Regret welled up in Su Mu's heart. The steady rain had dulled his five senses, and, eager to reach his destination, he hadn't noticed anyone ahead until he was already so close.
"Leave... I'd better get out of here first."
The poison in Su Mu's body flared up on rainy days, leaving him in worse shape than usual. He also noticed the long saber at the man's waist and the killing intent radiating from him. This was no ordinary man.
He had most likely run into highway robbers.
Su Mu wanted to avoid him, but the Scarred Man had no intention of letting him go. He placed one hand on his saber and strode toward Su Mu.
"Boy, hand over all your money if you know what's good for you. I'm only here to rob you. I won't take your life."
So he only wanted money?
Su Mu didn't believe him, but he didn't want to clash with the man directly. He lowered his head and said, "Good sir, I—I'll hand over everything I have."
With that, Su Mu reached into his clothes and pulled out a small pouch containing more than two hundred copper coins. He had only just collected last month's wages a few days ago.
Seeing Su Mu cower and his voice tremble, the Scarred Man gave a disdainful snort and took his right hand off the saber hilt.
He began sizing Su Mu up. The boy was thin, but he had handsome features and a touch of delicate charm. Those rich men with a taste for such things loved boys who looked like this. One this age would surely fetch a good price.
"You're Su Mu, aren't you?"
At those words, Su Mu's expression stiffened. A chill crept into his heart. The fact that the man knew his name meant this encounter was no coincidence.
The man had clearly been waiting here for him.
Who wanted to kill him?
Was it those people?
Impossible. If they wanted to deal with a poisoned death soldier like him, why go to such lengths?
Su Mu's thoughts were in disarray, and he couldn't make sense of them. But one thing was clear: since the man had come for him, he wouldn't simply let him go.
There was only one way out now... a fight to the death.
Today, only one of them would walk away alive!
"This boy is Su Mu... Good sir, please don't kill me. This is everything I own..."
Su Mu pretended to tremble all over, his voice full of terror.
"Hmph. You made me wait in the rain for a good long while."
Grumbling, the Scarred Man stepped closer to the fat sheep before him. When he was within three steps, he reached for Su Mu's chin. He wanted a good look at his prize so he could estimate his worth accurately.
A large hand reached for him.
In Su Mu's eyes, the hand's path was crystal clear, as if it were moving in slow motion. This was a change that had come after his comprehension rose to Modest Potential: his five senses had become far sharper than an ordinary person's.
In the next instant, the fifty-four forms of Five Animal Frolics flashed through his mind.
"I can do this. I can do it..."
Tiger Frolic, Fifth Form: Tiger Pounce, First Stance.
He had practiced Five Animal Frolics for years in his previous life, then trained hard in it for another six months after arriving in this world. Now, at last, it came in handy.
Su Mu's back arched slightly. In a single moment, his taut body stretched and his upper half pitched forward. His callused hands instinctively formed tiger claws, then he lunged, striking out with them.
The blow caught the Scarred Man's wrist precisely and clamped down hard.
"Hm?!"
Pain shot through the Scarred Man's wrist. His bones groaned as if they were about to be crushed. The harmless-looking sheep from just a moment ago had turned into a fierce tiger descending the mountain, ready to devour its prey.
"Damn it, let go!"
The scarred man cried out in pain, but Su Mu didn't stop. His free left hand struck forward, and he lunged at the man like a fierce tiger.
His wrist still trapped, the Scarred Man felt a tremendous force slam into him. His feet stumbled, and Su Mu knocked him off balance and to the ground. He stared up at the boy crouched over him, looking like a wild beast.
The Scarred Man panicked completely. A sense of deadly danger hit him, and terror showed on his face. By the time he tried to do anything, it was too late.
Tiger Frolic, Sixth Form: Tiger Pounce, Second Stance!
Su Mu let out a low cry. His fingers tensed, his arms and wrists swept forward, and both hands became tiger claws, slashing in a flurry at the Scarred Man's neck and carotid arteries.
The neck held a great many blood vessels and a dense network of nerves. A full-strength blow could be fatal!
The tiger claws tore through skin and sank into flesh. Blood burst out in an instant.
"No, stop... Stop!"
The second claw landed precisely in the same place. Flesh split open, and his claws tore into the artery.
Squelch.
The blood vessels snapped and his Adam's apple shattered, but Su Mu showed no sign of stopping.
One claw followed another, as though he had truly become a ferocious tiger, tearing apart the prey before him.
After who knew how many strikes, Su Mu finally stopped, gasping for breath. His hands and face were covered in blood—the still-warm blood of a severed artery.
An indescribable exhaustion weighed on him. It had only taken a few breaths, yet he was more tired than after a full day forging at the shop.
Beneath Su Mu, the Scarred Man lay with his head severed from his body. His eyes were wide, his face filled with terror and disbelief. He died without understanding how a sheep could turn into a tiger in the blink of an eye.
Huff, huff—
After a few rough breaths, Su Mu wiped his mouth and steadied himself. He wanted to leave, but after taking a step, he turned and came back.
He took another deep breath, then crouched and searched the corpse. Before long, his hand found something wrapped in cloth. It felt like a book.
Su Mu didn't open it to look. He just wanted to get away as soon as possible. But just then, footsteps sounded from nearby.
"Brother Wang, did you catch that kid?"
At the sound, Su Mu shuddered. The doubts in his mind vanished, and a frightening glint flashed in his eyes.
Sun Li!
He couldn't mistake that voice. It belonged to Sun Li, his fellow apprentice at the Iron Shop!
Su Mu turned to look.
The next second—
A scream of terror rang out. Naturally, it hadn't come from Su Mu, but from Sun Li.
Sun Li's throat bobbed as he swallowed. His pupils shrank to pinpoints. He saw Su Mu, covered in blood, and beside him the Scarred Man, sprawled in a gruesome death, eyes still wide open.
"Su, Su Mu... How are you still alive...?"
Su Mu said nothing. He bent down and reached for the saber at the Scarred Man's waist.
Shing!
The blade scraped against its sheath, letting out a muffled ring. In Sun Li's ears, it sounded like a death knell.
Thump.
Sun Li's legs gave way, and he fell hard onto his backside. Rainwater washed the grime from the blade, which reflected his pale, bloodless face, twisted in terror. Su Mu came toward him step by step, saber in hand.
"No, y-you can't kill me..."
"You brought this on yourself."
"Me?"
"I worked diligently as an apprentice at the Iron Shop for over two years. Then you, a country bumpkin who'd only been here three months, got to learn forging alongside me. What made you think you deserved that...?"
So that was why. Su Mu took another step.
"S-Su Mu, please let me go this once... I won't do it again. I know I was wrong, really..."
Su Mu gripped the saber with both hands and looked at Sun Li, then shook his head.
"No, you don't know you were wrong..."
"You know you're going to die."
He raised his hand and brought the saber down. Disbelief spread across Sun Li's face. He... he was really going to die just like this? He didn't want to die, and desperately reached for his neck to cover the wound.
But in the next instant, the line of blood widened.
Sun Li's head suddenly felt heavy, his body light. His round head fell to the ground.
The last thing he saw was Su Mu reaching into a headless corpse and pulling out a money pouch.
The rain drizzled on, falling without end. There was no need to dispose of the villains' corpses; the mountain's wolves and wild beasts would visit them tonight.
Who would know if a few people died in these troubled times? And who would care?
The youth tossed the bloodstained saber to the ground and walked away, his figure fading into the distance.
Before you continue