Chapter 34: Real Martial Skill
"I'm still alive?"
Chu Mu stood dazed where he was, staring at the jagged blade in his hand, his mind still filled with the clashing of steel from moments ago.
His own simulated pendulum drill seemed utterly childish in comparison to that ferocious storm of attacks.
Chu Mu could hardly believe that he had actually survived such an assault!
Glancing around at the chaotic, noisy forest, a strange sense of dislocation swept over him — as though a lifetime had passed in an instant.
"Brother Mu! Brother Mu!"
Xu Yuan came running up, gripping his blade, face full of concern.
"I'm fine."
Chu Mu still stared at the long blade in his hand, counting the notches — eight.
Which meant that in those few brief breaths of combat, he had exchanged eight blows with that youth!
Though to call it an exchange wasn't entirely accurate — it would be more correct to say he had barely managed to block eight strikes, and had survived only thanks to the timely support of the other inspectors.
Terrifying.
That was the only word in Chu Mu's mind.
He even thought that if the youth hadn't been so young — if his body had fully matured and his strength were greater — Chu Mu might not have blocked even a single blow.
That youth absolutely possessed real martial skill.
Of this, Chu Mu was certain.
Then, a chilling thought struck him.
Not just that youth… the other attackers he had glimpsed also displayed agile, refined movements.
Chu Mu scanned his surroundings. The inspectors had suffered heavy losses in this ambush — but as for results…
All around, he saw only the fallen — it seemed they had achieved very little in return.
Are the hunters in this mountain really that strong?
"You've been training in martial arts? Your blade work was pretty good!"
As Chu Mu pondered, a surprised voice sounded beside him.
"Squad Leader, Officer."
Chu Mu clasped his fists respectfully.
Wu Shuo looked him up and down. "You've been hiding that well!"
"Just practiced a little on my own, not for very long."
Wu Shuo praised him: "Not bad. With some polishing, your blade work would rank among the best in our inspection post."
Li Gang spoke up coldly, at the worst possible moment: "His blade work is decent, but his strength is too weak. Otherwise, he could've held off that brat and not let him escape."
Wu Shuo's expression darkened briefly, but he quickly returned to a cheerful smile. "Officer Li, you're setting quite the bar — not everyone at our post has your level of skill."
Then he glanced at the severed head Li Gang was carrying. "If you collect a few more, we'll soon be calling you Squad Leader Li."
Li Gang's face instantly brightened, beaming with pride.
Chu Mu, however, eyed the head in Li Gang's hand — another young face, no more than twenty or so.
A cold shiver ran through Chu Mu. Tentatively, he asked, "May I ask, Officer — how was that bandit's martial skill?"
"Oddly strong, actually," Li Gang frowned. "Never heard of any martial experts in Qili Village..."
At this, Wu Shuo's expression shifted as well. "We need to report this to the Commandant immediately."
"Yes — I'll go at once."
Li Gang's eyes lit up. Carrying the head, he hurried off.
Watching him leave, then glancing at Wu Shuo's now darkened face, Chu Mu pressed his lips together and said nothing.
"I'd guess you've only trained in the blade forms we teach at the inspection post?"
Suddenly, Wu Shuo's casual remark sent a thrill through Chu Mu — he looked toward his superior with barely concealed eagerness.
"Hahaha..."
"You little rascal!" Wu Shuo laughed heartily, then changed tone: "I've known your father for many years. You're almost like a nephew to me."
"Such a pity..."
"Well, no need to speak of that."
"This was a manual given to me by the former Commandant. Unfortunately, I have no talent for martial arts — after years of trying, I never made much progress."
"You, though — you clearly have talent. Since you've already mastered the basics we teach here, this manual is going to the right person."
With that, Wu Shuo pulled a booklet from his chest and tossed it to Chu Mu.
"Train hard. In this world, martial skill will get you much farther than scholarship."
Patting Chu Mu on the shoulder, Wu Shuo left without another word.
Chu Mu stood there dumbfounded, gripping the booklet. The sudden windfall left him stunned.
Why was he fighting so hard?
For power and status?
No — he sought those because without them, someone like him could never gain access to real martial skill.
And now... it had come so easily?
Chu Mu could hardly believe it. But the solid weight of the booklet in his hands proved this was no illusion.
"Brother Mu, you should change blades."
Another voice pulled Chu Mu back to reality.
He looked over — this time, it wasn't Xu Yuan speaking, but another young inspector.
If Chu Mu remembered right, this was Li He — recently joined the post after his father had died in service.
Chu Mu accepted the new blade, testing it with a few swings. It was a standard-issue inspection blade — nothing unusual.
He asked curiously, "Where did you get this blade?"
"I saw your blade was damaged and picked one up over there."
Li He pointed toward a nearby corpse, quickly adding, "But this blade is my own — I'm using the one I picked up."
"It's fine."
Chu Mu swung the new blade, then looked over at the few inspectors from his squad who had gathered around — all of them now watched him with a mixture of flattery and fear.
Chu Mu raised a brow but quickly let it go. Before long, his attention returned entirely to the booklet in his hand.
Real martial skill.
The thing he had dreamed of!
The first words that greeted him were three bold characters:
Body Tempering Method.
Chu Mu carefully opened the cover. Inside were dense rows of small characters, interspersed with diagrams of human meridians, each annotated with notes.
After flipping through a few pages, Chu Mu carefully closed the booklet and tucked it into his robe.
Clearly, this was no place to study it in depth.
Besides, the diagrams alone already exceeded his current knowledge — it would take time to even begin understanding them.
Safely storing the booklet away, Chu Mu finally turned his attention back to the forest.
The sudden skirmish was already over.
The ten or so rebels had struck and vanished without lingering.
What remained was utter chaos.
Even from where he stood, Chu Mu could see nearly ten corpses — and the moans of the wounded filled the air.
His own squad had suffered no losses this time, but that was no surprise.
From what Chu Mu observed, this ambush was nothing like the earlier one at the foot of the mountain.
This time, driven by heavy rewards, the inspectors had mounted an effective counterattack.
Those who died had mostly been the ones who rushed ahead, gambling for glory.
Even Chu Mu, who had lagged behind — had it not been for timely support from his comrades, he might not have made it out alive either.
*(End of Chapter)*