Becoming a Martial Master: Starting as a Swordsmith

Shen Chu held her breath and hid in the grass, peering ahead through the gaps.

In a clearing in the woods, four or five people were fiercely fighting around a middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man was dressed in martial arts attire, clearly the appearance of a seasoned镖师 (bodyguard/escort).

At this moment, he held a single-edged sword in his hand, the blade of which was already chipped. He was covered in cuts and bruises, especially his left sleeve, which was soaked in blood. Yet he was still gritting his teeth and persevering.

The men surrounding him all wore identical gray masks that completely obscured their faces. Shen Chu's gaze lingered on those masks for a moment, and a chill ran down his spine.

These people are ruthless and fierce in their moves, and their teamwork is excellent. They are clearly not ordinary people!

The middle-aged man fought and retreated, his back pressed against a large tree. Panting heavily, he gritted his teeth and cursed, "You bunch of Red Lotus Cult bastards! We have no grudge against you, why are you so ruthless?!"

One of the gray-faced men, who seemed to be the leader, let out a cold laugh, his tone laced with mockery: "Head镖师 Xu, blame your bad luck for insisting on taking this escort job. Our banner chief said that not a single iron filing of the Li family's goods can be allowed into Qingyang County. Since your Xu family escort agency is determined to wade into this mess, don't blame us for being ruthless."

The middle-aged man spat, his saliva tinged with blood: "You cut off our retreat and killed so many of our brothers from the escort agency. You better not let me escape! If I do, your whole family will be wiped out!"

"Hahaha! No need for you to trouble yourself, Chief Escort Xu. My whole family is long dead. Let me escort you down to join them!"

The gray-faced man laughed heartily, said no more words, and made a hand gesture.

The four men lunged at him simultaneously, drawing their swords and blades.

Although the middle-aged man fought desperately, he was ultimately no match for the many hands that were on him. He sustained several new injuries, his movements became increasingly sluggish, and his breathing grew heavier.

Finally, after a muffled groan, he was pierced through the ribs by a sword. He slid slowly against the tree trunk, twitched a few times, and then fell silent.

The gray-faced man stepped forward and checked the man's breath. Confirming he was dead, he breathed a sigh of relief, straightened up, and instructed one of the men:

"You stay here and dispose of the bodies. Dig a hole and bury them, leaving no trace. The rest of you come with me and clean up the rest of the Xu Family Escort Agency's bodies. If we are discovered, it will ruin the Flag Master's important plans, and none of us can afford the consequences."

The others responded and followed the gray-faced man as he turned and walked into the depths of the woods. Their footsteps quickly faded into the distance and disappeared into the dense forest.

Only a Red Lotus cultist wearing a gray mask and the body of the bodyguard on the ground remained.

The believer looked around, chose a spot with soft soil, and began digging a hole.

He dug quite skillfully, clearly not for the first time. In about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a pit of suitable depth was dug.

He was about to drag the body away when he suddenly felt a cold touch on his neck.

A knife was silently pressed against the side of his neck.

"Knives don't have eyes, so don't touch them."

A calm voice came from behind him.

"I ask, you answer. Dare to shout, and your head and neck will be separated."

The cultist's body stiffened abruptly, but those who could mingle in the Red Lotus Cult all possessed a degree of courage and quick wit.

He slowly raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, his voice trembling slightly as he said, "Hero, spare my life... Ask away, ask away, I'll tell you everything..."

Shen Chu held the knife firmly to his neck, about to begin interrogation.

But then he suddenly realized that the cultist's actions were a bit strange.

Immediately afterwards, the cultist suddenly tilted his head to the side, and at the same time, his right hand reached for his waist with lightning speed, trying to pull out the short dagger hidden behind his back!

His movements were swift and sudden; if it were an ordinary person, they would be caught off guard and could easily be killed by him.

But he encountered Shen Chu.

At the very instant he turned his head to draw his dagger, Shen Chu's blade had already slashed horizontally.

With a soft hiss, the blade precisely sliced ​​through the cultist's throat.

The cultist's hand had just touched the hilt of the dagger when he froze, a few muffled gasps escaping his throat. His eyes widened, and then he slowly knelt on the ground.

Then, with a thud, he fell into the pit he had dug himself.

Shen Chu flicked the blood off the knife, glanced down at the few bloodstains splattered on her clothes, and frowned.

Those who frequently commit murder know that arterial bleeding involves a large volume of blood spurting out, so the victim must be very cooperative, otherwise they will easily get blood on their clothes.

Just now, the other person's struggle before dying was more intense than expected, and the angle was also off, so blood splattered on him as a result.

Fortunately, Shen Chu looked down at the corpse and found that the person's figure was not much different from her own. Although the clothes were covered with some dust, they were generally clean.

He quickly stripped the cultist of his outer garment and mask, changed into his own blood-stained clothes, and put the cultist's clothes on himself; surprisingly, they fit him quite well.

Then, with a thought, he activated the [Fragrance of All Beings] skill.

A faint blue light emanated from the surface of the corpse, which then transformed into a wisp of blue smoke, rising gently and drifting into Shen Chu's body.

[Progress of Fragrance Extraction from All Beings: 6/100]

Shen Chu felt the energy flow into her body, then squatted down, preparing to properly bury the body of the Xu family bodyguard.

He had just placed the body of the bodyguard into the pit, filled it with a few shovelfuls of soil, and was preparing to continue burying it when he suddenly heard a series of chaotic footsteps and voices approaching from afar.

They arrived so quickly!

Shen Chu's heart tightened instantly; it was too late.

He acted decisively, putting on a gray mask to conceal his face.

At the same time, he kicked the silver-patterned meteorite iron longsword in his hand, along with his bundle, into the pit. He then quickly shoveled several shovelfuls of soil on top, filling the pit and tamping it down.

Then they used loose soil and fallen leaves for simple camouflage.

After he finished doing all this, just as he straightened up, the group of people had already approached him.

The leader was a tall man wearing a black mask with a red flame pattern engraved on his forehead, clearly indicating that he was of a higher status than ordinary believers.

He glanced around the scene, his gaze lingering on Shen Chu for a moment: "All packed up?"

Shen Chu lowered her voice and mumbled an "Mmm," nodding as she tried not to give herself away.

The leader didn't suspect anything, simply waving his hand and saying in a deep voice, "Alright, stop dawdling. The banner lord has ordered us to immediately pursue the Li family's transport convoy. We absolutely cannot let them transport the goods into Qingyang County, otherwise, if we ruin the banner lord's important plans, none of us can afford the consequences."

Shen Chu's heart skipped a beat when she heard the words "flag lord".