Exposure

"Mm, I've got the feel for it."

Fang Zhixing was greatly invigorated. From drawing the blade from its sheath to chopping down, it had to be done in one fluid motion, without the slightest pause in between. Not only did it need to be fast, it also had to be powerful, steady, ruthless, and precise.

After that, he practiced again and again, gradually becoming drenched in sweat.

He rested for a while, then continued practicing.

The cycle repeated over and over.

Before he knew it, two hours had passed, and the sun was sinking in the west.

Fang Zhixing tested his arm. It was fine—not particularly sore.

With the foundation of a max-level Apprentice Archer, Fang Zhixing somewhat understood how to exert force properly, so he had not strained anything either.

Afterward, he went down to the river to gather food and caught some clams and pond snails. His luck was good; he also dug out a large yellow eel.

He ate an immensely satisfying dinner.

After night fell, he went home to sleep.

Under the hazy night sky, Zhao Dahu and his group returned from hunting. More than a dozen people worked together to carry a fat, sturdy wild boar back home.

The old village chief beamed with joy and went out to greet them.

In this year of famine, when a large family of dozens could still have meat to eat, anyone would be overjoyed.

During the meal, Zhao Dahu mentioned, "Dad, did you notice Big Ox?"

The old village chief paused, puzzled. "That kid is probably about to starve to death. Why would I pay attention to him?"

Zhao Dahu quickly recounted what had happened when he encountered Big Ox that day.

The old village chief immediately grew uncertain and suspicious. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Big Ox had a ruddy complexion? Where did he get food?"

Zhao Dahu lowered his voice. "Dad, Second Dog lost both his legs. Didn't you suspect that someone..."

The old village chief's expression changed. Startled, he said, "You suspect Big Ox did that!"

Zhao Dahu nodded and said firmly, "Otherwise, how could he have fattened himself up?"

The old village chief stroked his beard.

Dawn broke, and the rooster crowed.

Fang Zhixing woke up. Hearing the rooster crow gave him a touch of morning temper, and he wanted to eat that chicken.

But that chicken belonged to the old village chief's family. His was the only household in the village that still kept chickens.

Man and dog went out together.

They had barely gone a few steps when someone approached them head-on. Who else could it be but the old village chief?

Fang Zhixing immediately put on a well-behaved appearance, lowered his head, and smiled. "Morning, Village Chief. Have you eaten?"

"Not yet. I'll eat in a bit."

The old village chief smiled kindly, his eyes narrowed as he shook the dry tobacco in his hand. "Big Ox, how have you been? Do you still have food at home?"

Fang Zhixing hastily replied, "The food ran out long ago. I dig wild vegetables to eat every day now."

The old village chief nodded and smiled. "How about I lend you some food? I can help you out with ten or eight jin."

Fang Zhixing first lifted his head, expectation showing on his face, but then he gave a simple-minded grin. "Food is more precious than anything right now. Even if I borrowed it, I couldn't pay it back! How about this? I still have half a mu of farmland at home. I'll sell it to you, Village Chief. You can give me whatever you think is fair."

The old village chief's expression stiffened slightly.

What was the situation now? The fields were all barren. What did he need with that half-mu of poor land?

After a brief silence, the old village chief smiled. "You want to sell your land? Fine, let me think it over first."

The two parted ways.

Fang Zhixing quickly left the village and entered the woods. Then he hid behind a tree and secretly watched the village entrance.

Seeing this, Skinny Dog sent, "What, you suspect running into the old village chief wasn't a coincidence?"

Fang Zhixing nodded. "The old village chief wanders around the village every day. When have you ever seen him care whether I live or die? Today, he suddenly decided to play the good Samaritan. That's far too abnormal—there must be something fishy going on."

Skinny Dog came to a realization and pondered, "Yesterday we ran into Zhao Dahu and the others, and today we ran into the old village chief. Could they have discovered something?"

Fang Zhixing suddenly looked up and saw a young man leave the village, heading toward this patch of woods as well.

"Zhao Zikun!"

Fang Zhixing recognized him. This Zhao Zikun was Zhao Dahu's son and the old village chief's beloved grandson.

He had injured his arm in a fall while hunting and had been recovering at home ever since, leaving him with nothing to do.

Zhao Zikun looked around as he walked, stealthily slipping into the woods. He wandered back and forth as though searching for something.

Fang Zhixing remained hidden, showing no reaction.

After a while, Zhao Zikun gradually became somewhat impatient. He stamped his foot angrily, turned around, and returned to the village.

Only after watching Zhao Zikun truly enter the village did Fang Zhixing emerge and swiftly leave.

Skinny Dog hesitated. "What does the old village chief mean by this? We haven't offended him."

Fang Zhixing curled his lip. "In troubled times, there's no need to consider why someone does something. Harming someone, even killing them, might be a whim, or they might have some other scheme. But no matter what it is, all we need to do is survive!"

Skinny Dog understood and hurriedly said, "I'll stay on guard at all times."

Man and dog threaded through the woods, arrived at the great river, gathered food, ate, and then practiced the Draw Blade Technique.

A fulfilling day quickly passed.

[1, Draw the blade 1,000 times (269/1000)]

Nothing happened that night, and in the blink of an eye, dawn came again.

Fang Zhixing and Skinny Dog rose earlier than usual. They sneaked out and took a different route out of the village.

Seven or eight days passed in a flash.

[1, Draw the blade 1,000 times (Completed)]

"Finally!"

Fang Zhixing let out a long breath. Practicing the Draw Blade Technique every day had given him calluses, which were then worn open again. The pain had been unbearable.

Thankfully, he only needed to complete one thousand blade draws!

[2, Chop down 2 lifeforms of the same level (Incomplete)]

Fang Zhixing stared at the second condition and fell into deep thought.

"What does lifeforms of the same level mean?" Skinny Dog pondered as well.

Clearly, over the past few days, Fang Zhixing had tried chopping clams, pond snails, crayfish, and large yellow eels with his hunting knife, but none of them had been counted by the cheat.

Skinny Dog could not help thinking of one possibility. "You might need to kill two people."

What lifeform could be on the same level as Fang Zhixing if not humans?

"Not necessarily!"

Fang Zhixing shook his head. "The 'same level' here might refer to a certain aspect of physical ability—for instance, animals with speed comparable to mine, or perhaps weight, strength, jumping height, and so on."

Skinny Dog questioned, "Crayfish aren't slow either."

Fang Zhixing pondered. "Crayfish are too small. Besides, I can catch them, so their speed can't be considered that fast."

Skinny Dog thought about it and replied, "Guessing alone won't do. We need to find a living creature to test it on."

Fang Zhixing considered it, then nodded. "Tomorrow, we'll go hunting in the mountains."

Night fell.

Man and dog returned to the village. From afar, they saw a stretch of brightness within it.

"A fire?"

Fang Zhixing and Skinny Dog exchanged a glance, quickened their pace, and entered the village. But it was not a fire.

The villagers held torches and gathered outside Uncle Liu's house.

Uncle Liu was a widower. His wife had died of illness, and he had neither children nor relatives. He lived alone as well.

Fang Zhixing moved closer, came to Auntie Wang's side, and asked, "Auntie, what happened?"

Auntie Wang turned to glance at him and lowered her voice. "Something happened to your Uncle Liu. He was murdered!"

"Murdered?"

Fang Zhixing's heart tightened as Auntie Wang continued, "Your Uncle Liu hadn't shown himself for several days. No sign of him alive or dead, and a strange smell had been coming from his house. This evening, Sister-in-law Bai, who lives next door, really couldn't stand the smell anymore, so she went into his house to take a look. Who would have thought she'd find his corpse? It had already started to rot."