August 19, 2024
Xuan Yuan watched the little thief carrying the bronze halberd on his shoulder, his figure stumbling down the rugged mountain path.
Suddenly, he felt like he might have mistaken this person for someone else.
The way the other person rolled up his sleeves and carried the bronze halberd, it looked more like he was carrying a shoulder pole than a weapon.
How could this be a warrior?
If Chen Ji were that person, even if he were weaker than the giant halberd warrior, he could have easily won with his innate combat instincts.
But this guy? He was just running away in a panic, scrambling down the mountain...
If that person were here, he would never flee, no matter how strong the enemy.
Even if a towering mountain blocked his path, he would move it aside.
But this guy? He’d just take a detour.
At this moment, Chen Ji was panting heavily as he carried the bronze halberd.
He glanced back and saw the giant halberd warrior charging through the mountains, his black armor clanking loudly, his red cape billowing behind him.
His massive frame looked like a war chariot.
Chen Ji thought to himself, Is this guy really only one level above me? Big bro, when you said one level, did you mean the difference between the Houtian and Xiantian realms?
No, no, if Si Cao were here, I wouldn’t even have the chance to carry this bronze halberd and run.
As long as he’s not at the Xiantian realm, I’m fine.
The two of them descended the mountain, one in front and the other behind.
Chen Ji’s pace slowed as he carried the bronze halberd, his breathing becoming more labored.
Xuan Yuan’s gaze grew increasingly disappointed.
But just then, Chen Ji suddenly stopped panting.
His steps no longer felt heavy.
His eyes focused, and he abruptly turned around!
Chen Ji twisted his waist, turned, and raised his hand in one fluid motion.
The bronze halberd in his hand shot out like a bolt of lightning, stabbing toward the giant halberd warrior behind him.
The strike landed perfectly.
The giant halberd warrior, charging forward, seemed to impale himself on the halberd’s tip.
The force of the collision was so great that even the black armor couldn’t withstand it.
The halberd pierced through the armor and into the warrior’s abdomen!
Chen Ji breathed a sigh of relief, but Xuan Yuan’s lips curled into a faint, mocking smile. “Futile.”
In the next moment, the giant halberd warrior, seemingly unfazed by the wound in his abdomen, gripped the halberd’s blade with both hands and fearlessly pulled it out.
With a slight shake of his hands, Chen Ji felt an immense force transmit through the halberd, numbing his hands and forcing him to let go.
The giant halberd warrior, blood gushing from his abdomen, raised the bronze halberd high and brought it down with the force of a collapsing mountain!
From start to finish, the giant halberd warrior showed no sign of pain, not even a furrowed brow.
It was as if being impaled through the abdomen was just a trivial matter.
“Hiss!”
Chen Ji woke up in the small courtyard of the medical clinic, gasping for air.
“Another nightmare?” the young master asked curiously. “You’ve had several nightmares in such a short time. Did you get scared by those thugs earlier? You…”
As he spoke, the young master caught a glimpse of Chen Ji’s eyes.
The apprentice boy wasn’t even looking at him, but the young master felt a chill run down his spine, as if a ferocious beast were breathing heavily beside him, exhaling a thick, bloody stench.
Liang Mao’er came out of the kitchen carrying a tray of food—plain porridge paired with spicy pickled cabbage and small pickles, light and refreshing.
He looked at Chen Ji. “Eat first, then sleep.”
Chen Ji shook his head and slowly closed his eyes. “I’m not hungry right now. Thank you.”
The young master snapped out of his daze and took a closer look at Chen Ji, only to find the boy lying exhausted on the bamboo chair, nothing out of the ordinary.
It must have been his imagination.
At that moment, Chen Ji returned to the battlefield.
The giant halberd warrior stood unharmed at the peak of the green mountain, not immediately attacking.
Xuan Yuan sat on a large rock, looking at Chen Ji. “Have you learned your lesson?”
Chen Ji remained silent.
Xuan Yuan sneered. “You’re not the only one in this world who can be ruthless to yourself. Every warrior who charges into battle has crawled out of a pile of corpses. Facing a warrior like the giant halberd warrior, relying on brute force and ferocity won’t work. We’ve seen plenty of ruthless people. You need to learn to discard all those flashy ideas and master the true art of combat.”
Chen Ji pondered… the true art of combat?
Xuan Yuan spoke calmly. “You asked me to teach you the path of the sword seed, but you don’t even have the most basic combat skills or fighting spirit. Giving you the sword seed would be like handing a razor-sharp sword to a child—it could hurt others, but it could also hurt yourself.”
Chen Ji nodded. “Let’s begin. Again!”
Xuan Yuan said, “This time, you can’t run down the mountain. If you do, I won’t teach you the path of the sword seed.”
Chen Ji was puzzled. “But in combat, running away when you can’t win is also a smart move.”
“You’ve become much smarter than before, but intelligence alone isn’t enough,” Xuan Yuan said coldly. “There will always be mountains in this world that you can’t avoid. When that time comes, you’ll need some fighting spirit and courage.”
Xuan Yuan walked over to the giant halberd warrior and pointed to a spot below his ribs. “There are thirty-six fatal points on the human body: the temple, the qi gate, the wind pool, the danzhong…”
He pointed out each fatal point to Chen Ji. “If your halberd had struck just one inch to the left earlier, the giant halberd warrior wouldn’t have been able to use his immense strength. That’s the difference between having combat skills and not having them. Also, that last strike of yours looked impressive, but it was useless. Killing doesn’t need to look good.”
Chen Ji took a deep breath. “I understand.”
He didn’t know how many battles Xuan Yuan had fought, but he knew this was the best teacher he could ever hope to find!
The giant halberd warrior didn’t wait any longer.
He swung his bronze halberd and charged.
Chen Ji no longer fled.
Instead, he moved around the mountaintop, searching for a way to fight.
He kept his eyes fixed on the direction of the halberd’s swing, his body leaning slightly to the right.
The bronze halberd grazed past his face, missing his nose by just an inch!
Xuan Yuan’s eyes lit up.
But before he could praise Chen Ji, the giant halberd warrior twisted his wrist, and the crescent blade of the halberd turned, slicing into Chen Ji’s abdomen.
In the hands of the giant halberd warrior, the bronze halberd seemed alive.
Despite being a heavy weapon, it became incredibly agile and unpredictable.
When Chen Ji returned to the green mountain, Xuan Yuan’s face was stern. “You dodged well just now, but why didn’t you anticipate that your opponent might have other moves? Combat is like playing chess. You need to think ten steps ahead. With the same strength, the one who can predict the enemy’s moves will win!”
Chen Ji nodded seriously. “I understand. Again!”
From morning to noon, and from noon to evening, Chen Ji fought without winning, but he grew more focused and excited with each battle.
He didn’t count how many times he died, but the more he died, the rougher and more direct his fighting style became.
It was like a piece of raw steel being forged in a furnace, hammered repeatedly to remove impurities and take shape.
Chen Ji suddenly realized that the skills he was honing had no set patterns, no need to impress anyone.
They were closer to the essence of killing techniques.
Xuan Yuan watched Chen Ji fight again and again, tirelessly.
This boy didn’t have the combat instincts of that person, but he had the same fighting spirit.
Obsession.
Madness.
“Now you’re finally starting to resemble him.”
……
In the evening, Chen Ji opened his eyes in the small courtyard of the Taiping Medical Clinic.
Xuan Yuan had ordered him to rest for half an hour.
He let out a slow breath, as if returning from hell to the bustling human world.
This time, he had fought the giant halberd warrior for the time it took an incense stick to burn, and the battle had been evenly matched.
When he woke up, he was utterly exhausted.
Chen Ji looked up and saw the young master, She Dengke, Liang Gou’er, and Liu Quxing playing a game of Pai Gow at the dining table.
Princess Bai Li and Liang Mao’er stood nearby, watching.
In front of Liu Quxing was a pile of copper coins and a silver peanut he had won from the young master.
Princess Bai Li looked at Chen Ji in surprise. “Oh, you’re awake! Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?”
Chen Ji smiled. “Why aren’t you playing with them, Princess?”
Bai Li shook her head. “I don’t gamble. My father doesn’t allow it.”
“Huh? But the young master is gambling, isn’t he?” Bai Li smiled. “It’s fine. I’ll report him later.”
Chen Ji: “... Such deep sibling love.”
He felt a pang of hunger, but before he could say anything, a few martial artists outside the door called out, “Young master, young master, it’s time to head to White Clothes Lane!”
The young master’s eyes lit up. “Today is the day Liu Xing Shou from the Qinhuai River arrives in Luo City. I heard she’s a master of poetry, calligraphy, music, and chess, and she’s as beautiful as a fairy. We must go see her!”
Liang Gou’er clapped his hands in excitement.
He hadn’t had a drink in days, and his craving for alcohol was driving him crazy.
But Princess Bai Li poured cold water on their plans. “Chen Ji is still injured. If everyone leaves, who will take care of him? Brother, you always talk about being his friend. Is this how you treat a friend? Are you even human?”
The young master scratched his head, feeling conflicted.
Liu Su was a top performer even on the Qinhuai River in Jinling.
She had come to Luo City today to cut the ribbon for the newly opened embroidery building in White Clothes Lane.
How could they miss this?
Liang Gou’er whispered, “Young master, why don’t we go and leave Mao’er and the princess at the clinic for the night?”
The young master hesitated. “But the money is with Bai Li.”
Liang Gou’er: “...”
Chen Ji: “...”
So Bai Li was the real financier.
That’s why the young master always took her everywhere.
The courtyard fell silent, and everyone lost interest in playing Pai Gow.
For a moment, everyone was thinking of a solution, while Chen Ji focused on recuperating, preparing to return to the battlefield.
Then, Liang Gou’er came up with an idea. “Young master, why don’t we take Chen Ji with us? We can look after him there!”
Chen Ji: “... I’m injured. I can’t go.”
The young master looked at Liang Gou’er. “Right, he’s injured, and the wounds are on his chest and legs. We can’t even carry him.”
Liang Gou’er, desperate for a drink, had no shame.
He patted his chest and said, “Mao’er and I will carry his bamboo chair. After we drink, we’ll carry him back!”
Chen Ji: “...”
You’re a real genius.
You’d do anything for a drink.
The next moment, Liang Gou’er called Liang Mao’er over, and the two of them lifted the bamboo chair and headed for the door, as if carrying a sedan chair.
Chen Ji sat up on the swaying bamboo chair. “Hey! I don’t want to go!”
Liang Gou’er didn’t care. “It’s not up to you now. Come with us! If you want to sleep, just lie down on the chair. Don’t worry, we won’t drop you! It’s White Clothes Lane, and Liu Xing Shou is there. Aren’t you a man? How can you not be interested in this?”
Chen Ji sighed. “I’m still injured!”
The young master walked beside the bamboo chair. “I heard it’s not easy to get an audience with Liu Xing Shou. You need to submit a poem, and if she likes it, she’ll let you in... Do you have any new poems from the past couple of days? I’ll buy them!”
Chen Ji fell silent.
He still had ninety-four taels of silver hidden under the bricks in his bed, enough to buy three ginseng roots and light six furnace fires.
But if he wanted to kill Si Cao, it still wouldn’t be enough.
After a moment of silence, Chen Ji said, “I’ve come up with a few lines. They might be useful.”
Princess Bai Li’s eyes lit up. “Let’s go to White Clothes Lane!”
When they reached the door, a group of martial artists was already waiting outside, each carrying a sword or a saber.
When they saw Liang Gou’er and Liang Mao’er carrying Chen Ji, they were shocked and began whispering among themselves. “Who is this important person, to have Liang Gou’er and Liang Mao’er carrying his sedan chair?”
Chen Ji quickly explained, embarrassed, “It’s not me! I didn’t want to go because of my leg injury, but Brother Liang Gou’er insisted on taking me to White Clothes Lane to broaden my horizons. I didn’t ask him to carry me.”
The crowd breathed a sigh of relief...
Along the way, the group of more than ten people chatted and laughed merrily.
The young master didn’t act like a noble; he seemed more like a carefree wanderer from the martial world, eating and drinking heartily.
Chen Ji sat on the bamboo chair, occasionally catching the curious glances of passersby.
His face wasn’t thick enough to handle the attention, so he closed his eyes and returned to the battlefield, diving back into the fight.
He felt like he was on the verge of breaking through a barrier.
The giant halberd warrior wasn’t invincible after all.
……
In front of the embroidery building in White Clothes Lane, flower baskets lined the street for hundreds of meters, even spilling over into neighboring properties.
On the wide second-floor balcony of the embroidery building, red silk ribbons hung from the wooden railings, creating a festive atmosphere.
The owner of the embroidery building was a man named Zhang Chang, a relatively unknown figure.
But there were rumors that he had once been a servant in the second branch of the Xu family in Hu.
This made everyone treat him with respect.
The Xu family—the family of Xu Gong, the chief cabinet minister.
Noble families wouldn’t openly involve themselves in businesses like White Clothes Lane, Red Clothes Lane, or the Qinhuai River, as it would harm their reputation.
But behind the scenes, they all had their proxies.
Everyone knew who Zhang Chang was backed by, and they tacitly acknowledged it.
So, when the embroidery building opened, not only did Liu Mingxian from the Liu family come to show his support, but many noble sons also brought their literati friends.
Some came to see Liu Xing Shou, while others came to support the Xu family’s business.
Everyone had their own motives.
At the entrance of the embroidery building, two girls in plain white dresses and white mink stoles stood gracefully in the cool autumn breeze, smiling warmly at the guests.
“Esteemed guests, our embroidery building is welcoming visitors tonight. There are many elegant seats on the first floor, spacious and bright. But if you wish to go to the second floor to meet our lady, you’ll need to present a poem. If our lady likes it, one poem can allow three people to accompany you. There’s a desk and writing materials at the entrance. Please, go ahead.”
A young scholar immediately stepped forward, picked up a brush, and quickly wrote a poem, handing it to the girls.
One of the girls took the paper and ran upstairs.
Moments later, she returned, smiling sweetly. “Young master, our Liu Xing Shou says your poem isn’t good enough.”
Liu Xing Shou didn’t mince words.
If it wasn’t good, it wasn’t good.
There was no room for politeness.
The young scholar blushed with embarrassment and quickly disappeared into the crowd.
After this attempt, many who lacked real talent began to have second thoughts.
Outside, Liang Gou’er and the other martial artists were muttering among themselves, unsure how to get into the embroidery building.
Some suggested climbing over the wall, others proposed forcing their way in.
None of the ideas were practical.
At this point, the young master began to have doubts.
He whispered, “Bai Li, we only have half a poem. Will it work?”
Bai Li thought for a moment. “If she has good taste, these few lines will be worth a hundred poems from others. It’ll definitely work.”
Liang Gou’er leaned over and said, “But one poem can only bring three people in. There are twelve of us here.”
With that, the young master and Princess Bai Li both turned to look at Chen Ji, who was sleeping on the bamboo chair...
“Chen Ji, do you have any other poems?”
“Chen Ji?”
“Chen Ji, wake up.”
No matter how much the young master called, Chen Ji didn’t wake up.
The young master was frantic.
Without a poem, how would they get in?
Then, Bai Li thought for a moment,