[Name: Chu Mu.]
[Skills:
Basic Blade Technique (Beginner Practice) 45/100]
[Spiritual Radiance Value: 9.3%]
"What a waste," Chu Mu muttered, wincing as he stared at the glowing panel before him.
The blade technique proficiency was the fruit of his sporadic training over the past few days, slowly inching upward with each practice session.
As for the "Spiritual Radiance Value"…
He'd scrimped and saved every bit of it, reluctant to spend even a fraction. But yesterday, temptation got the better of him. The allure of true martial arts proved too strong, and in a moment of whimsy, he decided to use "Spiritual Radiance Enhancement" to see if he could pick up some real skills from his squad leader, Li Gang.
Under the enhancement, his mind soared—learning and thinking abilities amplified exponentially. It felt like his brain could unravel any mystery, master any technique.
But he'd overestimated it. Sure, the enhancement sharpened his mind, but it didn't grant him superhuman perception. He could only observe what his eyes could see: a punch thrown this way, a kick delivered that way. Together, they formed what looked like a cohesive set of martial techniques.
Yet the true essence lay deeper, hidden within. He could see muscles twitching, sense the flow of internal force, but it wasn't the external moves that mattered—it was something internal, something he couldn't grasp.
He'd understood the surface, but it was useless. Without X-ray vision, he couldn't see the body's inner workings. Last night, he'd practiced the moves at home for hours, barely sleeping, but the more he tried, the clumsier it felt. Something was off, and it clearly stemmed from the missing internal force he couldn't replicate.
His attempt to "steal" the technique had failed spectacularly, and the Spiritual Radiance Value he'd hoarded for days was gone. A complete fiasco—like trying to steal a chicken and losing the rice instead.
"It's got to involve some internal force or bodily transformation," Chu Mu mused, drawing on memories of countless novels from his past life. Inner energy, blood vitality, gang qi—these were staples of the stories he'd read.
"The human body has limits," he thought. "Force works both ways. You can't just punch through a tree and walk away unscathed."
Could true martial arts strengthen or refine the body?
Watching Li Gang practice his forms, Chu Mu's longing grew stronger, his eyes tracing every move.
BOOM!
A deafening crash snapped him out of his reverie. Turning toward the sound, he saw a horrifying sight: where a fire had just been extinguished, massive rocks, loosened by heat and cold, had given way, tumbling down like a landslide.
And directly below, several corvée laborers were still working, oblivious to the danger.
"Run!" Chu Mu shouted, but his voice was drowned out by an even louder roar. Stones flew, dust churned, and the laborers vanished into a cloud of debris.
His feet, already moving forward, faltered. He stood frozen, staring at the swirling dust, his mind blank.
"What are you standing there for?" Li Gang's sharp voice cut through. "You lot, come with me!"
Jolted back to reality, Chu Mu hesitated, then hurried after Li Gang toward the collapsed mine.
"Father! Father!"
"He's still alive! He's alive!"
"Someone, please, save my father!"
The dust was still thick when a young man sprinted into it, his desperate cries soon turning to anguished wails.
"No hope," Li Gang said grimly as they reached the site.
The dust settled, revealing a grim scene: a pile of jagged stones, streaked with blood. Chu Mu's stomach churned as he spotted a severed hand lying nearby, blood still pooling from the torn edge.
The young man knelt before the rubble, where an older laborer lay half-buried. Blood stained the stones, hinting at the mangled body beneath. The old man's breathing was faint, blood trickling from his mouth.
"Save my father, sir, please save him!" the young man pleaded, clutching at Chu Mu's legs, his voice trembling.
Chu Mu froze, his mind reeling. The desperate, tear-streaked face before him left him at a loss for words.
"Let's dig them out first," Li Gang ordered calmly, directing the others. "You there, come help."
Chu Mu swallowed hard, his head spinning. He'd lived in a peaceful world—when had he ever witnessed such carnage?
He stood there, dazed, until he finally snapped out of it enough to help the young man to his feet. He opened his mouth to offer comfort, but the words wouldn't come.
Around them, the other laborers had sprung into action, clearing debris, carrying stones, shouting instructions. The chaos was oddly organized.
"Chu Mu, head to town and get Doctor Li from Mingxin Hall," Li Gang called.
"Oh—right, right!" Chu Mu stammered, slow to process, then turned and bolted.
The Jia-1 mining area wasn't far from Nanshan Town, and soon Chu Mu was racing down the main street.
"Doctor Li!" he gasped, bursting into the medicine hall, still breathless. "There's been an accident at the mine. Please come quick!"
The old doctor frowned, gave Chu Mu a glance, then barked a few words to his assistant. Grabbing his medical box, he strode toward Chu Mu.
"We're going now?" Chu Mu asked, caught off guard.
"Let's move," Doctor Li said, shaking his head as he headed for the door, his voice heavy. "How many dead this time?"
"Three… maybe two…" Chu Mu hesitated, then shook his head. "It's not clear yet."
Something clicked, and he looked at the doctor's grim expression. "Does this happen often at the mine?"
"They don't treat those workers like people," Doctor Li scoffed. "A mine with thousands of men, and they're too cheap to hire a proper doctor. They skimp on every penny, then come running to me when disaster strikes."
Chu Mu was speechless. He couldn't respond to such words. Doctor Li's medical skills were renowned; even the county magistrate treated him as an honored guest. It was said that the prefect had once sent someone to fetch him for treatment, and even the deputy commander of the patrol office was polite to him.
He could complain, but Chu Mu didn't dare.
A small patrol officer could easily get into trouble with careless words.
*(End of Chapter)*