When the Storm Was Ready to Break

The next morning, frost still clung to the ground.

Qin Meng had risen early and was already practicing his saber in the courtyard. Its whistle through the air startled the sparrows beneath the eaves, while the blade flashed through the faint dawn light, leaving streaks of icy brilliance.

The clay vats inside the house were still piled high with meat.

A Blood-Scaled Deer yielded four or five hundred pounds of lean meat, and with the Rock Demon Python on top of that, there was enough to last them for quite a while.

Shen Qiuyue had salted and cured most of it. She had hung the rest in the kitchen to smoke, and the scent of meat mingled with pine smoke, lingering in the air since dawn.

The craftsmen were coming back today to continue repairing their dilapidated home.

He had no intention of going up the mountain to hunt. He was devoting himself to mastering the Evil-Slaying Blade-Breaking Saber.

Though Mystic Grade Martial Skills were difficult to master, they were no match for his diligence. With every repetition, his saber proficiency steadily climbed on the panel.

Qin Meng already had a solid foundation in saber work. An elusive understanding welled up inside him, deepening his grasp of the technique with every passing moment.

News always traveled faster than the wind.

The story of Qin Meng hunting two deer alone and paying off his hundred-tael debt had spread like wildfire in no time.

Luming Fort relied on the mountains for its livelihood. Who didn't know that a Spotted Deer could fetch dozens of silver taels?

Plenty of people were green with envy.

"If that useless drunk can hunt one, why can't we trained men?"

"Come on, let's hit the mountain!"

At first, just two or three bold hunters went up, carrying hunting forks and bows to test the waters.

By the third day, it had become a full-blown craze. Young men called their friends and headed into the mountains before dawn with provisions, as if the hills were crawling with silver.

But the deer had already scattered.

After Qin Meng cut down the lead deer that day, the rest had bolted in every direction. No one knew which remote ravine they had hidden in.

For three days running, the hunters hadn't seen so much as a hair of a deer. But there were more wild rabbits and musk deer in the woods than usual, and everyone came home with a decent haul.

That only fanned the flames.

Then, at dusk on the fourth day, a bucket of cold water came crashing down on them.

Five hunters who had ventured deep into the mountains together ran into a pack of wolves on Pinewood Slope. Only three made it back, wounded. One man had his throat bitten through, and by the time they dragged him home, he was already dead.

According to the survivors, the pack on the outskirts numbered at least a hundred.

One by one, people fled down the mountain, many of them bearing injuries.

The news swept through the fort like a storm, and the whole place erupted in an uproar.

The hot-blooded young men wilted on the spot.

Even if they hunted something valuable, all that silver would be useless if they weren't alive to spend it.

The village head and militia organized a watch through the night and went door to door warning the hunters to be careful.

Qin Meng was watching the craftsmen patch up the walls and repair the house when he received the warning. He shook his head and sighed, "Men die for wealth."

Old Hunter Wang had told him there were wolf packs in the area.

He had also stressed just days ago that the wolves were nearby and could reach the outskirts at any moment. Some people in the fort hadn't listened. No amount of kind advice could save a fool determined to die.

There was another piece of news spreading through the fort.

Qin Wang had brought his brother Qin Lai to apologize in person, and the two sides had buried the hatchet. The tale was being told in such vivid detail that it had become the talk of every teahouse and dinner table.

For the past three days, Qin Meng hadn't left the courtyard once.

The craftsmen got meat at every meal and worked all the harder for it.

A job that should have taken five or six days was finished in just four.

The rundown courtyard had been completely transformed. The foundations were reinforced, the outer walls patched with blue bricks, and the beams and roof tiles all replaced.

They had taken down the old door and installed a thick wooden one reinforced with iron. When it was barred, it shut with a solid, reassuring thud.

The carpenter delivered a new table, chairs, and cabinets. They were made of ordinary pine, but had been sanded smooth and built sturdy.

Shen Qiuyue had gained a healthy flush lately. She wore a thick padded skirt and jacket, her dark hair pinned up with the jadeite hairpin Qin Meng had given her.

Holding Xiao Xue in her arms, she stood in the courtyard with the grace of a young lady from a prominent family.

Every woman who passed turned to look.

"Qiuyue's looking prettier by the day."

"Qin Meng's really turned himself around. Who would've thought? It's only been a few days..."

"I heard they eat meat at every meal. Tsk, tsk."

The old gossip about her being a "husband-killer" with a "hard fate" had quietly turned into whispers of envy.

Qin Meng's keen senses caught every word as he passed by carrying firewood. This was exactly what he wanted. His woman deserved a life that made others green with envy.

He hadn't been idle while the house was being repaired.

Aside from keeping an eye on the work, he had trained his Martial Skills day and night.

He took turns practicing the Evil-Slaying Blade-Breaking Saber, Black Dragon Eighteen Hands, and Berserker Spear Technique.

At night, he taught Shen Qiuyue the basics and even dragged Li Tiezhu in to spar with him.

With Blood-Scaled Deer and Rock Demon Python meat to fuel him, and a partner to sharpen his skills against, his proficiency in all three Martial Skills soared.

Evil-Slaying Blade-Breaking Saber—Proficient (376/500)

Black Dragon Eighteen Hands—Proficient (979/1000), just one step away from Minor Mastery;

The Berserker Spear Technique had progressed fastest through days of sparring. It had reached Proficient (476/500), and one more fight tonight would surely push it to the next level.

It was nearing the end of September.

The temperature in the northern frontier had plunged day after day. The wind was turning bitter.

Bare-chested, Qin Meng practiced his punches in the courtyard. As Black Dragon Eighteen Hands flowed from one move to the next, his fists filled the air with blurring shadows and roaring gusts, shredding the dead leaves that drifted down.

He was wholly immersed in the art. Every grab, throw, and strike flowed as naturally as water.

The proficiency on the panel climbed slowly but steadily.

His blood surged through his body, like an underground river gradually coming to a boil.

At one moment, he felt a burning heat in the meridians of both arms. He could almost hear the rush of blood flowing through them.

Trickles of blood surged into his arms. His muscles swelled slightly, and his veins writhed like earthworms beneath his skin.

Now—

Qin Meng exhaled with a shout and punched. A gale roared around his fist.

"Boom!"

A blood-red fist shadow shot from his hand. Two zhang away, a tree stump exploded, sending wood chips flying.

His chest heaved, sweat poured down his body, and several lines of text appeared before his eyes:

[Black Dragon Eighteen Hands—Minor Mastery (1/1000)]

[Effects: Killing Intent Suppression, Weakness Detection, Black Dragon Slaughter, Charged Finisher]

[Special State: Grappling (Minor Mastery)]

Special State—Grappling: At night or in enclosed spaces, combat strength increases by 40%. Against foreign races or martial artists of the unorthodox path, damage increases by 60%.

New Effect, Charged Finisher: Builds up power by consuming blood and qi, dealing massive damage to the target. Against targets under control (grappled, tripped, or stunned), damage is multiplied and the strike becomes lethal.

The moment the Martial Skill reached Minor Mastery, it gained not only a new killing move, but also enhancements to its existing effects.

Though the Charged Finisher was terrifyingly powerful, it consumed a great deal of blood and qi. With Qin Meng's current reserves, he could throw at most three punches before exhausting himself. It was a move to save for life-or-death situations.

He grabbed a cloth to wipe away his sweat, then suddenly felt a sharp hunger pang. He turned back toward the house, only to find Shen Qiuyue training her body in the room.

The woman wore a short padded jacket and was practicing squats with a heavy load on her back. Her cheeks were flushed and sweat dampened her temples, but she bit her lip and pressed on.

After days of eating Exotic Beast meat, she had filled out a little, and her strength had grown considerably. She had adapted to the physical training and was gradually increasing the difficulty.

It wasn't that Qin Meng had a passion for drilling soldiers.

This world was full of dangers. Foreign races and ferocious creatures could descend at any moment.

If Shen Qiuyue could learn to fight and protect herself, he would feel safe leaving the house.

She understood that, so she never complained about the hardship or exhaustion. Her progress was quite swift, too.

Xiao Xue was curled up in her little bed, her palm-sized body now rounder than before. The wound on her hind leg had healed about seventy or eighty percent, and she was dozing with her eyes half-closed.

Qin Meng went into the newly repaired kitchen and started a fire to cook. Before long, the rich aroma of meat filled the air.

As dusk deepened, Li Tiezhu arrived with an iron spear.

He had benefited greatly from their sparring over the past few days. His Pear Blossom Spear and Savage Bull Fist had both improved by leaps and bounds. On top of that, eating Exotic Beast meat at every meal had filled him with blood and qi, adding two or three hundred jin to his strength and greatly increasing his power.

After dinner, the two of them fought in the courtyard.

Li Tiezhu knew that, though his friend hadn't trained in martial arts, his strength was unfathomable. He went all out from the first move. His spear shot forth like a dragon, cutting through the air with a piercing whistle.

Qin Meng's spear moved even faster.

It was a fine-quality spear, brought from Li Tiezhu's home under the pretext that it was his "share of the meal costs." Qin Meng couldn't refuse, so he accepted it.

The spearheads clashed, sparks flying.

After half an hour of fierce combat, Qin Meng's spear work grew ever more polished. The proficiency of [Berserker Spear Technique—Proficient] steadily climbed on the panel, until it reached a critical point—

"Clang!"

He forced Li Tiezhu back with a thrust. A surging force burst from deep in his bones, washing through every inch of his flesh and strengthening his body.

Several lines of text appeared before his eyes:

[Berserker Spear Technique—Minor Mastery (3/1000)]

[Effect "Berserker Stomp" Enhanced: Greatly increases bodily agility and lower-body stability.]

[New Effect "Armor-Piercing": When using a spear or lance, effectively penetrates heavy armor.]

After that, the two sparred a while longer with their fists and feet.

"Tiezhu, I've got something to take care of tomorrow night. Let's train again the day after." As Qin Meng walked Li Tiezhu to the door that night, he made sure to tell him.

"Sure." Li Tiezhu didn't ask questions. He slung his spear over his shoulder and left.

The courtyard gate closed. Qin Meng stood alone in the twilight, running his hand over the iron spear as he gazed toward the market town. The cold light in his eyes could no longer be suppressed.