Because he had been crazily eating stones these past few days, the Gluttonous Cauldron had not continued to fade in color, which made Samuel Bennett breathe a sigh of relief.

　　The night passed uneventfully. Early the next morning, Samuel Bennett was once again the first to arrive.

　　Although William Walker said there was no need to cut tofu, he still went into the kitchen and, at the cost of a bag of stones, finished cutting up several hundred jin of tofu.

　　William Walker was basking in the sun with the old monkey in his arms. When he saw Samuel Bennett come out, he casually beckoned him over.

　　“With a steady hand, your aim is guaranteed.”

　　William Walker rocked his lounge chair, eyes half-closed, and said, “Last time, what did I say was the third essential quality for learning the blade?”

　　Samuel Bennett tensed up and answered:

　　“Ruthlessness.”

　　Creak—

　　The rocking chair stopped. Old Man Walker's gaze was deep and chilling, making Samuel Bennett feel a shiver down his spine:

　　“Tonight, show me some real ruthlessness, will you?”

　　“What?”

　　Samuel Bennett was stunned.

　　Old Man Walker slowly stood up, hands behind his back, pacing: “I am an executioner. If you want to learn my skills, of course you must…”

　　“Kill!”

Chapter 8: One Slash, Then Another!

　　……

　　Night fell like a veil over Black Mountain City. The bright moonlight poured down like mercury, flooding every household.

　　[Refining Progress (67/100)]

　　After glancing one last time at the progress bar on the cauldron wall, Samuel Bennett relaxed his mind and returned to reality.

　　After several rounds of refining, he had also mastered the trick of ending the process at will, so he wouldn’t have to exhaust all his strength before coming out.

　　“The further I go, the harder it seems.”

　　Samuel Bennett sighed.

　　Finishing a day of refining, he went out into the courtyard under the moonlight.

　　Listening to the heavy breathing of the old lady next door, Samuel Bennett carefully picked up a bucket of water, poured it over the whetstone, and began sharpening his broken blade.

　　“That old man… a real ruthless one. No wonder even a brute like David Miller acts like a mouse before a cat when he sees him.”

　　Recalling the chilling look in Old Man Walker’s eyes during the day, Samuel Bennett felt a cold sweat on his back.

　　This old executioner, who had killed all his life, was by far the most indifferent to human life of anyone he had ever met in both his lives.

　　No exceptions.

　　“Abide by the law…”

　　Samuel Bennett gritted his teeth.

　　In his previous life, after twelve years of hard study, he was about to enter law school as a freshman, though he hadn’t even attended a single class yet.

　　But deep down, he was still a good student who followed the rules.

　　Shhh—

　　The broken blade scraped against the whetstone, making a sound that set his teeth on edge.

　　“Uphold the spirit of democracy.”

　　He kept sharpening the blade.

　　“Set yourself right before correcting others.”

　　Sharpening.

　　“I…”

　　Samuel Bennett’s heart pounded like a drum, and he couldn’t even sharpen the blade properly.

　　Frustrated, he simply tossed the blade aside, picked up the cheap liquor he’d bought earlier, and, with a stone in hand, tilted his head back and took a swig.

　　“Cough, cough—”

　　The cheap liquor burned as it went down, heat and alcohol rushing to his face.

　　After a few coughs, Samuel Bennett raised the gourd again, and soon, he’d finished it all.

　　“So awful…”

　　He tossed the gourd aside, picked up the broken blade, and looked up at the sky.

　　A wind was rising, blowing the clouds to cover the moon, making the night seem even darker.

　　“This night is damn black!”

　　With a heavy drunken burp, Samuel Bennett grabbed his blade, got up, and staggered into the darkness.

　　At night, Black Mountain City was silent, with only the occasional barking of dogs and meowing of cats.

　　Stumbling through the alleys, Samuel Bennett felt lost.

　　Thinking back to the novels and movies he’d read and watched in his previous life, where the protagonist would become ruthless and decisive as soon as they transmigrated, he couldn’t help but shake his head.

　　He had never even killed a chicken before.

　　“Maybe with David Miller’s deterrence, they’ll back off…”

　　Chaotic thoughts swirled in Samuel Bennett’s mind.

　　Unknowingly, he had already passed through several alleys and arrived at the western district of the outer city.

　　Pressing his ear to the door, he could faintly hear groans. Though muffled by the courtyard, he could just make out that it was Charles Harris.

　　“So Charles Harris really is at his mistress’s place. Hah, didn’t even bother to close the door.”

　　Samuel Bennett made up his mind.

　　Amazed at how well-informed Old Man Walker was, he squeezed forward and entered the courtyard.

　　……

　　“Easy, easy, my waist—my waist is about to break!”

　　Charles Harris was lying naked on the bed, crying out in pain and groaning.

　　A woman with cheap rouge gently applied medicine to him, complaining, “That damn Butcher Miller, how could he be so ruthless?”

　　“It hurts like hell!”

　　Charles Harris pounded the bedboard in pain, his whole body trembling and drenched in cold sweat.

　　“Stop howling, it’s not good if outsiders hear.”

　　The woman glanced worriedly out the window.

　　“Damn it! I got beaten up like this because of you, and you’re worried about people hearing? What, am I supposed to be ashamed to be seen?!”

　　Charles Harris flared up, and slapped the woman across the face.

　　“Ow!”

　　The woman staggered from the blow, but as soon as she recovered, she started screaming and cursing:

　　“You bastard Charles Harris, how dare you hit me! When you were begging at my door, you didn’t act like this. I—I’ll beat you to death, you heartless thing!”

　　This woman was quite fierce, and after a round of flailing and shouting, even Charles Harris lost his temper and began begging for mercy.