I Am a Rune Engraver, Carrying a Knife Makes Perfect Sense-Chapter 7 - Did a Donkey Kick Your Brain?

—

“Brother Shen? Weren’t you at the awakening ceremony?”

Inside an abandoned factory on East Street, a group of young men repairing car parts and machinery looked up in surprise as Xu Shen walked in.

“Finished ages ago. Do you even know what time it is?” Xu Shen rolled his eyes and headed straight to his shabby office.

“Brother Shen doesn’t look like he’s in a good mood.”

“Stop prying. Just focus on your work. We’re lucky enough to keep a portion of what we earn fixing cars—most of it goes to Brother Shen.”

“Yeah, he’s got to take care of his younger siblings. You can’t expect him to be cheerful all the time.”

“True, Brother Shen’s a good guy.”

The chatter outside didn’t bother Xu Shen. He shut the door, sat down in his worn-out office chair, and pulled out the black knife, closing his eyes.

—

【Host Name: Xu Shen】

【Age: 18】

【Cultivation: None (Spiritual Energy Entered Body)】

【Cultivation Technique: None】

【Engraving Points: 60】

【Runes: None】

【Detected: Host has awakened. Unlocking cultivation method.】

A wave of dizziness washed over Xu Shen as new information flooded his mind. When he opened his eyes, they gleamed with a sharp light.

—

【Weapon Rune has been recorded.】

【Cultivation Technique: Nine Observations of the Nether Immortal (冥仙九观)】

—

“So it’s finally here,” Xu Shen murmured. He had suspected that the black knife system wasn’t just about making him a Rune Engraver. His awakening had triggered something new—a cultivation technique and... a Weapon Rune?

“What’s a Weapon Rune?” Xu Shen wondered as an ancient and intricate pattern appeared in his mind. Unlike the elegant complexity of regular runes, this one exuded an aura of antiquity and mystery.

Curious, he searched online but found no mention of Weapon Runes. Setting his phone aside, he focused inwardly, allowing the details of the Nine Observations of the Nether Immortal to surface in his mind.

The technique intrigued him, but he couldn’t practice it yet. Like all cultivators, he needed to engrave a rune on his body before starting any cultivation technique. Runes not only enhanced spiritual energy absorption but also nurtured the runes themselves over time.

However, engraving the Weapon Rune wasn’t going to be easy.

Unlike regular runes, which could be engraved on the skin and would naturally integrate into the body, Weapon Runes required engraving directly into flesh and blood.

“Are you kidding me?” Xu Shen hissed through gritted teeth. This wasn’t just engraving—it was self-mutilation.

Would he do it? Of course.

What’s a little pain?

—

“Don’t worry about any noise you hear!” Xu Shen shouted to the workers outside before pulling out the black knife and focusing on the back of his right hand. The Weapon Rune covered a large area, so he decided to start small.

From under his desk, he retrieved a small box of dark red powder—a precious material that enhanced rune strength during engraving. He had saved for two years to buy it, intending to use it for his siblings’ runes. But now, he needed it for himself.

With a heavy heart, Xu Shen dipped the knife into the powder and began tracing the Weapon Rune’s path in his mind. Spiritual energy swirled around the blade as he steadied himself.

Slash!

The knife sliced into his skin, revealing bone beneath. Xu Shen clenched his teeth against the searing pain as sweat poured down his face.

Deeper.

The blade sank further into his flesh.

“Fuck!” Xu Shen roared through gritted teeth, nearly blacking out from the agony. It was unlike anything he had ever experienced—far worse than having rotting flesh cut away or even breaking bones.

Despite his trembling body, Xu Shen pressed on, dragging the knife through his hand with grim determination.

Finally, a crimson rune stretched from the back of his hand to his wrist. The moment it was complete, spiritual energy surged toward it like a vortex, flooding into his body.

Panting heavily, Xu Shen stared at his hand in shock. The wound was healing rapidly before his eyes, and the excruciating pain was replaced by a soothing warmth radiating from the rune.

Power coursed through him as energy from the rune spread throughout his body, strengthening every fiber of his being.

“Just one line of this rune has such power?” Xu Shen marveled as he clenched his fist. A thunderous force seemed to explode from within him.

A faint red aura rippled around him—a manifestation of Blood Energy, a unique power tied to Weapon Runes.

—

Weapon Runes didn’t rely on ghostly energy like regular runes. Instead, they harnessed Blood Energy, which enhanced physical strength and resilience. The two were complementary forces—spiritual energy for ghostly runes and blood energy for weapon runes.

Looking at the simple yet ancient crimson pattern on his hand, Xu Shen couldn’t help but smile. He felt like he could punch through a truck with ease.

However, engraving just this small portion had consumed all 60 of his Engraving Points. Completing the entire rune would require far more resources—and effort.

“I’ll need to kill more ghouls or refine more runes for others,” Xu Shen mused. “But I passed out just from fixing Uncle Wang’s rune... This is going to be tough.”

Shaking off his thoughts, Xu Shen stood up and stepped outside with a grin on his face.

—

The workers froze when they saw him, their faces pale with fear.

“What’s wrong? Do I have something on my face?” Xu Shen asked casually.

Unbeknownst to him, blood from his engraving session had splattered across his face and clothes. Under the dim factory lights, his grin looked disturbingly sinister.

“Brother Shen... did you kill another chicken?” one of them stammered.

Xu Shen’s face darkened as he walked past them. “Idiots.”

Stepping outside, he broke into a sprint. His newfound speed was exhilarating—he felt like a gust of wind as he raced through the streets toward home.

—

Reaching his apartment complex in minutes without breaking a sweat, Xu Shen headed upstairs only to find his siblings absent. Guessing they were at Uncle Wang’s place next door, he cleaned himself up before knocking on their door.

Li Li answered with a worried expression. “Xu Shen? Come in.”

As soon as he stepped inside, Xu Shen tensed instinctively, his hand moving toward the knife at his waist.

The living room was unusually crowded. Wang Bing and Wang Qingqing sat stiffly on one side while Wu Yun and Jiang Youyi occupied two small sofas nearby. Xu Dong and Xu Xia sat quietly at the dining table, looking uneasy.

The atmosphere was heavy.

Wu Yun and Jiang Youyi glanced at Xu Shen in surprise but said nothing.

“What’s with the long face, Auntie? Did someone owe you money?” Xu Shen joked lightly as he greeted Li Li.

“Don’t talk nonsense!” Li Li scolded before introducing him to their guests. “This is Xu Shen.”

“No need for introductions,” Jiang Youyi said with a polite smile as he adjusted his glasses. “I’ve heard plenty about him.”

“Young man,” Jiang continued with a chuckle, “breaking Wu Yun’s defense? Impressive.”

Wu Yun’s face darkened but remained silent. Meanwhile, Wang Bing and Li Li stared at Xu Shen in disbelief.

“Breaking Wu Yun’s defense? Is that even possible?” they thought incredulously.

“Just luck,” Xu Shen replied nonchalantly, though his hand remained near his waist.

Jiang Youyi smiled knowingly and began reciting details about Xu Shen’s life: “Eighteen years old. Survivor of Yuan City’s western district catastrophe ten years ago—lost both parents. Raised your younger siblings while working odd jobs on East Street before opening your own repair shop employing orphans like yourself.”

Xu Shen’s eyes narrowed as Blood Energy surged through him, causing the Weapon Rune on his hand to glow faintly. “You’ve been investigating me?”

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Jiang Youyi remained calm as he sipped his tea. “And if I have? What will you do about it?”

He set down his cup and added provocatively, “If you can kill me here and now, I’ll have no complaints.”

“But if you can’t... I’ll take Wang Qingqing—and your siblings—with me.”

The room fell silent as Wu Yun and Wang Bing exchanged uneasy glances before stepping aside to let things play out.

Xu Shen suddenly grinned and said something that nearly made Jiang Youyi choke on his tea:

“Did a donkey kick your brain? What kind of trap is this?”

“If I hurt you, you’ll hold a grudge and come after me later. If I don’t hurt you, you’ll take my family away? Aren’t you supposed to be Yuan City’s governor? This is beneath you.”

Leaning forward slightly, Xu Shen’s smile turned cold. “So tell me—what do you really want?”