling the truth? How could it be? The Nine-Feather Arrow Gods are nearly as powerful as Nine-Cauldron Sorcerers, the highest level of Eastern Yi's sorcerers. Could anyone in Great Xia kill three Nine-Feather Arrow Gods and escape unharmed?"

Shaking his head, Cang Feng grabbed Xiahou's shoulder and sighed, "Brother Chihu, quickly master that Shooting Sun Technique. If it's genuine, you're incredibly fortunate. This technique, used by the legendary god Hou Yi to shoot down the nine suns, is a top-tier sorcery capable of destroying heaven and earth. It's a priceless treasure."

Xiahou pondered for a while and shrugged. "In that case, I'll copy it for you."

Cang Feng's face lit up, but he quickly forced a smile. "Forget it. Can you see me drawing a bow with tens of thousands of pounds of force? For us cultivators, most sorcery techniques are useless. But you must study it diligently and keep it secret. The sorcerer-warriors of Great Xia may not care about the Shooting Sun Technique, but if the Eastern Yi people find out you have it, their entire clan might come after you. Don't take it lightly."

Xiahou shivered, a cold sweat breaking out on his back as Cang Feng's words sank in. He cursed, "That old scoundrel! Was he helping me or setting me up? Cang Feng, who do you think he is? If he's a great sorcerer, why would he be dressed like that, getting beaten up on the street?"

Cang Feng frankly shook his head. "I don't know. But Brother Chihu, if he were truly a commoner, how could he have come here? The Xingtian family manor is heavily guarded. A commoner sitting across the street for over a day would have been noticed. The Xingtian family's guards would be no less harsh than the son of the Anyi Magistrate, don't you think?"

After a long silence, Xiahou casually wrapped the silver thread around Bai's neck and walked down the street.

"Forget it, no point in dwelling on unsettling thoughts. If it's a blessing, it won't be a disaster. If it's a disaster, it's unavoidable. When soldiers come, use a general to defend; when water comes, use earth to block it. What do I, Chihu Baolong, have to fear? If this really is the Shooting Sun Technique, then I've hit the jackpot. Even if that old man wants me to do things for him in the future, it's nothing more than some nefarious schemes. So what if I do them?"

Xiahou, with his incredibly thick skin, immediately tossed his worries and doubts aside. He enthusiastically led Cang Feng and Bai to search for a vacant property in Anyi. This was their main objective for the day: finding a spacious and affordable residence to either buy or rent. It wasn't an easy task. Xiahou even began considering whether he should resort to bullying tactics, forcing a wealthy merchant among the privileged citizens to sell him a house at a reasonable price.