4 Preparing for Battle

Jun Wu Xiao looked around the market and found it strangely deserted. Despite being a small town with a population of a few thousand, there was no one in sight today.

"How odd, could something big have happened outside while I was cultivating?" Jun Wu Xiao murmured to himself, scratching his head.

As he wandered around, he finally spotted a man pulling along a great deal of luggage as if intending to leave the place. This made Jun Wu Xiao feel even more that something was amiss, he couldn't understand why everyone was leaving the town.

Approaching the man, he asked:

"May I inquire why you're packing up as if you're about to leave?"

The man turned to look at the young man in front of him, although calling him young might not be entirely accurate since he was almost thirty-seven years old, but he looked younger than his age. The man's eyes were like staring at an idiot.

Seeing that look, Jun Wu Xiao was even more puzzled and thought:

"Could there be a significant issue that I'm unaware of? Why does this guy look at me as if I'm an idiot?"

Feeling sorry for the seemingly foolish young man before him, the man explained:

"Enemy troops are about to pass through here. If you don't run now, it'll be too late. You should hurry and leave too. I doubt the enemy will spare an idiot."

It's not unusual for the man to not know Jun Wu Xiao, he only goes out a few times a year. And decades have passed since he was called a genius, and people have long since forgotten his existence.

Jun Wu Xiao's mouth twitched in irritation, and he cursed internally: 

"Great, I've cultivated so long that the world now sees me as a fool." 

However, he said:

"Thank you."

Regardless of the man's words, he had good intentions in warning him, so Jun Wu Xiao didn't care about being called an idiot. Seeing Jun Wu Xiao's response, the man waved his hand and then left.

Now alone in the empty market, Jun Wu Xiao remembered his original purpose for coming here, and he spoke in an annoyed tone:

"What can I buy now? It looks like I'll have to forage in the forest for vegetables and plants to survive. After my breakthrough, my need for food has greatly diminished anyway. Those damned invaders, with so many other paths to choose, why pass through here? Forcing me to eat grass instead of rice. No, I must give them a good beating. And while I'm at it, I might as well take some of their rice to eat."

His attitude towards the invading army might seem odd to others. He had studied history and understood that conflict was not uncommon in the world. When asked if he hated the invaders, his answer was no. But did he want to beat them up, his answer was yes.

He didn't particularly want to kill anyone, fundamentally, he didn't enjoy it. At heart, he loved people, but that didn't mean he wasn't capable of killing if he wanted to. A single punch from him would suffice. However, the acts of these people weren't severe enough to warrant their deaths from his hands.

And if during his fight an enemy intends to kill him, he will not kill them. Simply because his goal was to beat them, not change his principles. At most, he'd capture the leader of the invaders and give him a good thrashing.

And if he were to be killed, it would only mean he was not strong enough, his death would be deserved.

Jun Wu Xiao grabbed a basket and headed into the forest to gather edible vegetables and plants. After a while, he had filled the basket.

Looking at his basket, he contentedly said:

"This should be enough to last me a while. By then, I'll have enough time to give the enemy a good beating. After that, I'll have rice to eat as usual."

He felt like his plan was too perfect, how could a group of ordinary people defeat him. But he didn't know that this time he was being stupid, the spitting of hundred thousand people was enough to suffocate him.

After returning home and cooking his foraged plants, he pondered:

"What should I use for the fight?"

Then he walked around the house looking for weapons. After finding a sword, he looked at it and shook his head and said:

"This toy is for killing people. Can't use it, find another one."

He discarded the sword and, after a bit more searching, found a sturdy wooden stick. Testing its hardness, he was satisfied and remarked:

"It's quite solid, but the soldiers are equipped with helmets and armor, so it won't be enough to crack their skulls. I just need to use enough force to knock them out."

Then he began to practice swinging the stick, as this would be his first fight. Despite his strength, he knew nothing about martial arts.

Days later, the invaders finally neared the town. Clearly, their target was not this small town but the capital city beyond. This town was merely unlucky to be in their path.

Standing atop a rooftop, Jun Wu Xiao surveyed the surroundings, his vision enhanced significantly, allowing him to see great distances. 

He is not farsighted, but he has the ability to change his eyes to adapt to the situation. When he needs to see far, he will look far, when he needs to see close, he will look close.

Twirling his stick in hand and resting it on his shoulder, he smirked at the sight of a hundred thousand fully armed soldiers before him, he said:

"Huh, no matter how numerous you are beyond my expectations, what of it? I'll fight until I'm tired and then run. You think you can catch up to me?"

Indeed, his plan was to strike at the enemy and then flee, waiting until he was recovered before attacking again. He intended to continue this hit-and-run strategy until the invading forces admitted defeat. Although it might not sound heroic, he wasn't foolish enough to take on a hundred thousand men at once.

At the enemy camp, a soldier reported to his general:

"Sir, the small town ahead seems to be deserted. It appears the inhabitants have evacuated."

Before him stood a middle-aged man with a dignified yet friendly demeanor, not muscular but more of a scholar in appearance. This man was Chu Wu, the highest commander of the hundred thousand-strong army.

"I understand. Their evacuation is of no concern, our goal is to conquer this kingdom, not to annihilate its people. However, we cannot overlook this town. Take it quickly, see if there's anything of use, and then we'll press on to the capital." Chu Wu commanded.

"Yes sir." the soldier replied, kneeling on one knee before swiftly standing to relay the orders to others.

"The general commands us to take this place immediately, then continue our march to the capital." he announced loudly to the army's other leaders.

They immediately executed the orders, with the massive army advancing straight towards the town. Unbeknownst to them, they were about to encounter the most bizarre and unexpectedly formidable enemy of their lives, an enemy that was dangerous but also not dangerous because he didn't want to kill anyone.