Nothing happened all morning, and all four of them breathed a sigh of relief. It was another quiet, peaceful morning.
After a quick lunch, Shan Renhu led Jiang Yan and the other two back to the pond.
"Big Brother Shan, have you always patrolled this pond?"
Qian Peng asked.
"Of course not. The area I patrolled before was larger. It included that willow grove over there."
As he spoke, Shan Renhu pointed to a grove of willows west of the pond.
"The more ground you patrol, the greater the chance you'll run into something weird. That's why the more people in the Patrol Team, the better. It takes the pressure off everyone."
"With such high pay, doesn't that mean the gang has to spend a lot more money?"
"What's that got to do with me?" Shan Renhu said coldly. "All I know is that with fewer people, I'm more likely to run into danger."
"Do you think the Dahe Gang doesn't know that more people means more silver spent? But with fewer people, the Patrol Team's death rate is too high. Morale would collapse, and who'd dare join the Patrol Team then?"
Jiang Yan understood. The Patrol Team was like a high-risk industry in his previous life: the pay and benefits were good, and the higher-ups had to do everything they could to lower the death rate and keep the patrolmen from breaking down.
"All right, enough about that. You three actually have another task this afternoon."
As he spoke, Shan Renhu took the long sword from Jiang Yan and chopped a branch off a tree by the roadside.
He casually hacked off the smaller branches and leaves, shaping it into a crudely made staff.
"Today's task is to kill that Submerged Grass in the pond. It'll help you work up your nerve."
What? They were supposed to kill something weird?
Jiang Yan looked at the layer of water plants on the pond. The Submerged Grass had floated to the surface, though he couldn't tell whether it was sunbathing or hunting.
A glint flashed in his eyes.
"B-Big Brother Shan, you're not joking, are you? You want the three of us to kill something weird?"
Meng Sheng grew nervous again, his words starting to stammer.
"Do you think I have any reason to joke with you?" Shan Renhu gripped his spear and said coldly. "If you join the Patrol Team, sooner or later you'll run into something weird. Do you want to wait until then to try killing one?"
"Maybe you can try running away, but I should warn you: some weird things can run a lot faster than we can."
Jiang Yan glanced at the Submerged Grass in the pond and took out the Yellow Talisman tucked in his robes. "Big Brother Shan, do we have to complete this task?"
Shan Renhu shook his head slightly. "Captain Tang said that if we found a suitable one, we should let you get some practice. A Submerged Grass is hard to deal with in the water, but once it's on land, all it can do is spit grass threads. It's easy to kill."
"I'll also cover you from the side. I can guarantee that with me beside you, you won't die."
Jiang Yan caught the key word: not die, rather than not get hurt. That meant killing the Submerged Grass was still dangerous.
His expression shifted, but in the end his gaze hardened. Damn it, let's do this!
Jiang Yan thought it through clearly. He was wary of weird things too. After all, ever since he'd crossed over into this world, everyone around him had worn a fearful expression whenever they spoke of them.
But in the few short days since he'd left the mining district, he'd seen three weird things with his own eyes, and people had died. He could no longer cling to wishful thinking. Sooner or later, he'd run into one himself, and he might not be able to hide or escape.
What could he rely on, then? Apart from himself and the sword in his hand, nothing.
Now he had a chance to face something weird ahead of time. He might get hurt, but chances like this were too rare to pass up.
He gripped the hilt tightly. Every muscle in his body tensed, and a powerful force filled his heart. He was a true martial artist now. In terms of physique alone, never mind experience, he was even stronger than Shan Renhu. If Shan Renhu was confident he could kill the creature, then even if Jiang Yan was worse, he should at least be able to dodge it.
"Big Brother Shan, what do we need to do?" Jiang Yan stared at the Submerged Grass and asked slowly.
"Hmm? Jiang Yan, you've decided?"
Shan Renhu was a little surprised. He hadn't expected the young man to be so decisive.
He wasn't lying. Once a Submerged Grass was on land, he wouldn't fear even two of them.
The main purpose of having Jiang Yan and the other two kill one this time was to build their courage to face the weird. He wanted them to stay calmer when they encountered one and make a quick decision—whether to kill it, run, or send a signal for help.
Killing the creature was secondary.
Meng Sheng and the other one's reactions were normal. They didn't dare face the weird and couldn't control their fear. That was why new recruits in the Patrol Team had such a high death rate.
But Jiang Yan had truly impressed him this time.
"This kid should get through his rookie period just fine and survive, unless he's terribly unlucky."
"Actually, besides being lazy and not liking to attack people, the Submerged Grass has another very contradictory trait: it has a terrible temper!"
With that, Shan Renhu swung the staff in his hand hard, bringing it down on the Submerged Grass.
The mat-like Submerged Grass leaped up at once, bunching into a huge ball of grass that rumbled across the water toward them.
Sharp cries rang out as it rolled.
"That's... way too bad-tempered."
Jiang Yan drew his long sword and slapped the Yellow Talisman against its blade. The talisman curled up on its own, and layers of pale-yellow flames appeared.
The Submerged Grass rolled onto the bank and charged at them.
"Watch out for its grass threads. And don't let it hit you; the grass tips on its surface are very sharp."
Shan Renhu warned him in time.
As Jiang Yan watched the Submerged Grass charge toward him, he suddenly felt at a loss, his chest tight and his breathing short.
After all, his predecessor had been nothing more than an ordinary person from a modern age.
At that moment, danger came crashing down without warning, like a sharp sword about to shatter his fragile heart.
Jiang Yan tightened his grip on the hilt and roared inwardly, "Jiang Yan, what are you still afraid of? What right do you have to be afraid?"
"This isn't the peaceful Azure Planet anymore."
"This is a world crawling with weird things and demons."
"This is a world where the strong rule, and the weak have no say over whether they live or die."
"When danger comes, you have nothing but yourself and the sword in your hand. Nothing else! Nothing else!"
Under his constant self-reassurance, a powerful thought surged through his heart. He suddenly raised his head, looked at the Submerged Grass right in front of him, and swiftly thrust out his sword with a perfectly executed straight thrust.
As the thrust landed, he felt as if he'd broken through his own limits. Everything before his eyes seemed to change. He could clearly see the yellow flames curling around the blade and the sharp grass tips on the Submerged Grass.
Confidence surged through him, and his gaze sharpened.
Boom! Jiang Yan's sword shot out. He could clearly feel a force flowing like a gentle stream from his left foot, through his legs and hips, waist, chest, arms, and fingers, gathering strength at every turn. At last, the currents converged like countless rivers, forming a raging, surging torrent that gathered in his sword as it stabbed toward the weird creature.
Thwack!
The Submerged Grass couldn't even dodge before the sword pierced a huge hole through it.
"Eek! Eek!"
The Submerged Grass flew into a rage. Its huge ball of grass shrank sharply, then swelled back up in an instant.
"Watch out! Grass threads!"
Countless tiny grass threads shot in every direction like sharp swords.
Jiang Yan stayed calm and sprang backward. He flicked up his sword, swish, swish, swish—cutting the grass threads to pieces. The level of martial skill granted by the Martial Arts Modifier made him feel as if he really were a swordsman who had practiced basic swordsmanship for more than a decade. He wielded every basic sword form with consummate skill.
Then, like a leopard, he darted forward again. Jiang Yan circled the Submerged Grass like a crafty assassin, suddenly striking with a straight thrust. Each flash of his sword carried astonishing force.
Gradually, Jiang Yan began to feel at ease. He grew familiar with the strength the Martial Arts Modifier had given him, bringing it all together. Before long, he was completely in control.
At last, unable to endure the harassment any longer, the Submerged Grass was pierced through by a straight thrust from Jiang Yan. The fight ended in a flash.
Jiang Yan stepped forward and stabbed it again and again, until he'd hacked the Submerged Grass into scraps.
Weird Value: 9
The scene fell quiet. Jiang Yan slowly straightened up and stood tall.
"Big Brother Shan, that weird thing's dead. Let's find one for Meng Sheng now."
"Dead... It's dead." Shan Renhu suddenly began to stammer, just like Meng Sheng.
After a while, he finally came to his senses and looked at Jiang Yan.
Jiang Yan rubbed the back of his head and smiled at Shan Renhu. "Big Brother Shan, if I told you I was a genius, would you believe me?"
"I would!"
Shan Renhu smiled along with him. He felt as if he'd discovered a promising talent.
Before you continue