Sparring

Night had grown deep, but the villagers' enthusiasm remained undimmed. Having not eaten their fill or felt such joy in a long time, they temporarily forgot the village's hardships. Some children began hopping and skipping along with the leaping flames.

The surrounding children gradually joined in, laughing and dancing—if it could be called dancing—around the fire. Slowly, some adults, seeing the children so merry, also joined in, until a crowd was dancing around the bonfire.

It seemed some things truly came without teaching; one could learn much from nature itself. Perhaps this was the unity of heaven and man that Daoism had always pursued.

Lord Nord didn't want to dampen the villagers' spirits, so he greeted Steward Abel, then turned and left the square, returning to his room. The events of the day had been more thrilling than twenty years of his previous life. Nord had grown up safely in the twenty-first century, in a peaceful country during a peaceful era. Fighting for his life with real blades—that was a first across both lives. Feeling weary, he lay down on the bed and soon fell into a deep, drowsy sleep.

The next morning, Nord woke from his slumber. He had slept soundly last night, untroubled by nightmares from yesterday's battle. That was good news, showing he was slowly adapting to this brutal era.

After a quick wash, Nord went downstairs. For cleaning his teeth, he used the fine salt Abel had bought along the way. The experience of rinsing with salt—well, those who tried it knew. Conditions were harsh, and one couldn't ask for much.

After a simple breakfast of grilled meat and bread prepared by Molly, Nord headed to the training ground in the courtyard.

To his surprise, he found Reed there too, already training for some time. He walked over and greeted him.

"Reed, training today as well?"

"I train every day. Father and big brother just went with Steward Abel to build the manor. They didn't take me, so I stayed to train."

Looking at the complaining Reed, Nord didn't mind. The lively, restless Reed couldn't sit still. There was no rush to get to the worksite; he'd train a bit first.

"You're my herald now. They definitely won't take you along. What if I need my herald and can't find him? From now on, you stay within three meters of me, ready at a moment's notice."

"Huh?"

Reed's face crumpled like a bitter gourd as he looked at Nord with grievance. So that was it—no wonder big brother had told him to wait for Lord Nord.

"Lord Nord, what are you planning to do now?"

"Less talk, more training."

With that, he ignored Reed's sour expression and began his own training, focusing mainly on his swordsmanship and combat footwork.

After a long while, Nord was sweating lightly. He glanced at Reed, who stood nearby utterly bored, and a thought struck him.

"Reed, let's spar!"

"Huh? But, Lord Nord..."

Reed hesitated, caught off guard, unsure what to do. Nord gestured for him not to worry, to let loose and have a good training session.

To dispel Reed's hesitation, Nord took the initiative, wielding a wooden sword to attack. As they fought, Reed gradually loosened up.

For a time, they were evenly matched. It was clear Reed had solid fundamentals, but his attributes likely fell short of Nord's, making it hard to parry Nord's slashes. He could only rely on nimble footwork to dodge.

Nord couldn't gain the upper hand either. While his attacks and defenses came from his original body's muscle memory, his combat footwork was lacking—that required battle experience. If not for yesterday's two-on-one fight, with his clumsy footwork and inexperience, Nord might have been done for.

Recognizing his weakness, Nord patiently honed his steps, carefully observing how Reed moved and figuring out the best paths for his own attacks.

Nord gradually immersed himself in training, which made things tough for Reed. He had to stay focused to counter Nord's increasingly skilled strikes. Finally, caught off guard, he was knocked to the ground and lay there playing dead. Nord shook his head with a smile.

"Alright, training's over. Let's check the worksite to the north."

Hearing this, Reed scrambled up in a flash, grinning at Nord as if nothing had happened.

Just as Nord was about to leave, another system message flashed before his eyes.

[Through rigorous training, your One-Handed Weapon proficiency has increased by 3 points.]

[Defeated opponent, gained 10 experience points.]

Nord was a bit surprised. Training really could boost proficiency, and sparring gave experience too. He couldn't help turning to look at Reed, a strange light flickering in his eyes, until Reed grew uncomfortable, wondering what he'd done wrong.

Ignoring Reed's thoughts, Nord had already mentally marked him as an experience pack—one to be farmed daily. With that settled, he didn't hesitate and led Reed toward the worksite.

Despite last night's lively scene, the village was quiet today. Only a few carefree children ran about; no villagers were in sight.

Walking along, Nord noticed the daily quest had updated too.

[Daily Quest: Explore the Mountain Forest]

[Quest Description: The mystery of the Amon Mountains deeply draws you in. The rich resources of the forest make your mouth water. Set out to explore the area—you must be eager too. Explore the mountain forest within a ten-li radius.]

[Quest Rewards: Experience ×100, Bread ×10, Gold Thalers ×10]

Another exploration quest. Nord thought daily quests were pretty simple, with decent rewards. He'd been planning to head into the mountains in a few days anyway, so he could knock out the quest then. Plus, the bread he'd promised the guard would be covered.

Arriving at the village's north side, the worksite was packed with villagers. No wonder he hadn't seen anyone in the village earlier—they were all here.

Seeing the villagers working with such fervor, Nord felt a bit ashamed. They had partied until midnight, then came early this morning to help build his manor, while he had slept in and strolled over at his leisure.

When they spotted Nord, Abel and Colin walked over together to report on the day's progress.

"Lord Nord, I informed the villagers today about helping build your manor. Everyone who could come did, and they're all full of enthusiasm."

"Master Nord, the wages are set at 10 Copper Bes per household per day, plus five catties of wheat. The grain should last about a month."

Nord nodded, acknowledging the information. Looking at the bustling scene, he expressed his thanks to Colin.

"Village Chief Colin, you've put in great effort. Please convey my gratitude to the villagers. Abel, given the current pace, how long will the manor take to build?"

"We're still clearing and leveling the land, preparing some stone and timber. With the villagers' enthusiasm, the main structure should be done in about a month. After all, the current plan is just a small manor—it won't take too long."