After a long time, Du Chengfeng finally woke up.
How long he had slept was hard for Du Chengfeng to determine; maybe a day, maybe two. At least the corpses around him had disappeared, presumably cleaned up by someone.
To be able to kill so many, Du Chengfeng was quite surprised. Not long ago, he was just an ordinary person, someone who hadn't even seen much blood. Yet in just one night, he had become a murderous demon, slaughtering over two hundred people with one blow after another of his knife.
And all of this was not something from a dream or a hazy memory; it was something he had done with his own hands.
Perhaps because a long time had passed, or because he had gotten enough rest, Du Chengfeng finally discerned what was illusion and what was reality.
However, the memories from when he became the large knife weren't really illusions either. Although they weren't experiences he had personally been through, they were ones the large knife had. When he put the large knife on the Grinding Stone, the memories the large knife carried surged into his mind along with the so-called Evil Qi.
On one hand, he had a human's brief lifespan; on the other, there was over a century of heavy accumulation. After someone experiences such a long time with another identity, can they truly remember who they are?
Perhaps this explains why there is a saying that weapons' Evil Qi can drive people insane. Without a strong will to determine who you truly are, the immense weight of this memory could instantly overwhelm you, leading you to completely forget your own existence.
But even if someone like Du Chengfeng can rely on a resolute will to get through this ordeal, it doesn't necessarily mean he can completely be at peace.
The so-called firm will is like a rocky outcrop amidst a storm, remaining unmoved despite the wind and rain—yet this so-called Evil Qi is not just a mere storm. As more people are killed, the storm gradually turns into a tempest, or even a monstrous wave.
Once engulfed by this terrifying presence, one might find themselves lost in the massacre, never to escape.
After all, the feeling of freely determining life and death is so wonderful.
It was at this moment Du Chengfeng realized the meaning of the word "power over life and death." The denial and deprivation of life, this is undoubtedly the deepest, most fundamental power. Indeed, this power might not solve all problems, but it can fundamentally eliminate all the people who create those problems.
And the weapon in hand is the manifestation of this power.
Grasping the hilt is to hold power and might.
The instant the blade swings, there is nothing in the world it cannot kill.
"You're starting again."
Thinking about this, Du Chengfeng couldn't help but look down at the large knife in his hand.
Clearly, while he was lost in thought, this large knife had once again been affecting his will.
But one couldn't really blame the knife, as it was just a piece of steel, an inanimate object. It was the heavy memories it carried that made the knife a deadly blade capable of influencing one's heart. As the person being influenced, Du Chengfeng just felt that his will wasn't resolute enough, which allowed him to be attracted and even led by the knife.
"I know you really want to cut something, but there are some people who truly cannot be killed."
Saying so, Du Chengfeng, lying on the ground, turned his head toward the direction of approaching footsteps.
"Like him, definitely cannot be killed."
Appearing in Du Chengfeng's line of sight was the kind-hearted Li Carpenter, and from the water bucket and medicine he was carrying, Du Chengfeng could tell what kind of care he had received while he was unconscious.
But to Du Chengfeng's surprise, although Li Carpenter came over, he didn't come close. Instead, he pulled out several sections of bamboo tube from his back, connected them together, and sent them toward Du Chengfeng, all the way to his mouth.
"Uh, brother, what are you doing?"
Seeing the clear water flowing out of the bamboo tube, Du Chengfeng couldn't hold back.
Though he admired Li Carpenter's creativity, connecting the tubes just to deliver some drinking water seemed a bit over the top.
"You're awake?"
Hearing Du Chengfeng's voice, Li Carpenter lifted his head in surprise, but just as he was about to step forward, he seemed to remember something and immediately stopped.
This left Du Chengfeng puzzled.
"What's up, brother? Why don't you just come over? Why go through all this trouble?"
"I... I'd rather not come over, just yet."
Hesitating for a moment, Li Carpenter ultimately didn't dare to approach.
"It's okay from here. You just open your mouth, and I'll pass the tube over."
"Why does it sound so awkward?"
Sighing, Du Chengfeng looked down at his own blood-stained appearance, shaking his head with a wry smile.
"No, brother, we've known each other for so long. You even helped me build a house before. You know what kind of person I am, so why are you afraid?"
"I'm not afraid of you."
Gritting his teeth, Li Carpenter finally mustered up the courage and pointed at the large knife in Du Chengfeng's hand.
"It's it, that knife. It's protecting you."
"...Huh?"
Du Chengfeng was taken aback.
It was then that Du Chengfeng noticed seven or eight spears, severed in two, scattered around him, with the remnants of arrows and darts strewn across the ground.
Clearly, these weapons were meant to kill him. The remnants were proof of how meticulously someone had planned to end his life.
Yet his body hadn't been harmed in the slightest.
"Even when clearing the bodies, the knife wouldn't let anyone near. They could only use iron hooks to pull away the barbarian corpses that had fallen around you... As for you, everyone had no choice but to let you continue lying there. With that knife there, no one dared come close."
"Are you serious, brother?"
Hearing Li Carpenter's eerie account, Du Chengfeng couldn't help but look again at the large knife in his hand.
The heavy blade still bore the traces of dried blood, every thread of its pattern, and every small notch in its edge was within Du Chengfeng's perception. Having borne the memories of this large knife, he was now familiar with every inch and fiber of it, almost inseparably bonded.
So he knew very well that a knife is just a knife, a tool forged from steel. How could it possibly behave as absurdly as Li Carpenter described?
And as Du Chengfeng's eyes met it, the heavy knife seemed to tremble slightly in his grasp.
"...Hungry?"
Du Chengfeng was startled.
Not only was the knife hungry, but he was too.