Killing

The conversation of the three men behind the tree drifted into Lu Chuan's ears without missing a single word.

Shock, anger, lingering fear... after all these emotions churned, Lu Chuan instead grew calm.

He now understood the identities of the three.

These men were not bandits—they were the Li Family Three Brothers from the village! Usually, they did nothing but cheat and slack off in all sorts of despicable deeds; few in the village didn't loathe them.

He never expected that, tempted by wealth this time, they would be vicious enough to kill and rob!

If not for his sharp eyes, he would likely already be a corpse beneath their blades by now!

Lu Chuan tightened his grip on the wooden club, steadied his breathing, and waited for the right moment.

The cold wind howled. The Li Family Three Brothers, having crouched in ambush for so long, gradually grew lax.

Now!

While the three dozed off, Lu Chuan, wooden club in hand, darted swiftly out from the shadows!

He swung the club with both arms, slamming it viciously into Second Brother's neck!

"Bam!"

Second Brother didn't even let out a grunt before collapsing unconscious on the spot.

But this commotion clearly couldn't be hidden from the other two.

"Who?!" Boss was the first to notice.

Third Brother also jerked his head up, and immediately saw Lu Chuan standing before him.

"It's... you! Lu Chuan!"

Before the words faded, Lu Chuan's club had already swung again, aimed straight for Third Brother's temple!

The next moment, skin split open, and searing pain made Third Brother shriek, but it didn't knock him out.

Clearly, the force and aim of this blow were off, but Lu Chuan followed up swiftly with another strike!

"Ugh!" Third Brother could no longer rise.

By then, Boss had fully snapped to his senses. Seeing Second Brother and Third Brother lying unconscious on the ground, he was both shocked and enraged:

"You little bastard! You dare touch my brothers?! I'll kill you!"

Brandishing the long blade in his hand, he lunged fiercely at Lu Chuan.

Yet, this seemingly ferocious slash was riddled with openings in Lu Chuan's eyes.

Lu Chuan didn't dodge or evade. Just as the blade was about to land, he intercepted with his club, striking cleverly at Boss's sword hand.

Boss felt a sharp pain where he was hit, and the long blade flew from his grip.

He stared at his empty hand, then at Lu Chuan's icy gaze. The ferocity on his face vanished without a trace.

The next moment, terror sent him collapsing to the ground on his backside.

"Spare... spare me! Lu Chuan... Brother Lu Chuan! Let me go! We were bewitched by greed! The silver... we don't want the silver anymore! Forgive us!"

Boss wept, snot and tears streaming, with none of his earlier brutality left.

Lu Chuan picked up the fallen long blade from the ground. Looking at Boss, who kept begging for mercy, he said slowly:

"Begging for mercy now? Too late!"

As the words left his mouth, a resolute, murderous glint suddenly burst in his eyes! He charged straight at Boss, blade in hand!

Boss was terrified beyond measure; survival instinct drove him to scramble to his feet.

But the moment he rose, the long blade was already upon him!

"Thud!"

Boss let out a bloodcurdling scream, his body convulsed twice, then fell silent.

After cutting down Boss, Lu Chuan, carrying the dripping blade, strode quickly toward Second Brother and Third Brother, whom he had knocked out.

Blade rose, blade fell.

Two more chilling sounds.

Beneath the old tree at the village entrance, blood snaked across the frozen ground.

With everything done, Lu Chuan stood in place, leaning on the blade, his chest heaving violently.

The ruthless drive that had spurred him to rise and kill receded like a tide.

What followed was an uncontrollable numbness, and... a fierce, lingering fear.

He had killed.

He had truly killed.

The feeling was entirely different from when he had fought the Great Serpent on the cliff or shot wild game in the forest.

That was a struggle against beasts, a battle for survival.

But now, lying at his feet, were three living people.

His stomach churned violently, but he forced himself not to throw up, the hand gripping the knife handle trembling slightly.

It took a good while before that intense physical discomfort eased even a little.

Once he calmed down, Lu Chuan realized he had killed someone and had to handle the aftermath.

He crouched and began searching the three bodies quickly.

The trio was dirt poor; after patting them down, the loose silver and copper coins added up to barely over one tael of silver.

"Really broke... figures. If they had money, they wouldn't be in the murder-and-robbery business."

The most valuable find from this haul was the long knife the Boss had used.

Though its design was ordinary, the iron was solid and the edge was sharp—much better quality than the knives issued by the Martial Arts Hall, worth at least two taels of silver.

The Second Brother and Third Brother had used one ordinary Chopping Knife and even a kitchen knife brought from home. They were worth something, but Lu Chuan decided not to take them.

He pocketed the silver and coins, then began dealing with the bodies.

Fighting off exhaustion, he dragged the three still-warm corpses to a remote, steep cliff edge outside the village.

After that, Lu Chuan was nearly spent, his spirit utterly drained.

He looked up at the sky; the night had grown deep.

"Can't delay any longer. If I don't get home, Mom and Dad will worry."

He dragged his legs toward their thatched cottage.

The familiar courtyard gate appeared before him, and he pushed it open.

Inside, Lu Danian and Mother Lu saw him and finally let out the breath they'd been holding.

"Chuanzi, you're back at last! Why... why so late?" Mother Lu hurried over.

"That knife..." Lu Danian's eyes were sharp. "Chuanzi, that long knife on you... did the Martial Arts Hall issue it?"

Facing his parents' questions, Lu Chuan forced a faint smile:

"Dad, Mom... can we talk later? I want to eat something first."

"Alright, alright, eat first! Sit down quick!" Mother Lu turned and busied herself at the stove.

Soon, she brought over a large bowl of steaming coarse rice, with a simple but hearty dish of Yam Stewed Meat.

Lu Chuan didn't stand on ceremony; he picked up the bowl and wolfed it down.

The warm, solid food settled in his stomach, restoring a bit of strength.

Watching him eat so fast, Mother Lu said repeatedly, "Slow down, slow down, don't choke."

The bowl was soon empty. Lu Chuan wiped his mouth and met his parents' concerned gazes:

"Dad, Mom, I got into the Martial Arts Hall."

Lu Danian and Mother Lu perked up immediately, their faces showing hope and tension.

"There are quite a few people in the hall, and the rules are strict. The Master checked my bone structure and said it was Middle Grade, so I can train under him."

Mother Lu quickly said, "Middle Grade is fine! As long as you can learn! My son will definitely make it!"

Hearing that their son had successfully taken a Master, Lu Danian and Mother Lu felt most of their worries ease.

"Getting into the Martial Arts Hall is good..." Lu Danian exhaled a puff of smoke. "Now you have a path and a teacher. The rest is up to your own fate."

"Your dad's right!" Mother Lu's eyes were full of encouragement.

"Chuanzi, don't be afraid of hardship. Study hard! Don't worry about home!"

"I know, Dad, Mom." Lu Chuan nodded firmly. "I will."

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