Becoming a Martial Master: Starting as a Swordsmith

"Now, I'll ask, and you'll answer."

A low, guttural sound came from the guard's mouth.

"Who is your banner leader? What important matter does he intend to undertake?"

Zhao Dezhu was nearly choked to death, but he was no ordinary person after all.

In the critical moment, he bit his tongue hard, spitting a mouthful of blood into his palm, and then slapped the guard's head with his backhand.

There was a muffled "thud".

The guard's head tilted at an unnatural angle, and his entire body slumped to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

The other body of the guard also lost control at the same time and collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Zhao Dezhu collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, his face deathly pale.

Clearly, that palm strike had exhausted a great deal of his energy, and he was now at his last gasp.

Just then, the door was gently pushed open from the outside.

Shen Chu stood at the doorway, moonlight streaming in from behind him, casting a long shadow on the ground.

He looked at Zhao Dezhu, who was slumped on the ground, barely breathing, and with a harmless smile on his face, he slowly said, "Manager Zhao, can we have a proper chat now?"

Shen Chu's appearance caused Zhao Dezhu's pupils to shrink, and his face was filled with disbelief.

He leaned against the wall, panting, and asked, "Who...who are you now? Why do you know the secret arts of the Holy Church? What do you want?"

Shen Chu shook her head, her tone calm but tinged with helplessness: "It's not that I want to do anything. From beginning to end, I just wanted to forge swords properly and live a peaceful life. It's you who have repeatedly provoked me."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Dezhu's eyes darted around, and he forced a smile that looked more like a grimace, his tone softening as well:

"Shen Chu, since you also know the Holy Sect's secret techniques, then we're practically family. Those who practice this are all disciples of the Holy Sect. As fellow disciples, why fight amongst ourselves? Let's turn enemies into friends. If you ever need anything in the future, I, Zhao Dezhu, will definitely do my utmost to help you without hesitation!"

Shen Chu didn't believe his nonsense at all. She just looked at him coldly and asked again, "What exactly do you want to do?"

Seeing that Shen Chu was unresponsive, Zhao Dezhu sighed.

He weakly beckoned to Shen Chu: "Alright, since you insist on knowing, I'll tell you. Come closer, it's a long story, and I really don't have the strength to speak loudly anymore."

Shen Chu hesitated for a moment, then took two steps forward and bent down slightly.

The moment he got within three feet of him, Zhao Dezhu's previously listless eyes suddenly turned fierce!

He suddenly pulled out a short, black concealed weapon from his pocket and slammed it into Shen Chu's chest!

Chi Chi Chi!

Several beams of cold light shot out and struck Shen Chu!

Shen Chu's body jolted violently, then she fell straight backward, crashing to the ground with a thud, and remained motionless.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Dezhu was stunned for a moment, then threw his head back and burst into laughter.

His laughter was interspersed with violent coughing, which made him tremble all over, yet he still couldn't shake off his smugness.

"Fool! You're such a fool! If I'd known you were this easy to deal with, I wouldn't have gone through all that trouble!"

He then leaned against the wall, struggling to stand up: "Cough...cough...Let you fight me..."

"Letting you die like this is too good for you! I should have broken your arms and legs first, so that when the flag lord succeeds, I'll make you wish you were dead..."

Before he could finish his cursing, he saw Shen Chu on the ground suddenly move.

The smile on Zhao Dezhu's face vanished abruptly.

Shen Chu slowly sat up from the ground, reached out and unbuttoned his outer garment, revealing a dark, close-fitting iron suit underneath.

Several short needles were stuck in the surface of the iron armor, the tips of which only pierced the fabric but did not touch the skin.

As Shen Chu took off the iron armor, he frowned and complained, "Tsk, this thing is a bit heavy to wear, and it's not very convenient to move around in. But at least it's really effective for self-defense."

He casually tossed the iron armor aside, stretched his shoulders which were a little sore from being constricted, and then looked down at Zhao Dezhu.

The patience he once had in his eyes was gone.

The color drained completely from Zhao Dezhu's face in an instant.

He was about to open his mouth

Shen Chu stopped wasting words with him, stepped forward, clenched his right fist, and suddenly concentrated his energy on the tip of his fist!

Crushing Stone Fist!

The punch landed squarely on Zhao Dezhu's chest.

A dull cracking sound was heard, and Zhao Dezhu's chest caved in slightly.

His body arched violently, his eyes widened, and a trickle of dark red blood spilled from the corner of his mouth before he slowly fell backward.

boom!

One punch and he's dead!

Shen Chu withdrew his fist, glanced down at the corpses of Zhao Dezhu and the two guards,

He felt a pang of regret.

We should first force him to reveal all his secrets, then take all his money, and finally torture him to death!

I was too impulsive in my actions; I must be more careful next time.

At this moment, the skill 【Fragrance Takes All Beings】 activates automatically once again.

Zhao Dezhu's corpse transformed into wisps of blue cigarette smoke, rising gently and seeping into Shen Chu's body.

He slowly opened his eyes, clenched his fist, and a sense of power, more solid than before, emanated from his knuckles.

Shen Chuxin had a thought and brought up her attribute panel.

[Minor Mastery of Crushing Stone Fist (15/100)]

【Fragrance Extracts All Beings: Absorption Progress 3/100 (Can be used to break through the critical point of cultivation technique)】

Although the numerical changes weren't earth-shattering, this tangible growth still gave Shen Chu a sense of reassurance.

After the murder, he didn't rush to leave, but instead searched the house thoroughly.

Zhao Dezhu had indeed been manipulating the purchasing and accounting records quite a bit lately. Shen Chu pulled a heavy money bag from a hidden compartment under the bed.

Upon opening it, there were over a hundred taels of silver inside, along with several smaller silver notes, totaling at least three or four hundred taels.

Shen Chu weighed the money pouch in his hand and couldn't help but sigh, "Indeed, murder and arson bring wealth..."

He bent down again, picked up the iron armor from the ground, put it on, and glanced one last time at the spot where Zhao Dezhu had disappeared.

At this time, only the bodies of two guards remained in Zhao Dezhu's house.

These two people hadn't cultivated any magic during their lives; otherwise, they would have been absorbed by Shen Chu long ago.

But what should be done with the bodies of these two people?

As Shen Chu pondered this, she suddenly chuckled softly.

There are two corpses in Zhao Dezhu's room. What does that have to do with Shen Chu?

Thinking about this, his mind became even clearer.

Since the person has already been killed, the arson step is naturally indispensable.

He looked around the room, poured the oil from the lamp onto the bed and the tables and chairs, lit a wick, walked to the door, glanced back, and casually tossed the wick into the room.