The road to the Black Swamp was less of a road and more of a suggestion. It was a muddy scar cutting through the Iron-Wood Forest, where the trees grew so thick they choked out the sunlight.

  ?Jiang Chen moved at a jog. He was shirtless, his spare gray robe tied around his waist. His ribs were visible against his skin, vibrating with every breath.

  ?[Metabolic Status: Critical.]

  [Fat Reserves: 12% remaining.]

  ?He grabbed a handful of bitter-berries from a bush as he ran, shoving them into his mouth.

  ?"Sawdust," Apeiron complained. "You are eating rabbit food. It offers 0.01 EV. You are wasting energy chewing it."

  ?"It stops the stomach cramps," Jiang Chen gritted out.

  ?He wasn't running just to travel. He was running to hunt. The Black Swamp was still ten miles away, but the hunger in his gut acted like a compass, pulling him toward the nearest source of dense Qi.

  ?Suddenly, Jiang Chen skidded to a halt.

  ?He sniffed the air.

  ?Pine needles. Rotting leaves. And... medicinal herbs?

  ?"Ahead," Apeiron pinged. "Three heat signatures surrounding one. I smell agitation. And fear."

  ?Jiang Chen crept forward, merging with the shadows of the Iron-Wood trees.

  ?In a small clearing ahead, a scene as old as the cultivation world was playing out.

  ?A fat disciple sat on the ground, clutching a heavy leather pack to his chest. He was round-faced, sweating profusely, and wearing robes that were stained with soot and chemical burns.

  ?Surrounding him were three men holding drawn swords. They weren't wearing sect robes. Bandits? No, Rogue Cultivators—failed disciples who preyed on the weak near the sect borders.

  ?"Last chance, fatty," the leader of the rogues sneered, pointing his blade at the fat disciple's throat. "Hand over the spatial bag. We know you're running supplies to the outpost."

  ?"Please," the fat disciple squeaked. "These are ingredients for pill refining! They're volatile! If you open them without a seal, they'll spoil!"

  ?"Then we'll sell the spoiled sludge," the rogue laughed. "Hand it over, or I'll carve the fat off your bones."

  ?Jiang Chen watched from the bushes.

  ?"Ignore them," Apeiron said. "Low-value targets. The fat one is weak. The rogues are trash. Waste of time."

  ?Jiang Chen was about to turn away. He didn't have the energy to play hero.

  ?Then, he saw the logo on the fat disciple's bag. It was a stylized flame—a merchant's guild mark.

  ?And hanging from the fat disciple's belt was a set of jeweler's tools.

  ?Jiang Chen paused.

  ?"I have a bag full of loot buried in the woods," Jiang Chen thought. "And I'm about to go kill a swamp monster. I can't walk into the Sect market with high-tier beast cores. They'll ask questions."

  ?"You need a fence," Apeiron realized.

  ?"I need a fence."

  ?Jiang Chen stepped out of the bushes.

  ?He looked like a wraith. His skin was bronzed but gaunt, his eyes sunken, his hair wild. He didn't look like a cultivator; he looked like a famine victim who had crawled out of a grave.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  ?"Hey," Jiang Chen croaked.

  ?The rogues spun around. The leader blinked, taking in Jiang Chen's skeletal appearance.

  ?"Get lost, junkie," the leader spat. "Unless you want to die too."

  ?Jiang Chen pointed at the fat disciple. "Is he with you?"

  ?"Does it look like he's with us?"

  ?"Good," Jiang Chen said. "Then he's with me."

  ?The leader laughed. "You? You look like a strong breeze would knock you over. Boys, gut him."

  ?The two lackeys charged. They were Qi Condensation Layer 7. Decent speed. Sharp swords.

  ?To a normal eye, they were fast.

  ?To the [Void Eyes], they were moving underwater.

  ?Jiang Chen didn't draw a weapon. He didn't have one.

  ?He waited until the first sword was inches from his face.

  ?[Skill: Thunder-Blood Burst (Low Output).]

  ?He side-stepped. The movement was so sharp it snapped the air.

  ?He grabbed the attacker's wrist.

  ?[Void Claw: Grip.]

  ?He didn't use the corruption. He just used the crushing force of the Obsidian Furnace Body.

  ?CRUNCH.

  ?The rogue screamed as his wrist turned to powder. The sword dropped.

  ?Jiang Chen caught the falling sword with his other hand.

  ?"Thanks," Jiang Chen whispered.

  ?He spun. The blade flashed—a single, horizontal cut.

  ?The second attacker stopped moving. A thin red line appeared on his throat. He gurgled, clutching his neck, and collapsed.

  ?[EV +25.]

  ?The leader froze. His laugh died in his throat.

  ?"You..." The leader backed away. "You're a Foundation Establishment cultivator? Hiding your cultivation?"

  ?Jiang Chen didn't answer. He just looked at the leader. His stomach growled—a loud, monstrous sound that echoed in the clearing.

  ?"I'm hungry," Jiang Chen said.

  ?The leader dropped his sword and ran. He didn't look back. He scrambled into the brush like a rabbit fleeing a wolf.

  ?Jiang Chen didn't chase. He wasn't going to waste calories running down a coward.

  ?He dropped the bloody sword and turned to the fat disciple.

  ?The fat man was trembling so hard his cheeks were wobbling. He looked at Jiang Chen with absolute terror.

  ?"Please don't eat me!" the fat disciple wailed, holding his bag up as a shield. "I'm all cholesterol! I'm bad for your heart!"

  ?Jiang Chen stared at him.

  ?"He has a point," Apeiron mused. "High fat content, but low spiritual density. Not worth the chewing."

  ?Jiang Chen walked over and sat down on a log. He was winded. The burst of speed had cost him another 2% of his reserves.

  ?"I'm not going to eat you," Jiang Chen said, leaning forward. "What's your name?"

  ?"Lu," the fat man stammered. "Lu Pao. Outer Sect. I... I deal in low-grade pills and crafting materials."

  ?"Lu Pao," Jiang Chen repeated. "I'm Jiang Chen."

  ?Lu Pao's eyes widened. "The Survivor? The corpse guy?"

  ?"That's me."

  ?Jiang Chen pointed at the bag. "You're a merchant?"

  ?"I... I dabble," Lu Pao admitted, lowering the bag slightly. "I buy things disciples are too lazy to sell. I fix broken artifacts. I'm a craftsman."

  ?"Can you dismantle beast parts?" Jiang Chen asked. "Harvest cores? Hide the origin of stolen goods?"

  ?Lu Pao hesitated. He looked at the dead rogue on the ground, then back at the starving demon sitting on the log.

  ?"I... I can. If the price is right."

  ?Jiang Chen smiled. It was a terrifying expression on his gaunt face.

  ?"I'm going to the Black Swamp," Jiang Chen said. "I'm going to kill things. Big things. I can't sell them at the Sect Exchange without raising flags."

  ?He extended a bony hand.

  ?"I bring you the carcass. You strip it, sell the parts, and launder the money. We split the profit. 70/30."

  ?Lu Pao blinked. "70 for you?"

  ?"I do the killing. You do the selling. It's fair."

  ?Lu Pao looked at Jiang Chen's hand. He was a merchant at heart. He saw the danger, yes. But he also saw the opportunity. The Black Swamp was full of treasure, but no one survived long enough to harvest it.

  ?If this maniac was actually strong enough to farm the swamp...

  ?Lu Pao swallowed his fear. He reached out and shook Jiang Chen's hand.

  ?"Deal," Lu Pao said. "But 60/40. Laundering takes bribes."

  ?Jiang Chen's grip tightened slightly.

  ?"65/35," Jiang Chen countered. "And you give me a ride to the swamp entrance. I'm tired of running."

  ?Lu Pao grinned nervously. "Deal."

  ?One Hour Later.

  ?Jiang Chen sat in the back of Lu Pao's small, mule-drawn cart. He was chewing on a stick of Spirit Jerky that Lu had offered him as a down payment.

  ?[Biomass Ingested.]

  [EV +5.]

  [EV +5.]

  ?It wasn't much, but it stopped the shaking.

  ?"So," Lu Pao called from the driver's seat. "The Black Swamp Horror. You know two teams died trying to kill it, right? Rumor is, it's a Hydra variant."

  ?"I know," Jiang Chen said, eyes closed, meditating to conserve energy.

  ?"Why take the risk?" Lu asked. "For the glory?"

  ?Jiang Chen opened his eyes. The violet light was dim, waiting.

  ?"No," Jiang Chen said. "For the buffet."

  ?The cart rumbled over the crest of the hill.

  ?Below them lay the Black Swamp. A vast expanse of rotting vegetation, stagnant black water, and mist that curled like poisonous smoke.

  ?And in the center of the swamp, something massive moved under the water, creating a wake that capsized trees.

  ?"Finally," Apeiron whispered, the hunger in his voice matching Jiang Chen's own. "The main course."

  ?Jiang Chen hopped off the moving cart.

  ?"Wait here," he told Lu Pao. "Keep the engine running."

  ?He walked down the hill, into the mist.