"That makes sense, but no one would do that unless you nurture a precious sword for decades, otherwise it's meaningless," Qin Yue said after a moment of surprise.
"Why?"
"The power of a sword lies in two things. First, its material, which is fixed by the forging process. Second, its righteous spirit. Take you, brother, as an example. You are a Confucian scholar now. After ten years of nurturing, you will be a great Confucian scholar. Do you think a sword nurtured by a Confucian scholar for ten years can compare to a sword nurtured by a great Confucian scholar for one year?"
Furthermore, Confucian methods rely heavily on righteous spirit. This approach is only favored by assassins who seek a single, decisive blow. Therefore, the best course of action when encountering an assassin is to avoid their attacks and then seek an opportunity to counterattack,” Qin Yue explained.
"I see. Then how do we nurture the sword body?" Upon hearing this, Qin Mu immediately understood. Although the method he mentioned was effective, it was still not enough to defy the heavens. In the end, it still depended on strength.
"Just like cultivating one's noble spirit, one should wear it on one's body and never take it off. It is even better to hold it horizontally in front of one's body when reading."
"Okay, let's begin."
Qin Yue revealed a mischievous smile and said, "No matter how things change, the principle remains the same. Swordsmanship is the same. Since you haven't learned it before, you have to start from the basics."
Qin Mu was already prepared for hardship, so he wasn't surprised when he heard this and asked, "What's the first step?"
"You already possess a righteous spirit that nourishes your body, so you don't need to toughen your body like others. What you need to master is swordsmanship. Start with swinging the sword. Swing the sword at least a thousand times a day, until the force of each strike is consistent and you can control it freely," Qin Yue explained.
"Understood!" Qin Mu nodded.
In the courtyard, Qin Yue had already had more than a dozen wooden stakes erected. Of course, these stakes weren't for him to chop down; rather, he was required to stop at the top of each stake every time he swung his sword.
The sword wasn't a back-handed sword, but an unsharpened iron sword. Only when he actually started practicing swordsmanship did Qin Mu understand the pain involved. Swinging the sword required all his strength, and he couldn't hit the wooden stake. The demands on his wrist and arm were extremely high. With each swing, he could feel a strong vibration in his arm, causing his muscles to tense up.
Fortunately, his body was much stronger. Even so, after swinging the sword a hundred times, Qin Mu was still sweating profusely. His arms felt incredibly heavy, and the hand holding the sword was stiff and he had a faint feeling of cramping.
"It's tough at first, but you'll get better after a while," Qin Yue said, putting down the scroll in his hand as he leisurely sipped his tea.
Qin Mu was no teenager, so he understood this principle. Although it was hard, he gritted his teeth and persevered.
"I finally understand why you're better than me, brother." Qin Yue said admiringly, looking at Qin Mu who was lying exhausted on the ground.
The Qin family primarily studied Legalism, with some knowledge of military strategy and agriculture. However, with the Wang and Meng families among them, they could also be considered a family of generals. Qin Yue, like his peers, had trained his body and practiced archery and horsemanship since childhood, so he was well aware of the hardships involved. Even so, no one had worked as hard as Qin Mu.
Actually, Qin Mu mainly wanted to verify a method. He remembered hearing somewhere that although training was tough, as long as you persevered and broke through your limits, the training effect would be even better.
He collapsed to the ground, exhausted but happy. The righteous energy that usually stayed in his Tanzhong acupoint surged out without guidance, rushing to all parts of his body, making him feel as if he were soaking in warm water. His stiff hands softened and he loosened his grip on the sword hilt.
Once Qin Mu had recovered, Qin Yue said to him with a somewhat complicated expression, "Let's call it a day. You've only just recovered a bit, so it's not suitable for you to continue, otherwise you might hurt yourself."
"Alright!" Qin Mu nodded. The appearance of the Righteous Qi seemed more like nourishing his tired body; this should be a form of self-protection, meaning the training had almost reached its limit. Continuing to train could potentially damage his foundation. Qin Mu understood the principle of moderation.
Basic training was tough and tedious, but Qin Mu enjoyed it. Every morning, Qin Yue would come to the villa to give Qin Mu pointers. At first, he would just give Qin Mu pointers, but on the third day, they would start training together.
After dinner, it was time to read, but Qin Yue had already left to attend to ink-making. Qin Mu had already written down the entire technical process for him.
After lunch break, I practice calligraphy, then later I practice archery, and then I study late into the night. The more I calm down and try to understand ancient books, the deeper my understanding becomes.
The making of bamboo slips involves selecting bamboo with thin skin and long internodes. After being shaved and dried, the bamboo slips are then strung together at both ends with hemp rope before being used for writing. If the bamboo slips are not dried, they will deform after writing, affecting the writing. Therefore, the whole process is very troublesome.
That is why we should strive for brevity in our writing, as the saying goes, "succinct in meaning, profound in thought." Every word and every paragraph needs to be carefully considered.
Confucius summarized the purpose of the Book of Poetry as "no evil," and taught his disciples to read the Book of Poetry as a standard for their words and deeds.
Qin Yue sent over the Book of Songs, but not the 300 poems compiled by Confucius; it came in thirty large boxes.
According to Qin Yue, the Book of Songs is the only complete set of ancient books that his Qin family brought from Xianyang. It was the book that Prince Fusu took with him when he was guarding the border.
The Book of Songs, just as Qin Mu had read, mainly records the harvests, hunts, and sacrifices of the Zhou Dynasty; folk songs and ditties from various regions; there are songs about love, labor, and other beautiful things, as well as lamentations and anger about missing one's homeland, missing those who are away on campaign, and opposing oppression and bullying.
Qin Mu found this story-driven book very interesting, especially since it was probably the most original version of the Book of Songs, which no one except the Qin family had ever seen.
Qin Mu cherished this time, after all, these were all lent to him by Qin Yue, or rather, the Qin family.
Qin Mu truly read! He was practicing pronunciation simultaneously. As his mastery of phonetics increased, he discovered that each time he read, a vital energy would enter his body from the air and then flow into his Tanzhong acupoint. Although it was only a very small amount, it was still a form of progress.
Accumulated knowledge over time is the right path to success, which is why Qin Mu studied even more diligently.
The sword, drawn from its sheath, was indeed filled with murderous intent. The moment it was drawn, Qin Mu felt an invisible energy pricking his skin, as if he were naked in a place with strong ultraviolet rays. Moreover, goosebumps rose all over his body, and his hands and feet felt cold. Fortunately, his righteous energy was also activated at the same time, protecting his mind.
After taking it out to examine it once, the sword behind his back was never drawn again. Every day when he read, Qin Mu would place it on his lap, nurturing it with his righteous energy, and at the same time letting it become familiar with his aura.
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