Chapter 4: The Mysterious Sword Technique

  His eyes stared at the wind, and there were also some tears in his eyes. But in the end, he restrained himself, forcing himself to think carefully about the things that still needed attention in Jianghu. Suddenly, he slapped his forehead violently, as if he had thought of something important. Carefully, he reached into his bosom and finally pulled out a white cloth from his close-fitting clothes. This white cloth looked ordinary at first glance, but upon closer inspection, it could be seen that there were some faint red marks inside, which must have been written by someone with red paint and then folded up.

  Changming's eyes changed, and the slightly sad component disappeared. Only a hint of precision and caution remained, as if he had thought of something extremely important. Changming paused for a moment before speaking: "The text on this cloth is a sword manual that I found by chance during an adventure. Once, I accidentally got lost in the Longling Stone Caves and stumbled upon a withered corpse wearing a Taoist robe. The sword manual was carved on its back. What surprised me most was the sword manual behind it. I took a closer look, and those engravings were not made by metal tools like knives or axes. The depth, width, and even the force used were extremely uniform. Later, I tried it out and found that it was actually carved with fingers!"

  "What's with the fingers?!" The wind-blown mouth was huge, big enough to swallow an egg whole. "Is there really such a great person in this world?" Although Changming had told him so many stories about Qingxuan, after all, it wasn't something he had seen with his own eyes, and thus hadn't been able to withstand the shock of writing on the stone wall with his fingers.

  Chang Ming nodded, recalling the past and finding it hard to believe. He sighed, "Yes, I didn't expect there to be such a master in the world. The entire inscription flowed like clouds and water, without any signs of discontinuity, as if this wasn't a stone wall but a lump of mud instead. At that time, I was extremely shocked, so I used a piece of white cloth to rub down all the inscriptions on the stone wall. After returning, I carefully studied them, but still didn't make any progress. Later, it was only after getting your father's guidance that I made some small achievements. It was this small achievement that allowed me to take a big step forward, and now I've already stepped into the Pre-Heaven realm with one foot."

  "How can this sword technique be so powerful?" Suddenly, the wind was shocked, and earlier in his heart, he still had some doubts, but when Changming said that it actually broke through the boundary and approached the Xiantian, he suddenly attached great importance to it.

  Chang Ming looked around unconsciously and said in a low voice, "The effect of this sword technique is extraordinary. When practiced, it can attract the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into the body. Although it cannot be transformed for personal use, it can also have the effect of widening the meridians and washing the marrow. In the future, you must remember not to mention its function in front of people, otherwise, I don't know how many people in the Jianghu will covet it. Once the meridian is widened, it is absolutely a great advantage for those who practice martial arts. The only difficulty is that this sword technique is a Taoist method, and to understand it requires knowledge of Yi studies. Originally, I was ignorant of these things, but thanks to your father's guidance. But you are different, you have been reading various Yi studies classics since childhood, and even the Yi Jing can be recited fluently. It will be much simpler to understand."

  Changming said this when the wind had already unfolded the white cloth. On the white cloth, many people holding swords were painted with red pigment, displaying various moves. Although it was just a few strokes, it was extremely vivid and accurately explained the key points of each move. Next to each move, there were also notes written in regular script and key points to pay attention to. The words were not many, but they were very concise. At the top, there were several large characters that read "Dedicated to those who have fate", while at the bottom right corner, near the end, the font was much smaller, apparently because it was originally carved more shallowly. It's unknown whether the carver's skills had been exhausted or if they were about to ascend to immortality with a gentle breeze. According to Changming, before carving, there was a corpse wearing a Taoist robe, presumably someone who had suffered severe injuries and used their last strength to carve out the essence of their lifelong learning before dying.

  Then, with the wind as a substitute for the sword, he imitated the moves above. However, the seemingly simple movements couldn't be done properly, always just a little bit off, yet feeling like heaven and earth apart. Only then did Feng deeply feel why Changming said it was extremely difficult to comprehend.

  Looking at the solemn and meticulous appearance, Changming felt a few more threads of comfort in his heart, and his grasp on the future also increased. He said softly: "Alright, there's plenty of time later, no need to rush now. First listen to me, tomorrow morning after you leave, remember to go to Pangu Mountain 30 miles north of Beidao Temple outside the city, at the foot of the mountain there is a secluded path. Going inside will be your parents' tomb, and before you leave, go pay your respects with filial piety."

  Hearing Changming say this, Suifeng put down the white cloth in his hand, and he also felt it was necessary to go pay respects. Even if Changming didn't say anything, he would have asked anyway. After thinking for a moment, he asked: "Then, Uncle Changming, what time should I leave the city tomorrow?"

  Chang Ming was taken aback, he hadn't thought about this carefully. After some careful consideration, he said: "I'm worried that the night is long and dreams are many, the Liu family has a lot to do with the governor of Yangzhou. I've been in his house for so many years, and I vaguely feel that even the commander-in-chief of the Huainan military campaign has a connection with the Liu family. I'm afraid this city guard is also a trusted person of the Liu family, so for safety's sake, you should set off early, before dawn. According to my estimate, when you arrive at your parents' tomb, it will be around noon, and you can return to the Taoist temple before dark, where you can stay overnight and continue on your journey tomorrow. It's better if you rest early today."

  Sui Feng could only nod slightly, carefully folding the white cloth with the shocking sword manual and putting it in his bosom. After washing up, he went to bed together with Wang Changming.

  The candle flame had gone out, but the moonlight outside was still shining brightly, pouring in through the window. The room was a vast expanse of white, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't sleep, clutching his pure sword tightly to his chest. He didn't know whether it was because it held the scent of his father or if it would be his only companion on the long and winding road ahead. When your path is shrouded in mist, thinking too much about it won't do any good; it's better to focus on planning for the present. Although he had never heard this saying before, he knew that resisting now was futile, and his path was set - there would be many forks in the road ahead, but they couldn't be predicted yet.

  After thinking for a while, he got nothing, so he simply stopped thinking. He focused on recalling the sword manual he had just read, which was a top-secret technique of the Taoist school. It subtly combined the Three Talents, the Purple Microcosm Star Chart, the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, etc. Those who didn't understand the inner connections would never achieve anything in their lifetime. Fortunately, Xun had been familiar with the classics of I Ching, Ziwei Astrology, and Hetu Luoshu since childhood, and he also remembered various Taoist classics by heart. Although he was still young and his understanding wasn't deep, when he compared the sword manual with what he had learned before, he could often find a thread of insight. Especially I Ching, which he used to think was extremely difficult to understand, it was like a heavenly book. But whenever he thought for a long time without getting anywhere, the image of the 64 Hexagrams Chart on the wall of Changming Hall would flash into his mind. Combining the chart with the attached words, it was like finding a shortcut through a dark forest, and suddenly everything became clear again.

  Also having a hard time falling asleep was Chang Ming. As a half-grown child, he was to travel alone from Jianghuai to the foot of Mount Tai in Qilu, a journey of over a thousand miles. In between, there were places with treacherous mountains and rivers, as well as areas with fierce customs, where conflicts could arise at any time. If that happened, wouldn't it be difficult for Chang Ming, a mere bookworm, to escape unscathed? The more he thought about it, the more worried he became. However, keeping him behind was not an option either, as it would delay his martial arts training. Normally, children started learning martial arts from the age of four, and Chang Ming was already thirteen years old. Although he had exceptional talent and a natural gift for martial arts, he was still late in starting his training. People with extraordinary talents like him were not rare, and some prodigies had already become famous young masters by Chang Ming's age.

  Changming couldn't bear the regret in his heart, but he had no choice. At this point, there was only one way to go, and that was to let him venture out into the world. There was no better training ground than this. "Perhaps after experiencing love, hate, affection, and separation, he would truly grow up, not just in martial arts, but more so in character." Changming sighed silently to himself and fell asleep.