In the dead of night, in the cold, dark alley, the stray dog suddenly barked a few times, then whimpered and fled in fear.
Beside the locust tree wall, a long shadow shamelessly occupied the doghouse. He sat cross-legged, head bowed, lovingly stroking the eagle wood carving in his hands.
The wind howled, causing the leaves to rustle, and the withered leaves swirled like butterflies as they slowly fell to his feet.
Suddenly, his whole body tensed up. When he looked up, he saw a tall and imposing figure quietly standing in front of him.
The towering, dark shadow added a chilling sense of danger to the tranquil and deep night.
"Autumn."
A deep, middle-aged male voice called to him.
Qiu was stunned for a moment, but when he saw who it was, he immediately jumped up and knelt down with one hand on the ground.
"Master Qu."
A chill ran through his head.
"Did you know that Yuwen Sheng has already cracked the Nine-Dragon Mechanism Box?"
Qiu was horrified. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth to keep his voice from betraying his emotions: "Qiu, I don't know."
Sizzle!
A sharp iron claw pierced into his shoulder blade, and Qiu's muscles instantly spasmed and trembled in pain, blood flowing down his chest and back.
"The mission failed, Qiu."
"Qiu... knows she was wrong."
"How is the assassination mission against Yuwen Sheng progressing?" the voice asked in a calm tone.
Despite the pain, Qiu spoke clearly: "Yuwen Sheng is highly skilled in martial arts and very suspicious. It is extremely difficult to kill him openly or secretly. The only way is to gain his trust and find an opportunity to take his life."
These principles were all taught to him by Zheng Quchi.
Master Qu nodded in agreement after listening: "Indeed, killing the God of War of Ye is a very difficult task, but it is also necessary. This time, he has thoroughly angered the Mohist school. Mozi has sent the Mohist school's top disciples. Let's see who among you can complete this task."
"Qiu will definitely redeem himself through his good deeds."
He was fairly satisfied with Qu's attitude, so he stopped the "minor punishment as a warning."
"I order you to keep a close watch on Zheng Quchi. Has she shown any unusual behavior lately?"
“…She did not betray the Mo family,” Qiu replied.
But Master Qu seemed unconvinced: "Really?"
"Yes, in order to complete her mission, she infiltrated the camp as a carpenter and even met with Yuwen Sheng once. He didn't suspect anything."
"Since she is still relatively well-behaved, we will not punish her for the time being."
Qiu couldn't understand why the Mohists wanted to use Zheng Quchi on one hand, yet were so certain that she would betray them on the other.
"Who exactly helped Yuwen Sheng open the Nine-Dragon Mechanism Box? Hmph, I didn't know he found such a skilled mechanic. If you find out who this person is, kill him."
Autumn should be.
"In addition, Fuxian County is recruiting stonemasons. Tell Shan Bian to change his identity and infiltrate the stonemason team. I have a task for him."
"yes."
Before leaving, Master Qu, perhaps noticing the change in Qiu, solemnly warned, "Qiu, do not trust Zheng Quchi. She is not our ally. If you find anything wrong with her, kill her without hesitation."
Qiu gripped the wooden eagle carving tightly, her face ashen, and after a long while she finally let out a soft "hmm".
——
As soon as winter arrived, Zheng Quchi felt he couldn't bear it anymore. Staying indoors was alright, but once he went outside, the sudden drop in temperature was something that couldn't be withstood by willpower alone.
This large family basically relied on shivering to keep warm.
She originally planned to buy some cotton to sew a padded jacket, but she didn't expect that cotton was a rare commodity in Ye Kingdom, and no one in Fu County grew it at all.
No wonder everyone's blankets are made of hemp and stuffed with cotton wadding instead of fluffy, warm cotton.
As he rummaged through the few copper coins left in his pocket, Zheng Quchi shed a tear of bitterness.
She decided to forgo her cotton-padded coat and wear a more luxurious fur coat instead.
Buying is out of the question. There are many deep mountains and valleys around Fuxian County, and she has heard that there are many long-haired wild animals in the forests. She plans to go hunting and get a set of furs for her family.
For the past two days, Liu Fengmian has been arguing with her for some reason. He only comes home to sleep at night and is basically nowhere to be seen during the day. She guesses that he must have gone to work for Yuwen Sheng.
He was still wearing that thin autumn coat, so she had to hunt enough furs for their family of four.
To do something well, you must first have the right tools. When it comes to hunting, you definitely need hunting tools first.
She had already returned her previous crossbow to Qiu, and with time running out, she had to make an emergency crossbow for hunting herself.
As for why they didn't make a simpler weapon like a bow, it's mainly because the bow is too long and lacks sufficient killing power.
When she was making her first crossbow, she repeatedly went over the data in her mind and modified it based on the advantages and disadvantages of the crossbows used by the Ye Kingdom, and finally finalized the design drawings.
A crossbow consists of several parts: the bow, the arrow, the arm, and the mechanism.
The crossbows of Ye Kingdom were too bulky. She was small in stature and had short arms, so the crossbows were made according to her specific needs, rather than taking into account the measurements of ordinary people.
She also needed to strengthen the crossbow arm and increase the arrow speed so that she could ensure a fatal shot from a greater distance.
In addition, the previous cocking method needs to be replaced to achieve a continuous firing speed in a more effortless and agile way.
These all required her to put in some effort in the early design stage, such as replacing the traditional cocking mechanism with a gear-driven cocking mechanism, and modifying the crossbow bolt, crossbow bed, and crossbow string.
When shooting, hold the crossbow horizontally, place the bolt in the slot, pull the string into the notch, and finally pull the trigger to release the bolt.
call out--
*Thud!* A wooden stake fixed to the ground in the courtyard was struck by a sharp arrow and split into several pieces as if cleaved.
Zheng Quchi patted the crossbow with delight.
Not bad, not bad, this power is enough.
This is still a single shot. Once she studies it further and develops a repeating crossbow that can fire a large number of bullets at once, it will be more convenient for hunting more agile birds.
She chose a sunny and breezy day and prepared to go hunting.
But Brother Sang was still worried about her going: "The beasts on this mountain are probably all in their burrows. Where are you going to look for them? Who would go up the mountain to hunt at this time of year?"
Knowing that he was deliberately fooling her, Zheng Quchi said, "It's more difficult for animals to find food in winter, and they are also weak. It snowed a couple of days ago, and those wild rabbits and pheasants must be hungry and out foraging. I'll just hunt some small animal skins and bring back some meat to help you guys nourish yourselves."
“Why would I need to replenish my body? Just replenish it for your husband,” he said sourly.
Zheng Quchi coaxed sweetly, "What husband is more important than my elder brother and younger sister? Once we've hunted the hides and made them, I'll make the first ones for you to wear."
Brother Sang knew she was headstrong and couldn't be persuaded otherwise, so he could only repeatedly tell her, "Don't go too deep. If you don't find anything, come back quickly. In previous years, we just managed to get through it."
"Okay, I understand. I'll be back soon."
She waved her hand, put the crossbow and arrows in a cloth bag and hung it diagonally at her waist, and took some dry food with her before going up the mountain alone.
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