Chapter 8: The Apprentice

After finishing the lottery, Yun Qing checked the favorability list—there was no change in how Ye Qiaoqiao and Ye Xiaolang felt about her. The only difference was that the points for the lottery system had disappeared.

Next, she examined the prize she had just received—a skill? A crosshair?

Yun Qing searched her inventory and checked her skills, but couldn’t find where this auxiliary skill was located.

A crosshair must be related to aiming.

As the thought crossed her mind, a small stone appeared in her hand. Focusing intently, she aimed to throw it at a small branch ten meters away. Suddenly, a red crosshair appeared on the branch, adjusting in size or vanishing altogether depending on the strength she intended to use.

Yun Qing swung her arm, released the stone, and hit exactly where the crosshair had marked.

A perfect hit!

Yun Qing was overjoyed—this auxiliary would make hunting much easier.

However, she was also aware that she couldn’t rely solely on the crosshair. It was fine for hitting stationary objects, but prey would hardly stand still for her; the more ferocious ones might even fight back.

She also had spiritual sense among her attributes. Once she could lock onto a target with her spiritual sense, it would be even more useful than the crosshair. For now, the crosshair was perfect for her early stage.

Yes, very suitable.

Yun Qing glanced back at Liuliu. In the future, she’d need to sacrifice something practical for the lottery if she wanted to get something truly useful.

Liuliu felt a vague sense of impending doom.

Yun Qing practiced a few more times and quickly got a sense of how to use the crosshair. But after a dozen throws, fatigue began to cloud her mind.

One day, Ye Qiaoqiao happened to see Yun Qing gathering medicinal herbs. Her smooth, practiced movements awed Ye Qiaoqiao, leaving her both disheartened and secretly admiring. She had been picking herbs for two years and was the best in the herb-gathering group, one of the top among her peers in Ye Family Village. Yet, she was less skilled than Yun Qing, who had only been at it for a few days.

Yun Qing wasn’t just talented at identifying herbs; her harvesting skills were astonishing as well. At first, she made no progress simply because she didn’t know how. But now, her proficiency was unmatched even by the most experienced in their group.

Ye Qiaoqiao’s talent was vastly outshined—she couldn’t even muster any jealousy. Instead, she resolved to work even harder, determined not to become complacent just because she was one of the best in Ye Family Village. There is always someone better out there.

At night, Yun Qing visited the village blacksmith, gathering detailed information about the prices of various weapons and considering which would suit her best.

The weapon shop held more than eighteen types—swords, spears, sabers, halberds, axes, maces, hooks, forks, whips, clubs, hammers, and others—many of which she didn’t even recognize.

After browsing for a while, Yun Qing was most drawn to the bow—a weapon for ranged attacks, perfectly complemented by her crosshair. It felt tailor-made for her.

She also wanted a melee weapon—a dagger, for self-defense and skinning; and for close combat, something longer for greater reach.

Her plans were grand, but reality was unforgiving. In these few days, she’d saved only a few taels of silver—not enough to buy a weapon, barely enough for a single metal arrow.

Just as she was pondering how to acquire weapons more quickly, a proud voice interrupted her: “Hey, what are you doing here?”

It was Ye Xiaolang!

Yun Qing smiled, “I wanted to look at weapons and see when I might be able to hunt alongside you.”

If she wanted to go hunting, she’d have to join Ye Xiaolang’s hunting team. There was no hiding her intentions here.

She remembered how, a few days ago, he’d asked what she could do, and back then, she couldn’t do anything at all.

Ye Xiaolang tilted his chin and asked, “Have you ever killed anyone?”

Killed anyone! Yun Qing’s heart skipped a beat. Apart from actors in movies and TV, she’d never so much as witnessed a killing, let alone committed one.

What did killing have to do with hunting? She just wanted to hunt game, not people.

Ye Xiaolang read her expression and sneered, “So, what have you killed?”

Yun Qing shook her head, thinking: Do mosquitoes count?

“Are you afraid of dying, of getting hurt, of bleeding?”

Was it truly that dangerous? Yun Qing had indeed seen some of the villagers injured.

She swallowed hard. Hunting meant killing animals, who would fight back. Hunters could get hurt, bleed, maybe even die. Someone as inexperienced as her might hurt herself before even seeing any game.

Ye Xiaolang explained, “Hunting isn’t just about killing whatever you want—prey doesn’t appear just because you wish for it. Usually, a whole team works together to bring down one or a group of large carnivores. To be a hunter, you must have the courage to face danger, to bleed, to get hurt, and to stare death in the eye without flinching.”

It sounded much harder than she’d imagined. But what choice did she have? Her character level was a pitiful one—she couldn’t remain in this novice village forever.

She looked at Ye Xiaolang resolutely. “I don’t know much now, but I will work hard to learn.”

Ye Xiaolang had seen Yun Qing’s ability to learn. Regardless of gender, Ye Family Village welcomed anyone willing to become a hunter.

“From the look of you, I doubt you’ve killed anything, and you haven’t reached the Acquired Martial Artist stage. You couldn’t even be an errand runner for the hunting team. The village trains hunter apprentices, but since you’re not from Ye Family Village, you’ll need to pay five taels of silver. Do you want to learn?”

She still didn’t know what level corresponded to the Acquired Martial Artist stage. But being an apprentice seemed a feasible path. Yun Qing squeezed the few taels hidden in her sleeve—after paying five taels, she’d have less than two left.

“I want to learn. What exactly will I learn?” Learning was an investment in herself; she was willing to spend the money as long as it wasn’t completely pointless.

“You’d apprentice in the slaughterhouse. There are no wild beasts for you to practice on, only domesticated poultry and livestock. While this won’t improve your ability to react to danger, at least you’ll gain experience in killing. Once you’re done there, you can join the hunting team as an errand runner.”

The slaughterhouse!

Killing poultry and livestock? Yun Qing had never imagined that her second job after transmigrating would be as a butcher’s apprentice.

If killing monsters earned her experience, then for someone with a system like hers, this would be the best job possible.

“I want to learn. How do I pay, and where do I go?”

“You may not be suited for this. Go and see the slaughterhouse for yourself tomorrow—decide if you can handle it.”

“All right! Thank you, Xiaolang.”

“Don’t call me Xiaolang.”

Back in her room, Yun Qing lay on her bed, lost in thought. She had never witnessed a bloody scene in her previous life. Once, when her family wanted to eat roast whole lamb and she learned the lamb would be slaughtered on the spot, she had pleaded with them not to order it.

She was no vegetarian, and she felt nothing for the pre-packaged meat in supermarkets. But when it came to an animal being killed for her, she felt uncomfortable—except for fish and shrimp.

Perhaps her life had been too sheltered to harbor such thoughts. In this dangerous world with fragile laws, only by growing stronger could she protect herself. She hoped her heart could grow resilient enough to endure the life of a butcher’s apprentice.

Yun Qing quietly steeled herself: My level cannot remain at one forever. I must level up. The fate of the village’s poultry and livestock was sealed long ago—not a single one would die a natural death.