Chapter 14

As the saying goes, "With reason... cough, cough, with manners, one can travel the world." Jiang Chen, relying on his acts of righteousness... spit! I mean, his acts of chivalry, robbing the rich to help the poor, still had some money on him. After all, he was poor himself and naturally needed some help too.

After sending out numerous generous gifts, Jiang Chen finally learned from the few surviving herbalists who had escaped that day the exact location of the valley where the unicorn monster snake was encountered. Overjoyed, he immediately left Xiangyang City to search for it, as he guessed that the unicorn monster snake was likely the Bosuqiao Snake, which could only be found near the sword tomb of Dugu Qiu'ai.

The sword tomb, as the name suggests, is the tomb of swords. As for who Dugu Qiu'ai was, his name tells the story: "Dugu, a life of solitude, seeking only one defeat." To others, this might seem overly arrogant or overly sentimental, but in truth, he had never been defeated in his life. In his era, all the heroes bowed to him, and his long sword was unmatched. His arrogance was so great that it deserved a perfect score.

There was still some time before the丐帮 (Beggars' Gang) convened the martial arts conference. Jiang Chen felt that staying in Xiangyang City was meaningless, so he decided to go to the sword tomb to look for the secret manual of the Dugu Nine Swords. Even if he didn't find it, he remembered that there was a sharp, iron-cutting green sword in the tomb, which would be perfect for dealing with the Dharma King's large wheel!

However, although snakes have specific habitats, the range of these areas is quite large. Using the Bosuqiao Snake as a reference point to find Dugu Qiu'ai's sword tomb was not an easy task. The forest was dense with trees and lush with grass, and there were many caves. Jiang Chen had no choice but to search each one. Sometimes a cave looked promising, but inside there was nothing. Some caves even had wild beehives, with brown bees crawling all over them, scaring Jiang Chen into retreating quickly. He certainly didn't want to be stung into a fat man.

After about ten days of searching, he still hadn't found the sword tomb, but he did find a valley where the Bosuqiao Snakes gathered. The valley was filled with hundreds or thousands of snakes, ranging from two to three meters long to about one meter, with golden lines on their backs and a single horn on their heads, looking like miniature dragons.

Jiang Chen thought that this was likely because, over the past sixteen years, the divine crane and Yang Guo had gone out to explore the world, leaving the Bosuqiao Snakes in the valley without any natural predators, which led to a significant increase in their population.

Curious about the snakes, Jiang Chen decided to hunt a two-meter-long Bosuqiao Snake, extracting its gallbladder. The gallbladder was extremely foul-smelling, and he would never have eaten it if it weren't for its great benefits to his internal cultivation. He put it in his mouth and lightly bit it, and the outer skin immediately burst, filling his mouth with bitter juice.

The juice was extremely bitter and foul, and Jiang Chen wanted to spit it out, but considering the extraordinary effects of the gallbladder, he forced himself to swallow it. After a while, he circulated his energy and felt his breathing become smooth. When he stood up and moved his limbs, he felt not only refreshed but even more energetic than usual.

He then used the power of the gallbladder to practice his skills and found that he was indeed lighter and more agile than usual, and his internal strength had improved, though not significantly. However, given his current level of internal cultivation, the gallbladder's effects were truly remarkable.

Moreover, he discovered that the Bosuqiao Snake's gallbladder also increased physical strength. Although one gallbladder didn't significantly boost his power, it did increase his strength by about twenty pounds.

Although Qiu Qianren's Iron Palm technique was a superior martial art that combined internal and external cultivation, Jiang Chen, having obtained his skills through the cycle talent, was already quite proficient in external techniques. However, he still had a gap to close to reach the level of the top external martial artists. Since the Bosuqiao Snake's gallbladder could increase strength, it would certainly help him in his external cultivation.

Jiang Chen then began his snake-hunting journey. In just a few days, the number of Bosuqiao Snakes in the nearby valley significantly decreased. He either ate the gallbladders directly or sealed them in bamboo tubes and stored them in his wristwatch space. Having such a portable storage space was indeed very convenient.

After consuming a large number of gallbladders and using the effective methods of the Iron Palm technique to refine his external skills, Jiang Chen's external strength increased dramatically, like a rocket. Even without using his internal strength, his punches and kicks now had a force of seven to eight hundred pounds, which even martial arts experts would not dare to resist lightly.

However, even so, Jiang Chen had not yet fully unleashed the potential of the gallbladders. A large amount of their power was stored in his body, waiting to be gradually released as he continued to practice, eventually becoming a force he could use.

One day, while searching for Dugu Qiu'ai's sword tomb, he found a large cave in a deep valley. He entered and saw that the cave was dark, but it was actually quite shallow, ending after about ten feet. A stone table and a stone stool came into view.

"Is this the cave where Dugu Qiu'ai once lived?" Jiang Chen was overjoyed. After wandering in the forest for nearly a month, what was his goal? Seeing that he was about to achieve it, how could he not be happy?

He examined the cave and noticed a pile of stones in the corner, which looked like a grave. He thought, "This must be Dugu Qiu'ai's grave. I wonder if there is a sword manual inside?" However, the idea of digging up a grave made him hesitate. He thought, "I'll check the sword tomb first. If I don't find anything, I can come back later."

He looked up and saw some writing on the cave wall, but it was covered in dust and moss, making it hard to read in the dark. Jiang Chen lit a dry branch and wiped the moss away, revealing three lines of text. The characters were very fine, but they were deeply etched into the stone, clearly made with a very sharp weapon:

"Having roamed the江湖 (jianghu) for over thirty years, I have killed all my enemies and defeated all heroes. There is no one left to challenge me. In despair, I have retired to this deep valley, befriending the crane. Alas, I have never found a worthy opponent, and the loneliness is unbearable."

The signature read, "The Sword Demon, Dugu Qiu'ai."

Although he had known this text before, seeing it in person gave him a new sense of understanding. He read the three lines over and over, feeling both amazed and admiring, and also sensing the loneliness and despair. He thought, "Dugu Qiu'ai was truly a remarkable figure, undefeated in the world. This is a dream many people can only dream of, yet he chose to live in seclusion in this valley."

But then he thought, since Dugu Qiu'ai was called "invincible," his martial arts must have been incredibly profound. Known as the "Sword Demon," he must have wielded the sword like a god. His name "Qiu'ai" (seeking defeat) suggests that he traveled the world seeking someone who could defeat him, but he never found one, and ultimately died in this valley, feeling desolate. Reflecting on the legacy of this great predecessor, he was deeply moved.

He lingered for a while, holding the burning branch and examining the cave. Finding no other relics, and seeing no other markings on the stone grave, he guessed that the divine crane had placed the stones on Dugu Qiu'ai's body after his death. He stood in awe, growing more and more admiring of this extraordinary predecessor, and involuntarily knelt before the stone grave, bowing three times.

Leaving the cave, he determined the direction and walked for a short distance to a steep cliff. The cliff was like a giant screen, rising straight up. About twenty feet up, there was a large stone, about three to four feet square, resembling a platform, with some words carved into it.

Jiang Chen looked up and saw the words "Sword Tomb" clearly. He was overjoyed, thinking he had finally found it. Approaching the cliff, he saw that the stone wall was bare, with no hand or footholds. If he hadn't known the secret, he would have been puzzled about how to climb it.

He focused and noticed that there were clusters of moss growing on the cliff at regular intervals, forming a straight line. He had an idea and leaped up, reaching into the lowest cluster of moss and pulling out a handful of black mud, revealing a small hole. He guessed that Dugu Qiu'ai had dug these holes with a sharp weapon, and over time, they had filled with mud and grown moss. Although Yang Guo occasionally visited, it was not frequent, and the mountain's weather had not significantly changed the appearance.

Determined to explore the sword tomb, Jiang Chen took a deep breath, leaped up several feet, and placed his left foot in the first small hole. He then leaped again, kicking his right foot into the second cluster of moss, and the soft mud gave way, revealing another hole for his foot.

With his current level of power, he was unparalleled. In one breath, he reached the platform and looked around. Next to the large words "Sword Tomb," there were two smaller lines of text:

"The Sword Demon, Dugu Qiu'ai, having no equal in the world, buried his sword here. Alas! The heroes are helpless, the long sword is sharp, but it is also a tragedy!"