Chapter 5

Once again, it was the dawn of a new day.

Qin Xianyu sat on the bed, lost in thought for a long time.

Yesterday, when he entered the mountains to gather herbs, the sun was also rising, and the fairy birds were by his side. But now, there was no longer the pleasant sound of birds chirping in his ears.

In just one day, so much had changed.

Even he, Qin Xianyu, had taken several lives, though there was no blood on his hands, he still felt a heavy burden on his body.

Everything seemed like a dream.

He sat at the head of the bed, silent for a long time, until the sunlight outside gradually grew stronger, and he was startled awake. He struggled to get up but suddenly paused. He tilted his head to look at his shoulder, which was now smooth and fair, almost like a woman's skin. Yet, he vaguely remembered that last night before he fell asleep, his shoulder was still bruised and swollen.

At that time, he had intended to apply medicine to the wound but could not withstand the pain and fainted.

But now, the wound was completely healed, as if nothing had happened. Qin Xianyu immediately recalled the two gentle breezes from yesterday.

Could it be... that when those breezes blew, they not only alleviated his pain but also healed his injuries?

Qin Xianyu's face showed surprise. He believed that those two breezes that alleviated his pain must have come from the old Taoist. Could it be that the old Taoist, after taking the four martial arts manuals, felt guilty and healed his injuries?

But that didn't make sense, as the bruise was still there when he fell asleep last night.

"This... how is it like the effect of some miraculous elixir?" Qin Xianyu frowned and thought for a long time but could not think of any miraculous medicine in the world that could heal injuries overnight. In books, it often mentioned that thousand-year-old ginseng and ten-thousand-year-old snow lotus could increase a martial artist's internal strength by decades, but he had never heard of such a miraculous healing medicine.

He thought for a while but still couldn't figure it out, so he got up and, thinking of the martial arts manuals, hurriedly went to find the "Introduction to Swordsmanship."

Fortunately, the thin book was still on the floor. He picked it up and placed it on the bed as if it were a treasure. He also picked up his Taoist robe but, upon checking, found no trace of the pale golden bead. Qin Xianyu's face turned pale. The young hero surnamed Zhao had placed such importance on the bead, clearly indicating it was not an ordinary jewel but an extraordinary treasure. How could it be lost?

He hurriedly searched, but after a long time, he still couldn't find it. Just as he was frowning, his eyes caught sight of the water in the jar, and he was startled.

The water in the jar was clearly clear, but now it was faintly golden. At first glance, it seemed as if the water was illuminated by sunlight, but the sunlight had not yet reached the window, and the room was still somewhat dark.

At that moment, a flash of inspiration came to him. He remembered that last night, he had been extremely thirsty and had drunk a mouthful of cold water, then fell into a coma again, and his shoulder had itched terribly.

He had thought it was a dream, but now...

Qin Xianyu hurriedly ran to the water jar and saw the pale golden bead lying quietly at the bottom. It had originally been the size of a goose egg but was now only the size of a chicken egg, clearly having shrunk. Recalling that he had drunk a mouthful of water last night and his shoulder wound had completely healed, this couldn't be a coincidence, could it?

Qin Xianyu leaned close to the water and took a deep breath, sensing a faint fragrance.

"Is this water... really a miraculous elixir that can heal injuries?"

Qin Xianyu was lost in thought for a long time, unable to come to his senses. It wasn't until his stomach growled that he was startled awake. He thought for a long time, then hurriedly took the pale golden bead and went to wash rice and cook porridge. However, he dared not use the water from the jar to wash the rice.

When he started the fire to cook the porridge, he hesitated for a moment before using the water from the jar to cook.

The fire burned under the pot, and the rice boiled. After covering the pot, Qin Xianyu sat beside it.

Thinking about yesterday's events, which seemed like a dream, he was lost in thought for a long time. Only occasionally, when he glanced at the discarded sword, the "Introduction to Swordsmanship" on the bed, and the golden water in the jar, did he realize this was not a dream, and it felt a bit more real.

In the dim Taoist temple, the front hall housed the statues of the deities, and the back was the inner room. For such a small temple, being able to divide it into front and back was already quite good.

In the dimness, the handsome and sunny young man looked somewhat lonely.

The faint aroma of the porridge spread, carrying a hint of fragrance.

Qin Xianyu hesitated for a moment, fetched some herbs that could detoxify, and placed them aside before trying the porridge. He took a sip and waited quietly for a long time. There was no sign of poisoning, and he felt even more energetic. At that moment, he sighed in relief, thinking, "It's likely that this water really has some miraculous effect. That pale golden bead is truly a treasure."

He quickly finished the porridge, leaving nothing behind, then sat for a while, lost in thought.

Finally, he took a deep breath and opened the "Introduction to Swordsmanship."

The book contained only text, no illustrations, but Qin Xianyu, who was well-versed in Taoist texts and medicine, was very familiar with many meridians, acupoints, and terms, so it did not hinder his understanding of the "Introduction to Swordsmanship."

The densely packed pages, however, made it hard for him to concentrate. He would either think of the fairy birds or the young heroes he had killed.

At times, he felt as if the vengeful spirits of those who had died yesterday were right behind him, seeking to take his life.

Qin Xianyu finally smiled bitterly and said to himself, "Afraid of ghosts? I really am an inexperienced youth..."

He calmed his mind, looking at the somewhat broken statue of the Taoist deity, which gave him a sense of reassurance. After all, with the deity's statue here, even if there were ghosts, they wouldn't dare to come, right?

He silently recited the "Calm Mind Mantra" several times.

This mantra was recorded in Taoist texts, and its effectiveness was unclear, but most Taoist temples had such books.

Perhaps it was effective. After reciting it several times, Qin Xianyu's mind became much calmer. He opened the "Introduction to Swordsmanship" and finally managed to focus on it.

The book was only a few pages long.

It did not contain any methods for moving qi or cultivating internal strength, nor any strange techniques for injuring with a flower or a leaf. Instead, it recorded the basic skills of practicing swordsmanship, without even any specific techniques.

How could the young man surnamed Zhao, who had hidden this book inside his clothes and kept it with the precious bead, value it so much if it was just a common introduction to swordsmanship?

This method probably didn't even qualify as an introduction, at best it could help strengthen hand and wrist strength and improve accuracy.

"It can't be an ordinary manual," Qin Xianyu thought, feeling somewhat disappointed and regretful. But he frowned, still feeling that this method was not ordinary, so he decided to practice swordsmanship according to the method recorded in the "Introduction to Swordsmanship."

The first step in the "Introduction to Swordsmanship" was to light an incense stick and then cut it in half with a sword.

How thin was an incense stick?

It was already quite difficult to hit the burning tip, and even more challenging to cut it in half.

The hand had to be steady and powerful.

Since the old Taoist's death, Qin Xianyu had stopped offering incense to the deity's statue. There were still a few incense sticks left, which he could use.

Whoosh!

Qin Xianyu took a deep breath and swung his sword at the just-lit incense stick.

He missed.

He hit the incense ash tray below.

The rebound made his palm numb, and the incense ash tray was chipped.

Qin Xianyu was stunned for a long time before changing his method and sticking the incense stick into a wooden stake.

He swung his sword dozens of times, his wrist aching and his palm numb from the rebound. He managed to hit the burning red tip a dozen times, but he didn't cut the incense stick in half; instead, he sliced off a slanted part.

After resting for a while, Qin Xianyu drank some water from the jar and felt refreshed, further confirming the extraordinary nature of the pale golden bead.

Qin Xianyu thought, "This isn't good; the incense is almost used up."

He cut off the slanted part of the incense stick and then used a twig to light it.

...

Unconsciously, evening approached, and the already dim Taoist temple became even darker.

The red light from the burning twig was even more noticeable in the darkness.

Qin Xianyu had swung his sword countless times that day. Whenever he felt tired, he would drink some water from the jar, and soon he would feel refreshed and energetic.

By the end of the day, he felt much stronger.

He looked at the red light, and his breathing gradually became steady.

Suddenly, the red light grew larger, as if blocking his view.

Qin Xianyu took a step back in surprise. When he looked again, the red light from the twig was still a small dot.

"What's happening?"

He was stunned for a while, and suddenly, the red light grew larger again.

Qin Xianyu was startled and thought, "Is there really a ghost?"

The red light suddenly blocked his view, and without thinking, he swung his sword.

There was a crisp sound.

The twig was split in half, but because it was bent, only the front part was cut, not completely in two.

"This is..." Qin Xianyu was stunned for a long time, rubbing his eyes, speechless.

He had a vague idea. This time, he lit the twig again and stuck it into a small depression in the wooden stake to keep it steady.

He looked at the red light, and his breathing gradually became steady.

After a moment, the red light suddenly grew larger, very noticeable.

Qin Xianyu swung his sword, and the twig was split in half, but because it was bent, it was not completely in two.

"Indeed..." Qin Xianyu was shocked. He lifted the wooden board covering the jar and looked at the water, which still had a faint golden glow in the darkness, almost speechless.

He took out the pale golden bead, his hand trembling.

This bead had soaked in the jar of water.

This jar of water could heal injuries overnight, allow him to swing his sword continuously without feeling tired, and make him feel refreshed and stronger. It could even make his eyes as sharp as an eagle's, and his movements extremely steady.

Qin Xianyu realized that he could split the twig with one sword strike because his eyesight had become astonishingly sharp, and his movements were extremely steady and accurate.

How could such a change happen in just one day? What other explanation could there be except for the effect of this miraculous water?

To verify, Qin Xianyu lit incense sticks one after another and swung his sword, hitting the red light and splitting the incense sticks in half each time.

"Sharp eyesight, accuracy, and steady strength."

Qin Xianyu realized that with this skill, he was already quite good, but he still needed to increase his strength. If he had the strength, who could block his sword, which was so precise?

He looked at the jar of water, thinking that with such a divine treasure, he would not worry about increasing his strength.

Suddenly, Qin Xianyu realized he was not tired or hungry.

"At least I've saved some food."

He smiled bitterly and gripped his sword.

The loneliness and sorrow in his heart were gradually forgotten as he swung his sword again and again.

He still had a vague suspicion that this "Introduction to Swordsmanship" was only to help him familiarize himself with the miraculous effects of the jade pill, not some extraordinary technique.

At night, Qin Xianyu continued to practice his sword.

Even if there were ghosts at night, he would split them in two.