Chapter 36

The next day, Lu Buqi had already finished his daily routine of practicing the Five Animal Imitation Boxing, standing in horse stances, and walking through the forms. He had washed up and started eating when Wang Lishou finally emerged from the wooden house, looking rather lazy, with a woman who was quite attractive and alluring by his side.

What made Lu Buqi's skin crawl was that Wang Lishou actually kissed the woman goodbye. His steps were slightly unsteady, yet he still looked as if he hadn't had enough, watching the woman leave.

"Is she Yun Niang?" Lu Buqi asked, somewhat helplessly. "I'm wondering if we can even set off today."

"Haha... didn't you enjoy it too?" Wang Lishou looked at Lu Buqi with a lecherous smile. "I heard Ming Yan arranged a young and innocent virgin for you. How does it feel?"

A few black lines appeared on Lu Buqi's forehead, and he didn't want to get into a discussion with this old lecher. "I don't want to run into any spirit beasts today, my legs are still trembling... Hurry up and get ready, we should set off."

"Right now?" Wang Lishou frowned slightly. The treatment he had received over the past few days had made him quite content, far more comfortable than the life of eating raw meat and fighting for survival in the Guokan Forest. Ming Yan was truly considerate, making his young and passionate heart feel rejuvenated.

"Do you plan to settle here?" Lu Buqi smiled bitterly. "Master Wang, the women in Guokan Town shouldn't be any worse than this one, right?"

Wang Lishou was slightly taken aback, then shook his hand to dispel the awkwardness. "Ha, of course, of course... I'll wash my face, eat something, and we'll go, we'll go!"

Just then, Ming Yan, leaning on a cane, limped over with a clear and refreshed look on his face. "Master Wang, Brother Buqi, why don't you rest a bit more?"

"If we rest any longer, it will be dark!" Lu Buqi replied. "We'll leave after Master Wang eats something. Thank you for your hospitality these past few days..."

"There's no need to thank me. It's rare for such distinguished guests to visit our Western Waist Household. The conditions here are what they are, but I hope you don't mind." Ming Yan smiled and asked, "Has Da Dong delivered the decapitation knife, the large bow, and the other items to you?"

Lu Buqi nodded. "Your people are very efficient. They have already delivered them to me."

"That's good..." Ming Yan nodded. "Brother Buqi, you gave me a heart core, helping our Western Waist Household through this crisis. I can't repay such a great favor..."

Pausing, Ming Yan reached behind him and pulled out a short sword about a foot long. "This short sword, I found it by chance during a hunt a few years ago. It never rusts and is incredibly sharp. It's just a bit short and not as practical as the decapitation knife. I usually use it to dissect game. I see that you and Master Wang have a long and dangerous journey ahead. I'll give you this short sword, hoping it will help you reach Guokan Town safely."

"Let me see..." Wang Lishou, being a blacksmith, had a particular fondness for weapons. He lightly tapped the blade and heard a faint, dragon-like hum. "Good sword, I've never seen such material. It's definitely a treasure, but it's indeed too short..."

Lu Buqi didn't like empty flattery. At first, he thought Ming Yan was just being polite, but seeing him suddenly produce such a powerful weapon, Lu Buqi was greatly surprised and stood up. "Ming Yan, this must be something you cherish deeply."

Lu Buqi knew that in the Guokan Forest, a good weapon meant everything to a swamp slave, equivalent to a second life. He had even given up a heart core to get the decapitation knife, and with the good treatment over the past few days, he felt it was worth it. But he didn't expect Ming Yan to do this.

"Ha... I do like it, but a good sword should be given to a hero!" Ming Yan took a deep breath and sincerely handed the sword to Lu Buqi. "Brother Buqi, I know you are different from us. You will eventually rise to greatness. It's an honor to call you a brother. I give you this sword to express my gratitude and to encourage you to strive for the honor of the swamp slaves in the Guokan Forest!"

"I'm not a hero!" Lu Buqi felt a warm surge in his heart and didn't hesitate to take the sword. "But I will remember your kindness. Thank you."

Lu Buqi didn't make any promises, as words before actions are meaningless. However, he had already considered Ming Yan a friend and was determined not to let him down if he achieved something in the future.

The two, well-prepared, set off again under the watchful eyes of the entire Western Waist Household. They didn't look back, unaware that a hint of pain flashed across Ming Yan's face, and a tear rolled down the cheek of a young girl.

On the journey, Lu Buqi played with the short sword, increasingly fond of its hidden sharpness, intimidating killing aura, and mysterious patterns. He tested it and found that even the hard ironwood was like tofu under the sword, easily pierced and cleanly sliced.

They encountered a wild boar on the way, and Lu Buqi, with a flick of his wrist, sent the sword flying, breaking one of the boar's tusks and deeply embedding it in the boar's head, killing it instantly.

If it weren't for the value of the decapitation knife, Lu Buqi would have used it to test the sword's strength. But from the current tests, it could cut hair and break bones effortlessly.

Wang Lishou frequently praised the sword, and seeing that it didn't stain with blood, his eyes lit up. "This sword is definitely made by a master. I can't produce something of this quality, and it's clearly quite old. But how it ended up in the Guokan Forest is a mystery."

Thinking of the hidden world under the willow tree, Lu Buqi shrugged. "The Guokan Forest is vast. It's possible that other tribes lived here before we settled, and it's not unusual for a few weapons to be left behind."

Wang Lishou nodded. "It seems we should be more observant on our journey. We might find treasures, making all this hardship worthwhile."

Adding the idea of treasure hunting to such a dangerous journey did indeed make it more bearable. Lu Buqi smiled and didn't say much, cutting off the boar's hindquarters and legs, wrapping them in palm leaves, and continuing on.

"By the way, Buqi, this short sword is a treasure. Don't let it gather dust. Why don't you give it a name?" Wang Lishou, being a blacksmith, had a particular attachment to weapons.

Lu Buqi, hearing this, was moved and blurted out, "This sword is so short, it could fit in a fish's belly. Let's call it Yu Chang (Fish Gut)!"

"Yu Chang Sword?" Wang Lishou's eyes lit up. "It's a bit common, but it has a certain charm. Not bad."

Lu Buqi's lips curled slightly, thinking to himself, hoping that the great master Ouyezi wouldn't be angry. It was just a small way to commemorate the Earth he had left behind.

With the Yu Chang Sword, two decapitation knives, two large bows, and eight spears, Lu Buqi and Wang Lishou were much better equipped than when they left the Western Waist Household. Their journey was smooth, and nothing could stop them, whether it was bears, boars, or the increasingly common venomous snakes. Even if they encountered spirit beasts again, they wouldn't be as helpless as before.

Two months passed, and the two, enduring the elements and fighting for their lives, finally saw the symbol of the outer living area of the Guokan Forest, the Guoluo River. This river, about fifty meters wide on average, with frequent floods, was the last natural barrier for the swamp slaves to leave the forest. Once they crossed the Guoluo River, they would reach the living area of Guokan Town.

Before this, Lu Buqi and Wang Lishou had passed through two other households, the Central Storage Household and the Southern Entrance Household. The swamp slaves in these households, who had seen Lu Buqi and Wang Lishou brave the Guokan Forest, held them in high regard. Lu Buqi's reputation as the new leader of the Western Waist Household was destined to spread throughout the Guokan Forest.

"How good is your swimming?" Wang Lishou asked, and Lu Buqi, looking at the turbulent river, frowned. "No matter how good a swimmer you are, you can't carry so many spirit beast furs and items across. We should follow the river upstream. Even if there's no bridge, there must be shallower spots."

Thinking of the large bundles they carried, Wang Lishou, who had tanned significantly over the past six months, grinned. "Right, I almost forgot about that. Let's go..."

It took them two and a half more days to find a suitable spot. Even then, it took great effort to cross the river.

The wet furs were spread out, and counting them, they had eight complete spirit beast furs, gleaming in the sunlight. Looking at these furs, Lu Buqi and Wang Lishou's eyes shone with the joy of a bountiful harvest. Besides the large ape and silver wolf spirit beasts they had killed before the Western Waist Household, they had successfully killed six more spirit beasts.

Seven heart cores and eight high-quality spirit beast furs. Even Wang Lishou, who prided himself on his experience, felt a warm glow in his heart. He thought that all his blacksmith tools and weapons combined wouldn't be worth as much.

"Really tired... Let's rest a bit!" Wang Lishou unbuttoned his leather vest, exposing a large patch of chest hair, and lay down by the river...

Lu Buqi's lips curled slightly, and he was about to take off his bear skin vest when he suddenly heard a desperate and urgent cry for help, which sounded like a woman's.

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