Becoming a Martial Master: Starting as a Swordsmith

Then, the red lotus slowly floated back into Shen Chu's hand.

The petals seemed to have deepened in color, and then a warm current flowed from the red lotus into Shen Chu's body, passing through his internal organs, limbs, and meridians, finally converging in his dantian.

As the heat flowed in, Shen Chu immediately felt that her injuries had been completely healed!

He held the red lotus in a daze, feeling the warmth from his palm, still in a state of extreme shock, unable to come to his senses.

He looked down at the red lotus in his hand, then looked up at the spot where the snake demon had disappeared.

It was spotless, without even a speck of ash left.

That's it...

That's all?

A snake demon that almost killed him was absorbed and refined by a palm-sized red lotus.

Shen Chu swallowed hard and slowly put the red lotus back into her bosom. She felt that the flower seemed to be much heavier than before.

He glanced again at the boy and woman slumped on the ground; both were still deathly pale.

Clearly, they hadn't recovered from the shock of the previous moment.

Shen Chu walked to the fire, added a few more pieces of firewood to make the fire burn brighter, and then handed each of them a pot of water and a piece of dry food.

The boy hesitated for a moment, then took the water bottle and gulped down several mouthfuls, as if he had finally regained some of his senses.

At the boy's prompting, the woman accepted the dry rations and ate them in small bites, her gaze always lowered, not daring to meet Shen Chu's eyes.

Shen Chu waited until they calmed down a bit before speaking slowly, trying to keep her tone gentle:

"Don't be afraid, that snake demon is dead and won't come back to life. How did you end up in its hands?"

The boy was silent for a moment before speaking in a low voice, "We... are from a family near Wulao Peak. That snake demon is a subordinate of Wushan Jun on Wulao Peak."

Shen Chu raised an eyebrow slightly: "Mist Mountain Lord?"

"Um."

The boy nodded, a flicker of fear in his eyes.

"There's a monster's lair on Wulao Peak, and Wushan Jun is its leader. I heard that it rules over all the monsters in that area, and it's incredibly powerful. This snake demon is one of its leaders, and I don't know why, but it suddenly came down the mountain a few days ago... My mother and I were walking on the road when it caught us."

As he spoke, he glanced at the woman beside him. She didn't speak, but silently gripped the boy's clothes, her eyes slightly reddening.

The boy continued, "After it caught us, it didn't say what it wanted to do. It just led us in this direction. It seemed to be injured, like it was hiding from someone... We didn't dare to run the whole way. There was someone who tried to run away earlier, and it bit him in one bite..."

He didn't say anything more, but his meaning was already quite clear.

Shen Chu's heart sank slightly after hearing this.

He had heard of demons and monsters in this world, and he had even seen ghosts with his own eyes. He had even practiced the "Netherworld Ghost Control Technique," a skill for dealing with ghosts.

But this was the first time I had ever heard of an organized demonic force.

Mist Elder Peak, Mist Mountain Lord, and his snake demon leaders...

This means that beyond human cities and villages, there exists a world belonging to demons, and the scale and danger of that world are probably far beyond his imagination.

This world is far more dangerous than he imagined.

A strong sense of crisis suddenly rose in Shen Chu's heart.

He must improve his strength as soon as possible!

Whether it's the primordial energy within the body, the system's cultivation progress, or that mysterious red lotus,

He must seize every available resource to make himself stronger!

Only in this way can he survive in this perilous world!

Shen Chu was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked again:

"I can tell you're not very old, but that strike just now was perfectly timed and decisive. Most people couldn't do that. How did you know the snake demon's weakness was under its neck?"

The boy paused, his eyes flickering, and stammered, "I...I encountered a big snake when I was chopping wood on the mountain before. The old folks in the village told me that you should strike a snake at its seven-inch mark...I thought maybe the same principle applies to monsters..."

He spoke vaguely, and his gaze was somewhat evasive, clearly indicating that he wasn't telling the truth.

Shen Chu glanced at him, understanding dawning on her.

This boy also has a secret.

However, he himself had many secrets, so naturally he had no right to pry into them.

Everyone has their own unspeakable difficulties, and as long as the other party has no malicious intent, he is too lazy to pursue the matter.

He didn't ask any further questions, but simply nodded, stood up, and began to clean up the traces in the dilapidated temple. After confirming that there weren't too many obvious traces left, he patted the dust off his hands.

By this time, the poisonous fog outside the temple gate had completely dissipated, and sunlight slanted in through the cracks in the door, illuminating the dust in the dilapidated temple.

Before I knew it, it was already dawn.

Shen Chu slung his bundle over his shoulder, hung his long sword at his waist, turned and cupped his hands in a respectful greeting to the two men.

"It's dawn, and I should get going. Take care, both of you. Until we meet again."

As he finished speaking and was about to turn and leave, the boy suddenly stood up, a hint of panic on his face, and quickly caught up with him in a few steps:

"My benefactor! Where...where are you going?"

Shen Chu turned and glanced at him: "Go to Qingyang County City, I have some business to take care of."

Upon hearing this, the boy's eyes lit up, and he quickly replied:

"We also want to go to Qingyang County! I have a distant relative who does business there, and my mother and I were originally planning to go there to seek refuge... Could... could we travel together with our benefactor?"

After saying that, he added somewhat nervously, "We won't be a burden to our benefactors. We'll take care of ourselves on the road. It's just... we're just afraid of encountering anything dirty again..."

Shen Chu glanced at him, then at the silent woman behind him, hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded:

"Alright, let's go together since we're going the same way. But follow my instructions on the road and don't act on your own."

The boy nodded repeatedly, a relieved smile spreading across his face: "Thank you, benefactor! Thank you, benefactor!"

Shen Chu didn't say anything more and turned to walk out of the dilapidated temple.

But his vigilance remained undiminished.

This boy has a secret. Although they joined forces to kill the snake demon, he will not completely let his guard down.

After all, in this world, you can't see into someone's heart, especially since Shen Chu had just witnessed a real demon.

Three figures walked along the mountain road, gradually disappearing into the direction of Qingyang County City.

About half a day later, three figures, completely different from those before, appeared outside the dilapidated temple.

The leader was a middle-aged man, followed by two young men dressed in black. The three of them moved efficiently and had sharp eyes, clearly indicating that they were well-trained.