"So, it was that wicked monk's plan?" Lin Mo thought to himself, "Before leaving the capital, he trained a group of assassins to infiltrate the city, with the aim of one day..."

You're something else, Yao Guangxiao!

After thinking for a moment, Lin Mo decided to find a place to take shelter from the rain first, and then slowly think of a solution.

As the rain intensified, the vast Wuzhong City could not be fully explored in a short time, but Lin Mo was not in a hurry.

So he decided to rest for one night and wait for the next day when the weather cleared up before making any further plans.

The continuous rain gradually subsided as dawn broke the following day, revealing a faint pale white sky on the horizon.

Upon entering Wuzhong City, Lin Mo looked up and saw the old, cracked stone wall lying quietly on the plain. Lin Mo still felt his blood boiling.

Right there at that time, Xiang Yu, wielding the Chu halberd, fought a fierce battle that darkened the sky and plunged the earth into chaos.

However, after Lin Mo had traveled another half mile, he encountered another stone wall that was remarkably similar to the one before, which made him begin to have doubts. The road, full of ruts, meandered and twisted, as intricate as the threads of history.

The bare, brown jungle was quite different from the lush, green forest he remembered.

He stopped and looked around, trying to find familiar traces.

Was that the old campsite we just passed?

"My lord? Your Highness?" Lei Zhen seemed never to know how to address him. "What are you looking for?"

"It's nothing," Lin Mo shook his head.

At the time, I was still struggling with the so-called corruption value.

Because of the corruption value, I don't dare to go all out and slaughter the little people.

Pulling himself back to reality, Lin Mo lowered his voice and said, "Quiet, Lei Zhen, we could encounter enemies at any moment in this place!"

The boy looked at the bare brown bushes, the damp leaves, and the muddy road ahead.

“I have a sword,” Lei Zhen said, gripping the somewhat immature sword in his hand, his eyes gleaming with determination. “I can fight.”

But he wasn't skilled enough, Lin Mo thought to himself.

He had no doubt about the boy's courage, but he was worried about his training level.

Last night, Lin Mo asked him about his story in fits and starts.

He was originally a native of the capital, a descendant of a fallen aristocratic family. His family had once been incredibly powerful and influential. However, he was descended from a lower-ranking son or grandson, and his family was poor.

His father, an ambitious descendant of a noble family, devoted his entire life to trying to restore the family's glory. However, fate, like a mischievous child, repeatedly played tricks on him.

In the end, he could only marry the daughter of a candle merchant. Although this marriage was not what he wanted, the helplessness of life forced him to give in.

However, fate did not seem to spare Lei Zhen.

Not long after Lei Zhen was born, when he was about three years old, his mother abandoned him, leaving him to be raised by his father alone, and ran off with the man who had gotten her pregnant.

Later, his father was killed in battle.

As a child, he lived with a relative.

His impression of his mother had long since become blurred by the passage of time; that warm maternal love was, for him, just a shadow deep in his memory.

In Lei Zhen's heart, that relative was the only "father-like" figure he ever felt. However, from his intermittent and somewhat awkward narration, Lin Mo glimpsed a different picture.

That relative did not treat Lei Zhen with the deep affection of a father and son, but rather with the estrangement and indifference between master and servant.

Because Lei Zhen had always lived in the servants' simple room, eating and sleeping with them, and even having to do those lowly and heavy tasks.

Then, his relative also died in the war.

As for which war it was, Lei Zhen didn't know either.

So the boy was left alone, far from home, and penniless, and could only wander around.

Until he was discovered by Yao Guangxiao's men...

"My lord, you underestimate me!" Lei Zhen seemed to see through Lin Mo's thoughts. "My martial arts skills are definitely not bad!"

Lin Mo raised an eyebrow slightly, a playful smile playing on his lips. "Oh? Is that really so?" He stepped forward lightly, casually chopped two branches from a nearby tree, and after a few trims, turned them into simple swords. He handed one to Lei Zhen, and then the two swords clashed, testing the young man's skills.

As the swords clashed, a hint of approval flashed in Lin Mo's eyes. Lei Zhen's swordsmanship, though not complex, was solid and powerful in every move, without any hesitation. Although his movements were somewhat immature, his focus and courage were undeniable.

However, Lin Mo's brows furrowed slightly. Although the boy before him was agile, his body was far too thin, as if a gust of wind could blow him over. His malnourished physique meant that his strength was far from sufficient.

Lin Mo couldn't help but think that if Lei Zhenzhen had indeed survived the fierce battle in which Constantine's army besieged the capital, as he said, it was probably because his small body was inconspicuous in the eyes of the enemy, allowing him to escape by chance.

"Good lad, you've got potential." Lin Mo sheathed his sword, patted Lei Zhen on the shoulder, and said with approval, "So, do you want to become stronger?"

"I...I really want to!" Lei Zhen said.

"Then you can stay with me. Every night when you go to sleep, your hands will be covered in blisters, your arms will be covered in bruises, your whole body will be stiff and sore, and you'll have trouble falling asleep. Are you sure you can handle it?"

Lei Zhen's eyes were resolute, showing no sign of backing down. "I like it, my lord. I like these days, even though they're full of bruises and blisters. No, perhaps I should say I don't like bruises and blisters, but I love it all. My lord. Your Highness!!!"

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