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Chapter 89: The Mouse
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Chapter 89: The Mouse
The landlady placed the cooked dishes on the table one by one, untying her apron as she spoke:
"Who would’ve thought? That young man looked fair-skinned and refined, yet he actually became a Martial Artist."
"Mom, you’ve said that several times already," Zhou Xue handed her mother a bowl of rice and couldn’t help but interject.
"You silly girl, this is a Martial Artist we’re talking about! I’ve only ever seen them on TV before."
"So what? What does that have to do with us?" Zhou Xue retorted.
The landlady picked up her chopsticks. "What do you mean, ‘what does it have to do with us’? He’s our neighbor, after all. More connections mean more opportunities. Who knows, we might need his help someday. From now on, you better be polite. When you see Chen Shouyi, call him ‘big brother,’ understand?"
Zhou Xue curled her lip. "I won’t call him that. Relying on others is worse than relying on yourself. Mom, don’t worry—I’ll become a Martial Artist too someday."
"You stubborn child, with such a cold and rigid personality, how will you ever get married?"
"I don’t want to get married. I’ll just live with you forever," Zhou Xue snorted.
The landlady felt both touched and saddened by her words. She smiled wryly. "You’re still young, so of course you think that way. But when you’re an old maid, you’ll start panicking."
...
After dinner, Chen Shouyi returned to his bedroom.
The weak flame of the candle flickered incessantly, occasionally sputtering a spark, casting the room into alternating light and shadow.
Returning here from Hedong again, he felt a strange sense of disorientation, as if he’d stepped from civilization back into the wilderness.
He took out the Black-suited Man’s sword and gently wiped it with silk. Then, focusing his Mind Spirit, he swung it abruptly. The tip of the blade grazed the candle, and an invisible force instantly sliced it cleanly in half. Before the severed candle could topple over, he quickly stepped forward and caught it. Using the burning end, he dripped some melted wax to reattach the two halves.
Why did he always feel this urge to destroy things?
It was a terrible habit.
Chen Shouyi inwardly sighed.
Once he finished, he reflected on that last slash and suddenly sensed something different about his Sword Energy.
He immediately tested it on other objects several times and quickly confirmed the change.
His "Sword Energy" had improved significantly—from hovering around 1 cm in length, it had now grown to nearly 2 cm.
It had also become sharper.
He hadn’t thrown away the metal spoon from his previous experiment.
Judging by the scratches left on it, today’s cuts were nearly twice as deep as those before he left Changmen Town. At this rate, he might soon be able to slice through the entire spoon.
He was puzzled.
During his time in Hedong, he hadn’t neglected testing his "Sword Energy." Just the night before last, he’d tried it a few times on a whim, but its power and length hadn’t changed much from before.
But over these past three days, if there was one attribute that had undergone a drastic transformation, it was his Willpower.
After the Combat Test this morning, his Willpower had suddenly increased by 0.3 points, reaching 12.5.
"Could ‘Sword Energy’ really be connected to Willpower?"
He pondered the idea.
Until now, he hadn’t paid much attention to Willpower. Of course, it was important, but compared to other attributes, he’d always considered it something that was just ‘good enough.’
With eleven points of Willpower, one can handle most social situations without appearing flustered or red-faced.
Twelve points of Willpower are enough to kill without remorse and remain clear-headed in the face of danger, unshaken by fear. At this level, one is already a qualified warrior.
Moreover, Willpower cannot be actively trained—it only grows passively through experiences. It’s the kind of thing where improvement isn’t particularly exciting, and lacking it doesn’t matter much.
Yet he never expected that Willpower could also possess strength—a kind of power akin to the mind.
Unfortunately, two centimeters was still too short. If it could reach two meters…
The sheer power!
Chen Shouyi imagined the scene: drawing his sword, and within a radius of four to five meters, everything would be cleanly split in two.
Suppressing his excitement, he gripped his longsword and focused his Mind Spirit once more. Under the dim glow of the candles, the air near the tip of the blade seemed to blur slightly. He cautiously extended a finger, slowly inching closer.
"Huh? Nothing happened."
To his surprise, not only was his finger unharmed, he couldn’t even feel the slightest sensation—as if there was nothing at the sword’s tip at all.
This "Sword Energy" could slice through candles and leave marks on a metal spoon, yet it couldn’t even scratch his skin?
He didn’t believe his skin was harder than stainless steel.
Either this power couldn’t harm him…
Or it couldn’t harm living beings!
Chen Shouyi glanced at Shell Woman, who was listlessly playing with her crystal ball on the bed. After a moment’s thought, he dismissed the idea of testing it on her.
If he accidentally severed one of her fingers, it would be disastrous.
Unaware of her narrow escape, Shell Woman entertained herself for a while before asking dispiritedly, "Giant, why are we living here again?"
She had slept inside the briefcase all day, only to wake up and find herself back in this place she hated.
"Isn’t this place fine?" Chen Shouyi replied absentmindedly, his eyes scanning the room for any animal or insect he could use for testing.
"There’s no Bei Qi here!" Shell Woman lifted her head and declared.
"Haven’t you watched enough of it already?" Chen Shouyi coaxed. "Bei Qi is tired and has gone to rest."
"You’re lying! I know it’s fake. They don’t get tired—they just come out when you press a button." Shell Woman stood up excitedly, mimicking the motion of pressing something.
Chen Shouyi wasn’t surprised. After watching cartoons for so long, only a fool wouldn’t have figured it out by now.
Persistence paid off. He finally spotted a small mouse in the corner. Grabbing a tissue, he crept toward it cautiously. But before he could get close, it darted into a gap in the cabinet.
Little pest, I refuse to believe I can’t catch you!
He immediately moved the cabinet aside, but before he could act, the mouse scurried under the bed instead.
Frustration burned in Chen Shouyi’s chest. He glanced at the War Bow hanging on the wall, itching to grab it and shoot the rodent dead.
"Giant, what are you doing?" Shell Woman suddenly asked, puzzled.
"Catching a mouse!"
Since the common language had no word for "mouse," Chen Shouyi used Chinese instead.
"A mouse, is it a mouse from Bei Qi?" Shell Woman's expression changed as she quickly asked.
Are there mice in cartoons too?
Chen Shouyi nodded in confusion. He tossed the tissue into the trash bin, giving up for now, and decided to check the kitchen later to see if he could find a cockroach or something.
"Let me see!" Shell Woman's eyes lit up as she spoke, then immediately ran to the edge of the bed and jumped down from the big bed in one swift motion.
"Wait, don't—" Before Chen Shouyi could finish, Shell Woman had already dashed under the bed with her little legs moving swiftly.
The landlady placed the cooked dishes on the table one by one, untying her apron as she spoke:
"Who would’ve thought? That young man looked fair-skinned and refined, yet he actually became a Martial Artist."
"Mom, you’ve said that several times already," Zhou Xue handed her mother a bowl of rice and couldn’t help but interject.
"You silly girl, this is a Martial Artist we’re talking about! I’ve only ever seen them on TV before."
"So what? What does that have to do with us?" Zhou Xue retorted.
The landlady picked up her chopsticks. "What do you mean, ‘what does it have to do with us’? He’s our neighbor, after all. More connections mean more opportunities. Who knows, we might need his help someday. From now on, you better be polite. When you see Chen Shouyi, call him ‘big brother,’ understand?"
Zhou Xue curled her lip. "I won’t call him that. Relying on others is worse than relying on yourself. Mom, don’t worry—I’ll become a Martial Artist too someday."
"You stubborn child, with such a cold and rigid personality, how will you ever get married?"
"I don’t want to get married. I’ll just live with you forever," Zhou Xue snorted.
The landlady felt both touched and saddened by her words. She smiled wryly. "You’re still young, so of course you think that way. But when you’re an old maid, you’ll start panicking."
...
After dinner, Chen Shouyi returned to his bedroom.
The weak flame of the candle flickered incessantly, occasionally sputtering a spark, casting the room into alternating light and shadow.
Returning here from Hedong again, he felt a strange sense of disorientation, as if he’d stepped from civilization back into the wilderness.
He took out the Black-suited Man’s sword and gently wiped it with silk. Then, focusing his Mind Spirit, he swung it abruptly. The tip of the blade grazed the candle, and an invisible force instantly sliced it cleanly in half. Before the severed candle could topple over, he quickly stepped forward and caught it. Using the burning end, he dripped some melted wax to reattach the two halves.
Why did he always feel this urge to destroy things?
It was a terrible habit.
Chen Shouyi inwardly sighed.
Once he finished, he reflected on that last slash and suddenly sensed something different about his Sword Energy.
He immediately tested it on other objects several times and quickly confirmed the change.
His "Sword Energy" had improved significantly—from hovering around 1 cm in length, it had now grown to nearly 2 cm.
It had also become sharper.
He hadn’t thrown away the metal spoon from his previous experiment.
Judging by the scratches left on it, today’s cuts were nearly twice as deep as those before he left Changmen Town. At this rate, he might soon be able to slice through the entire spoon.
He was puzzled.
During his time in Hedong, he hadn’t neglected testing his "Sword Energy." Just the night before last, he’d tried it a few times on a whim, but its power and length hadn’t changed much from before.
But over these past three days, if there was one attribute that had undergone a drastic transformation, it was his Willpower.
After the Combat Test this morning, his Willpower had suddenly increased by 0.3 points, reaching 12.5.
"Could ‘Sword Energy’ really be connected to Willpower?"
He pondered the idea.
Until now, he hadn’t paid much attention to Willpower. Of course, it was important, but compared to other attributes, he’d always considered it something that was just ‘good enough.’
With eleven points of Willpower, one can handle most social situations without appearing flustered or red-faced.
Twelve points of Willpower are enough to kill without remorse and remain clear-headed in the face of danger, unshaken by fear. At this level, one is already a qualified warrior.
Moreover, Willpower cannot be actively trained—it only grows passively through experiences. It’s the kind of thing where improvement isn’t particularly exciting, and lacking it doesn’t matter much.
Yet he never expected that Willpower could also possess strength—a kind of power akin to the mind.
Unfortunately, two centimeters was still too short. If it could reach two meters…
The sheer power!
Chen Shouyi imagined the scene: drawing his sword, and within a radius of four to five meters, everything would be cleanly split in two.
Suppressing his excitement, he gripped his longsword and focused his Mind Spirit once more. Under the dim glow of the candles, the air near the tip of the blade seemed to blur slightly. He cautiously extended a finger, slowly inching closer.
"Huh? Nothing happened."
To his surprise, not only was his finger unharmed, he couldn’t even feel the slightest sensation—as if there was nothing at the sword’s tip at all.
This "Sword Energy" could slice through candles and leave marks on a metal spoon, yet it couldn’t even scratch his skin?
He didn’t believe his skin was harder than stainless steel.
Either this power couldn’t harm him…
Or it couldn’t harm living beings!
Chen Shouyi glanced at Shell Woman, who was listlessly playing with her crystal ball on the bed. After a moment’s thought, he dismissed the idea of testing it on her.
If he accidentally severed one of her fingers, it would be disastrous.
Unaware of her narrow escape, Shell Woman entertained herself for a while before asking dispiritedly, "Giant, why are we living here again?"
She had slept inside the briefcase all day, only to wake up and find herself back in this place she hated.
"Isn’t this place fine?" Chen Shouyi replied absentmindedly, his eyes scanning the room for any animal or insect he could use for testing.
"There’s no Bei Qi here!" Shell Woman lifted her head and declared.
"Haven’t you watched enough of it already?" Chen Shouyi coaxed. "Bei Qi is tired and has gone to rest."
"You’re lying! I know it’s fake. They don’t get tired—they just come out when you press a button." Shell Woman stood up excitedly, mimicking the motion of pressing something.
Chen Shouyi wasn’t surprised. After watching cartoons for so long, only a fool wouldn’t have figured it out by now.
Persistence paid off. He finally spotted a small mouse in the corner. Grabbing a tissue, he crept toward it cautiously. But before he could get close, it darted into a gap in the cabinet.
Little pest, I refuse to believe I can’t catch you!
He immediately moved the cabinet aside, but before he could act, the mouse scurried under the bed instead.
Frustration burned in Chen Shouyi’s chest. He glanced at the War Bow hanging on the wall, itching to grab it and shoot the rodent dead.
"Giant, what are you doing?" Shell Woman suddenly asked, puzzled.
"Catching a mouse!"
Since the common language had no word for "mouse," Chen Shouyi used Chinese instead.
"A mouse, is it a mouse from Bei Qi?" Shell Woman's expression changed as she quickly asked.
Are there mice in cartoons too?
Chen Shouyi nodded in confusion. He tossed the tissue into the trash bin, giving up for now, and decided to check the kitchen later to see if he could find a cockroach or something.
"Let me see!" Shell Woman's eyes lit up as she spoke, then immediately ran to the edge of the bed and jumped down from the big bed in one swift motion.
"Wait, don't—" Before Chen Shouyi could finish, Shell Woman had already dashed under the bed with her little legs moving swiftly.
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