Secret Discovery from the Well, Fleeing Overnight

The well's inner walls were damp and slippery. Su Yang huddled in a corner at the bottom of the well, holding his breath, his ears filled with the sounds of fighting and clashing weapons coming from above.

"Hand over the first half!"

A furious shout suddenly rang out, carrying a chilling ferocity that shook the well walls, causing soil to crumble and fall. Immediately afterward, an object fell into the well with a soft "thud," landing precisely three feet in front of him.

It was actually half a leather notebook!

Su Yang's pupils contracted as he focused his gaze in the faint moonlight filtering through the well.

His eyesight, honed by the perfect Tiger Form Fist and the Breaking Edge Blade Technique, far surpassed that of ordinary people. Even in dim light, he could clearly see the appearance of the book—a dark purple leather cover with silver thread sewn along the edges, and a deep knife mark on the cover gleaming with a faint glow.

He was overjoyed; the angry shout he had just heard confirmed the preciousness of this book.

Without time to examine it closely, he immediately shoved the book into his bosom and hid it close to his body.

He listened intently, and the footsteps and shouts above gradually faded away, even the sound of horses' hooves became indistinct. Clearly, the men in black had already chased after Liu Shiyuan and retreated, and the sounds of fighting in Liu Family Village gradually subsided.

"We can't stay any longer; if the enemy returns, we'll be in trouble!"

Without hesitation, Su Yang gripped the protruding rocks on the well wall with both hands and, relying on the solid strength he had gained from practicing the Perfect Tiger Fist, used both his hands and feet to quickly climb upwards.

Just a moment later.

He then climbed out of the well, landing as steadily as a rock without making a sound.

The courtyard was deserted, with only corpses strewn across the ground and bloodstains still wet, and a heavy stench of blood permeating the air.

Several fires also appeared in the courtyard not far away.

Su Yang scanned his surroundings with sharp eyes, confirmed that no one was lying in ambush, and immediately ran towards the ancient well where Wang Tiezhu and the others were hiding.

"Brother Wang! Brother Zhao!"

Su Yang gave a low shout, and the withered vines of the ancient well were lifted. Wang Tiezhu, Zhao Daqi and others climbed out one after another. Chen Le was half-supported and half-dragged by Zhao Daqi. His face was as pale as paper, and the bandage on his left arm was soaked with blood.

"Brother Su! I'm so glad you're alright!"

Wang Tiezhu breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Su Yang, but his face immediately darkened: "The men in black have left, but they might come back. We need to leave quickly!"

"That's what I meant too!" Su Yang nodded, his hand unconsciously pressing against the hard object in his robes. "A carriage would be too conspicuous; we can't bring it. Let's travel light and head back to Jingling City tonight!"

A hint of approval flashed in Wang Tiezhu's eyes: "That's exactly what I wanted! Those bolts of cloth aren't worth risking your life for; preserving your life is what matters!"

No one objected, and they all discarded their excess baggage, leaving only their weapons and a small amount of dry rations.

Zhao Daqi carried the unable-to-walk Chen Le on his back, Wang Tiezhu led the way, and Su Yang brought up the rear. Under the cover of night, the group avoided the corpses and chaotic areas inside the manor and quickly retreated along the path behind the manor.

The night was deep, and the cold wind howled through the forest. The group kept moving without stopping for even a moment.

……

As dawn broke, the morning mist in the forest was like a veil, and the chill seeped into the bones.

Su Yang, clutching his cramping stomach, used the excuse of "diarrhea" to say goodbye to Wang Tiezhu and the others, then staggered into the depths of the nearby dense forest. He had just found a secluded bush to crouch down when he could no longer care about his stomach discomfort and quickly pulled out the half-finished dark purple leather book from his pocket.

Although the morning fog was thick, the sky was already turning a pale white, enough for him to see the pages clearly.

His eyesight, honed by two perfected martial arts techniques, far surpasses that of ordinary people, allowing him to clearly capture details even in dim light.

He eagerly flipped through the book, but what greeted his eyes was not the text he had expected, but pages upon pages of densely packed line drawings. It turned out to be a set of sword techniques, with a full twenty-five moves in one half. There was not a single word of textual annotation; the entire technique relied on the drawings to depict the sword's trajectory. It was ruthless and fierce, and the killing intent almost seemed to leap off the page!

"Half of a swordsmanship manual! Twenty-five moves! Illustrated killing techniques!"

"As expected, this is exactly what Liu Shiyuan risked his life to protect!"

Su Yang was excited, and his fingertips turned slightly white from the force he exerted.

He suppressed the bloating in his abdomen and quickly flipped through the pages, memorizing the movement of the sword and the turning of his body for each move. Only after turning the last page and confirming that he had memorized all twenty-five moves did he breathe a sigh of relief.

Just as he was about to close the book, his fingertips accidentally touched the edge of the pages—the leather cover was thicker than it looked, and when he pressed it, he could vaguely feel the texture of the layers, especially the deep knife mark, where the groove felt a little strange.

"Is something strange?"

A thought struck him, and he brought the book to his nose to sniff. Besides the scent of leather and ink, there was also a very faint, slightly astringent smell, similar to that of herbs soaked in water.

Su Yang remembered that Old Zheng had mentioned that "special medicinal materials can make hidden writing appear." With a sudden thought, he tore off a small piece of cloth from the corner of his clothes, dipped it in the cold dew that was still wet on the leaves, and gently wiped the cover, especially the groove with the knife mark.

As the water seeped in, faint green lines slowly emerged on the originally smooth, dark purple leather surface—not sword techniques, but a fragmented map of mountains and rivers!

The symbols on the map were strange; they were neither county names nor ordinary road signs, but rather some kind of secret directional code. The core area was enclosed by a blood-red circle, next to which was engraved a tiny, sharply written character for "demon".

"This is what the men in black are really looking for!"

Su Yang's pupils contracted, and he instantly understood why Liu Shiyuan had risked his life to protect this half of the booklet. He also realized that the real target of those men in black was probably not just the sword technique, but the secret of the hidden map!

He dared not delay, wiping the cover dry with a cloth. He discovered that the map quickly disappeared as the moisture evaporated, reverting to ordinary knife marks. He immediately hid the book close to his body, his fingertips still able to feel the unusual hardness of the interlayer, suggesting that an even more crucial secret was likely hidden inside.

Just then.

hum!

In my mind, the ancient and simple "Simplicity is the Ultimate Sophistication" panel suddenly lit up, its light flickering:

[Martial art "Forty-Nine Styles of Overlord Blade (Fragment - 25/49)" detected]

[49-Style Overlord Blade - Incomplete - 25/49: Beginner (0/1000)]

[You can spend 100 simplification points to simplify. Simplify now?]

"It's actually Yue Shan's Forty-Nine Forms of the Overlord Blade! Although what I obtained was a fragment, it still contains twenty-five forms!"

Su Yang stared at the panel, his pupils suddenly contracting as if struck by lightning, his memories as a transmigrator surging like a tidal wave!

In the original TV series "Twin Dragons of the Tang Dynasty", the Forty-Nine Styles of Overlord Blade is the signature skill of Yue Shan, the Overlord Blade. It is unparalleled in the world with the word "overlord". The blade moves are fierce and unmatched, and the killing aura is extremely heavy!

Before Song Que appeared, Yue Shan was the number one swordsman!

Yue Shan roamed the martial world with this sword technique, and no one dared to challenge his might.

Even if it's just a fragment, each of the twenty-five moves is deadly, enough to allow him to fight his way out in the chaos of the late Sui Dynasty and protect himself!

"It's done!"

Su Yang trembled with excitement, even the cramps in his abdomen lessened somewhat. However, simplifying this incomplete text required 100 simplification points, and he currently only had 24.6 points, a huge shortfall.

"I must get back as soon as possible and accumulate enough points!" His mind raced. "Once the simplification is successful, this half of the peerless sword technique will soon be at my disposal! And that mysterious map... where does the character 'demon' point to?"

He dared not linger, and after quickly finishing his business, he endured the lingering discomfort in his abdomen and hurried back to the group.

"Brother Su, why did you take so long?"

When Wang Tiezhu saw him return, his face showed concern. "You look terrible, are you alright?"

"It's nothing, it's probably just that the wild fruit was too unripe and gave me an upset stomach."

Su Yang waved his hand, feigning composure, but his mind was already racing. "I'll go back and eat a few good meals to accumulate points, plus one pill a day from Elder Zheng, and quickly gather 100 simplification points! 1000 proficiency points may seem like a lot, but with the panel, it's not a problem! Then, these twenty-five forms of the Overlord Blade, along with the hidden map secrets, will be my capital to establish myself in this chaotic world and seek greater opportunities!"

The group set off again, with Su Yang bringing up the rear. Although his steps were still a little unsteady due to abdominal pain, his eyes became increasingly sharp and deep.

The book in his arms was like a huge mystery and treasure, bringing both hope for unparalleled swordsmanship and concealing unknown risks and opportunities. He knew clearly that although this trip to Liu Family Village was extremely dangerous, it had also brought unexpected blessings, as he had obtained something that could change his destiny.

"Hurry up and get home as soon as possible!"

Su Yang urged in a low voice, his gaze sweeping across the gradually brightening forest path. He felt an unprecedentedly strong longing for the relatively safe environment of the Huang Manor, the stable source of simplified points, and the space where he could peacefully practice the Overlord Blade and explore its secrets.