The General's Mansion armory was hidden in a secluded courtyard in the northern part of the city. Four armored guards stood ramrod straight at the entrance, their gazes scraping over everyone who approached like knives.
Li Jinshui presented his wooden token.
The guards checked it, then stepped aside. "Fifteen minutes. If you take longer, we'll take it back."
The moment he stepped into the armory, Li Jinshui's breathing hitched.
Weapons filled the racks against the walls, their blades glinting with a bone-chilling sheen. In one corner lay a pile of iron armor in good condition. The last few rows of shelves were blanketed in dust, with yellowed scrolls of animal hide resting on them, like silent old soldiers crouched in wait.
The old soldier guarding the armory didn't even look up. His voice was lazy. "Footwork on the left, saber techniques on the right. Pick one and come out to register it. Don't go rummaging around."
Li Jinshui went straight to the right.
He had already mastered the Army-Breaking Saber Technique, but its three forms were too simplistic. How many times on the battlefield could he have struck faster, harder, and with less effort if only his saber technique had offered a few more variations?
His gaze skimmed over the scrolls of animal hide: Mountain-Opening Saber Art, Thirty-Six Gale Slashes, Seven Blood-Battle Styles... The names grew more impressive with each one, yet he always felt something was missing.
Until his eyes fell on a thin booklet in the corner.
The writing on its cover had faded, but the words "Wolf Killing Seven Forms" were still legible. A small note beside them read: An advanced form of the Army-Breaking Saber Technique. A killing art; only the bold and fierce may train in it.
Li Jinshui opened it.
The first page had only eight words: Advanced Version of the Army-Breaking Saber Technique.
As he flipped further, he found that every form was a killing move.
Each one brimmed with a savage, relentless ferocity.
"This one." Li Jinshui took the booklet and turned toward the left.
There were far fewer techniques on the footwork shelves, most of them basic skills for charging in military formation. Li Jinshui studied them row by row until he spotted an animal-hide scroll wedged at the very bottom.
Tiger Walk.
He opened the first page, and his eyes lit up: The tiger walks without a sound; it pounces a thousand miles. A technique for short-range movement and charging into battle.
This was exactly what he wanted. On the battlefield, the worst thing was getting surrounded with no way out. With this footwork, he could charge in for a surprise attack or dodge away to retreat, moving freely in and out of danger.
"Made your choice?" The old soldier opened his eyes and glanced over. He scribbled a couple of crooked notes in the register. "Wolf Killing Seven Forms, Tiger Walk. All right, off you go."
Li Jinshui tucked the two booklets into his shirt and strode away.
His steps were a little quicker than before.
Back in the barracks, he sat cross-legged on his bed, took a deep breath, and opened Wolf Killing Seven Forms.
He had just finished reading the incantation for the first form, "Wolf Fang Bite," when the cold mechanical voice in his mind suddenly rang out—
[Advanced saber technique detected... Recording...] [Recording successful: Wolf Killing Seven Forms] [Host has mastered Army-Breaking Saber Technique (perfection). Inheritance connection triggered...] [Wolf Killing Seven Forms proficiency +30] [Wolf Killing Seven Forms: Entry level (30/50)]
Boom—
A surge of heat rose from his dantian, while a flood of memories poured into his mind:
In the wilderness, a wolf pack surrounded its prey. The alpha wolf tore into its throat, killing it with one strike as blood sprayed three feet high;
On a snowy plain, the wolf king pounced, ripping its prey three times in a flash. The victim fell before it could even cry out;
At the edge of a cliff, a lone wolf faced a horde of enemies. One sweeping lash of its tail cut down a thousand soldiers, carving a bloody path through them...
These images merged with his insights into the Army-Breaking Saber Technique. Eyes closed, Li Jinshui began moving his right hand of its own accord. One strike, two strikes, three—the triple slash of Wolf Fang Bite gradually took shape in his hand. His blade cut through the air with a low whine, like a wolf's howl.
A full half-hour later, he opened his eyes and let out a long breath.
He had learned Wolf Killing Seven Forms. Its proficiency had shot straight to 30/50, just one step short of minor mastery.
He tightened his grip on the saber hilt. The weapon seemed to have come alive, brimming with a bloodthirsty hunger.
Then he opened Tiger Walk.
[Recording successful: Tiger Walk] [Tiger Walk: Not yet learned (0/20)]
He was about to continue when Er Gou's booming voice came from outside the door. "Squad Leader! The mess hall's serving dinner! We've got meat stew tonight, as much as you want! And liquor!"
Li Jinshui lowered his stance and went outside.
They had won the battle, and sure enough, the food was different.
People crowded around the bonfire. Fat dripped from the roasting whole lamb onto the coals with a sizzle, and its fragrance mingled with the smell of liquor, carrying far through the air.
Camp Commander Zhou Kui wielded the knife himself. He cut off the fattest piece of lamb leg and waved Li Jinshui over.
"Come here! You're tonight's hero. This piece is yours!"
Li Jinshui took the meat and bit into it. The skin was crisp, the fat melted in his mouth, and the salty savor mingled with the smoky char of the coals. It was the most decent meal he'd had since arriving in this world.
"Drink!" Zhou Kui shoved a bowl of liquor into his hands. "That's the rule in North-Rejecting City. Win a battle, get dead drunk. Even if you die tomorrow, at least you won't have missed out!"
The old soldiers around them cheered, their bowls clinking together.
"Squad Leader, if every day could be like this, wouldn't that be something?" Er Gou wiped the grease from his mouth, his eyes shining.
Er Gou leaned closer, the bonfire reflecting red across half his face. "Squad Leader, how'd you train your saber technique? That strike today—I was seven or eight paces away, and it still made the back of my neck go cold..."
Li Jinshui chewed his lamb without answering. Zhang Shuan'er cut in from beside him. "You don't know a damn thing. The Squad Leader's a born killer. You couldn't catch up with him in a lifetime!"
"Go to hell!"
The two started fooling around by the bonfire. Zhou Kui laughed and cursed as he tossed a lamb bone at them. The mood was so hot it could have set the tents alight.
Li Jinshui leaned against a wooden post and watched them.
They didn't know whether they'd die tomorrow or if they'd get another meal after this one. But tonight there was meat and liquor, so they laughed first.
By the time he finished eating and headed back to the barracks, night had fallen completely.
Soldiers who'd eaten and drunk their fill were everywhere in camp, gathering in twos and threes to talk. Some bragged about how many Di People they'd killed, while others complained that the mess hall hadn't served enough meat. Their rough laughter drifted through the night breeze.
Li Jinshui walked slowly. His stomach was warm, and that long-lost sense of security made his steps feel lighter.
He rounded the corner of the barracks, then suddenly stopped.
Seven or eight people stood in the open space ahead. The firelight shone fitfully over the broad-shouldered figure at their head.
Wang Tiezhu.
He wore a leather cuirass, a saber at his waist, and a face full of bulging flesh. His eyes were ferocious, as if he wanted to eat someone alive. On the wooden badge on his chest, the three characters for "Ten-Man Leader" glowed red in the firelight.
He was speaking to a few soldiers. His voice was low, but even from a dozen paces away, Li Jinshui could feel the pressure radiating from him.
"Did my younger brother have a quarrel with anyone before he died? Think carefully. Make sure you're certain before you answer."
The soldiers' faces went pale as they shook their heads repeatedly. "N-no... No, the Fifth Squad Leader got along well with everyone..."
"Got along well?" Wang Tiezhu seized one of them by the collar. "Then how'd he end up dead on the city wall? Why was his saber in the hands of one of our own men?"
The man was so frightened he could barely get the words out. "I-I really don't know! It was chaos. The Di People kept surging up, wave after wave. We only realized the Fifth Squad Leader was... was..."
Wang Tiezhu released him and swept his gaze over their faces like a knife.
Then that gaze moved over and landed on Li Jinshui.
Their eyes met.
The torch crackled.
Li Jinshui didn't stop or turn his head. He didn't even speed up or slow down. He simply walked past, his pace steady as though he'd seen nothing.
He could feel that gaze clinging to his back, like a wolf watching its prey.
Only after he entered the barracks and shut the door was that gaze shut out.
Li Jinshui stood behind the door, motionless.
After a long while, he slowly sat down on the bed and brought up the panel:
[Techniques: Iron Shirt (Seventh Layer 0/40), Wolf Killing Seven Forms (Entry level 30/50), Tiger Walk (Not yet learned 1/20)] [Realm: Seventh Layer of Body Forging] [Points: 27]
Still not enough.
He was at the seventh layer of Body Forging, two full stages below the peak of the ninth layer.
On top of that, his opponent was a veteran soldier with years of experience and plenty of real combat under his belt. Li Jinshui's odds in a head-on fight were poor.
He needed to get stronger faster.
He lay down and closed his eyes.
In the darkness, Wang Tiezhu's eyes, savage as a hungry wolf's, still flickered before him.
But he wasn't afraid.
He was only wondering—
Would that man called Wang Tiezhu, like his younger brother, grin as he plunged a saber into someone else?
If so, Li Jinshui wouldn't mind sending the brothers to reunite in the underworld.
Outside the window, the night wind suddenly strengthened, whipping the camp banners with a sharp crackle, as if something in the darkness were stirring restlessly.
Before you continue