Great Yu, Qingzhou, Taikang Prefecture, Lingbao County.
Name: Lu Yuan
Age: 16
Talent: Slightly Talented
Lifespan: 61 years
Martial Art: Ox Demon Fist (Initial Glimpse, 55%)
Staring at the attribute panel floating before him, visible only to himself, Lu Yuan could only sigh helplessly.
"I still haven't seen The Wandering Earth 3 or Creation of the Gods II. I wonder when those two movies are coming out..."
He wasn't from this world. He'd crossed over here after waking up one day, and had already been here for sixteen years.
But he'd only just awakened the memories of his previous life yesterday—and along with them, his cheat.
Great Yu had been founded five hundred years ago and was nearing the end of its dynasty. The emperor's decrees barely reached beyond the capital. Even officials at the provincial level only grudgingly obeyed the court. By the time you got down to prefectures and counties, the emperor was too far away to matter. The great clans and aristocratic families ruled in all but name, while bandits and outlaws occupied the countryside and played at being kings of the mountain.
And on top of the human calamities, Demons wreaked havoc.
The world was nearing an age of chaos, and ordinary people were as fragile as blades of grass caught in a storm.
Lu Yuan had been fairly lucky in this life. He'd been born into a family of medicinal-materials merchants. They weren't nobles or wealthy magnates, but they had enough to eat and wear.
"To think I can only live sixty-one years. That's just..."
In his previous life, sixty-one would have been considered a short life. But in ancient times, it was certainly no short one.
And his cheat worked by consuming lifespan to infuse his body, Shedding Mortal Body and Exchanging Skeletons to improve his talent.
From lowest to highest, the ranks of talent were Fool, Slightly Talented, Low-grade Talent, Medium-grade Talent, High-grade Talent, Genius, Peerless Prodigy, Innate Sage, and Child of Destiny.
A Fool was the sort who couldn't learn even a basic set of punches, no matter how much he tried. He'd also be lazy and afraid of hardship. Even if he took pills to cleanse his marrow and strengthen his body, he'd never achieve much.
Slightly Talented was far better than a Fool. Such a person could even grasp the basics of more profound martial arts.
As for Medium-grade Talent, those with it were clever by nature. Even if they were born into humble circumstances, they had an air of distinction and exceptional aptitude for martial arts. They could achieve remarkable things through training.
Those with High-grade Talent had gifts and physiques shaped by the world's very essence. They were tenacious, and anyone could tell at a glance they were no ordinary people. As long as they trained diligently, they were sure to stand out and become masters. The "geniuses" ordinary people talked about were usually at this level.
True geniuses, however, were dazzling talents whose names could endure through the ages of martial arts. Every power would treasure them, and even a little guidance could lead to boundless achievements.
Lu Yuan's Slightly Talented aptitude was the most ordinary kind. He'd practiced Ox Demon Fist for more than three years and had only just managed an Initial Glimpse. Sure, part of the reason was that he'd trained sporadically, but his mediocre talent had also played a major role.
Once he understood what his cheat could do, Lu Yuan was utterly speechless.
He could only live sixty-one years in total, and now he was supposed to spend his lifespan to improve his talent?
Was that really worth it? He couldn't work out the answer.
If he could live to a hundred—or even eighty or ninety—Lu Yuan would have spent his lifespan to improve his talent without a second thought.
But he could only live sixty-one years. He really couldn't bear to give any of that up.
Suddenly—
"Rumble!!!!"
A chaotic clatter of hooves sounded up ahead, drawing closer and growing louder.
The ground trembled faintly, and pebbles bounced. In an instant, the deafening thunder of hooves was right on top of them, as though a thousand-strong cavalry charge had arrived.
"Stay alert!! Draw your blades!!!"
Steward Shen barked.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
More than twenty members of the caravan drew their blades as one, keeping their eyes on the road ahead.
Lu Yuan looked out from atop his horse and saw dozens of riders bearing down on them with an imposing, domineering air.
"Horse bandits? Brigands?"
Lu Yuan frowned.
His family dealt in medicinal materials, so every so often they had to travel around Lingbao County—and sometimes farther afield—to buy supplies. Steward Shen, who led the purchasing party, had served the Lu Family for more than twenty years.
Lu Yuan had come along to learn how the purchasing business worked and to observe how Steward Shen handled things.
The court was weak and the land was in chaos, so horse bandits and outlaws ran rampant. Every member of this group of more than twenty was strong and muscular, armed with blades or swords. Ordinary bandits wouldn't dare bite off such a hard bone.
As the outlaws drew near, Lu Yuan pulled the long saber hanging from his saddle.
The dozens of riders on tall horses stopped about ten zhang away. They wore simple clothes, each one radiating a fierce, seasoned air, and carried blades, swords, spears, hammers, and other weapons.
Their leader was enormously built, like an iron tower. He looked nearly two meters tall, and his arms were thicker than an ordinary man's thighs. Knotted muscles bulged beneath his skin, and his tiger eyes shone like copper bells.
A broad saber, as wide as a palm, hung at the side of his horse.
Strangely, when Steward Shen saw them, he actually seemed relieved. He stepped out from the group and clasped his hands with a smile. "So it's the Iron Dragon Stockade's Third Chieftain. May I ask why you've stopped us?"
Lu Yuan narrowed his eyes.
The Iron Dragon Stockade was one of the biggest bands of horse bandits and outlaws around Lingbao County. They roamed the hills, built strongholds, robbed caravans, and collected tolls from travelers—all part of their business.
The authorities had organized troops to suppress them several times, but every expedition had ended in heavy losses and failure.
The Lu Family had to deal with the Iron Dragon Stockade whenever they went to buy medicinal materials. So every month, they paid the bandits protection money in exchange for being left alone.
The man leading the Iron Dragon Stockade riders was their Third Chieftain, Li Jing.
Li Jing spoke coolly. "Obviously, we have a reason for stopping you."
"Oh? And what might that be?" Steward Shen asked, unease stirring in his heart.
Li Jing smiled. "My eldest brother's fortieth birthday is coming up. Shouldn't you be bringing him a gift to celebrate?"
Steward Shen replied gravely, "The Chieftain's fortieth birthday is certainly a joyous occasion. But the Lu Family already paid this month's fees to the Iron Dragon Stockade. Besides, we only make a little hard-earned money selling medicinal materials. We have nothing left over to give the Chieftain a birthday gift."
"These bastards! They're so greedy. We've already paid the toll, and now they're making up excuses to extort us!"
"Steward Shen, don't listen to them. We might as well fight!"
"They've got numbers, but so do we. Steward Shen, give the order!"
The men grumbled among themselves, all of them indignant.
Some bandit chief wanted to rob them just because he was turning forty? As if it'd be that easy!
Lu Yuan clenched his fists and glared at the bandits.
A fortieth birthday? It was just an excuse to squeeze them for more toll money.
Well, they were bandits, after all. What rules would they care about? Greed was in their nature.
Li Jing smiled. "Steward Shen, are you going to celebrate the birthday or not?"
Steward Shen shook his head. "Third Chieftain Li, you're asking too much of me."
"Very well!"
Li Jing sneered. The Lu Family's people had some backbone, but if he wanted to make them pay more, he'd have to cow them with brute force.
With a shrill whinny, he planted a hand on the horse's back and sprang down. The force of his landing made the tall horse's legs buckle; it nearly collapsed to the ground.
Using the impact to propel himself, he shot forward, drawing the saber from his saddle as he went. He surged like a tiger or leopard, crossed the ten zhang in an instant, then raised his saber high and brought it crashing down in a mighty blow, as if cleaving Mount Hua in two.
What a fast blade!!!
Lu Yuan's hair stood on end. A powerful sense of danger surged through him.
The next moment, the heads of the three horses at the front of the caravan were severed in a single slash. Blood gushed everywhere, and the stench of it spread in an instant. The ground for several meters around them turned into a pool of blood.
The three horses toppled over and died without even a whinny.
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