Wenlong cultivated in his ancestor's secret chamber, following the instructions in his ancestor's notes, but his progress remained as slow as ever. He had not even brushed the edges of Qi Refining.
He could only abandon his meditation posture. After some thought, he decided to practice with hidden weapons instead. They seemed more practical.
With both his physical strength and internal energy lacking, hidden weapons were his only trump card.
If his hidden weapons and Shadow Step failed him, all that awaited him was death at his opponent's hands.
This time, throwing stones felt much smoother. Every strike hit its target with precision.
He quickly used his mental power to sense the stones' flight paths and found that his mental power had improved as well.
He found the diagram of the human body's acupoints. He had practiced with it countless times already.
He drew it on the stone wall and threw stones at the acupoints. He had to practice until he knew it as thoroughly as a ripe melon rolled off its vine. Only then could he kill an enemy with a single strike.
Wenlong stopped practicing and used his mental power to examine his body. He would have been fine had he not looked, but what he saw gave him a fright. His consciousness had actually entered a little room.
Could this be a storage space? I knew it! I transmigrated here, damn it. Without a few perks, I'd get myself killed sooner or later.
After looking around inside, he was disappointed again. It was only the size of a small room, completely empty, without a damn thing in it.
Wenlong felt dejected for a while. Sigh, better than nothing. His thoughts were such a tangled mess that, for a moment, he could not figure out how to get out. Panic left his forehead drenched in sweat. Only after a long while did he calm down.
Out, he silently commanded. Only then did he leave the space and return to where he had been. He thought it over. Now that he had a storage space, he had to test what it could do.
With that thought, he took the blackest saber from the weapon rack. He willed it into the space. Hmm, that works.
Having discovered what the space could do, Wenlong was delighted. Whatever else it might be, having a storage space was certainly convenient.
He took the saber out again and examined it closely, discovering that its blackness was somewhat unusual. He lightly drew its blade across a stone, and the stone parted as easily as a sheet of paper.
It seemed this black saber must have been a weapon his ancestor often used, or perhaps it was of a higher grade than those ordinary black sabers.
The other black sabers Wenlong had seen were not this ferociously sharp. This one truly was a fine blade.
I'll use this from now on. He slid it into its sheath and discovered that the sheath was unusual too. Patterns he could not decipher covered it, lending it an air of mystery.
Even though there was nothing inside this space, Wenlong could not contain his delight at having it.
At the very least, it was useful and convenient. He could carry things without the trouble of hauling them on his back. He had yet to discover any other uses.
I should go steal some grain from the Kai clan. Other everyday necessities would do too. We arrived at the Ancestral Grounds with nothing to our names. It feels like we've gone back to primitive times.
This is all thanks to you, Kai clan. I can't kill your people, but sneaking over to make your lives miserable would be good too.
It's been some time since we brought back our slain clansmen. The Kai clan should have given up investigating by now. If they're still investigating, I'll stir up trouble in their own nest. Giving them grief-that's what I like.
Wenlong emerged from the ancestral hall's secret passage. Seeing the clansmen all building the perimeter wall, he went straight to his father.
"Dad, the top of this wall needs to be wider. People have to be able to walk along it. Once it's finished, have Shitou and the others take turns keeping watch. Otherwise, enemies could attack without anyone even knowing."
Wenlong explained the wall's purpose to his father. "Dad, there's something I need to discuss with you. Let's go back to the cave first."
Wenlong did not want to disturb the other clansmen, so he called his father back to the cave to discuss it. Seeing Wenlong's serious expression, Long'er's father could only follow him back.
Long'er's mother was in the cave, mending clothes made from animal hides. When she saw Wenlong and his father return, she told them there was warm food beside the fire.
Then she lowered her head and resumed her sewing. Seeing his mother mend clothes so ragged they had all but fallen apart, Wenlong felt bitter inside.
"Dad, Mom, I need to go to the Kai clan..." Before Wenlong could finish, his mother put down the clothes and seized his arm. "No. I can't let you leave me again."
Wenlong said helplessly, "Mom, hear me out." Long'er's mother still gripped his hand tightly, refusing to let go.
"Although I'm only nine, I've learned our ancestor's secret arts. If I want to leave, no one can stop me.
"There isn't much game nearby anymore, and the mountains farther away have ferocious beasts. If this keeps up, our clansmen will die out on their own without the enemy even having to attack."
As Wenlong spoke, he discreetly slipped his arm free.
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