Becoming a Martial Master: Starting as a Swordsmith

PS: There's one more chapter, I'll post it later.

The cult member who was called upon was a tall, thin man; his face paled slightly beneath the mask.

But he dared not disobey orders, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward, standing next to Shen Chu, and whispering, "Squad leader, I'll go with you."

Shen Chu nodded, gripped the long knife in his hand, and together with the tall, thin man, they silently made their way towards the post station under the cover of night.

.......

Shen Chu and the tall, thin man silently scaled the earthen wall of the post station, one after the other.

After Shen Chu's feet gently touched the ground, the courtyard was quiet except for the chirping of crickets in the corner.

Dim light shone from the windows of several rooms, and the sound of even snoring could be faintly heard coming from one of the rooms.

Of the four men on watch, two were dozing off against a pillar, their heads nodding as their weapons nearly slipped to the ground.

The other two were sitting next to the goods in the middle of the yard. Although their eyes were open, their eyelids were drooping, and they were obviously very sleepy.

The tall, thin man peeked around and, seeing the courtyard was quiet and the night watchman drowsy, breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at Shen Chu:

"Sergeant, it seems the sleeping gas has taken effect; these guys are all fast asleep. Our mission is a sure thing."

He rubbed his hands together, moved closer, and put on a fawning smile.

"Sergeant, from now on I'll follow you. Whatever your orders, just say the word, and I'll go through fire and water without batting an eye!"

Shen Chu glanced at him through the mask, chuckled, and said gently:

"No problem, no problem, thank you for your kindness, brother. Don't worry, I'll take good care of you."

The tall, thin man felt a surge of pride upon hearing this, thinking he had climbed onto a rising star.

He turned and walked toward the nearest room, reaching out to push the door open and check the situation.

Just as his hand touched the door, a tremendous force suddenly came from behind him.

Shen Chu kicked him in the lower back with a powerful and precise kick!

The tall, thin man lost his balance, cried out in surprise, and slammed open the wooden door.

He tumbled and scrambled into the house, rolled twice on the floor, and lay there completely bewildered, still not understanding what had happened.

The commotion inside the house immediately alerted the night watchman in the yard.

The two men who had been dozing were suddenly jolted awake, grabbed their weapons, and rushed over. The two men beside the pile of goods also leaped to their feet, shouting angrily, "Who goes there?!"

In a panic, the tall, thin man tried to get up and draw his knife, but the night watchman had already rushed in front of him and swept a stick across his wrist, knocking the knife back from where he had just pulled it out.

Immediately afterwards, another stick struck the back of his knee. The tall, thin man screamed and fell to his knees. Two people pressed him down to the ground, tied his hands behind his back, and bound them tightly.

"Thief! Thief!"

A night watchman shouted.

Immediately afterwards, the door of the next room was pulled open, and Xu Zhibao rushed out, holding a knife and dressed in disarray.

He had clearly been startled awake, but his eyes had regained their clarity.

After quickly scanning the courtyard, he asked in a deep voice, "What happened?"

"Officer Xu! We've caught a thief who climbed over the wall!"

The night watchman reported to the leader.

Xu Zhibao strode forward, glanced at the tall, thin man tied to the ground, and then looked around the courtyard with a sharp, eagle-like gaze.

He didn't lower his guard; instead, he gripped the knife tighter and whispered, "Stay alert! There's probably more than just him!"

At this moment, Shen Chu had already activated the [Conceal Breath] skill, completely concealing his aura.

His figure was pressed against the shadows in the courtyard, like a lifeless stone, blending into the darkness.

Outside the courtyard gate, the dark-faced leader's expression changed instantly upon hearing the screams and sounds of fighting coming from inside the post station.

He knew that the scouts had been exposed, so without further hesitation, he drew his long sword from his waist and shouted sharply:

"We've been exposed! We can't wait any longer! Everyone, follow me and charge in! Leave no one alive!"

Dozens of Red Lotus followers shouted in unison and surged toward the post station like a tidal wave!

The first to break through the gate were four or five cult members wielding long knives. They kicked open the rickety wooden door and rushed into the courtyard, only to run into Xu Zhibao, who was already on guard with his knife drawn.

Xu Zhibao's gaze was like lightning; instead of retreating, he advanced, the sword in his hand drawing a sharp arc in the dim light.

Before the first cultist could even raise his knife, he was slashed in the shoulder, blood spurting out, and he collapsed to the ground screaming in agony.

He then sidestepped, dodging another man's thrusting blade, and with a backhand slash, struck the man squarely in the ribs, sending another cultist crashing to the ground.

"Form ranks! Guard all entrances!"

Xu Zhibao shouted loudly.

Although the four constables were terrified, their instincts honed by years of training allowed them to quickly form a formation back to back, unleashing their long sticks to temporarily force back the cultists who were trying to rush into the house.

Two guards stood in front of Li Chengwen's door, holding single-edged swords and staring nervously into the darkness ahead.

The darkness was filled with the sounds of footsteps, shouts, and the clashing of weapons.

The torchlight flickered erratically in the chaos, casting distorted and menacing shadows on everyone.

Li Chengwen hid inside the house, clutching a door-blocking stick in his hand, listening to the deafening shouts of battle outside. His face was deathly pale, and his whole body trembled.

He wanted to rush out to help, but his legs felt like they were filled with lead, and he could barely stand up.

Amidst this chaos, a figure, like a ghost, moved about throughout the courtyard.

At this moment, Shen Chu had already activated the [Conceal Breath] skill, completely concealing his aura, as if he had blended into the night.

He wore a gray mask and the attire of a Red Lotus cultist; under the cover of darkness and chaos, almost no one noticed his presence.

He silently circled behind a Red Lotus Cult member who was fighting with the yamen runners.

The cultist's entire attention was focused on his opponent in front of him, and he was completely unaware that there was another person behind him.

Shen Chu extended the longsword horizontally, its tip precisely piercing the cultist's back, penetrating his heart, before cleanly withdrawing it.

The cultist's body stiffened slightly, and before he could even scream, he collapsed limply to the ground.

Then the skill [Fragrance Takes Away All Beings] is activated!

[Progress of Fragrance Extraction from All Beings: 10/100]

Ok?

Has the extraction process sped up this time?

It seems to be a benefit of leveling up!

Before Shen Chu could think any further, her figure flickered and she once again disappeared into the darkness.

On the other side of the battlefield, a Crimson Lotus cultist was raising his knife to slash at the back of a guard.

The guard was focused on fending off the enemy in front of him, completely unaware of the danger behind him.

Just as the blade was about to fall, a hand reached out from the darkness and firmly grasped the cultist's wrist.