Chapter Sixty-Three: Fine Arrows, Superb Archery! (Second Update)

Qin Cheng glanced at the fallen young black bear and praised, “Excellent blade work, splendid knife!” As soon as he spoke, he felt his body lighten, nearly collapsing, but managed to steady himself by pressing the long knife to the ground, barely holding upright.

“General Qin, how are you?” Kong Xiaonü called anxiously from inside the cave.

“No harm done, no harm,” Qin Cheng waved his hand and shook his head, then picked up his long knife and went over to the young black bear, pulling out Kong Xiaonü’s short blade. After a glance at it, he used it to chop off the bear’s two forepaws, then, with steps somewhat unsteady, walked toward the cave.

Handing the short blade back to Kong Xiaonü, he praised, “This knife is indeed a fine one!”

“Just a country thing, hardly worth notice. How is your injury, General Qin?” Kong Xiaonü followed behind him, hopping into the cave.

He tossed the two bear paws beside the fire, stabbed the long knife into the ground, and slowly sat down. With a gesture, he had just said, “It’s nothing!” when his body swayed twice and he collapsed beside the fire.

Before his mind blurred, Qin Cheng heard Kong Xiaonü cry out, “General Qin!” He cursed inwardly, then lost consciousness.

Seeing Qin Cheng collapse, Kong Xiaonü acted without thinking, swiftly hopping over to squat beside him, her face anxious, calling his name several times. She reached out to check his breathing, finding it weak but steady, and let out a sigh of relief. Glancing toward the cave entrance, then back at Qin Cheng, she simply sat down and set the short blade aside.

When her hand touched the hilt, she hesitated out of habit, glanced at Qin Cheng, then placed the blade carefully before tending the fire to keep it from dying.

Time passed. Suddenly, Qin Cheng’s eyes shot open; he drew the dagger from his waist and leapt up, jumping away from his previous spot.

Before he could focus on his surroundings, a startled cry rang out. Landing, Qin Cheng looked toward where he had startled himself, and saw Kong Xiaonü picking up a damp cloth from the ground, her face flustered as she looked at him, then flushed, lowered her head, raised it again, and said, “You’re awake?”

Seeing her expression, Qin Cheng instinctively grunted, then noticed something odd on his face. He touched it, found it still damp, and the blood at his lips was gone. Noticing the cloth in her hand, he understood and felt a twinge of embarrassment, asking, “Did I frighten you just now?”

Kong Xiaonü shook her head and stood up, avoiding his gaze, hopping over toward the small pool. She bent over, rinsing the cloth in the water. Hearing the splash and watching her graceful figure, Qin Cheng showed a smug, mischievous smile, thinking to himself that this girl’s hips were truly broad—surely fit for bearing children.

“If General Qin is hungry, there’s roasted bear paw over there. You can make do with it,” Kong Xiaonü, oblivious to his thoughts, worried he might be hungry, spoke softly.

“Alright.” Qin Cheng finally tore his gaze from her, then noticed the sky was already dark; he must have been unconscious all day. Returning to the fire, he saw a still-warm bear paw placed on a stone, carefully cleaned, with Kong Xiaonü’s short knife beside it. He picked up the paw, marveling at the unfamiliar way of eating it, but hunger prevailed and he tore into it with gusto.

Kong Xiaonü finished washing the cloth, hopped back, and saw Qin Cheng gnawing wildly at the bear paw. She couldn’t help but laugh. Qin Cheng looked up in confusion, mouth full of meat, and mumbled, “Why do you laugh, miss?”

“It’s nothing, General Qin. Please enjoy your meal.” Kong Xiaonü suppressed her laughter and waved her hand.

Qin Cheng grunted and ignored her, burying himself in the bear paw. After a few bites, a sudden cry rang out. He looked up again and saw Kong Xiaonü, for some unknown reason, sitting awkwardly on the ground, her face flushed.

He put down the paw and hurried over, wanting to help her up, but seeing his hands covered in grease, he hesitated and simply asked, “Are you alright, miss? Did you get hurt?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” Kong Xiaonü stood up with her own strength, quickly hopping past him, head down.

Seeing her unharmed, Qin Cheng let the matter drop, returned to the fire, and finished his meal.

After eating, Qin Cheng felt more settled. Noticing the dwindling firewood, he went back outside, gathered more from the forest, and finally resorted to using his long knife as a hatchet to get enough wood.

While gathering wood, he overexerted himself once, aggravating his injury; his chest ached and he nearly cried out, thinking that a swipe from a bear was no minor thing.

Back in the cave, he sat a step away from Kong Xiaonü. After the day’s ordeal, their bond had deepened; their interactions no longer carried the previous awkwardness.

“Your leg isn’t fully healed; you shouldn’t move around. I’ve also suffered some injuries, so I can’t get about easily. We won’t be able to find a way down the mountain for a few days. If we encounter another beast, we might not survive. I suggest we rest here for a few days, eat bear meat, and tomorrow I’ll look for wild fruits. Once we’ve recovered, we can descend safely,” Qin Cheng said, tending the fire.

“We have no other choice. I’ll follow your advice, General Qin,” Kong Xiaonü said, watching the flames.

Qin Cheng nodded, falling silent.

From that day, Qin Cheng and Kong Xiaonü stayed in the cave. With water and bear meat, they had no fear of starvation. Qin Cheng soon noticed that Kong Xiaonü’s appetite was remarkable; he’d worried she wouldn’t be used to daily meat, thinking to fetch her wild fruit, but realized it was unnecessary—she ate as much bear meat as he did, sometimes more. After several days, Kong Xiaonü showed no ill effects, but Qin Cheng himself grew weary of constant meat, longing for fruit. The forest was vast but yielded no edible fruit nearby, and he dared not venture far, so he endured.

Since the day the two bears appeared, they encountered no more beasts. Not even snakes showed themselves, which was safer, but dashed Qin Cheng’s hope for different meat. One day while wandering near the cave, Qin Cheng found a bird’s nest and was overjoyed, climbing up and taking a few eggs. But Kong Xiaonü snatched the nest away and forced him to return it to the tree, making him feel the loss keenly. He resisted, but the usually gentle Kong Xiaonü drew her blade, so he reluctantly gave up the eggs.

After three to five days, Kong Xiaonü’s leg improved greatly; thanks to the herb’s efficacy, she could walk by the third day, and by the seventh day, could move like anyone else. By the ninth day, they decided to leave the cave and search for a path down.

“This cave is a blessed place. Now that we’ve infused it with our spirit, perhaps someday it’ll raise a monster here,” Qin Cheng mused, standing before the cave.

“Are you hoping for a fox spirit to appear, so you can adopt it?” Kong Xiaonü joked, standing beside him, her manner relaxed. The past days had brought them closer, and their words were more casual.

Qin Cheng glanced at the beauty before him, blending Central Plains elegance and northern boldness, and laughed, “Even if so, it would be centuries from now, nothing to do with us. Let’s hurry and find the way down, or else we’ll be the ones turned into spirits.”

“Best so. But I’m unfamiliar with these woods—how can we find the way? You said you know geography and can find the path; is it true?” Kong Xiaonü asked.

“Of course. Just follow me, and I’ll lead you down. Where we end up, though—village or wilderness—I can’t say. Be prepared,” Qin Cheng replied.

“As long as we get off the mountain, finding the way will be easier. Then we’ll find people, and all problems will be solved.” Kong Xiaonü brushed a strand of hair from her brow. “Lead the way, General Qin.”

“Alright, let’s go!”

Qin Cheng took his long blade and led the way, Kong Xiaonü following with ease. The mountain forests were dense, with no real paths; in rough spots, Qin Cheng went ahead, then returned to help her. This meant frequent contact, but after several times, Kong Xiaonü no longer felt awkward as she had the first time, though a subtle feeling lingered. Eventually, she even vaguely hoped he would help her more often—a feeling hard to name or explain.

They walked all day, but by sunset were still deep in the woods. As darkness fell, they had to find another place to camp, lest they be attacked by predators.

Tired from the day, they found a sheltered spot. Qin Cheng let Kong Xiaonü rest while he searched for firewood—they needed a fire for light and protection. Her calf wound was still not fully healed; a misstep could reopen it, and though Qin Cheng wouldn’t mind carrying her down, it would slow them greatly.

After some effort, Qin Cheng gathered enough wood. As he built the fire, Kong Xiaonü handed over a bamboo tube. “Drink some water first. To trouble the great General Qin so much, I feel guilty.”

Qin Cheng accepted it, noting her expression was mischievous, not at all embarrassed. He was used to her teasing him as “General Qin,” so he drank deeply.

As he drank, a strange low growl sounded nearby. Before he could set down the tube, Kong Xiaonü’s eyes widened, gesturing frantically behind him. Qin Cheng slowly set aside the tube, turned his head, and saw three wolves approaching, their mouths uttering chilling growls.

He swallowed the water, hand on his blade, thinking this was the worst encounter. He whispered to Kong Xiaonü, “Take out the fire striker.”

Kong Xiaonü, though frightened, remained calm. She produced the fire striker, ready to hand it to Qin Cheng.

“Why give it to me? Go light the firewood!” Qin Cheng said sternly.

Kong Xiaonü quickly realized her mistake, struck the fire to flame, and moved to ignite the woodpile.

As soon as her fire caught, the three wolves, as if provoked, howled and charged at them!

“Quick, light the fire!” Qin Cheng shouted, spun around, drew his long blade, and threw the bamboo tube at the wolves, then roared and rushed to meet them.

He shouted as he charged, swinging his blade at the foremost wolf.

His thrown tube struck one wolf, disrupting their formation. Yet the lead wolf, strong and fierce, showed no hesitation, leaping at Qin Cheng from several steps away.

“Die!” Qin Cheng saw the wolf leap, so he bent his knees, arched backward, sliding beneath its belly. As the wolf soared overhead, he slashed upward, spraying blood from its belly.

Wounded, the wolf landed, staggered a few steps, then its entrails spilled out, and it collapsed, still whimpering.

At that moment, Kong Xiaonü finally ignited the woodpile; dry leaves and branches blazed instantly.

Qin Cheng slid from under the wolf, slapped the ground to straighten himself, but as he rose, the second wolf pounced.

No time to steady himself, Qin Cheng rolled aside; the wolf grazed him, its claws raking three marks on his armor.

Meanwhile, the last wolf charged at Kong Xiaonü by the fire. The flames were just beginning, and the wolf, wary of fire, sought to dispatch her quickly.

But Kong Xiaonü was no ordinary girl. Before the wolf reached her, she flung the fire striker, striking its head, then drew her short blade and lunged at it.

Had Qin Cheng seen this, he would have praised her again for her boldness.

The wolf, enraged by the blow, leapt at her with fury. Kong Xiaonü, though fierce, kept her wits, withdrew her blade to guard herself, and dodged aside.

The wolf only tore a strip from her clothing before landing.

By then, the fire had grown strong.

The wolf dropped the cloth, paced, and howled loudly. Kong Xiaonü, seeing it distracted, prepared to finish it, but just as she moved, distant howls echoed in response.

She realized a pack was approaching, and hesitated. At that moment, the wolf suddenly lunged at her.

Her momentum faltered, and as the wolf leapt, she paled, unable to react.

Suddenly a shriek rang out—the wolf, mid-air, fell to the side, an arrow embedded in its body!

“Excellent shot, excellent archery!” Kong Xiaonü and Qin Cheng exclaimed together.

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