Chapter 53: Shadow

Chapter 53: Shadow

Arrows rained down in an instant.

In just five seconds, Chen Shouyi fired eight arrows in rapid succession.

Unfortunately, only five found their mark.

The distance of 70 to 80 meters was still too far for him, and the rocking of the canoe on the waves further reduced his accuracy.

Fortunately, quantity made up for everything.

Seeing the two barbarians fall one after another, he let out a long breath and set aside his war bow.

He then resumed rowing, slowly closing the distance to the canoe.

Shell Woman, who had been hiding in fright earlier, now fluttered out eagerly without needing any coaxing from Chen Shouyi. She flew toward the distant canoe to scout, only to return moments later in a panic, her face pale with fear.

"Bad news, bad news! One giant is dead! The other is still alive!"

"Must you always be so dramatic? I thought something serious had happened!" Chen Shouyi thought, exasperated, as he watched Shell Woman frantically warn him about the situation ahead.

Aside from the one who had been shot in the head and died instantly, the other had only taken two arrows to the chest—hardly enough to kill him so quickly!

He continued rowing steadily, and a minute later, he finally drew close to the canoe.

The surviving barbarian was coughing up blood, his eyes filled with terror.

Chen Shouyi grabbed the canoe’s rope with one hand and gripped his sword with the other, leaping onto the enemy’s vessel.

The barbarian struggled weakly, but the two triangular-headed arrows embedded in his chest had already drained him of all strength.

"How many people are in your tribe?" Chen Shouyi stepped forward, pressing the tip of his sword against the barbarian’s throat, his voice cold.

The barbarian glared at him with hatred.

"Xikelo, Hobigusobadaya… will kill you!"

He spat out the words, then suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood and fell silent forever.

Chen Shouyi listened intently but only understood the last few words.

His expression grew solemn.

Though he couldn’t decipher the first part, the latter half made it clear that this barbarian tribe still had something—or someone—powerful enough to kill him.

Without bothering to deal with the canoe, he immediately jumped back to his own boat.

He retrieved the universal dictionary and quickly searched for the words based on pronunciation.

Before long, he found the first phrase.

It was a single word, roughly meaning "evil one" or "wraith from hell." Given the context, it was clearly a term the barbarian used to refer to him.

"So this is how they see me?"

A heavy silence settled in his heart.

He continued searching for the second phrase, but the barbarian’s words had been too slurred. Relying on his rough memory, he could only identify two syllables: one meaning "tree," the other meaning "sacred" or "holy." The rest remained untranslatable.

"A sacred tree?"

"Or a holy tree?"

The meaning seemed the same either way.

"So, this tribe has a tree… that can kill me," Chen Shouyi mused.

Back on Earth, if someone had told him a tree would kill him, he would have laughed in their face.

But in this world, some powerful plants possessed supernatural abilities—some could even move across the land like animals.

At this moment, he couldn’t help but recall that mysterious object, resembling a fruit pit, which he had obtained from the barbarian tribe chief.

A shadow loomed over his heart.

He turned his gaze toward the distant island.

Lush greenery covered it, appearing from afar like a dense, thriving forest.

Perhaps he had stared too long, but for some reason, the forest suddenly seemed gloomy in his eyes, as if shrouded in darkness.

He quickly blinked and looked again—everything had returned to normal.

"An illusion, or just my mind playing tricks?"

Chen Shouyi wasn’t sure.

But today, he had come in a hurry, with no time to spare. He was only here to scout and confirm the location, not to set foot on the island.

He had left at noon, and now, roughly three hours had passed. Even if the return trip took just as long, it would already be dark back on Earth.

After watching from afar for a while, he decided to head back first.

He would make further plans tomorrow or the day after.

He tied the other party’s canoe to his own with a rope and began paddling back.

Towing an extra canoe slowed him down considerably, and by the time he returned to the island, five hours had passed.

Before leaving the island, he washed off the grime from his body in a nearby pond and scrubbed away the bloodstains on his clothes.

When he finally stepped out of the passageway, the outside world was pitch black, save for a few towering buildings with independent power supplies still glowing in the distance.

The electricity still hadn’t returned.

The streets were desolate. Aside from a few scattered cars spewing thick exhaust as they drove past, he was the only one walking down the entire road.

Well, except for a few police officers.

Due to his suspicious movements, Chen Shouyi was questioned multiple times along the way.

Fortunately, his slightly youthful face was the best disguise.

Who would have guessed that not long ago, he had calmly killed two barbarians and disposed of a human corpse?

"Don’t wander the streets, understand? Where’s your home? Get back there right now!"

"Got it, got it! I’m heading home right now!"

...

"Dad! Mom! I’m back, open the door!"

"Should’ve just stayed outside! Why bother coming back? Do you even know what time it is?" Chen Mu scolded darkly as she rolled up the shutter door.

"Mom, something important came up today. I went pretty far, and by the time I rushed back, it was already late," Chen Shouyi said, ducking his head as he quickly slipped inside.

"Then tell me, what was so important?"

"Can’t say. But it was definitely important!" Chen Shouyi tried to dodge the question.

Chen Mu seemed to think of something else, and her tone softened slightly. "Even so, you shouldn’t come back this late. It’s dangerous out there. Someone died near our place again today."

"Mom, what are you so worried about? If it weren’t for the suspended assessments, I’d already be a Martial Arts Apprentice!"

Feeling Chen Mu’s anxiety, Chen Shouyi suddenly thought he should show off his strength a little—otherwise, his parents would keep worrying every time he came home late.

He glanced around, picked up a ceramic dish from the restaurant table, and effortlessly snapped off a piece as if it were a cracker. Then, holding the fragment between his fingers, he prepared to crush it.

"Are you trying to ruin your hands?" Chen Mu gasped in horror, unable to stop herself from crying out.

Before she could finish, Chen Shouyi’s fingers tightened with a sharp, unsettling crack. A shower of fine powder scattered into the air.

"Let me see quickly, did you cut your hand?" Chen Mu anxiously grabbed Chen Shouyi's hands.

Chen Shouyi spread his palms open, revealing that apart from slight redness on his fingers and thumb from excessive force, his hands were completely unharmed.

"See? Not a scratch." Chen Shouyi rubbed his fingers together, looking rather smug.

With an astonishing Constitution of 13.8, his seemingly delicate, baby-soft skin was actually incredibly tough. An ordinary person wielding a regular dagger would likely struggle to pierce it without exerting full force.

Thwack! A sharp pain struck the back of Chen Shouyi's head.

"Look at you, acting all high and mighty! Do you think I can't discipline you? If you pull this kind of stunt again, you’ll regret it!"