Chapter 2: I Will Change the Unchangeable Fate

"My knee was once slashed by a blade, and it didn't even break the skin." — A certain demon.

Bang!

Su Mu felt as if he had collided with a train traveling at three hundred kilometers per hour, his entire body sent flying at a speed exceeding seventy miles per hour.

A mantis trying to stop a chariot, a mayfly shaking a tree, overestimating one's own strength.

Countless images flashed through Su Mu's mind, eventually condensing into just these idioms.

He knew his short life was about to end. At this speed, no matter what he hit, he would surely end up as a puddle of mush.

"You may have killed me, but at least I managed to land a strike on you."

Su Mu mocked himself inwardly, closing his eyes to accept his fate.

Just then, Su Mu suddenly felt a gentle breeze brush past, followed by a hand pressing against his back.

*Pa!*

A gentle force emanated from that hand, smoothly dissipating the immense momentum he was carrying.

Su Mu felt himself spin in the air before landing lightly on the ground.

His knees went weak, and he collapsed, feeling pain everywhere in his body; he didn't even know how many bones he had broken.

But compared to being smashed into a puddle of mush, this result was undoubtedly the best possible outcome.

Having survived the ordeal, Su Mu looked up in pleasant surprise.

Not far in front of him, a figure, appearing somewhat small in the face of the demon, stood there.

The man wore ink-colored brocade robes with a long blade hanging at his waist.

On the back of those expensive-looking ink-colored robes, a "Ping" (平) character was embroidered in silver thread, written in a bold, flowing calligraphy.

As Su Mu observed the man, the stranger crouched slightly, his left hand gripping the scabbard and his right hand on the hilt.

Boom!

A spray of mud and water exploded beneath his feet as he shot forward like an arrow. The long blade at his waist had already left its sheath, transforming into a streak of white light that illuminated the night sky before Su Mu's eyes.

The man passed by the demon, turned in mid-air, and landed lightly on a distant rooftop. With a casual flick of his wrist, he sheathed his blade.

Amidst the crisp sound of the blade returning to its scabbard, a bloodstain appeared on the demon's neck. The mark spread rapidly, and then the demon's head rolled from its body.

A pillar of blood shot into the sky, and the demon's massive corpse collapsed to the ground.

Su Mu's heart was filled with shock. Is this what a martial artist of this world is like?

Damn it, that was too cool!

As if venting, the demon's corpse shrank to the size of an ordinary person at a speed visible to the naked eye.

This miraculous sight did not interest Su Mu in the slightest, because that "Ping" had flashed right in front of him.

Just as Su Mu hesitated whether he should kowtow and beg to be an apprentice—even if he couldn't become a disciple, being a lackey to a powerhouse wasn't shameful—the other party suddenly spoke.

"In a moment of crisis, to dare strike at a demon with the body of a mortal—your courage is commendable.

I have a blade technique here. If you can make a name for yourself within three years, you may come find me. I will grant you a future."

As he spoke, he tossed a booklet into Su Mu's arms, turned with effortless grace, and walked away.

"Where should I go to find you?"

Su Mu shouted instinctively.

The man didn't look back, pointing first to his chest and then to his back. After a few steps, he had already vanished.

"Tai—Ping?"

A bewildered expression appeared on Su Mu's face. What does that mean? You're a grown man, so what if you're a bit 'flat' (ping)? Is it really necessary to embroider that trait on your clothes?

There are 'flat' men all over the streets; where am I supposed to find you?

Complaining inwardly, Su Mu looked down at the booklet in his arms. A surge of wild joy flooded his heart, even suppressing the pain in his body.

Before he could examine it closely, the sound of messy footsteps rang out.

The yamen runners and city guards had arrived late.

Su Mu stuffed the booklet into his chest, clutched his ribs, and stumbled to the side before he could be driven away.

The demon's corpse was burned on the spot, and the bodies of the displaced refugees who had perished were tossed into the fire as well.

The surviving refugees and beggars were all filled with terror, not knowing where to go.

Su Mu should have been one of them, but now, his mindset had completely changed.

A martial arts manual!

The martial arts manual he had been dreaming of was lying quietly in his arms!

For others, the idea of becoming an expert just by relying on a manual was impossible. After all, true kung fu—whether it be fists, palms, fingers, or blades, spears, staves, and clubs—required guidance from a true master. Otherwise, practicing blindly wouldn't just be a waste of time; injuring one's muscles and bones was something even gods couldn't easily heal.

But for Su Mu, it was different.

He had a cheat, you know?

After the yamen runners and city guards finished cleaning up the corpses, they withdrew. As for the lives of the refugees and beggars, they didn't care in the slightest.

The refugees and beggars scattered after a while of panic, looking for places to shelter from the wind and rain.

Su Mu also returned to the dilapidated temple.

Once everything was quiet, he endured the pain in his body and impatiently took out the manual to flip through it.

"Fate is in one's own hands—the words of the sages do not deceive me."

Su Mu sighed inwardly. "If I hadn't struck that blow at the demon today, that 'Taiping' powerhouse wouldn't have gifted me this blade technique out of appreciation for my courage.

If I had just waited for death back then, how could I have encountered this stroke of fortune?"

Heaven helps those who help themselves—that was the true reflection of his current situation.

"That man said if I could make a name for myself, he would grant me a future."

Su Mu thought to himself as he opened the small booklet.

"Never mind the future for now. If I can learn a blade technique, at least I'll have more self-preservation in this chaotic world of demons."

With his basic survival not yet guaranteed, he couldn't think about the future.

"If martial arts can really be 'added' to—"

He suppressed the thoughts racing through his mind and focused his attention on the booklet.

—*Fubo Blade Technique*: Like tides and waves, continuous and unending. If cultivated to perfection, one can develop the Fubo Blade Qi.

There was a descriptive passage on the front page of the manual.

Su Mu continued flipping through thoughtfully. The second page contained a drawing; a few simple strokes outlined a person standing with a blade. The blade in hand was guided by a dotted line, its trajectory winding and curved. At the bottom, a line of small text described it as: "Fubo Blade Technique, First Form: Fubo Breaking Waves."

Su Mu didn't rush to try it out, instead continuing to flip through.

Fubo Blade Technique, Second Form: Hidden Wave Ambush;

Fubo Blade Technique, Third Form: Overlapping Wave Phantoms;

...

Fubo Blade Technique, Twelfth Form: Raging Wave Wild Dance;

Fubo Blade Technique, Thirteenth Form: Azure Wave Returning to One.

There were thirteen forms in total, each with several subsequent variations—diagonal slashes, horizontal cuts, downward chops, and so on—used to deal with different reactions from opponents.

After transmigrating, Su Mu discovered that his memory was much better than before. After flipping through it a few times, he had already memorized all the moves of the Fubo Blade Technique.

He didn't sleep all night. Early the next morning, Su Mu endured the pain and ran to a medical clinic. After an examination, fortunately, there were no actual fractures, only minor hairline cracks.

He spent half his savings on a few doses of medicine and paid a few coins to have the clinic brew it. After drinking it, he couldn't wait for his injuries to fully heal. He grabbed a long blade and went to a deserted spot behind the dilapidated temple, starting to practice according to the manual.

A common steel blade in Wuling City cost fifteen taels of silver, which was something Su Mu couldn't afford at all.

However, a firewood chopper was also a blade, so it would do for practice.

He carefully mimicked the movements, managing to complete the basic actions from the manual.

He summoned his panel and took a look, but the content on the panel remained unchanged.

Su Mu was somewhat unwilling to give up and continued to practice the Fubo Blade Technique, clumsily imitating the forms.

He didn't understand how to exert force, nor did he know if he was practicing correctly. He spent half the day practicing in a muddled state, feeling that every move was awkward and seemed to contradict his usual movements.

"No wonder the clerk at the pawnshop said it's impossible to become an expert just by relying on a manual. All you can learn from a manual are the forms; how to exert force and use strength can only be understood through personal instruction from an expert."

After practicing for a while, the pain in his hairline fractures became unbearable, and he had to stop and sit on the ground to rest.

Habitually, he summoned the panel again, and Su Mu froze.

He had seen that panel countless times, and he remembered every word on it clearly.

Now, the content on it had quietly changed.

【Name: Su Mu】

【Identity: Woodcutter (Refugee)】

【Points: 15】

【Martial Arts: Fubo Blade Technique (Not yet initiated/+)】

After repeatedly confirming that it wasn't a hallucination, a smile finally appeared on Su Mu's face.

"If fate destined me to be a refugee, then today, I shall defy the heavens and change my destiny!"

(End of chapter)