Eternal Life: I Have the Favor System-Chapter 33: A Big Catch

"Who’s your master?" the burly man asked.

"My master is the head of the Guo Wei Martial Arts Hall," Chu Lingguang replied.

The burly man paused, clearly recognizing Guo Wei’s name. "Fine," he said. "They’re all yours."

He then cut off all four of the Black Panther’s legs and tossed them to Chu Lingguang. Chu Lingguang tied them with vines and hung the bundle from the Little Red Horse’s neck.

Now that the Black Panther was dead, the Little Red Horse could finally get to its feet. The look it gave Chu Lingguang seemed different than before.

"What’s your name?"

The burly man skinned the panther, carving off the good meat piece by piece. He wrapped it all in the hide, making a bundle that weighed well over a hundred pounds.

"I’m Chu Lingguang. And you are?"

Chu Lingguang was also intensely curious about the burly man’s identity. The man’s Saber Technique was exquisite, his strength was no less than Guo Wei’s, and finding him here in the Qingyang Mountain Range, Chu Lingguang guessed he was probably a Bounty Hunter.

"Go home and ask your master."

The burly man shouldered the hundred-plus pounds of meat, picked up the panther’s head, and started walking toward Qinghe County.

Chu Lingguang didn’t press him. Seeing it was getting late, he knew if he didn’t leave now, he’d be forced to spend the night out in the open. He mounted the Little Red Horse and galloped back toward the Martial Arts Hall. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

After this battle, the Little Red Horse was much more docile. Chu Lingguang rode it out of the forest and galloped across the wilderness, soon reaching the main road. He arrived back at the Martial Arts Hall just as Guo Fang was lighting the lanterns by the gate.

"Junior Brother, you’re finally back! If you’d been any later, Father was going to ride Red Boy out to find you."

Guo Fang exclaimed in delight.

"I ran into a little trouble in the mountains. It was a close call, but I’m fine. And I brought back quite a haul."

Chu Lingguang patted the four thick panther legs.

"You... You bagged some big game?"

Guo Fang leaned in for a closer look and jumped back in fright. She gasped and covered her mouth when she saw the Black Panther’s claws.

"It’s a long story. Senior Sister, could you help me feed Little Red? I need to see Master first."

Chu Lingguang hoisted the four panther legs onto his shoulder.

"Oh, okay."

Guo Fang was still in a daze.

"Master."

Chu Lingguang called out before he even entered the back courtyard.

"I thought you’d been eaten by a wild animal and died in the mountains."

Guo Wei’s scolding voice came from the back courtyard.

"Junior Brother, Master and I were just getting ready to go look for you!"

Hei Hu chimed in with a complaint. Upon hearing Chu Lingguang’s voice, he returned a Great Bow and a quiver full of arrows to their rack. Guo Wei also placed his oft-used Iron Spear back on the Soldier Landing Platform.

Chu Lingguang walked in just in time to see this, and a warmth spread through his chest. He carried the four panther legs over to them and said with a smile, "Master, look what I brought back!"

"Junior Brother, you bagged some big game?"

Hei Hu had the exact same reaction as Guo Fang.

Guo Wei’s eyes lit up as well, but when he saw the black claws, and especially the clean cut on the thigh, he realized something was off. "With your level of skill, you couldn’t have killed an adult Black Panther King," he said, his voice turning serious. "Tell me exactly what happened."

"Master, your eyes are as sharp as ever."

Chu Lingguang knew he couldn’t hide anything from Guo Wei, so he recounted the entire incident in the forest from start to finish.

"Big Saber Hong... He actually saved your life."

Guo Wei sounded incredulous.

The burly man’s towering build, distinct features, exquisite Saber Technique, and use of a great saber were enough for Guo Wei to guess his identity from Chu Lingguang’s brief description.

’Big Saber Hong,’ Chu Lingguang committed the name to memory. "Master, who is he?"

"A bandit chief," Guo Wei explained. "He rules the Cyan Cloud Mountain area and frequently robs travelers on the main roads."

"What?"

Chu Lingguang was completely taken aback. ’He’s a bandit chief? Then there’s no way I can repay these Favors.’ But then he reconsidered. ’If I hadn’t shot the Black Panther in the eye, I never would have escaped if it came after me. In helping him, I saved myself.’ With that thought, Chu Lingguang felt at ease.

"The Government Office already has their eyes on him. Stay away from him in the future."

Guo Wei warned.

"Yes, Master."

Chu Lingguang nodded. Then, remembering something, he took the Leopard Whip out of a sack. "Master," he said, "Big Saber Hong said this Leopard Whip can replenish one’s Qi Blood. I would like to give it to you."

For the past nine months, Guo Wei had spared no expense in training him, and Chu Lingguang was deeply grateful. The moment he got this... thing, his first thought was to give it to Guo Wei to help him recuperate.

"Whoa! That thing’s huge! Master, can you finish that all by yourself?"

Hei Hu exclaimed.

"Hmph! I am in the prime of my life. I have no need for this thing."

Guo Wei shot Hei Hu a glare.

"If you don’t want it, Master, I’ll just take it home and make a stew."

It was, after all, a great tonic for replenishing Qi Blood. Chu Lingguang felt a little reluctant to part with it.

"Stewing it would be a waste. It’s better to leave it with me to be prepared as a medicinal ingredient. Perhaps everyone will have need of it in the future."

Guo Wei proposed.

"Oh."

Chu Lingguang had no choice but to leave it.

"Junior Brother, what are your plans for these four legs?"

Hei Hu asked.

"They’re for Master, too."

Chu Lingguang said dutifully.

Guo Wei felt that his efforts in teaching Chu Lingguang his Martial Arts hadn’t been in vain. Outwardly, however, he remained stern. "Both of you are training harder and are in dire need of meat to supplement your diets. We can boil the bones for broth, parboil the meat, then braise it in a spiced stock. Finally, we’ll sprinkle it with some scallions, garlic, and ginger. Go call your Senior Sister. We’ll all eat together."

"Alright, we’ll all eat together!"

With just a few words, Guo Wei had Chu Lingguang’s mouth watering.

"Master, I suggest we throw that whip in the pot, too,"

Hei Hu piped up, unable to let it go.

The next morning, Hei Hu’s training intensity was increased yet again. By the time they all gathered to eat the panther meat that evening, he was so tired he could barely hold his chopsticks.

「Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.」

Ever since his encounter with the massive Black Panther King on Cyan Cloud Mountain, Chu Lingguang hadn’t gone back. His Archery had now reached the level of Hundred-step Piercing Willow, and hitting a target while on the move was no longer a difficult task for him.

So Guo Wei set up several straw dummies for him in a harvested wheat field. He had Chu Lingguang practice Mounted Archery, demanding that every arrow hit a vital point on the dummies, all while Guo Wei actively tried to distract him from the side.

Chu Lingguang thought it would be easy, but to his surprise, he missed the target completely three times out of ten. Even with the other seven arrows, he struggled to hit the vital points.

Guo Wei immediately explained why. While his Archery still needed refinement, the main problem was that his Riding Skill wasn’t good enough.

To achieve good results in Mounted Archery, he would need a period of intense practice to master his Riding Skill until he was as stable on horseback as he was on solid ground.

For this reason, Chu Lingguang focused on intensifying his Riding Skill training for a long time afterward.

「One month later.」

With only one year, one month, and twenty days until the Daoist Examination, Wang Chao, who had since been promoted to Chief Constable of Baiyang County, came to see Guo Wei.

"Master, I implore you to assist me. Come with me to the mountain to eliminate Big Saber Hong."

Wang Chao had barely sat down before he stated his purpose, kneeling before Guo Wei in supplication.

Chu Lingguang, who had just brought in a pot of freshly brewed tea, froze on the spot when he heard Wang Chao’s words.