Eternal Life Begins with Learning

Lost in thought, Chu Mu slowly paced around the courtyard, carefully scrutinizing every corner and missing not a single detail.

After making a full circle in the courtyard, Chu Mu finally looked at the house before him.

It had a thatched roof and walls of unplastered, earthen brick. The yellowish-brown walls were stained with grime, a clear sign of the building’s age.

The thatched house’s overall layout was rather similar to Chu Mu’s own small home.

In the very center was the main hall, with a room on either side. On the south side of the house, there was also a kitchen.

The wooden doors to all the rooms were open, but it was too dark to see anything inside.

The few Inspectors with Chu Mu were hardly the bravest of men. They stuck close behind him, not daring to stray even a single step.

After a moment’s hesitation, Chu Mu walked toward one of the rooms. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

’A bedroom...’

Examining the room’s furnishings by torchlight, Chu Mu came to a conclusion.

The room’s furnishings were very simple: a bed and a cabinet.

The bedding on the bed was gone, leaving only bare wooden boards.

The cabinet doors stood open, revealing it to be completely empty. Other than that, the room was bare.

The main hall was furnished even more simply, with just a table against the far wall. The table, too, was bare.

A quick glance revealed something to Chu Mu. He strode forward, ran his hand over the tabletop, and brought his fingers to his nose. A faint scent reached him.

’Incense for offerings?’

Chu Mu frowned. This scent was identical to the incense burned for his own father’s memorial tablet at home.

’In other words, this table was originally used for someone’s memorial tablet.’

’A memorial tablet, an Incense Burner...’

Chu Mu pursed his lips, a few guesses forming in his mind.

He scanned the empty main hall one more time to ensure he hadn’t missed anything, then walked to the side room.

The side room was just as spartan, no different from the bedroom. It held only a bed and a cabinet, both of which were also empty.

A search of the kitchen also yielded no discoveries.

It seemed that anything portable in the house had been taken, and the place was left remarkably clean.

This stood in stark contrast to the messy, disheveled state of the other houses he had just passed.

"Let’s go."

Chu Mu gave a wave and headed out of the courtyard. When he ran into Wu Shuo, he quickly relayed what he had found.

As for what would happen next, that was not Chu Mu’s concern.

Qili Village wasn’t large to begin with. With about a hundred Inspectors pouring in, it wasn’t long before they had turned the village upside down.

Just as Chu Mu had expected, they found nothing and saw not a single living soul.

The entire village was completely deserted.

But in just over half a day, a village of dozens of households, in this vast mountain range during the harsh winter, how far could they have run?

How could the traces they left behind be completely covered up?

After only a brief rest in the village, with their dry rations barely settled in their stomachs, they set out once more to the sound of barking orders.

The objective was very clear: hunt down the fleeing villagers of Qili Village, or in other words... the Rebels.

Night reigned, the sky ablaze with brilliant stars.

The vast, snow-covered mountains reflected a faint luminescence under the moonlight. On He Ping’s orders, the torches that should have been lit were extinguished.

The Inspectors traveled through the night, weaving through the mountain forests as they followed the tracks left by the Qili Village villagers.

After nearly a full day of relentless marching and bloodshed, every Inspector’s face was etched with fatigue. Yet, compelled by strict discipline, no one dared to complain. They all just silently trudged onward.

The only sound was the crunch of their footsteps on the snow.

Chu Mu walked silently at the rear of the group. Although he was tired, he forced himself to stay alert.

Everyone knew that as soon as they caught up with the Qili Village villagers, there would inevitably be a battle that no one could escape.

The several ambushes they had encountered on their way here, as well as the scene in that small courtyard earlier, all clearly indicated that while they were facing mostly ordinary people, there were some ruthless individuals among them!

Chu Mu felt deeply conflicted.

’On one hand, I hope we catch up quickly. It’s a chance to gain more real combat experience, to hone my mindset and my Sword Technique, and to confirm my suspicions about my progress.’

’On the other hand, I hope we’re going the wrong way. A wild goose chase would be far better than risking my life in a bloody battle.’

After all, his gains from this trip had already far exceeded his expectations.

If he took any more risks, the risk and reward would be completely out of proportion.

But obviously, none of this was for Chu Mu to decide.

Chu Mu stopped, surveying the surrounding darkness. His gaze finally settled on the footprints on the ground.

Although the Inspectors in front had left many footprints, it was not difficult to see the tracks left by the people of Qili Village among them.

The hoofprints of livestock, their dung, and the wheel marks of wooden carts were all clearly visible.

Even if they were chasing in the wrong direction, judging by these tracks, it was unlikely they would come up empty-handed.

’Livestock, carts...’

Chu Mu’s brow furrowed slightly as he once again gazed into the distant darkness.

’Fleeing with their families and all their belongings... their speed is bound to be slow.’

’At our pace, it won’t be long before we catch up and stain these mountains with blood.’

’They won’t just wait to be slaughtered...’

Chu Mu scanned the darkness around him. The forest was deep and the night was dim. ’If they attack with arrows like they did during the day...’

At this thought, Chu Mu’s heart skipped a beat. This was nothing like daytime.

’The snow reflects some light, but deep in the dense forest, it’s practically useless. If an arrow comes flying out, we probably won’t even know which direction it came from.’

’And who knows what the terrain is like in the darkness of the woods? If we rush in, we could fall off a cliff for all we know.’

As if to confirm Chu Mu’s suspicions, a sudden, piercing scream shattered the silence of the mountain forest.

It was a shrill, agonized cry. In the darkness, it struck the hearts of the exhausted and fearful Inspectors like a heavy hammer.

That scream was like a signal. It was immediately followed by a series of agonized cries erupting from within the column of Inspectors.

"Light the torches!"

"Quick, light the torches!"

"Take cover, enemy attack!"

An Inspector shouted, and torches flared to life. The firelight pushed back the darkness, revealing the clear sight of their ambushed, wounded, and wailing comrades.

"Careful, everyone take cover!"

"Northwest! There are people to the Northwest!"

"After them! Follow me!"

"There are some over there too, I saw them!"

"Don’t panic! All Squad Leaders and team leaders, organize your men!"

"Shield Bearers, to the front!"

"Crossbow Team, prepare to counter-attack!"

In an instant, the silence shattered into a cacophony of shouts and orders.

He Ping continuously shouted commands, maintaining order while organizing a defense against the attack from the darkness.

The attack was sudden, but having already endured several bloody ambushes in the forest, this unit of Inspectors had clearly learned some hard lessons.

After the initial chaos, they quickly restored effective order.

But from the darkness, it seemed... there was only silence...

...