Chapter 10: Chapter 10: Changes (Part 2) "Kill them!" "Run quickly, Man Slaughter Ning Xiong is here!" "Damn it, we’ve fallen into the trap set by these government soldiers!" A group of about seventy to eighty men, with red bands on their heads, dressed in black coarse fabric tunics, with rough, dark skin and messy, chaotic hair, were wielding knives, trapped in the middle, surrounded by more enemies, facing imminent danger. They were blood-stained all over, roaring angrily, struggling to break through and fight their way out. Unfortunately, the opposing side was clearly well-prepared, and just the occasional flying arrows were enough to snatch away these men’s hopes of escape. Moreover, there were two fierce government soldiers whose martial prowess was evidently far superior to the average person. One was burly, sporting a large beard, bare-chested, revealing a body full of knife scars. He wielded a Wolf Fang Club covered in spikes, swinging it with a ’whoosh whoosh’ sound, and anyone caught by it met instant death, their flesh and blood mangled beyond recognition. The other was slightly slender but taller than 1.9 meters, with half a black Iron Mask on his face, lacking a forearm on his right hand, equipped only with a gleaming Silver Hook. This man was even more brutal in killing; with a single sweep, the Silver Hook would pierce through the enemy’s throat, and he would still stick out his tongue to taste the blood splattered on his face. Most of the men wearing red bands died at the hands of these two. "Sunset Mountain’s bandits aren’t all that powerful," commented a young man casually watching the battle from the rear, "Qi Hu, why not go and show them what you’ve got?" The person he named turned out to be Lou Yi’s neighbor, the second son of the Qi Family, Qi Hu. At this moment, he had already taken off his black attire and changed into a simple armor made of many black square iron pieces, which could only cover his chest and back, unable to protect his limbs. Qi Hu coldly replied, "With Ning Xiong and Shen Fang around, these bandits are just turtles in a jar. My task is to ensure the Inspector’s safety. No matter how valuable the heads of these bandits are, they are nothing compared to a single strand of the master’s hair!" Next to them, the Xinxiang Inspector, protected by them, was wearing a green official robe, and upon hearing this, looked at Qi Hu with a face full of praise: "Little Hu is remarkably composed, with the demeanor of a general." "What bullshit general demeanor, just a rabbit boy selling his charms!" The young man who had just named Qi Hu heard this, his face changed, and he secretly cursed in his heart. But seeing Qi Hu’s fair skin and handsome face, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy. The Inspector continued, "Our goal isn’t to simply kill these few petty bandits but to lure out the main forces of the bandits on the mountain. This time, I’ve swallowed my pride and borrowed quite a few people from the nearby Yong’an Village. If we don’t settle this quickly, Tai City will probably come to hold us accountable." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞 Around him, there were unexpectedly five or six dozen bowmen hidden in the shrubs, closely watching the movements from Sunset Mountain ahead. Sunset Mountain, standing over three hundred zhang tall, with steep terrain that is easy to defend but hard to attack. At the mountain’s fort entrance, there was also a group of bandits, around a hundred in count, looking tense while staring at the fierce fight below, itching to join. Leading them was a man who looked around thirty, as burly as a bear, with developed muscles, and a waist twice the size of an average person. His bald head shone, his face ugly, draped in a stylish red cape, with a Nine-Ring Great Cleaver hanging from his waist. Just approaching him, one could feel a wave of heat emanating, showing how plentiful his Blood Qi was. "Master, should we all fight our way down to rescue the Third Master and the others?" someone couldn’t help but shout. "No matter how fierce Man Slaughter and Iron Hand are, even together they’re not a match for you, Master!" another echoed. "Fools!" The ugly, bald man sneered continuously, "Do you think the government soldiers wouldn’t set up an ambush, to lure the snake out of its hole?" "You want to be that foolish snake?" "We stay safe on the mountain, they don’t dare attack, nor can they. Unless the forces from Tai City intervene." "Master is wise!" An old man with a gloomy face, his hair in a Daoist bun, clapped and praised, "If we eliminate these soldiers, Tai City will surely seek personal vengeance, and what awaits us will be a thunderous strike!" "Once this storm passes, brothers can freely descend the mountain to enjoy life, women and wine will be easily attainable!" Seeing the Second Master speak in support, the others looked at each other, not daring to voice dissent. Plans were settled on the mountain, remaining inactive. Meanwhile, below the mountain, the Inspector waited a long time, realizing the strategy had failed, and gave the order to close the net, capture or kill the surrounded bandits. "Take the living ones to the dungeon, let the rest roam free for now!" The Inspector’s face was filled with unwillingness as he rode away. Next to him was Qi Hu, trailing a horse’s head behind, clearly quite favored. ... Meanwhile. Living in Erhe Village, Lou Yi was unaware of such a major event transpiring dozens of miles away. His life continued in a monotonous routine between chopping trees and digging graves. Of course, if he learned which household had a death in advance, whether he knew them or not, and even if he heard they had died naturally, he would personally visit to pay respects and confirm. After all, rural dramas are abundant, and what’s claimed to be a natural death may not be true. Moreover, condolence money for funerals is usually not substantial. Considering he wasn’t truly affluent now, every penny had to be counted meticulously. Fortunately, no one took offense at this matter. That night, Lou Yi finally gathered enough Energy to promote his Chopping Wood Skill. "Attribute Panel, add points!" Lou Yi’s heart was filled with excitement as his strength was about to enhance once again. With the disappearance of three points of Energy, the skills section underwent a change: Chopping Wood (Beginner 0/3) → Chopping Wood (Skilled 0/10) A surge of unfamiliar memories then surfaced in his mind. In the memories, he became a professional woodcutter, earning his livelihood through this. Every day, an endless supply of firewood was delivered for him to chop, from morning till night. Luckily, the food wasn’t bad. Rice, pork noodles, chive omelets, every meal was satisfying. Lou Yi’s woodcutting skills improved continuously, to the point where he could effortlessly chop a single piece of firewood into six or eight equal parts with smooth surfaces and no splinters, even with his eyes closed. Under the premise of substantial physical training and nutritional supplements, his body gradually became stronger, and his muscle contours grew more distinct. The changes from the memories were soon reflected in reality. A wave of heat appeared inside Lou Yi’s body, circulating quickly, amplifying his Blood Qi. The flesh all over him seemed to ripple like waves. Lou Yi’s body was refined like wrought iron by the flow of heat. Once the transformation was complete. His height increased a bit more, reaching nearly 1.8 meters, considered tall in this era. The lines of muscle on his body grew smoother and weren’t just dead muscles. Beneath the sturdy lines lay a terrifying explosiveness. Lou Yi walked to the water jar. His left pinky hooked onto the edge of the jar. He effortlessly lifted it to chest height. While previously, lifting it with both hands was rather taxing. Just how strong was he now? Lou Yi felt that he was close to a common person’s limit, at least three to four times that of an average person. On the original Earth, breaking records in weightlifting, discus, javelin events wouldn’t be difficult with a bit of training. However, in this world, he guessed he would still be a small fry, certainly incomparable to a Martial Artist. According to rumors, Chief Constable Ning Xiong in the Village Government Office was a Martial Artist capable of tearing apart tigers and leopards bare-handed. Some Martial Artists in the main city could even subdue demons and monsters, their Divine Skills far beyond his imagination. Lou Yi’s thoughts drifted increasingly. Meanwhile, after both chopping tree and chopping wood skills progressed to the skilled status, the Attribute Panel underwent another change. A line of translucent text flashed by: Minimum conditions for skill synthesis triggered, synthesize? ’Hmm?’ A look of surprise appeared on Lou Yi’s face, evidently not expecting such a change in the Attribute Panel. "Yes." Lou Yi commanded in his heart. The skills of chopping trees and chopping wood gradually approached each other, eventually overlapping. Then a flicker ensued. After several moments, a new skill appeared: [Name: Lou Yi] [Age: 19/55] [Realm: None] [Skill: Lou’s Axe Skill (Not entered 0/3)] [Energy: 0] ’What, Lou’s Axe Skill?’ ...