Chapter 31

Xu Fengnian scooped up a large handful of pebbles from the lake bottom and threw them on the ground, then leaped back into the icy, bone-chilling deep pool. He repeated this process, and by midday, he had gathered about forty pebbles. After screening out half of them, he piled the rest behind the waterfall in a cave. After completing this peculiar task, he sheathed his sword and headed for the bamboo forest, which was actually a mix of purple bamboo, nan bamboo, and zizhu bamboo, forming a vast sea of bamboo. Whenever the wind blew, the bamboo waves rolled, full of vitality.

Xu Fengnian enjoyed coming here to catch bamboo pheasants and singing frogs for his meals. He had no reason to take a sword strike without gaining some advantage. According to the one who rode the ox, the winter bamboo shoots here were the most delicious. Xu Fengnian wondered if he could last until that day.

The first fool of Wudang lived in a simple bamboo house deep in the bamboo forest. He practiced swordsmanship by walking on the treetops of the bamboo forest, his sword movements like waves, truly unstoppable.

As soon as Xu Fengnian entered the bamboo forest, he drew his sword Xiu Dong, always on guard for Wang Xiaoping's unpredictable sword strikes.

But today, for some reason, even when Xu Fengnian saw the bamboo house, Wang Xiaoping had not yet drawn his sword.

Gathering his courage, Xu Fengnian continued forward, his clothes drenched in sweat. No wonder the young lord was as cautious as walking on thin ice. Wang Xiaoping was truly obsessed, caring not for the 300,000 iron cavalry of Liang, the Grand Marshal Xu Xiao, or the four-character archway at the foot of Wudang Mountain. In his heart, there was only the sword. Each time he drew his sword, Xu Fengnian had to gather all his mental strength to carefully respond.

Wang Xiaoping slowly walked out of the bamboo house and sat in a bamboo chair, not carrying the mountain-taming treasure sword Shentu.

Xu Fengnian sheathed Xiu Dong and walked over to sit in the chair opposite Wang Xiaoping. Without his sword, the sword enthusiast was just a handsome middle-aged man with a stiff expression and simple robes. Wang Xiaoping became a Wudang Taoist quite late in life. It was rumored that before he came to the mountain, he was a wealthy playboy, not interested in an official career, but deeply passionate about beauty and the sword. After a heartbreak, he viewed beauty as dangerous and, in a fit of anger, dispersed all his wealth and came to Wudang. He spent only three years mastering the "Lüshuiting Jiazi Sword Practice Record," which others could not understand in a lifetime. He eventually became a disciple of the previous generation's leader and then practiced in silence, creating his own unique sword path.

Wang Xiaoping held a few fresh leaves of dew tea in his hand, put them in his mouth, and chewed them slowly, his expression wooden but his eyes bright.

Xu Fengnian sat for several incense sticks' time, watching the first fool of Wudang slowly chew the tea leaves. Autumn tea was slightly withered compared to spring and summer tea, and the taste was milder. It was the first time Xu Fengnian had seen someone eat tea leaves raw. Listening to the rustling of bamboo leaves, he was reminded of a poem about bamboo written by his second sister years ago, which compared the sound of bamboo to the suffering of the people and the sighs of a beauty in her twilight years. At the time, it was highly praised by scholars. Now, if she were to make a sharp critique at the Shangyin Academy, the scholars would probably regret their past praise of Xu Weixiong. Xu Fengnian looked around, seeing nothing but bamboo, and feeling bored, he gripped Xiu Dong and silently left.

Wang Xiaoping glanced at the young lord's back, seemingly hesitating whether to use a bamboo stalk as a sword.

Xu Fengnian left the bamboo forest, his clothes drenched again. This bamboo forest was truly not a place for humans. The absence of a sword strike was more nerve-wracking than a strike itself.

The osmanthus flowers on the mountain had all fallen.

Xu Fengnian dove into the deep pool at Xuanxian Peak several times, and he did the same in other water bodies on Wudang Mountain. He finally managed to gather over four hundred pebbles, black and white, piled in a thatched hut. Besides using Xiu Dong to cut the waterfall, he used it to carve the pebbles. In the "Lüshuiting Jiazi Sword Practice Record," there was a sword technique similar to a woman's embroidery, called "Heavenly Maiden Scattering Flowers," the most intricate and mysterious of all. It could rival the profound sword techniques of the Wu family's sword tomb. Xu Fengnian applied this sword technique to the tip of Xiu Dong, each stroke requiring great mental effort. At first, he could only carve two or three pebbles a day, but as he improved, he could carve four or five daily. By the time it snowed on the mountain, Xu Fengnian could carve thirteen or fourteen pebbles a day with his eyes closed.

Xu Fengnian calculated that it was about time to leave Wudang Mountain, as he still needed to ring the bell at Jiuhua, a must-do for the Beiliang王府. For some reason, he became increasingly indifferent to the matter of Wudang's leader Wang Chonglou transferring his internal energy. He wasn't sure if it was due to Hong Xiang's Heavenly Dao, Wang Xiaoping's sword and bamboo, or the death warrant at the Tai Xu Palace.

Hong Xiang patiently carved out 361 pebbles, 181 black and 180 white. Nineteen rows and nineteen columns, 19 times 19 equals 361.

Subtly, Xu Fengnian's sword technique evolved from coarse to fine.

Occasionally, he would go to the bamboo forest to provoke Wang Xiaoping, who would be forced to draw his sword and cut down a dozen or so purple bamboos to drive the young lord out. During the most recent encounter, perhaps out of extreme annoyance with the young lord and Xiu Dong, he struck again and again, cleaving a large area in the northeast corner of the purple bamboo forest.

Outside the bamboo house, Wang Chonglou sat opposite the sword enthusiast, chewing raw tea leaves and smiling, he asked, "How is the qi guidance going?"

Wang Xiaoping, who only spoke at the Tai Xu Palace, nodded.

Wang Chonglou said, "Each time you draw your sword, you drive Xu Fengnian's sword technique and qi to a single point. The 'Lüshuiting' conceals sword techniques that can guide and clear the mind. Unexpectedly, Xu Fengnian, while carving the pebbles, stumbled upon the essence of the 'Jiazi Sword Practice Record.' Moreover, he learned the turtle breathing technique from some high-level expert and practiced his sword technique at the bottom of the deep pool, which aligns with our Wudang's internal techniques. I thought I would only be able to transfer about a third or a quarter of my Dahuangting to this young lord, but now it seems possible to transfer half or even more."

The sword enthusiast's face turned angry, and the peachwood sword Shentu, placed on the bamboo table, suddenly jumped.

Wang Chonglou gently brushed the table, and the ancient sword Shentu returned to stillness. He smiled and said, "Fool, how can your impatience help Wudang surpass the sword techniques accumulated by the Wu family over generations?"

Wang Xiaoping smiled, picked up a handful of green tea leaves from the bamboo basin, and chewed them.

Wang Chonglou teased, "Do you really want your little junior brother to shoulder both the Way of the Sword and the Heavenly Dao? Hong Xiang is still a young man under thirty. Aren't you afraid of tiring him out? Among our senior brothers who only grow older but not wiser, you are the closest to the Heavenly Dao. So, even though you don't show it, I know you are the most optimistic about this little junior brother. Therefore, after the young lord leaves the mountain, you should take more responsibility, like Wu Liuding of the Wu family's sword tomb, and travel far and wide. The East Sea, the South Sea, Beiliang, and the Western Barbarians. A trip around might help your sword technique. Sitting and talking about the Way is not a good approach."

The first fool of Wudang nodded.

His eyes, filled with melancholy, looked at his relaxed senior brother.

Wang Chonglou, seeing this gaze, laughed heartily, "It's just a small Dahuangting. Compared to Wudang's thousand-year plan, it's nothing."

The sword enthusiast shook his head, probably thinking the Dahuangting was not "small."

Wang Chonglou ignored this and chuckled, "Hong Xiang secretly hid a few pebbles. The young lord is probably having a hard time finding our little junior brother and can only go back to the pool to find pebbles. I need to hurry."

The sword enthusiast subconsciously reached for the peachwood sword.

Wang Chonglou, the leader of Wudang, shook his head, slowly stood up, and walked out of the purple bamboo forest.

Wang Xiaoping sat dazed in front of the bamboo house, turned, and with one strike, felled the bamboo house.