Chapter 66

On the third day, the seven people returned to the gate of the Famous Sword Manor. Unlike before, they all carried large and small packages, and there was even a carriage behind them, piled high with items they had bought.

"Master, we're home!" The six women cheered, and one of them quickly opened the gate. However, as soon as the gate opened, their faces changed. The courtyard was in a mess, with many things overturned on the ground.

It was clear that their manor had been burglarized.

"Master..."

The six women hurriedly looked at Bai Xiaosheng, who shook his head and said, "It's fine! There's nothing valuable in our manor, so what could the thieves have stolen? Alright, let's bring the things inside and clean up."

The courtyard was in a terrible state, the rooms were in disarray, and many valuable items had been stolen. The most valuable things were the weapons crafted by Bai Xiaosheng, and the thieves hadn't left him a single one, which left him speechless.

However, he wasn't heartbroken, as those things weren't that great anyway.

After a busy afternoon, the seven people tidied up the courtyard. Bai Xiaosheng called the six women to the front courtyard and said, "I established the Famous Sword Manor on a whim, originally just for fun. But along the way, I gained many insights. Now that the manor is built, I can't let it fall into disrepair. From today, I will establish a sect, the Sword Sect, to pass on all my knowledge. The Famous Sword Manor will be the outer sect of our Sword Sect." With that, Bai Xiaosheng stood up and led the six women to the back courtyard, quickly arriving at the Lancang River.

He jumped onto the riverbank and led the six women into a tunnel. Qin Shuang curiously asked, "Master, where does this lead?"

Bai Xiaosheng explained, "This leads to the Sword Lake Palace at the bottom of Wuliang Mountain. It was once the hermitage of two seniors, which I discovered. From now on, this will be the secret place and the place of inheritance for our Sword Sect."

Soon, they arrived at a stone room. Bai Xiaosheng asked the six women to familiarize themselves with the place, while he sat in the stone room, organizing his thoughts.

An hour later, the six women returned, excited. Seeing Bai Xiaosheng in deep thought, they didn't dare to disturb him and stood respectfully to one side. After another half hour, Bai Xiaosheng came to his senses, saw the six women beside him, and smiled, "Today is the founding day of our Sword Sect. As the six disciples of the Sword Sect, you should have your strengths. Now, I will teach you the techniques of internal cultivation."

"Yes, thank you, Master!" The six women were overjoyed. They had been disciples for nearly a year, but during that time, they had only been training in the basics, which was quite boring. However, as women, they had been raised to be obedient and had not dared to complain. Now that Bai Xiaosheng decided to teach them martial arts, they were naturally very happy.

"The most powerful thing I have is my sword techniques. Our Sword Sect is named after the sword, so you six should also learn sword techniques. However, people have different talents and preferences, so the martial arts suitable for each of you will also be different. Some of you may not be suitable for learning sword techniques. If so, you should not force yourselves. Just follow your hearts and choose what you like."

With that, Bai Xiaosheng opened the package behind him and took out the Hundred Schools Spectrum and some paper and pens. He distributed the paper and pens to the six women and said to Qin Shuang, "Shuang'er, the Hundred Schools Spectrum is a treasure of our sect, recording over a hundred martial arts. Although they are not very advanced, they are suitable for you. Now, each of you can copy three martial arts, one sword technique, one fist technique, and one leg technique. Shuang'er, as the eldest disciple, you can start."

"Yes!"

Qin Shuang bowed and took the Hundred Schools Spectrum to copy, and the other five women followed. Bai Xiaosheng left the stone room and entered another one.

In this stone room, there was a stone bed, and in front of it was a small wooden cradle, which was likely Li Qingluo's childhood possession. There were no quilts or clothes in the room, only a seven-stringed zither hanging on the wall, with all the strings broken. On the left side of the bed was a stone table, on which a nineteen-line chessboard was carved, with over two hundred chess pieces placed on it, but the game was not finished.

This was the Precious Chessboard, which was Bai Xiaosheng's goal.

After careful consideration, Bai Xiaosheng realized that his knowledge was quite diverse, but his diversity was different from that of ordinary people. His diversity came from reading and memorizing, and he could rely on the system for help when needed. In other words, his knowledge was diverse, but he didn't waste time learning it, so it didn't interfere with his martial arts practice. During his stay at the Duan family, he learned knowledge from Duan Yu, which naturally included chess.

This was something he had never touched before, and today, upon returning to the Sword Lake Palace, he thought of the Precious Chessboard and came to observe it, hoping to solve it.

Unfortunately, with Bai Xiaosheng's limited chess skills, he couldn't even understand the layout, let alone solve it. Even with the memory of solving the chessboard from "Heavenly Dragon," it was useless!

"It seems I have no talent for chess!" Shaking his head, Bai Xiaosheng didn't take it too seriously. He sat on the stone bed and pulled out a book from his body. The book was titled "I Ching."

This was not an ordinary "I Ching," but one borrowed from the Duan family, containing Duan Yu's insights, which Bai Xiaosheng had specifically requested to study.

Practicing martial arts is not just about practicing martial arts. Even Zhou Botong knew Daoist knowledge. Bai Xiaosheng had studied Buddhism for three months with Duan Yu to prepare for understanding Buddhist martial arts, but he also needed to enrich his own knowledge.

As a modern person, Bai Xiaosheng didn't like Buddhist teachings, so he chose Daoism. The "I Ching" was an excellent Daoist text!

During his stay in Dali, Bai Xiaosheng collected many valuable items, including some rare books from the Duan family. Among them, he was particularly interested in array formations.

Array formations might seem fantastical, but in "The Legend of the Condor Heroes," the Peach Blossom Array was no joke. Since Bai Xiaosheng had the idea of establishing a sect, he naturally wanted to learn more to prepare for the future of the sect.

However, with the establishment of the sect, he probably couldn't become the leader of the Beggar Clan anymore!

'But if I don't say anything, who would know I'm the leader of the Sword Sect? And my Sword Sect can be as secretive as the Free and Easy Sect, unknown to outsiders. The Famous Sword Manor is just a family business. Hehe...'

Bai Xiaosheng thought shamelessly. He wouldn't give up the Dragon Subduing Palm or the Beggar's Staff Technique. If he couldn't become the leader of the Beggar Clan, he would have to use other means.

Leisurely days always pass quickly, especially when immersed in the sea of knowledge, making one forget time. It was strange that in his previous life, learning knowledge never felt this way, but here, reading these ancient books and interpreting them through the system made him immerse himself, unable to stop.

In the blink of an eye, nearly four years had passed. During these four years, Bai Xiaosheng spent most of his time learning, reading, and organizing his knowledge, improving his realm. Occasionally, he would appear, seeking people to spar and practice sword techniques, living a very carefree life. The only thing he regretted was that the time tunnel in the system had been inactive, leaving him frustrated.

He wanted to explore the world of martial arts novels before "Heavenly Dragon" opened, but the system was unhelpful, leaving him with no choice.

This damn system, with no rules at all, was really infuriating!

In the Famous Sword Manor, Bai Xiaosheng, who was reading as usual, seemed a bit restless. He stood up, put the book on the table, and walked to the window, looking outside.

Soon, a figure appeared in Bai Xiaosheng's sight, and he smiled, "Shuang'er, how is it?"

Qin Shuang quickly walked to Bai Xiaosheng and said, "Master, the Wuliang Sword Sect has sent an invitation, stating that they will hold a sword competition in three days to decide the ownership of the Wuliang Palace, and they invite you to watch."

Bai Xiaosheng nodded, "I see! I know!"

These days were the time when "Heavenly Dragon" would open, and Bai Xiaosheng had been waiting, so his mind was a bit restless. Hearing this news, he felt much more relaxed and even took a rare look at Qin Shuang, praising her, "Shuang'er, you are becoming more and more graceful. No wonder you are a famous female swordsman in Dali!"

Qin Shuang blushed and said, "Master, don't tease me."

"Ha ha..." Bai Xiaosheng laughed heartily and said, "By the way, have your five sisters not returned yet?"

Qin Shuang replied, "Yun'er has sent a message back, saying that the matter has been resolved, but Feng'er was injured, which delayed their journey. They will return in a few days."

Bai Xiaosheng nodded, "I see! Shuang'er..." Suddenly, some noise came from the front courtyard, and Bai Xiaosheng frowned. Qin Shuang looked back and said, "Master, I'll go check."

"Let's go together!" Bai Xiaosheng and Qin Shuang left the back courtyard and came to the front courtyard.

The place had changed a lot since the beginning. There were many more things, the houses had been renovated, and the once empty areas were now filled with people, including servants and some young children.

These children were mostly from nearby villages, sent here to learn to read and write. Some were orphans that Bai Xiaosheng had taken in. These people were the reserve forces for the Famous Sword Manor.

Hearing the children's loud reading, Bai Xiaosheng looked at the gate, where a servant was pushing and shoving a young man, making him frown. But when he saw the young man in scholar's attire, he smiled.

"Duanyu, what brings you to my Famous Sword Manor?"

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