The Wu Family
“What?” Shi Mu was surprised. He gazed at the thing and found it to be a black iron piece decorated with delicate patterns. They looked like characters but Shi Mu could not identify a single one of them.
“Miss Zhong, have you seen this thing before?” He was curious as he picked it up and studied it.
"It’s the first time I’ve seen it. It must have belonged to the zombie. That’s not strange, zombies used to be humans, so it’s normal for them to carry some human things." The girl came up and looked at the thing, suppressing her nausea at the smell of the decaying corpse.
Shi Mu nodded and, after some hesitation, stored the iron piece away, then he carried the leaf-covered body out of the hall.
Shortly afterwards they were on their way to the city. Shi Mu could not resist asking Zhong Xiu about her shriek that made the zombie recoil. But Zhong Xiu was baffled too. Seeing this, Shi Mu did not ask any further. Since it was late in the day and the west gate of the city was already closed, Shi Mu took the girl back to his suburban manor.
…...
In the evening, Shi Mu was resting in his room, observing the iron piece in his hand. At first glance, the piece seemed to be made of common black iron, but it was heavier than expected and was particularly cold to the touch. Moreover, the delicate decorations, when examined closely, gave a sense of primitive simplicity, creating a sense of mystery and fascination. By then, Shi Mu could tell that it was not an ordinary item. But, still unclear of its origin after examining it for a long time, he carefully put it away. Then Shi Mu took out the wooden case he got from Zhong Ming before his death.
The Zhongs seemed to be no ordinary family, and, as such, their heirloom should be something special too.
Shi Mu opened the case and found a thick book inside, its pages already yellowed by time, and on its cover, four characters were written:“Zhong Gong Mi Dian” - The Secret Arts of the Zhong Clan. A little surprised, Shi Mu pulled the book out to get a better look.
There were a whole three hundred pages in the book, all printed with tiny black characters, some of them vividly illustrated. After only briefly glancing over the first few pages, Shi Mu’s face was covered with shock. He sucked in a cold breath, sinking into silence at the book’s contents.
The book was divided into two parts, the former telling of a great number of methods to make rare weapons, while the latter describing instructions to produce delicate tools and poisons. Both parts far surpassed Shi Mu’s imagination, considering their obscurity and mystery.
For example, there was a weapon, named “The Blade of Moonlit Sea”, which had an ordinary shape, but the inside of its body was empty, making it possible to infuse the sword with a large amount of poison. When used in combat, the sword would splinter, splattering poison on the enemy.
There was another weapon - a small crossbow named “Bow Bolt” - which was even more vile in use. It was a hidden weapon that one wears on their back. In order to use it, one had to bow towards the person they intended to kill, then give a slight pull on a strap hidden inside their cuff, which would cause three bolts to shoot out from the crossbow toward the target, killing them before they are even aware he were shot.
As to the kinds of poisons in the book, they ranged from those which could knock people unconsciousness to those whose deadly effects would only mature after a few days. Simply put, there were many kinds of poisons in the book.
“I really wonder what the Zhongs did that required them to develop such vile things. Looking at its worn-out condition, it should have been handed down from their early ancestors.” Shi Mu thought to himself. This book was a real eye-opener. If completely memorized, it would be useful when it came to dealing with people who bore similar skills. Some of the other things recorded also drew his attention. He turned the pages quickly and found the illustration of two weapons, one large and one small, arranged high and low respectively. The larger one was a slightly arched single-edged knife, its handle long enough to be held with both hands. A black string could be seen faintly around the handle. The smaller one was a tiny, yet incredibly sharp looking, dagger. Deep in thought, Shi Mu Gazed at the illustration.
…...
The next morning, Shi Mu, alongside a swollen-eyed Zhong Xiu, came to a certain street in Feng City. On one side of the street stood an eye-catchingly huge manor, covering an area of a little over half a square kilometer. After a look at the blue doorway, which had a golden doorplate where a huge “Wu” was engraved, Shi Mu walked up to knock on the door.
“Who’s knocking at this early hour! The sun’s not even up yet!” The door was finally opened and a man, who looked to be a servant, said this in an impatient voice as he came out, glancing at the two visitors.
“This girl is one of your relatives, would you please report her arrival?” Shi Mu passed a jade plate to the servant while he said this.
“Our relative? Wait a moment.” Half-convinced, the man took the jade plate and closed the door.
It was only a short span of time before the door was opened again. This time, two men emerged from within. The one in front was a long-bearded old man while the one behind him was a youth of Shi Mu’s age, he looked like the old man, however, he was full of prideful arrogance.
“It really is my niece! Perfect! I’ve been waiting for so long since I got your letter. But where is my brother Zhong? And who is this...?” The pale old man was full of smiles seeing Zhong Xiu but seemed rather surprised at Shi Mu’s presence.
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