In the morning, beneath a snow-covered sky and the steady hush of falling flakes, the forest edge lies wrapped in white silence—except for the sharp, rhythmic bang-bang echoing from a lone tree just outside the village.
The trunk shudders with each blow. Beneath it, Merin stands shirtless, steam rising from his body with every breath.
His fists slam into the bark, his posture grounded in the stance of the Bull Boxing technique. Muscles tighten and release in perfect form—solid, forceful, and unyielding. The snowfall clings to his hair and shoulders, but he doesn't stop.
Each punch drives deeper.
Merin has been practising the Bull Boxing technique for hours, starting from dawn.
He wants to master the technique.
After a Middle-Level Technique is mastered, one can comprehend the artistic conception behind the technique.
Artistic conception can be used to refine the body with the natural energy of the world.
Artistic conception forms an invisible spiritual field.
After forming the spiritual field, one can perceive and absorb the natural energy of the world.
Then refine your inner energy or body with the natural energy of the world. His inner energy is not condensed enough to be refined by the natural energy of the world.
Absorbing natural energy comes with a risk of petrifaction if the inner energy is not condensed enough.
So, only Samurai whose cultivation reached the High-Level realm.
Starts slowly and carefully to absorb the natural energy of the world, and slowly refines their inner energy into the true energy to break through the Great Samurai Realm.
All this knowledge he learn from Asuna.
After he again refines his inner energy with the Life Qi technique.
He then further understood why combat effectiveness with the Life Qi technique is the lowest.
The inner energy formed by cultivating the Life Qi technique is mild.
He didn't care about this, as the reason for cultivating the Life Qi technique was not for combat effectiveness.
It increased his healing speed by five times from the Bear Body Refining technique.
His mild tears on the energy veins are close to being healed, and in a week, it will be healed.
The large tears would take months, but this is when he regained cultivation of the Low-Ranking Samurai.
If he breaks through Middle-Ranking Samurai, his healing speed would further increase.
It was easy with the 10 Golden Spring potions, his inner energy restored bringing him back to the peak of Low-Ranking Samurai.
But regaining his cultivation of Middle-Ranking Samurai is entirely another matter.
He quickly regained his peak of the Low-Ranking Samurai cultivation realm because there was another reason.
While he was in the Middle-Ranking Samurai realm, he used to circulate his inner energy and refine his internal organs.
He is a healer, he knows the importance of his internal organs. Along with no way forward, he refined and harmonised his internal organs.
And it was proven to be enough to regain some of his cultivation. As the first stage of Life Qi technique up to the peak of the Low-Ranking Samurai realm, was to widen energy veins to increase the connection between the organs and refined and harmonised the organ.
The goal was already completed before he even started cultivating the Life Qi technique.
But to break through the Middle-Ranking Samurai realm, he has to further refine his internal organs, which will take months.
But his situation doesn't allow him the luxury of time. So, even if he didn't regain all his cultivation back.
He has to regain his combat effectiveness of a Middle-Ranking Samurai.
And cultivation realm doesn't correlate to combat effectiveness.
Discussing with Asuna, he became aware of superior techniques that would allow a samurai in the Low-Ranking the strength to fight an average Middle-Ranking Samurai.
The other is the Artistic conception, even a Low-Ranking samurai absorbing the natural energy is dangerous, but they can manipulate it outside their body to attack or defend.
So, now his goal is to master the Cloud Sword technique or the Bull Boxing technique.
He didn't choose to master one technique first. As he remembers his lesson at that night in the Susa City and the next morning in the forest, where he had to fight without a sword.
He would not carry a sword everywhere he goes. So, he has to master an unarmed fighting technique.
And also, the cloud sword technique, as the combat power with a weapon, is far greater than unarmed. Be it a sword, spear, hammer, bow or any other weapon.
He has only a middle-ranking sword technique, and the weapon he likes is also a sword.
So, he would practise the two techniques.
Merin halts and takes deep breaths to drive the exhaustion away.
But he didn't halt because of exhaustion, but he heard footsteps from behind him.
And are coming closer, he glances back to find Asuna, who is walking toward him.
He turns back. " Where are you going?" But he already knows after he discovers she is carrying a bow and arrows.
Asuna, while walking." Hunting."
Standing before him." I heard that Snow Scale Deer come down the Yao mountain range during the winter season."
Merin takes his robe hanging from one of the tree branches. " Snow Scale Deer?"
Asuna says," Snow Scale Deer are a unique mutation of Scale Deer only found in the Yao Mountain Range. And their meat has a marbled texture and contains massive energy."
Merin is putting on his robe. " I will also join you for the hunt."
Asuna looks him up and down. " With your injuries. Are you able to fight?"
Merin says," No problem. The inner energy of the Life Qi technique doesn't damage the body after it gets out of the tears of my energy veins."
Asuna hesitates. " But... You're injuries can intensify."
Merin says," No worries, now my inner energy cannot cause damage to others, what damage would it cause me?"
Merin continues after seeing that Asuna is still not on board with taking him for the hunt. " Give me the bow and arrows, I will use them."
" I am bored staying in the village and practising all the time. If you don't take me, I will go alone. "
Asuna curses and hands him the bow and arrows. She, with heavy steps, walks into the forest.Merin follows behind her with an arrow nodge in the bow ready to shot.
Both of their luck proved good today.
In an hour, they come across a deer with a body white as snow.
They wouldn't have noticed the deer if it were in a snow-covered plain.
The snow in the forest can't blanket every surface.
They've found the deer; now it's time to hunt.
Merin turns his face toward Asuna, hiding beside him. His nose touches her ears as they are hiding behind a tree. " What's the plan?"
Chasing the deer is not an option. Merin learned from Asuna that Snow Scale Deer can run at a speed equal to a High-Ranking Samurai.
Either of them is a High-Ranking Samurai. So, chasing the deer is not an option that even comes to their mind.
Asuna shows no reaction to his proximity.
They spent more than 10 days with only each other, and now they stay and sleep in a room. Asuna even saw him naked. " I will round to reach your opposite side."
Then she also turns to look at him. Then, both their noses touch, and they feel each other's hot breath.
Asuna's eyes stare at Merin's eyes. But she didn't take a step back. " Your task is the most important. You would have to shoot at the deer's unprotected kneecap. To stop it from running."
Merin turns to face the deer. Now is the time for the hunt. Asuna starts walking slowly and carefully so as not to alert the deer.
Merin keeps staring at the deer for any opportunity.
And it comes, but before Asuna reach her position. The deer with its front hoofs on the tree's trunk is eating the leaves on the branches.
And it leaves the back kneecaps open to Merin.
This opportunity may not come again.
So he pulls the string and aims. He calms himself down with a deep breath and adjusts his aim.
The wind hides the sound of his deep breath.
He again adjusts his aim, considering the wind.
He releases the string.
The deer and Asuna hear the unmistakable sound of bow strings snapping back at their place.
Both react differently.
The deer tries to escape from this place, and Asuna takes her sword out and charges at the deer.
The deer reacts late before it can put its front hoof down on the ground. The arrow enters at the back of the right kneecap.
The deer cries out in pain and stumbles.
Merin readies another arrow, waiting for another opportunity as Asuna strikes the deer's scales with its sword.
Drawing blood. Asuna keeps her assault, not giving the deer a moment to escape.
Merin walks near them and keeps an eye around for any intruder who comes to hear the deer's painful cry.
From the corner of his eye, he discovers the deer falls on the snowy ground. Dying, the snow red with its bloodied body.
Finally, Asuna sits down, holding the deer's head and slashing at the deer's throat, spraying blood on the snow.
The deer takes its final breath.
Merin looks at the bloodied deer. " I think if we had killed the deer with a slash at its neck and no other wound on the scale cover pelt. Then the pelt would fetch a high price."
With a piece of cloth, Asuna cleans the blood from her sword. "They're expensive and uncommon, typically used to make inner armour."
" But what can be done? We are not strong enough."
Merin carries the deer on his shoulder and follows Asuna.
They halt a distance from the village, deep in the forest, their eyes on the snowy ground before them.
Asuna says," Human footsteps."
Merin carefully observes the footprints on the snow." Not for any people around here."
The villagers shared their knowledge of walking on snow for safe travel to and from the villages.
The beasts are intelligent enough to follow in their footsteps.
Asuna nods. " They came from the south and are heading north."
They look at each other.
Merin says," Our pursuers."
Asuna says," Highly likely them. No one would take this path to reach Mugenkai from Susa."
Merin agrees with her because ordinary people cannot take the ten-day journey through the forest.
And Samurai would take a boat ride from Susa to Jugen, on a horse from Jugen to Makali, again a boat ride from Makali to Peros, and the last journey on a horse from Peros to Mugen.
You can take a night boat ride and sleep in your room on board.
This method usually makes the Susa to Mugenkai journey less dangerous, allowing it to be finished in a week.
Samurai can fund their journey by hunting beasts and selling them, though it requires payment.
Merin says," Shall we follow them?"
Asuna shakes her head," You are carrying a deer and are injured. It would be risky to follow them without our complete strength."
Asuna starts walking again toward the village, and he follows her.
Upon reaching the village gate, the guards, sheltered under a nearby house's roof to escape the snow, didn't stop them.
A guard immediately noticed the Snow Scale Deer slung over Merin's shoulder.
"Kanuro, you're truly lucky!" he called out.
Merin glanced at him, asking, "How?"
The guard then looked at Asuna, adding, "You have a beautiful and kind wife, and you managed to hunt a Snow Scale Deer on your first try!"
Asuna raised her eyebrows and smiled at Merin. "Yes, I am really lucky,"
Merin affirmed, walking forward to take Asuna's hand. They strolled hand-in-hand toward their home.
They paused in front of their house, noticing two horses tethered before the village chief's residence.
They exchanged a look. "Not our pursuers,"
Merin said. "The villagers would have alerted us."
He reminded Asuna of their background: they were married against their families' wishes and were now being pursued by Asuna's family.
Asuna nodded, then opened the door. Merin headed directly to the bathroom with the deer to clean and butcher it.