The undead have descended upon the world? I possess a sword that can cleave the heavens once more!

After turning a corner, Wu You saw the shop.

The door was still open.

The signboard was simple—just the four big characters "Sports Goods" on a white background with red lettering. The paint was almost completely worn off, but the glass door was clean, and the lights were on inside, revealing shelves full of various items.

Wu You pushed open the door and went in.

The store isn't big, only about 20 square meters, but it has a lot of stuff: basketballs are stacked in the corner, badminton rackets are hung in a row, boxing gloves are stacked in a glass cabinet, running shoes are placed side by side on the shoe rack, the aisle between the shelves is so narrow that only one person can pass through, and there are also some messy equipment piled up on both sides, so you have to squeeze in sideways.

Even the walls weren't idle. Several table tennis rackets, a few jump ropes, and two sandbags—those small practice sandbags that looked quite heavy.

Wu You glanced around and frowned.

I didn't see any training swords.

He looked at it carefully again.

There were none on the shelves, none in the corner, none on the wall. Apart from the two sandbags, the only other thing related to martial arts was a few pairs of boxing gloves.

Wu You walked to the counter.

Behind the counter was an old-fashioned bamboo recliner, where an elderly man with completely white hair lay, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan. The fan moved slowly and steadily, and his eyes were half-closed, as if he were dozing off.

"Boss," Wu You knocked on the counter, "do you sell practice swords?"

The old man didn't move.

"Boss?" Wu You raised his voice.

The old man stopped fanning himself, opened his eyes, and glanced at him: "Huh?"

"Practice sword!" Wu You leaned closer. "The alloy kind!"

The old man sat up from his recliner and cupped his hands to his ears: "Practice... a knot?"

Helpless, Wu You had no choice but to repeat it loudly again: "Sword—a practice sword for sword practice—"

"Oh—" The old man heard clearly this time, put his fan on the counter, and said, "So, you're training with swords."

He stood up, his legs and feet still quite nimble, walked to a row of counters against the wall, squatted down, and dragged out a wooden box from the bottom. The box was made of wood, its edges were rounded, and a thin layer of dust covered it.

The old man opened the box.

There were several swords lying inside.

It has no scabbard, no sharpening, just a basic training sword. The blade is silver-gray, made of alloy, and much heavier than a wooden sword. The hilt is wrapped with black anti-slip tape, making it look quite sturdy.

Wu You's eyes lit up.

This is it.

No matter how much you practice with a wooden sword, it's just a transition. When it comes to real fighting, you still need an iron one.

Although this alloy sword is not sharpened, when infused with cold air, its lethality is several times greater than that broken wooden sword.

"Boss, how much is one?"

The old man patted the side of the box: "Two hundred jade coins each. Add fifty for a scabbard."

He glanced at Wu You and added, "A set of protective clothing costs 150 yuan; beginners should wear them."

Wu You knew that his boss was treating him like a novice martial arts student.

He touched his pocket.

He took out his phone again to check his Fetion balance.

In total, there are one hundred and six.

This was the original owner's secret stash of money saved up for over a month. She wouldn't even buy two sausages normally, just to save up for something she liked. And now…

Wu You was speechless.

Two hundred, still ninety-four short.

We need to find a way to make some money...

He looked up at the shop owner: "Can you make the sword cheaper?"

The shop owner leaned back in his chair, fanning himself: "Isn't this price cheap?"

"I really am..."

Wu You was speaking when someone patted him on the shoulder.

A faint fragrance wafted over, like the scent of someone who had just taken a shower, mixed with a hint of shower gel—sweet, but not cloying.

He turned his head.

A face was right in front of me.

She had long, straight black hair, an oval face, and fair, radiant skin. She wore an orange dress that reached her knees, revealing a glimpse of her pale legs. Her hair was loose and untied, and beneath her bangs, a pair of smiling eyes were looking at him.

Hua Linlin?

Wu You was stunned for a moment.

"What a coincidence, Wu You." Hua Linlin withdrew her hand, stood next to him, and smiled.

"What a coincidence." Wu You nodded.

Hua Linlin glanced at the ground, saw the open box, and then looked at the sword inside.

"Wu You is interested in swordsmanship?" She tilted her head. "Is it because you want to participate in the martial arts league?"

"No." Wu You shook his head. "It's just something I'm learning for fun. How could I possibly make it into the league?"

Hua Linlin said "Oh" without thinking much of it, and continued, "I have a cousin who practices swordsmanship, and he's already preparing to sign up for this year's martial arts league."

Wu You glanced at her, somewhat surprised.

He had previously looked up the entry requirements for the martial arts league online. You had to be ranked first, and only those who reached the professional level were eligible to register.

Of course, he had also watched videos of those so-called professional martial arts competitions.

Although one sword strike is enough for him now, for ordinary people, the professional level is an extremely difficult martial arts level to reach.

However, Wu You would not compare himself to these martial artists who belong to the category of ordinary people; his opponents are those corpses with strange powers.

"Then your cousin is really amazing."

Hua Linlin noticed Wu You's surprised look, and her smile deepened.

Last time in the neighborhood, she took the initiative to talk to Wu You, but Wu You ignored her and left after speaking, which made her feel upset for several days.

Now, all that dissatisfaction vanished.

Hua-AiZhuangbi-Linlin expressed great satisfaction.

"If Wu You is interested, I can recommend him to you," she said. "He's a very easy person to talk to, and he'll definitely be able to give you some pointers."

"Maybe next time," Wu You said. "I went out for a walk and didn't bring my phone."

After saying that, he turned back to continue negotiating with the boss.

"Can't you really lower the price a bit more?" he asked.

The shop owner leisurely fanned himself: "This isn't the price we set, so we can't negotiate. You'll get the same price from other shops."

Wu You was silent for two seconds, then shook his head.

Forget it.

He turned and walked out. As he passed Hua Linlin, he nodded and said, "I have something to do, so I'll be going now. Bye."

After saying that, he pushed open the door and went out.

The glass door closed behind me.

Hua Linlin stood there, stunned.

gone?

They're leaving already?

She glanced back at the door, then at the direction Wu You had disappeared in, momentarily stunned.

In the past, which of those boys didn't want to take a second look at her? Which of them wouldn't seize any opportunity to get close to her? They could chat for hours on end, and a single glance would make them run off to buy water. If she took the initiative even slightly, the other person would act like they'd struck gold.

What about Wu You?

It was like this in the neighborhood last time, and it's like this again this time.

She struck up a conversation, and he just mumbled "uh-huh." She offered to give him her cousin, and he said next time. She leaned closer, and he just walked away.

Hua Linlin couldn't help but touch her face.

The skin where my fingertips touched was smooth, tender, and plump—the kind of skin I would look at twice every morning when I looked in the mirror.

Is she not good-looking?

impossible.

The boys would go to the bathroom five or six times during a break just to get a few more glimpses of her, and they would peek inside her classroom as they passed by.

If she stands in the hallway, she can receive at least three bottles of water and five bags of snacks in ten minutes!

She's not pretty? Are you kidding me!

So what's the deal with this Wu You?

Hua Linlin bit her lip.

She glanced at the door again; Wu You's figure was no longer in sight. Then she looked down and saw the unclosed box on the ground. Inside the box lay the training sword, its silver-gray blade gleaming in the light.

She gritted her teeth.

"Boss!" she turned around, "How much is this sword?"

The shopkeeper leaned out of his recliner: "Two hundred each. The scabbard is an extra fifty."

"Hey!" Hua Linlin pulled out her phone. "Give me a set! Install it for me!"

The boss slowly stood up, took a sword from a box, and then rummaged through another cabinet to find a silver-gray scabbard. The scabbard was simple, without any decoration, just a bare sheath that fit perfectly inside.

"Boss, hurry up!"

"Don't be in such a hurry, little girl."

Hua Linlin hurriedly scanned the code to pay, took the sword, and ran out the door without saying a word.

She pushed open the glass door, and the wind outside blew in, lifting her skirt slightly.

She stood at the doorway and looked around, seeing a figure walking away from the corner in the distance.

Gripping her sword tightly, she ran up.

The sound of footsteps was particularly clear in the night.