Killing with a Borrowed Knife

It was early autumn, the weather turning slightly cool.

Outside the county town, a large mountain was covered in fallen leaves.

"Nine Yang Divine Skill..."

"Cloud-Pushing Palm..."

"Tathagata Divine Palm..."

Within the woods.

A figure held a sword in his left hand while his right hand blasted wildly through the mountain, sending rocks flying and leaves swirling back.

Three days had passed since the challenge at the 'Mad Lion Martial Hall,' and now the name 'Wooden Sword Guest' was growing ever hotter within the county, even showing signs of becoming the 'Number One of White Sheep County.'

Just as everyone thought the 'Wooden Sword Guest' would seize the momentum and continue challenging other martial halls, Shen Zhou unexpectedly brought his three little ones out of town to study the 'tags.'

This was all thanks to that battle, which had unlocked more possibilities for Shen Zhou's 'tags.'

"Sure enough, as long as I hold a sword, I can unleash any technique I want. So this is the true meaning of 'Sword Invincible'!"

At first, Shen Zhou had assumed the word 'Sword' in 'Sword Invincible' meant he had to use a sword. But who would have guessed that 'Sword' was merely literal—as long as he had a sword in hand, he gained power, and whether he actually used the sword afterward didn't matter at all.

Moreover, any martial art he could think of, he could easily execute.

It was as if the power was simply given to him, and how he wielded it was entirely up to him.

However, the 'tags' weren't without flaws. The power he unleashed didn't possess the world-shattering, river-boiling, sea-shaking might he had imagined.

For instance, during the challenge, when he swung his sword, it didn't produce the terrifying scene of splitting a building in two or carving a chasm into the ground.

There was a bit of a gap between this and the 'invincibility' he had envisioned.

"Could it be that this so-called 'invincibility' is determined by the opponent's strength?"

"The stronger the opponent, the stronger I become; the weaker the opponent, the less terrifying the power I display. As long as I can win, that's enough?"

Shen Zhou furrowed his brow in thought.

If that were the case, it could be summed up in one phrase.

Strength unknown, grows stronger with the strong!

"That works too. Why ask for a bicycle when you've got a car?"

Shen Zhou shook his head with a smile, feeling quite content.

After he had more or less figured out the 'tags,' Shen Zhou sheathed his wooden sword and prepared to head back. But when he turned around, he found that among the three little ones, A Dai and Xi Mei were staring at him with complicated expressions, while San Mazi looked completely indifferent.

The scene reminded Shen Zhou of what he had said before. He sighed, spread his hands helplessly, and said, "I really don't know any martial arts!"

A Dai and Xi Mei said nothing, only turned their heads to look at the area Shen Zhou had just blasted apart, their eyes filled with reproach, as if to say: The evidence is right there, and you still claim you don't know martial arts?

Shen Zhou didn't know how to explain to them that he could unleash those techniques solely because of the 'tags,' and that he had no clue about qi circulation or cultivation methods.

After a pause, he changed his approach and asked, "A Dai, Xi Mei, why do you two want to learn martial arts? If it's just to avoid being bullied, now that your big bro is this strong, no one will ever bully you from now on. Isn't that enough?"

A Dai was silent for a long time. Then, lowering his head and clenching his fists, he said, "Because some things, in the end, are more meaningful if I do them myself."

Xi Mei added softly, "I want to become as strong as Brother Zhou, and then go find my parents."

After hearing their answers, Shen Zhou was momentarily stunned.

Including San Mazi, the four of them had often gone hungry and cold while begging on the streets before. Just surviving was good enough, so no one deliberately asked about each other's pasts.

But through daily interactions, Shen Zhou could faintly sense that A Dai was carrying something on his mind, likely related to his own background. That was why, despite his young age, A Dai sometimes thought about things quite maturely.

As for Xi Mei, she had vaguely mentioned it once before. It seemed her parents were also powerful martial artists. When she was very young, they had taken her wandering everywhere. Later, during an adventure in some secret realm, an accident occurred. Her parents had desperately sent her out of the secret realm, but they themselves were trapped inside.

Xi Mei had always wanted to learn martial arts, hoping that one day she would become strong enough to return to that secret realm and search for her parents. Whether they were alive or dead, she needed to find out to put her mind at ease.

As for San Mazi... that guy claimed he had been an orphan since childhood. He had no great ambitions, only wanting to eat and drink his fill every day without going hungry.

Thinking of all this, Shen Zhou suddenly made a decision. He looked up at the three of them, his eyes bright, and said, "Since you all have goals and want to become stronger, then let's go find a place to learn martial arts. We have money now, so we don't have to worry about food and shelter anymore. All those things we wanted to do before but couldn't—let's go accomplish them now!"

His words made A Dai and Xi Mei instantly lift their heads, their eyes burning with eagerness. They spoke in unison, "Really?"

Shen Zhou grinned. "Of course. When has your big bro ever lied to you?"

A Dai and Xi Mei were filled with renewed energy.

Only San Mazi pointed at himself uncertainly, his face sour. "Big bro, do I have to learn martial arts too? Can't I skip it? Training is exhausting!"

Shen Zhou immediately put on a stern face. "No way. Everyone has to learn martial arts. How can you not? It's not just you—I have to learn too. Only then can I remain undefeated!"

He was thinking back to the challenge a few days ago, when Iron Zhan had fallen to the ground and then ambushed him.

That incident had been too close for comfort, leaving a deep impression on him.

So, to avoid being killed by a sneak attack when he wasn't holding his sword, he decided he needed to strengthen himself as well.

"..."

A Dai and San Mazi didn't understand, but they didn't dare to ask.

On the way back, they discussed where to go to learn martial arts.

Xi Mei suggested they could find a martial hall with no entry requirements, where they could pay to learn—it would be convenient.

A Dai said, it'd be best to find an academy—formal martial training, higher ceiling.

San Mazi said, if they couldn't decide right away, they could head to Flying Bird City first to check it out. That was the top city in Southern Prefecture, with first-rate martial halls and the best academy in the south, plenty of options to pick from.

But the expenses there were steep.

They'd earned some money from challenging halls these past days, but once they hit a big city, it wouldn't be nearly enough.

Shen Zhou thought it over and found it reasonable, so he made the call: "Alright, then we'll go to Flying Bird City to learn martial arts. As for travel funds... how about before we leave, we kick all the martial halls in the county?"

The three little ones gasped sharply. "Still kicking?"

Shen Zhou: "Whether it's the south side or the other three districts, since they're all in the same county, we shouldn't play favorites—we ought to make them all neat and tidy!"

A Dai was stunned.

Good grief, 'neat and tidy' again!

Over the next few days, White Sheep County shook once more.

The previous hall-kicking maniac, 'Wooden Sword Guest,' after three days of quiet, launched into his deranged hall-kicking spree again.

From the east side to the north side, then to the west side...

From third-rate halls to second-rate halls...

Every single martial hall owner couldn't escape his challenge.

This stirred up a huge uproar in the city.

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The storytellers in taverns and teahouses went back to work.

"So it's said that the Wooden Sword Guest's final battle was against the strongest of the county's three second-rate halls, 'Chang'an Martial Hall.'

'Chang'an Hall Master' Wu Chang'an, known as 'One Palm Covers the Sky,' with his Transformation Origin Second Grade strength was top-notch in our county, but when he fought the Wooden Sword Guest, guess what—he didn't even last three moves.

Some even say Wu Chang'an was beaten to tears..."

"Nonsense! When the hell was I beaten to tears!"

"That kid's last palm hit me right on the nose—the tears were purely a physiological reaction..."

"If I find out who's spreading rumors ruining my reputation, I'll make sure they're dead!"

In a certain tavern in the city.

A forty-something man with glaring eyes and a thick, bushy beard—Wu Chang'an—was now furious beyond measure.

Around him, all fifty-eight martial hall owners from White Sheep County's south, north, east, and west districts were gathered.

These hall owners, who usually couldn't stand each other or were even hostile, had come together this time because they now shared a common enemy—the Wooden Sword Guest!

Shen Zhou had kicked every hall in the city, slapping everyone's face.

What hurt these owners even more was that their signs had been taken down, and most of their disciples no longer trusted the halls. They felt the owners were useless, unable to beat even a youth, and saw no future in continuing to learn, so they left one after another to seek elsewhere.

That was what these owners couldn't bear.

After hearing Wu Chang'an's words, someone in the crowd couldn't help but chuckle, but quickly held it in. Then that person coughed and spoke up: "Everyone, our purpose in gathering today is to pool our ideas and figure out how to deal with this Wooden Sword Guest.

Challenging halls is normal for us owners, and we can tolerate it, but this kid—after he finished with 'Old Qiao Martial Hall' on the west side, Old Qiao had just bought back his plaque from the city lord's office the next day, and the kid went and kicked it again! That's just too much!

And what did he say then? He said he'd kicked so many halls he'd forgotten he'd already done 'Old Qiao Martial Hall' yesterday, and told us not to rush to rehang our plaques because he might mix them up again.

Listen to that—is that human speech?

That's clearly a threat!

So today, we must come up with a permanent solution to severely punish this kid, or else White Sheep County will never know peace!"

At these words, all the hall owners in the building sank into grim silence.

This was too tricky!

They were genuinely furious.

But they were also genuinely helpless.

The truth was, that 'Wooden Sword Guest' kid was too strong—they had no moves left!

Just then, one hall owner in the crowd suddenly spoke up: "Actually, dealing with this kid isn't impossible. We can use a tiger to devour a wolf—find someone stronger to handle him!"

Everyone perked up at that, eyes curious, and turned to press: "How so?"

That owner's eyes glinted with cunning: "Our Great Cang Kingdom has always been about strength above all, might makes right, and cities are run by lord rule.

As long as you're strong enough and win a challenge, anyone can become city lord.

In our White Sheep County, the strongest is naturally our city lord.

From what I know, our Lord Wu is a Transformation Origin Seventh or Eighth Grade expert. If we can get him to act, can't we deal with that kid?"

Someone raised a doubt: "But how do we get Lord Wu to act? He won't just listen to us, will he?"

The former gave a light smile, confident and assured: "Simple. We just spread word throughout the city that the Wooden Sword Guest will challenge the Lord of the city within two days. Once everyone knows, public pressure—plus that brat's love of fame—will force him to challenge the Lord whether he wants to or not."

"Like that, the Lord and that brat will be set against each other."

Hearing this plan, everyone's eyes lit up. But just as they were all about to nod in agreement, a cold voice suddenly rang out from the stairwell: "Good, good, good... What a fine 'borrow a knife to kill' scheme!"

Today, all fifty-eight hall masters in the city had gathered to discuss important matters, having rented out the entire building. The sudden intrusion of an outsider's voice made more than a few frown.

Someone followed the sound and opened his mouth to bark a reprimand, but as soon as he saw who it was, the words died in his throat. He quickly rose to greet them: "Lord of the city, what brings you here?"

At those words, the hall masters upstairs could no longer sit still. They all stood up, expressions shifting into a riot of colors.

Folks, who could understand this?

They were scheming against someone, and the very target showed up and heard everything. 'Awkward' wasn't even close to describing it!

Lord Wu was a man in his thirties, of medium build with a sharp, lean presence. A scar ran from his right cheek straight to the corner of his eye, adding three parts of ruthless severity to his face—one look told you he wasn't someone to trifle with.

Now, as he came up and swept his gaze over all the hall masters present, he let out a cold laugh: "You lot really are something, aren't you? Someone kicks in your martial halls, and instead of figuring out how to save face, you turn all your schemes on me. Do you think I'm that easy to bully?!"

The moment he finished speaking, he lifted his foot and kicked the hall master who had proposed the plan. The man spat blood on the spot and tumbled down the stairs.

Pandemonium broke out below.

Upstairs, the hall masters' expressions shifted, cold sweat beading uncontrollably on their foreheads.

"Lord Wu, this—"

Just as Wu Chang'an was racking his brain for words to soothe the Lord's anger, Lord Wu refused to listen to anyone. After kicking the man, he pulled over a chair, sat down with legs wide apart like a general, and said directly: "Enough. I'll note this debt for now. There'll be plenty of time to settle it later. I came here this time for your martial halls' sake."

"That Wooden Sword Guest kicked every hall in the city, forcing them to close, cutting off tax revenue, and driving away apprentices. This has seriously harmed the martial development of this county."

"So I've decided: I'll cripple his cultivation and banish him from the city as punishment."

"This will be carried out tonight by the city guards and you fifty-eight hall masters. Understood?"

Wu Chang'an and the others shuddered, staring at him in shock: "Lord of the city, you mean we should tonight—"

Lord Wu didn't reply. He simply rose and turned to leave.

The message was clear enough.

Just before he left, he paused and said coldly: "And from now on, if I ever hear of anyone setting their sights on me again, don't blame me for showing no mercy. Is that clear?"

"Crystal clear, crystal clear..."

The hall masters hurriedly agreed.

Having given his orders, Lord Wu left with his men, clean and decisive.

It was a long while before the crowd in the tavern finally breathed easy.

Ma Hong, the Ma family hall master, frowned after a moment of silence: "What does Lord Wu mean by this? Is he telling us to strike that brat from the shadows? With so many of us, isn't that a bit underhanded?"

Wu Chang'an shook his head and replied with a bitter smile: "You really think Lord Wu came to help us? That Wooden Sword Guest has been kicking halls for days—how could the Lord not know? He's just afraid that brat might actually challenge him for the city lord's seat, and he's not confident he can handle it. So he's sending us to deal with the problem first."

"Borrow a knife to kill?"

"We're the knife!"

Many who ran martial halls were rough men who didn't think that deeply. Hearing Wu Chang'an's explanation, they finally caught on. "Ah, so that's it. Then do we still strike?"

Wu Chang'an sighed helplessly: "We're riding a tiger now—hard to get off, and we have no choice but to act."

At these words, everyone fell silent again.

And even now, they still believed Shen Zhou had kicked their halls just to make a name for himself.