Shocking News

"What?!" Gu Bing and I exclaimed at the same time, but I quickly told myself to stay calm.

"You plan to attack Baiqi City? Just you guys? Do you even know how tall Baiqi City's walls are or how many guards they have?" I recalled that Old Yu once told me that most of the Orcs were now in Woma Forest. While they had some contact with humans, both sides had lived in peace for many years. Moreover, as time passed, the Orcs' numbers had dwindled significantly.

"I'm telling the truth," White Fang hurriedly said.

"Why do you want to attack Baiqi City?"

"I don't know."

"You're just a low-ranking grunt. How could you possibly know about something as important as an attack on Baiqi City? You're not trying to trick us, are you?" I tried to probe for more information.

"I'm not lying to you."

"Then how do you prove it?"

He told us that he was carrying a letter from his tribe's leader, the Bloodblade Chieftain, who had tasked him with delivering it to another Orc tribe to confirm the timing of the attack on Baiqi City. His trip had two purposes: delivering the message and checking on the progress of weapon forging. Unfortunately for him, he had run into us along the way.

"When are you planning to attack Baiqi City?"

"The fifteenth of next month."

I searched him and found the letter. But as soon as I opened it, I was stunned. "What is this gibberish?"

"This is written in Orcish Script."

Although I couldn't understand the words, I saw two symbols on the letter. That was when I realized that each Orc tribe had its own unique emblem. The HuYong Chieftain's Tribe used a crossed axe and greatsword, with a tiger's head below. White Fang's Tribe had two long swords above and a wolf's head below. No wonder it looked familiar yet different at the same time. The tribe they were contacting had an emblem of two crossed axes on top and a bear's head below.

I kept the letter for myself and told White Fang to scram. My mind was in turmoil.

White Fang staggered two steps forward, then suddenly stopped.

"What's the matter? Changed your mind about leaving?" Gu Bing asked.

"No! But if I go back without the letter, the Bloodblade Chieftain will kill me!" White Fang was almost in tears. It was my first time seeing an Orc on the verge of crying.

"Sigh, you really don't have a brain. With intelligence like yours, you guys actually want to attack Baiqi City?" I shook my head helplessly and chuckled. "Don't go back to your tribe. Hide out in another one for a while. There's a Greatwood Forest to the west of Baiqi City—go there and seek refuge with the HuYong Chieftain. After the attack on Baiqi City blows over, you can figure out what to do next."

I had considered killing him because of the looming war. But seeing how pathetic he was, I just couldn't bring myself to kill him for no reason. So, I told him to hide in Greatwood Forest for a while. Humans are strange like that—if he had been a wild beast or if he couldn't speak our language, I might have been able to kill him without hesitation. But because he spoke the same language as us, I couldn't help but see him as somewhat of a fellow being. I just couldn't do it.

When I got back, I spent the whole night thinking about what to do next.

The next morning, I wrote a letter and handed it to Granny Cui at Granny Cui's Inn. She told me that messengers and trade caravans from Baiqi Inn would be passing through Snake Valley Village within the next two days. They could deliver my letter to Baiqi City.

The letter was for Da Xiong. I wanted him to find someone in Baiqi City who could read Orcish Script and have the letter translated. If the content confirmed a planned attack on Baiqi City, I told him to deliver it to Lord Wang of the Security Patrol. Since my return wouldn't affect the course of events, I decided to stay in Snake Valley and continue hunting snakes with Gu Bing.

The days of snake hunting passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, seven or eight days had gone by. Gu Bing and I had traveled northward past Ninefold Ridge for about four or five days, and according to him, we were only halfway through. But by then, we had each captured over a thousand snakes, so it was time to head back and rest.

During those days, we never encountered the white serpent from before, nor did anything particularly unusual happen. In the last few days, we were just trudging forward in silence, and it was terribly dull. The only pleasant surprise was that Old Cheng's torches worked exceptionally well—they were sturdy, bright, and burned for a long time. That made me even more excited to see his perfected repair oil.

As for swordsmanship, I had become highly proficient with the Pioneer's Blade and no longer found it as heavy as when I first picked it up. Now, wielding it felt as natural as using my old short sword, but with significantly greater power. Gu Bing had also fully mastered Basic Swordsmanship. Unfortunately, neither of us had yet grasped Offensive and Killing Fencing.

"I feel like I've gotten a glimpse of Offensive and Killing Fencing, but I can't quite describe it," I said to Gu Bing on our way back.

"Oh? What do you mean?"

"When I used my short sword before, no matter how skilled I was or how fast I swung, I never felt anything special. But after switching to the Pioneer's Blade, as I got faster and stronger, I started noticing the sound of the air tearing apart with each strike. Sometimes, I even felt a faint layer of light enveloping the blade." I described my experience as best as I could, suddenly recalling the strange man I had met in Snake Valley Village.

"By the way, does anyone in your village know this kind of swordsmanship?" I asked Gu Bing.

"Not that I know of," Gu Bing thought for a moment, pursed his lips, and shook his head.

I told him about the strange man I had encountered before—the one who mocked my poor swordsmanship and scolded me for chopping trees. He might know a thing or two about fencing. After hearing my description, Gu Bing said it could be Uncle Huang from the village. He wasn't sure, but we could go check it out tonight. As for Uncle Huang's background—where he came from, whether he knew swordsmanship—Gu Bing had no idea. The only thing certain was that Uncle Huang always wore a straw hat whenever he left his house, rain or shine, day or night.

After dinner, we strolled back to the mountain's edge, where I had first met the mysterious man. I found the small tree I had cut before—the marks on it were still clear. Drawing the Pioneer's Blade, I gathered my strength and struck with all my might. This time, I faintly saw a flash of light—perhaps Sword Energy Released. The blade cut deeply, and the small tree snapped apart.

"Whoa!" Gu Bing gasped in shock.

"You again, chopping trees here," came the same voice as before. A middle-aged man wearing a straw hat.

"Uncle Huang, it really is you," Gu Bing said.

Uncle Huang glanced at Gu Bing, nodded slightly, then glared at me. "Don't think breaking a little tree makes you some kind of master."

"Uncle, I don't think I'm amazing at all. Quite the opposite—I've hit a bottleneck in my swordsmanship and can't break through," I admitted honestly, hoping he could help.

"Forget it. Just leave. Stop harming these trees," Uncle Huang said.

"Uncle—"

"What? You plan to loiter here?" His tone turned angry.

"Is this your land?" His words irritated me, so I shot back.

"Heh, you little brat!" he scoffed. Suddenly, he pulled out a hoe from who-knows-where and swung it straight at me.

I was completely caught off guard. His attack was incredibly fast—before I knew it, a flash of white light was already right in front of me. I had no choice but to raise my blade in defense.

With a loud clang, my hands went numb, and I almost lost my grip on the Pioneer's Blade. Looking down, I saw that the skin between my thumb and index finger on my right hand had split open, and a few drops of blood had already dripped down.

"Uncle Huang, we should leave now," Gu Bing quickly stepped forward to support me.

"Did you see something like Sword Energy Released just now?" On the way back, I asked Gu Bing.

"Yes!" Gu Bing answered firmly. Though he hadn't experienced it as intensely as I had, he had observed everything clearly.

"Using a hoe to unleash sword energy!" I was beginning to think that the people in Snake Valley Village were all incredibly mysterious—one more enigmatic than the next. A skilled blacksmith, a granny who could craft Qiankun Bags, and now an uncle who could release Sword Energy yet always wore a bamboo hat.

"It's fine. I know where he lives. We can visit him again tomorrow," Gu Bing reassured me.

Before setting off the next day, I kept thinking about it. Dealing with someone so eccentric wasn't my strong suit—I didn't even know where to start.

"By the way, Gu Bing, does Uncle Huang live alone? Does he have any hobbies or interests?" I asked.

"Yeah, he lives alone. As for hobbies, I honestly have no idea," Gu Bing scratched his head before continuing, "Oh, but he does have a habit—every morning, he likes to have a bowl of noodles at Granny Cui's Inn and then drink alcohol."

"He drinks in the morning?"

"Yeah. It's quite unusual, actually—he's the only one in Snake Valley Village who does that."

"Then how about we bring that liquor infused with white serpent gall and visit him now?" I suggested.

"Let's go. Worst case, we just get kicked out. No big deal," Gu Bing said nonchalantly. He was never one to overthink things.

At Granny Cui's Inn, Gu Bing and I each ordered a bowl of noodles. Sure enough, Uncle Huang was sitting at a nearby table, drinking his morning liquor.

"Wow, I didn't expect to find someone else who enjoys morning drinks like me," I deliberately said loudly while opening the liquor flask, casting a provocative glance at Uncle Huang. He ignored me, continuing to sip his drink.

"This isn't just any ordinary liquor," I said to Gu Bing on purpose. "It's made using the gall of a white serpent."

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Uncle Huang glancing in our direction. Looks like he really was a drunkard—this trick was working.

Gu Bing and I each poured ourselves a cup. I even fanned the rim of the cup and the mouth of the flask with my hand, letting the fragrance of the liquor spread further. At that moment, Uncle Huang took a deep sniff, clearly savoring the aroma, but he still didn't say a word.

Sensing the timing was right, I carried the liquor flask over to him, respectfully poured him a cup, and handed it to him with both hands.

"Uncle, I was in the wrong yesterday. I'd like to apologize," I said sincerely.

He hesitated, took another sniff, and couldn't resist the aroma any longer. Accepting the cup, he said, "Alright, alright, it's fine now." He tried to sound indifferent, but it was clear he was just putting up an act.

"Uncle Huang, there's something I'd like to ask you about." I refilled his cup.

He glanced at my liquor flask, so I simply placed the whole thing in front of him. Satisfied, he chuckled and said, "I know what this is about. This isn't the right place to talk. Come to my house later."