C14 Shock

Jieyang simply didn't have as many concerns as Jie'ao. At the moment, his focus was solely on the bow and arrow. He wasn't particularly interested in investigating why the hunting team had been attacked by the Moon Wolf. Over the past six months, it had become common for the hunting team to suffer casualties during their expeditions. This time, the number of injuries was higher, but thankfully, there were no fatalities, and those injured weren't in critical condition. This made the situation easier for the Elder Council to handle.

However, for Jie'ao, the aftermath of this incident raised questions about his future as the potential captain of the hunting team, a decision that rested in the hands of the Elder Council.

At present, the priority was to delve into the specifics of the bow and arrow. Jie'ao mentioned that the invention was the brainchild of a kid named Yuan Ge, about whom Jieyang knew nothing.

With that in mind, Jieyang resolved to first thoroughly investigate the bow and arrow before addressing anything else.

The following day, Yuan Ge arrived at the grass field bright and early, armed with his new bow. The previous night's downpour had left the entire field shrouded in a gray mist. Breathing in the crisp, post-rain air, Yuan Ge felt revitalized down to every cell. After some preliminary stretches, he gripped the bow and notched an arrow from his quiver onto the string.

The bow was exceptionally sturdy, and the draw weight was substantial. Yuan Ge wondered whether he could draw it fully.

As he tensed his arm muscles, the bow creaked under the tension, emitting a series of sharp cracks reminiscent of the first time he had drawn the Gorewood, though now the sounds were even more distinct.

But when the bow reached only two-thirds of its full draw, Yuan Ge couldn't pull it any further. It wasn't the bow's rigidity that stopped him; he had simply exhausted all his strength and still couldn't achieve a full draw.

Undeterred, Yuan Ge clenched his teeth and continued to pull with all his might. After several attempts, he couldn't even reach two-thirds of the draw, and his arms began to quiver from the strain and soreness.

Yuan Ge let out a wry smile and plopped down onto the grass, thinking to himself, "It seems my physical strength is still lacking. I can't even draw the bow. The saying 'to do good work, one must first sharpen one's tools' couldn't be more accurate. To draw this bow, I'll need to first increase my strength to meet the standard."

He even recalled what Jie'ao had once told him. Reflecting on it now, there was some truth to his words. Indeed, with the Gorewood Bow, one could shoot many rabbits. But what about when facing larger creatures? Take the Moon Wolf that Jie'ao and his team encountered – could the bow really penetrate their thick hides?

It's becoming clear that in this world, intelligence alone might not always cut it. True strength is the ultimate path to survival. Cunning and shortcuts are fine for minor skirmishes, but when facing a formidable opponent, combat prowess is the only reliable weapon.

With this in mind, Yuan Ge stood up, inhaled deeply, and once again drew the bow to two-thirds of its full length. As he relaxed his fingers, the arrow whistled through the air, propelled by the bow's powerful elasticity. It sliced through the mist, vanishing from Yuan Ge's view.

"That's incredibly far!"

Yuan Ge could hardly believe his eyes. He had only wanted to test the distance the arrow could cover when the bow was drawn to two-thirds of its capacity. This would give him an idea of the potential power when fully drawn.

Counting his steps, he made his way toward where the arrow had landed.

"One hundred ninety-eight, one hundred ninety-nine..."

It wasn't until he reached two hundred thirty steps that Yuan Ge found the arrow embedded in the grass. He was utterly astounded; the bow had been drawn only halfway, and yet the arrow had flown such a distance. Fully drawn, the power would be unimaginable. It would be more than enough to pierce the hide of wild beasts, monsters, or even a spirit animal. This was the formidable power Yuan Ge sought.

With a singular focus, he resolved to enhance his arm strength as quickly as possible. He was determined to fully draw the bow in the shortest amount of time. With that thought, Yuan Ge scooped up the arrow from the ground and hurried off the grassland, eager to continue his training.

On the far side of the tribe, Jiekui, with a bow and arrows slung across his back and clutching a handful of stone spears, was gearing up to hunt rabbits in the grasslands when he was halted by a voice. Turning around, he was met with the sight of Chief Jieyang standing there with his hands clasped behind his back.

Jiekui quickly bowed his head and greeted him with utmost respect, "Chief, good morning!"

Jieyang gave a nod of approval. The tribe's youth were well-mannered indeed. He recalled his own youth, when the mere sight of a tribal elder could send him into a panic.

"Is that a bow and arrows you're carrying?" Jieyang asked, deliberately softening his tone. He was there to inquire, not to flaunt his status. After all, there was no need to assert his authority over a child.

Jiekui's heart raced at the question. Everyone knew Jieyang was Jie'ao's father, and Jieyang's reaction to children wielding bows was notoriously fierce. If the child was bold, the father was not far behind. What was he to do? And as the chief, surely Jieyang recognized a bow when he saw one. Why ask such a pointless question? The real dilemma was how to respond without inviting trouble. Agree, and risk a beating; disagree, and after others were consulted, the beating would come anyway. And then, to top it off, his own father would likely continue the punishment at home. He cursed inwardly, regretting not having paid proper homage to his ancestors before leaving the house.

When Jiekui remained silent, Jieyang prompted, "May I take a look at your bow?"

With no other recourse, Jiekui nervously extended the bow towards Jieyang, bracing himself as he closed his eyes and thought, "Go ahead, I can take it!"

Jieyang took the bow, weighing it in his hands. It felt similar to the stone spear, but he wondered about its potential power. "Can you show me how this works?" he asked.

Jiekui's eyes snapped open in disbelief. "You're Jie'ao's father. How do you not know how to use this?" he thought. But resigned to his fate, he decided to demonstrate. Taking the bow back from Jieyang, he drew an arrow from his beast skin bag, nocked it, and let it fly toward a large tree nearby. The accuracy was unquestionable; the target was large, yet the arrow missed, zipping past the tree's bark.

It's no surprise that Jiekui's shot went astray. With such a formidable figure standing beside him, anyone's hands would shake.

After observing just one arrow, Jieyang discerned something about Jiekui's technique. He was quite certain Jiekui was aiming for the tree, but the accuracy—or lack thereof—prompted Jieyang to silently curse, "What kind of aim is that?"

He borrowed an arrow from Jiekui and, mimicking his movements, decided to give it a try himself. In Jieyang's hands, the bow felt almost like a toy. He drew it effortlessly and let loose an arrow toward the large tree.