Chapter 60

That old man in the sheepskin coat is the old-generation sword god Li Chunjiang? To Xu Fengnian, this was unexpected yet reasonable. Recalling the evaluation Xu Xiao had given in the Tingchao Pavilion, along with the series of water swords and the umbrella sword that were still vivid in his mind, all of which were extremely awe-inspiring, Xu Fengnian believed that Jiang Ni's unguarded words were the best. Even a thin old crane is not comparable to a flock of chickens and ducks. What does it matter if he lost to Wang Xianzhi and had his wooden horse and ox broken? This one-armed old man still broke the talisman general's red armor with a single finger. If he were given a sharp sword, what level of sword intent would he achieve?

Jiang Ni had hit Xu Fengnian's leg with the ancient fire clay inkstone, which was worth a thousand gold, no less than a hundred times. Xu Fengnian frowned and said, "If you keep hitting, my leg will be fine, but your uncle Jiang Taoya's treasure will be destroyed. You, this wasteful girl, don't care, but I do."

Jiang Ni had vented most of her pent-up anger and carefully hid the ancient inkstone. Where could she hide it? Xu Fengnian picked up a stack of processed Xuan paper on the table, somewhat surprised that it was no less fine than the Jiangnan tribute paper Daxian. He pulled out a thin sheet of Xuan paper and shook it. It was as thin as an egg membrane but had excellent resilience. This ink-absorbing processed Xuan paper was more suitable for detailed brushwork than raw Xuan paper. Xu Fengnian's mood greatly improved, and he even thought of asking the owner of the house for several dozen bundles of Xuan paper before leaving Yingchuan. In this way, Xu Fengnian no longer cared whether he had the ancient fire clay inkstone. He personally ground the ink on a natural toad-shaped Huanglu stone inkstone, took the Guandong Liaowei, and left Jiang Ni to her own devices. He meticulously drew the intricate patterns on the talisman general's red armor based on memory.

The patterns on the red armor's chest, back, hands, and feet took up four sheets of Xuan paper. Then he gradually separated the overlapping cloud script and drew them individually. The swirling clouds, obscure star maps, and numerous Buddhist Sanskrit characters were truly an endless physical task.

Xu Fengnian put more effort into drawing these than practicing his sword skills. Unconsciously, the rain beating on the fat banana leaves outside the window had long ceased, and it was already dusk. Xu Fengnian rubbed his eyes, his hands covered in ink. Qingniao gently entered the room and handed him a hot towel. Xu Fengnian wiped his face and hands, looking exhausted. This work was truly draining. He was afraid that a single stroke out of place would lead to a significant error. Qingniao said lightly, "Your Highness, the people outside the courtyard have been driven away by this servant."

Xu Fengnian let out a long breath and subconsciously stroked the Xiu Dong knife nearby. He nodded lightly and said, "I'm busy right now. I don't have the time to talk nonsense with them. If I forget something important, they might lose their hats and positions that day. Qingniao, find out who the owner of this house is. Just a cursory look shows that the paintings, bronze objects, stele rubbings, and famous paper here are quite particular, not something ordinary wealthy families can display. Also, find out how much of this processed Xuan paper is in stock. I need fifty to sixty bundles for the journey."

Qingniao nodded and left. Xu Fengnian noticed out of the corner of his eye that Jiang Ni was tiptoeing to peek at what he was drawing. He didn't bother to expose her, considering it a reward for her revealing the secret. Thinking of the names "sword god" and "wooden horse and ox," Xu Fengnian couldn't help but think of those two swords.

Xu Fengnian shook his neck, picked up the Xiu Dong and Chun Lei dual knives, and went to the courtyard. Jiang Ni held the secret manual in the corridor, reluctant to leave. She had earned several taels of silver less today than usual. Xu Fengnian focused and drew a breath, drew out Chun Lei, and imitated the old sword god's umbrella sword stance, thrusting it into the ground. However, he only inserted Chun Lei into the stone slab, with no sword intent at all. Xu Fengnian thrust several more times, but none of them were correct. He squatted down and remained silent.

The patterns on the talisman general's red armor could be copied, but learning this sword intent was as difficult as climbing to the heavens.

Jiang Ni, full of righteous indignation, said angrily, "How shameless, stealing techniques!"

Xu Fengnian closed his eyes, slowed down his movements, extremely slow, so slow that he could feel the qi in his body gathering in his right arm holding the knife. He could even sense the slight tremors in his muscles. Then he merged with the knife, finally concentrating all his energy at the tip of the blade.

On Wudang Mountain, the ox-riding master taught a set of unknown circle-drawing boxing techniques. Initially, the movements were as light and flowing as clouds and water. Xu Fengnian practiced fast knives, so the "Lushuiting Jiazi Xijian Record" he read on the mountain was all about sword techniques. Although practicing knives required speed, he also knew that slow knives were more difficult. In the end, one could forget about speed and slowness, with no thoughts of techniques, only a single intention. When the intention moved, whether it was a knife or a sword, the action was free of any attachment.

However, these were almost untraceable, like a castle in the air. How many martial artists in the world had practiced hundreds of thousands of knives and millions of swords to achieve this realm?

When the tip of the knife was just an inch from the ground, Xu Fengnian suddenly exerted force.

It was still a simple knife.

Xu Fengnian was a bit regretful and muttered, "Too hasty."

He stood up, put back the Chun Lei knife, and stretched. He said to himself, "Not hasty, not hasty. Listen to Old Huang, you have to eat one bite at a time."

Jiang Ni, who had expected something to happen, found it was just a lot of thunder and little rain, and pouted. Xu Fengnian saw her expression and smiled, "Making fun of me? You, who is about to learn swordsmanship from a sword god and is determined to become the new sword god, come and lift my knife. Not Xiu Dong, but this three-pound Chun Lei. If you can hold it for the duration of a joss stick, I'll count it as ten thousand words."

Jiang Ni raised the sword manual in her hand and said heavily, "Do you listen or not? If you don't listen, I'll count it as three thousand words!"

Xu Fengnian shook his head, "Not today. I still need to draw more while my memory is fresh. Go on, I'll count it as three thousand words."

Jiang Ni looked incredulous, afraid of any traps. After so many years of continuous losses and schemes, she had become overly cautious.

Regardless of Jiang Ni's thoughts, Xu Fengnian walked into the room, focused, and continued to curse the Longhu Mountain alchemists while drawing diligently.

This work was like practicing slow knives, every stroke and line required full attention and effort.

The old sword god Li Chunjiang had walked into the courtyard at some point. Jiang Ni, who was still pondering what to do with the ancient inkstone, stopped and saw the old man standing where Xu Fengnian had thrust the knife, looking down.

The old man, who had been aimlessly wandering, was drawn in by the last knife thrust.

Jiang Ni watched for a while, saw that the old man was just staring, and left the courtyard.

Li Chunjiang bent down, squinted, and saw the unusual fine cracks left by the last knife thrust. He clicked his tongue and said, "What kind of knife is this? Clearly, learning swordsmanship is more promising."

The old man tugged at his sheepskin coat, and the fur fell off. He turned and left, glancing at the white cat and the plump beauty. He muttered, "This kid is crazy. Not eating cat meat is one thing, but not touching this girl?"

Yu Youwei was furious but dared not speak.

The old man seemed to have lice or something in his crotch, scratching himself for comfort. Fortunately, Yu Youwei did not see this scene. She walked straight into the courtyard and saw Xu Fengnian intently drawing something. She hesitated, preparing to quietly return to her room. She had no real business, but the sudden change to a completely unfamiliar place made her feel uneasy. The small courtyard where she stayed was particularly deep and quiet, with dozens of green bamboo plants. Reading too many stories about immortals, foxes, and spirits, she always imagined something might float out of the bamboo grove. Compared to the green bamboo, she preferred the graceful and lush banana plants, and there were many here.

Before Yu Youwei got close, Xu Fengnian switched from his left hand to his right and smiled, "Is there something?"

Yu Youwei softly replied, "To look at the banana plants."

Xu Fengnian was taken aback and teased, "Changing courtyards is not possible. My things are all here. But if you like looking at banana plants, I can have someone move all the clusters in this courtyard to yours. How about that?"

Yu Youwei, blushing, said, "Fine."

Xu Fengnian snapped his fingers, and Qingniao appeared beside Yu Youwei. Xu Fengnian smiled, "Have the banana plants moved."

Yu Youwei said, "No need," and turned away in anger. Even Wu Meiniang lazily stretched her claws, which, from the side, slid over the round curves of Yu Youwei's chest, a scene that Xu Fengnian, who happened to catch, found somewhat captivating.

Xu Fengnian waved his hand, and Qingniao left. He then called out to Yu Youwei, smiling, "Come, let's both grind ink."

Yu Youwei asked in confusion, "Huh?"

Xu Fengnian pointed to the Huanglu stone inkstone on the table and said, "You grind this."

He then pointed to Yu Youwei's chest and made a grinding motion, grinning, "I'll grind this."

Yu Youwei's face turned red, and she scolded, "Lecher!"

Watching Yu Youwei flee in a panic, Xu Fengnian leaned back in his chair, his eyes devoid of any lust, squinting his beautiful phoenix eyes, and turned to look out the window at the clear moon and sparse stars after the rain, "Where is Xu Xiao now?"

{Piaotian Literature}