Wandering Swordsman |

"Let's rest for a while." Fu Sheng gestured for Shen Mo to sit down, and then instructed the servants to bring tea.

Shen Mo accepted a cup of fragrant tea, took a small sip, and found it sweet and refreshing. This brief rest allowed his tense nerves to relax slightly. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and savored this rare tranquility. Although doubts and vigilance still lingered in his heart, at least for now, he could temporarily let go of his tension and enjoy this moment of peace.

Fu Sheng sat to the side, quietly observing Shen Mo's changing expressions, seemingly satisfied with his reaction. "For the time being, you will stay in the village and await further instructions," Fu Sheng said slowly. "After I attend my son's wedding banquet, I will take you on our continued journey west. During this time, you are free to move around within the territory of Qilin Village."

Shen Mo outwardly appeared helpless and nodded in agreement: "I will naturally obey the chieftain's orders."

However, a flood of questions welled up inside her. Was Fu Sheng's ultimate goal in taking her away not to join Qilin Village? Then what was his ultimate goal? It seemed the people of Qilin Village were unaware of the mysterious force behind Fu Sheng.

For the next two days, Fu Sheng arranged a private room for Shen Mo.

During the day, Shen Mo acted as if he had nothing to do, wandering around Qilin Village and trying to appear relaxed and at ease. He strolled through every corner of the village, observing its layout and the lifestyle of its inhabitants.

At night, he would secretly practice the contents of the "Heavenly Void True Qi" manual in his room. Although he was full of doubts about Fu Sheng's intentions, he understood that improving his own strength was the most important thing at present.

Although many people in Qilin Village were secretly discussing Shen Mo's identity and speculating why the village chief had brought him back, they deliberately avoided him when they saw him wandering around the village, because it was the village chief's doing. This deliberate distance made Shen Mo feel a little isolated, but it also gave him more time to think.

On the morning of the third day, sunlight streamed into the room through the window. Shen Mo woke up early, ready to continue exploring Qilin Village. After two days of leisurely wandering, he had a general understanding of the village's layout, but there was still one area he hadn't explored. Today, he planned to head to that unexplored place.

Following a winding path, Shen Mo gradually left the bustling city center and arrived at a relatively secluded area. Here, the trees were lush, the air was fresh, and it felt like he was cut off from the world. Just as he was admiring the surrounding scenery, he suddenly heard footsteps approaching. Looking up, he saw a young man, barely twenty years old, walking towards him.

The young man was agile and had a heroic air about him, with a faint smile on his lips. "Kid, are you the one Dad brought back?" He took the initiative to greet him, his tone tinged with curiosity.

Shen Mo was slightly taken aback, then noticed the resemblance between this person and Fu Sheng, and immediately realized that the "father" he was referring to must be Fu Sheng. He then replied, "That's right."

Having received an affirmative answer, the young man continued, "My name is Fu Jiang, what's yours?"

Shen Mo answered directly, "Shen Mo."

Fu Jiang nodded, a hint of defiance flashing in his eyes: "Shen Mo, then you spar with me! I want to see exactly where my father's claim that I lack talent really lies!"

Shen Mo's heart skipped a beat. Although he didn't quite understand the meaning of Fu Jiang's words, he realized that this was a good opportunity to understand Fu Sheng. So he deliberately pretended to be nonchalant and agreed to the matter.

Seeing Shen Mo agree so readily, Fu Jiang's eyes flashed with surprise, but more so with excitement and eagerness. As he led Shen Mo to the training ground, he recalled a scene from before: a mysterious man with extremely high martial arts skills came to Fu Sheng and instructed him to find a few promising young talents to send to him so he could teach him unparalleled skills.

He was present at the time, and judging from his father's attitude towards that mysterious man, the man's status and position were extremely high. If he could learn his martial arts, his future would be limitless. So he asked his father if he could go and learn martial arts from that mysterious man, but Fu Sheng refused, citing insufficient talent.

Now that Fu Sheng has returned to Qilin Village with a strange young man, Fu Jiang naturally guessed that Shen Mo might be the 'good seedling' that the mysterious person needed. Therefore, Fu Jiang was puzzled as to why his father chose Shen Mo instead of him, and at this moment, Fu Jiang saw it as a good opportunity to prove himself.

Afterwards, Fu Jiang led Shen Mo to a training ground. The ground was shaded by green trees, and sunlight filtered through the leaves, creating dappled shadows. Fu Jiang casually tossed Shen Mo a wooden sword, picked up one himself, and assumed a fighting stance.

"You make the first move!" Fu Jiang's voice was full of fighting spirit.

The two began to spar. Fu Jiang's swordsmanship was elegant and fluid, each move carrying a sharp and powerful aura. However, Shen Mo quickly discovered that although Fu Jiang's moves seemed formidable, they were full of flaws. With just a little more focus, he could easily defeat him. But then Shen Mo thought to himself, if he could use this match to get closer to Fu Jiang, perhaps he could learn more about Fu Sheng.

So, Shen Mo deliberately slowed down his movements, pretending to be struggling. At the crucial moment of the exchange, he won with a subtle advantage, leading Fu Jiang to mistakenly believe it was just luck. Although Fu Jiang was somewhat unconvinced after losing, he still thought Shen Mo was simply lucky.

"One more time!" Fu Jiang, who had lost to Shen Mo, immediately challenged him again, his eyes filled with resentment.

Shen Mo chuckled inwardly, but outwardly feigned reluctance and agreed. In the following rounds, Shen Mo won each time with a subtle advantage. Fu Jiang fought on despite repeated defeats, each time believing he would win next time, but the result was always just a little bit off. Until finally, Fu Jiang was exhausted and stopped, panting heavily.

"That's enough for today." Fu Jiang wiped the sweat from his forehead, his face showing a tired yet unwilling expression. "We'll continue tomorrow."

......

The next morning, sunlight filtered through the leaves and dappled the training ground, adding a touch of life to the space. Shen Mo returned to this familiar area and found Fu Jiang already waiting there. However, Fu Jiang seemed different today; his aura was more imposing, and his presence was stronger than the day before. Shen Mo keenly sensed this change and became secretly on guard.

The two exchanged a glance, then each picked up their wooden swords and assumed fighting stances. Shen Mo could clearly sense Fu Jiang's change, but he didn't show much surprise. Instead, he silently adjusted his own state, preparing for this even more intense contest.