3: Machete technique

Chen Linsheng hurried down the mountain with a basket full of herbs on his back. As he neared the village entrance, his steps involuntarily slowed. In the morning sunlight, two people leaning against the mud wall were eyeing him sidelong, whispering to each other.

He recognized the two—one was Zhang San, the other Li Si—both idle ruffians in the village who stole chickens and dogs.

He paid no attention to them and walked past.

But their words, carried by the wind, drifted into Chen Linsheng's ears.

"Tsk, that short-lived ghost from the Chen Family, he's really tough. He still didn't die?"

"It would be clean if he died, but what about the task Master Liu assigned? We can't just go and grab the person, can we..."

Usually, Chen Linsheng definitely wouldn't have heard clearly.

But at this moment, the miraculous effect of observing expressions brought by [Tracking (Initiate)] sharpened his hearing, allowing him to catch every word of the conversation.

A cold, sharp light flashed in his eyes, but he immediately suppressed it, his expression returning to normal, as if he had heard nothing, and he walked straight home.

Just as he reached his doorway, he saw Big Ox Zhang, the son of Hunter Zhang next door, standing there like an iron tower.

Da Niu had a somewhat simple and honest nature, but his physique was extremely sturdy.

The two usually got along well.

"Da Niu, why are you standing here?" Chen Linsheng asked.

Big Ox Zhang scratched his head and gave a simple smile: "My mother told me to stand guard and make sure no one disturbs Sis-in-Law's rest."

A warm current surged through his heart, dispelling the gloom brought by the encounter at the village entrance.

Chen Linsheng patted Da Niu's sturdy shoulder hard, everything conveyed without words, and then pushed the door open and entered.

Inside the house, Aunt Zhang was using a damp cloth to wipe the neck and arms of the unconscious Su Wan to physically lower her temperature.

Villagers might be illiterate, but the wisdom gained from experience was real.

Chen Linsheng saw this scene when he entered.

He glanced past Aunt Zhang's broad figure and caught a glimpse of pink.

Chen Linsheng gave a light cough.

Aunt Zhang jumped in surprise, then relaxed when she saw it was him, quickly covering Su Wan with the blanket: "Oh my, you're back! Did you find the herbs?"

"I found them. Thank you, Aunt Zhang."

Feeling grateful, Chen Linsheng put down the basket and specifically selected a small bundle of heat-clearing and detoxifying herbs worth dozens of Copper Coins to give her.

"Please take these herbs; they are very effective for clearing heat."

Aunt Zhang was also a countrywoman, and of course she recognized the herbs, immediately beaming with joy.

She hadn't expected to receive an unexpected bonus just for helping out.

This Chen Linsheng is generous!

After exchanging a few polite words, she happily called her son home.

With no outsiders in the room, Chen Linsheng immediately took out the auxiliary herbs and the moon shade flower, then went into the kitchen to start a fire and brew the medicine.

Thanks to the blessings brought by [Herb Gathering] and [Cleaver Technique], his wrist became extremely stable.

Chen Linsheng fanned the fire with a Cattail Leaf Fan, ensuring the flames burned evenly. The liquid medicine in the pot boiled visibly faster, more than twice the speed of ordinary brewing.

The medicine was brewed quickly.

He filtered out the medicinal decoction and carried the warm bowl of medicine into the room.

He carefully helped Su Wan sit up, leaning her against himself, and fed her the medicine spoon by spoon.

Being so close, he was able to examine his Sis-in-Law carefully. Although her face was haggard, she had delicate features, and her eyes naturally held a hint of captivating charm.

After administering the medicine, he gently laid his Sis-in-Law down and covered her with the blanket.

Su Wan unconsciously smacked her lips in her sleep, seemingly savoring the medicine's bitterness.

Chen Linsheng silently left the room, his pity growing deeper.

He returned to the kitchen.

Having skipped breakfast and run around all morning, he was already hungry. When he checked the kitchen, he found that the rice jar was nearly empty.

Chen Linsheng shook his head, forced to start a fire and cook, boiling the last bit of rice into thin gruel.

The firewood in the kitchen was used up. Chen Linsheng went to the thatched shed in the courtyard, picked up his Cleaver, and started chopping wood.

He did this partly to stockpile firewood and partly to improve his Cleaver Technique level.

He had discovered the method for improving Skills while he was on the mountain.

Whether it was Herb Gathering or Cleaver Technique, he had to complete a standard and effective operation to gain the corresponding Proficiency increase.

Chen Linsheng calmed his mind, treating wood chopping as Cultivation, striving for precision and complete force application with every swing of the Cleaver.

Half a Shichen later, when he split a piece of hard firewood cleanly in half with a single stroke, leaving a mirror-smooth cross-section, a booming sound echoed in his mind.

[Skill: Cleaver Technique (Minor Achievement)]

[Progress: (0/800)]

[Miraculous Effect: Stable Blade Momentum, Grass Cutting Style, Wood Breaking Strike. The Cleaver swings with great, heavy force, capable of quickly clearing large areas of thorns and cutting through hard wood, significantly increasing threat against enemies.]

In that instant, a surge of powerful strength rushed into his arms. Chen Linsheng felt the nascent Power within him, and a sense of heroic spirit immediately arose.

He suddenly twisted his waist halfway, driving his arm to trace a full arc, and a flash of blade light swept past like a bolt of silk.

Grass Cutting Style!

This was an area-of-effect Move, capable of sweeping away large swathes of thorns, and naturally, it could also be used against people!

What about Wood Breaking Strike?

His gaze fell upon a sturdy miscellaneous tree trunk nearby, about the size of a bowl. He took a deep breath, channeled strength into his arms, lifted the Cleaver high, and then fiercely brought it down.

The blade flashed, accompanied by a crisp "crack," and the hard wood was cleanly split into two halves, the cross-section flat and far superior to before.

"What strong Power!" Chen Linsheng praised inwardly.

The force and precision of this strike were worlds apart compared to before.

If he encountered wild beasts in the mountains, or... certain ill-intentioned people, he now had more confidence to protect himself.

"A Sheng..."

Just then, a faint call came from behind him.

Hearing the sound, he quickly turned around and saw that Su Wan had actually propped herself up into a sitting position.

Astonishment filled Chen Linsheng's heart. He quickly walked into the room, reached the bedside, and touched Su Wan's forehead.

It was cool; the high fever had completely receded.

This recovery speed was faster than taking medicine and getting injections in his Previous Life!

Chen Linsheng guessed that it was likely because the moon shade flower had been infused with the Spiritual Qi of the Spiritual Plant, leading to such potent Medicinal Effects.

With the major worry gone, Chen Linsheng breathed a sigh of relief and asked with concern, "Sis-in-Law, how do you feel?"

"Much... much better."

Su Wan answered softly, only then belatedly realizing she felt chilly. She looked down and saw she was only wearing her Innermost Clothing. Her cheeks instantly flushed crimson, and she was too shy to look up.

Chen Linsheng also realized the situation and quickly said, "I'll go get the gruel!"

He turned and fled to the kitchen as if escaping.

Su Wan watched his retreating figure, touched her burning cheeks, her heart pounding wildly, then shook her head abruptly and quietly admonished herself: "He is your Younger Brother-in-Law..."