Rainy Night

The servant assessment would also select maids with potential.

Although it was inherently harder for women to train in martial arts, the entry requirements for swordsmanship were not so demanding when it came to physique and bone structure.

Quite a few slave girls had changed their fates through this path.

Li Mu's expression changed at once. Si Xiaoshuang truly had some tricks up her sleeve—she had circled back to Wang Que again.

"Is that something they can designate? How can they designate it?"

Though he asked aloud, Li Mu had already vaguely guessed the answer.

Hui Zhen said calmly, "Xu Qiubai and Wu Mo came earlier. They told this little monk to break one arm tonight. After the assessment, they'll compensate me with three taels."

"You..."

Li Mu's face changed. Only then did he notice that Hui Zhen's left arm looked somewhat unnatural.

It had already been broken!

Though it was not his dominant hand, it would still greatly affect his sword practice. His progress would inevitably slow.

"Let's find the instructor. Find the steward," Li Mu said with a frown.

Hui Zhen held him back, shook his head, and pointed outside. "We can't get out."

Li Mu froze, then fell silent. Right—if they were doing something like this and did not post guards to watch the door, they would be complete fools...

He began recalling information about Xu and Wu.

Both had vitality scores of 5.7. Their sword practice progress lagged only slightly behind Wang Que's, placing them in the first tier among the current eleven.

For Wang Que to persuade those two to give up their slots and instead assign them to Si Xiaoshuang, he truly had some ability.

With those three gathered together, plus Cao A-Man's support, they could indeed run rampant among the sword-testing slaves.

"Three taels of silver for an arm... what a fine calculation."

If all their competitors were injured, breaking through to proficient sword intent would become extremely difficult.

Even if they succeeded, damaged tendons and broken bones would have too great an impact. How could they compete for a slot then?

Li Mu suddenly said, "They were originally coming for me, weren't they? You stopped them and took the punishment in my place."

He stared fixedly at Hui Zhen's left arm.

If it had been him, they would have followed the order of entry and dealt with the most threatening people first.

Li Mu had been the seventh to get started. Hui Zhen had been the last.

Why would they target Hui Zhen first?

A fierce knot suddenly formed in Li Mu's chest.

Hui Zhen smiled as if it did not matter.

"One arm is nothing compared to your wholehearted help, Woodenhead."

"This little injury will recover soon. It's nothing."

"This little monk only managed to get started because of your guidance. How could I stand by and watch my benefactor be humiliated?"

"It's just a pity that, like back then, this little monk has no ability to break this deadlock...

"So three days from now, I'm afraid you'll still have to put on an act."

Crack.

A branching bolt of lightning flashed across the sky. Thunder rumbled, and the rain fell even harder.

Seeing Li Mu's dark expression, Hui Zhen hurriedly tried to persuade him.

"Woodenhead, the injury on Li Lanqiao's hand two days ago was their doing. His progress was far ahead of ours, yet even he couldn't withstand them...

"Also, the reward silver Steward Leng gave out earlier has just been distributed. Wang Que already led Xu Qiubai and the others to rob several people separately.

"You were lucky not to be targeted.

"If people like that truly act, they might even inflict injuries that damage your foundation."

"..." Li Mu said nothing.

I was targeted. It's just that the ones who targeted me are dead.

So Wang Que really was behind the Wild Village brothers.

That greedy, bullying, cowardly, damned bastard...

The knot in his chest was completely ignited.

A fire slowly began burning in Li Mu's heart.

Hui Zhen was still earnestly trying to talk him down. "Woodenhead, the two of us cannot fight four hands right now. Bear with it. We can come back next year."

He revealed a faint smile, raised his hand, and patted Li Mu's shoulder. "It's only one year. This little monk will stay with you!"

"Don't worry. I won't do anything rash," Li Mu said as he looked at Hui Zhen's left arm. "I'll buy you some medicine for bruises tomorrow."

"No. That medicine costs thirty copper coins! I don't want to owe you any more."

"This little monk has a good constitution. It'll only hurt for a few days. Sword practice will just be a little inconvenient... In any case, promise this little monk that you won't act impulsively."

Hui Zhen pleaded with him patiently.

Only after hearing Li Mu repeatedly agree did he rise with satisfaction.

Li Mu accompanied Hui Zhen to the door.

The moment they opened it, two tall, thin figures stood ramrod straight outside.

Flickering candlelight cast two faces into view.

One pale, one dark.

Like a pair of black-and-white reapers, they stood there in eerie silence.

In the dim light, their smiling faces appeared somewhat sinister.

Hui Zhen lightly tightened his grip on the scorched prayer beads and spoke first. "I've already broken my arm. As agreed, Li Mu will be dealt with three days from now. Since we agreed, we will keep our word. Or do you want to make this matter bigger now?"

"Of course not! We were merely worried that you hadn't explained things clearly and came to see whether anything needed adding. It seems we worried for nothing."

Xu Qiubai grinned, sticking out his long tongue. "The brotherhood between you two is admirable. It would be nice if everyone were as straightforward as you. Brother Li Mu, don't you agree?"

Wu Mo said nothing at his side. He stood there like a black statue, only staring deeply at Li Mu.

Li Mu felt his skin turn slightly cold under that gaze. With a grim face, he said, "Give us the silver you owe us on time."

"Rest assured. Not a single coin will be missing, and it will definitely arrive on time."

Xu Qiubai laughed. "Old Black, let's go!"

The two finally turned and left.

Hui Zhen let out a breath of relief, nodded to Li Mu, and returned to his room.

Li Mu watched Xu and Wu vanish around the stairway before closing the door.

"They came to see whether I had any intention of resisting. If I did, they might have acted on the spot..."

Holding a teacup and watching the rain streak down outside the window, Li Mu's emotions churned as he recalled their expressions.

He truly wanted to live simply—practice martial arts quietly, develop discreetly, and avoid all this twisted, troublesome nonsense.

But why would they not even grant him a slot for fair competition?

"Wang Que..."

The designated-slot scheme had certainly been Wang Que's idea. Cao A-Man was merely an accomplice he had dragged into it.

"He gathered so many people just to throw his weight around and bully others at a time like this?"

Li Mu took a deep breath.

Wang Que, Cao A-Man, Xu Qiubai, Wu Mo, and Si Xiaoshuang—those five twisted into one rope truly possessed nearly overwhelming power among this group of sword-testing slaves.

Just as Hui Zhen had said, two fists could not beat four hands. The situation was stronger than the man.

Even with his current vitality of 6.7 and proficient sword intent, it would be difficult for him to fight one against five.

Even fighting one against two would be a struggle.

"So it seems I can only endure it..." Li Mu drew the broken piece of wood from his clothes, a cold glint slowly appearing in his eyes.

But endure for a year? In this world, hiding among the servants for a year—who knew what changes might occur outside? Without resources or status, obtaining sword manuals and increasing his vitality would face obstacle after obstacle...

This was far too unsafe.

The anxiety and frustration in Li Mu's heart slowly burned... His gaze grew ever deeper.

"Ah, I really just want to practice martial arts properly. Why does it always..."

"Haha, two fools. Give them silver on time? Wishful thinking."

"Seriously wounded, then turn things around after a year? No, impossible. Brother Que, become household servants, deal with them."

"Right. When the time comes, send those two brothers on their way first, so they can keep the Wild Village brothers company."

"The Wild Village brothers, Li Mu, big connection. He doesn't know any household servants. Knows stupid monk. Two idiots."

"Old Black, you're speaking much more smoothly. Can being in a good mood cure your stutter too? Drink more later."

"Things went smoothly. Drink!"

In the dim stairwell, two figures chatted and laughed as they slowly descended.

Almost everyone in Myriad Swords Tower was working overtime.

Only the eleven who had gotten started were resting in the dormitory building.

As a result, there was scarcely any light in the entire building.

The two did not care.

When they reached the second-floor corridor, Xu Qiubai slung an arm around Wu Mo's shoulders, and the two laughed loudly.

Rumble!! Thunder suddenly exploded overhead.

A burst of agonizing pain suddenly detonated across their backs. The pain caught in their hollow throats and became spurting hot blood. They could not even scream before their tendons and bones went limp, and they collapsed.

The booming thunder had concealed the twelve crisp cracks that had suddenly erupted behind them.

Both had been struck hard at once, their bodies pierced by several bloody holes as blood poured out like a flood.

They had never imagined that someone would dare launch an assassination in the dormitory building!

As they crashed down, through the pale lightning, they saw a figure crouch beside them and reach toward their bodies to search them.

Though this face was covered with black cloth, its head wrapped up, it felt familiar to them. So familiar...

Their eyes widened in disbelieving terror, yet they could no longer call out their killer's name.

The last thing they saw was the figure crouching down, looting their corpses, then swiftly leaving.

"Really poor... Not even enough for medicine for bruises."

Li Mu was speechless. The two had only ten copper coins between them, though he had unexpectedly found a fish-patterned bellyband on Xu Qiubai.

He had thought it over for a long time, but in the end he could not endure it. After disguising himself, he followed them.

He had actually hesitated a little, but after hearing Xu and Wu speak, he learned they intended to go this far. They wanted them to cripple themselves, never intended to pay compensation, and afterward planned to kill him and Hui Zhen first!

This had completely crossed Li Mu's bottom line.

Their faction was too powerful. He could not wait until they truly decided to kill him before striking back.

"The real rotten seed... is Wang Que."

Li Mu did not stop walking and continued toward the first floor. The dormitory building had never had anyone on guard duty.

Thunder boomed and torrential rain roared outside.

As long as he acted fast enough and ruthlessly enough, no one would hear that little bit of noise.

His target would have no chance to make a sound either.

Li Mu silently looked toward the only lit room on the first floor.

There was no reason to guard against thieves for a thousand days.

If he spared Wang Que today, who would spare Li Mu tomorrow?

Thunder rolled across the heavens.

A sudden flash of white illuminated Li Mu's pitch-black eyes, the only part exposed beneath his face covering.

Within them was reflected an electric serpent tearing through the storm and the night with an enraged roar, blazing bright.