The corpse demon horde was intimidated by the martial prowess displayed by Wu Chen, the village guardian, and temporarily withdrew, gathering at a distance to observe, abandoning their plan to attack the village that night.
Their not-so-intelligent minds had only one thought:
If the village guardian is so formidable, wouldn't the people inside the village be even more terrifyingly strong?
Better starve them for another day before making a move!
"Damn, what a waste!"
"Completely wasted effort!"
As he walked back to the village, Wu Chen's mouth twitched repeatedly.
Facing the temporary retreat of the corpse demons, he felt no joy at all.
The reason was simple: he had killed five demons but got nothing in return.
He had hoped to obtain at least one martial arts manual to advance his strength and improve his realm.
But seeing the corpse demons up close, with their tattered clothes and near-naked transformed bodies, it was obvious they couldn't be carrying anything.
This made Wu Chen realize that fighting these monstrosities to the death simply wasn't worth it.
Even a simple engagement was just a waste of energy—a losing deal.
Wu Chen returned to the small courtyard with a gloomy expression.
Inside the courtyard, by the fire.
Liu Wei was nestled against Liu Linshan, already asleep.
Although Liu Linshan was exhausted, he forced himself to stay awake and keep watch.
The dense chorus of corpse demon howls from the village outskirts earlier had made his heart race.
In the past two days, he had also noticed that the number of corpse demons along their route had reached a terrifying figure.
At this rate, within a few days, there might be over a hundred corpse demons.
'By then, I fear no one could protect my daughter and me...'
Liu Linshan glanced at his daughter sleeping beside him, couldn't help but sigh softly, deeply worried about the road ahead.
Just as his mind was in disarray, Wu Chen, who had been resting with his eyes closed for a while, spoke:
"Master Liu, sleep soundly tonight."
"The five scouts sent by the corpse demons earlier have all been killed by me."
"The corpse demon horde has temporarily retreated because of this, so there won't be any danger tonight at least."
After speaking, he continued to maintain his cross-legged meditation posture, recovering the energy expended during the demon slaying.
Liu Linshan's expression froze, thinking he had misheard.
He had heard the distant corpse demon howls earlier and had assumed the horde would surely attack the village tonight.
Later, after waiting anxiously with his saber for a long time, nothing happened, and everything returned to silence, leaving him puzzled about what had occurred.
When Wu Chen returned, he hadn't mentioned anything about it.
Until now...
Liu Linshan sniffed, detecting the faint stench emanating from Wu Chen.
As someone who had faced corpse demons before, he was quite familiar with this odor.
It was the distinctive smell that only corpse demons carried.
The fact that Wu Chen carried this smell confirmed that he had indeed engaged in battle with the corpse demons.
But precisely because Liu Linshan had fought corpse demons before and killed them himself, he knew all too well how terrifying these monsters were.
Back then, he and his two disciples together had barely managed to kill three corpse demons!
Even so, he couldn't escape being severely wounded!
Yet now, someone who couldn't even wield a saber properly was telling him that he had single-handedly slain five corpse demon scouts.
How could Liu Linshan believe this?
Such a terrifying number—Liu Linshan simply couldn't convince himself.
However, in the past few days of interaction, he had found Wu Chen to be very steady in character, not one to boast or speak carelessly.
Liu Linshan wanted to confirm if he had misheard, so he stuttered an extra question:
"H-how many?"
"Just rest now."
Wu Chen couldn't even be bothered to open his eyes to answer this question, let alone argue about the exact number.
He simply waved his hand, indicating that Liu Linshan should get some proper rest.
Likely tomorrow, they would have to battle a massive corpse demon horde—they needed all the energy they could get.
Seeing Wu Chen unwilling to answer, Liu Linshan fell silent.
His expression shifted as he looked at the pitch-black night sky, thoughts surging in his mind.
'Master Wu isn't skilled with a saber, yet he could kill five corpse demons?!'
'If I give him the saber technique and let him understand some principles of saber fighting, wouldn't he be able to kill one or two more?'
'Although it might not make much difference to the corpse demon horde overall, for my daughter and me, it means one more chance to survive!'
Thinking this way, he pulled out a wrinkled gray-covered booklet from beneath his layers of clothing and handed it to Wu Chen, who was sleeping soundly.
He called softly:
"Master Wu."
"You son of a..." Wu Chen opened his eyes with an irritated expression.
After killing five corpse demons, he had exhausted considerable energy, and with the mounting pressure from the increasing number of corpse demons, he felt even more annoyed.
He had finally fallen into a half-dozing state, only to be repeatedly disturbed by Liu Linshan's sighing and talking, and now he was being called in the middle of the night.
Wu Chen inevitably developed a kind of "getting out of bed" anger.
He abruptly opened his eyes, looking at Liu Linshan through gritted teeth, only to see the gray booklet being offered with both hands. His eyes suddenly lit up.
For a moment, he couldn't even decide whose family members to curse.
Although he didn't know why Liu Linshan would take out the saber technique now, it must be because he needed something from Wu Chen, or perhaps he had also perceived that the current situation wasn't optimistic.
'This can be considered losing on one front but gaining on another!'
He hadn't expected to gain nothing from killing the demons, but instead obtained martial arts from Liu Linshan.
Naturally, Wu Chen wouldn't refuse.
He immediately accepted the booklet titled "Stone-Breaking Saber Technique" and, by the firelight, eagerly began to read it.
"Master Wu, this is a saber technique passed down from my ancestors."
Looking at the booklet in Wu Chen's hands, Liu Linshan's aged eyes grew deep with memories of the past.
But he was well aware that the current situation was urgent, not a time for reminiscing.
If he could give Wu Chen some foundational saber techniques to make his saber-wielding more agile, perhaps his daughter and he might survive this calamity.
He began to explain to Wu Chen the saber-related content in the booklet.
"Though called ancestral, this saber technique isn't particularly profound, nor can it be considered exquisite—it's just an ordinary saber technique."
"As the name suggests, it emphasizes power and weight, primarily to strengthen the body."
"The booklet has eight pages in total, divided into four moves, simplified as 'chop, lift, slash, block'..."
"But don't underestimate its simplicity. I only learned two of these moves and became known as a skilled saber user in our village!"
As Liu Linshan said this, his expression was quite self-satisfied, showing that his martial arts attainment was not low.
However, noticing that Wu Chen wasn't even looking at him, he became more serious.
He was about to say a few more things about the saber technique, sharing years of practice insights to guide Wu Chen through the mysteries of saber arts.
But then he saw that Wu Chen had already finished reading the manual and was handing it back.
"Huh?"
Liu Linshan scratched the back of his head, looking at the returned manual, then at Wu Chen, not quite understanding.
What was this, showing off how quickly he could read?
He couldn't understand why Wu Chen didn't study the saber manual repeatedly.
Even a genius wouldn't dare claim to master a martial art after just one glance!
Who doesn't need to practice through winter's coldest days and summer's hottest periods, enduring countless hardships before achieving success?
Then he suddenly became uneasy.
Perhaps the saber technique was too ordinary, just a rudimentary skill practiced by rural folk, and Wu Chen didn't think much of it.
"Master Wu, is there something wrong with this saber technique?" Liu Linshan asked worriedly.
Wu Chen shook his head: "Not at all, it's quite good. The moves return to the fundamentals, and the compilation is easy to understand."
"Then, why did you only look at it once..."
"Oh, I have a photographic memory."
Wu Chen casually made up an excuse. Seeing Liu Linshan's anxious expression and realizing he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight unless he clarified, he continued:
"Master Liu, don't worry. Even though I've seen the saber technique, I'll still honor my promise to escort you and your daughter for a while."
"On this point, rest assured."
"I trust Master Wu completely!"
Liu Linshan then accepted the manual back, repeatedly cupping his hands in gratitude, quickly shaking his head, pointing at his sleeping daughter closely nestled by his side, and lowering his voice:
"Master Wu, my life isn't worth mentioning."
"The road ahead grows increasingly dangerous. I hope that at the critical moment, Master Wu will lend a hand to save my daughter—don't worry about my survival."
Such is the love of parents for their children. Seeing he was about to bow deeply, Wu Chen quickly stopped him, "Alright, I'll do as Master Liu asks."
Then, the two men stared at each other.
Wu Chen didn't understand why the other was looking at him so strangely. Hadn't his words and actions been perfect?
He truly had no intention of running away after learning the martial art!
Just as Wu Chen was about to say more to reassure the old hunter, he heard him speak:
"Master Wu."
Liu Linshan grabbed the steel saber beside him and rose unsteadily, holding his abdomen, earnestly advising:
"Saber techniques must be practiced. Just reading the booklet once isn't enough."
"Let me demonstrate the technique for you first. If Master Wu has any questions, feel free to ask."
Wu Chen's mouth twitched as he finally understood why Liu Linshan was looking at him oddly.
Previously on the journey, when he needed to conserve energy, he was still experimenting with saber swings and practice. Now that he had read the manual and eaten beans and wheat grains, with no shortage of energy, he seemed unwilling to move.
However...
Wu Chen's eyes focused as he looked at his status panel:
[Stone-Breaking Saber Technique Entry Level (50/50) → Stone-Breaking Saber Technique Minor Success (0/100)]
[Body Tempering Realm Sixth Layer → Body Tempering Realm Seventh Layer]
[Stone-Breaking Saber Technique Minor Success Proficiency +1]
[Stone-Breaking Saber Technique Minor Success Proficiency +1]
[Stone-Breaking Saber Technique...]
In just the time it took to talk, Wu Chen's recently learned Stone-Breaking Saber Technique had already progressed beyond the entry level, and his realm had advanced to Body Tempering Realm Seventh Layer.
I need to practice the saber?
Practice my ass!
He lightly extended one hand, pressing it on Liu Linshan's shoulder as he tried to stand.
With each martial art perfected through his status panel's enhancement, his strength already exceeded martial artists of the same realm.
With just one palm pressing down, Liu Linshan felt his body unable to move, as if a mountain rested on his shoulder, making it impossible to rise.
Even if he hadn't been recovering from serious injuries, he would still have had no chance of standing at that moment.
"Master Liu, you're injured. Don't be waving sabers around—you should be resting properly."
"As for my saber practice, there's no rush."
With his realm advancement, Wu Chen's strength had returned to its peak. Standing up to perform a few saber moves to familiarize himself with the techniques wouldn't hurt, and it would also reassure Liu Linshan.
But with the 'Crimson' status panel at his disposal, he couldn't even be bothered to pretend.
"Master Liu."
He said with a straight face:
"Others may practice saber techniques all their lives, but that's their experience. Others' experiences might not suit me."
"In martial arts, there are ten thousand paths for ten thousand people."
"On this path, I prefer to rely on myself, taking one step at a time, keeping my feet firmly on the ground!"
His voice was resounding, every word making sense.
Liu Linshan was greatly impressed, though he didn't understand a word of it.