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

Chapter 6 Chance and Reflection

Wu You pushed open the door, and the aroma of food wafted out.

The aroma of scallions, slightly caramelized and tinged with soy sauce, is typical of scallion and egg stir-fry, a common dish at home. A familiar sour and spicy scent wafts from the kitchen, likely from hot and sour shredded potatoes—these two dishes are Wu Ma's specialty and Wu You's favorites.

"You're back?" Choi Joo poked her head out from the kitchen. "Perfect timing, wash your hands and eat."

Wu You leaned the wooden sword against the door and went to the bathroom to wash his hands. When he came out, his father had already put the dishes on the table: scrambled eggs with scallions, hot and sour shredded potatoes, a bowl of seaweed and egg drop soup, and some leftover braised pork from lunch that had been reheated. Four dishes and a soup, more plentiful than usual.

Wu Jing was already seated at the table, looking down at her phone, seemingly engrossed in something. Her parents sat opposite her, with an empty seat between them reserved for Wu You.

"Here, Xiaoyou, eat more." Cui Zhu picked up a piece of braised pork with her chopsticks and put it in Wu You's bowl. "You must be starving after spending half a day in the hospital."

"Mom, I can do it myself." Wu You picked up the bowl and shoveled the piece of meat into her mouth. The meat was stewed until tender, melting in her mouth, and the flavors of soy sauce and sugar permeated it completely.

Mr. Wu poured himself a glass of wine, took a sip, and looked at him: "Are you really alright?"

"It's really nothing," Wu You said, chewing her food. "It's just a scrape. Didn't you all ask the doctor?"

"That's good." Mr. Wu nodded, took another sip of his drink, and asked, "Is the driver definitely being arrested by the police?"

"They've already been arrested. Didn't you call and ask? They also offered four thousand jade coins in compensation."

Wu Ma sighed beside her, "Four thousand jade coins is a lot, but I'd rather not have the money than have this happen to you."

Wu You paused with his chopsticks, but didn't reply.

He knew that Aunt Wu was telling the truth. Although the family was not well-off, the couple had never mistreated him. He was always given the food and drink he was entitled to, and his tuition fees were always paid in full. He also had all the toys that other children had when he was a child.

The table was quiet for a few seconds, with only the sound of bowls and chopsticks clattering.

Wu Jing didn't say a word from beginning to end, eating with her head down, occasionally glancing at her phone. She ate her bowl of rice very quickly, as if she was in a hurry.

"I'm finished eating." She put down her bowl, stood up, and said, "I'll review some more for the monthly exam this week."

After saying that, he took the bowl into the kitchen, put it in the sink, and then went into his room and closed the door.

Cui Zhu glanced at the closed door, opened her mouth as if to say something but then swallowed it back. She turned to Wu You and said, "That's just how your sister is, don't take it to heart."

Wu You shook his head: "It's nothing."

He's really fine. He's not the original owner of this body, so he's not that sensitive.

Mr. Wu chimed in from the side, "The pressure at No. 1 High School is immense, with weekly quizzes and monthly exams. It's not easy for her either."

Wu You nodded. He knew that Lanhe No. 1 High School was the best high school in the city, and those who could get in were all top students from various junior high schools, so the competition was fierce.

Wu Jing may have good grades, but she is also under a lot of pressure, so it's normal that she's quiet when she comes back.

After finishing the meal, Wu You helped clear the dishes and then picked up the wooden sword by the door.

"Mom, I'll go downstairs and stay for a while."

"Going out again?" Choi Joo poked her head out from the kitchen. "What time is it?"

"It's only a little past seven," Wu You said, changing her shoes. "It's just downstairs in the residential area, not far."

"Alright then, come back soon."

"understood."

The door closed behind me.

. . . . . .

Night had completely fallen.

The streetlights in the neighborhood were on, casting long, dim shadows on the ground. Wu You walked to the small park, to the same concrete spot where he had practiced swordplay that afternoon.

There was no one around. Lights were on in the windows of several buildings, and the occasional sound of a television and a child crying could be heard.

Wu You took a deep breath and raised the wooden sword.

practice.

First, go through the footwork. Advance, retreat, move horizontally, vertically, and diagonally, making sure each step is solid. Then, practice gripping the sword: overhand grip, underhand grip, single hand grip, double hand grip, letting your fingers memorize the feeling of each posture. Coordinate your breathing with the movements: inhale when advancing, exhale when retreating, inhale when thrusting, and exhale; keep it consistent.

Finally, there are the Thirteen Postures.

Draw, carry, lift, parry, strike, stab, point, collapse, stir, press, split, cut, wash.

One move at a time.

At the beginning, I slowed down and broke down the movements, making sure each strike was executed perfectly.

Later, the speed gradually increased, and the movements became more connected. Then, we started practicing continuously, taking a breath after finishing one set and then doing another.

The wooden sword sliced through the air with a soft whooshing sound.

Wu You was so engrossed in it that he forgot about time.

He noticed changes in his body.

In the afternoon, he would have to stop and catch his breath every now and then because his heart was pounding. But now, after half an hour, he didn't feel too tired. Although his breathing was more rapid than usual, he quickly adjusted and was no longer out of breath like before.

Moreover, the coldness in the body also changes.

Whenever he perfected each move, the cool energy would move, traveling along the meridians from his abdomen to his limbs, and then flowing back from his limbs to his abdomen.

It felt cool and refreshing, but not uncomfortable; on the contrary, it made me feel clear-headed.

After completing a set of sword techniques, the cool air circulated faster, and his physical strength recovered more quickly, as if the cool air was massaging his muscles and relieving fatigue.

This is the benefit of learning basic swordsmanship.

Wu You already knew what was going on.

He practiced for who knows how long, and after finishing a set of sword techniques, he stopped to catch his breath. When he looked up, he was stunned.

It was completely dark. The streetlights were blindingly bright. In the surrounding buildings, only a large portion of the windows were lit.

He took out his phone and glanced at it.

23: 14.

It's past eleven o'clock.

I practiced for almost four hours.

Wu You looked down at himself. His T-shirt was soaked and stuck to his body, his hair was wet and plastered to his forehead, and sweat streamed down his cheeks. He looked like he had been pulled out of the water.

Surprisingly, he didn't feel very tired. His legs were a little sore and his hands were a little numb, but he recovered after a few breaths. In the past, he would have been lying on the ground after just one hour, let alone four hours.

He glanced again at the sword manual interface in his mind.

Basic Swordsmanship (Beginner) (0/50)

Proficiency level is still 0.

It hasn't gone up at all.

Wu You paused for a moment, then shook his head.

really.

Practicing on your own results in slow progress. Four hours without any progress indicates that more proficiency is needed after getting the basics down, and relying solely on hard work, it's unclear how long it will take to reach master the skill.

What about experience points?

Experience points can be allocated; currently, it is only known that they can be obtained by killing zombie species.

But this thing called corpse seed...

He knew too little about the Corpse Species.

He's confident he can handle someone like Li Wei. But what if it's someone even stronger?

If he encounters someone even more powerful, will his basic swordsmanship be enough to prove him?

What if you encounter more than one?

It's too dangerous to make contact rashly.

Wu You sighed and walked back, carrying his wooden sword.

Forget it, I'll practice on my own first. It's a bit slow, but it's safer.

He walked out of the small park and headed home along the road in the residential area.

It was late at night, and most people were already asleep, so there weren't many people on the road. Occasionally, one or two cars would drive past the entrance of the residential area, their headlights sweeping across the ground before disappearing.

The streetlights were on, and in their glow, you could see several small flying insects circling around the bulbs.

As Wu You walked, he suddenly stopped.

The coolness inside my body fluctuated slightly.

The feeling was hard to describe—it was like something inside my body gave a slight jolt, and then a strange sensation welled up inside me.

disturbed.

alert.

It was as if it was reminding him that there was danger nearby.

Wu You suddenly looked up and glanced around.

The streetlights were on, illuminating the surroundings clearly: several cars parked on the roadside, a few crooked trees standing there, and further away, the entrance to a residential building. No one was there.

wrong--

Footsteps.

Wu You looked in the direction of the sound.

A man ran out from around the corner, wearing a dark athletic t-shirt and shorts, a fitness tracker, and earphones in his ears.

He was a middle-aged man who went for a night run.

His hair was a bit long, and it was wet with sweat and stuck to his forehead. His face was illuminated by the streetlights, so you could see his features—an average appearance, the kind you wouldn't notice in a crowd.

The moment Wu You saw him, he knew it was him.

It's this person.

That feeling of unease emanated from him.

It was as if something was hidden behind that ordinary face, inside that ordinary middle-aged man's body. On the surface, he was just an ordinary person jogging at night, but inside...

The cool air was still undulating, as if urging him on something.

The man seemed to notice Wu You looking at him, turned his head, and his gaze lingered on Wu You's face for a second. Then he nodded slightly, as if in greeting.

Wu You nodded subconsciously.

The two passed each other by.

The man's footsteps gradually faded into the night.

Wu You stood still, his grip on the wooden sword tightening.

monster.

Experience points.

These two words flashed through my mind.

He wanted to catch up with them.

But reason kept him standing still.

What if we can't win?

What if he's not the only one nearby?

What if he chases after them and ends up getting himself killed?