Ten minutes later.
Xu Feng waved to Liu Yu, who stood by the door in her work uniform. "Then I'll leave it to you."
"No problem. See you tonight, then. Say goodbye to Dad."
Liu Yu smiled and waved, then looked down at Xiao Dan and spoke to her.
Xiao Dan smiled faintly and winked at Xu Feng. "Goodbye, Daddy."
Xu Feng ignored her playful antics and strode away.
When he got home, he geared up, took all his flying blades, slung his battle blade over his shoulder, and stashed everything of value in the underground passage.
Only then did he set off for the wilderness.
As the shanties grew fewer and the surroundings became more unfamiliar, Xu Feng's heart began to race. He slowed his pace.
Though he was a little annoyed at himself for being so timid, Xu Feng wasn't about to play the hero.
The Wilderness Zone around the base was often cleared by groups of students from Sky Moon Martial University.
Even so, Mutated Creatures still appeared from time to time.
So rather than show off, he'd rather stay alive.
Following the map, Xu Feng explored ahead beneath the setting sun.
After walking about three kilometers,
he finally spotted a landmark hill marked on the map.
"This map's pretty accurate. Too bad there's no GPS. That would've made things even easier."
He hadn't encountered any danger along the way, and his guard had eased a little.
No wonder Martial Servants often went out in groups to sightsee or hunt during their days off. He'd heard that accidents were rare.
"If you head northeast from this mountain for a little over two hundred kilometers, you'll reach Qingbei Martial University's base in D22 District.
"I hear it's three or four times bigger than Sky Moon Martial University's base, with more experts and a livelier atmosphere."
After roughly confirming the direction, Xu Feng turned around and headed back.
But as soon as he turned,
a sound suddenly came from the woods beside him.
Xu Feng raised his hand and sent a flying blade shooting toward it. It was pure instinct.
"Caw—"
The next moment,
the clump of grass shook violently, then fell still.
"What was that?" Xu Feng had actually been startled.
But seeing that it was still early, he drew the battle blade from his waist and walked toward the roadside.
After five steps, Xu Feng stopped and peered at the grass from a distance.
Only then did he realize that the creature he'd killed with one blade was a bird with bronze-colored wings.
It was about the size of a palm, and its feathers looked as if they'd been cast from bronze. It was quite beautiful.
"What is this?"
Xu Feng, who knew little about Mutated Creatures, was at a loss.
The bird clearly wasn't normal, but he had no idea whether it was dangerous.
Xu Feng had no intention of investigating. He turned to leave.
But suddenly, something caught the corner of his eye.
In an even denser patch of trees, someone was sitting half upright.
The person sat motionless against a tree trunk, head bowed.
Xu Feng's pupils contracted, and he backed away.
But with a second glance, he spotted a bloody hole in the person's neck.
Dead?
Xu Feng looked at the bronze-colored bird lying on the ground.
He immediately understood what had happened.
The man had probably been attacked by the bird and bled to death.
And the bird had been unlucky enough to get killed by Xu Feng before they'd even met.
Xu Feng swallowed. His first thought wasn't that his flying blade was powerful, but that he was shocked the bird could inflict so much damage.
That meant his skill with flying blades had reached the point where he could at least inflict serious harm.
After all, even a true martial artist was still made of flesh and blood.
If someone's throat was cut or a blade hit a vulnerable spot like the eye,
they could still be injured, bleed, and die.
With a flying blade clenched in one hand and the battle blade in the other, Xu Feng took two steps closer and called quietly, "Hey, brother. Are you still alive?"
The man didn't respond at all.
He wasn't wearing a Combat Suit, but an ordinary work uniform for a Martial Servant.
He looked like an employee in one of the cleaning departments at Sky Moon Martial University.
Judging by the bow and the bag of game lying nearby, the man had probably gone hunting alone to get himself some meat.
It seemed he hadn't expected to be killed by that copper-colored bird.
Xu Feng sighed faintly. He didn't want to get involved, so he turned to leave.
But with a clatter,
a short sword gleaming with cold light suddenly fell from the man's lower back.
Xu Feng took a closer look and saw a scabbard strapped there. The Battle Sword had slipped out of it.
"A weapon?"
After a brief hesitation, Xu Feng stepped into the woods, picked up the sword, and hurried away without daring to take a closer look.
After two steps, Xu Feng broke into a run.
Only after reaching the edge of the Shanty Town did he look back at the woods, swallow, and finally catch his breath.
"Damn, I'm such a coward. Why did I run? He was only a dead man."
Xu Feng muttered in embarrassment.
But soon, he convinced himself, "I still have to pick up Xiao Dan. Better hurry."
Then Xu Feng quickly crossed the Shanty Town and headed to a secondhand weapons shop in the Trading Zone.
As soon as he walked in, he set the sword on the counter as if he were an experienced customer. "Boss, take a look. How much can I get for this sword? And this blade?"
As if he'd bought and sold weapons many times before.
The owner glanced at Xu Feng, then picked up the Battle Sword, which Xu Feng himself had barely examined. "Usually, secondhand C-grade weapons don't fetch much. But this Star Moon Sword is in decent condition. I can give you ten thousand at most."
Ten thousand?
Xu Feng's pupils contracted. This Battle Sword was actually a C-Grade Alloy weapon?
"What about this blade?" Xu Feng asked.
The owner took one casual look and curled his lip. "This? An inferior standard-issue battle weapon, and an old model from years ago.
"It's not worth much. Two thousand, just as scrap metal."
Damn, that big a difference?
Xu Feng's heart leaped. He knew he'd found a treasure.
No wonder Fatty had seemed so casual when he gave Xu Feng the blade. Xu Feng had guessed it wasn't worth much.
Still, two thousand was two thousand.
Xu Feng paused and smiled faintly. "It's a C-grade Star Moon Sword. Look at its condition and how little wear it has. I've kept it well-maintained. Ten thousand's too low. Give me a little more."
The owner casually sat back in his recliner and barely gave Xu Feng the time of day. "Eleven thousand. I can add a thousand at most. You have to remember, it's still secondhand.
"A brand-new C-grade Star Moon Sword only costs twenty-eight thousand. Everyone wants a new weapon."
"Heh, I've sold weapons before," Xu Feng said, casually making it up. "I'll let you make a decent profit too. With my blade included, make it twenty thousand."
"Twenty thousand is impossible. Thirteen thousand at most."
"We've done business once. There'll be plenty of chances to work together in the future. Come on, raise it a little more."
In the end, Xu Feng haggled with the owner for a long while and got the price up to eighteen thousand.
Then Xu Feng glanced at the row of C-grade Battle Blades hanging on the wall and smiled. "I was just thinking of getting a new blade. How about you sell me that C-grade Flowing Wind Blade for exactly eighteen thousand?"
The owner was completely speechless.
"Heh. I've been in business for a long time, and you're the first person I've ever seen haggle like that. I've really seen it all."
"Hey, I'm a little short on cash lately. Boss, I really want to make a friend of you. Meet me halfway."
"Twenty thousand—no, forget it. I'll give it to you for nineteen thousand. Let's stop haggling, all right?"
The owner rubbed his forehead.
Xu Feng grinned. "Sure, but you have to throw in a bottle of sword oil."
"Fine, fine, I'll give you a bottle." The owner sighed and turned to take the Battle Blade down from the wall.
The owner handed the blade to Xu Feng. "Take a look. If you're sure, I'll wrap it up for you.
"If there's a problem after you leave the shop, just come find me. We're an official shop for 'Sky Moon.' I hope we can do more business in the future."
"Sounds good." Xu Feng readily paid the extra thousand, examined the blade in his hand, took a two-hundred-milliliter bottle of sword oil, and left the shop.
He'd really struck it rich on this trip.
Xu Feng thought of the corpse again.
"Thanks for the sword, brother. I'll make sure to see a little more of the world for you."
Before you continue