Chop Chop Chop!

Morning, by the edge of the woods.

Whoosh.

The breeze stirred by the footwork of a blade dance swirled the fallen leaves and debris on the ground.

Chen Guan was holding a rusted, broken blade, practicing a set of basic saber techniques.

Specifically, "flicking, hanging, thrusting, and slashing."

The secret manual Constable Yan had given him early on was a saber manual.

As for this broken blade, he had picked it up in the forest.

It was over thirty centimeters long, with a hilt of about twenty centimeters.

Judging by the thickness of the edge and the spine, before it was broken, it must have been a standard Tang saber or something similar.

In his past life, Chen Guan liked reading about blades, so he had some basic knowledge of how to distinguish them.

I was in such a rush to run away from home yesterday that I forgot to swipe a blade.

Chen Guan practiced for a while, and once he saw Proficiency +1, he stopped.

He was out in the wild now, in a forest, no less.

He needed to conserve his strength; he couldn't practice until he was exhausted.

However, the talent for Basic Saber Technique gave Chen Guan an indescribable sense of control over blades.

It was like in his past life, when he played with blades, he might feel that his strikes were awkward, always feeling the blade was a bit "heavy."

But now, he felt a peculiar sense of extension.

It was as if the blade in his hand had become a part of his own body.

He felt like a swordsman who had trained for years, with all the foundations of saber technique already laid.

This perfectly matched "Effect 1" of the entry: [You have a natural familiarity with ordinary bladed weapons.]

More importantly, when Chen Guan was a black bear, he felt unable to calm his mind while looking at Constable Yan's saber manual.

It was just like studying for school or doing reading comprehension exercises.

But now, with the talent for Basic Saber Technique, it was as if his focus had been boosted.

This was "Effect 2": [Your learning speed for ordinary saber manuals is slightly increased.]

Under this effect, he found even complex manuals fascinating to read, as if he were playing a game and was willing to "put his heart" into understanding the game mechanics.

With interest, he naturally achieved twice the result with half the effort and learned quickly.

In a way, this was a relative increase in "comprehension."

Combined with "Effect 1," the mastery of ordinary blades, this Basic Saber Technique talent was truly absurd.

It had vaulted him into becoming a "little genius of the blade path."

And this wasn't just for "this lifetime alone"; it could be "inherited" and continued to be developed further.

Chen Guan was filled with excitement for a moment, and upon realizing he still had plenty of energy left, he practiced another set.

Noon.

Chen Guan was lost.

He had truly forgotten how to get back to the Dilapidated Temple.

Back then, he had been chased by the constable and his men.

He had just been running blindly, and even finding the Dilapidated Temple afterward had been a matter of wandering around.

Furthermore, during the half-month he spent in the Dilapidated Temple, he hadn't ventured very far, staying within a range of ten miles at most.

And so, at this moment, Chen Guan stood on a high mound outside the woods, gazing into the depths of the mountain forest.

Looking at the rolling wilderness, he truly couldn't tell the way.

Should I... go find Constable Yan?

Chen Guan had come up with a solution that wasn't really a solution.

As for what to say once he was found, if all else failed, he could just reveal himself as the reincarnation of a Black Bear Spirit, or perhaps claim he had shapeshifted into human form?

Chen Guan had no idea if that would work, but he felt it would certainly lead to no shortage of trouble.

After all, he currently lacked any real ability to protect himself.

When it came down to it, he was just a seven-year-old child.

"Forget it!"

Chen Guan thought for a while and decided he had better find the Dilapidated Temple first; otherwise, if he ran into Constable Yan, the man would surely think he was a runaway spinning tall tales.

If he were hauled back home, it would only be a waste of time.

The following evening.

Chen Guan sat in a mountain cave within the forest, staring at the fire he couldn't seem to ignite, and found himself feeling a bit homesick.

"Making fire by rubbing sticks is so difficult.

I should have brought a tinderbox when I left."

Chen Guan felt quite dejected.

He hadn't eaten any cooked food for the past two days, relying entirely on a fruit similar to an apple to stave off hunger.

"Even if I had meat, I couldn't eat it."

Chen Guan looked longingly at the two pheasant carcasses nearby.

Eating them raw didn't seem like a good idea.

This body was too small, and besides, he wasn't actually a bear.

He truly didn't know if he would end up in his next life if he ate them.

In this life, there were still many things left unresolved.

He hadn't even practiced his talents much yet.

If his next life turned out to be an infant again, or the cub of some beast, it would delay his development even further.

Lost in thought.

Chen Guan decided he should just keep moving; as long as he was on the road and staying active, he wouldn't have so much time for idle thoughts.

"What? You can't find him?"

That night.

In the main hall of the Zhao residence.

Patriarch Zhao looked at the two guards in the hall with an angry expression.

"If you can't find him, keep looking! Take more men and find him!"

"Yes..."

The two guards dared not speak, only bowing and retreating. Once they reached the outside of the hall, they gathered the servants and continued their search for the Fifth Young Master.

Just then.

Fourth Madam, who had been busy with affairs outside, walked in with small, dainty steps.

Illuminated by the firelight.

Even after having children, her beauty and figure remained excellent. She leaned against Patriarch Zhao in a coquettish manner.

"My lord~

Perhaps the Fifth Young Master just went out to clear his head; don't let your anger ruin your health."

Fourth Madam knew that because Third Sister had passed away during childbirth, the Patriarch had never favored the Fifth Young Master and even harbored some resentment toward him.

Because of this.

She wanted to take this opportunity to speak up and see if she could reclaim the Fifth Young Master's small house as well.

After all, the Fifth Young Master's sudden departure seemed to have infuriated the Patriarch quite a bit.

Previously, she had successfully used the excuse that her own children had no one to care for them to coax the Patriarch into giving her the Fifth Young Master's wet nurse and a maid.

She still had plenty of confidence.

But at this moment.

Seeing Fourth Madam's pitiful, coquettish display and sensing her intent to scheme against the Fifth Young Master, Patriarch Zhao said word by word:

"No matter how much I despise him, he remains a member of my Zhao family. As long as I am alive, he will always have a hot meal.

You..."

You want him dead?

"Get lost!"

Late at night.

Deep in the forest.

"Awoo~"

The howling nearby forced the group of merchants in the clearing to huddle together, pinning their hopes on the campfire in their midst.

"Brother Wang... it sounds like there are wolves nearby..."

"Quick, draw your weapons..."

"I never heard there were wolves in this area..."

The merchants were frantic, their gazes fixed on the direction from which the howling came.

"Brother Wang, why don't we... leave? Let's stop taking this shortcut..."

"That's right, we aren't far from the edge of the woods. Let's get out of here and continue our journey when it's light out..."

"Exactly... even if we don't run into wolves, if we encounter mountain bandits, we won't stand a chance..."

As they spoke, they scrambled to their feet, hurriedly gathering their goods and a few torches.

Because the howling was growing closer.

They might need those torches to ward off the pack once they caught up.

But just as they finished packing their gear and torches, before they could even move—

"Awoo!"

A sudden chorus of pained yelps and low whimpers erupted from the pack nearby, accompanied by the chaotic sound of paws trampling through brush.

Under the wary eyes of the merchants, the noise died down in barely twenty seconds.

"What... what is this?"

"Those wolves... they've gone silent. Did they run off, or were they killed by some other beast..."

Less than half a minute later, before the merchants could even recover their senses:

Rustle—

The bushes ahead were pushed aside, and a youth with a childlike face emerged from the woods, dragging a blood-dripping, rusted broken blade.

Under the bright moonlight.

Chen Guan, his face smeared with wolf blood, revealed only two rows of uneven, relatively white baby teeth. He held the broken blade upside down and offered a salute, the blood-stained steel pressed against the inside of his arm, smiling at the terrified merchants.

"My name is Chen Guan. Greetings to you all."