Tang Qingyu and Yang Na paused their work at Logan’s call.
Draped only in broad leaves to cover their essentials, both girls had arms and legs lightly scuffed from the chaos earlier. Under the gaze of the camp, they shuffled over, faces burning, eyes fixed on the dirt.
"Chief Logan..." Tang Qingyu murmured, instinctively crossing her arms over her chest.
Logan kept it brief, handing over two crisp white T-shirts.
"Got these from the marketplace. Men’s cuts, so they’ll be baggy, but they beat leaves. Put them on."
Clean shirts were practically luxury items in their current spot.
Both girls froze in place. They hadn’t expected Logan to sort out the wolf threat, handle the camp logistics, and still remember their wardrobe crisis.
Tang Qingyu’s eyes welled up instantly. She took the shirts, her voice thick with emotion. "Thanks... thank you, Logan..."
Without waiting, she bolted toward the shelter to change.
Yang Na lingered. Clutching her oversized T-shirt, she stared at Logan with a much bolder, more outgoing gaze than Tang Qingyu.
Before Logan could react, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist in a sudden, tight hug!
A soft frame pressed against his chest. A split second later, a warm pair of lips brushed lightly against his cheek—quick as a dragonfly landing on water.
"Thank you, Logan!"
Yang Na stammered out the words through a blush, instantly letting go and darting into the shelter with her clothes.
Logan stood frozen, instinctively touching his cheek where the kiss had landed. A trace of the girl’s lingering warmth and light scent seemed to hang in the air.
The surrounding crowd erupted into whistles and teasing jeers.
"Ooh! Someone got a kiss!"
"Yang Na is bold! I want to kiss the Chief too!"
"Chief, your face is turning red!"
Bai Nian stamped her foot in annoyance off to the side, shooting Logan a murderous glare since she couldn’t rush in to intervene.
Logan let out a dry laugh, watching the commotion settle.
Back in his old life, he’d be sweating over college entrance exams or driver’s ed. After graduation, it would be the standard grind of job hunting, endless overtime, and paying off a mortgage. School beauties like Su Qingyao or Gu Xinran would never have glanced his way in a million years; they would marry rich heirs or corporate executives while he stayed an average nobody. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
Out here, though...
Danger was everywhere, but the ceiling was limitless. He could carve out a spot as everyone’s anchor, earning genuine loyalty and affection.
Not a bad deal at all. In fact, it felt pretty great.
Shaking off the distraction, Logan refocused. Survival required continuous growth.
Scanning the camp, his eyes landed on a solitary figure sitting in the corner.
Lin Bing.
She was using a hunting knife to carve sharpened points into branches gathered by the girls. Her class didn’t grant starting tools, meaning the blade and knuckles she carried belonged to her personally.
Was Lin Bing actually an assassin?
Logan figured he had probably hit the nail on the head. But he wasn’t approaching her about her background.
Reaching Level 3 as a Blood Warrior required mastering his blade technique, and simple trial-and-error wouldn’t cut it. Luckily, a top-tier instructor was sitting right in front of him.
Decided, Logan walked straight over and squatted down.
"Lin Bing, I want you to teach me blade combat."
Lin Bing paused her work. She lifted her head, her deep gaze locking onto him in silence for several long seconds before she spoke in a cool, flat tone.
"I can teach you."
Her quick acceptance caught him off guard.
"My training is brutal. If you quit halfway, don’t ever ask me again," she added flatly.
"Deal."
"Hand me the blade."
Logan unclipped his Miao dao and passed it over.
The moment the weapon left his hand, Lin Bing’s entire aura shifted. Where she had looked like a block of ice moments ago, she now projected the lethal edge of a poisoned blade. Without even standing, she casually spun the weapon through the air.
The blade sang, vibrating with a sharp hum in her grip. Her motion flowed like running water, carrying an underlying rhythm of pure violence and lethal intent.
Logan’s pulse skipped a beat.
He knew his physical stats had skyrocketed past human limits after leveling up, but compared to Lin Bing’s fluid mastery, his own moves looked like playground swinging. This wasn’t just raw power or speed; it was a craft honed through thousands of repetitions down to muscle memory.
"I watched you fight the wolves," Lin Bing stated, standing up and holding the blade down at an angle.
"Your flaws are obvious.
"First, your power generation is wrong. You’re only using arm strength; your waist, legs, and core aren’t linked. It’s a waste of brute force.
"Second, your footwork is sloppy. You move in straight lines instead of using steps to evade and position yourself.
"Third, your strikes lack a system. Real combat is about hitting weak points."
As she spoke, the tip of her blade sketched a rough outline of a wolf in the dirt.
"Take a wolf: eyes, throat, belly. Striking those areas brings a clean kill. Watch."
She dropped her weight, shifted her stance, and transformed into a blur. The Miao dao flashed like a silver thread, driving straight into the throat target on the dirt sketch without a sound.
Fast. Clean. Lethal.
The movement executed with absolute, deadly grace.
The girls watching nearby went completely still, jaws dropping. Logan felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. If that strike had aimed at him, he was certain he couldn’t dodge it.
Lin Bing pulled back the blade and held the hilt out to him.
"Your foundation is trash. Start with the basics.
"One thousand vertical chops. Today.
"If you can’t finish, don’t bother asking for lessons again."
Logan took the blade back, feeling its weight double in his hands. One thousand vertical chops sounded simple, but it was a brutal test of stamina and willpower.
Without arguing, he walked over to an open patch of dirt, gripped the hilt with both hands, locked into a solid stance, and began his set.