The Embroidered Saber

Three hours?

But Fang Yue and the others were given six hours. That's twice as long!

Shi Wuliao was indignant. He wanted to argue with Lin Ling, but he was afraid that if the other party got truly angry, he would withhold even this small benefit.

Is it that people who aren't part of the Guard Team are exploited for their benefits? Damn it!

Shi Wuliao suppressed his anger. If he could live three more hours, then three more hours. Maybe he'd encounter an Anomaly while on patrol, and reporting the intelligence would earn him extra rewards.

The six of them accepted the mission and were about to leave when Fang Yue suddenly remembered something.

"Oh right, Captain Lin, can I have a saber?"

"A saber? Did Chen Mu teach you Blade Technique?" Lin Ling asked, surprised.

"Yeah, he taught me a bit."

"A bit? So you haven't learned it yet. But that's fine, I'm generous."

Lin Ling went inside and came back out, tossing a saber at Fang Yue's feet.

"Here, this saber is for you."

Fang Yue picked it up and saw it was a somewhat rusty saber.

Its style resembled a Goose Quill Saber, with a straight blade, a curved tip, and a false edge on the back.

However, the blade was covered in rust marks, looking like it hadn't been used in a long time.

Fang Yue looked disgusted.

"Captain Lin, can I have a different saber?"

"Change sabers?" Lin Ling looked at Fang Yue strangely. "Don't regret it. Let me tell you first, this saber has a name. It was the weapon Chen Mu discarded when he upgraded his realm back then. Many people wanted it but never got the chance."

When Fang Yue heard this, he quickly put the saber away.

"I was just joking! I'll take this saber. I've decided, even the gods can't stop me!"

"..."

Fang Yue put away the saber and was about to leave...

"Wait!"

Lin Ling suddenly called out to Fang Yue, stroking his chin and chuckling sinisterly. "I heard that you Refugees call yourselves Players, and that you're all short-lived, with only 12 hours of Lifespan. What if I don't give you the mission, and stall you? You'd be dead for sure, right?"

Others might be dead for sure, but Fang Yue wouldn't be.

He still had 8 days of Lifespan left, so it wasn't that urgent. It was just that practicing martial arts consumed Lifespan so quickly.

Lin Ling didn't know what Fang Yue was thinking and continued to laugh smugly. "Don't make that face. I just wanted to tell you that I helped you today, so you should remember my kindness, understand?"

Fang Yue couldn't help but roll his eyes inwardly.

...Are you a child? You still want others to remember your favor? I was wondering why he was saying this earlier.

On the surface, he remained respectful. "I will remember Captain Lin's kindness."

"Good, knowing that is enough. Go on patrol."

"Yes."

Fang Yue took the lead and left, the other five quickly following.

After leaving the guard post, the five people, including Shi Wuliao, all stared intently at the saber in Fang Yue's hand.

"Brother Ye, are you selling this saber?"

"Brother Ye, it looks like a treasure saber at first glance. Can I touch it?"

"Brother Ye, sabers are deadly weapons and don't suit your status. I think the longsword in my hand matches your status. How about we trade?"

Do you think I'm an idiot?!

Fang Yue was speechless.

"Not selling. Go away."

Ignoring the guys clinging to him, Fang Yue happily examined the rusty saber in his hand.

"Name: Embroidered Saber."

"Grade: Mortal Grade Low-tier."

"Restriction: None."

"Sharpness: 1 point [Rusty]."

"Durability: 2/3 [Disrepaired]."

"Description: A saber covered in rust."

"Remarks: Would anyone actually use this saber to kill people? The professional team is ready at the village entrance, the banquet is set, please hurry to your designated spot, esteemed corpse!"

...That's not right.

This saber isn't what I imagined.

Fang Yue was a bit confused, his gaze fixed on "[Rusted]" and "[Disrepaired]".

"Rusted: The utensil is rusted, and its sharpness is reduced."

"Disrepaired: Has not been maintained for many years, maximum durability is reduced."

...A broken knife!

Fang Yue was sure this was a piece of junk! Lin Ling was trying to get him killed!

It seemed not all weapons that strong individuals escaped with were good items; more likely, they were weapons that had been worn out from battles before being discarded.

He touched the blade. From the cold material, he could still tell the knife had a good foundation. It must have been a good knife once, but alas, time spares no one.

If he found a blacksmith to properly maintain and repair it, maybe it could be barely usable?

But repairing weapons wasn't cheap.

Fang Yue looked at the 50 coins in his pocket, feeling uncertain.

In a world overrun by anomalies, weapons and equipment were very valuable, and maintenance and repairs were far from cheap.

Seeing that Fang Yue didn't respond, the others knew trying to buy weapons was a lost cause and immediately changed their strategy.

"Brother Ye, this knife looks very sharp. A treasure sword for a hero, how fitting!"

"Brother Ye, we're counting on you to protect us tonight!"

Of the five, only Niu Niu was a bit reserved.

"Brother Ye, how much Control Power do you have now? After training with the instructor, my Control Power has increased from 3 to 3.7. I'll be a main force tonight too! I won't hold you back."

Me? I have 1 Control Power, and I'm Severely Wounded and suffering from Meridian Disorder. I should be the one relying on you guys for protection.

Fang Yue didn't reply. He led the way, following the patrol route.

However, due to his Severely Wounded body, he could only walk slowly.

The others saw this but assumed Fang Yue was just pretending to be a master.

But after only a few steps, Fang Yue suddenly trembled, his slow gait suddenly becoming steady.

What was initially just a few steps ahead of them, his pace suddenly quickened, easily widening the distance between them.

The others didn't notice the change, only Niu Niu paused slightly, feeling as if Fang Yue had undergone some indescribable transformation in that instant.

He couldn't pinpoint what it was, but he looked up at the darkening sky and silently followed behind Fang Yue.

Fang Yue had indeed changed.

Because... dusk had fallen, and night had arrived!

The moment the sun on the horizon completely dipped below the mountains, and the last light faded, Fang Yue heard a system notification.

"System Notification: Night has fallen, Talent [Night's Breath] has switched effects."

His body trembled, and a cool sensation surged through him, spreading to his limbs, making him feel incredibly comfortable.

"System Notification: Congratulations, you have recovered from the Severely Wounded state."

I'm back... I can feel my strength returning!

I said I would get back everything I lost, and nothing, not even the sun, can stop me!

He opened his status list.

"Name: Night Dawn."

"Realm: Postnatal Third-rate."

"Status: Meridian Disorder (Weak), Normal."

"Health: 200/200."

"Internal Force Value: 25/25."

"Control Power: 32 (+20)."

"Force Dissipation: 32 (+20)."

"Talent: Night's Breath (Human Grade High Rank)."

"Skills: Analysis Pupil (Human-grade Low-tier), Spark Saber Technique Level 1 (Postnatal Third-rate), Spark Heart Method Level 1 (Postnatal Third-rate)."

"Lifespan: 8 days 8 hours."

My youth is back!

Fang Yue couldn't help but smile, but the smile froze halfway.