Chapter 58: The Mindset of Doing Nothing

The day after killing the great monk.

I started the Black Cat Sect leader's daily routine with diligence and integrity. The good thing about being a sect leader is that on days when you don't want to do anything, you don't have to.

Today, I had no intention of tormenting my subordinates, threatening them, or issuing various orders. After getting up, washing up, and eating, I did nothing.

With the determined mindset of doing absolutely nothing, I put on the black robe of the sect leader and headed to the inner courtyard. My subordinates, who had finished their breakfast, were training under the sharp gaze of Xiao Junping.

I ignored Xiao Junping's greeting and the greetings of the other subordinates.

I just stood with my hands behind my back, silently watching my subordinates train.

It was a sunny day.

Whenever a gentle breeze blew, nameless flower petals would scatter.

I glanced up at a few trees planted at the edge of the courtyard. They were beautiful trees with flowers of white and pink mixed together.

I didn't know their names.

I knew quite a few names of martial arts techniques, but I always forgot the names of flowers and trees. I just couldn't remember them. Sometimes, even if I saw a flower today, I would forget its name a few days later.

The same went for the trees and flowers planted in the Black Cat Sect's courtyard.

I was just admiring their beauty.

As my subordinates kept looking at me standing under the flower tree, Xiao Junping said, "Focus."

"Yes."

I also focused on looking up at the flower tree.

Many petals had fallen on the ground.

I walked around, avoiding the petals for a while.

The subordinates resumed their training, and I moved around, catching the petals that scattered with the wind.

Who planted such beautiful flowers in the courtyard?

Whoever it was, they must have been a genius.

I sat cross-legged and closed my eyes in the spot where the most petals had fallen, just as my subordinates started sweating.

I began to meditate.

It wasn't a long time, but I was getting stronger, and my subordinates were also getting stronger as they continued their external martial arts training.

I drew the energy of the Heavenly Jade into my body, guiding it with my cultivation technique, circulating it through my body, and then stacking it in my dantian.

A few petals fluttered and landed on my head.

By the time Xiao Junping shouted a few times, the subordinates' cries had a deeper tone.

Life is, once again, painful.

How much time had passed?

As soon as I found the meditation boring, I immediately stopped and opened my eyes.

The subordinates were lying around the ground, taking a break. It seemed quite a bit of time had passed.

I got up and drew the Black Cat Blade.

When I suddenly drew the blade, my subordinates' eyes widened.

I held the Black Cat Blade and walked around in the falling petals. Since the petals fell without any pattern, I occasionally stabbed between them with the blade.

It was a futile and meaningless slash.

But it was okay.

Everything is meaningless at first.

In front of my subordinates, I swung the blade, blending with the petals. Even when Xiao Junping resumed the training, I continued to swing the blade.

I stabbed between the petals.

I chased the petals, catching them on the back of the blade. Then, I tried to cut a particularly lonely petal with the Black Cat Blade.

The petal seemed to mock me as it drifted away.

Life is, once again, a series of failures.

I repeated the actions of cutting, brushing, hitting, and placing the petals on the blade.

When the wind blew, scattering the petals, I created a wind with the blade, making the petals fly in a scattered pattern.

I then pulled the flying petals back to the blade.

The method was simple.

I held the Black Cat Blade and injected a very weak amount of the Absorption Technique. The blade, with a slightly stronger suction force than the wind, led the petals forward.

After a while, Xiao Junping's voice was heard, judging that the subordinates' concentration was too scattered.

"Pause, take a break."

Now, Xiao Junping also sat with the subordinates to watch me.

I mixed the Absorption Technique with the blade technique, then forgot both the blade technique and the Absorption Technique.

I just moved joyfully and pleasantly with the falling petals.

When I felt somewhat familiar with the weight, movement, and wind's influence of the petals, I started cutting the falling petals by injecting the Wood Element energy into the blade.

A pink petal was cut in half.

A white petal was also cut in half.

I carved characters into the pattern of petals I had lifted into the air with the wind.

一, 二, 三.

It was easy up to three, but I gave up on four.

I succeeded with 人 and 心 but gave up on 天 because it was too difficult.

My blade technique hadn't reached the level of 天 yet.

I swung the blade to the best of my ability.

Next, I repeated stabbing.

I stabbed the petals with the tip of the Black Cat Blade, but the petals always escaped.

'Stabbing petals is so difficult.'

The petals were extremely light, making it hard to hit them.

And this kind of stabbing didn't suit the blade.

I failed dozens of times and put the Black Cat Blade back into its sheath. Xiao Junping, who had been watching, called out to me.

"Lord Sect Leader, please take this."

When I turned around, Xiao Junping threw a sword to me.

I caught and drew the sword. It was a normal long sword, much lighter than the relatively heavy Black Cat Blade.

I swung the sword and started to focus on stabbing the petals.

I used the Wood Element, then the Flame Element, and finally the Earth Element. After three consecutive failures, I moved lightly without injecting any power.

Moving like a petal.

Swinging like the wind.

I moved as if playing with the petals.

Suddenly, I stopped all movements and breathing, stabbing the center of a falling petal while the subordinates watched with their heads tilted.

A single petal was pierced and stuck to the tip of the sword.

When I looked at the subordinates with the sword lowered, they were all grinning with their mouths closed.

I laughed along.

It's natural to laugh when someone who has been failing succeeds.

I looked at the tree that had scattered petals for me.

"What kind of tree is this?"

It seemed like a ridiculous question, as everyone answered in unison.

"It's a plum tree."

"Oh, is that so?"

To remember the moment I stabbed the petals, I gave it a simple name.

"Then, let's call it the Plum Blossom Sword Technique."

Xiao Junping asked curiously.

"Did you complete a new sword technique here?"

I looked at Xiao Junping and the subordinates and answered.

"No, it's just the beginning. I just felt something while blending with the petals. There's no such thing as perfection in martial arts. You'll improve a little each day by repeating the practice. Try it when the petals are falling. But a sword is better for this practice."

Xiao Junping, who used the Wild Reed Blade, asked.

"Is it difficult with a blade?"

"It's fine if you're not stabbing. But the emphasis in the process was on stabbing. Still, it doesn't matter whether you use a blade or a sword. The most important thing is to practice every day."

Feeling hungry, I asked.

"Am I hungry? Is it mealtime?"

"Yes, it's already lunchtime."

"Let's eat."

Xiao Junping looked around and said to me.

"The meal is probably ready inside. Please go ahead."

I stopped in surprise as I was about to enter the hall. Hong Shen was sitting on the dais, apparently watching the whole time.

"Hong Shimei."

"Yes, Senior Brother."

"Stealing my secret martial arts, you're indeed a thief..."

I couldn't bring myself to say "bitch."

Hong Shen retorted.

"Plum Blossom Sword Technique? Isn't that a weak name for a sword technique?"

"Should I call it the Demon Slayer Sword Technique?"

"Plum Blossom will last longer."

"Let's eat."

Hong Shen looked at the falling petals and said.

"I'll watch a bit more. You go ahead."

I watched Hong Shen, who seemed ready to dash through the falling petals, and entered the hall.

The meal was already prepared.

In addition to Hong Shen, Jin Hai, who had stayed as a guest for the day, was waiting for me with a feast.

"Stealing my secret martial arts while admiring the meal, you're indeed..."

I held back the words "piglet." Seeing Jin Hai, who was only admiring the meal, I couldn't call him a pig.

Jin Hai nodded.

"Please eat, Senior Brother. Today's side dishes are all new."

Jin Hai, who had settled in the Black Cat Sect for the sake of food, sat down and started eating.

Jin Hai asked while eating.

"Is Hong Shimei not eating?"

I replied with a puzzled look.

"Were you the senior brother?"

Jin Hai nodded as if it was obvious.

"Yes."

"But why did you get slapped?"

"I've thought about it deeply. Is this a normal situation? No, it can't happen in a prestigious sect. A junior sister slapping a senior brother? She should be expelled. But we're not a prestigious sect, right? We're a black path sect. In the black path, can a junior sister...? You dare? I need to teach her a lesson soon. While thinking about this, I was told that I had my inner energy stolen by the senior brother. Hong Shimei's inner energy is quite deep. It's not an easy problem."

I yawned while eating.

"..."

If I had focused on eating, I wouldn't have yawned, but listening to Jin Hai made me sleepy. I vaguely heard Jin Hai's voice.

"Senior Brother?"

"Huh, what?"

"You must be tired."

"Yeah, I am. Let's eat."

While eating, I suddenly remembered Jin Hai's words and asked.

"So, in summary, you like Hong Shen?"

Jin Hai replied with a puzzled look.

"Did you dream?"

"No?"

"How could I? A fat guy like me, who would I look at?"

"What nonsense."

"Does Senior Brother understand the heart of a fat person?"

"You'd know if you were fat."

"Then, stop talking."

After a while, I suddenly looked at Jin Hai.

"Wow, you're really eating well."

Jin Hai ate even faster, splattering rice.

"I had my inner energy stolen by Senior Brother, so I need to eat a lot. Eating is beneficial."

"The unbeatable logic of a fat person is at the level of being impervious to blades. You'll eat no matter what."

"Unbeatable logic? I haven't even started. From the Jin Shan Merchant House, an inexhaustible source of funds, the youngest son. Money, martial arts, and if I lose weight, no man can handle it. Having everything leads to envy and jealousy. You need to be moderate."

"So, you're from a wealthy family."

"Yes."

"No wonder you look like the youngest. That's why you got slapped."

I had only decided to do nothing for less than a day, but I was already craving a junior brother.

After finishing the meal, I went back to the dais in the courtyard. Jin Hai, who seemed to have started a three-day diet, put down his chopsticks and followed me.

I watched the scene in the courtyard with my arms crossed.

Jin Hai, who came out late, looked at the people with a dazed expression.

"Why are the subordinates acting crazy?"

The subordinates, who had returned from their meal, were all swinging their swords and cutting the petals during their break.

Among them were Xiao Junping and Hong Shen.

Xiao Junping was sitting cross-legged in the spot where the most petals had fallen, with a very serious expression.

Hong Shen was swinging her sword with a flower in her hair.

Jin Hai sighed.

"They're all crazy."

I sat on the dais and watched the subordinates, who were joyfully going crazy, with a serious expression.

"Good, you're doing well."

Jin Hai sat next to me and said.

"The Crazy Dawn Gang."

I looked at the subordinates and junior sister, who were doing well, and sang happily.

"In the swaying flowers, I felt the scent of plum blossoms."

Jin Hai, who had nothing to do, listened and nodded a few times, then clapped to the beat.

The subordinates, dancing with their swords in the petals.

I sang.

The fat junior brother clapped to boost the mood.

It was pleasant.