Whoosh!
An arrow blurred through the twenty-meter gap and struck a rotting corpse right in the center of its forehead. Blood spurted as the shaft embedded deep, only the fletching left visible.
Before the corpse even hit the ground, a second arrow flew beneath its armpit and precisely pierced the forehead of the zombie behind it. Another burst of blood. Another instant kill.
By the time the first corpse thudded to the ground, the last one had already fallen. Liu Weian lowered his bow. His arms were numb with fatigue, but his mood was euphoric. One hundred and fifty arrows, fired in one go, until his strength gave out. It was clear now—his Strength Seed had truly enhanced his body. It wasn't just his imagination.
While Black Ox and the others were loading up the carts, Liu Weian remained lost in thought, still fixated on the matter of bows and arrows. As an archer, his bow was naturally his best companion. After that came arrows. He already had a bow. What he lacked were arrows.
In theory, this problem had an easy fix—just buy more. But then reality reared its head. The shops in Stonehold sold mostly iron arrows, but they were expensive—not cost-effective. Wooden and bamboo arrows were cheaper, but their penetration power was subpar. They might work on humans, but not on rotting corpses.
These zombies weren't just muscular; they were laced with corpse poison. If a wooden arrow hit one, the shaft was essentially done for—contaminated and unrecoverable. A reusable weapon turned into a one-time-use item. A frustrating waste.
No arrows to buy? Then he'd have to make his own.
He didn't have the time to do it himself, but he could always hire someone. In this World of Beasts, there were plenty of idle hands desperate for work. With enough money, you could get anything done.
It was just that… he'd been poor for so long he'd forgotten the power of coin. Though he now had a small fortune, he hadn't yet formed the habit of solving problems with money. That's why such a minor issue had nagged at him for so long.
"Black Ox, I've got a question."
"Shoot, Brother Liu," said Black Ox, heaving another corpse onto the cart and wiping sweat from his brow.
"You hang around the city gates a lot. Know any carpenters? I need someone to make arrows." Liu Weian looked at him with hopeful eyes. The city gates saw heavy traffic—good place for news.
"Carpenters?" Black Ox's eyes lit up. "My family are carpenters. It's in our blood."
"Your family?" Liu Weian gave him a skeptical look. What are the odds?
"Don't get me wrong. It's true. Carpentry's been in my family for generations. But it stopped with my dad. I thought carpentry was useless, so I never learned." He gave an awkward chuckle. "My dad nearly broke my legs over it."
"Can we bring your dad in, then?" Liu Weian asked.
"He can't come. He fell while chopping wood up in the mountains a while back—broke his arm. Still hasn't fully healed." Seeing Liu Weian's disappointed look, Black Ox added quickly, "But no worries. My dad can't, but Yellow Ox's and Stone Ox's dads are also carpenters—my dad's junior apprentices, my master-uncles. They're not as skilled as my dad, but they can definitely make arrows. And honestly…" Black Ox glanced at the quiver, "...the ones you're using? Look handmade. Kinda crappy."
Liu Weian blinked. He'd always thought his homemade arrows were better than anything sold in stores. Being looked down on like that? A little embarrassing. Still, he pressed on.
"Can your uncles come?"
"No problem. They're idle after the New Year. Just say the word." Black Ox grinned, full of confidence.
"Great. We can work out a price later." Liu Weian, for once, spoke with rare generosity.
"Thanks, Brother Liu." Black Ox smiled wide. "By the way, there's something you should know—might be useful."
"Let's hear it."
"A new apothecary just opened in Stonehold yesterday. It's called Doctor Who Can't Let You Die. I figure they'll be buying zombie corpses too. New stores usually offer good deals. You should check them out—might get a better price."
"Appreciate that. That's very useful," Liu Weian's eyes lit up. This was worth looking into.
Ten minutes later, the loading was done. Five ox carts in total. Thanks to Liu Weian's heads-up earlier that morning, Black Ox had borrowed an extra one. They had fifty more zombie corpses than usual, each cart stacked higher than before. The old oxen mooed in protest, and their pace was noticeably slower.
Liu Weian sat atop one of the carts, watching the sky grow darker, his thoughts drifting again.
At his current speed—killing 250 to 300 zombies per day—that meant a profit of about 2.5 to 3 gold coins. Looting meat pouches brought in another 1 to 1.5. Altogether, he was making roughly 3.5 to 4.5 gold a day.
Give it a month, and he'd top out at 150 gold—still 50 short of his target. His goal was 200 gold coins per month. With that, in three months, he, Zhao Nan'nan, and Zhao Xin could all leave the slave district.
But 50 more gold? That wasn't easy money.
Maybe he'd have to sell his meat pouches after all.
It wasn't a decision he made lightly. The pouches could contain anything—valuable or worthless. The worst ones were empty. The best? No one knew. Someone once opened a pouch and found a purple coin. One purple coin was worth 1,000 gold.
It was basically gambling—low cost, high reward. Every merchant guild in Stonehold bought meat pouches, their price determined by the monster slain. Over time, people had figured out the pattern: stronger, rarer monsters yielded better loot. Common or weak monsters? Not so much. But even the lowest-quality pouch fetched at least 1 silver coin.
Liu Weian had considered selling them before—many times—but had always held back.
The math was simple. If he sold all his pouches, he still wouldn't make enough to buy even one Takwood Bow. But open just one lucky pouch, and he'd recoup the cost instantly.
Unless he was truly desperate, it wasn't worth selling.
"Still, killing bandits is the real moneymaker..." Liu Weian sighed.
He had just muttered this when the ox cart in front suddenly halted. His expression sharpened. He shot to his feet—and saw a group of people blocking the road.
Bandits again?
He reached for his bow.
"Wait! I'm not a bandit. I'm here to talk business!" The man in front, a strikingly handsome fellow, raised his hands as soon as he saw the arrow aimed at him.
Liu Weian held back the shot, eyes locked on the man, but didn't lower his bow.
"My name is Sun Shouwu. I'm from the new apothecary Doctor Who Can't Let You Die," said the man loudly. "I'd like to make you an offer."
"Talk," Liu Weian finally said, lowering the bow.
"These zombie corpses—you're not taking them home to eat, are you?"
"Selling," Liu Weian's face twitched slightly.
"Perfect!" Sun Shouwu slapped his thigh in delight. "If it's for sale, let's talk business—highest bidder wins. Name your price."
"I've got a contract," Liu Weian replied.
"Come on, now," Sun Shouwu laughed. "There's only one apothecary in Stonehold—that'd be the He family's. And let's be honest, with your background, I doubt you're 'contract' material. The He family? Their noses are so high they can see their own foreheads."
Liu Weian stayed silent.
"Let me guess—He family's offering you 1.6 to 2.2 silver coins per corpse?" Sun Shouwu said seriously. "I'll give you 3 silver. Straight up."
Liu Weian's eyebrows twitched. Businessmen really are ruthless. He'd thought 1 silver coin was already generous. Turns out, there was way more fat in the deal. No wonder people loved trade.
If Sun Shouwu could offer 3 coins and still make money, then the He family was flipping a 2+ coin profit per corpse. Once processed into poison, who knew how much more it was worth?
Liu Weian was tempted. Very tempted.
"3 coins is a great deal," Sun Shouwu added. "But fine—3.2. That's my final offer. Yes or no?"
"You're authorized to make this deal?"
"I'm the heir of Doctor Who Can't Let You Die. The whole shop's mine to run. Of course I'm authorized."
"Deal."
"Nice!" Sun Shouwu laughed again. "I'll send someone with you. I've got other matters. By the way—what's your name?"
"Liu Weian."
"Liu, eh? Good name. See you around." With that, Sun Shouwu and his twenty-man entourage rode off.
An hour later, Liu Weian's group arrived at Doctor Who Can't Let You Die. The shop was only fifty meters from the He family's store. Large, well-lit, over a hundred square meters. Luxurious decor. Business was booming—dozens of staff bustled about.
The clerk sent by Sun Shouwu exchanged a few words with the manager—a man also surnamed Sun—who then led Liu Weian's group into the back courtyard. It was filled with herbs Liu Weian didn't recognize, but they looked expensive. Behind the courtyard stood a row of rooms—either storage or living quarters.
One door opened. Out stepped a girl of seventeen or eighteen, her features delicate as a painting, her skin porcelain white—stunningly beautiful.
Though dusk had already fallen, Liu Weian felt the whole world brighten the moment she stepped out.
He used to think the phrase "a sight to behold" was just poetic nonsense. Now, he realized—it was real.
The girl held a book in her hand. She glanced at the ox carts and let out a curious hum. Stepping forward, her eyes twinkled with delight—not disgust.
"Zombies, huh? Not bad. Not bad at all."
"Greetings, Miss," the manager greeted respectfully.
She ignored him, still examining the corpses. Despite their stench and crawling maggots, she looked utterly fascinated—like a child with a new toy.
Liu Weian couldn't help but find her expression... strange.
"How much did you pay?" she asked.
"3.2 silver coins, Miss."
"Too much. No need to ask—I bet my wastrel brother did this." She snorted and turned her gaze to Liu Weian. "If it were me? I wouldn't pay more than 2 coins. The He family wouldn't even offer 1.5. If you're not trying to throw money away, sell to the Sun family from now on."
"I—" Liu Weian barely got a word out before she cut him off.
"Don't worry, we're honest folk. If we promise a price, we pay it—down to the last coin. And from now on, anything you've got to sell, bring it to the Sun family."
With that, she walked off without a backward glance.
Liu Weian watched her retreating figure.
Now that's a woman with character.