Water Ink Panel: Starting with Bow Technique to Hunt the Sun and Patrol the Skies

Shen Qing often travelled between Hongshan Village and the county town, and the mandatory route he had to take was exactly under the control of this "Boss".

If he avoided meeting this "Boss", he might escape on the first day, but not on the fifteenth.

Sooner or later, he was bound to encounter him.

It was better to meet by chance rather than choosing a day.

He could also take this opportunity to gauge the depth of his adversary.

Otherwise, if he refused today and offended the other party, he would have no room to maneuver in the future.

After killing two men, Shen Qing did not linger, but quickly got up and left, stealthily waiting in an alley nearby.

Not long after, a flurry of footsteps sounded on the road; a group of people quickly passed by the alley.

Shen Qing, keen-eyed, recognized Shen Xiaohu among them, and he stepped out of the alley and called, "Xiao Hu."

Shen Xiaohu, holding a bow and arrows, suddenly halted.

He turned to look behind him and, seeing Shen Qing, his face filled with confusion as he hurriedly approached and asked, "Brother Qingzi, what are you doing here?"

Shen Qing did not explain much, merely saying, "Waiting for you all."

Now, without the subordinates of the Boss to restrain him, the initiative was in his hands.

Shen Qing felt slightly more confident, no longer so urgent.

His gaze moved past Shen Xiaohu to the group behind him.

Seeing the face of "Senior Brother Ouyang Tiezhu", he was somewhat surprised.

If he remembered correctly, wasn't the senior brother injured?

Shen Qing was somewhat puzzled.

Besides this senior brother, there was another person even more unfamiliar, not from Linfeng Hall.

He looked to be in his early twenties, with dark skin and a resolute face, wearing a slightly whitened cotton garment that wrapped his lean yet robust frame.

"And this is..." Shen Qing asked.

"Yang Zhao Ping." The twenty-year-old youth greeted with a fist salute, introducing himself very efficiently.

After he finished speaking, "Senior Brother Ouyang Tiezhu" scanned Shen Qing from head to toe and asked, "Are you the employer?"

"Hmm?"

As this "Senior Brother" spoke, Shen Qing immediately sensed something odd.

The voice was similar to before, and he looked nearly the same, yet the tone was completely different, exuding upbringing.

He immediately thought of something Ouyang Tiezhu had mentioned—that he had a younger brother.

"Are you... Ouyang Tie Niu?"

As Shen Qing spoke, he glanced subtly at Shen Xiaohu.

Shen Xiaohu quickly explained, "We met him at the doorway when we were leaving."

Seeing that Shen Qing had recognized him, Ouyang Tie Niu did not deny it.

He seriously extended two fingers and shook them in front of Shen Qing's eyes, emphasizing, "Initially agreed on, two Silver Taels, don't forget!"

Shen Qing was stunned for a moment, then, realizing, he laughed and said, "Brother Ouyang is really straightforward. Not just two taels, if it's well done, twenty taels are possible."

"Really?" Ouyang Tie Niu was somewhat startled by the amount Shen Qing mentioned, as if it struck a chord in his heart.

"Of course it's true, I'm well-read and wouldn't deceive you," Shen Qing said with a smile.

If he initially went with the two subordinates of the boss, it would undoubtedly mean bowing down and acting submissive, a very passive situation where it was easy to be manipulated.

But now it was different.

The two subordinates originally sent by the boss had been killed by him, and now Shen Xiaohu and four others had followed him.

If they went over together, the momentum would be enough, and the confidence too.

It concerned his safety; this was not a time to be stingy about money, so he made a bold promise.

In his view, since Boss had been rampant in the Outer City for so long, he should have the money; it was just a matter of whether it could be accessed.

Shen Qing's words struck a chord with Ouyang Tie Niu.

What others didn't know was that ever since Wang Ma's death, he had been out of a livelihood, and what he lacked the most was silver.

He also went to Linfeng Hall today thinking about asking for help from his elder brother.

If he could earn some money, even if it meant meeting his boss's boss, he didn't mind putting on a show; if things went south, he'd just run.

He was familiar with this way.

As the saying goes, know thyself, know thy enemy, and you will win a hundred battles.

When Shen Qing met Ouyang Tiezhu, he recalled something and asked proactively, "I remember your brother once told me you were under Wang Ma, that is, under this Boss. How much do you know about him?"

Ouyang Tie Niu pondered for a while before replying, "Boss's real name is Zhao Ba. He came here from the county town to make a living. In his youth, he challenged many heroes in the eighteen districts of the Outer City, and finally stabilized his footing in this West City area."

"He had five followers, but now two are dead, leaving only three."

"What about Zhao Ba's cultivation level?"

Ouyang Tie Niu spoke openly, "He practices a Hard Qi Gong known as the Iron Pine Technique, possessing brute strength. Last year, he had just begun the stretching and bone strengthening, and now I guess he's just reached the stretching level and hasn't advanced to the bone strengthening stage yet."

Hearing this, Shen Qing felt even more confident.

After three to four days of intense training, he had consistently improved his skill in Wind Defying Finger, and he had also entered the stretching realm, perfecting his technique.

He was not much behind this Zhao Ba.

Shen Qing looked around at everyone and asked, "Does anyone here specialize in Bow Technique?"

Seeing no one respond.

Shen Qing grew helpless, he glanced at Shen Xiaohu and said sternly, "Later, you follow us from behind and hide well, then act accordingly. Only a hidden arrow is hardest to defend against."

Shen Xiaohu nodded vigorously and said, "Okay."

After giving instructions, Shen Qing bowed slightly to Xiao Zhi and the others, saying, "Thank you all for following me for this visit."

...

Outside the West City Gate in the Outer City area.

In a low slum area, a distinctly eye-catching mansion stood.

Its walls were smooth, with green bricks and black tiles, shaded by green trees inside, stone paths leading to a half-open wood door.

It sharply contrasted with the surrounding simple houses.

Inside the mansion, Zhao Ba, the hero of West City area, was sitting in the main seat of the mansion's hall.

He was dressed in a black robe, his face stern, continuously tapping on the table, producing a thudding sound.

"What time is it already, why hasn't the kid shown up?"

After a while, some of his subordinates grew impatient and started to grumble.

Zhao Ba picked up the teacup in front of him, took a light sip, then set it down, his voice low, "I have already sent people over, even if he doesn't want to come, they will bring him here. In this Taiping County, aside from those officials and nobles, no one can disregard my authority."

"No rush, good things take time. Just a mere hunter, he can't stir up much trouble."

Just then, a faint sound of footsteps came from outside, followed by a knock on the door.

Zhao Ba waved his hand, signaling his men to be quiet.

"Alright, the person I called is here."

One of his subordinates took the initiative to step forward, went behind the door, and opened the big door.

Shen Qing, dressed in a gray-green cotton outfit, stood outside the door.