Ancient Temple Encounter

Six months later, on a remote mountain path in the wilderness outside Feng City.

A torrential downpour swept through the air, with raindrops the size of beans slamming into the ground with a rhythmic "patter." From time to time, muffled rumbles of thunder echoed from the dark clouds, accompanied by flashes of jagged lightning.

A human figure was sprinting through the rain like a leopard. With every stride, the person covered the distance of five or six normal steps, vaulting over a small hill in the blink of an eye and vanishing into a dense forest nearby.

A moment later, a cold light flickered around the figure.

With a thunderous crash, over a dozen large trees were sliced clean through the middle, toppling over one after another in the wake of the figure's passage.

Just then, a massive bolt of lightning illuminated the sky, casting a clear light on the figure: it was a person wearing a straw hat and a coir raincoat.

As the trees swayed, the figure flickered once and vanished into the darkness.

One hour later.

The door of a dilapidated mountain temple was kicked open with a loud "bang." Heavy footsteps followed, and a figure carrying a massive object on their shoulder walked in, bringing a gust of wind and rain along with them.

Two people who had been huddled around a campfire in the main hall stared at the newcomer in stunned silence.

"Oh? Guests! Did you use my firewood?"

The newcomer tossed the object off their shoulder onto the ground with a heavy thud, shook the rainwater from their raincoat, and asked in a calm, unhurried tone.

The two people who had arrived earlier were a man and a girl.

The man was in his forties; though his features were refined, his face was weathered by hardship. The girl was only fourteen or fifteen. She was fair-skinned and exceptionally pretty, but a large, dark blue birthmark on her forehead marred her otherwise lovely appearance.

"Ah, so the firewood in the temple belongs to you, young man. I didn't know; I thought it was ownerless. My daughter and I were soaked to the bone, so we took the liberty of using it. Please rest assured, I will compensate you for the wood," the middle-aged man said, rising to apologize. However, his gaze drifted to the giant object on the floor, and a look of fear remained on his face.

It was a brown-furred wild boar weighing at least a hundred pounds. Its eyes were rolled back, its mouth was bloodied, and its two protruding tusks were snapped, suggesting it had been dead for some time.

"Since the wood was already chopped, it was meant to be used. Why talk of money?" The figure stepped forward, revealing a youth with thick brows, large eyes, and a single-edged blade strapped to his back. It was Shi Mu.

"I don't know what to say, Uncle Zhong is truly grateful to you, young man." The middle-aged man let out a long sigh of relief, offered a beaming smile of thanks, and sat back down by the fire, whispering a few words of comfort to the girl beside him.

The girl wore a green dress and stole a few glances at Shi Mu, but she remained silent, appearing quite demure.

Shi Mu unstrapped the blade from his back and removed his coir raincoat, revealing a thick, black iron armor that encased his entire upper body, leaving only his neck and arms exposed.

"Wait, is this Black Armor?" After finishing his conversation with his daughter, the middle-aged man noticed the half-body armor and exclaimed in surprise.

"You recognize this armor?" Shi Mu asked, somewhat taken aback.

"Heh, to be honest, I once saw a blacksmith crafting this type of armor. It left a deep impression on me, which is why I recognized it at a glance. May I ask how heavy it is? That blacksmith told me that while this Black Armor can be worn, it is extremely fragile and offers almost no defensive value. Its only purpose is to use its immense weight to help martial artists temper their bodies," the middle-aged man replied with a smile.

"This piece isn't very heavy; I wouldn't be able to wear anything too extreme," Shi Mu replied vaguely. He hooked his fingers into the side of the armor and pulled with a sudden burst of force.

With a "clack," the armor split into two pieces and was tossed casually onto the ground by Shi Mu.

"Boom!" "Boom!" The ground trembled slightly, and the middle-aged man's eyelids twitched.

That weight must have been at least five or six hundred pounds. Was this boy some kind of human-shaped beast? Otherwise, how could he move so freely while wearing such a thing? It seemed that despite his young age, his physical body was incredibly formidable; his Body Tempering Technique must be of a very high level.

Freed from the constraints of the Black Armor, Shi Mu seemed to relax. He picked up his blade, and with a few swift, fluid motions, he severed the boar's two front legs. With a flick of his wrist, a cold light danced around one of the legs, and in the blink of an eye, the skin and fur were shaved clean away.

The youth then pulled a small bottle from his robes, sprinkled some white powder onto the meat, and walked over to the campfire to roast it himself.

A moment later, a rich, savory aroma of roasting meat began to drift through the temple.

The father and daughter across the fire had taken out a bag of dry rations to share, but as the girl caught the scent of the roasting meat and watched the fat sizzle and drip, she couldn't help but swallow hard. Realizing her lapse, her face flushed red, and she lowered her head.

Shi Mu noticed this and smiled, handing the half-roasted leg toward them.

"How could we? We've already used your firewood, and now to share your meat..." The middle-aged man was delighted, and though he spoke with polite hesitation, his hands reached out to accept the meat without further protest.

"Father..." the girl whispered, feeling embarrassed and giving him a reproachful look.

"Don't you see there's plenty more meat? This young man is so skilled, I'm sure he doesn't mind a little food," the middle-aged man replied with a grin.

"Father, you really are... Thank you, young master," the girl muttered, still feeling a bit resentful toward her father, but after a moment of hesitation, she thanked Shi Mu with a blush.

"It's no trouble. This boar I hunted is huge; I wouldn't have been able to finish it all anyway," Shi Mu replied with a smile, having already skinned the other leg and walked back.

"By the way, young man, we must be close to Feng City now, right? My daughter and I are traveling from Ying City to visit relatives, but we got lost in the mountains during the rain and stumbled upon this place," the middle-aged man asked while busily tearing a piece of meat for his daughter.

"So that's it. I was wondering why this temple was so deserted and who would be here so late. Don't worry, Uncle Zhong, Feng City isn't far. Just follow the mountain path east from the entrance for about ten miles, and you'll see the West Gate," Shi Mu replied without hesitation.

"That's wonderful! Xiu'er, did you hear that? We'll reach Feng City tomorrow, and you'll soon be the daughter-in-law of the Wu Family," the middle-aged man said to the girl, his face full of joy.

"Father, what are you saying? In our current situation, and with me looking like this... it's uncertain whether they will even honor the marriage," the girl said, blushing deeply at the mention of her betrothal.

"What do you mean, 'looking like this'? In my eyes, you have always been clever and bright! Hmph, as for why we have fallen into this state, it has everything to do with the Wu Family. Xiu'er, don't worry about it; when the time comes, I will handle the matter with them," the middle-aged man said dismissively.

Shi Mu's heart stirred at these words.

The Wu Family? Could it be the "Wu Family" in Feng City, second only to the Jin Family in power? But this father and daughter were frail; they didn't seem to be martial artists.

Just as the father and daughter were whispering and Shi Mu was silently roasting his meat, a shrill, piercing howl echoed from the distance. A thunderous rumbling followed, closing in rapidly, as if something massive was charging straight toward the ruined temple.

"What is that? Is it a mountain beast?" The middle-aged man stood up in alarm, drawing a short, cold-glinting sword from his robes and standing in front of his daughter with a look of terror.

Judging by his trembling legs, however, he likely possessed no real strength to speak of.

"Be careful. That is definitely not a beast—at least not one from these mountains. If it were, I would have heard such a howl before."

Shi Mu kicked his blade up from the ground, caught the hilt, and stared fixedly at the temple entrance, his body radiating a cold, murderous Sha Qi.

He had spent the last six months hunting beasts in these mountains, not for sport, but to temper his body and gain real-world combat experience with his blade and fist techniques.

Although there were no particularly powerful beasts in these mountains, Shi Mu had already killed no fewer than a hundred wild wolves and boars during this period, granting him a wealth of experience in actual combat that was far beyond what an ordinary Martial Disciple who had never seen blood could compare to.

Although the middle-aged man did not know martial arts, he still possessed a keen eye; seeing Shi Mu act with such composure, he could not help but feel a bit more at ease, though he still shielded the young girl behind him tightly.

With a loud "BOOM."

The already dilapidated temple door suddenly burst inward, and amidst the spray of countless wood splinters, a jet-black humanoid monster abruptly charged into the main hall.

"Th-this is a Zombie! Oh mother, how could this ghostly thing appear here? What are the armies of Feng City doing? It's over, we're dead." As soon as the middle-aged man saw the appearance of the humanoid monster clearly, he nearly fainted on the spot.

A Zombie?

Shi Mu stared at the humanoid monster opposite him, his own scalp tingling in alarm!

The monster before him stood a full two zhang tall, its facial features a blurred mess of flesh, leaving only two gaping, bloody holes where its eyes should have been. Its entire body was covered in a layer of coarse, black, stiff hair, and drops of green liquid fell from its body from time to time, emitting a foul stench that made one want to retch.