The sword not yet properly girded

Dusk.

The setting sun was red as blood.

Wild crows circled the isolated village, their shrill cries mingling with the screams and wails within, making the place seem all the more like a hell of ghosts.

Zhao Changhe stood dumbly behind a distant tree, staring at the chaos in the village. He had yet to recover from the disorientation of crossing between worlds, and already a village on the verge of being slaughtered to the last soul lay before him.

Splintered doors and window frames lay strewn everywhere. The pungent stench of blood drifted from every house. Corpses lay in disarray outside doors and windows, and naked female bodies had been tossed carelessly onto the road, covered in the marks of violation.

Men in black were still rampaging everywhere, breaking down doors, searching houses, and plundering valuables. With his enhanced eyesight, he clearly saw someone drag a woman out and rape her in the street while a group of men in black roared with laughter.

This was what they called "your starting location will be somewhere safe"?

He had appeared in the woods outside the village rather than inside it. The killers didn't know he existed, and he could slip away quietly. That counted as safe, did it?

Then he saw a man in black leading an ox laden with bloodstained loot, shouting impatiently, "That's about enough. How much fun can these village girls be? The sun's almost down. Kill them all. Don't leave trouble behind."

Seeing one of the men raise his blade to hack down a child beside him, Zhao Changhe felt fury surge through him. Unable to hold himself back any longer, he snatched up a thick branch from the woods and charged out.

Come to think of it, where was the broad saber he'd carried in every dream before? Whatever. Fuck your safety-wasn't this just a dream? From experience, dying meant waking up. Perfect. He could go back and ask that blind woman what the hell she was playing at!

Crack! The branch whistled through the air, knocking the unsuspecting man's blade aside. Zhao Changhe kept moving, sweeping the branch across and smashing it squarely into the man's face. Blood sprayed.

The man clutched his head and screamed. As his companions turned to look in astonishment, Zhao Changhe swiftly grabbed the child behind him and ran. He plainly couldn't win a fight against a whole group. Saving the child came first.

Someone suddenly sneered. "There's still one alive? Kill him."

The men in black grinned savagely and rushed after him together. How could Zhao Changhe outrun them with a child in tow? He clearly "saw" the scene behind him: a long saber was already descending toward his neck.

Eyes Behind the Head really worked?

Zhao Changhe twisted aside in desperation and raised the branch to block. The saber sliced it clean in two. He dodged swiftly, but the blade still carved a long, bloody gash across his face.

And in that brief delay, another man had already cut the child down.

Zhao Changhe forgot the pain in his face. His mind went blank.

The child was dead... hacked to death right before his eyes. He hadn't been able to save them.

It seemed there wasn't anyone left alive in this village...

"Fuck you!" Zhao Changhe roared in fury, swinging the broken branch wildly like a maddened tiger.

"So he's just a farmhand who's never practiced martial arts. Nothing but brute strength." The men in black laughed. The one whose head he had cracked slipped forward, easily evading Zhao Changhe's wild blows, and lightly swept his saber toward his neck.

It was over.

He couldn't dodge.

What kind of bullshit nightmare was this? Not only was it more disgusting than before, the difficulty had gone up too!

The thought had barely flashed through his mind when a sharp object whistled through the air. With a clang, the man's saber flew from his hand.

At the same time, hoofbeats approached from the distance as someone rode toward them. Before the horse arrived, its rider had already leaped through the air. Zhao Changhe only caught a flash of a graceful figure in red, then the cold gleam of Sword Qi. Blood suddenly burst around him. Several screams rang out almost simultaneously, then stopped abruptly.

Only then did the galloping horse reach him. The red figure flipped back onto its saddle.

Now Zhao Changhe finally saw her clearly: a woman in fitted red martial attire, her hair tied in a high ponytail, riding a horse with a dark mane. A long sword in a red scabbard hung diagonally at her waist. Her beautiful eyes flashed like lightning, and she carried herself with imposing valor.

Thud after thud sounded as the men in black around them toppled to the ground. Every last one had died on the spot.

After spending so long hacking and killing in bewilderment in his dreams, Zhao Changhe understood for the first time what the novels meant by nine wild geese falling to a single sword strike.

This was martial arts! It really existed!

The woman surveyed the carnage, sorrow entering her eyes as well. She murmured, "If only I'd arrived a moment sooner..."

Zhao Changhe panted heavily. Even the terror of his narrow escape from death couldn't eclipse his anger at the village's tragedy. Forgetting even to thank her, he looked up at her blankly and asked, "Who were these people?"

The woman silently shook her head. After a long pause, she said, "I was only passing through... though I may have a lead. First, may I ask-is this the road to Luo Family Manor?"

So she had been passing through, happened upon the scene, and intervened... Zhao Changhe had no idea what Luo Family Manor was. He could only shake his head.

Seeing Zhao Changhe's bewilderment, the woman understood his state of mind and said no more. She rode around on her own and found a stone marker at the village entrance inscribed with "Zhao Cuo." She nodded. "Zhao Cuo. When I asked for directions earlier, they said it was several dozen li past Zhao Cuo. Then this must be the right road..."

Then she examined the corpses of the men in black and frowned again, murmuring, "So they've come? But why would they beat the grass and startle the snake like this?"

She crouched and carefully searched two of the bodies, finding only a little silver and money, with nothing else to identify them. After pondering fruitlessly for a while, she turned and saw Zhao Changhe still standing there blankly. She sighed. "Do you... have any family left?"

Zhao Changhe shook his head again.

"I have business at Luo Family Manor," she said. "You might as well come with me. We can have the manor send people to take care of matters here, and you can find work there and make a life for yourself."

Find work at some Luo Family Manor? Zhao Changhe felt as though this was straying from whatever he was supposed to do after entering the dream... But if he had to find his own objective, where was he supposed to go?

Seeing his hesitation, the woman urged him, "In these troubled times, without martial training, you can only suffer at others' hands. Luo Family Manor is, at least, a distinguished house of Great Xia. They say it even has considerable ties to the imperial family. If you can learn a move or two there, you'll have some hope of revenge, and a foundation on which to build your life."

Great Xia...

This fucking dream even came with worldbuilding?

For the moment, Zhao Changhe couldn't be bothered to think that far ahead. He blurted out instinctively, "You're so strong, big sister. If I'm going to learn martial arts, could I learn from you?"

"Big sister? We don't even know which of us is older." The woman laughed and shook her head. "I wander the martial world. I can't teach a disciple. Luo Family Manor would suit you quite well. If I take you there, they may show me some consideration."

Zhao Changhe could only say, "All right. I was too dazed just now and forgot to thank you for saving my life. May I ask your name?"

"Yue Hongling." The woman answered casually, then asked with some curiosity, "You speak like someone who's had an education. What's your name?"

"Zhao Changhe."

By coincidence, it even fit this place, Zhao Cuo.

Yue Hongling said no more. She reached out and pulled him up. Zhao Changhe felt as though he were soaring through the clouds, then quickly landed on the horse's back, sitting behind her.

Her slender, straight back was only inches before his eyes, and he could faintly smell her fragrance. Single since birth, Zhao Changhe was too embarrassed to let his thoughts wander. He obediently gripped the rear of the saddle, feeling that this dream was even more outlandish than the previous ones. The details were simply too vivid...

There was conversation, fragrance, and a spirited swordswoman, frank and unrestrained. She was a real person through and through.

The thin snow around them and the wind as they galloped were cold. The ends of Yue Hongling's hair stirred as she rode, brushing lightly across his cheek with a faint tickle.

None of this could ever have been experienced in his earlier dreams, where there had been nothing to do but hack and kill. Everything was so detailed.

The saber wound on his cheek still hurt. When he touched it, his fingers came away covered in blood.

Looking at the blood on his hand, Zhao Changhe suddenly felt a flicker of panic-what if this wasn't a dream?

His mind was in turmoil. For the moment, he had no idea how to ask Yue Hongling about anything, and they rode on in silence.

After traveling several dozen li, they reached a broad expanse of farmland. It was early winter, and a light dusting of snow lay over the fields on either side, with no one working them. Beyond the fields stretched a sprawling estate, its walls so high that its extent was impossible to judge. A massive ceremonial archway stood squarely across the main road leading to it, bearing the gilded words "Luo Family Manor."

Yue Hongling slowed the horse. Looking at the household guards ahead, she let out a breath. "It seems the manor is still unharmed."

Soon, one of the manor's men stepped into their path. "Visitors, halt!"

Yue Hongling reined in and cupped her fists in a martial salute. "Please inform Master Luo that Yue Hongling of Sunset Glow Manor has come to visit."

Her voice wasn't loud, yet it carried far like morning bells and evening drums. Zhao Changhe felt a surge of envy. That must be internal energy, right? Nothing like him-one horse ride had practically jolted him into internal injuries...

Before the guards could answer, hearty laughter came from within the manor. "What wind has blown Miss Yue to our manor? You truly make our humble dwelling shine, truly! Open the gates and welcome our guest!"

The guards hurriedly threw open the central gates. A middle-aged man with a long beard strode out to greet them, smiling as soon as they met. "Indeed, at this twilight hour, red plumes beneath the setting sun reflect the evening glow-a beauty scarcely of this mortal world. The martial world's lavish praise is clearly well deserved."

Zhao Changhe: "Urgh..."

Yue Hongling: "..."

Zhao Changhe hadn't done it on purpose. It was his first time bouncing along on a galloping horse, and he really had been jolted into vomiting. Given the choice, he would have liked to agree with the man-Yue Hongling really was beautiful.

The middle-aged man's gaze settled on Zhao Changhe, a question in his eyes. "And this is...?"

"Ahem." Yue Hongling gave a dry cough and helped Zhao Changhe down, then cupped her fists. "My greetings, Master Luo. I've come to share some confidential information. This man happens to have some connection to the matter..."

Zhao Changhe pricked up his ears.

The second card had depicted a jade pendant and supposedly pointed to his starting location. Yet these initial experiences had been utterly baffling, with no apparent connection to the pendant. Could the secret Yue Hongling was speaking of have something to do with it?