Chapter Thirteen: Practicing Dual Swords

  The incident with the bandits two days ago was just a small episode for Zhang Ping, and he didn't take it to heart at all. Because he believed that after seeing those bandits' wounds, that so-called Sun Dazhang would absolutely not dare to want revenge on him, because if he wanted to do so, he would absolutely not live until today.

  After this experience, Zhang Ping returned to the Upper Clearness Temple with a multitude of emotions. Looking at the familiar gate and the familiar small road, Zhang Ping felt that his heartbeat had accelerated greatly.

  Entering the Upper Clearness Hall, it was just past noon and the courtyard was quiet. Suddenly, Jiang Jian, a fellow disciple of the same generation as Zhang Ping, walked over. Seeing Zhang Ping, Jiang Jian rushed over to ask: "Has Eldest Brother Hui returned? I heard you went out to make a name for yourself in the jianghu, now that you're back, are you also one of the young heroes of our generation?"

  "Rushing through the rivers and lakes isn't anything special, it's just that I've gained a bit more experience. Jiang Shidi, now that I'm back, I need to report my experiences to Master Tianxu, another day I'll tell you all about it in detail, okay?" Facing his younger brother's admiring gaze, Zhang Ping felt a little proud too. However, he still remembered that the most important thing was to go pay respects to his own master, Tianxu first.

  "Alright, Big Brother. I won't disturb you then, hurry up and go to the Master's place."

  As he watched Jiang Jian walk away with a look of admiration, Zhang Ping couldn't help but think that managing a sect wasn't easy either. Just like Jiang Jian, his father had been doing business at the foot of Shangqing Temple for generations, and it was said that their ancestors had even produced a county magistrate. Jiang Jian had two older brothers and four older sisters, and he was the youngest. However, since he was frail and often ill from a young age, his father had sent him to the mountain to learn martial arts, hoping that he would be able to stay healthy.

  Most of the secular disciples of Shangqing Temple, like Jiang Jian, are either wealthy or influential in their families. They are the main source of funding and connections for Shangqing Temple. Their children who join Shangqing Temple not only learn martial arts but also gain protection from the temple. If anyone from the martial arts world or bandits dare to provoke them, Shangqing Temple will take revenge. It's a mutually beneficial relationship.

  The true disciples of the Upper Clear Observation are partly orphans who were adopted from a young age, and some are descendants of secular disciples for generations. The true disciples are the pillars of the sect, learning the best martial arts and enjoying the best resources. Correspondingly, after the true disciples have learned, they will bear all the favors and grudges of the sect.

  While the sect also recruits some ordinary people's half-grown children from nearby families with a clean family background as outer disciples, they are taught some common and superficial martial arts on the rivers and lakes to help the sect manage some of its industries.

  These three disciples are the foundation for the development and growth of Shangqing Temple, and none can be missing.

  Zhang Ping arrived at his master Tian Xu's door and gently knocked on it.

  "Who is it?" A loud and clear voice came from inside the room.

  "Master, it's your unworthy disciple Zhang Ping, reporting back."

  "Then hurry up and get in." Tian Xu scolded with a smile.

  "Yes, come on in." Hearing Tian Xu's mocking laughter, Zhang Ping pushed open the door and walked in.

  "Come sit here." Tian Xu beckoned.

  Zhang Ping sat down and Tian Xu looked at him, saying: "Not bad, Xiang Li, you've matured a lot, and it seems like you've gained quite a bit from this trip. Tell me about your experiences along the way."

  "Yes, Master." Zhang Ping began to recount his journey. From the encounter with two thieves at the inn, to the surprise of seeing the black and white twin swords at the restaurant, to following Xie Yanke, mastering the mysterious internal skill, setting up an ambush to retrieve the twin swords, and killing bandits on the way back. The thrilling scenes along the way were recounted by Zhang Ping in a light and casual tone.

  However, Zhang Ping omitted the part where his soul left his body. He explained the tracking part as his own cleverness and caution, and interpreted the mysterious technique as a waistband hidden in the dead expert's belt that day. As for successfully cultivating the technique, he said it was just because he didn't think of anything in his mind that he overcame it.

  After listening to Zhang Ping's account, Tian Xū was even more satisfied with Zhang Ping. He then said to Zhang Ping: "Good, Zhang Li, you've done very well, far exceeding the master's expectations. Tomorrow, I'll let your uncle Yuanxu arrange for your parents to be notified. They must have suffered a great loss without the Black and White Twin Swords. You can go back and rest now, as I need to study this mysterious technique with your uncles, perhaps our sect can survive the great disaster six years from now."

  "Master, rest assured, six years later I will definitely make that Reward Good and Punish Evil Second Envoy come and go without a trace." Zhang Ping said with full confidence.

  "Hu, you think the two envoys' prestige and power are just empty talk? They were built on the blood and corpses of countless top-notch experts. Now, your only focus should be on practicing martial arts diligently, don't bother with anything else." Tian Xū hurriedly rebuked upon hearing Zhang Píng's words.

  "Yes, I'll withdraw." Zhang Ping hastily withdrew.

  More than a month later, his adoptive father and mother finally arrived at Shang Qing Guan.

  "Senior Brother Zhangmen, all senior brothers are well."

  "Third Brother Shi, Fourth Sister Qin, you've had a hard journey, we're all family, no need to be polite, let's just go in and talk." Tian Xū and the others led Shi Qing and his wife into the pavilion as they spoke.

  As soon as they entered the room, Zhang Ping rushed over.

  "Uncle and aunt are doing well, the child has asked for your well-being." Zhang Ping rushed over to pay his respects.

  "Good boy, come here and let your stepmother take a good look at you. It's been so many years since we last saw each other, and now you've grown into a big kid. When are you going to bring a wife back for your stepmother?" Min Ruo's question made Zhang Ping's forehead full of black lines, he was only thirteen years old after all.

  "It's just that Li is now a great hero, and in the future he will marry a heroine. In the future, the two swords will be reunited, and it will be a new generation of black and white twin swords." Yu Xujun teased.

  "Good, Li'er has indeed not disappointed Tianxu Shixiong's teachings. Good, good, good." Shi Qing, who rarely praised people, unexpectedly praised Zhang with four "good"s.

  After everyone had a good laugh, Zhang Ping followed his master, several uncles and his adoptive parents to the secret chamber of the sect leader to study that mysterious technique. The research by his master and uncles for the past month had yielded little results, as it was not easy for a martial artist to truly clear their mind of distractions.

  After Shi Qing and his wife joined, everyone discussed for another three days, and the conclusion was that it seemed that only someone with a natural talent like Zhang Ping had the opportunity to practice this divine skill.

  Shi Qing and his wife stayed at Shangqing Temple for half a month. After exchanging martial arts skills with Tian Xu and others for a period of time, and pointing out some martial arts experiences and Jianghu experiences to Zhang Ping, they continued their journey of revenge and searching for Shi Zhongyu. Zhang Ping originally wanted to follow them, but was sternly stopped by Shi Qing, and finally had no choice but to stay at Shangqing Temple honestly.

  Zhang Ping focused on asking Shi Qing couple about the coordination of Double Sword Unison during this period, which made Min Ruo think that he had started to have a crush. In fact, Zhang Ping was inspired by a conversation with Shi Qing couple when they first arrived.

  As soon as Shi Qing and his wife left, Zhang Ping asked his master Tian Xu to view all the records of moves related to the coordination between the two in the Shangqing Temple, as well as the records of moves related to dual swords. Tian Xu was puzzled but still satisfied with Zhang Ping's request for this gifted disciple.

  Zhang Ping, after mastering these moves, began to explore. Because he suddenly thought that if he could use his heart and mind at the same time, then using two sword techniques by himself would be incredibly powerful, doubling his combat strength.

  It's easy to say, but it's not easy to do. First of all, there is the problem of the left-handed sword. After asking for help from Master Tianxu, Tianxu helped Zhang Ping think of a good way, which was to practice drawing his sword. No matter what he did, unless he encountered irresistible factors such as eating and sleeping, Zhang Ping had to keep drawing and sheathing his sword non-stop.

  The second is the problem of swordsmanship, and using the same swordsmanship with both left and right hands can't help but feel a bit repetitive. Because although his adoptive father and mother used the same swordsmanship, in the long-term practice, they had added their own insights, and there were already some differences. But Zhang Ping was only one person, and if he continued to practice like this, it wouldn't be much better than ordinary double-sword kung fu. As for this, Tian Xu also didn't have any good solutions, and could only provide as many swordsmanship moves as possible for Zhang Ping's reference, hoping that he could create a suitable swordsmanship based on these.

  Finally, it's the issue of coordinating body movements. The sword techniques for left and right hands are different, so the required footwork is also vastly different. This point is both the simplest and the most difficult; the method is simple - after practicing a lot, your body will naturally coordinate with the movements. However, Zhang Ping had no idea how long it would take to practice.

  Then, Zhang Ping began to practice and categorize all the sword moves he had collected. He divided all the sword techniques that emphasized speed into one category, and all the sword techniques that emphasized strength into another category. Then, he incorporated them separately into the Supreme Clear Sword Technique, transforming it into two different versions of the Supreme Clear Sword Technique with different emphases. Moreover, he asked his master Tianxu to help him forge two new treasured swords: a copper sword, sturdy and heavy throughout, four feet three inches long, weighing twenty-eight pounds eight taels three mace; an iron sword, slender and light throughout, two feet nine inches long, weighing only three pounds one tael six mace.

  Every day, with his left hand alternating between two swords to practice drawing the sword, and his right hand using another sword to practice moves. At night, his soul would leave his body to practice coordinating both hands with a sword, while his physical body continued to cultivate internal energy. Days passed by in this busy yet fulfilling daily routine of Zhang Ping's.