From bone collectors to the supreme ruler of humanity

Chapter 23 Superficial Imitation

Before nightfall, they rested at an abandoned mountain temple.

The mountain god temple was very small, and the statues were long gone, leaving only an empty platform and a few broken wooden planks.

Lin Yan placed his mother under the altar, wrapped her in a bedding roll, and then, after thinking for a moment, started a small fire in the corner.

"Xiuer, you watch over your mother, I'll go get something to eat."

"Brother, you're injured..."

"It's just a superficial injury." Lin Yan rubbed her head. "Be good."

Lin Yan left the temple and wandered around the area. Using his [Mountain Observation] perception, he found several wild persimmon trees. The fruit was astringent and hard, but edible. He then found a plump bamboo rat in a crevice, killed it with a single stroke, skinned and gutted it, and carried it back to the temple.

The bamboo rat meat sizzled and dripped with oil when roasted.

Lin Xiu held half a bamboo rat, taking small bites, and tears started to fall as she ate.

"Why are you crying?"

"I didn't cry." She sniffed. "It was just from the smoke."

Lin Yan didn't expose her. He tore the remaining meat into thin strips and fed it to his mother. Chen Shi ate a few bites with difficulty before drifting off to sleep again.

At night, Lin Xiu curled up and fell asleep beside her mother. Lin Yan leaned against the wall, eyes closed, his mind replaying the day's events.

Throughout his escape from Black Wind Ridge, he had been observing. He saw hunters passing by, refugees fleeing, and several low-level martial artists traveling together on the mountain path.

[A superficial imitation] He secretly learned the moves of the third martial artist.

The first one was a hunter. His chopping wood movements concealed a master axe technique, and his method of exerting force was very special... From the waist to the shoulder to the wrist, three sections moved in a continuous motion. With one swing of the axe, a tree trunk as thick as a bowl snapped in two.

[Skill: Wood Chopping]

[Effect: The force exerted is subtly contained within the axe, increasing the power of the swing.]

The second one was a street performer who showed off his knife skills a few times while resting by the roadside. Although it was just for show and wasn't displayed on the skill panel through [Shallow Imitation], Lin Yan thought those few sweeping knife moves were usable.

The third was a traveling bodyguard, alone, carrying an old knife. Lin Yan followed him for three miles and secretly learned his footwork, the "Dust Step"... With each step, the ball of the foot landed first, followed by the heel, making it feel like walking on cotton, almost without making a sound.

This footwork is far superior to Zhou Kaiquan's straightforward walking style.

【Basic Sketching (Beginner) (512/500)】

[Skill Advancement: Basic Sketching (Rough Understanding) (12/800)]

[Improved Effect: Can mimic the moves of a first-rank martial artist and analyze their power generation principles.]

Lin Yan opened his eyes and looked down at his hands.

Clench your fist, release it, then clench your fist again.

The flow of Qi and blood was much smoother than three days ago, and the broken ribs were even slightly itchy... that was a sign of healing. After entering the first-grade Body Tempering Realm, and with the added benefits of the introductory [Basic Body Forging] technique, the body's recovery speed was much faster than before.

But not enough.

Zhou Kaiquan was a first-rank cultivator. He was able to kill Zhou Kaiquan by fighting desperately, not by overwhelming strength. If he were to encounter another first-rank or even second-rank cultivator, he might not be able to win.

I need to keep practicing.

Lin Yan reviewed the bodyguard's footwork in his mind again, then closed his eyes and fell asleep.

The next morning, the three continued their journey.

After walking less than ten miles, Guanshan suddenly jumped.

Lin Yan paused, then pulled Lin Xiu behind the bushes by the roadside to hide.

"elder brother......"

"Don't make a sound."

He put his mother down, lowered his body, and peered out through the gaps in the bushes.

On the official road, a group of people was coming from the north.

Eight men, all on horseback, led by one dressed in Qingfengxiang's uniform. Behind them followed a mule cart carrying several guards armed with knives and clubs.

"Look carefully, everyone!" the leader shouted. "Manager Zhao said that kid took his family of three and ran south. There are people guarding every intersection; he can't have gone far!"

Lin Yan's heart sank.

Qing Fengxiang's search area was much larger than he had anticipated. They were already thirty miles outside the Black Wind Ridge territory, and their men were still in pursuit.

And it wasn't just this one group of people.

Lin Yan sensed another group of people at the southern fork in the road, and yet another on the western ridge. The three groups of people spread out in a fan shape, blocking most of his way south.

"Brother..." Lin Xiu's voice trembled.

"It's alright." Lin Yan picked his mother up again. "Let's walk along the mountain path."

The official road is impassable; we have to cross the mountain.

Relying on his ability to perceive terrain through "Viewing the Mountains," he led his mother and sister into a narrow, secluded path known only to hunters, crossed two mountain peaks, and bypassed Qingfengxiang's blockade.

Three days later, they arrived outside Lin'an County.

Although it's called a county town, it's really just a larger town, surrounded by earthen walls, with a checkpoint at the entrance where a few lazy bailiffs are checking passersby.

Lin Yan didn't rush into the city. He settled his mother and sister in a dilapidated kiln outside the city and went to scout out the location first.

Several portraits were posted on the notice board at the city gate. One of them looked a bit like him, and below it was written: "Lin Yan, a fugitive from the exile area, killed seven people including constable Zhou Dahu. Reward of fifty taels."

After reading it, Lin Yan walked away expressionlessly.

Fifty taels. This price was already astronomical among the refugees. Qing Fengxiang was determined to arrest him.

But he had to go into the city.

My mother's cough has worsened; she's finished her medicine and there's no improvement. My younger sister also needs some presentable clothes; she can't keep wearing that tattered, patched-up jacket. And then there's him... he needs a decent knife.

All of these must be brought into the city.

That night, Lin Yan bypassed the guards at the breach in the city wall and sneaked into Lin'an County.

He found the city's beggar chief in a dilapidated temple and bought a local "travel permit" for fifty coins... Although it was a forgery, it was enough to pass the usual checks.

They intercepted a clerk in the back alley of the pawnshop who had just received stolen goods and bought two sets of slightly worn clothes from him at a low price.

Finally, he sneaked into the backyard of a blacksmith's shop and pulled out a broken blade from a pile of scrap metal. The blade was chipped, the handle was rotten, but the steel edge of the blade was still intact.

He tucked the knife blade into his pocket, and before dawn, he slipped out of the city and returned to the dilapidated kiln.

When Chen woke up, she saw her son holding two sets of clean clothes. She looked at the bruises on his face and the new wounds on his wrists. She didn't ask anything, but simply reached out to straighten his collar.

"Mom, take your medicine."

Lin Yan handed over the medicine he had bought in the city. Chen Shi took it and drank it. She frowned because it was bitter, but she didn't complain.

Lin Xiu changed into her new clothes, the sleeves of which were still a bit long, but she was overjoyed and twirled around twice to show her mother.

"Brother, this dress is really nice."

Lin Yan smiled, took out the broken blade, found a stone to use as a whetstone, and began to sharpen it.

It took a whole morning to work on it.

The broken edge was smoothed out, the blade was polished, and the handle was re-wrapped with hemp rope. Although it wasn't a good knife, it was many times better than that chipped woodcutter's knife.

He gripped the knife and tried swinging it twice.

The bodyguard's footwork, the "Dust Step," is naturally integrated into the movement; the steps follow the body's movements, and the blade moves with the steps.

He also applied the hunter's axe technique, "Tree Splitting Chop," to his blade, moving his waist, shoulder, and wrist in unison. With a single slash, a fist-thick dry branch was silently severed in two.