"...The fourth move, Sweeping a Thousand Enemies!"
Swish, swish, swish!
Just as Li Da Niu had said, this saber technique was simple yet practical.
Each move had several variations. For example, the Sweeping a Thousand Enemies move could be executed as a left sweep, a right sweep, or a continuous left-right sweep, emphasizing speed and ferocity.
Tang Wen carefully observed every movement.
When Li Da Niu finished demonstrating the set, Tang Wen clapped and praised, "Brother Li, you're being too modest. With this saber technique, even if seven, eight, or ten Scavengers came at you together, they wouldn't be able to get close!"
"Hehe, it's not that impressive. I'd need to wear armor to really pull it off."
Li Da Niu felt a bit embarrassed by the praise but found Tang Wen even more likable. This young brother not only knew how to hunt birds and game but also had a way with words!
"Come on, Little Tang, I'll teach you the first move."
One taught while the other practiced, both fully immersed.
After three rounds of teaching, Tang Wen practiced from memory while Li Da Niu corrected his movements and filled in the gaps.
After several rounds of practice, Tang Wen was drenched in sweat, but no new skill appeared on his experience panel.
Tang Wen wasn't in a hurry. Back in school, it had taken him two weeks to learn the "Young Eagle Takes Flight" routine.
Although this saber technique was simple, he had no prior foundation, so learning it wasn't that easy.
Three days later, Tang Wen could perform the entire saber set without Li Da Niu's reminders.
[Skill: Wind-splitting Saber, Beginner (1/500)]
The skill appeared; he had officially begun mastering the saber technique.
"You're doing well, kid. Tell me the truth, do you eat a lot of meat?"
Li Da Niu might look simple, but he wasn't naive.
In the early winter cold, most people in the camp stayed indoors, afraid they wouldn't have enough food to last until spring.
Except for the guards, who else practiced saber techniques every day like Tang Wen, and with such intensity?
Even Li Da Niu didn't practice every day.
"Sometimes there are birds that don't sell, so I eat a few."
"You kid..."
By the seventh day of practice, Tang Wen had brought Li Da Niu two pheasants and over thirty Red-billed Finches.
He had also taken home two daggers and a long saber.
One dagger was for Tang Tang for self-defense.
The other he carried with him as a throwing knife.
"Open up! Time to pay rent!"
In the blink of an eye, the end of the month arrived.
"Brother Li, everything's ready, just waiting for you. Thanks for your leniency last month." Tang Wen carried a bag of foxtail millet, containing 30 pounds of grain, intending to pay for three months.
"Kid, you seem to be doing well. You've grown taller and stronger."
"Thanks to your blessings. Here's three months' worth of foxtail millet."
"Good!"
A guard took the bag and got to work.
Li Da Niu glanced at the mud-covered hut in front of him and casually remarked, "This place is too close to the camp entrance. If you have extra grain, you might want to ask around and trade for a place further inside, giving this hut to someone else."
"Thanks for the advice, Brother Li." Tang Wen was a bit puzzled.
"Boss, 30 pounds of foxtail millet, not a grain short," a guard reported.
Li Da Niu pulled out something: "Take this token."
Tang Wen took it—a metal plaque with the character "Winter" inscribed on it.
Li Da Niu grabbed Tang Wen's wrist, stamped it with a red seal, and said, "Every month at the end, show the token to get a new stamp." Then he led his men to the next house.
"Sister, besides the cold and hunger, is there anything else special about winter?"
Tang Tang wasn't sure either: "I'll ask around today."
"Alright."
In the evening, Tang Wen returned from hunting and went to the blacksmith's shop to deliver the game.
"Brother Li, today—" His words abruptly stopped: "You have a guest."
A stranger was selecting weapons.
Hearing the noise, the man turned to look. When he saw Tang Wen's youthful face, his eyes narrowed slightly.
Tang Wen also took in the man's appearance: a long, thin face, triangular eyes, a hooked nose, and several layers of coarse linen clothes, each of different styles and sizes.
"Brother, take the firewood to the backyard first," Li Da Niu gave Tang Wen a meaningful look, then turned to the guest and said, "He's a brother of mine."
"Oh."
The man with triangular eyes revealed a set of yellow teeth and gave Tang Wen's retreating figure a deep look.
The first move: a fierce frontal slash with the Wind-splitting Saber.
Tang Wen practiced his saber techniques twice in the backyard before Li Da Niu came in with a few fish.
"Brother, that guy earlier isn't a good person. Be careful if you run into him."
As he spoke, he lifted the fish in his hand and shook them.
Tang Wen clearly saw that three out of the five fish had bite marks on them.
This reminded him of the scene on his first day after crossing over, when Scavengers fought fiercely over a single fish, resulting in a fatal outcome.
"Alright," he agreed, then added, "Brother Li, you have a wide network. Could you help me keep an eye out for any vacant spots in the inner part of the camp?"
Li Daqiang's smile faded, and he frowned, "What? Little Tang, are you still living on the outskirts of the camp?"
"Yes!" Tang Wen nodded, thinking to himself that it wasn't just the outskirts—it was the very edge.
"You should move as soon as possible. Once deep winter comes, it'll be too late when the Mutated Beasts attack the city."
"This? Could you explain, Brother Li?"
Li Daqiang continued handling the fish in his hands, "The Mutated Beasts are ferocious! In winter, they'll definitely hunt humans. Those Scavengers outside, except for the ones who hide, will all flee toward our camp. The Mutated Beasts will follow them, and when the guards intervene, the beasts will charge at the walls. If they encounter strong ones, even the guards can't hold them off. It's not uncommon for a few to slip through every year…"
Tang Wen's expression grew serious.
The Mutated Beasts that slipped through would undoubtedly target those on the edges of the camp first!
Then, either the experts from the inner city would come out to kill them, or the beasts would flee after eating their fill.
"Indeed, in this world, there's no limit to how bad things can get."
Originally planning to hunker down in their small hut for the winter, Tang Wen went home and discussed it with his sister. They spent the night strategizing.
They had to move—there was no question about it.
But moving required resources.
Some families who didn't have enough food for the winter might be willing to exchange their living space if given enough grain, especially since living on the outskirts of the camp wasn't necessarily a death sentence.
As long as they hid well, they could survive—for example, by digging a hole and sleeping underground.
Tang Tang preferred digging a hole to sleep in rather than giving away their foxtail millet.
Tang Wen disagreed. What if the Mutated Beasts that came were skilled at digging?
Besides, in the face of Mutated Beasts, the defensive capabilities of their small hut couldn't be described as minimal—they were practically nonexistent.
In the dead of winter, even if the people were unharmed, rebuilding a collapsed house would be a massive undertaking.
Over the next few days, Tang Tang reinforced their hut daily with wooden sticks and ropes, and dug pits inside the house with a shovel.
Tang Wen left the camp every day with a pound of roasted foxtail millet, and his harvests were substantial.
A large amount of foxtail millet was scattered, which often attracted pheasants, and at least thirty Red-billed Finches were also caught.
Tang Wen had Tang Tang process the pheasants and store them temporarily.
As the weather turned colder, the chicken could be preserved for a longer time.
The Red-billed Finches were taken to various rice shops to exchange for grain. Due to the increasingly cold weather, Tang Wen had to break his rule of not visiting the same rice shop within three days.
Almost every day, he had to visit several rice shops to exchange for grain.
Several days passed, and there was still no news from Li Da Niu.
Tang Wen brought two processed pheasants and went to the guard camp.
"Kid, who are you looking for?"
"Li Ge, I'm looking for Li Ge. Could you please inform him? I've come to deliver something."
"Wait here."
"Alright, alright..."
(End of Chapter)