PBSE 56

Chapter – 56

The Qianmo Bow

The centurion in charge of registration had been waiting for quite some time. Naturally, he was well aware of the feud between Qin Mo and Qin Yu. One was the Young Clan Leader, the other the grandson of the Great Elder. He feared neither of them, yet he had no desire to get involved either. Even if the two really came to blows, the military law would deal with it.

At this moment, Zhao He and another warrior had already carried the prey over for registration, and the centurion began recording it.

However, the first items they reported were not the nearly two-thousand-jin savage elephant, but several scattered pieces of prey. Altogether, they totaled exactly two thousand five hundred jin—no more, no less.

“Very impressive, Zhao He,” the centurion praised. “With these remaining spoils, your squad has broken the clan record. Alright, don’t just stand there—bring the rest of the prey over as well.”

Zhao He shook his head helplessly. “That… I can’t make that decision. The Young Clan Leader needs to do it himself.”

“Young Clan Leader?” The centurion’s expression changed as he shot an irritated glance at Qin Mo. Turning coldly to Zhao He, he said, “Don’t tell me these spoils belong to him? You need him to decide?”

Clearly, the centurion did not believe Qin Mo could have hunted so much prey. He assumed Qin Mo had used some sort of trick to make Zhao He say this.

No matter what method had been used, the centurion despised such falsification. Even if one wanted to cheat, they should at least consider whether they had the strength to do so. Did Qin Mo really think he was a fool?

The gazes of the surrounding clansmen toward Qin Mo also changed—returning to disgust, even anger.

Though the Hammerstone Tribe was small, everyone regarded falsification as a deep disgrace.

“What a fine Young Clan Leader you are,” Qin Yu suddenly said, his tone filled with indignation. “Is your goal to completely disgrace our Hammerstone Tribe? Failing to hunt prey is one thing, dragging down your squad is another—but now you even force Squad Leader Zhao He to help you falsify records. Do you have any shame at all?”

“That’s right! Such blatant falsification—where is the tribe’s military law?” someone in the crowd echoed.

Zhao He’s expression grew even more helpless, unsure of what to say.

At that moment, Qin Li spoke up. “The remaining prey truly belongs to the Young Clan Leader—”

Before he could finish, Qin Yu cut him off. “Qin Li! You lost to Qin Mo—have you even lost your backbone as well? With such shameless falsification, are you treating the centurion as a fool, or the entire Hammerstone Tribe as fools?”

“I…” Qin Li was left speechless.

Had he not witnessed Qin Mo personally turning the tide, he might have been just as outraged as the others.

But he had seen it with his own eyes. Qin Mo’s strength spoke for itself—there was no deception whatsoever.

Still, he did not know how to respond. It was simply too unbelievable. Even now, he felt it was unreal.

“Just because you can hunt prey, does that mean no one else can?” the chubby boy was practically exploding with rage. He hated seeing Qin Mo humiliated. Qin Mo was his best friend—even if Qin Mo always treated him like a child, he still couldn’t stand it. “If you don’t believe it, then you’re the real fool—an utterly stupid fool!”

“Li Xiaohu!” Qin Yu glared at him. “With such shameless lies, aren’t you afraid of military punishment?”

Then he swept his gaze over Zhao He and the others, finally fixing it on Qin Mo. “You being shameless is one thing, but are you really going to drag all these people down with you to face military law?”

The chubby boy’s face flushed red as he was about to speak, but Qin Mo suddenly stepped in front of him. Ignoring Qin Yu entirely, Qin Mo took the bow from his back and handed it to the centurion.

“Centurion, do you recognize this bow?”

Everyone froze.

The bow in Qin Mo’s hand looked ordinary at first glance, yet it was not a hardwood bow of the tribe. Upon closer inspection, intricate patterns were carved into it, faintly emitting a cyan glow.

The centurion glanced at Qin Mo with annoyance, clearly uninterested. But the moment the bow landed in his hands, his expression changed dramatically.

After examining it closely, the centurion exclaimed excitedly, “This… this is… this is that bow… that—”

Qin Yu also felt the bow looked familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before, though he couldn’t immediately recall where. As for the other clansmen, they naturally had no idea.

At that instant, a figure suddenly appeared in the clearing. He raised his hand and snatched the bow from the centurion, his face grave as he examined it.

After a long moment, he exhaled deeply and stared at Qin Mo. “Where did this bow come from?”

“Taken,” Qin Mo replied calmly.

The newcomer was Li Hai, one of the five thousand-commanders—and the chubby boy’s father. He had been watching the situation from afar the entire time, choosing not to intervene.

But the moment this bow appeared, he could no longer hold back.

Li Hai hadn’t expected such an answer. He looked at Qin Mo strangely and asked, “Taken how?”

It was a foolish question, yet everyone wanted to know the answer. More importantly, what kind of bow was this that even a thousand-commander reacted so strongly?

“Isn’t it obvious?” the chubby boy suddenly stepped out proudly. “Taken means taken!”

The moment he spoke, he regretted it. Li Hai shot him a murderous glare, making the chubby boy shiver as he remembered this was his father.

Trying to save himself—and his backside—he hurriedly grinned. “Dad, Qin Mo took it from Wang Si.”

“Lies!” Qin Yu shouted immediately. “Who is Wang Si? How could he possibly be robbed by you—robbed…”

Before he could finish, realization struck him.

No wonder the bow seemed familiar. It was exactly the bow belonging to his sworn rival, the genius of the Frostleaf Tribe—Wang Si.

If it hadn’t been taken, how could it possibly be in Qin Mo’s hands?

“How was it taken?” Li Hai’s expression grew even more solemn. This concerned the honor of two tribes.

The chubby boy jumped in fright and dared not say more.

At that moment, Qin Li spoke again. “While hunting, we encountered an intrusion from the Frostleaf Tribe…”

He then recounted the entire incident word for word.

When he described how the squad had been forced into a desperate situation, the clansmen were both furious and worried.

But when he spoke of Qin Mo appearing while carrying fifteen hundred jin of prey, everyone was left gaping in disbelief—even Li Hai found it hard to accept.

And when Qin Li finally described how Qin Mo shot Wang Si and nailed him to a tree, crippling two thousand-commanders of the Frostleaf Tribe, everyone’s expressions changed completely.

They stared at Qin Mo in shock, as if all of this were a dream.

They would rather believe that all the prey had been hunted by Qin Mo than believe that the one who displayed such overwhelming might… was Qin Mo.

“That’s how it happened,” Qin Li said calmly. “If you don’t believe it, Thousand-Commander, you can verify it with the Frostleaf Tribe.”

Though his face was calm, his heart was not. Even having witnessed it personally, it still felt surreal.

And the clansmen’s reactions were exactly as he expected.

“That means this really is the Qianmo Bow—and it’s your war trophy?” Li Hai said in astonishment.

“Yes.”

That single word shattered all of Qin Yu’s remaining confidence. His face burned hot with shame.

He had accused Qin Mo of falsification—yet without Qin Mo, forget about the prey, the entire squad might not have returned alive.

Most terrifying of all was that Qin Mo had defeated Wang Si so effortlessly, opened ten acupoints, and possessed two thousand jin of strength.

The repeated blows pushed Qin Yu to the brink of collapse.

“Impossible… this is impossible… you’re lying… all of you are lying… I don’t believe it… I don’t—”

Suddenly, a figure appeared and struck Qin Yu hard in the back. Qin Yu spat out a mouthful of blood, his face turning deathly pale.

“You can’t even face this small setback—how can you ever become strong?” said the newcomer.

It was Qin Luo, Qin Yu’s older brother—one of the three great prodigies of the clan.

Qin Yu’s shattered expression finally calmed. He looked at his brother, lowered his head, and fell silent.

“This is indeed the Qianmo Bow,” Qin Luo said, not looking at the bow but at Qin Mo instead. “You did well. You brought honor back to the tribe. At least you didn’t disappoint the Clan Leader’s cultivation of you.”

With that, he took Qin Yu and vanished from the armory.

Watching them leave, Qin Mo fell into thought.

Qin Luo’s words were flawless on the surface, yet Qin Mo sensed a deep hostility beneath them.

But he didn’t care.

With Qin Luo’s current strength, what could he really do to him?

“If the Clan Leader sees this bow, he’ll be very pleased,” Li Hai suddenly laughed, looking at Qin Mo with genuine satisfaction. “Very good. Truly very good.”

Without waiting for Qin Mo to respond, he took the bow and left.

Qin Mo was speechless, but he could feel that Li Hai’s praise came from the heart.

Only the chubby boy looked miserable—because the look his father gave him before leaving was far too meaningful.

“So… should we proceed with the registration now?” Qin Mo asked the centurion.

“Heh… registration… yes, registration,” the centurion laughed awkwardly, though the awkwardness soon turned into joy. To have such a powerful Young Clan Leader was a blessing for the entire tribe.

The surrounding clansmen felt the same. Their gazes toward Qin Mo were no longer filled with disgust or indifference, but genuine respect—the respect given to the strong.

Though countless questions remained in their hearts, they didn’t care. The stronger the Young Clan Leader, the better it was for the Hammerstone Tribe.

What should have been a simple registration turned into an event that shook the entire clan, leaving Qin Mo at a loss.

Still, he had never expected this battle to remain hidden. The Frostleaf Tribe would surely respond, and the truth would eventually spread.

But Qin Mo was prepared.

With the power of the Divine Prison Concealment Art, even if his father personally investigated him, his true cultivation level would remain hidden.

As for the explanation—it was simple.

With savage bear essence blood and a star core, if he still couldn’t reach his current level, then he truly would be a waste.

“Qianmo Bow… hehe, Qianmo Bow…”
Inside the main hall, Qin Lin was holding the bow, examining it carefully from top to bottom, a smile on his face.

Li Hai hadn’t seen the Clan Leader smile like this in a very long time.