Shadow Step

As dawn broke, Wang Quan led his team back to the Garrison. The training grounds were filled with the lingering scent of blood and exhaustion. Commander Chen, hunched over, was counting the casualties. When Wang Quan's team was up, he stepped forward, cupped his fists, and said in a deep voice, "Commander Chen, last night on the western patrol, we encountered three Snake Demons and have killed them. We also discovered an abnormal increase in the number of half-formed Corpse Tribe members; there might be a change in the situation."

Commander Chen raised his eyelids, his cloudy gaze lingering on Wang Quan's face for a moment. He grunted, his voice hoarse, "Understood. That's all. Disperse, everyone else. Wang Quan, you stay."

The crowd silently dispersed, dragging their heavy steps away. Only Commander Chen and Wang Quan remained on the training grounds, the morning breeze carrying a chill.

Commander Chen turned, gesturing for Wang Quan to follow. They walked one after the other into his simple stone house. He closed the door, shutting out the light and noise from outside. Commander Chen sat down behind the table, not lighting a lamp. Shadows enveloped the scars on his face, making them appear even deeper. He was silent for a long time, so long that the air itself seemed to congeal.

"Why did you do that?" Commander Chen finally spoke, his voice low.

Wang Quan stood in the shadows, his expression unreadable, his voice calm. "I just want to survive. Nothing else."

Commander Chen looked up, his eyes like cold blades, staring directly at Wang Quan as if to pierce through his flesh and see what lay within his bones. He stared like this for a long while before slowly saying, " I'll try my best to cover for you. But there are many things I can't do anything about." He sighed, the sound carrying a heavy burden of fatigue and helplessness.

"Do you know," Commander Chen's voice dropped even lower, as if speaking to Wang Quan, or perhaps to himself, "Anping County wasn't like this originally. Ever since a certain official had an accident... the court hasn't sent any new Sky Patrol personnel."

He paused, his gaze refocusing on Wang Quan with a complex emotion. "If you can hold on until a new Sky Patrol Officer arrives, I'll recommend you then. But for now..." He shook his head, a bitter smile appearing on his face. "I can barely protect myself, so I can't get too close to you. Otherwise, you'll only die faster."

"If one day, I'm no longer here," Commander Chen's voice was unusually calm, yet carried an undeniable resolve, "then live according to your own heart. But remember, only by joining the Sky Patrol can you cultivate true Cultivation Methods. Otherwise, practicing in secret will lead to backlash and instant death."

"You may go," Commander Chen waved his hand, hunching his back again, as if the sharpness of a moment ago was just an illusion.

Wang Quan cupped his fists and silently withdrew from the stone house. Sunlight fell on him, bringing a touch of warmth, but failing to dispel the chill in his heart. Sky Patrol? Cultivation Methods? Backlash? Information rained down on his mind. He looked up at the hazy sky, his direction clear, and walked straight towards the yard on the west side of the village that reeked of strange smells, belonging to Madman Xu.

He pushed open the slightly ajar wooden door. Madman Xu was squatting on the ground, carefully filing a black horn with a small file, muttering to himself. Hearing the movement, he didn't turn around, letting out a hoarse chuckle from his throat, "Heh heh, you've got a tough life. Haven't been gnawed to death by a Monster yet."

Wang Quan walked to the worn wooden table piled high with miscellaneous items, and without beating around the bush, spoke directly, "Old Xu, I got some things. I want to trade for a Cultivation Method."

Madman Xu's movements paused. He slowly turned his head, his cloudy eyes appraising Wang Quan from head to toe, and grinned, revealing a mouth full of yellow teeth. "Cultivation Method? You've got a big mouth, kid. I've got good stuff, but what are you going to trade? Your meager pay, or some other broken Monster Core you picked up?"

Wang Quan didn't speak. He took out the blood-stained cloth bundle from his embrace, untied it, and poured three Monster Cores onto the table. The Monster Cores glowed faintly in the dim light. The largest one was dark red within, its aura mixed but vigorous. The other two were smaller, their energy fluctuations significantly weaker, but they were undeniably Spirit Awakening Realm Monster Cores.

Madman Xu's gaze was instantly captivated. He leaned in abruptly, his withered fingers snatching up the largest Monster Core and examining it closely under the light filtering through the window. His fingers trembled slightly. "A Snake Demon's core? And one that's almost at the threshold of the late stage... The other two little brats' aren't bad either..." He made a guttural sound in his throat, as if suppressing his excitement. "Good stuff! Truly good stuff! Where did you get it?"

"Patrolling the city last night, I got lucky," Wang Quan said calmly, not wanting to explain the process. "These three Monster Cores, I'll trade them for a practical movement Cultivation Method. I'm too slow. Against anyone stronger, I can't even escape."

Madman Xu put down the Monster Core, squinted at Wang Quan, his eyes flashing with shrewdness and scrutiny. "Escape? Heh heh, just escaping isn't enough. A movement technique for running away alone is useless without the corresponding burst of power and stamina to support it. You kid... you want to be able to slip away when you can't win, and quickly finish off the opponent when you can catch up, right?"

Wang Quan didn't deny it, just looked at Madman Xu.

Madman Xu rubbed his fingers, pondered for a moment, seemingly weighing his options. Finally, he seemed to make up his mind, turned, and rummaged through the pile of junk in a rattan chest. Clinking sounds came from inside the chest. After a while, he pulled out a thin booklet. The cover of the booklet was made of some dark brown animal hide, its edges frayed and worn. On it, written in a dark red pigment that looked like dried blood, were three distorted characters: Shadow Step.

"Here," Madman Xu slapped the booklet onto the table in front of Wang Quan, kicking up a bit of dust. "Shadow Step. I got this from an old thief who specialized in petty theft when I was young. It's not some grand sect's ultimate technique, but it's very practical!"

He lowered his voice, with a hint of boastfulness. "This footwork emphasizes concealing one's aura and executing strange movements. When practiced to a certain level, it can utilize light and shadow to hide one's presence, moving like a phantom, silently. It's excellent for ambushes, stealth, or... heh heh, escaping. Combined with your previous rudimentary skills, it's perfect."

Wang Quan picked up the booklet. It felt cold to the touch, the animal hide rough. He opened the first page. Inside were densely packed small characters and some simple human figure diagrams. The breathing coordination and the routes for qi and blood circulation were clearly marked.

"Thank you, Old Xu," Wang Quan put away the booklet and cupped his fists.

Madman Xu waved his hand, carefully gathering the three Monster Cores in front of him, caressing them with affection. Without looking up, he said, "No need to thank me, we both got what we needed. But kid, I still have something to say." He looked up, the crazed expression on his face receding slightly, a rare seriousness in his eyes. "In this world, just being able to run isn't enough, but not being able to run means dying faster. Practice it well, and you'll have a better chance of survival. Hurry up and get stronger. There isn't much time left for you. My old bones might fall apart any day now, and I can't protect you for long."