The animal behind Yuyue looked akin to a vole, except its skin was covered in stone, covering it like armor.
It was around the size of a large dog and looked at Yuyue with a menacing expression.
Yuyue felt herself slowly pacing back, she had been completely careless, while the forest was controlled by the sect that didn't mean they had cleared it out of animals!
She instantly pulled the sword from her back, her arms trembled while holding the sword. Partly due to its weight and partly due to the fear that filled her heart.
The vole charged her and Yuyue cried out as she slashed randomly.
As she wait for the feeling of talons to sink into her skin to arrive, she realized that it hadn't happened.
She opened her eyes to see the vole looking at her with a curious expression. Surrounding Yuyue's body was a thin sheen of light, the talisman on her chest was burning.
Undeterred the vole charged her again and Yuyue watched as the talisman glowed once again blocking the attack.
She didn't wait another second before slashing her sword at the vole again. Although the sword was blunt it could still be used as a bludgeoning weapon.
The armor on the vole cracked with the strike. The sword was heavy and thus it would do considerable damage with just the innate momentum in a swing.
Yuyue's arms burned but she slashed again, this time the armor on the vole cracked and the sword dug into the skull of the vole, braining it.
The vole collapsed dead and Yuyue collapses with it.
She had lost all strength in her limbs, the talisman on her chest faded until it had been rendered inert.
Yuyue clutched the talisman. She had always kept it as a good luck charm but now she felt truly lucky to have it.
She was sure it had just saved her life. Still, she was unsure why the talisman had such powers. Her family wouldn't be able to afford such an object.
She would have to ask her father about it in the future if she ever got the chance to leave the sect.
She looked at the dead vole in front of her, the skull had caved in and there were bits of brain scattered about.
She ignored this and instead stabbed her sword into the vole's stomach. She was instantly greeted with a spray of blood, but she was still undeterred.
Sticking her hand into the bloody hole she made with her sword she dug around until she found the object that she was looking for.
"Ahahaha! My luck today is truly great."
What Yuyue held in her hand, was a bloody rounded object. It was a stone-skin vole bezoar and was worth 20 contribution points. The Stone-skin voles ate primarily fog weed and that weed would collect in their stomach eventually making a bezoar. Still, this could only be found in a quarter of voles so she was fortunate to find one here.
As she was celebrating her luck, Yuyue noticed the sword in her hand was droning, the blood of the stone vole began to collect onto the blade and sink into it. The edge which had once been dull now began to sharpen.
"A sword that drinks blood, what an ominous weapon!" She exclaimed.
She tried to move but found her body drained of energy. While, the fight she just had was exerting, she didn't realize how exhausted she had become until now. She felt as if she had spent an entire day running at full sprint.
She had a feeling that some sort of external force has drained her energy. She looked towards the sword but found herself drawn to the talisman on her chest.
"it seems like I must be careful, this talisman will protect me only if I have to vitality to sustain it."
Yuyue was tired, she considered leaving her sword in the area and picking it up the next day, but that would go against the promise she made it.
She decided to take a short rest before taking the sword with her.
Yuyue quickly realized that she could no longer tie the sword to her back, since it had now sharpened she would get cut by it as she moved.
"I will have to buy a sheath it seems" Grabbing the sword in her hands she tucked the bezoar in her pocket.
Trudging her way back to the sect she was given several weird looks by the other disciples. She was a woman who was covered in blood, she could imagine that most disciples had thought she had gone mad.
Shu Lin who was nearby noticed her state.
"Disciple Situ! Are you alright?" She asked.
Yuyue gave a smile
"Elder Sister Shi Lin, I am fine, there is nothing to worry about."
"But you are covered in blood?"
"I'm not wounded," Yuyue said.
"Ok… did you at least cover your contribution points? Elder sister can help you out just this once," Shu Lin had a sympathetic expression of her face as she looked at Yuyue
Yuyue felt truly grateful to the girl, she had taken such care to make sure that Yuyue was avoiding punishment. From her tone, it also seemed like it was common for new disciples to miss their contribution point quota.
"Do not worry elder sister, I have the required points"
Yuyue went to the counter and walked up to the man who was managing it, and she set the bezoar on the table.
The man took the bezoar in his hand and began to evaluate it.
"Mhmm! Stone-Skin Vole Bezoar, 20 contributions points"
Shu lin had a shocked expression
"Sister Situ how did you find such an item"
Yuyue gave a slight smile
"Just a little bit lucky"
Despite her fake response, Shu Lin didn't push further. She obviously didn't believe Yuyue but kept her peace.