After getting refreshed in a small lake in the middle of the small forest, Zhu Furong left the place late in the morning.

He has taken off all the bandages from his body, most of his wounds have almost healed by now, only leaving some slight scars and dry blood clots. The life threatening deep wounds are only left with slight openings and still in the process of healing with grumes oozing from them.

Looking at the speed of his healing, it would only take one more day for Zhu Furong to completely get rid of all the wounds and scars on his body. The speed of regeneration of his tissues is really frightening, it’s totally inhuman.

Unknown to Zhu Furong, there’s something like black smoke escaping from the wounds from time to time. The traces are so minute that one has to keep staring at the wounds for half an hour straight to catch a glimpse of the black smoke.

Leaving the forest, riding Blacky, Zhu Furong continued his journey to the west.

Though he wasn’t expecting any more such encounters with such lame Young Masters, the world is infested with evil.

Just reaching the next town, Zhu Furong came across another douche bag of a Young Master from some small aristocratic house harassing a woman on the street.

Being the gentleman he is, Zhu Furong took care of this one as well. But this time he stopped at only breaking some bones and looting the valuables. He didn’t take any life as it was inside the town and there were many witnesses.

Even though he was wearing his disguise, he doesn’t want to look like a cruel person to the common public. He wanted to act like a person who helps the common people and punishes the wicked people.

So he distributed some of the loot to the onlookers and took his leave.

While on the road, Zhu Furong, who was in the attire of a ten-year-old commoner, was stopped by highway robbers.

Being a commoner, Zhu Furong handed over whatever money and items he was carrying. He also handed over Blacky. Though he can hide everything inside the Nine-Layers Pagoda just like he hid his Space Ring inside it, Zhu Furong still kept some paper notes inside his hanfu pocket and a swag filled with some clothes and food items.

The robbers took whatever they found happily, only to return ten times of it later when the black clothed man appeared in front of them.

‘Humph! No one steals from me, only I steal from them.’ Humming a melodious tune, Zhu Furong continued his journey riding on Blacky. But he learnt one thing from these encounters, that his disguise was not helping him in avoiding troubles.

The next stop was a small town on the outskirts of Xidi Kingdom.

The Ming Dynasty comprises six kingdoms where Xidi Kingdom and Yujin Kingdom are located on the western side of the dynasty.

The western fort Zhu Furong is traveling to is located closer to Xidi Kingdom, so he has to pass through it.

Learning his lesson, Zhu Furong stayed in this small town for a day. He looked for a trusted delivery merchant and sent Blacky to the Zhu Family with a letter addressing Zhu Bohai. He also changed his disguise to a somewhat poor looking dirty adult. He bought a cheap horse and continued his journey.

Thanks to this new disguise there were less troubles. Also surprisingly there weren’t any scum young masters roaming around in this kingdom. Being the closest to the border, the Xidi Kingdom seems to be well disciplined.

Still there were some hooligans who couldn’t help but look for trouble.

Zhu Furong looted them and shared the wealth with others, gaining the title of the ‘Kind But Wicked’. He stole from the rich and gave to the poor just like Robin Hood, but the way he carried the task was always cruel and merciless. God knows how much blood was spilled in this journey of his with the appearance of the black-clothed man.

The deeds of this mysterious man are well known all over the Ming Dynasty by now. It is common for the noble and powerful people to take notice of potential helpers in the form of martial artists. They wanted to recruit this black-clothed man. Also some people like Shi Guang wanted revenge. So a bounty was also offered.

It took a few days more for Zhu Furong to arrive at the western fort. The journey was delayed thanks to all the ruffians but Zhu Furong enjoyed it quite a bit. He also gained some necessary worldly experience.

Arriving at the fort Zhu Furong first changed back to the disguise of a ten-year-old commoner and reported to his uncle Zhu Da.

Inside Zhu Da’s private cabin. “Ah nephew, long time no see, how are you doing? By the way, nice disguise.” Zhu Da smiled warmly while patting Zhu Furong’s shoulder gently.

Zhu Furong cupped his fists in salute and bowed in respect. “I am doing well fourth uncle, you can check for yourself.” Zhu Furong showed his white teeth while standing straight for his uncle to take a proper look.

“Good, good. You are growing well.” Zhu Da smiled.

“I already received a letter from my father and know what has happened at home but you coming all the way here is still quite dangerous. I don’t know what to say. Sigh!” Zhu Da made a sad face.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“Well you are also a Cultivator now aren’t you? I heard from my father. He said your dantian is fixed and now you can cultivate. Which stage are you at? Strength Training or Bone Strengthening?” Zhu Da asked with excitement. He is a simple minded man and doesn't get involved in matters more than necessary.

Listening to Zhu Da, Zhu Furong understood that his grandpa had kept the information to the minimum.

Zhu Furong smiled. “It’s the Bone Strengthening stage, fourth uncle. I am quite strong now.” Zhu Furong showed his muscle cups.

“Strong my ass! Just a mere Bone Strengthening stage and you come here to a battlefield. Your head will fly before you can even pull your sword from the scabbard.” Zhu Da knuckled Zhu Furong’s head.

“Don’t worry uncle, it will be alright. Also you are here to take care of me aren’t you?” Zhu Furong rubbed his head.

“Sigh! How much help can I provide on the battlefield? Also I can’t show favoritism can I?” Zhu Da shook his head dejected. He then gently patted Zhu Furong’s head. “Don’t worry, I have other plans for you, it will be much better than being on the battlefield. Also you will be safer that way.”

“Other plans? What plans?” Zhu Furong asked curiously.

“You will know when the time comes. For now go register yourself in the army first.” Zhu Da sounded mysterious.

“Assistant Cao.” Zhu Da suddenly shouted.

Soon rapid footsteps approached the private cabin. A lanky old man in brown hanfu cupped his fists and bowed. “Captain, I'm here.”

“Assistant Cao, this is the son of my close friend. Please allocate him to a proper position.” Zhu Da made some gestures using his eyes to Assistant Cao, seemingly telling him to look after Zhu Furong’s safety.

Assistant Cao understood Zhu Da’s meaning and nodded his head in affirmation. “Don’t worry about it Captain Zhu, I will look into it.”

“Good.” Zhu Da nodded with satisfaction. He then slapped Zhu Furong’s back and pushed him forward. “Young lad, follow Assistant Cao, he will take care of you.”

“Yes Uncle Zhu.” Zhu Furong bowed with a bitter face and a stinging back. He left the room with Assistant Cao.

Later Zhu Furong registered himself as Zuo Rong(prosper). He was allocated the position of a foot soldier in the battalion under Zhu Da.

As said earlier the western border only witnesses small skirmishes rather than full fledged battles. So Zhu Furong got his debut battle sooner than expected.

Zhu Furong started with restrictions as going all out with his current strength will be too shocking for the crowd to see. With his current strength he can at least wipe out half of the enemy army on his own. But he kept it to heavily wound the enemies instead.

Still it impressed the veterans quite a bit. Being soldiers they are, it didn’t take them long to warm up to their new junior Zuo Rong, they started getting over friendly in no time.

Days went by and Zhu Furong started enjoying the battles. Soon he started taking lives showing his skills as a martial artist.

Zhu Da didn’t like the participation of Zhu Furong in the battlefield in the start but after looking at his progress he took a sigh of relief. Looking at Zhu Furong right now, he at least won’t die in the battlefield till things stay the same. He felt quite proud of his nephew’s achievements.

Though it is not a good thing for such a young boy to tread upon flesh and blood, in this world of Martial Arts and Cultivation it’s better to taste blood sooner than later. Zhu Da understood this quite well.

Zhu Da enjoyed the soldiers chatting about his nephew so he sometimes took part in the night bonfire parties. It also served as a way to strengthen his bond with his soldiers. After all, in the battlefield everyone should be one family.

Few months passed by since the arrival of Zhu Furong in the western fort.

As Zhu Furong took part in battles more and more he started getting more and more cruel. Sometimes he would even jump in fights disregarding his own life. The men Zhu Furong killed would all have their limbs chopped off and blood flowing like a stream. It’s quite a hideous sight.

This unusual behavior of Zhu Furong fell into Zhu Da’s notice. He called Zhu Furong and inquired about it and as expected he noticed Zhu Furong behaving somewhat strangely compared to the past. Zhu Furong now wanted to participate in every battle and didn’t care about taking rest. He even tried to participate in the assassinations.

Zhu Da bluntly denied each and every foolish request of Zhu Furong. “Nephew, you need some rest. You are not allowed to participate in any more battles.”

“But uncle…” Zhu Furong tried to reason.

Zhu Da stopped him by raising his hand. “No ifs or buts. It’s a done deal. You will rest for three days. Practice some meditation. Your mental health is not good. It’s common for soldiers to get filled with bloodlust and lose their sanity. Use the three days to calm yourself down.” Zhu Da didn’t take any no’s.

“Ok.” Feeling helpless, Zhu Furong could only agree.

“Good. You can take your leave.” Nodding once, Zhu Da dispersed Zhu Furong to his quarter.

Back to his quarters, Zhu Furong laid on his bed and tried to take a nap, his lips curved into a sinister smile. Unbeknownst to anyone, a gentle but almost invisible black smoke started floating around certain areas of Zhu Furong ‘s body. It soon vanished after a few minutes.

Late at night. Zhu Furong suddenly opened his eyes and silently left his room. He was so meticulous that none of his roommates noticed him leaving.

Out of the resting quarters, Zhu Furong donned his black-clothed disguise and dashed towards the enemy base. Even though Zhu Da warned him Zhu Furong still went against his words. This was quite unlikely of him.

That night about fifty enemy soldiers died silently. All dismembered. Though these were normal foot soldiers, still it was a massive loss in the enemy's strength.

Things went like this for the next few days. Zhu Furong didn’t meditate at all. On the fourth day he again took part in battle and till time went on a rampage in front of all the others scaring them witless.

Zhu Da knew something was not right, so he again called for Zhu Furong and inquired.

Zhu Furong looked more irritated this time and even talked back to Zhu Da.

“That’s it! You are discharged from the army.” Zhu Da bluntly declared.

“Huh? Why? I am doing great on the battlefield. Why discharge me?” Zhu Furong questioned with irritation.

“You know why. You are not in your right mind. Your need to recuperate. Get away from this bloodshed, you are not suited for the battlefield.” Zhu Da showed worry.

“But-” Zhu Furong wanted to deny it.

“Sigh! Do you think I don’t know what you did in those three days leave? I know you don’t want to admit it but you can’t hide from experts. Your progress in martial arts and skills on the battlefield is quite baffling but…” Zhu Da made a serious face.

“I care for you.” Zhu Da gently covered Zhu Furong’s cheeks with his hands. “Don’t worry, I have arranged something better for you.” Saying this Zhu Da took out an envelope out of his desk drawer and handed it to Zhu Furong.

“Here, take it. Pass it to Elder Wu of the Sunlight Sect. He is an old friend of mine. The sect trial starts next week. Go there and become a disciple.” Zhu Da said with a gentle smile.

“Ok.” Zhu Furong agreed after taking a deep breath. His mind was still in a turmoil but he himself understood that his mentality is not right. He felt some weird feeling or emotion welling up inside him, something he couldn’t grasp the head or tail of.

The invisible black smoke is still lingering over his body from time to time without anyone’s notice.