The man was tall and powerfully built, standing perhaps two meters high. His scarlet robe was riddled with slashes from sharp blades, and beneath every tear lay another wound. Some had yet to stop bleeding completely, and blood still seeped out. His face was rugged and bold, with a few tufts of stubble beneath his chin, each hair like a steel needle. He apparently had neither shaved nor groomed himself in a long time, leaving his beard rather untidy. His hair was casually gathered into a topknot, with a red wooden hairpin thrust crookedly through it. At first, his face had borne an unhealthy flush, but now it was white as snow. Despite his imposing build, he looked as though he might topple at any moment.
Most striking of all was a deep sword wound running from his right shoulder to his left ribs. It had not fully closed, and the blood flowing from it mingled with his scarlet robe, making him look all the more bloody.
Recalling the rumors he had heard at the Wu Ironworks recently, then looking at the man before him, Little Leopard suddenly felt his head swell.
I only wanted to go home and visit my family, and I still ran into something like this. Is my character just too good, or is my luck too rotten?!
"You don't seem afraid at all!"
"Afraid? I was scared to death at first!" Little Leopard said, though there was no fear on his face. "But then I thought it through. If you wanted to kill me, you could simply toss me down. Why go to all this trouble?"
A gleam flashed through the man's eyes. "You're young, but remarkably composed. I wonder who taught you. Judging by your internal energy, you practice the Wu Household's methods. You're one of theirs!"
"Your eyes are sharp as a torch, senior. I am indeed with the Wu Household, but I'm only a blacksmith who has just joined!" Little Leopard said. Although the Wu Household was a mighty crocodile in Cloud Province, it offered no deterrent whatsoever against a peerless fiend like Blood Wuy a.
"I see. No wonder you've learned only the barest surface of the Nine-Dragon Divine Fire Art. It's just as well that you've only recently joined. You don't count as a Wu Household disciple anyway. Boy, would you be willing to take me as your master?"
"Huh?!"
That leap was far too abrupt. Take him as his master?
Could I have been born with a spiritual root, gathering all the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into myself-a genius seen only once in ten thousand years? Is that why these experts all want to take me as a disciple the moment they see me, so I can bring glory to their sects?!
Little Leopard mused inwardly.
"You have a quick mind and a steady temperament. Talent like yours is rare, and killing you would be a pity. I'm badly wounded now, and I do need someone at my side!"
With things put that way, what else could Little Leopard say? He had no other choice. Could he really behave like someone in a novel, stubbornly refusing and making the other man beg him? Given the temperament of the fellow before him, he would probably have his bones ground to dust and his ashes scattered the moment he uttered a single word of refusal. He could only do as the man demanded, kowtowing and taking him as his master, observing every required courtesy.
The man was thoroughly pleased to see Little Leopard recognize the situation and act accordingly. "Since you've taken me as your master, I can hardly treat you poorly. Consider this Black Gold Short Sword my welcoming gift!"
With that, he raised a hand and tossed over a black short sword.
"This is..." The moment the short sword landed in his hand, Little Leopard felt its weight. Its slick, chilling feel startled him. He drew the blade and carefully ran his fingers over it. "This feel... it must have been refined at least a hundred times. It deserves to be called a divine weapon!"
His own abilities were nowhere near sufficient to forge a hundredfold-refined weapon, but as a blacksmith, he still possessed a basic discerning eye. One glance was enough to tell him that this little short sword had undergone at least a hundred rounds of refinement. Otherwise, it could not have possessed such a texture.
He examined the short sword in his hand. Its design was quite ordinary, and it was only about a foot long. The blade gleamed black, with a keen glint along its cutting edges. The hilt was also metal, though made from a different material than the blade. He was too young,
and when he closed his hand around it, he could not grasp the entire hilt.
He casually swung it twice, and the thin, shrill whistle of air made his heart leap. "What a sharp blade!"
"Stop showing off. Put it away!"
"Yes!" Little Leopard hastily replied, sliding the sword into its sheath. The sheath was no ordinary object either. It had been made from the tanned hide of some unknown beast, its mottled markings resembling crocodile skin, though its texture was much finer.
"Master, you-!"
Apparently knowing what he wanted to ask, the man spoke before he could finish. "I am Blood Wuy a, deputy sect master of the demonic Blood Sea Sect, known as the Seventh Demon General of the Demon Sect. Having taken me as your master, you are now a third-generation disciple of the Demon Sect. Our Demon Sect has few rules. So long as you never betray your sect, you may roam freely between heaven and earth. Do you understand?"
"I understand!" Little Leopard said, though inwardly he grimaced. It really is Blood Wuy a. It seems those rumors were true-someone really is hunting him down. I wonder where the White-Robed Sword Saint, Lu Shaoyou, is. Still, now that he's fled into the Vast Cang Mountains, even Lu Shaoyou probably couldn't find him amid these endless mountains, no matter how capable he is. That's just as well. At least I'll be a little safer too!
Blood Wuy a knew nothing of the thoughts turning through Little Leopard's mind. "Enough. I need to tend to my injuries properly now. Go outside the valley and bring me a few living creatures!"
"Living creatures?!" Little Leopard looked up, confusion flashing through his eyes. "What sort of living creatures do you want, Master?"
"Any kind will do. Birds or beasts, so long as they're alive!" Blood Wuy a said. His face grew a few shades paler, and even his burly body swayed several times. He promptly sat down on the ground and circulated his energy to regulate his breathing, saying no more.
Little Leopard dared not say anything further and headed straight out of the valley. He had no intention of trying to escape. This place could more or less be considered deep within the Vast Cang Mountains. Even if he ran, where could he go? Staying obediently beside this master he had acquired by chance was the safer option.
The passage out of the valley was narrow. Beyond it lay a dense forest filled with towering ancient trees. It was the turn of spring and summer, with fine rain drifting through the air. Deep shade hung like a curtain within the forest, lush and gloomy. Branches crossed and trunks intertwined, the dense leaves woven together overhead. Beyond thirty or fifty feet above the ground, all was so dark that neither sky nor daylight could be distinguished.
Little Leopard naturally dared not venture deep inside, merely making a circuit around the forest's edge. His luck was good: he actually came across several rabbits. He came from a hunter's family, and although he had never hunted any large beasts, catching rabbits near the mountains had been his specialty since childhood. Now that he had practiced martial arts as well, it took little effort to capture the unlucky rabbits alive and carry them into the valley.
Blood Wuy a was still sitting cross-legged in the valley. After regulating his breathing for a while, he seemed much more spirited. His brow furrowed slightly when he saw Little Leopard carrying in four live rabbits, but he said nothing. He merely raised four fingers of his right hand, and four rays of bloody light sprang from his fingertips, slicing directly through the necks of the four rabbits in Little Leopard's hands. He drew in a breath through his mouth, like a great whale sucking in water, and the blood was drawn out of all four rabbits, merging into a single stream that flowed entirely into his mouth.
"Not enough!" As the blood entered his mouth, Blood Wuy a glanced at Little Leopard. "I need more fresh blood food!"
Little Leopard dared not ask any questions and could only return to the dense forest, venturing a little deeper than before. His luck was good this time, and he actually managed to catch an adult white deer. The deer was unlucky enough. It was a swift runner and enjoyed a tremendous advantage in the dense forest, yet Little Leopard blinded both its eyes with his kunai and dragged it back into the valley.
Before you continue