Chapter 5: Strange Occurrences
As he waited, the sun set in the west, and wisps of cooking smoke rose from the bamboo village. The aroma of steamed grains wafted over.
Su Xiao opened his eyes. Just moments ago, Amu had arrived at the nearby bamboo grove's edge. Beini hadn't come to rendezvous; that cat was off treasure hunting again.
Su Xiao had Amu wait in the bamboo grove nearby. The chances of Amu encountering danger were slim. Amu possessed an elemental constitution; if he sat down in the bamboo grove, even birds would land on his head.
Just as Su Xiao was pondering, a knock came at the door. It was Liu, calling him for dinner.
A few minutes later, inside a room on the side of the courtyard, various foods were laid out on a low table. The clan leader sat at the head, his back to the character 'Ba' painted on the wall. A new bamboo incense stick was lit; it seemed this incense was never allowed to burn out.
Liu and Xiao Qingshi sat on the right side of the low table, while Su Xiao, Bubu Wang, and Baha sat on the left. The clan leader was at the head. Six dinners were served, each with its own characteristics.
Liu and Xiao Qingshi's dinner consisted of several large pieces of venison, a cup of deer milk, and a few fruits Su Xiao didn't recognize.
In front of Su Xiao was a half-section of bamboo tube filled with plump grains of rice. Beside it, on a small plate, was sliced and stir-fried venison.
Don't think this was meager. The bamboo village didn't produce spices; their daily life had only a few types of seasonings. They only used spices to cook when guests arrived. It was a place that seemed cold on the surface but was actually warm-hearted.
The clan leader, Qing Zhang, had the most meager dinner: a plate of bamboo shoots, a few sweet potatoes, and a small cup of cloudy wine.
"Eat."
The clan leader spoke, and Xiao Qingshi and Liu immediately began to eat heartily. Seeing them enjoy their food, a trace of a smile seemed to appear on the clan leader's stern face.
After dinner, the clan leader sat cross-legged before the offering table. Liu lay on the floor, looking like a lazy cat. The youngest, Xiao Qingshi, cleared the dishes, diligent and quick, as if this was the norm.
In this small, womanless home, there was more silence than conversation, but warmth was revealed in the small, mundane tasks.
Returning to the guest room, Su Xiao locked the door, blew out the oil lamp, and sat waiting in the darkness. Bubu Wang crouched alertly by his leg.
The night grew darker. There was no moon that night. Around 11 PM, Su Xiao heard footsteps outside the door.
Dragon-Slaying Flash appeared in Su Xiao's hand. He stepped to the door.
"Person inside."
A female voice came from outside, sounding young.
"Leave by morning. You are not welcome here. Whatever your purpose, this is not a place you should come."
The person outside left these words and quickly departed. Su Xiao could faintly hear the sound of her leaping away.
Click, click~
Two crisp sounds came, as if something was gnawing on wood. Hearing this, Su Xiao and Baha both looked at Bubu Wang.
"Woof, awoo."
Bubu Wang was so anxious it almost spoke human language. It opened its mouth, indicating it hadn't dismantled anything; there wasn't even wood shavings in its mouth.
Click, click~
The sound of gnawing wood came again. Su Xiao moved silently forward, simultaneously drawing the longsword from his waist.
With a *shlash*, the longsword pierced the wooden door and sank into flesh. From the hilt, Su Xiao could feel the sensation of the target's muscles twitching.
"Growl."
A very low growl sounded, and the thing pierced by the sword outside the door fled. Su Xiao pulled the longsword from the thick wooden door. Blood clung to the blade, gathering into droplets and dripping down. Even if Dragon-Slashing Flash got blood on it, the blood wouldn't linger for long.
Su Xiao flicked the longsword, sending a few drops of blood onto the ground in front of Bubu Wang. It lowered its head and sniffed, beginning a scent trail.
The first part of Su Xiao's mission was to obtain Source Water. The strange occurrences in the bamboo village were likely related to the Source Water.
Pushing open the wooden door, Bubu Wang rushed out first, followed by Baha, who soared into the night sky, becoming the ruler of the darkness.
Following Bubu Wang's tracking, Su Xiao leaped onto the A-frame roof, running silently over the thatch on the front slope.
The buildings in the bamboo village were relatively dense. Bubu Wang leaped from rooftop to rooftop, with Su Xiao following behind. Soon, they reached the edge of the village and entered the bamboo grove.
All around was pitch black. The moon was blocked by dark clouds. With Su Xiao's eyesight, this level of darkness wasn't a major problem. As long as it wasn't complete darkness, he could see. The human constitution had many advantages, but also disadvantages. Nothing was perfect; if it seemed so, it was only a lie.
Treading on fallen bamboo leaves, they tracked for ten minutes before Bubu Wang stopped in front of a low hill. Its target had vanished; the scent ended abruptly here.
Su Xiao picked up a blood-stained bamboo leaf from the ground, looking around. His gaze finally locked onto a massive boulder connected to the low hill in the bamboo grove.
A crystal layer formed on Su Xiao's left hand. He raised his hand and pressed it against the boulder. When he touched it, there was no real tactile sensation; his hand went straight through.
Even with Su Xiao's perception, he couldn't penetrate this 'fake rock' to sense what was inside. His perception was much stronger than Bubu Wang's, but its range was much smaller. That was the perception of a combat type: strong, extremely sharp, but with a short range.
Zzz~
Realm Severing Thread shot out, wrapping around Bubu Wang's waist. Bubu Wang merged into the environment and walked into the boulder. In unknown environments, Bubu Wang always scouted ahead. With the guarantee of the [Sanctuary Badge], even if Bubu Wang was severely injured, Su Xiao could pull it back in the shortest possible time.
Conversely, if Su Xiao was severely injured while scouting, the team's combat power would drop significantly.
As Realm Severing Thread was released, Bubu Wang went about ten meters into the fake rock before the thread was pulled taut briefly—a signal of no danger. Su Xiao walked towards the boulder.
Everything around turned gray and hazy. After a few steps, the space opened up ahead. This was a stone tunnel leading into the low hill, about four meters wide, pitch black inside, without a single light source.
Su Xiao took out a military-grade glow stick, snapped it on, and tossed it forward.
As the glow stick flew, it cast blue light forward. Through this light, Su Xiao saw many fluorescent spots on the tunnel walls.
Su Xiao quickened his pace. After walking several dozen meters, he noticed the ground began to slope downward. He was going underground.
Sure enough, after traveling about half a kilometer, the rock around the passage turned to soil. Rows of round bamboo poles lined the walls, ensuring the tunnel wouldn't collapse.
Just as Su Xiao was about to take out a second glow stick, Bubu Wang ahead sent a message. Upon receiving it, Su Xiao covered his mouth and nose with one hand. A crystal layer spread, forming a crystal mask over the lower half of his face.
Su Xiao suddenly accelerated. The longsword in his right hand pointed diagonally at the ground. He hadn't gone far when a whooshing sound came from the darkness ahead.
Zheng, zheng.
Two blade auras slashed forward, staggered one after the other.
Su Xiao stopped and made two quick slashes. With a metallic clang, the incoming blade auras were shattered. The next moment, a longsword slashed diagonally from the front, perfectly exploiting the gap after Su Xiao had shattered the two auras.
Clang!
Sparks flared in the darkness, illuminating half an inch of both blades.
While blocking this strike, Su Xiao shifted his entire body's weight forward, using his right arm as the fulcrum for a perfect parry followed by a repulse. If he repulsed the enemy, the opponent would suffer a temporary 5-point reduction in Strength attribute due to muscle fatigue from overexertion.
The attacker seemed to sense this, immediately lowering their center of gravity. Using some unknown method, they transferred the force from both blades.
Bang!
An air blast erupted. The attacker retreated a few steps. In the darkness, they flicked their longsword, their sword momentum steady and experienced. There were no flashy moves, but also no openings.
The attacker's aura retracted. They had clearly judged that the opponent they faced had swordsmanship no weaker than their own. Though the bloodlust was restrained, this was a swordsmanship honed through killing.