Chapter 8: A Strange Knock at the Door at Night (Please Bookmark and Follow)

“Add some points for me!”

Ninety-two charm points vanished, and the skill bar characters shifted.

[Tracking (Mastery 15/160)]

A familiar sensation surged within him, yet this time the change was even greater.

In an instant, countless insights flooded his mind. He hadn’t done anything, yet it felt as if he had lived two full lifetimes in the forest, effortlessly wielding various tracking techniques.

His eyes, nose, ears, tongue, and other senses sharpened to an extraordinary degree, enabling him to detect subtle traces of prey that ordinary people would overlook.

“With my current tracking skills, finding prey should be as easy as flipping my hand.”

Zhou Chen was filled with heroic passion. He felt that his nose was now comparable to that of a dog, his eyes as piercing as an eagle’s, his ears sharp as those of a cat or dog, and his tongue nimble and sensitive enough to distinguish faint flavors.

“Perfecting tracking skills to the point of transcendence—how formidable must that be?”

Zhou Chen looked at Qin Hongyu, who was nestled in his arms, filled with anticipation.

Qin Hongyu had been married to him for almost a week now.

Not only was she well-fed every day, enjoying chicken and meat, but their life was blissful and harmonious.

Under his care, Qin Hongyu’s complexion was radiant, her fair and tender skin seemingly moist to the touch.

“Brother Chen!”

Resting her head on Zhou Chen’s strong arm, Qin Hongyu gently caressed his broad and firm chest, her voice soft as water:

“It’s been three days already, Brother Chen, don’t wear yourself out!”

That was just one reason.

The second was that, although they still had meat at home, they couldn’t just sit around and consume without replenishing.

“Don’t you know my body by now? I’m getting stronger by the day. In a couple of days, I’ll hunt down a wild boar for you.”

With his tracking skills, finding a wild boar shouldn’t be difficult. Once located, he could use his Thunderlight Ruyi Hand and intermediate archery to shoot the boar’s legs first. Capturing it would be no problem.

The real challenge was dragging a several-hundred-pound wild boar back home.

Though his physique was still robust and his archery and tracking had slightly enhanced his physical fitness, carrying such a heavy beast alone from the mountains was no easy feat.

“Looks like I’ll need to find a couple of helpers!”

Zhou Chen already had candidates in mind.

“Brother Chen, I don’t like eating wild boar. I think small animals like wild rabbits are just fine…”

Qin Hongyu tensed up. Wild boars were fierce beasts, thick-skinned and highly aggressive, often appearing in groups.

Many hunters had been bitten to death by wild boars in the past.

“Don’t worry, I’ll act within my limits.”

Zhou Chen grasped Qin Hongyu’s soft hand mischievously:

“I couldn’t bear to see you fall into another man’s arms!”

“If master hadn’t recklessly ventured deep into the mountains and encountered a great beast, you’d already be my master’s wife!”

“I don’t want to repeat that mistake!”

“Pah! What are you saying?”

Qin Hongyu’s cheeks flushed. Hearing the words “master’s wife” stirred an inexplicable excitement in her heart.

Zhou Chen looked at the blushing beauty and suddenly laughed:

“Master’s wife, your disciple is hungry!”

…

Meanwhile,

By the village creek,

Cuihua and several women were washing clothes.

Red Dog, the wild dog’s wife, was scrubbing a cloth shoe, chuckling:

“Brother Chen is really impressive, hasn’t left the house for three whole days!”

“Not just Brother Chen,” Li Dazao said gossipingly, “I heard Old Man Qin’s been at Widow Chen’s house these past three days. I haven’t seen him at home once!”

Their homes were close, and she passed Old Man Qin’s house every day while washing clothes, so she knew well if he was home or not.

“That can’t be right!”

Red Dog immediately retorted:

“I even saw Widow Chen sneaking out to meet Zhang Dagen last night!”

Zhang Dagen was an old bachelor in the village, living alone, making a living from fishing. Though he spent more days drying nets than actually fishing, he barely got by.

“What’s going on? Could Widow Chen be fooling around with both Old Man Qin and Zhang Dagen?”

Cuihua exclaimed in surprise.

“As the saying goes, widows attract trouble. I don’t think Widow Chen is a virtuous woman—most likely, yes!”

The gossiping prowess of women, especially the village elders, was formidable.

With each comment, Widow Chen quickly became the village’s notorious harlot.

Zhou Chen and Qin Hongyu, inseparable at home, were oblivious to the outside gossip.

Night fell.

After completing another round of mounted archery practice, Zhou Chen felt his archery skills had greatly improved and was in high spirits.

It was the fifteenth night; the moon above was large and round, its pure light enveloping the earth in serene silence. The villagers had long since gone to sleep.

In this era, villagers slept early to save oil on lamps.

With no entertainment like games or performances, their sole enjoyment was sleep and harmonious conjugal life.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Suddenly, a sharp knocking pierced the quiet. Zhou Chen, holding Qin Hongyu and savoring their warmth, was instantly alert. His hair stood on end, muscles tensed.

His lightning-fast reflexes gripped the short dagger beneath his pillow.

Qin Hongyu awoke as well, her heart filled with fear.

“Daughter, open the door quickly! It’s your father!”

Old Man Qin’s voice came from outside. Qin Hongyu’s tense nerves relaxed, and she exhaled deeply.

“Brother Chen, that’s my father!”

Qin Hongyu felt relieved but also annoyed. She couldn’t understand why he was knocking on their door so late, scaring them senseless.

Yet Zhou Chen remained unrelaxed, his gaze more intense than ever.

With his mastered tracking senses, especially his hearing and smell, he was extraordinarily perceptive.

He hadn’t fallen asleep yet and was in a heightened state of awareness, his mind calm and alert to the environment.

But he hadn’t heard a single footstep or breath, nor sensed any human scent. Only a chilling presence lingered.

“Shh!”

Zhou Chen gestured to silence the still-speaking Qin Hongyu, quietly rose, and took the hunting bow hanging on the wall.

Qin Hongyu looked worried but said nothing, staring anxiously.

“Speak if you must; if there’s nothing, come back tomorrow.”

Zhou Chen said coldly to the outside.

“Little Chen, open the door! I have important news for you—a very good one!”

“I’m already asleep. If there’s news, tell me tomorrow!”

Zhou Chen’s voice grew icy. “Don’t you know disturbing someone’s sleep at midnight is rude? I’m very angry now. If you don’t leave, I’ll shoot!”

“Damn you, little rabbit! Try shooting then!”

Swish!

An arrow pierced through the thin paper window and shot out through a crack.

“Ah!”

Old Man Qin’s scream rang out, and Qin Hongyu cried out:

“Father, are you alright?”

“Ah, I’m done for…”

Qin Hongyu hurriedly got up, about to go out, but Zhou Chen grabbed her firmly.

“I didn’t hit him!” he whispered. “He’s not your father. At least, he’s not human!”

Qin Hongyu, about to argue, suddenly trembled.

She had long believed in demons and ghosts, and thought it was strange that her father came knocking so late, claiming he had good news.

Would her stingy father ever bring good news?

“Don’t worry. Leave everything to me!”

Pushing Qin Hongyu back onto the bed, Zhou Chen was on high alert.

He didn’t go outside.

He wasn’t sure what exactly was out there.

But the intruder hadn’t entered, implying either fear or insufficient strength.

Old Man Qin wailed outside, using familial ties to plead with Qin Hongyu to open the door.

Seeing this, Zhou Chen felt more assured.

The intruder couldn’t come in.

He casually set the bow aside; it was useless anyway.

He was certain his arrow had hit the target, but with his hearing, he clearly heard the arrow pass through air and land on a large tree by the door.

This meant the intruder was ghostlike; ordinary arrows had no effect.

But Zhou Chen had his trump card.

His Thunderlight Ruyi Hand was a divine skill that harnessed thunder, most effective against ghosts.

Even if the intruder charged in, he still might stand a chance.

“Brother Chen, what should we do?”

Qin Hongyu asked in a trembling whisper.

“No worries. I’ve got this.”

Zhou Chen sat on the bed, pulling Qin Hongyu into his arms, spreading her legs to sit on his lap, comforting her:

“It’s alright. He can’t come in!”

“Mm.”

Qin Hongyu nodded softly. If the intruder had the ability or courage to enter, they would have done so already.

“Brother Chen, what are you doing?”

Qin Hongyu suddenly widened her eyes and shivered, surprised that Zhou Chen still had the heart for her at such a moment.

“You tell me.”

Because of the thing outside, Zhou Chen only craved strength more.

He wouldn’t miss any opportunity to grow stronger.

“Brother Chen, my father… no, that monster is still outside…”

“That’s called distraction!” Zhou Chen smiled, expertly practicing the Thunderlight Ruyi Hand, his fingers shifting with unparalleled agility and speed.

Qin Hongyu glanced anxiously outside, afraid to disturb the unknown creature, biting her red lips to keep silent.

…