Chapter 22

"Y-You... You are the masked man in the green robe from that night?" Linghu Chong, after being surprised by the sudden appearance of the old man, felt a stir in his heart and blurted out.

Compared to him, Bai Xiaosheng and Tian Boguang knew who this person was. Tian Boguang had a flash of inspiration, while Bai Xiaosheng knew that there was a peerless Huashan Sect senior living here.

"Y-You... You are Mr. Feng?" Ignoring the pain in his right arm, Tian Boguang pointed at Feng Qingyang with his left hand, surprised.

Feng Qingyang sighed and said, "It's rare for someone in this world to still remember Feng. It's worth it that I saved your life."

"Feng Qingyang!" At this moment, Bai Xiaosheng slowly uttered Feng Qingyang's name, causing Feng Qingyang to glance at him in surprise. Linghu Chong also recalled the three large characters "Feng Qingyang" written inside the cave on Siguai Cliff, and he looked at the old man in shock.

'Feng Qingyang, Qingyang, that's not the Qing generation, it must be a Great Uncle or Great Uncle Senior. But... why have Master and Mistress never mentioned him?' Linghu Chong was filled with doubt.

At this point, Feng Qingyang slowly stepped forward. After two steps, his body seemed to teleport, appearing behind Linghu Chong and Bai Xiaosheng, and in front of Tian Boguang. Standing in the center of Siguai Cliff, he basked in the sun, lazily stretching, and muttered to himself, "It's been a long time since I've basked in the sun."

What incredible lightness of body!

The three were shocked. They almost couldn't see the reality of that step. They only felt a flash before Feng Qingyang appeared behind (in front of) them. This speed was truly astonishing. Not to mention Linghu Chong and Bai Xiaosheng, who were not skilled in lightness of body, even Tian Boguang, known for his lightness of body, was greatly surprised. Feng Qingyang's lightness of body was far superior to his. In his hands, Tian Boguang probably wouldn't even have the chance to escape.

Walking to a large green stone, Feng Qingyang suddenly said, "Tian Boguang, are you not leaving yet?"

The three were taken aback. Tian Boguang, remembering his loss, looked even more gloomy. With Feng Qingyang here, he couldn't use force even if he wanted to. Sighing inwardly, Tian Boguang shook his head, bowed to Linghu Chong and Bai Xiaosheng, and walked away with a defeated look. Seeing his pitiful state, Linghu Chong's heart softened, and his mouth opened slightly, almost saying, "Let him go down the mountain." Fortunately, years of teaching from Yue Buqun made him hold back, and he watched Tian Boguang leave without a word.

After he left, Feng Qingyang said, "Linghu Chong, since you came up the cliff, there hasn't been a single day of peace, which has been very annoying for me. Then, this Hengshan Sect boy came, making things even more unpleasant. You two boys discussing swordsmanship like children is truly laughable. I'll ask you, what is a sword?"

The criticism made the two feel quite embarrassed, but Feng Qingyang's final question left them stunned. What is a sword?

Bai Xiaosheng was not unfamiliar with this question. If it were when he had just reincarnated or before he learned swordsmanship, he could have answered fluently with the principles from his previous life. But now, after learning swordsmanship and gaining some understanding, his mind was full of principles, yet he couldn't express them.

Because he knew that those principles he didn't truly understand, and saying them would only make people laugh.

Linghu Chong was the same. He had learned swordsmanship from the Huashan Sect since childhood, and after over a decade, his sword skills were the best among the younger generation, and he was now at a first-class level. But what had Yue Buqun always taught him? It was qigong and internal skills, not swordsmanship. Yue Buqun never talked about swords, and Linghu Chong had thought about it, but only intermittently. Now, hearing Feng Qingyang's question, he couldn't answer either.

Both stood there silently, their faces showing signs of deep thought, and Feng Qingyang nodded. He asked this question to make them face the long sword in their hands, not to get an answer.

In his view, both had excellent swordsmanship potential. Bai Xiaosheng, without much to say, had made astonishing progress in a short time, and Linghu Chong had reached a state of sword mastery at his age, which was quite rare.

The reason he appeared to save Tian Boguang was that he saw the excellent potential of the two and wanted to guide them. His question was to make them question their own hearts: What is a sword? Why do you learn swordsmanship? What do you see in the sword in your hand?

In Jin Yong's novels, a sword is a sword. If it must be expressed, it is a lethal weapon, a representation of a technique. But upon deeper reflection, there seems to be an exception: Dugu Qiubai.

He was known as the Sword Demon, and everything he revealed was related to swords. The Dugu Nine Swords he left behind could elevate someone to a first-class level without internal power. It seemed somewhat out of place compared to the martial arts of other characters in the novels.

Moreover, the four realms of Dugu Qiubai's swords, especially the final wooden sword, had a sense of becoming one with the sword. Not using the sword in hand was because he had become the sword, or perhaps, no sword in hand, but a sword in heart.

How to interpret these, depends on your own perspective.

Regarding the realms of swordsmanship, Bai Xiaosheng couldn't really summarize them. He could give a general idea, but how to categorize them? Which is higher or lower? He couldn't say. For example, in "Lu Xiaofeng," Ximen Chuixue and Ye Gucheng, one was sincere to people, the other to the sword. Who was higher or lower? The book didn't determine a winner even when Ye Gucheng died. Moreover, Ye Gucheng's "Heavenly Flying Immortal" was called the perfect sword, a sword without flaws. But can a technique be without flaws?

The contradictions in these principles were something Bai Xiaosheng couldn't understand.

He stared blankly at the long sword in his hand, trying to sort out the chaotic thoughts in his mind, but the more he thought, the more confused he became. In the end, a violent aura erupted from his entire body.

His appearance startled Linghu Chong, and Feng Qingyang frowned, muttering to himself. A thunderous voice suddenly woke Bai Xiaosheng, who raised his head, drenched in sweat, with a look of confusion in his eyes.

'This boy is very intelligent, but his thoughts are chaotic... Sigh!' Shaking his head, Feng Qingyang said, "You don't need to delve deeply into this question; just think about it. Ask yourself, how many people in the world today can answer this question?" He smiled mockingly, stood up, and slowly walked to the two, saying, "You two, demonstrate what you have learned in front of me."

The two gathered their thoughts, exchanged a glance, and knew that Feng Qingyang wanted to guide them. Although Linghu Chong was hesitant, he wasn't foolish. From his lightness of body alone, one could see his profound cultivation. With such a good opportunity, he couldn't let it pass. Bai Xiaosheng, knowing Feng Qingyang's prowess, had no hesitation in his heart.

Immediately, the two moved to opposite sides and began practicing their familiar sword techniques.

Their sword techniques were different. Linghu Chong's sword technique seemed chaotic, but each move was unexpected, even those familiar with Huashan Sect's sword techniques couldn't predict his next move.

It was clear that after Feng Qingyang's secret guidance, his understanding of swordsmanship had advanced to a new level.

Compared to Linghu Chong, Bai Xiaosheng's sword technique was more visually appealing, but in the eyes of a master like Feng Qingyang, it was conventional and lacked outstanding moves. There was no way around it; although he understood the principle of sword mastery, understanding and doing were two different things. At his current level, he couldn't combine sword techniques as freely as Linghu Chong. Forcing it would only make his techniques more rigid and expose more flaws.

So, he practiced Hengshan Sect's sword technique, making it more agile and swift, surpassing the average Hengshan Sect disciple.

After watching their sword techniques, Feng Qingyang showed no expression. He first walked to Linghu Chong, took the long sword from his hand, and demonstrated the "Nineteen Jade Maiden Swords" he had shown Linghu Chong that night.

His sword moves were extremely simple, but when Linghu Chong and Bai Xiaosheng watched, they felt a cold sweat break out on their backs. Looking at Feng Qingyang's sword technique, it seemed unremarkable, but the two, who understood the "Nineteen Jade Maiden Swords," knew that behind each move were countless variations, encompassing the entire set of techniques. In a sense, one move was the entire set of the Nineteen Jade Maiden Swords.

Linghu Chong's sword technique concealed the flaws in his own techniques, but there was still a pattern to follow. Feng Qingyang's technique, however, encompassed the entire set, and although there was a pattern, it wasn't between moves but the entire set of techniques.

How could others fathom such a pattern?

Moreover, he was only demonstrating the "Nineteen Jade Maiden Swords." Who knew if he couldn't demonstrate all sword techniques?

Seeing Feng Qingyang's sword technique, Linghu Chong was greatly moved, and Bai Xiaosheng was filled with envy. He understood the principles but couldn't execute them. Unlike Linghu Chong, who had already touched this realm but lacked guidance to integrate it. Now, with Feng Qingyang showing the way, it would accelerate his understanding.

Given Linghu Chong's insight and performance in "Smiling, Proud Wanderer," his realm of sword mastery would likely reach a higher level!

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