Seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune: Starting with death row inmates

Shen Chen doubted his eyes. Could this really be a knife that a human could wield?

Swift as lightning, moving like a raging fire, it was hard for him to imagine that an arm capable of wielding a blade like that was made of flesh and blood.

You struggled to understand Qin Pi's knife skills, but couldn't grasp the essence, so you decided—

[Good fortune: Qin Pi will teach you only one move, and you will become proficient in it. Auspicious.]

[Bad omen: Despite your best efforts to memorize all the moves, your limited energy and shallow understanding will prevent you from fully grasping Qin Pi's martial arts. You will ultimately gain nothing. Ominous]

"Sizzle."

After demonstrating his swordsmanship, Qin Pi sheathed his sword and looked at Shen Chen: "Brother Shen, do you understand now?"

Shen Chen shook his head: "Brother Qin overestimates me. I have only been learning martial arts for a few months. It would be impossible for me to understand the martial arts you have created based on half a lifetime of experience."

Qin Pi thought Shen Chen was right. Just when he thought Shen Chen was about to give up, Shen Chen said again, "Brother, could you give me some pointers on a move, such as the first move, 'Thrust'? I think this move is the simplest, and perhaps I can understand it."

Qin Pi thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright, then I will explain this thrusting technique to you in detail."

Shen Chen listened intently as Qin Pi explained, "This move is a backhand move, which is why it's called a thrust instead of a stab."

"If you kill people often, you'll know that using a knife with your backhand is much more efficient than with your forehand. When you stab someone with your forehand, you're basically using your forearm to generate power, and the knife will drift up, down, left, and right, resulting in a less concentrated wound."

"If you use a backhand, when you stab in, there are only two directions, up and down. Moreover, during the slashing motion, you can use the force of your entire arm, with your shoulder, elbow, and forearm forming a line, making it more powerful to kill."

Shen Chen listened patiently and practiced the thrusting technique step by step, following Qin Pi's explanation.

Qin Pi said, "Practice this move every day with a ten-inch-thick piece of pork skin. When you can cut the pork skin in half from head to tail with one stroke, you'll have mastered this move."

He then personally taught Shen Chen for two more days before Shen Chen finally had an epiphany.

"The Assassin style emphasizes surprise and a single, fatal blow; it follows the way of the assassin."

Shen Chen held the knife in one hand, calmed his breath, and stood still, as still as a tree.

The next second, he moved, a flash of light appeared, and a deep wound appeared on the surface of a piece of flesh hanging under the tree.

"Not bad," Qin Pi praised. "From now on, you should practice every day. When this flesh skin breaks in half, you'll be considered to have mastered the basics."

Shen Chen let out a long breath. His hands and the muscles on the sides of his hands were extremely painful. This move was extremely exhausting. Even at his current level, he felt dizzy and lightheaded after just one strike and could not continue.

……

For a period of time afterward, Shen Chen honed this thrusting technique, and every day a large batch of chopped pork skin was delivered to Cui'er.

"Master Shen, do you really like pork skin?" Cui'er rested her chin on her hand and looked at the various dishes on the table. There was pork skin jelly, pork skin stewed with cabbage, pork skin soup, and pork skin wrapped in wood ear mushrooms. She had racked her brains to make so many dishes so that Shen Chen wouldn't get tired of them.

Shen Chen said, "I've been practicing my knife skills with pork skin lately, which is why there's so much chopped pork skin. I appreciate it if you could cook so many dishes."

Cui'er blushed slightly: "This is what this servant should do."

After Shen Chen finished eating, Cui'er took a pair of shoes from under her bed: "I noticed that Master Shen's shoes were quite worn out, so I made a pair for you myself."

"Thank you, you're so kind," Shen Chen said.

Shen Chen took the shoes, only to find a stack of banknotes inside. He immediately laughed and said, "I'm taking all your savings with me."

"Then Mr. Shen, please take it," Cui'er said softly, her gaze sweeping briefly across Shen Chen's face before quickly looking away.

Shen Chen was slightly taken aback, and then heard Cui'er say, "I heard about Master Shen and Master Qin buying salt wells. The other day you brought two people to my house to pick up the precious medicine you use for martial arts training. You must be short of money."

She crossed her arms and bowed her head slightly: "I think... I can help Mr. Shen."

Shen Chen stared at the money in the shoe and fell silent for a moment.

He then smiled and put the money in his pocket: "I'll take this money. I'll pay you back double when I make a lot of money in the future."

Cui'er said nervously, "Master Shen, you don't need to repay this money..."

"What the hell are you spouting?" Shen Chen cursed. "What kind of logic is there in not paying back debts?"

Having stayed in this village for some time, he developed a bandit-like air about him.

After being scolded by Shen Chen, Cui'er's face turned pale and she obediently shut her mouth.

Shen Chen took the pen and wrote in large strokes on the paper: "In the eleventh month of the first year of the Zhengshuo era, Shen Chen owes Shen Cui a pair of straw sandals for five hundred coins. This is the proof."

"Here you go." Shen Chen handed the IOU to Cui'er.

Cui'er stared at the words on the IOU, then paused, momentarily stunned: "This Shen Cui is...?"

"From now on, you will take my surname. Are you still willing?" Shen Chen asked.

Cui'er's rosy lips parted slightly, and after a few seconds of astonishment, she finally reacted. Overjoyed, she cried, "Yes, yes, thank you, Master Shen!"

The servants of the Dogtooth Mountain Stronghold only have the title of being at the beck and call of others. Their status in the stronghold is no different from that of a bag of rice; they are commodities to be traded. If someone dislikes them, they can even be stabbed to death in the street. This is why Cui'er has never dared to go out alone.

However, after Shen Chen bestowed the surname upon Cui'er, Cui'er's status changed completely. In the past, when she introduced herself to others, she could only say that she was Shen Chen's servant Cui'er, but afterwards she could openly say that she was Shen Chen's "person" and a "person" who inherited Shen Chen's surname.

That night, Shen Chen, who had been diligently practicing his swordsmanship, returned to his room. After washing up, he saw Cui'er, dressed in thin clothes, lying in his bed.

"I'm at a crucial stage in my martial arts training right now, so I can't get close to women," Shen Chen said to Cui'er in a serious tone.

Cui'er's face flushed red, and she stammered, "I was rash, please forgive me, Master Shen."

Just as she was about to leave, Shen Chen pressed her back into bed with one hand: "But I'm really angry right now."

The woman's soft voice rang out in the night breeze. Shen Chen said nervously, "Keep your voice down. What if Master Qin hears me? How would I feel?"

At this moment, Qin Pi listened to the commotion next door, his face expressionless.

It seems... I'm starting to regret giving that maid to Shen Chen.

He sighed, then quickly composed himself and focused his attention on his right arm.

At this moment, the venom in his right arm's flesh and blood was lurking in the Tianfu acupoint, like a venomous snake carefully drinking his blood and qi.

Qin Pi activated the Extreme Yang Breathing Technique, and patterns resembling the bright sun appeared beneath his skin. The venom in his right arm instantly contracted tightly like a turtle, not revealing a single drop.

"Hmph, what a troublesome thing..." Qin Pi gritted his teeth, his face fierce.