Chapter 11

"Chief Steward."

The servant left the Taoist temple, took several turns, and finally, when it was completely dark, he came to a carriage. He bowed and said, "The one hundred taels and the item have been delivered to him."

A faint response came from inside the carriage.

"Actually..." the servant hesitated, "he is just a young man, and he is alone. Why go to such great lengths? Why not just..."

The servant only spoke half of his thoughts, but the meaning was already very clear.

"Is this something you can meddle in? A servant is a servant; don't think too much." A low reprimand came from inside the carriage. "If he dies, the Shangguan family can refuse the young master's proposal on the pretext of mourning."

The servant quickly lowered his head, not daring to say more.

But he was even more puzzled and fearful.

In just a few years, the Shangguan family had transformed from an ordinary wealthy family into a well-known household in Fengxing Prefecture, almost comparable to the Chen family, a century-old aristocratic family.

Their current status was entirely due to the Shangguan lady, who had gained the favor of a nobleman in the capital. The young master of the Chen family actually forced a marriage with this Shangguan lady. Was he not afraid that she would seek revenge on the Chen family when she returned from the capital?

Although he was just a servant, he could understand that the Shangguan family had grown to match the Chen family's century-long accumulation solely based on the Shangguan lady's reputation in the capital. It was evident that the Shangguan lady held a significant position in the capital, and the nobleman who promoted her was certainly no ordinary person. In reality, how could the Shangguan lady be something the Chen family could covet?

But he did not dare to voice these thoughts.

"Staying out for so long is not good. You should quickly return to the Shangguan family."

The voice of the Chief Steward came from inside the carriage.

The servant, as if granted a reprieve, hurriedly left.

The Chief Steward got out of the carriage and instead waved for the driver to come in, taking the reins himself.

"With that nobleman's protection, even if the Shangguan lady were ten times more noble, our Chen family would not fear her. It's just this Qin family boy, sigh, if it weren't for his involvement in this matter, killing him would be a clean solution."

The Chief Steward, facing the evening breeze, felt a bit uneasy.

...

It was already night, but Qin Xianyu had extinguished the candle.

He lit a stick of incense in the darkness.

The tip of the incense glowed red, very noticeable in the night.

"The sword you have is from the Divine Wind Manor's Zhao boy, and it shouldn't be shown in public. If you want to use this sword, you should change the hilt's decoration and modify the blade, but this would make the grip feel slightly different. In my opinion, you should get a new sword. Besides, your sword stance is incorrect. From what I saw yesterday, you don't know martial arts at all. I've taken the martial arts manuals, and it seems you are trying to figure it out on your own. This method is incorrect, and..."

The old Taoist leaned against the bed, offering many comments.

Qin Xianyu slightly lowered his sword and said calmly, "You took the martial arts manuals from me just the other day, and now you come to me with serious injuries, and you still dare to bring this up. Aren't you afraid that I, a young Taoist, will kill you, an old Taoist?"

The old Taoist laughed and said, "If you wanted to kill, you wouldn't have treated my injuries."

Qin Xianyu remained silent, then sighed and said, "Your injuries are severe. Even my father couldn't bring you back to life. I just used needles to stop the bleeding and applied some medicine. It won't last long."

It was strange that the old Taoist, with his chest and abdomen torn open and some internal organs damaged, was still alive. It was almost unbelievable. But recalling how he came and went like a wisp of smoke, accompanied by the wind, he was likely a mysterious figure.

The old Taoist smiled faintly, not caring about his injuries. He looked at Qin Xianyu and said, "You lit the incense to try to split the tip into two halves with your sword? This method is good for training strength, vision, and accuracy, but that's all. It's just a basic training method, and it's rather crude."

Qin Xianyu paused, looking at the old Taoist.

"The old Taoist also knows martial arts. True high-level martial arts require techniques like acupuncture to stimulate the blood and qi, or secret medicines and medicinal baths. Your method is the most basic, and even if you master it, it will make you quick and accurate, but it's still difficult for ordinary people to achieve. Strictly speaking, it's not as effective as standing in a horse stance."

The old Taoist slowly said, "Even if you are quick and accurate, it's useless if you miss. Moreover, in real combat, strength is essential. Your method only trains wrist strength, and it's not enough to train overall strength."

Qin Xianyu was slightly shocked.

He had heard these things before, about secret techniques, secret medicines, and acupuncture to stimulate blood and qi, but they were just rumors.

"Martial arts are divided into three stages. The first stage is to move and stimulate the blood and qi, greatly increasing strength. The second stage is to cultivate inner strength, which is extraordinary. The final stage is the pinnacle, where inner strength can be externalized, capable of injuring with a flower or a leaf, appearing like divine powers to ordinary people."

The old Taoist said calmly, "If you can reach the stage of moving and stimulating the blood and qi, once you do so, you can burst with several times the strength, lifting hundreds of pounds, and in combat, you will have the advantage of strength. Inner strength, once stimulated, gives great power in every movement, allowing you to cut through trees and split rocks with a sword. As for injuring with a flower or a leaf, that is the pinnacle, and it is rare in the current martial arts world."

"From the old Taoist's perspective, your method, if mastered, is useful against ordinary people, but it only trains one sword technique. Without understanding sword paths and body techniques, it is insufficient to deal with those who know martial arts."

The old Taoist looked at Qin Xianyu and sighed, "Even those who only know basic techniques, without understanding the movement of blood and qi, and who have not reached a high level, are still better than you."

Qin Xianyu's brows gradually furrowed, feeling a bit disappointed.

He sighed and waved his hand, and the sword came down.

The sword split the burning incense into two perfectly even halves.

The remaining red glow flickered briefly and then returned to darkness.

"You..." Seeing this, the old Taoist was suddenly taken aback, his eyes showing surprise. He suddenly remembered that this young man didn't know martial arts just the other day, but how could he have mastered this technique so quickly?

This technique seemed to come naturally to him.

"You... " The old Taoist, shocked, was a bit flustered, "How did you master it so quickly? Did you create this method yourself?"

Qin Xianyu was silent for a moment, then lit a candle, took out the manual, and handed it to the old Taoist.

The old Taoist gently flipped through the pages, using the candlelight to read the contents clearly. He read it several times and found it to be a very basic technique, although it was somewhat difficult, it only trained the ability to split the incense with a sword. However, the young Taoist's sword seemed to come naturally.

After a moment of thought, the old Taoist asked, "Where did you get this manual?"

Qin Xianyu hesitated slightly but finally told the truth about the origin of the manual, but he kept the jade pill a secret.

In Qin Xianyu's mind, he suspected that this sword technique was meant to train the extraordinary abilities brought by the jade pill, rather than the technique itself being particularly advanced.

Hearing the origin of the manual, the old Taoist became more serious. He no longer looked down on it and, after several readings, said, "When you strike, do not move your wrist, but use your arm to strike. This will train your arm strength. Next, train your waist strength, using your waist to strike."

"Once you have mastered these two steps, practice the technique of splitting soybeans. When you can split soybeans, it will be a different level."

"Stabbing to kill and slashing to wound, if you stab, it is easier to take a life than to slash. Once you have mastered the steps, use the tip of the sword to stab. If you can hit the incense a hundred times without it falling and split soybeans in the air, then you will have reached a higher level."

The old Taoist looked at the manual, flipping through it repeatedly. With his hundred years of experience, his guidance made everything clear: "Once you have mastered these steps, you should learn some sword techniques and body movements. Once you have mastered them, even those who can move and stimulate their blood and qi will not be your match."

The old Taoist's guidance divided the steps of sword training into multiple levels.

Qin Xianyu, having heard this, realized the clear hierarchy and was quite surprised.

If he had only followed his original method, even if he mastered it, he could only deal with ordinary people. Those who knew martial arts, even if they couldn't move and stimulate their blood and qi, knew sword techniques and, in real combat, would likely defeat him.

The old Taoist's method was different. If he mastered it, every strike would be precise, whether slashing or stabbing. Once he learned sword techniques and body movements, he would be a formidable opponent.

Even if he was still a beginner who couldn't move and stimulate his blood and qi, his precise sword technique was already quite impressive. If he learned a body movement technique, he could be flexible and adaptable, and even face those who could move and stimulate their blood and qi with a chance of winning.

"You practice first. I will study it further to see what secrets it holds."

The old Taoist frowned, thinking, "That Zhao boy is a top martial artist with inner strength. Why would he value this basic manual so much? There must be some secret."

At night, Qin Xianyu continued to practice his sword.

But without using his wrist, he was clearly restricted.

At first, although he hit the incense, it was still at an angle. Later, he could split the incense into two perfectly even halves with every strike.

The old Taoist, after a few glances, became more serious.

That night, Qin Xianyu did not sleep.

He practiced his sword all night.

He didn't know how many incense sticks he had split.

From wrist strength to arm strength to waist strength, no matter which part he used, he could split the incense. He also realized that most people used their wrist strength, like he did before, but using arm strength was more powerful, and using waist strength was even more forceful.

As for splitting soybeans, he would have to go to the city to buy some.

The old Taoist watched him, thinking about whether to teach him a standing posture technique to learn how to move and stimulate his blood and qi.

As the first light of dawn appeared, there was some movement outside the Taoist temple.

The old Taoist, lying in bed, wrapped himself in the blanket and said, "I'm going to sleep. There's someone looking for you outside."

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