Chapter 40

Hum~

It was as if the sound of a grand bell resonated in his mind. After a moment of daze, a series of blurry and disjointed scenes unfolded before his eyes like a lantern show.

The small courtyard, the locust tree, the old monkey, the ghost-head saber, and an old man and a young boy.

Time rapidly sped forward, and in a daze, Yang Yu felt as if he were right there, as if he had entered the scenes.

He raised his eyes to observe. Although there were slight differences, he still recognized that this small courtyard was the one where Wei He lived.

At this moment, the courtyard was empty, with only an old man and a young boy present.

The old man, with his wrinkled skin and white hair, looked frail and aged. The young boy, limping, had a weathered face, as if he were no longer young.

"Is that Wei Lao Tou?"

Yang Yu recognized the kneeling young boy as the young Wei He.

The old man asked, "Do you have any complaints about being called back?"

"How can I dare to complain when Father calls?"

Wei He answered woodenly.

"Not dare? Then you do have them." The old man was taken aback.

Wei He pursed his lips and remained silent.

After returning from the prosperous Qingzhou to this remote small town, having seen the vast world, how could he be willing to come back, even if he was battered and bruised outside?

"Have you gained knowledge and experience over the years? Have you made any achievements?"

The old man sat upright, rubbing the ghost-head saber in his arms.

Wei He lowered his head, expressionless:

"Qingzhou is vast and rich, with endless prosperity. The Qingzhou army is strong and numerous, with countless talented people surpassing me."

"Though the Qingzhou army is strong, what does it matter?"

The old man suddenly sneered, "Do you know for whom the ‘father dies, son replaces’ system of the Great Ming was originally established?"

Wei He's body trembled, and he suddenly raised his head: "The Jinyiwei?!"

"Exactly!"

The old man nodded, saying, "Your father is the Jinyiwei stationed in Qingzhou, Shunde Prefecture, and Heishan County!"

"Jinyiwei?!"

Listening to the conversation between father and son, Yang Yu was stunned.

He naturally knew the name of the Jinyiwei.

In the mouths of Li Er and other storytellers, whenever the court was mentioned, the shadow of this mysterious and violent organization was always present.

It was said that the Jinyiwei was established at the beginning of the Great Ming Dynasty, personally founded by the founding emperor, who had once conquered mountains and temples, and trampled the world under his hooves.

He never expected that Wei He was actually a Jinyiwei.

In shock, Yang Yu became even more curious about the conversation between the father and son.

The old man seemed to be near death, revealing all the matters orally without putting them in writing.

Wei He, recovering from his shock, did not dare to be negligent, carefully memorizing everything. After an unknown amount of time, the old man exhaled, his face turning extremely pale.

"The Jinyiwei, father dies, son replaces, generation after generation. Although I am about to die, one day, His Majesty will revive the Jinyiwei..."

Struggling to maintain his strength, the old man handed the ghost-head saber to Wei He:

"Take good care of this saber. It is not only a symbol of our identity but also contains a profound martial art of the Jinyiwei..."

Wei He took the saber, but before he could take a closer look, the old man's breath fell to a low point, and he was silent.

"Father!"

In Wei He's mournful cry, the scenes shattered.

In the dark, lightless Cauldron of Gluttony, Yang Yu was dazed for a while before he digested all the secrets he had heard.

Then, he looked at the ghost-head saber in his hand.

After thorough refinement, the saber no longer glowed red, but a glance revealed something unusual.

Dense text, like patterns, covered the entire blade.

"Is this the 'profound martial art' the old man mentioned?"

Yang Yu leaned in to examine it closely.

"Ghost? Demon? Position? Diagram?"

Yang Yu was puzzled. What kind of heavenly script was this?

The text was indeed text, but most of the characters were unfamiliar to him, and he only recognized a few.

After a while, Yang Yu put down the ghost-head saber and looked at the dark cauldron wall:

【Blood Change: Progress (38/100) Second Blood Change】

【Old Mother's Breath Control Record: Progress (23/100) Third Level】

【Iron Crotch Technique: Progress (16/100) Second Level】

【Wind Chasing Step: Progress (39/100) Third Level】

【Tiger Form Grappling Hand: Progress (11/100) Second Level】

【Saber Decapitation: Progress (99/100) Ninth Level】

Internal and external martial arts were limited by the level of blood change. Even the Wind Chasing Step, which had long reached the third level, could not advance further.

But this 'Decapitation' technique had rapidly advanced to the ninth level!

This was not Wei He's realm, nor his father's or ancestors', but the culmination of their three generations' saber practice experience!

Yang Yu stood on their shoulders, the result of countless swings of the saber.

...

Pushing open the window, the sky was just beginning to brighten, with stars still visible on the horizon.

Holding the waist saber, an indescribable feeling welled up in Yang Yu's heart, making his body tremble involuntarily.

It was like an old gourmet seeing a rare delicacy, or a wine fiend encountering fine liquor.

"Decapitation saber, ninth level!"

Suppressing the urge to let out a long cry, Yang Yu's face showed a faint sense of satisfaction.

The improvement in saber technique would not bring a sudden transformation in strength or physique, but the internal enhancement seemed to surpass external improvements.

Hiss~

The cold wind blew the yellow leaves from the eaves, drifting down.

Yang Yu squinted slightly, and without any thought, everything within a丈 (ten feet) in front of him appeared in his mind.

Even the angles, timing, force, and speed of each strike, and their effects, all surfaced in his mind.

Yang Yu stood quietly by the window, feeling the familiar scenery come alive, captivating him.

Until the sky was fully bright and the old lady's coughing was heard from the next room, he came to his senses, started a fire, fetched water, and cooked rice.

After finishing everything, he told the old lady and left the house.

Seven days had passed, but the anxiety in Yang Yu's heart had diminished, replaced by a sense of eagerness to try.

The city was already bustling with people coming and going.

Walking through the crowd, Yang Yu felt uneasy, perhaps due to the aftereffects of rapid refinement or the habit of the Decapitation saber technique.

His gaze involuntarily fell on the necks of everyone passing by, and his mind naturally conjured up various thoughts on how to strike and decapitate from different angles.

Immersed in this strange state, Yang Yu crossed the street and arrived at the Liu family's large courtyard.

Wang Wu, who was feeling much better, was instructing a group of 'militia' about the precautions for the trip out of the city. Suddenly, he felt a tingling in his neck.

Instinctively turning his head, he caught Yang Yu's gaze and felt an involuntary shiver.

This kid...

"What? Kid, do you want to kill me?"

Wang Wu shouted.

A bizarre and absurd thought crossed his mind:

I must not turn my back on this kid!

Yang Yu reluctantly withdrew his gaze and turned to look at another blood-changed martial artist.

The martial artist, lacking Wang Wu's sensitivity, was completely unaware that he had already been decapitated dozens of times in the other's mind.

"Be cautious on this trip into the mountains. Without my permission, no one is to act on their own!"

After a final warning, Wang Wu turned to lead the group out of the city.

After a few steps, he felt something and couldn't help but shiver, turning to glare at Yang Yu:

"Go in front of me!"

...

A cool breeze blew the leaves.

The courtyard was full of green plants. Liu Wenpeng, holding a chess piece, casually looked at the gray-haired Taoist opposite him:

"Daoist Guan, it's your turn to move."

"I give up, I give up."

Daoist Guan conceded, shaking his head, "You are truly unmatched in both chess and sword. I can't match you, sir."

"The game is not yet beyond repair. Why give up?"

Liu Wenpeng smiled slightly and said:

"Like the current situation in Heishan, you see it as a chaotic quagmire, but I see an opportunity to break free from the cage."

"Hmm?"

Daoist Guan's long eyebrows raised, then he sighed, "Aren't you afraid it will become irreparable?"

"Ha ha~"

Liu Wenpeng dropped the chess piece, wiped his hands with a silk handkerchief, and said leisurely:

"Without such a situation, how can one see my true abilities?"