Chapter 10: Eating Meat

Wu Xiulan took it and looked it over, feeling a bit apprehensive. "Maybe not, I... I don't know how to use this thing."

Lin Xing tucked the dagger into her hand. "Just keep it. It's better to be prepared than sorry. Listen to me, you won't regret it."

After a moment of hesitation, Wu Xiulan accepted the dagger. "Alright then, I just hope there never comes a day when I actually need to use it."

There was nothing to do that afternoon, and Lin Xing didn't plan on heading back into the mountains. He had spent too much energy there that morning and needed to rest. However, this era lacked any real entertainment, and sitting at home started to feel tedious. He began to rack his brain, wondering if he could craft more tools for hunting.

While a spear was sufficient for many types of prey, Lin Xing felt it wasn't enough. Spears had their limitations; their effective throwing range was only about ten meters. Beyond that, they lost their lethality, meaning there was still a chance he could miss. A hunting rifle had plenty of range, but it was meant for self-defense, and ammunition was too precious to waste.

What Lin Xing lacked was a long-range hunting tool. As for what that tool should be, he settled on a bow and arrow. If he could build a powerful bow, he could extend his range to over twenty meters, significantly increasing his success rate during hunts.

Making a bow wasn't difficult, but the issue was that bows made from ordinary vines and branches lacked power, often proving less effective than a thrown spear. There was only one type of bow that packed real power: the compound bow. In the future, a compound bow's lethality was on par with a handgun, capable of easily piercing a black bear from twenty meters away. And this was piercing, not just wounding. One could only imagine how terrifyingly powerful a compound bow was—it was often dubbed the "cheat code" of the Industrial Revolution era.

Given current conditions, however, Lin Xing lacked the materials to build a proper compound bow. Still, he could fashion a primitive version using branches and vines. Lin Xing was a man of action; once he made up his mind, he got to work immediately.

He ran to the woods near his home and gathered a bundle of branches and vines. Using a kitchen knife, he shaved the branches until they were smooth, crafting bow limbs as thick as a thumb. He then used vines to bend and secure the branches, roasting them over a fire to permanently set their shape. Finally, he had two curved bow limbs. By combining them—one bending inward and one outward—he created something similar to the pulleys on a compound bow, allowing him to generate double the tension with the same amount of effort.

The bow limbs were simple enough, but the bowstring was another matter. Because of the high tension of this compound bow, an ordinary vine string would snap the moment it was drawn. Modern compound bows used steel cables, but where could he find steel cable in this day and age?

Suddenly, it occurred to him that there was a substitute: animal tendons. Animal tendons were incredibly tough, and with a little processing, they could serve as a bowstring. As it happened, the sika deer he had hunted had tendons he could use.

Lin Xing immediately sought out Wu Xiulan. "Mom, is the sika deer's tendon still around?"

"The tendon?" Wu Xiulan thought for a moment. "Yes, it is. The whole deer was a treasure; aside from the bones you took, I couldn't bear to throw anything away. It’s all in the crock." She pointed to a large earthenware jar nearby.

Lin Xing opened the jar and rummaged through it, finding the tendon just where she said it would be. The tendon was thin, and using it as a string on its own wouldn't work. Lin Xing bundled all the tendons together and began rubbing them vigorously, twisting them into a rope.

Watching him, Wu Xiulan asked curiously, "What are you doing?"

"Twisting tendons," Lin Xing smiled. "I'm planning to make a bow and arrow; these will serve perfectly as the string."

"Do you need any help?" she asked.

"No, it's quite simple. I can handle it," Lin Xing replied, shaking his head.

After half an hour of twisting, he had combined all the tendons. But it still wasn't enough; the bundle lacked elasticity and was just stiff. Lin Xing gathered some vines and grass, mixed them in with the tendons, and held the string taut over a fire. After roasting it for about two hours, the tendons underwent a qualitative change. They felt like tough, resilient steel wire—perfect for a bowstring.

Lin Xing attached the string, and his primitive compound bow was finished. While it couldn't compare to the sophisticated compound bows of the future, it was more than enough for hunting.

The bow was ready; next came the arrows. The shaft was simple enough to make from wood, but the arrowhead was the issue. Arrowheads were usually forged from iron to maximize lethality, but steel was scarce in this era, and he had no furnace for smelting.

But that wasn't a problem, either. If there was no iron, stone would do. It might be slightly less effective, but it would work. Lin Xing searched his yard until he found stones of suitable shapes, which he then ground down into arrowheads. He bound the stones to the tips of wooden shafts with hemp rope, and the arrows were done—it was that simple.

Lin Xing decided to test the power of his primitive compound bow. He drew the string, aimed at a wall twenty meters away, and released the arrow without hesitation.

*Whoosh!*

The arrow whistled through the air and embedded itself deep into the wall. Only the fletching remained visible—the entire arrowhead had vanished into the wood!

The power was immense! Lin Xing was very satisfied. With a bow of this power, he could pierce the skull of a large beast with a single shot.

Wu Xiulan and Lin Yiyi watched in astonishment.

"Brother, this bow is amazing! It's so powerful!" Lin Yiyi exclaimed.

"Indeed!" Wu Xiulan added, looking equally shocked. "I've seen many bows in my time, but how is yours so powerful?"

In this era, the concept of a compound bow hadn't been invented yet, so their surprise was only natural.

Lin Xing smiled. "I modified this bow. Both its power and accuracy are far superior to the old, traditional bows."

"You even know how to improve bows! My brother is so talented!" Little Lin Yiyi's eyes were filled with admiration.

"With this bow, plus the spears, we won't have to worry about running out of meat," Lin Xing laughed. "From now on, we'll have meat for dinner every single day!"