Chapter 23

In the Jin Dao Gate, in the back courtyard of the Prince's Mansion, inside Su Zhong's small courtyard.

The ground of the courtyard was paved with blue bricks. On the west side, a cluster of green bamboo grew, and on the east side, a large vat was placed. The vat was filled with clear water, in which some unknown plants were planted, and several fish swam among the branches.

"Hmph, I don't care what you're planning, but if you dare to harm the Holy Maiden, I won't let you off," Old Bamboo Man glared at Su Zhong, who was sitting opposite him, his beard bristling with anger.

Su Zhong looked at him calmly, without getting angry. As long as his sword heart was not touched, few things could make him feel extra emotions.

He looked at Old Bamboo Man, waiting for him to teach him how to play the zither.

"How much do you know about the zither?" Old Bamboo Man asked.

Su Zhong shook his head: "Nothing."

Old Bamboo Man's eyes widened: "Nothing at all?!"

Su Zhong nodded in acknowledgment.

Old Bamboo Man's face showed a look of disbelief: "But anyone who can read and write, even if they don't know how to play the zither, should know some basic knowledge. Don't you even know a little bit?"

Su Zhong nodded again.

"You, you don't feel ashamed?!" Old Bamboo Man, seeing Su Zhong's matter-of-fact expression, was so angry that his fingers trembled.

"What have you been doing for these ten years? Haven't you even dabbled in the Six Arts of a Gentleman?" Old Bamboo Man asked in rapid succession.

Su Zhong's expression remained unchanged, and he nodded.

Old Bamboo Man was at a loss for words. In this era, anyone who could read and write should know something about the Six Arts of a Gentleman. Even if they couldn't play, they should know some basic knowledge. Like Linghu Chong, a disciple of a major martial arts school, who, although focused on training, still knew some zither skills. How could Su Zhong, standing before him, know nothing at all?

"Do you even know how many strings a zither has?" Old Bamboo Man asked, almost laughing in anger.

Su Zhong glanced at the zither he had just taken out: "Seven."

Old Bamboo Man, seeing this action, immediately flared up, unable to help but shout: "Are you a three-year-old child or something? Everyone knows a zither has seven strings, and you still need to look! What have you been doing for these ten years, just eating without doing anything?"

Su Zhong still looked at Old Bamboo Man with a blank face: "Practicing the sword!"

One sentence left Old Bamboo Man speechless. Su Zhong was only sixteen years old, but his martial arts skills were so high that even Old Bamboo Man himself couldn't guarantee a win. This level of martial arts wasn't just about talent. Old Bamboo Man couldn't imagine the hardships involved.

Thinking about this, he suppressed his frustration and decided to start from the beginning to enlighten Su Zhong.

"Watch carefully, I'll play a piece for you first, and then we'll start from the beginning," Old Bamboo Man sighed inwardly, wondering how long it would take. The Holy Maiden was waiting for news, and Old Bamboo Man sighed deeply, calming himself to play the zither.

As the zither music began, Old Bamboo Man was completely immersed in it, all the previous unpleasantness forgotten. He was fully absorbed in the music. A piece of "Peaceful Sand and Wild Geese" was played, the melody gentle and flowing, elegant and fresh, extremely beautiful.

The music was light and elegant, and Su Zhong listened quietly, his eyes fixed on Old Bamboo Man's fingers, which moved continuously.

"How was it?" When the piece ended, Old Bamboo Man withdrew from the music, smiled proudly, and asked.

"Good," Su Zhong praised.

"Only good?" Old Bamboo Man's eyes widened: "Have you seen anyone play better than me? This should be very good."

Su Zhong remained noncommittal: "Can I try?"

"You?" Old Bamboo Man looked at Su Zhong and nodded in agreement. He understood Su Zhong's feelings. When people see something new, they always want to try it. But he knew that the seven-string zither wasn't easy to master. Old Bamboo Man was waiting to see the joke, thinking that this always cold and aloof young man would make a fool of himself.

Su Zhong took the zither and placed it on the table, ready to start playing.

Old Bamboo Man sneered: "You don't even know how to place the zither, and you want to play? Place the pegs, the wider end, on the right side of the table, hanging over the edge."

Su Zhong followed the instructions and began to play. At first, his movements were a bit stiff, but as he continued, they became smoother, and by the end, he played like a skilled player.

"Have you never learned to play the zither?" When the piece ended, Old Bamboo Man's eyes were wide with anger: "Are you playing with me?"

Su Zhong placed his hands on the strings, ignoring Old Bamboo Man, and carefully felt the sensations the zither gave him. "The zither, a tool of heaven, earth, and humanity, can express human emotions and also convey the principles of the universe. Good, good, indeed a fine tool for explaining the universe," Su Zhong said excitedly.

Old Bamboo Man also realized something was wrong and recalled carefully. He was shocked to discover that Su Zhong had repeated all his zither-playing movements!

Seeing Old Bamboo Man's surprise, Su Zhong said calmly: "I forgot to tell you, I have a photographic memory. You just need to play the basic finger techniques once, and then teach me how to read and write the music."

Old Bamboo Man: "..."

...

In the same small courtyard, Su Zhong looked at Lin Pingzhi, who was suppressing his excitement, and said: "Starting today, I will teach you the 'Twelve Deadly Swords.'"

"Great," Lin Pingzhi said excitedly.

"Don't be too happy. The 'Twelve Deadly Swords' are not easy to learn," Su Zhong said, drawing his sword and making a horizontal cut. The move was simple, and from the outside, there was nothing special about it.

"Did you see clearly?" Su Zhong asked.

"I saw clearly," Lin Pingzhi replied, somewhat puzzled. Was such a simple sword technique really the deadly sword technique?

"Practice! Practice without any deviation!" Su Zhong was sparing with his words.

"Yes," Lin Pingzhi bowed and drew his sword.

Recalling Su Zhong's movements, he slowly made a cut. At first, he didn't pay much attention, but after a while, his expression became serious.

The same move, when Su Zhong performed it, was simple and natural. But when Lin Pingzhi tried, he found it impossible to make the cut.

Sometimes his body posture was correct, but he couldn't extend the sword; and when he could extend the sword, his body posture was already off.

After trying over ten times, he found he couldn't practice it at all. In a hurry, he forced his body to control the sword as he made the cut.

A sharp pain came. "Ah!"

Lin Pingzhi cried out in pain, his hand loosened, and the sword clattered to the ground. He fell to the ground, his face pale, and sweat beaded on his forehead.

"Brother, what's going on?" Lin Pingzhi asked, suppressing his pain.

"This is the 'Twelve Deadly Swords.' The moves are simple, but they are closely related to the flow of internal energy. Any slight mistake will cause the internal energy to go astray. If you force it, you will only end up with a mental breakdown," Su Zhong said calmly.

"Ah! Then how can I practice?" Lin Pingzhi's face turned bitter.

"Be patient and keep trying. The 'Twelve Deadly Swords' are a family sword technique I created specifically. The most unique thing about this technique is that it doesn't depend on one's talent but on one's diligence. Only by practicing tirelessly for ten years can you achieve mastery. Once you achieve mastery, both your sword technique and internal energy will be at their peak, and you will advance to the innate stage. Mastering the 'Twelve Deadly Swords' will ensure the safety of the Lin family," Su Zhong said.

"Ten years? That's so long," Lin Pingzhi grimaced, feeling bitter.

"Like me, if you devote all your energy to the sword technique, it will take ten years. Like you, if you practice for a fixed time every day, it will take twenty years," Su Zhong said coldly.

"Twenty years?" Lin Pingzhi's face showed surprise: "Twenty years to master it?"

"Twenty years," Su Zhong nodded.

Lin Pingzhi confirmed he hadn't heard wrong and thought to himself: "In twenty years, I might as well practice other martial arts."

"What martial arts can ensure you reach the innate stage in twenty years? The 'Twelve Deadly Swords' can!" Su Zhong seemed to read Lin Pingzhi's thoughts.

"But twenty years to master it, the flowers will be long gone," Lin Pingzhi whispered in protest.

"What do you need to master martial arts so early for? To uphold justice? To fight evil and protect the righteous? Or to become famous at a young age?" Su Zhong said expressionlessly.

Lin Pingzhi was speechless, and Su Zhong's emotionless, sarcastic words made him feel strange and unable to refute. Become famous at a young age? Of course! Who doesn't want to become famous at a young age!

"The 'Twelve Deadly Swords' are specifically designed to prevent the young members of the Lin family from becoming famous too early," Su Zhong said suddenly.

Lin Pingzhi was shocked and confused: "Why?"

"Starting to practice the sword at six, it takes twenty years to master, and you will be nearly thirty before you have children. The next thirty years will be spent raising the next generation. Like a cycle, only by doing this generation after generation can the bloodline be sustained," Su Zhong said calmly.

Lin Pingzhi couldn't understand.

But Su Zhong wouldn't tell him. Only in his thirties, when one's character is largely mature, is it suitable to master this technique. This prevents youthful recklessness and trouble that could harm the family's legacy.

"What if the next generation doesn't practice?" Lin Pingzhi's neck turned red. He felt this was a shackle, and he didn't dare to say he wouldn't practice directly, but he had this thought.

Su Zhong smiled faintly.

Lin Pingzhi's heart trembled. Su Zhong rarely smiled, but when he did, it was especially beautiful. But Lin Pingzhi was very afraid of Su Zhong's smile.

"You have no choice. Since you started practicing the sword with me, you have to continue. Haven't you noticed that your internal energy is no longer the Huashan internal energy?" Su Zhong put away his smile and resumed his cold demeanor.

"What?" Lin Pingzhi quickly circulated his internal energy and found a cold internal energy flowing inside him. The familiar warm internal energy had disappeared without a trace. His face turned green, but he dared not speak out in anger.

As if to further打击林平之, 苏重接着说：“忘了告诉你，我在夺命剑中借鉴了不少《辟邪剑谱》的内容，你应该知道它的修炼条件。所以夺命剑有些副作用。”

“什么副作用？”林平之突然有一种不好的预感。

“为了使用《辟邪剑法》内的某些功效，自然要规避隐患。我想到的办法就是封闭精气，这样就不会欲火焚身。但这样做的后果就是，凡是修炼《夺命十二剑》的人，只有到修炼大成的时候，才能有孕育子嗣的能力。”

苏重一句话如晴天霹雳，林平之顿时愣在当场。

“所以，你还是好好练剑吧。为了林家的血脉。”苏重说完转身就走。

好一会林平之才反应过来，顿时脸色铁青。把剑往地上一摔，恼怒异常地冲出小院，他要找母亲去告状。这种威胁子嗣的功夫，他竟然敢诱惑自己练习？母亲大人一定会狠狠惩罚他的！

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To further打击Lin Pingzhi, Su Zhong continued: "I forgot to tell you, I borrowed a lot from the 'Evil-Dispelling Sword Manual' in the 'Twelve Deadly Swords.' You should know its cultivation conditions. So the 'Twelve Deadly Swords' have some side effects."

"What side effects?" Lin Pingzhi suddenly had a bad feeling.

"To use certain effects from the 'Evil-Dispelling Sword Manual,' one must avoid potential risks. My solution was to seal the essence and energy, so there won't be any burning desire. But the consequence is