Chapter 14: Overbearing

The people of Stone Village rushed through the forest with great urgency, arriving deep within the woods. The area was a mess, with towering trees broken, ancient vines destroyed, and various beast blood staining the ground.

Two monstrous beasts had fought fiercely here, causing chaos and killing many smaller animals. On top of that, the people from Beicun (the neighboring village) had ambushed Shi Feijiao and the others, leaving the place in utter disarray.

The mound of beast corpses, as large as a small hill, had already been removed by the Beicun people, leaving the site completely empty. When Shi Linhu and the others arrived, their anger was palpable; the village’s hard-earned prey had been stolen.

"Chase them!"

They did not stop, heading straight for Beicun, assuming that those carrying the heavy beasts could not have gone too far. Clear tracks were visible in the forest, including beast fur, blood, and scales, which guided them toward the Beicun’s escape route.

“Be careful!”

Shi Linhu, leading the way, signaled for everyone to stop and cleared a large patch of withered grass and fallen leaves, revealing a dark, ominous pit lined with iron spikes, pointing skyward. Anyone falling in would be impaled.

“These Beicun brats are truly ruthless.”

The people of Stone Village were even angrier. This was their territory, and the Beicun people were acting recklessly. Such traps could lead to bloody tragedies.

After advancing a little further, a sudden gust of wind rushed towards Shi Linhu’s throat. The chilling light from the arrow seemed to come from the underworld, terrifying and swift enough to kill in an instant.

It was a long iron arrow, about 1.3 meters in length, with such force and speed that it could pierce through the scales of a dragon-horned elephant. No wonder it could penetrate the three layers of steel armor worn by Stone Village’s people—it was truly frightening.

The attack was so sudden that in the dense forest, Shi Linhu could barely defend himself. Despite his formidable skill and quick reflexes, the cold iron arrow grazed his neck, leaving a trail of blood. The arrowhead narrowly missed piercing his throat.

Only then did the sharp whistling sound of the arrow’s shaft, tearing through the air, become audible—much slower than the arrow itself, highlighting its terrifying speed.

“Clang!”

The iron arrow embedded itself into a distant rock, piercing through it with a metallic clang and creating a shower of sparks, making it all the more terrifying. The force behind such a heavy arrow was immense; few would dare to face it head-on.

The scene fell silent. Shi Linhu touched the bloodied area on his neck, his eyes flashing with cold light. He had been close to death.

In the distance, a young man stood with a bow, his expression cold and unfeeling, his eyes glinting with a cruel light as he stared at them.

“It’s that kid again,” Shi Feijiao and the others were immediately furious. This cold-faced youth had already heavily injured several strong men from their village.

The boy, about fourteen or fifteen years old, was tall with black, glossy hair and fair skin, giving him a handsome appearance. However, his eyes were cold, slightly marring his beauty and giving him an aura of wildness and cruelty.

Behind him, seventy or eighty people were dragging away giant beasts, leaving trails of blood and broken grass and thorns in their wake.

“Beicun brat, apart from using cold arrows, what else can you do? Come over here, and I’ll slap you and knock your head off,” someone yelled angrily.

The handsome young man’s eyes flashed with cold light as he drew his bow and aimed directly at the speaker.

Seeing this, Shi Linhu said nothing. Holding a massive black bow made of dragon horns, he swiftly drew the bowstring and fired an iron arrow.

“Clang!”

The two thick iron arrows collided in mid-air, sparking and producing a harsh sound as they fell to the ground.

The crowd gasped. The boy’s archery and strength were astonishing, able to match Shi Linhu, the strongest man in Stone Village, despite being only a teenager.

“Clang,” “Clang!”

Sparks flew in the forest as arrows continuously collided, creating a storm of sound like a meteor shower. The ground was littered with arrows, and the noise was deafening.

The strongest man of Stone Village, Shi Linhu, was evenly matched with the boy, surprising everyone. The youth’s strength was such that he could lift five or six thousand-pound copper cauldrons.

This display of power was chilling. A young man with such incredible strength at such a young age was truly frightening.

“A friend from Stone Village, forgive us. We need a large number of beasts. Please let us keep the spoils of this hunt, and we will reward you generously in the future,” a middle-aged man from Beicun spoke up loudly.

“For stealing our prey, ambushing our people, and inflicting severe injuries, how can you speak of forgiveness? You’ve committed great wrongs and are so nonchalant about it—what is the reasoning behind this?” Shi Linhu roared.

“When disputes arise and conflicts occur, bloodshed is inevitable. It’s a rule known to all men of the wild,” said the leader of Beicun’s hunting team.

“If you’re not satisfied, bring it on,” another high-ranking Beicun man said aggressively.

The people of Stone Village were infuriated. Having been ambushed and their prey stolen, they could not tolerate the Beicun people’s arrogance and lack of reason.

“Then let’s fight!” Shi Feijiao shouted.

“Do you think I’m afraid of you?” the leader of Beicun’s hunting team retorted, his imposing stature nearly two meters tall, exuding an oppressive aura.

“Clang,” “Clang!”

The sound of weapons being drawn was continuous as many people raised their large swords, their cold glint and murderous intent causing the leaves in the forest to fall.

“I advise you to return from where you came. If you take one more step forward, I will shoot you all without mercy,” the handsome young man from Beicun suddenly spoke, his words provoking and enraging the people, who wanted nothing more than to shoot him first.

Shi Linhu responded angrily, “Kid, you’re still a child and already have such power. But with your arrogance and cruelty, you won’t end well.”

At the same time, he drew his bow and shot directly at the youth. Given the situation, there was no turning back but to fight.

“Clang!”

The iron arrows collided again, causing the forest to resonate with a buzzing sound.

“Kill!”

The people from Stone Village, armed with bows, swords, and heavy clubs, surged forward like unleashed beasts, creating a whirlwind of chaos.

The Beicun people, equally formidable and unyielding, charged back. A fierce battle was about to erupt.

At this moment, a small figure darted to the forefront like a swift bird, shouting loudly, “You’re stealing the food we rely on for survival and trying to kill our uncles. Uncle Fu is so kind and good-hearted, almost shot dead. You are all villains!”

Shi Hao’s face flushed with anger, his small fists clenched tightly, his eyes blazing with fury. Having grown up in Stone Village, he had only known warmth and kindness and had never encountered such overbearing people.

The people from Beicun were surprised, then burst into laughter. They hadn’t expected that, aside from a few older children, Stone Village would have such a young child among them, which only seemed to complicate things for his people.

The iron arrow whizzed through the air. The fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy from Beicun, with a cold and indifferent expression, drew back his terrifying large bow, aiming to shoot Little Dot.

The people of Stone Village were burning with rage, furious beyond measure. After all, it was just a child. Little Dot was usually well-behaved and adorable, and the fact that the boy would even target a young child was outrageous.

Shi Linhu drew his bow to intervene and break the boy’s iron arrow, but his expression changed abruptly.

This time, the boy fired four arrows at once, their cold light flashing like lightning. Shi Linhu could only manage to shoot three arrows in response; the boy’s strength was astonishing.

“Clang,” “Clang”

Three pairs of arrows collided in mid-air and fell to the ground, while one iron arrow, over a meter long, hurtled toward Little Dot’s throat, chilling and menacing.

Little Dot reached out with his hand to intercept the arrow, startling the villagers who shouted, “Get out of the way!”

They knew that Shi Hao had exceptional talent, but he was still not yet four years old. Although he had lifted thousand-pound copper cauldrons, the boy was older and had even more impressive strength, capable of lifting five or six cauldrons and matching Shi Linhu’s prowess.

“How can you even target a child?” the people of Stone Village were livid with rage.

“Clang!”

To their astonishment, Little Dot’s left hand struck the arrow shaft, deflecting it sideways. The crowd was left speechless and dumbfounded.

Only a few noticed a symbol glowing briefly on his palm before it quickly faded.

“Whoosh”

Little Dot leaped into the air, charging straight toward the Beicun boy.