Chapter 12

From then on, Su Mu's life consisted of shuttling between the martial arts arena and home, and praying for Ren Dong's forgiveness every night.

Su Mu slashed at Wu Wei with his sword, but Wu Wei dodged to the side with a low kick and then a hand chop, and the sword fell.

"How many times do I have to tell you, a sword is for stabbing, not for slashing, much less for chopping!"

Wu Wei touched the knife at his lower back, thought for a moment, then drew it, squatted down, and handed it to Su Mu.

Su Mu asked in confusion, "What's going on?"

"You seem to be better suited to using a knife."

Su Mu took the knife with both hands and weighed it in his hand. "This knife seems lighter than usual."

"This is Xiao Tan's knife; she's not very strong."

"Huh?" Su Mu was shocked. "This... is it for me?"

Wu Wei punched Su Mutou directly, saying, "I was just letting you use it, why are you just reaching out and asking for it?"

Su Mu winced and clutched his head in pain. "I was just saying, and you hit me again."

Su Mu picked up the knife and examined it carefully. He found that the character "檀" was engraved on the knife. This... seems to be the captain's handwriting. Could it be...?

Su Mu looked at Wu Wei with a mischievous grin. "Captain Wu, this knife wasn't a gift from you, was it?"

Wu Wei seemed to have his secret exposed, and his face immediately turned red. "Hey... what's wrong with giving away a knife?"

"Who would have thought that our imposing Captain Wu would blush?"

Wu Wei immediately turned around and touched his face, finding that it did seem a little hot.

Another critical hit, and Su Mu immediately collapsed.

"I...I was just saying."

"Stop playing dead, it's time to continue."

Su Mu was starting to miss Lao Li; the biggest danger was the absence of the monster Wu Wei.

A month has passed, and under Wu Wei's guidance, Su Mu has gradually improved and is able to exchange a few moves with Wu Wei.

"I'm not practicing anymore, I'm not practicing anymore. If you hit me a few more times, my mother will come to settle the score with you," Su Mu said, panting heavily as he waved his hand.

Seeing that Su Mu had made a lot of progress, Wu Wei decided to let him off the hook for the day.

"Captain Wu, tell me about Xiao Tan."

Upon hearing this, Wu Wei's body stiffened instantly.

Why do you need to know this?

Su Mu leaned closer to Wu Wei. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. As the saying goes, man and sword must become one. How can I unleash the true power of this sword if I don't know its past?" After saying that, Su Mu nudged Wu Wei with his shoulder.

Wu Wei sighed: Xiao Tan is an orphan who wandered here five years ago. I gave her some food and she said she wanted to come with us. At the time, I thought that a demon-slaying team full of men was not suitable for her, so I didn't think about accepting her. Who knew that she would snatch the knife from behind me and try to prove herself to me. At first, I just went along with her, but I didn't expect her to keep pressing me and I ended up at a disadvantage.

In the instant I relaxed my guard, she lashed out, the blade slicing across my clothes. I had to fight her with all my might, but she was incredibly fast, attacking me every time I couldn't defend against it. It was this fight that made all my teammates acknowledge her, and I looked at her with new respect. Later, she joined the demon-slaying team, and everyone liked her. She often went out with us to exorcise demons, and having her around made my work much easier. The talent she displayed in exorcising demons was unmatched by any of me.

As we spent more time together, I learned that she had been wandering outside the city, encountering and hunting many monsters along the way. Despite her small stature, she had survived to this day through her own strength. However, I was the only one who had ever helped her during her wanderings, which is why she wanted to come with me. So I promised her that I would never let her go hungry again, and she kept my promise by giving us an extra bowl of food at every meal. This, in turn, made us all even happier.

I also crafted this sword for her because of her speed advantage. Although it is small, it is suitable for her. This sword can be cleverly integrated with her, so that she can inflict the most wounds on the monsters at the fastest speed. When the monsters are almost exhausted by her, I will then deliver the fatal blow.

Just when I thought we were gradually stabilizing, an unexpected incident occurred. We encountered a high-level demon on our way out. While we were working together to defeat a minor demon, a female demon emerged from its stomach. Many of our team members perished at her hands. The female demon's eyes could bewitch people. Xiao Tan and I told everyone else to retreat while we stayed behind to deal with her. However, I was no match for the female demon. After a few moves, I couldn't defeat her at all. Instead, I was injured. Just as I launched an attack on the female demon, she looked at me, and I had to close my eyes. At that moment, the female demon swiftly flashed behind me and delivered a fatal blow. Just then, Xiao Tan stabbed the female demon with her knife, which saved me from dying on the spot. However, due to my severe injuries, I was unable to participate in the battle.

Xiao Tan knew that if they were lucky, only one person might survive this battle, so she provoked the female demon, "Why won't you let us look you in the eye? Did you grow from a little demon to where you are now, but you haven't evolved into a human and still retain the face of a demon?"

The banshee was clearly enraged. "Huh? What did you say?"

"I said you don't let others see you because you're too ugly!" Xiao Tan said, then laughed loudly.

"Humans only live for a hundred years, and you think you've lived too long, huh?"

"So what if I live a hundred years? It's still better than a monster who's lived for so long and still has no face to show." After saying that, Xiao Tan ran in the opposite direction, throwing stones at the female demon as she ran.

I lay on the ground watching the female demon angrily chase after Xiao Tan, pick up her knife, and drag my wounded body toward the city.

When I woke up, three days had passed, and Xiao Tan had not returned. We all knew she would never come back.

Su Mu looked troubled: So it turned out that Xiao Tan had also saved the captain's life. Now he finally understood why Wu Wei was unwilling to leave. He was hoping to see Xiao Tan return one day.

"If Xiao Tan had joined a stronger team back then, her fate would not have been like this. With her talent, she would definitely have achieved great things," Wu sighed.

"But she never regrets her decision; protecting you is her greatest wish."

Wu stared at Su Mu in shock. Time seemed to overlap for a moment, as if Xiao Tan was saying to him, "Captain Wu, it's so good that you're alive."