As someone with a bit of a persecution complex, Tang Wen often used to fantasize about what he would do if he were harmed by his boss or girlfriend, or if he were subjected to PUA. What if he got into a fight while having a late-night snack outside?
Later, he realized that just finding a job was good enough.
As for being PUA'd by a girlfriend, he had never experienced that.
And as for getting into a fight with someone wielding a wine bottle, he had never encountered such a "noble person."
After arriving in this post-apocalyptic world, he often dreamed of being robbed or attacked.
While resting and waiting in the woods, he would frequently rehearse and imagine in his mind what he would do if he were attacked.
At this moment, seeing the person charging at him, Tang Wen felt flustered but not afraid.
He retreated repeatedly, hurling three stones in quick succession!
In his imagination, these three stones should have hit the attacker's eyes and Adam's apple.
But in his panic, his aim was off, and the stones just rained down on the person's face.
Although the stones left the person's face bloodied, they didn't stop the attacker from charging forward.
Sss!
The tip of the stick was now right in front of him.
Tang Wen drew the dagger from his waist and flung it out with a swish!
Thud.
It struck the neck.
A large amount of pinkish foam gathered on the dark neck, coating the blade.
Clatter, the stick fell to the ground, and the person collapsed.
[Skill: Flying Stone, Proficient (997→1021/3000)]
[Skill: Flying Knife Skill, Mastered (309→417/1000)]
Whew!
Tang Wen sat down heavily, the firewood in his backpack scattering everywhere.
It took him a while to catch his breath. He stood up in a daze, looking at the Scavenger on the ground, blood continuously flowing out, the metallic smell pungent.
He didn't feel like vomiting, but he couldn't bring himself to look at the person's wide-open, fish-like eyes.
After a few minutes, he forced himself to move forward, suppressing the creeping feeling in his heart. He pulled out the dagger, wiped it hastily on the ground, packed up his backpack, and left in a somewhat flustered manner.
He had thought about killing before, but actually doing it was worlds apart from just imagining it.
Especially since Tang Wen was just an ordinary person.
In the small hut.
Suddenly, Tang Wen sat up, muttering softly, "It's fake, it's fake..."
This was the third time he had woken up in a cold sweat.
"Xiao Wen, you're awake again? Another nightmare?"
Tang Tang rubbed her eyes, extravagantly picking up the fire starter to light the oil lamp.
By the warm yellow light, she got up and poured a bowl of water.
"It's nothing, sis. Go back to sleep."
Tang Tang didn't leave. Instead, she sat down beside him and asked softly, "Brother, I saw blood on your dagger, didn't I?"
"It's rabbit blood."
"That rabbit wasn't even skinned. By the way, rabbit fur can be traded too. Remember to ask for more stuff when you give it to the blacksmith tomorrow. A whole rabbit fur can make a hat! It's worth at least 7 pounds—no, 9 pounds of foxtail millet. The potatoes and sweet potatoes they give are always muddy. They should give us two pounds for one, or else it's not worth it..."
Listening to his sister's chatter, Tang Wen couldn't help but smile.
Tang Tang stopped talking: "Xiao Wen, you're capable, more capable than anyone in the camp. You killed someone, didn't you?"
Tang Wen remained silent.
Tang Tang continued, "I knew it as soon as you came back. You were in a daze, blood on your dagger, even on your pants. You didn't talk during dinner, just answered when asked, and you weren't as focused on training as you were yesterday..."
Tang Wen let out a bitter laugh. He had thought his disguise was flawless and that he appeared quite composed, but in his sister's eyes, it was full of flaws.
After some thought, he recounted the events of the day.
Tang Tang frowned deeply after listening. "You have no experience in fighting, do you?"
"Right."
"Then tomorrow, when you go to the blacksmith's, don't exchange too many potatoes. Ask him to teach you how to fight. I heard he knows how to wield a saber. He used to be a guard."
"If you encounter robbers, you have to kill them. They don't work themselves and still go around stealing from others. If you give in to them, they'll keep targeting you, stealing your firewood, your Red-billed Finches, and your foxtail millet..."
By the end, the young lady was seething with anger.
Even though the robbers had already been killed by her brother, the thought of it still filled her with fear and rage!
After chatting for a while, Tang Tang returned to her bed and lay down. In her drowsiness, Tang Wen seemed to hear her mutter, "Dare to steal my rice, I'll kill you all..."
The next day, the air was thick with fog.
Before the fog had lifted, Tang Wen arrived at the blacksmith's shop.
"Little Tang, you're here!" Li Da Niu's eyes lit up, wondering how many Red-billed Finches he would get today.
"Brother Li, you look radiant lately."
"Hehe, I've been eating meat every meal!" Li Da Niu rubbed his bald head.
"Today, Brother Li, you're in for a treat."
"Something rare?"
"Take a look."
"A rabbit! Little Tang, your skills are getting better and better!" Li Da Niu lifted the rabbit by its ears, weighing it in his hand. "How about thirty pounds of potatoes and a dagger?"
Tang Wen smiled. "I heard Brother Li knows some saber techniques?"
"Hmm?" Li Da Niu looked at him.
"I was just asking casually. Brother Li, could you teach me?"
"I could, but my skills aren't that impressive."
Tang Wen quickly added, "Brother Li, you're being modest. I really want to learn the saber. This rabbit can be my tuition."
"I only know one set of the Wind-splitting Saber, it's not worth that much. But to practice the saber, you need a saber. You can use one of mine here for now, and once you've learned it, you can give me some finches or something, and I'll give you the saber. How does that sound?"
"Great! Thank you, Brother Li."
"No need to thank me."
In just a few words, they settled the matter of saber practice.
In addition to the rabbit, Tang Wen would bring Li Da Niu five Red-billed Finches every day, and Li Da Niu would teach Tang Wen three rounds of saber practice each day.
Both were decisive in their actions. Li Da Niu immediately selected a thick-backed single-edged saber from the rack for Tang Wen.
"Swing it a few times. If it feels too heavy, we can switch to a lighter one."
In the camp, few people could eat their fill every day.
The thick-backed saber was used by guards. Not to mention Tang Wen, who was just a teenager, even the farmers who worked the fields would find it heavy.
[Body: 1.05]
Tang Wen glanced at his physical attribute.
After recent training, it had increased by 0.05.
He gripped the saber and began to swing it, the blade whistling through the air. After a while, he still didn't feel tired.
Li Da Niu looked surprised. "Little Tang, you're so thin, but you're quite strong!"
"Haha, it's natural, it's natural."
"Alright, let's start practicing today. This saber technique I know is called the Wind-splitting Eight Slashes, which I learned when I was a guard."
As they talked, Li Da Niu locked the door from the inside and headed to the backyard.
"Honey, what's this?" A woman came out from the house.
This was the first time Tang Wen had met Li Da Niu's wife. She was heavily pregnant, fair-skinned, and had a beautiful smile. She was the first true beauty Tang Wen had seen since arriving in this post-apocalyptic world.
As for his own sister, it wasn't that she wasn't pretty, but she was too thin and hadn't fully developed yet.
"Hello, Sister-in-law. I'm Tang Wen."
"Hello, Little Tang. Your brother Li has mentioned you. He says you're quite capable."
Seeing Tang Wen's politeness and the way he kept his gaze respectful, Sister-in-law Li had a good impression of him.
Li Da Niu also held him in higher regard. Among the neighbors who had occasionally seen his wife, who hadn't been struck dumb by her beauty?
This Little Tang was no ordinary fellow!
The couple exchanged a glance. Sister-in-law Li went back inside to prepare a meal, while Li Da Niu picked up his usual saber. "Little Tang, let me demonstrate the first move for you: the Wind-splitting Saber's Fierce Strike…"
Whoosh!
The saber swung down with a fierce, wh
istling force.