Volume 1 Chapter 41: I Have Nine Blades

"Mother, you must be extremely careful about this, and you cannot tell a single soul." Luo Feng sighed once more, giving a strict warning.

"Mm-hm." Gu Ya wiped away the tears lingering at the corners of her eyes.

"It is almost noon. I will go make lunch and also prepare some food for tomorrow's trip into the mountains," Gu Ya said as she walked toward the kitchen.

Only then did Luo Bin let out a breath, a wave of poignant emotions washing over him.

In his past life, his mother had never been proud of any abilities he possessed—nor did he have any remarkable talents to speak of, merely an ordinary, hardworking cog in the machine, utterly incapable of providing for his family in return. As the ancient saying goes, only when one realizes that the parents are gone before the filial piety can be repaid does the heart truly awaken, for time flows onward and never looks back.

Living this life anew, Luo Bin truly felt for the first time that when a mother feels pride in her son, that profound emotion makes the child feel an extraordinary pride as well.

"Xiaoshan, I have prepared something for you," Luo Feng spoke again, gesturing for Luo Bin to approach the place where he kept the leather knife sheath.

From a distance, it looked like a single piece of leather, but upon closer inspection, it turned out to be two pieces, each about a hand's breadth wide when the fingers were splayed.

Luo Feng picked up one of the pieces and wrapped it securely around Luo Bin's waist.

The tight binding made Luo Bin instinctively straighten his spine considerably.

Next, Luo Feng picked up the blades from the ground, sliding them one by one into the scabbards.

At a glance, the scabbards appeared to be entirely made of leather, but internally they actually featured a layer of metal, and the inner edges of the openings were also lined with a ring of iron, effectively preventing the blades from cutting through the leather casing itself.

"I have nine knives. You always wanted to learn in the past, but I always told you that you weren't ready. Now that you've returned from this trip, it is nearly time." A smile touched Luo Feng's face.

Luo Bin was momentarily stunned.

Luo Feng's demeanor had shifted once again.

If previously he had merely accepted him as a person and acknowledged him as the original owner of this body, now this could truly be called... recognition?

A son inheriting his father's craft was a tradition handed down since ancient times.

Luo Bin simply had not expected that the Luo family possessed some kind of genuine skill that could be learned.

He had always assumed this was just an utterly ordinary household, and that Luo Feng was merely a somewhat clever middle-aged man.

Soon, his waist was bristling with numerous blades.

"Dad, aren't there nine knives? Why are there only eight?" Luo Bin regained his senses, a trace of confusion in his eyes.

"You will know when the time comes," Luo Feng replied, turning back to organize the remaining blades.

His heart hammered heavily against his ribs.

His hand instinctively rested upon one of the hilts.

With this, even if he were merely an ordinary person, with so many sharp weapons at his disposal, very few would be able to harm him, wouldn't they? Especially since the Luo family actually possessed hidden capabilities.

For a moment, Luo Bin felt a surge of turbulent excitement and a sense of eager anticipation.

Gu Ya had finished cooking.

The family once again shared that warm, cozy atmosphere from earlier.

After the meal, Luo Feng went out.

Luo Bin did not follow him, knowing full well that he must have gone back to check on the roadside markers he had left behind.

He gave up on any immediate plans to try and contact Gu Yiren for today.

Time was too tight, and the difficulty was simply too high.

If disaster was meant to strike, it would strike regardless; if not, waiting another day or two should not cause any harm. The most crucial point was that acting in haste would only breed chaos.

When he could no longer rely on unknown information, he had no choice but to rely first upon himself!

Gu Ya reminded him to take his afternoon nap as usual.

Once inside his room, he unfastened the leather belt, lay down on the bed, and pulled out the slip of paper once more. Studying it for a long time, he murmured under his breath, "Those who can influence the mountain will be hunted."

Influence the mountain?

Hunted?

He turned his gaze toward the window, faintly recalling the slit in the window where words had appeared the previous night. Of course, at this moment there was nothing there, just transparent glass.

"I am an evil entity; do not believe my words," Luo Bin muttered again, repeating Xu Kaiguo's warning.

Within less than ten days, he had already gathered a vast amount of information concerning Guishan Village.

The problem likely did not lie within the village itself?

The problem, in truth... lay upon the mountain?

Yes, the malevolent entities walked forth from the mountain.

They said the village was inescapable, but was it truly the village that could not be left?

What trapped people in endless mazes was the mountain paths!

The village was merely situated here, functioning essentially as a point of reference?

Luo Bin was now certain that Xu Kaiguo's final words were intended to warn him not to believe what he had said about Luo Feng and Gu Ya being evil entities, nor to heed the warning never to open the window.

His "lucid" intervals were extremely brief. On the first night, when Luo Bin had opened the window and nothing went wrong, it was simply a coincidence that he had encountered Xu Kaiguo during a moment of "lucidity," allowing him to transmit that information.

Re-evaluating the contents of the note, Luo Bin's eyes widened. A buzzing sound rang in his ears, and he truly felt as though a clear spring was murmuring beside him, his mind enlightened as if by a sudden flash of divine insight.

"Those who can influence the mountain."

It meant precisely what it literalized.

Guishan trapping people and evil entities taking lives were matters that could be resolved.

Once such a person appeared, that person would be hunted!

Hunted, not simply slain.

The implication was that such a person would be turned into an existence identical to Xu Kaiguo!

They would likewise become a malevolent entity, going on to harm and destroy human lives!

Was that brief moment of lucidity a struggle, or was it simultaneously a form of punishment and torment?

Xu Kaiguo had already been hunted.

He himself likely had not been yet; the original owner had merely met a coincidental death, had his fingernails taken away, and he himself had coincidentally been summoned here through a soul-calling ritual, becoming an evil entity possessing the consciousness of a living person!

Yet Xu Kaiguo was already warning him...

Someone would come to hunt him!

Because he possessed the potential to break the deadlock!

Goosebumps once again broke out across his entire body.

Originally, Luo Bin had thought that as long as he played the role of the original owner well, he could earnestly explore how to survive here and how to escape.

He had never imagined that such hidden perils lurked in the shadows.

He... had not been discovered yet, right?

Too many events had occurred, and his mind had been overworked to its limits. For a moment, Luo Bin felt a dull ache throbbing in his temples; deep thought for too long took a heavy toll on his mental faculties.

A wave of hazy exhaustion washed over him, and Luo Bin drifted into a deep sleep.

When he awoke, the clock hands pointed to three o'clock. The sunlight was still blindingly bright, but his mental energy had recovered considerably.

Voices were speaking in the courtyard, crisp and melodious—was that Zhang Yunling? The other voice belonged to Gu Ya, sounding normal and intellectual.

Yawning, Luo Bin got out of bed and pushed open the room door.

"Xiaoshan is awake. Come over here. Sister Xiaoling heard about what happened this morning and brought Mom some calming medicine. You should drink some too." In the main room, Gu Ya waved to Luo Bin.

Zhang Yunling sat to one side, her hands resting on the arms of her chair, projecting an air of poise and elegance. A medicinal pot sat on the table, and a faint, bitter, earthy scent permeated the courtyard.

Luo Bin walked over, feeling a slight awkwardness, and cast his gaze downward toward the floor.

By chance, he caught sight of the pink-and-white cloth shoes Zhang Yunling was wearing, her ankles exposed just enough to look delicate and pretty.

He hurriedly lifted his head, only to lock eyes directly with Zhang Yunling.

Zhang Yunling smiled serenely, picked up the medicinal pot, and poured out a bowl of dark broth.

"Xiaoshan, drink a little. It will calm your mind and make you feel much better. Since you are heading into the mountains tomorrow, you must sleep well tonight and keep your spirits up."

Luo Bin let out a quiet sigh of relief; clearly, Zhang Yunling was not holding a grudge over earlier events.

It turned out he had been overthinking things. Zhang Yunling had probably just mentioned in passing what she was currently doing, without any expectation that he would actually go and do it. He had simply jumped to conclusions because of Gu Ya's prior words.

Taking two steps forward, he picked up the bowl and gulped the medicine down.

At that moment, Gu Ya softly remarked, "Since Xiaoshan is awake as well, I might as well bring it up. His father came back earlier and mentioned a few things. He strictly warned us not to tell any outsiders, but Xiaoling, you are no outsider, and Auntie Gu is worried for your safety."

Before Luo Bin could swallow the last mouthful of medicine, he choked into a violent fit of coughing. As he set the bowl down, it clattered sharply against the table.

Zhang Yunling immediately stood up and gently patted Luo Bin on the back.

Gu Ya was also startled and said, "Xiaoshan, are you alright? Why are you so careless? Did it go down your windpipe?"