Chapter 3

"Time to pay this month's protection fee, five hundred units." Bai Cangdong opened the door and saw a face that made him want to stomp on it hard.

"Wasn't it two hundred units?" Bai Cangdong frowned slightly.

"That was before. Now I'm telling you, the protection fee will be five hundred units every month from now on. If you want to stay in Daolun City, you have to pay this much. If you don't, get out of Daolun City immediately." The man said impatiently.

Bai Cangdong hesitated for a moment but still paid the five hundred units. His current strength was not enough to survive outside the city. If he left Daolun City, he might be beheaded by wandering undead while sleeping in the wild.

After paying the protection fee, Bai Cangdong was about to return to his room to continue practicing his sword techniques when he suddenly heard an argument nearby.

"Please, I only have six hundred life units left. If I give you five hundred, I'll be left to die. I'll pay two hundred now and the rest in a few days. Please, help me!"

"Your death is your own business. Five hundred units, not a single unit less. Either pay the life units or leave Daolun City immediately. You choose."

Bai Cangdong followed the sound and saw his neighbor, Luo Wen, who had lived next door since he could remember. Luo Wen was a young man with a gentle appearance, and it was hard to guess his real age.

When Bai Cangdong's parents were still alive, Luo Wen often brought wine to their house and drank with his father. It was said that he had once helped their family.

No matter how much Luo Wen begged, he was still charged five hundred units, leaving him with only a little over a hundred units. Luo Wen's face turned ashen as he collapsed on the ground.

"Uncle Luo, are you okay?" Bai Cangdong went over to help him up.

"Everything is over. I only have a little over a hundred units left. I don't know if I can see the sun rise tomorrow." Luo Wen said dejectedly to Bai Cangdong, "Dong, work hard. Don't end up like me. When you're young, you only think about eating, drinking, and having fun. By the time you realize the value of life, it's too late."

"Uncle Luo, I still have some units. I'll transfer five hundred to you." Bai Cangdong said, and he transferred five hundred units to Luo Wen.

Bai Cangdong's parents said that Luo Wen had once helped their family, though he didn't know what it was. He couldn't just let Luo Wen wait to die at home.

"Ah Dong!" Luo Wen was momentarily moved, but his face soon turned dark again. "You should take the life units back. Even if you give them to me, what's the point? I'll still die after using these life units. I was born with excellent innate qualities, nearly two hundred years of life units, almost twice that of an average person. I never thought I would run out, so I never practiced seriously and rarely went out to hunt the undead. I'm already a waste, unable to hunt even the weakest undead. Death is just a matter of time for me."

"There must be a way. How about we go hunt the Lesser Blade Demons together?" Bai Cangdong suggested.

"It's no use!" Luo Wen shook his head and returned to his room like a walking corpse.

Bai Cangdong looked at Luo Wen's room, feeling as if he were looking at a morgue, and shuddered.

"I will never end up like that. Even if I die, I want to die with dignity." Bai Cangdong returned to his room and practiced his sword techniques more diligently. He just needed to wait until he could fully control the Pure White Great Sword and use the Painful Blade Technique before going out to hunt the undead.

A few days later, while Bai Cangdong was practicing his sword techniques, he suddenly heard a knock on the door. When he opened it, he saw Luo Wen standing there, his cheeks sunken and his eyes dark.

"Ah Dong, I can't make it. I only have a few units left." Luo Wen's voice lacked vitality, as if he had already given up on living.

"I'll transfer some life units to you." Bai Cangdong said, ready to transfer his life units.

"No need." Luo Wen stopped him, speaking calmly, "I don't want to live anymore. Before I die, there are a few things I want to say to you."

After a pause, Luo Wen continued, "I don't have many relatives or friends, and my relationships aren't great. It's enough that you're willing to listen to me before I die."

Luo Wen said a lot, mostly about his past, rarely mentioning others. Occasionally, he would mention his parents, but only briefly.

"Here, take this as a keepsake." Luo Wen threw a book to Bai Cangdong and turned to leave, his body weary.

"Uncle Luo."

Bai Cangdong wanted to say more, but Luo Wen stopped him, "I don't want others to see my ugly state after I die. Just thinking about it makes me feel sick. Don't follow me."

Watching Luo Wen leave, Bai Cangdong felt a mix of emotions. The sense of helplessness almost drove him mad.

"My future will never be like this." Bai Cangdong clenched his fists tightly.

Back in his room, Bai Cangdong prepared to continue practicing his sword techniques. He could now use the Pure White Great Sword with one hand to perform the Painful Blade Technique, but his accuracy and endurance were still lacking and needed more practice.

Holding the book Luo Wen left, he initially thought of putting it aside but decided to take a look. To his surprise, it was a cultivation manual called the "Baiye Sutra," a technique for longevity.

Longevity techniques were cultivation methods in the Light and Dark Martial World. Practicing longevity techniques could increase one's strength and transform the body, and the main function was to increase life units.

However, not everyone could practice longevity techniques, as the cultivation methods were hard to find. Usually, only those with titles had the chance to obtain them, and very few ordinary people had longevity techniques. He didn't expect Luo Wen to have a cultivation manual for longevity, though he didn't know what level it was.

Regardless of the level, the Baiye Sutra was invaluable to Bai Cangdong, who had never practiced longevity techniques before.

Greedily memorizing every word of the Baiye Sutra, he began to practice according to its methods. At first, he didn't feel much, but after practicing for an hour each day after his sword techniques, he felt warm and comfortable, and his body recovered from fatigue much faster than before.

His strength gradually increased. After another half month, Bai Cangdong could accurately perform the Painful Blade Technique with the Pure White Great Sword and swing it continuously for an hour without stopping.

"It's time to go hunt the undead." Bai Cangdong had been practicing at home for two months without earning any life units, but he had spent quite a bit.

This time, Bai Cangdong wasn't going to hunt Lesser Blade Demons. They were too agile and not suitable for killing with sword techniques. With the Pure White Great Sword and the Painful Blade Technique, he wanted to hunt easier-to-kill undead that would yield more life units.

"Beheading Ghosts are a good choice. They are not fast, have a human-like appearance, and are suitable for practicing the Painful Blade Technique. Plus, there's a chance to obtain the Beheading Axe." Bai Cangdong thought about the undead around Daolun City and quickly decided on his target.

Beheading Ghosts often appeared in the forest, wielding a large axe to decapitate all living things they saw. Due to the complex terrain of the forest, they moved quickly and were incredibly strong, able to fell a tree as thick as a barrel with one strike. However, they didn't yield many life units, so few people were willing to hunt them.

When Bai Cangdong arrived in the forest, he found that it was unusually crowded today, despite usually being deserted.

"Brother, what's happening here? Why are there so many people today?" Bai Cangdong asked a man who looked friendly.

"The Beheading Ghost has been resurrected from the altar and is appearing in this area of the forest. Many people are here to try their luck, including several barons. Aren't you here for the Beheading Ghost?" The man was indeed easy to talk to.

"I just came to hunt Beheading Ghosts. I didn't expect the Beheading Ghost to be resurrected." Bai Cangdong had heard of the Beheading Ghost, the leader of the Beheading Ghosts. Killing it would yield a large number of life units and possibly a baron-level Beheading Axe, which was highly sought after by many barons who used long weapons.

"The Beheading Ghost is a baron-level undead, and only baron-level experts can deal with it. Why are there so many ordinary people here?" Bai Cangdong noticed that many were ordinary people without titles.

The man explained, "Killing a baron-level undead grants a baron title. Although the Beheading Ghost is fierce, it is relatively fragile compared to something like a Rock Demon, which is almost impossible for ordinary people to kill. Naturally, many people who want a title come to try their luck."

Bai Cangdong then remembered that killing a certain level of undead would grant the corresponding title. To obtain a baron title, he would have to kill a baron-level undead himself.

"The Beheading Ghost is a good choice, but the competition is too intense. With so many people vying for one Beheading Ghost, including several barons, it's too difficult to be the one who kills it." Bai Cangdong gave up on competing for the Beheading Ghost and decided to hunt ordinary Beheading Ghosts to practice the Painful Blade Technique.

His only weapon was a Pure White Knight's Great Sword, which originally belonged to Baron Malon. To avoid trouble, Bai Cangdong found a white iron mask to wear, so even if someone recognized the Pure White Knight's Great Sword, they wouldn't know who had it and wouldn't come after him.

Everyone was looking for the Beheading Ghost, and most people avoided the Beheading Ghosts they encountered, only the barons would directly kill them. Therefore, Bai Cangdong found a Beheading Ghost wandering in the forest relatively easily.

Since he had only hunted Lesser Blade Demons, Bai Cangdong's knowledge of Beheading Ghosts was limited to what he had heard. Now, upon closer inspection, he realized that the Beheading Ghost's appearance was quite different from a human.