Chapter 190: The Art of Seeking the Truth (3)
"Being a Dragon Country martial artist is a very happy thing. Because their path is clearly divided into primary and secondary, the Heart Sword and the Talisman are both means, but the core is always the Dragon Country Fist. When you stop, you can just practice boxing. As long as you master the boxing method, you are a well-deserved martial artist."
The old man drew a straight line on the scroll, at the end of which was "武". He then drew two curved lines, one for "術" and the other for "剑".
"However, those who practice Zanshinjutsu don't have such happiness. Without a consistent martial artist, it seems both sides are just tactics... Between the way of the sword and the Zanshinjutsu, which is more important?"
The students all looked at her. Qing Ye swallowed her saliva and prepared to make a fool of herself again. The head of the family looked at her with a smile.
"Qing Ye."
"Yes!" Qing Ye stood up.
"You don't have to answer that question."
"Oh, okay." Qingye sat down.
"Because this is a very important matter, you must remember it well." The patriarch circled the word "art" and "sword" with an oval. "They are equally important. Only by using art can you wield a sharp sword, and only by learning the sword can you develop powerful art.
Being overly biased towards one side can lead to a prominent, one-sided strength. However, such strength is biased, and neglecting the other side of cultivation will inevitably become a weakness. By the time you realize this, it's too late to change.
"Just like our dual-sword style, the Zanxin's cultivation is also dual-sword style. Neither is indispensable, neither is indispensable..." The head of the family gestured, then suddenly stopped in thought, "But the Lord of Life uses a single-sword style."
"Hey? Did we go astray?!" Qingye was shocked.
"Well?" the patriarch said with a smile, "This is your task today, and for a long time to come."
·
In short, if your own strength is insufficient, you must use techniques to make up for it.
Qing Ye sat in meditation, mist swirling around her. The teachings of the headmaster and Long Yu's guidance echoed in her mind bit by bit.
A person with a broken heart is different from a martial artist. A martial artist like Mr. Chu can solve any difficulties with "faster speed" and "stronger power". Longxiang boxing is such a simple and great martial art.
The advantage of the Zanxin is their diverse tactics, combining them to achieve exquisite results. To become stronger as quickly as possible, one must use the Thousand Nights' Flash Star. To use the Thousand Nights' Flash Star, one must be invulnerable, even invincible. To do so, one must find the means to achieve invincibility.
The fog of history is an invincible means.
Within the range of particles 1 to 5, the historical fog is essentially invincible. Experienced clairvoyants and ghost pupils have the means to break through the fog, but against such an enemy, relying on small tricks is useless. Currently, the fog is all around her, and she happens to have the means to utilize external objects.
The residual heart secret technique before integration.
This is a secret technique that can harness external forces for personal gain. It can work with elemental forces, the flesh and blood of the fallen, and theoretically, the mists of history.
She circulated her Qi and blood according to the instructions, carefully activating the sin bone, opening up circulation within her body, and wrapping her Qi around the blade. Then, in the mist, Qingye swung the blade again and again, feeling the quality of the mist.
About an hour later, Qingye ran back excitedly.
"Mr. Long Yu, please look at this!"
Mist swirled around Qingye's longsword like a miniature vortex, making the blade appear as ethereal as mist. She reached out and "pulled" the mist, wrapping it around her. The heartless girl vanished instantly, even the sound of her footsteps vanishing without a trace. When she spoke, her voice was already behind Longyu.
"How about this Mist Hidden Technique? Fighting under the protection of the mist, you can use the Flash Star."
Long Yu threw a stone. A dull thud echoed through the fog, and Qing Ye crouched on the ground like a shot-down bird, his head in his hands.
“It hurts, it hurts…”
"A little trick." Long Yu said mercilessly, "It's just a robe made of mist. Anyone with keen perception can spot it."
"Yes, you are right..." Qingye said with a sad face.
"They will be killed like chickens by the real machine."
Qingye argued: "Who wants to fight with real weapons? They will die!"
"Then what should we do if the real weapon comes to kill us?" Long Yu said, "Suicide?"
Long Yu posed another question, and he still didn't give an answer, but Qing Ye knew the answer. At this moment, she suddenly realized the gap between herself and Chu Hengkong, Ji Huaisu, and the rest of her companions. She realized where the feeling of being inferior came from. It wasn't a matter of strength; it was definitely not just a matter of strength.
She saluted in shame, picked up the knife, and then stepped into the mist, repeatedly swinging the knife. There was no sound of words in the forest anymore, only the intermittent sound of the knife swinging and the occasional scream of pain squeezed out from between teeth.
Several hours passed, and Qingye still hadn't returned. Longyu walked into the fog and found the scarred girl unconscious on the ground. The skin on her fingertips was as loose as an old woman's, and her forehead had wrinkles where they shouldn't have been.
Long Yu dragged her back to the campsite and left her there.
In the silent, misty night, a faint fragrance lingered. A faint buzzing sound rose from the mist. It was the same noisy flapping of wings Qingye had heard when he first entered the forest. Qingye's sleeping face was contorted with pain.
Long Yu stared into the depths of the fog, her eyes cold and chilling.
"Every island has its own rules," Long Yu said. "If you break the rules, I'll kill you."
A frivolous laugh echoed through the mist, and the sound of flapping wings faded quietly. The creature knew perfectly well; it had simply come to say hello. Such was the nature of this tribe, even greetings were greeted in such an unpleasant way. They were solely concerned with their own pleasure, disregarding all else.
He looked away and looked at Qingye. The girl relaxed a little, but was still distressed.
This is no longer a safe place. I don’t know what kind of nightmare I will see tonight.
·
That was when I was still practicing the Flash Finger technique.
Day after day, she honed her skills in the elemental pool. Even though she had met the requirements for transformation, she still repeated the tedious and painful steps over and over again. This process was lonely, after all, she was the only "genius" who needed to cultivate the basics. Only when everyone tired of practicing swordsmanship would they come to the elemental pool to observe the genius's practice.
To the other children in the Guangshi family, it wasn't even malice, just curiosity about someone different from themselves. Of course, there were teasing and taunts, but there were also voices of encouragement, and some stood up for her. After the shouting and laughter, everyone dispersed, leaving her alone by the deserted elemental pool, training her arms.
She didn't really care about other people's attitudes. Cultivation was her own business, a principle her parents had taught her since she was little. She simply felt disappointed that she didn't fit in with this family.
One day, they were taken to participate in a martial arts competition held by other sects. This was a crucial step in strengthening relationships between aristocratic families and the various sects. Young members met and formed friendships at the competition, enabling smoother collaboration as they matured. This proved to be highly effective in exchanging benefits and strengthening their own strength.
She was assigned to the Flash Finger team, where she easily defeated the beginners from the various sects. The defeated children praised her and wanted to befriend her. However, their eyes showed no friendship, only a desire to cling to the Koutoki family and resentment due to their different backgrounds.
Logically, Qingye should have taken this opportunity to recruit the defeated warriors. But her resistance made her want to vomit. Only one girl from the Chill Sect didn't come over. She hid in a corner, watching Qingye with a mixture of unwillingness to admit defeat, envy, and other undefined emotions. The girl's name was Dongsha.
Qingye felt that this was the child who most resembled the Canxin. She met her first friend, and together they discussed cultivation and complained about the embarrassing things around them.
Dongsa always worked hard to become a high-ranking Zanshin. This way, she would have power, and power could accomplish anything. With power, she could buy things without spending money, boss people around, and even kill people in the street without anyone daring to pay attention.
As she spoke these words, Dongsha's eyes were filled with longing. Qingye thought that idea was wrong, but he didn't want to offend his friend, so he could only smile weakly and talk about other topics.
This life lasted for about six months. One night, just before dusk, Dongsha invited her to a festival. It was a once-in-a-lifetime request, she said. She truly wanted to celebrate the festival with her best friend. So, Qingye ran away from home for the first time, mingling with the crowds alongside her best friend.
That day, a drizzle fell in Jingluo Prefecture. The neon signs in the commercial district flickered incessantly, like a monster enveloping the skyscrapers. A parade of eyepatch punks filled the streets, surrounded by dancing cyberdragons in a hallucinatory state. To others, it was nothing more than an electronic haze thick with spiritual elements. Qingye and Dongsha bought some cheap demon cakes, using their allowance honestly, and then sat on a bench, waiting to see the fireworks prepared by the Furnace Sect in the early hours of the morning.
It was a rare opportunity for Qingye to go out, and he actually wanted to buy apple cake and a transparent whale, but Dongsha insisted on watching the fireworks first. "This is the best spot we found in advance." Qingye waited with them, even though a few men with dyed hair were smoking nearby.
She noticed that her friend's attention was not focused, and her eyes kept wandering around in the crowd, probably because she was afraid that someone too tall would block her view.
The early hours arrived. The Master of the Furnace Sect blew a fiery blast into the air, and meticulously crafted fireworks soared into the sky, exploding into dazzling words. [Minor Dark Day] [Happiness] [One Kill, One Meal] [Ruthless and Merciless] As usual, the opening words always expressed good wishes.
"Dongsha, look! That's mine!" Qingye excitedly pointed at [Wuxiang Nixin], but Dongsha didn't look closely. Wishes exploded one after another. [One Battle, Hundred Victories], [Kill the Natural Disaster], [Spiral Tower Explosion], the air thick with auspiciousness. And finally, after [Long Live], a star-like firework shot into the sky, exploding brilliantly like a volcanic eruption. The stream of fire resembled a meteor shower over the city, illuminating everyone's smiles. It was the most beautiful fireworks Qingye had ever seen.
She couldn't help but clap her hands. Everyone cheered, even the men smoking raised their hands excitedly. Dongsha leaped from the bench and stabbed one of them in the back with her ice blade. The poisonous blood of the Wormheart Sect spread along the ice blade. She calmly broke the ice blade, grabbed Qingye, and ran towards the densest crowd.
"Sorry, Qingye, I accidentally bumped into someone just now." Dongsha said, "The festival is almost over, can I stay at your house for the night?"
Qingye ran in a daze with a stiff smile on his face.
"My home is a bit far from here. It's really dangerous to go back alone." Dongsha repeated, "Can I trouble you?"
Qingye didn't react at all.
Dongsha dragged Qingye along without hesitation, running towards Guangshi's house. But standing in the crowd were the Canxins in green clothes, members of the Wormheart Sect. Dongsha turned, dodging, only to be intercepted again. They were forced into an alley, where the Canxins of the Wormheart Sect stood speechless at the entrance.
"Everyone stop, this person is from the Guangshi family--"
"Oh." said the heartless one.
A shuriken pierced Dongsha's palm, pinning her to the wall. She pointed at Qingye and screamed hysterically, her expression as terrifying as a demon: "What are you doing?! Your friend has been stabbed! Tell them to stop!"
Qingye said nothing. Dongsha's voice became even more shrill.
"Why do you think I wasted my precious training time hanging out with a loser like you? Don't you like friendship? Now your friend is about to be killed, come and save me!"
Qingye wanted to nod, wanted to shake her head. Before she could utter a word, Dongsha suddenly conjured a shuriken and stabbed it at Qingye's head.
The shuriken was knocked away by the cigarette butt. The assassinated man came over, a half-broken ice blade still stuck in his back. He squatted beside Qingye.
"Look, this is a rare holiday, a valuable lesson," the green-haired man said, "She's not your friend."
Qingye had no idea what happened after that. She was knocked unconscious and handed over to the family elders who secretly protected her. Long after the ceremony, Qingye finally realized by the elemental pool that Dongsha wanted a shield to protect her in the event of an incident. Even if the assassination attempt failed, she could kill Qingye at a critical moment and frame her. This would surely bring disaster to the Wormheart Sect.
Friendship was a facade woven through exquisite acting, and the painstaking practice of Zanshinjutsu and kendo was all geared towards that moment of assassination. There was undoubtedly a sense of awareness in the girl's actions. Yet, Qingye felt only sadness.
I've never heard of such tragedy on any other path. It wouldn't happen in Longquan Township, nor in Shenshu City-State. Only the resentful ones thrive on betrayal, bloodshed, infighting, using emotions as tools to fight for the benefits of a mere island.
If painful practice exists only for this reason, then the path of the heartless person is truly an extremely sad one.
(End of this chapter)
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