Chapter 52 : Li Dazhuang Wants to Become a Disciple

The three of them walked forward in silence. Suddenly, a pheasant flew out from the jungle. Yun Siying threw a stone at it. The moment she did, her expression turned focused and confident. Her movement was fluid and swift, without the slightest hesitation. The pheasant fluttered a few times in midair before falling to the ground.

Li Dazhuang rushed over, picked up the pheasant, and examined it closely. There was a hole on its head the size of a stone, it had clearly died instantly. Shocked once again, he picked up the pheasant and jogged back to hand it to Yun Siying. “You’re really something. You actually hit a flying pheasant with a stone! How did you practice such accuracy?” His eyes were now filled with admiration and curiosity.

Jiang Aimin, standing to the side, had his mouth agape in astonishment. He couldn’t believe his eyes. This seemingly delicate female educated youth actually had such an incredible skill! The small stone she threw seemed almost magical, it drew a beautiful arc in the air before striking the target perfectly.

He couldn’t help but wonder, how much strength and precision does it take to do that? He stared at the young woman, his eyes full of admiration and curiosity.

Her extraordinary skill and brave performance made Jiang Aimin see her in a whole new light. He realized that this female educated youth was far from ordinary, she had hidden talents and immense potential.

At that moment, admiration swelled in Jiang Aimin’s heart, and he truly respected her capabilities.

“Talent… and a lot of practice,” Yun Siying replied, taking the pheasant from his hands. It weighed about four pounds, just enough for her and Nangong Ruochen to enjoy a good meal.

Then she turned and asked the two behind her, “Should I turn this pheasant over to the brigade?” She recalled that under the current collective ownership system, wild game might need to be handed in.

“Small animals like pheasants and rabbits don’t need to be turned in. But large animals like wild boars must be, otherwise the villagers won’t be happy,” Jiang Aimin replied.

“Good, that’s a relief.” Yun Siying had originally planned to go deeper into the mountains to hunt more game and store it in her space so she could eat whenever she wanted.

“My name’s Li Dazhuang. What’s your name? I can’t call you ‘violent girl’ every time I see you!” The tall, 1.8-meter man followed her step by step.

“Yun Siying,” she said casually. She didn’t see any harm in telling him besides once they returned to the village, they’d find out anyway.

“So you’re the Yun Siying my mother was talking about, the beautiful one who brought a huge amount of money to the countryside,” Li Dazhuang said. He had heard his mother mention her the previous day after returning home.

“Thanks for the compliment. Unless there’s been a mix-up, I should be the Yun Siying your mother mentioned. By the way, who is your mother?” Yun Siying noticed that Li Dazhuang didn’t seem to hold a grudge about being thrown off the train.

“My mother’s name is Wang Yunfeng. She’s a kind-hearted woman.” Li Dazhuang’s face lit up with pride as he spoke of his mother, she doted on him the most, after all.

“Oh, so you’re Aunt Yunfeng’s son. By the way, what are you two doing this deep in the mountains?” Yun Siying asked, a bit puzzled.

“We’re craving meat too,” Jiang Aimin quickly answered, worried that Li Dazhuang might blurt something inappropriate.

“Then let’s keep moving forward,” Yun Siying said. She also wanted to hunt a wild animal for each of them, as thanks for their kind reminders and protection even if she didn’t really need it.

The three of them were quite lucky. In less than half an hour, Yun Siying had already taken down a pheasant and two hares. She only kept one hare for herself and let the other two divide the rest.

“Comrade Yun, can you teach me how to throw stones like that?” Li Dazhuang’s eyes were burning with excitement as he watched Yun Siying so effortlessly catch wild game. If he could learn her technique, he wouldn’t need to waste time digging traps in the mountains.

“No,” Yun Siying rejected him without hesitation.

“Comrade Yun, if you take me as your apprentice, I promise there will be benefits! I can help you collect firewood, and I’ll be your little brother run errands for you too!” Li Dazhuang still wouldn’t give up. He had always loved fighting since he was a child, and together with Jiang Aimin, they were the village bullies.

“This kind of skill takes long-term accumulation. You’re already too old it’d be hard for you to learn.” Yun Siying’s powerful throws mainly came from her own strength, which kept increasing thanks to her supernatural powers.

Li Dazhuang looked visibly disappointed. As the three of them headed back, he continued to chatter and ask questions along the way, while Yun Siying only responded occasionally.

As they neared the edge of the forest, Li Dazhuang and Jiang Aimin let Yun Siying go first. They waited there for about twenty minutes before following. People in this era were conservative, and the old women in the village loved to gossip. If they were seen descending the mountain with an educated youth girl like Shu Ruxue, who knew what kind of rumors would spread?

Yun Siying didn’t want to draw attention. Seeing people busy in the fields ahead, she tucked the pheasant deep into her backpack and covered it with dry firewood, then quickly walked past the fields.

When she arrived at the educated youth dormitory, she looked around to make sure no one was watching, then pulled the pheasant out and calmly entered the courtyard. Nangong Ruochen was already sitting in the yard, enjoying the shade.

“You went to the county town. How’s Li Minglang doing now?” Yun Siying asked, noticing how relaxed he looked.

“He’s still in the hospital. The doctor said he needs to stay a few more days. But I did see Shu Ruxue and Shen Subai at the hospital,” Nangong Ruochen replied as he heard her voice. He closed his book, looked up, and spotted the pheasant in her hands. “Did you go into the mountains?”

“Yeah, I heard the animals in those mountains tastes pretty good, so I went to check it out.” Yun Siying smiled as she put the pheasant and hare down.

“Next time, call me. The mountains aren’t exactly safe. So, do you want to eat pheasant or rabbit today?” Nangong Ruochen asked, eyes fixed on the meat at her feet.

“I’m good at fighting and I know how to stay hidden, you don’t need to worry. Now tell me, how miserable is Li Minglang right now?” Yun Siying was eager to know just how badly he was suffering, it would make her day.

“Ahem! He got a few stitches on his forehead. Not too serious. But he swallowed a lot of pit sewage, it gave him stomach and intestinal issues. He’s had diarrhea and dehydration and is still in the hospital getting IV fluids and being monitored.” Nangong Ruochen couldn’t help but smile as he talked about it.

Yun Siying imagined the scene of Li Minglang gulping down pit sewage who knew how many white worms and feces were swimming in his stomach. ‘Ugh…’ She couldn’t dwell on it anymore.

It was more disgusting than a zombie’s brain. But still, knowing that Li Minglang was suffering filled her with joy. He had tried to set her up, of course she would take revenge. She wasn’t some benevolent saint, she was a vindictive villain.