Chapter 8: The Hunter

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“You want to buy some meat from me to mask the scent of Dabao and kill the last offspring of the White Dragon Fish,” Jiang Tu said without much surprise after hearing Chu Danqing’s request.

Dabao had brought the White Dragon Fish offspring to his shop for processing as soon as he arrived.

“Yes, Dabao said there are only three offspring of the White Dragon Fish, so we might as well get rid of them all together,” Chu Danqing explained honestly.

“Your plan is feasible, but pork alone can’t completely cover the scent,” Jiang Tu said with a confident smile. “You need to use this.”

As he spoke, Jiang Tu pulled out a stack of leather.

From the appearance and texture, Chu Danqing immediately recognized it as the skin from the White Dragon Fish offspring.

There were several pieces, indicating that many of the offspring had already been killed by Dabao, and some of their skins were kept in Jiang Tu’s shop.

“Have Dabao wear it, then hide in the grass. Only the White Dragon Fish can smell it, and its offspring aren’t developed enough to detect it yet,” Jiang Tu advised.

Chu Danqing took the skins, which fit Dabao perfectly—clearly prepared for him.

He wasn’t the only one observant and insightful; after all, the people of Xianghua Village had been struggling with the White Dragon Fish for a long time. There was no way they had no countermeasures.

Thus, the village’s methods for dealing with the White Dragon Fish far exceeded Chu Danqing’s alone.

“By the way, Chu, if you’re going to use yourself as bait, having only Dabao isn’t enough.”

“I’ll go fetch Wu Laoliu from the village; he’s a well-known hunter here,” Jiang Tu said cheerfully.

Chu Danqing readily agreed. “Thanks, Jiang Tu.”

“Don’t mention it. Wu Laoliu should be thanking you. His third wife was dragged under by this damn creature,” Jiang Tu said as he kicked the White Dragon Fish offspring and left his meat shop.

Within just half a quarter of an hour, he returned with a middle-aged man. Though not as burly as Jiang Tu, the man looked well-fed and capable.

“This is the beast,” Wu Laoliu said bitterly after inspecting the White Dragon Fish offspring. “There’s an arrow wound on its back that I left. That’s indisputable proof.”

“Chu told me your plan on the way here. When you’re ready to move, just give me a heads-up. I’ll make sure everything runs smoothly,” Wu Laoliu said without wasting words, offering his help.

“This is something that shouldn’t be delayed. We’ll act tonight. We still have half an afternoon to plan,” Chu Danqing said, surprised at how easily reinforcements arrived. He had to admit, this trial of Extreme Difficulty was living up to its name.

But it was also thanks to his own early advantage that the snowball effect had begun.

Wu Laoliu immediately said, “Good, we can…”

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Before Chu Danqing could speak, Wu Laoliu laid out a detailed plan.

From the confident tone, it was clear he had long intended to hunt but never had the opportunity.

The plan was simple: bait plus traps.

Chu Danqing would be the bait, Wu Laoliu would set the traps, and Dabao would confront the creature head-on.

They could even tweak the plan to better suit hunting the White Dragon Fish.

“Cough, Wu Laoliu, with Chu’s speed, he can’t outrun that little bastard,” Jiang Tu interrupted as Wu Laoliu grew more enthusiastic.

“If your plan has flaws, it’ll cost Chu his life,” Jiang Tu warned.

Wu Laoliu looked a bit embarrassed; he hadn’t considered that.

“Then... what do we do?” Wu Laoliu admitted he had no better solution.

“There is one: don’t use the iron cage for the little bastard; use it for me instead. Reinforce it so the creature can’t flip it over,” Chu Danqing proposed.

It didn’t matter who used it, as long as he himself survived.

“As long as I can hold on until Dabao arrives,” Chu Danqing acknowledged the danger but accepted the risk.

“Without that iron cage, the rest of the setup won’t work either,” Wu Laoliu sighed. Chu Danqing’s plan was simple and direct but undeniably life-saving.

He wouldn’t sacrifice Chu’s safety just for efficiency.

“Then forget the rest. Stop whining,” Jiang Tu joined in with a curse.

Wu Laoliu didn’t argue further. “I’ll start setting things up. Come evening, I’ll find you, and we’ll move together.”

With that, Wu Laoliu left the meat shop, his mind already working on refining the hunting plan.

“This Wu Laoliu…” Jiang Tu shook his head. “He’s just that kind of person, Chu. Don’t take it personally.”

“That's my own problem,” Chu Danqing said, knowing his agility wouldn’t match that of a seasoned hunter like Wu Laoliu. “By the way, Jiang Tu, I’m thinking of getting something for self-defense.”

“Where do you want to shop?”

Since tonight might be dangerous, it was a good chance to see if he could get some weapons.

Armor was out of the question—no iron armor—but maybe some leather.

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He was hoping to find some blades or spears.

“No need to buy. I have a machete here. See if you can use it,” Jiang Tu said, pulling out a machete from a corner.

A machete wasn’t really a weapon but more like a farming tool—basically a cleaver attached to a hoe handle.

Chu Danqing took it, swung it around, and found it quite handy, except the blade was a bit rusty.

“Don’t expect too much from it. I used to cut pigweed with this,” Jiang Tu said as he took back the machete and began sharpening it.

“This thing won’t do much against those beasts. If you don’t use it well, you might just hurt yourself.”

“So if you can run, it’s better to stay far away,” Jiang Tu warned while scrubbing the rust off the blade.

“With my build, I can’t even withstand one bite from that creature, let alone you, delicate young master,” Jiang Tu added.

Chu Danqing agreed wholeheartedly.

“Actually… I want to learn archery,” Chu Danqing said.

Since he already had two summoning skills, he preferred a ranged weapon.

Bows or firearms would be ideal.

“Chu, not to discourage you, but bows aren’t so easy. Even the army requires three years of hard training,” Jiang Tu said without looking up.

“When Wu Laoliu arrives, I’ll ask him properly and see if he has any tips.”

“He’s a hunter and knows some archery, but it’s just basic stuff,” Jiang Tu said, not outright rejecting the idea but offering to help inquire.

“Thanks a lot,” Chu Danqing said happily. It was a pity that crossbows were banned among civilians; otherwise, things would be much easier.