Apply What You Learn

Chu Mu's brow was tightly furrowed. If before, his idea of an eruption after long-term oppression had only been his own personal guess, then now, what was recorded in this copy of Nanshan Records had undoubtedly confirmed that guess.

The countless ragged Forced Laborers in the Mine, numb as walking corpses, truly could erupt.

And this was not something like in his previous life, existing only in history. It was real, tangible, and right beside him.

Moreover... strictly speaking, he was also one of the oppressors.

After a moment, however, Chu Mu suddenly shook his head and laughed.

He was a patrol inspector, his interests were tied to it, so naturally he hoped the Forced Laborers would work honestly, meek and obedient.

But if he did not have this patrol inspector skin, and he were oppressed like this, would he endure it? If the times did not favor him, then he could only endure. But if a spark suddenly appeared, then he would absolutely rebel without the slightest hesitation. Even if he died, he would have to drag one or two down to be buried with him.

As his thoughts ran wild, Chu Mu could not help but think of He Ergou again, that uncontrollable Da Zuiba who chattered nonstop every day.

But after so many days, he had not seen him say anything about popular uprisings, not even mention them.

When chatting idly with other patrol inspectors, there was even less sign of this topic...

Clearly, something like Civil Unrest was undoubtedly taboo.

"Next month I'll be rotated onto duty in town. I should hear more news then..."

Chu Mu pressed his lips together. According to the Patrol Inspectorate's system, guard duty was basically rotated once a month. If Chu Mu remembered correctly, next month, the One Squad he was in would be rotated to stand guard in town.

That life in the Mine, with one radish for one pit, was indeed rather comfortable and leisurely for Chu Mu, but without a doubt, it was also almost completely cut off from the world, making it hard to have much contact with the outside.

But once he was stationed in town, with the authority of a patrol inspector, he would be able to come into contact with all sides of things. It would also let him understand this era more thoroughly, as well as what worried him... Popular Sentiment...

"Hurry up!"

"Stop dawdling! If you can't make it by mealtime, you'll be drinking the northwest wind!"

Amid his thoughts, faint shouts also entered his ears.

Looking in the direction of the voices, he saw, beyond the wide-open Courtyard Gate, a familiar scene enter his sight again.

Forced Laborers, patrol inspectors.

Clearly, another new batch of Forced Laborers had been brought over.

In this past half a month and more, Chu Mu had somewhat lost count of how many times he had seen such a scene.

Qinghe County's Fifteen Towns and Fifty-Three Villages, under the heavy burden of Forced Laborer service accumulated over long years and months, naturally could not have their levies completed simply with a single paper order.

Basically, the County's patrol inspectors had to go fully armed to each village and town to forcibly conscript people, and there were no small number of cases where they encountered violent resistance.

Chu Mu had heard about topics like these at the Patrol Inspectorate long ago.

Under such circumstances, levying Forced Laborers naturally could not be accomplished in one stroke. It had been going on intermittently for more than half a month, yet it was still unknown when it would be completely finished.

Though he still had not left Nanshan Town, it was not difficult to see what kind of scene the current Qinghe County was.

Chu Mu silently watched the procession passing before the gate, with not much fluctuation in his eyes.

Only when the line of Forced Laborers had completely passed did Chu Mu step forward and shut the Courtyard Gate.

The clamor of the outside world was also completely shut out.

Chu Mu held his Saber and stood in the courtyard.

His gaze paused for a moment on the Light Screen Panel in his field of vision, then shifted to the long blade in his hand.

From just beginning to learn and practice to Initial Understanding, there was no question that his saber techniques had already climbed a step.

But in a certain sense, there actually was not much difference.

After all, he had never had the slightest bit of real combat experience.

The improvement in his saber technique lay in his grasp of strength and force.

But when one saber strike came down, whether it hacked into the head or the neck, the difference was obviously not very large.

And if he were struck in a vital spot, his life would likewise be in danger.

Before accumulating enough real combat experience, it was obviously difficult for him to completely transform the improvement in his saber technique into his own strength. Even if his saber forms rose another level, it would clearly still be the same.

"Real combat experience..."

Chu Mu pressed his lips together, and the figure of his Squad Leader instantly surfaced in his mind.

But very quickly, Chu Mu threw that thought to the back of his mind. His relationship with the Squad Leader probably had not reached that level.

Immediately after, Chu Mu looked at the ground, already covered with vast white snow. He crouched down, groped around for a moment, and picked up a few pebbles stained with snowflakes.

Then he abruptly tossed them upward. Several pebbles shot suddenly into the air, and when the upward force was exhausted, they fell swiftly toward the ground like shooting stars.

Chu Mu gripped the saber hilt tightly, his eyes locked fixedly on the few falling pebbles.

In only an instant, accompanied by crisp collision sounds, some pebbles exploded apart, while others fell to the ground.

Six pebbles, and those he struck numbered only two. In other words, if there were hidden weapons attacking him, or several sabers chopping at him at the same time, he would undoubtedly die.

Chu Mu pondered thoughtfully. In terms of these saber techniques and forms, he had no master.

Nor was there anyone to teach him how this saber technique should be practiced, how it should be turned into his own combat power. Everything had to rely on him figuring it out himself.

"Maybe I should focus on reaction speed..."

Chu Mu pressed his lips together, but he subconsciously thought of the training methods from martial arts movies in his previous life. Though some were exaggerated, that did not mean they had nothing worth taking from them.

Chu Mu had always felt that practicing martial arts should be the same as studying: you had to apply what you learned.

If studying was only dead memorization, there would inevitably be little future in it. Practicing martial arts was the same.

Sword techniques and forms had to be drilled bitterly, but how to bring out the techniques and forms forged through that bitter practice also required thought and training.

And this point had been shown with perfect clarity in the state of "Spirit Radiance Blessing."

The improvement of his saber technique came from his own improvement.

The leaping wisdom and thought under "Spirit Radiance Blessing" merely allowed Chu Mu to better ponder the doubts he had in his martial training, and to better and more quickly digest what he had accumulated and learned.

It did not make his saber technique improve out of thin air, nor did it make his knowledge advance from nothing. Everything had to originate from his own accumulation, whether in martial training or in study.

"Sandbag Array, or Wooden Dummy..."

Chu Mu pondered inwardly. He swept his gaze around the small courtyard, then quickly returned to the room.

He ground ink and took up the brush.

The brush tip slowly sketched across the paper. The force control brought by martial training was also displayed with perfect clarity in how he held the brush.

The brush tip stood upright, towering like a mountain, completely unmoving.

Though he had never studied drawing, under such control of force, the brush tip moved according to his will. Very soon, the rudimentary outline of a wooden dummy from his memory was sketched out.

Immediately after, Chu Mu seemed to think of something else. He grabbed his saber and made a few gestures with it, then took up the brush again and continued sketching on the paper.

This behavior, which seemed somewhat comical, repeated itself again and again in the room.

After about half an hour, two completed sketched blueprints were held in Chu Mu's hands.

Holding the blueprints, Chu Mu felt the thick stack of banknotes in his robes. Without lingering, he quickly walked out of the room, hurrying all the way until he stepped onto the street and vanished into the crowd...