Lords of the Heavens

Chapter 44 Deer in the Forest

After a busy day, all three fields were irrigated. Now, we need to wait a few more days before sowing the winter wheat.

So Li Wei planned to start cutting down trees the next day. The good news was that Penny and the other two were making good progress. The first steel axe had been forged, and judging from their excited expressions, they had made a good harvest.

Unfortunately, this isn't a one-star quality axe. Even with the corresponding class card, you still need to practice constantly to improve your skills before you have a chance to craft one-star quality equipment.

In short, there's nothing to envy; the most important thing is to do your own thing well.

After a good night's sleep and breakfast, Li Wei took the newly sharpened steel axe and went to the forest across the stream to begin the second main quest: chopping down oak trees.

The place is no longer what it was a few months ago. Li Wei and Penny have been cutting down trees back and forth, as if they have gnawed a hole in the forest.

Except for some very large, thick trees, small and medium-sized trees were all cut down.

Li Wei had been thinking of planting trees and forests next spring, but then he realized how stupid he was. This place didn't need them, and besides, this was such good farmland.

If you dig up the tree roots and level the land a little, you could probably reclaim dozens of acres of excellent paddy fields.

The foundation of hegemony!
But this project is too massive. I'm afraid even after three years, when the mission is over and we've cleared the level, we still won't be able to do it.

Thinking this, Li Wei did not lose focus and continued to vigilantly observe his surroundings, because even at the edge of the forest, surprises or frights could sometimes suddenly appear.

So although he was carrying an axe in one hand and a hunting bow in the other, with a pointed arrow between his teeth, he didn't carry too many. These arrows made of pheasant feathers needed to be carefully stored, otherwise they would easily get damp and spoil.

In addition, hunting is just a side activity; don't forget the main quest.

We tiptoed through the edge of the forest, then walked several hundred meters and climbed a gentle hill. Just a few dozen meters away, an oak tree with red leaves came into view.

But it was at this moment, perhaps based on some kind of intuition, that he discovered a different patch of color in the bushes behind the oak tree.

It's true, the kind of thing that ordinary people easily overlook.

But Li Wei immediately realized that this might be a wild beast.

He slowly put down his axe, silently took a step, and at the same time, made a preliminary estimate of the terrain and the distance to the beast.

The distance must have been more than forty meters, and with the cover of bushes and other trees, he only had one chance to shoot.

Furthermore, he still doesn't know what kind of beast it is; the color of its fur blends perfectly with the leaves.

"Judging from the color blocks, it shouldn't be a tiger, a bear, or a wild boar!"

"Perhaps it's a deer? A sika deer?"

Li Wei recalled that Sam, the hunter who had been eliminated, had said that he had once seen a deer at the edge of the forest.

He relaxed his breathing as much as possible, took the arrowhead, nocked it on the bowstring, and then slowly moved to the other side, trying to remain silent. He needed to get as close as possible because the hunting bow was not powerful enough to kill the prey from forty meters away.

One step, two steps, Li Wei remained calm, his heartbeat seemed to have calmed down. This could be considered one of his strengths; as long as he could break through the critical point, he could control his emotions very well.

Just like when he encountered the first old wolf by the stream, after the extremely terrifying experience, he was unusually calm and decisive.

For example, he could sleep soundly through the night despite being harassed by wolves. Of course, his own daily practice must also play a significant role.

In the blink of an eye, Li Wei had silently moved seven or eight steps, bypassing three large trees. During this time, the beast that resembled a deer also cautiously moved to several different positions in the bushes. It was indeed a herbivore, because the grass under the bushes was quite tender.

Although the chances of success were already quite high at this point, Li Wei remained calm and continued to move around, searching for a better firing angle.

And so it went, until the straight-line distance between them finally reached about twenty-five meters, when the deer finally sensed a sense of unease, immediately turned around and leaped up, fleeing into the depths of the forest.

Its posture was elegant, its movements swift, as perfect as a golden lightning bolt.

That's incredibly fast, the reaction time is amazing.

Li Wei had learned from television and books that deer could run very fast, but that was only a relative concept, even a vague one. But at this moment, he truly witnessed just how fast this deer was. It was like a magnificent leap of life, the most exquisite work of art under the cruel struggle for survival in nature, not to be desecrated.

Those who commit blasphemy can only look on from afar and sigh in despair.

However, in that instant, Li Wei's cautious and calm intuition as a hunter gave him the upper hand. In particular, his quiet movement and repositioning, even though he had several good shooting angles before, he gave them up because he was afraid of startling the deer and having his good shooting angles changed instantly due to the deer's high-speed movement.

Between the movement and the stillness, he only had one chance to shoot an arrow.

At that moment, as the deer leaped to escape, Li Wei also drew his hunting bow to its full extent without hesitation, allowing for lead time, and fired an arrow that struck the deer squarely in the left rib.

But it wasn't fatally wounded; it hopped around a few times and then fled deeper into the forest.

Li Wei was hot on his heels, which required no skill; he just had to keep chasing.

The fawn managed to escape for several hundred meters in the forest before collapsing, demonstrating incredible resilience.

Your caution and composure allowed you to perform exceptionally well, successfully shooting down a mature, healthy sika deer. Its entire body is valuable enough to qualify it for a one-star quality.

You have gained 60 hunting experience points.

[Since this was an unexpected gain outside of the main storyline, the prey is yours. Would you like to donate it to your family?]

[You donated this sika deer with a quality of one star. According to the rules, its total weight is 100 jin (50 catties), and each 5 jin (2.5 catties) is a unit. You have thus gained 20 family contribution points, and your current total contribution is 103 points.]

[Note: It is possible to skin a 1-star quality sika deer and obtain a 1-star quality deer hide, provided that the corresponding Butcher profession is available. This task will be automatically included in the Butcher profession's monthly main quest. If the skinning is successful and the tanning process is completed, the Butcher will receive a reward of no less than 5 extra Family Contribution Points at the end of the month.]

Several lines of information appeared quickly, unlike before when a notification would only appear after the item was delivered home.

That's good. It seems there are no other large carnivores around here. Of course, another reason might be that the weather has turned cooler, making it less prone to decay. Otherwise, in the sweltering summer, this place would be covered in maggots in less than half an hour.

Li Wei pondered these patterns in his mind, then stepped forward and pulled out the arrow. Looking at the gushing deer blood, he couldn't help but think of some legends about drinking deer blood. Should he have a few sips? Otherwise, by the time he was transported back, the blood would have been drained.

However, after thinking it over, he decided against it, prioritizing caution. What if there were parasites?
A level one awakened being's life points can't withstand his squandering; Penny, who looks like an old woman, is a prime example.

After all, one of the conditions for completing this mission is to survive for three years.

(End of this chapter)