A Cannon Fodder Who Became The Future Queen - Chapter 18.2

After the incident with Fugui, Ji Ping’an was more careful as she walked up the mountain. She would check with every few steps to make sure there weren’t any large, deliberately hidden pits under her feet.

It was getting warmer and warmer these days. The trees and grass in the forest were growing quickly, and the grass was already up to her calves, making it harder to find prey. But it wasn’t very difficult for Ji Ping’an. As long as she saw prey, she wouldn’t let them have a chance to escape. The [Prey Aiming Scope] would flexibly change according to her will. If she wanted to kill the prey, the arrow would shoot directly at its weak spot. But if she wanted it alive, as long as Ji Ping’an decided where to aim in her mind, the arrow would shoot right there, and the prey couldn’t escape no matter how fast it ran. However, there were limitations. If she wanted to shoot prey that was more than a hundred meters away, the arrow wouldn’t be able to reach, so the [Prey Aiming Scope] couldn’t help either.

“Whoosh—”

An arrow shot out, and Ji Ping’an picked up the sparrow she had hit and put it in her basket. She stood up, ready to leave to look for the next prey, when she heard a voice. “What a great shot. A wooden arrow can go so far!”

Ji Ping’an turned her head and saw a woman who was about the same age and height as her. She was also holding a bow, but there was no memory of this person in the original owner’s mind.

“Who are you?” Ji Ping’an asked.

The woman laughed heartily. “I’m Meng Shuishan from the neighboring village of Shanglin. I’m also a hunter. I came here to look around today and didn’t expect to run into you.”

After hearing Meng Shuishan’s explanation, Ji Ping’an understood. “I’m Ji Ping’an, from Big Willow Village.”

Other than the people from her own village, the original owner basically only knew other rascals like herself. Meng Shuishan was from a neighboring village and was a hunter who roamed the mountains all year round, so it was normal that she didn’t know her.

“The shot you just made was very accurate. How come I’ve never seen you before?” Meng Shuishan had a hearty personality and loved making friends. She knew almost all the hunters within a ten-mile radius, but this was the first time she had seen Ji Ping’an on the mountain.

“I just started hunting a few days ago,” Ji Ping’an said, feeling relieved. It seemed that the effect of the [Prey Aimng Scope] was only visible to her. To others, it would be automatically corrected, and they wouldn’t see anything unusual.

“That’s why!” Meng Shuishan told her. “A while ago, a few other hunters and I tried to hunt a wild boar. The net we set up was broken, and they all got injured. They’re still at home recuperating.”

“I was in charge of shooting arrows, so I was a bit far from the wild boar and didn’t get hurt. I just came up the mountain today to hunt a few wild chickens to help them recover.”

Ji Ping’an gathered the key information. “Do you usually go hunting together?” No wonder she hadn’t run into any other hunters these past few days in such a big forest; they were all injured.

“Yes. There are four of us in total. We usually go hunting together,” Meng Shuishan said, as she couldn’t keep a secret. She told her everything she knew. Meng Shuishan was skilled at archery. The other three were also hunters from the villages near the mountain, and they were in charge of setting nets, setting traps, and using hunting knives for close-range combat with the prey.

After that, she looked at Ji Ping’an. “Do you usually go by yourself? Did you go deep into the forest?”

“I just go around the outskirts by myself to hunt some wild chickens and rabbits,” Ji Ping’an said.

Meng Shuishan was visibly relieved. “That’s good, that’s good. You shouldn’t go deep into the mountains. The prey in there is too fierce. The four of us even get injured sometimes.”

Ji Ping’an nodded. “I’ll remember that.” When she first started hunting, Ji Ping’an had even thought about hunting a wild boar herself. Now, after hearing Meng Shuishan’s words, she gave up on that idea.

Wild boars had tough skin and thick flesh. Even if they were hit in a lethal spot, they could still fight back fiercely.

“Now that we know each other, my wooden hut is in the south. Where’s yours? We can look out for each other from now on.”

“What wooden hut?” Ji Ping’an asked, confused.

Meng Shuishan said, “Ah,” and then explained, “It’s hard to find prey in the mountains, and going up and down every day is too time-consuming. So, we use wood to build a small hut and a wooden bed on the edge of the forest as a simple resting place. We also bring extra dried food from home, so we don’t have to go down the mountain for three to five days.”

“For things like wild chickens and wild rabbits, we just shoot them in the leg. They won’t die if we keep them on the mountain for a couple of days. We can save them up and sell them all at once in the county town.”

After saying that, she asked, “You don’t have a wooden hut, do you?”

Ji Ping’an nodded. “I go home every day after I finish hunting. Sometimes I sell the prey in the county town on the same day.” That’s why her prey wasn’t priced much lower than live prey. The bl00d was still warm when she brought it to the butcher shop.

“Then why don’t you build a wooden hut? It’s not a lot of work,” Meng Shuishan said.

Ji Ping’an smiled. “I have people at home, so I can’t stay on the mountain.” On one hand, it wasn’t safe to leave Shen Zhiyu and Suisui at home alone. On the other hand, if she wasn’t home, she couldn’t increase Shen Zhiyu’s favorable impression.

Meng Shuishan was even more surprised now. “You’re married, and you have to take care of your family?” She was a Qianyuan, and her family was always trying to arrange a marriage for her, but the Kunze always refused as soon as they heard that she was a hunter who was often around bl00d and gore. The other three men were in a similar situation and weren’t married yet either.

Ji Ping’an vaguely nodded, admitting it. “I also have a little sister at home.”

Meng Shuishan’s eyes were filled with envy. “Then you really should go back and spend more time with your family. It’s not easy for hunters like us to get married…”

The two of them had a great conversation and walked together for the rest of the way. After they had both hunted enough prey, they started walking down the mountain. During the walk, Meng Shuishan shared a lot of common hunting knowledge, including which parts of the mountain the common prey lived in and which herbs to use to stop bleeding from injuries. These were all experiences passed down from generations of hunters. Even though Ji Ping’an had a [Prey Aiming Scope], she didn’t have much knowledge in this area, so she listened very carefully.

When they got down the mountain, Meng Shuishan finished talking about the herbs and suddenly slapped her thigh.

Ji Ping’an looked at her. “What’s wrong? Did you leave something on the mountain?”

“No,” Meng Shuishan said. “I was going to ask you if you’d like to hunt with us in the future. We can look out for each other.”

“Don’t worry,” she said. “The money from the prey will be split evenly among us. Of course, if someone gets injured, we’ll give them a little more.” There were only four of them now, and they were still struggling when they ran into fierce prey. They had been wanting to find more people. But it was hard to find hunters, let alone people who were good at archery.

So when Meng Shuishan saw Ji Ping’an’s archery skills in the forest just now, she wanted to ask her to join them. She had been talking about so many things that she had only just remembered to ask now.

Ji Ping’an didn’t agree right away. “How much can each person get from hunting a wild boar?”

Meng Shuishan immediately answered, “A wild boar sells for about ten to twenty silver taels, so each person can get three to four silver taels.”

“If we’re lucky and we hunt a wild deer, we can sell it for about fifty silver taels, and each person can get ten silver taels.”

Ji Ping’an asked, “How often do you run into wild boars or wild deer?” Although she thought Meng Shuishan was a good person, she wouldn’t make a decision so easily when it came to money.

“We go up the mountain every five to ten days, and we usually run into wild boars or wild deer. If we’re lucky, we can even run into wild goats, which sell for a higher price. One wild goat can sell for around a hundred silver taels.”

Meng Shuishan saw that Ji Ping’an hadn’t replied and hesitated for a moment before saying, “The prices I’ve mentioned are real, but we can’t hunt them every time. Prey will always escape sometimes.”

“Plus, we need to buy things like hunting ropes, iron arrows, and thick nets, which also cost money. Although I want you to join us, I can’t hide these things from you.” So, although the silver taels seemed like a lot, the expenses were also not small. Not to mention, hunting deep in the mountains was risking your life. Every hunt was a gamble.

Ji Ping’an nodded. “I know that.” But she had the [Prey Aiming Scope], and her strength was at a great level. With the help of the experienced hunter Meng Shuishan, the number of times prey would escape would definitely be much lower than before. Ji Ping’an was very confident in her abilities. But she didn’t tell Meng Shuishan this.

Ji Ping’an calculated in her mind. She was currently hunting on the outskirts of the forest, so she couldn’t find much prey. Each time, she could only sell for a few hundred copper coins. This was a lot for an ordinary family, but Ji Ping’an wanted to have a better life, so she felt that this money wasn’t enough.

“I’ll think about it.”

Meng Shuishan also knew that hunting deep in the mountains was a matter of life and death, so she had to think about it carefully. Not to mention, Ji Ping’an also had a family, so she would have worries. She understood completely.

As they were talking, Ji Ping’an arrived at her doorstep. Meng Shuishan also said goodbye. “There’s no rush. When you’ve thought it through, you can go to Shanglin Village and find me. Just follow this road straight ahead. If you can’t find my house, just ask the villagers for me by name.”

Ji Ping’an nodded. After watching her leave, she pushed open her door and went inside.

******

Shen Zhiyu was outside the yard, so she had naturally seen Meng Shuishan talking to Ji Ping’an. She took the initiative to ask, “Did you just meet her?”

Ji Ping’an was pleasantly surprised and immediately replied, “Yes, she’s a hunter from the next village. I just met her today. Do you know her?” After all, it was rare for Shen Zhiyu to talk to her on her own.

“No, I don’t.” Shen Zhiyu said. “I’ve just never seen her before.” These past few days, when she had nothing to do, Shen Zhiyu would go out with Suisui to collect firewood or wild vegetables. Although she didn’t talk to the villagers, she would listen carefully to what they said to gather information. She had memorized the faces of almost everyone she had seen, and this was the first time she had seen Meng Shuishan.

“She’s from the next village, so it’s normal that you haven’t seen her. I didn’t even know her before.”

Shen Zhiyu hummed in agreement, then turned and went into the kitchen without asking anything else.

Ji Ping’an: “?” So she came out just to ask her about Meng Shuishan’s situation?

The porridge for the evening was already made. Ji Ping’an washed her hands and went into the kitchen, ready to make the stir-fried bok choy with wild duck eggs she had talked about earlier.

The duck eggs were larger than normal chicken eggs. After heating the oil, she poured them in. Once they turned golden, she took them out first, then put the bok choy in. After cooking it, she stir-fried it with the duck eggs for a while, and the savory aroma filled the air. This dish was easy to make, and Ji Ping’an didn’t have to put in much effort.

But she didn’t know why, but as she was cooking, she suddenly remembered what Meng Shuishan had said about not being married yet. Combined with Shen Zhiyu’s special attitude toward her, a thought suddenly popped into Ji Ping’an’s mind, and she couldn’t shake it.

While eating, Ji Ping’an asked Suisui, “Where did you go today?”

“To the riverside.” Suisui held her bowl and told her about her day while she ate. “A lot of flowers have bloomed, and I even saw fish and shrimp in the river.”

Ji Ping’an smiled. “Was it hard to catch them?”

Suisui nodded. “It was hard. They would hide in the cracks of the rocks.” The river in Daliu Village wasn’t deep, so there was no danger of drowning. Shen Zhiyu didn’t stop her when she wanted to catch them.

After hearing that, Ji Ping’an asked, “Did Ah-Jiu catch any?”

“No, Ah-Jiu was holding my hand on the side.” Shen Zhiyu explained, “My clothes would get wet if I went into the river.” She didn’t like walking around with wet clothes.

Ji Ping’an smiled. “Then I’ll go with you another day when I have time.” After that, she looked at Shen Zhiyu and casually asked, “What do you think of Meng Shuishan, the person I was talking to just now?”

Shen Zhiyu looked up at her, not understanding why Ji Ping’an had suddenly changed the topic. But she still said, “Better than you.” Although she wasn’t sure what kind of person Meng Shuishan was, she definitely wouldn’t say anything that would praise Ji Ping’an.

When those three words came out, Ji Ping’an felt her heart sink a little more. “How can that be?”

“Why don’t you compare us again?”

After asking that, Ji Ping’an started comparing them herself. “Even though Meng Shuishan has a proper appearance, I’m not bad-looking either.”

“And my cooking is delicious. Meng Shuishan is in the mountains all day, so she doesn’t seem like someone who knows how to cook.”

Shen Zhiyu looked at her. “How do you know she can’t cook? And why are you asking this?”

Ji Ping’an choked. Of course, I’m worried that the target of my mission might suddenly become interested in someone else. But she couldn’t say that. If she did, her favorable impression would probably drop by twenty points.

Her voice was a little softer. “I was just asking.”

Shen Zhiyu scoffed.

Ji Ping’an felt relieved when she heard that familiar cold voice. Shen Zhiyu was still Shen Zhiyu after all. It seemed that she was just trying to annoy her on purpose. As long as she wasn’t actually interested in Meng Shuishan, everything would be fine.