Chapter 8, Encountering a Corpse at the Ancient Temple

"It's alright, the wild boar I hunted this time is quite substantial, and I wouldn't have been able to finish it anyway," Shi Mu replied with a smile after returning a few steps, having already skinned another leg of the pig.

Father, you really are something. This young man, thank you very much. The young girl couldn't help but complain about her father for a moment, and after hesitating for a while, she blushed and expressed her gratitude to Shi Mu.

A torrential rain began to pour from the sky, with raindrops the size of beans crashing down onto the ground, while the dark clouds intermittently rumbled with deep thunder, and flashes of lightning erupted wildly.

Although the middle-aged man was not skilled in martial arts, he still had a certain degree of discernment. Upon seeing Shi Mu's calm and composed demeanor, he couldn't help but feel a bit more at ease, yet he still tightly protected the girl behind him

With two loud bangs, the ground trembled slightly twice. The middle-aged man, upon witnessing this, felt his eyelids twitch twice.

The already dilapidated temple door suddenly burst open from the outside, and amidst the splintering of countless pieces of wood, a dark, humanoid monster abruptly charged into the main hall

Be cautious, it is definitely not a beast, at least not a beast from this mountain, otherwise I would have certainly heard such howling before

Hehe, to be honest with you, I once saw a blacksmith master forge this armor, and it left a deep impression on me, which is why I could recognize it at a glance. May I ask how much this armor weighs? I heard that blacksmith master say that although this black armor can be worn, it is exceptionally fragile and offers almost no defensive power. Its only purpose in being made is to provide weight for warriors to train their bodies.

A figure was unexpectedly sprinting through the heavy rain like a leopard, each step covering a distance equivalent to five or six normal strides. In the blink of an eye, it had leaped over a nearby small hill and disappeared into a dense forest beside the hill.

However, judging by his constantly trembling legs, he is likely to be utterly powerless.

So that's how it is. I was wondering why this temple is so desolate, and how could there still be people here so late. Uncle Zhong, rest assured, we are not far from Fengcheng. If we take the mountain road east from the entrance for more than ten miles, we will see the west gate of Fengcheng.

Oh, there are guests! Did you use my firewood?

Although there are not many powerful beasts in this mountain, during this period, the number of wolves and wild boars that have perished at the hands of Shi Mu has exceeded one hundred, which has given him ample experience in actual combat and slaughter, making him incomparable to an ordinary martial artist who has never seen blood

"Where is my daughter ugly? In her father's eyes, she has always been exceptionally intelligent! Hmph, as for our family's current predicament, it has a certain connection to the Wu family. Xiuer, you need not ask; in due time, your father and the Wu family will address this matter." The middle-aged man, upon hearing the young girl's words, remained unconvinced.

A loud bang echoed.

Moments later, a sudden glimmer of cold light flickered around the figure.

As the middle-aged man and his daughter spoke softly, Shi Mu silently continued to roast the meat. Suddenly, a piercing howl echoed from afar, followed by a rumbling sound that quickly approached, as if some enormous entity was heading straight for this dilapidated temple.

With a "crack," the black armor split into two pieces out of thin air and was casually tossed to the ground by Shi Mu

"That's great. Xiuer, did you hear? We can reach Fengcheng tomorrow, and you will soon become the daughter-in-law of the Wu family," said the middle-aged man, who was instantly overjoyed as he spoke to the young girl.

Then, the young man took out a small bottle from his bosom, poured some white powder onto the pig's leg, and walked a few steps to the campfire, starting to roast it by himself

It was a wild boar weighing at least 100 pounds, with its eyes rolled back, blood at the corners of its mouth, and two exposed tusks that were broken, suggesting it had been dead for some time.

"This piece of black armor weighs several pounds, it is too heavy for me to wear at all." With a vague remark, Shi Mu suddenly exerted force with his ten fingers, gripping one side of the black armor on his body.

By the way, young man. We should be close to Fengcheng, right? My daughter and I came from Yingcheng to visit relatives, but unexpectedly encountered heavy rain along the way, got lost in the mountains, and ended up here by mistake. The middle-aged man hurriedly tore off a piece from the barbecue and handed it to his daughter before inquiring with Shi Mu.

The two individuals originally gathered around a bonfire in the main hall of the mountain temple stared in astonishment at the newcomer

The person suddenly vanished into the darkness amidst the swaying of the trees

Father ... ... '' The girl beside him, upon seeing this, felt a bit shy and playfully called out with a hint of annoyance.

Six months later, in a remote mountain path within the desolate mountains of Fengcheng

The person threw the burden they were carrying on their shoulder heavily to the ground, shook off the rainwater from their raincoat, and calmly inquired.

A tremendous roar echoed, and more than a dozen large trees unexpectedly fell, cleaved in half, after a shadow swiftly passed by.

Shi Mu released the bindings of the black armor, and he seemed to feel much lighter. He then picked up the single-handed weapon again and, with a few swift motions, severed the two front legs of the wild boar. Following that, with a flick of his wrist, a glimmer of cold light surrounded one of the pig's legs, and in the blink of an eye, its skin and fur were completely shaved off.

The monstrous figure before me stood at least 2 zhang tall, its features a grotesque blur of flesh and blood, with only two large, gaping blood holes where its eyes should be. Its entire body was covered in a layer of coarse, black, hard hair, from which drops of green liquid occasionally fell, emitting a nauseating stench that made one want to vomit

"What is this? Could it be a wild beast from the mountain?" The middle-aged man was taken aback, immediately standing up and drawing a short sword that glimmered with a cold light from his body, his face filled with panic as he positioned himself in front of the young girl.

Moments later, a rich aroma of meat began to waft above the entire temple

Mr. Zhong was at a loss for words and sincerely thanked the young man. The middle-aged man, upon hearing this, let out a sigh of relief, quickly expressed his gratitude with a beaming smile, and then returned to sit by the campfire, softly comforting the young girl beside him.

Wu family? Could it be the "Wu family" that is only beneath the influence of the Jin family in Fengcheng? However, this father and daughter are both slender in build, so they should not be martial artists

Upon hearing this, Shi Mu felt a stir in his heart

"How can we accept this? We have already used the young man's firewood, and to share this barbecue..." The middle-aged man was overjoyed upon hearing this, humbly expressing his gratitude while his hands unceremoniously accepted the barbecue.

The man is in his forties; although he has a refined appearance, his face is marked by the signs of hardship. The woman is only about fourteen or fifteen years old; while she is fair-skinned and exceptionally delicate, there is a sizable blue birthmark on her forehead that mars her originally beautiful features

zombie

Since this firewood has been chopped down, it is meant to be used, why bother discussing wealth! A figure stepped forward a few paces, illuminated by the campfire, revealing a young man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, carrying a single saber on his back; it was none other than Shi Mu.

This... this is a zombie! My goodness, how could such a ghastly thing appear here? What is the army of Fengcheng doing? It's over, we are doomed. The middle-aged man nearly fainted on the spot upon seeing the appearance of the humanoid monster.

"Did you not see that there is more barbecue over there? This young man is so skilled, he probably wouldn't care about this little bit of meat," the middle-aged man replied to the young girl with a smile.

The first two individuals to arrive in the grand hall were one man and one woman

Ah, it turns out that the firewood in the temple belongs to the young man. I was unaware of this earlier and thought it was unclaimed property. Moreover, since my clothes were wet, I took some to use with the young lady. However, you can rest assured, young man, that I will compensate for this firewood." The middle-aged man stood up and apologized, but his gaze swept over the enormous object lying on the ground, and a hint of fear still appeared on his face.

This weight, I fear, must be over five or six hundred pounds. Could it be that this youth is a humanoid beast? Otherwise, how could he move so freely while wearing such a thing? It seems that although the opponent is not very old, his physical body is exceptionally strong, and his body tempering techniques are certainly not inferior.

One hour later

The young girl wore a blue dress and secretly glanced at Shi Mu twice, but did not say anything, appearing quite reserved.

Father, what are you saying? Given our current situation and my own ugliness, whether anyone would acknowledge this marriage is a matter of debate. The young girl felt an immediate and profound embarrassment upon hearing her father mention her marriage.

Shi Mu stared at the humanoid monster across from him, feeling a similar chill run down his spine

Do you know this person, Your Excellency? Upon hearing this, Shi Mu was somewhat taken aback

Upon seeing this, Shi Mu smiled faintly and suddenly extended the nearly half-roasted pig leg across to the opposite side

At this moment, Shi Mu took off the single saber from his back and removed the raincoat from his body, revealing a thick black iron armor that completely enveloped his upper body, leaving only his neck and a pair of arms exposed

The seemingly dilapidated gate of a mountain temple was forcefully swung open with a loud "bang". Following this, heavy footsteps echoed as a figure, shouldering a massive object, entered, bringing with it a gust of wind and rain.

It is important to note that he has frequently come here over the past six months to hunt various wild beasts, not for amusement, but rather for two reasons: on one hand, to cultivate his body refining techniques, and on the other hand, to gain practical experience in swordsmanship and martial arts.

"Oh, is this the black armor?" The middle-aged man exclaimed in surprise as soon as he saw the half-black armor on Shi Mu after finishing his conversation with his daughter

Shi Mu jumped on one foot beside the campfire, grasping the hilt of the single knife tightly, his gaze fixed firmly on the main door, a fierce aura emanating from his entire being as he spoke

The father and daughter sitting across the campfire had already taken out a pack of dry rations and were sharing it with each other. However, the girl, smelling the aroma of the roasted meat and looking at the sizzling, oily pig leg, couldn't help but swallow her saliva. Yet, she soon realized the inappropriateness of her reaction, her face flushed, and she lowered her head.

At that moment, a massive flash of lightning appeared in the nearby sky, illuminating the figure clearly; it turned out to be a person wearing a straw hat and clad in a raincoat.