Good talent is hard to find
Upon hearing this, Sima Yao paused for a moment, then said, "It is indeed suitable, but how do you plan to have him learn my heavy sword technique? Although the Sima family was not destroyed by the Xie family and the two families have no enmity, as a member of the former imperial family, I cannot simply go to the palace to teach him myself. Can you really bring him here to learn?"
He shook his head again and said, "No. No. The situation is unstable right now, and things are in turmoil. Even if you can get him to come out, it's best not to do it this way."
A Qiu laughed and said, "There's no need to call him here. When I get back, I'll just teach him the method of the Emperor's Heavy Sword."
As she said this, she had already made up her mind and immediately got up to return to Jianzhang Palace.
No matter what Xie Lang says or thinks, it's never as valuable as Xie Tiao's life.
Right now, no one has time to care about Xie Tiao's safety, but his safety is precisely related to the future of the Southern Dynasty, which is as fragile as a candle in the wind.
Sima Yao asked in surprise, "How could you teach him swordsmanship...?" Before she could finish her sentence, her eyes lit up.
She felt a lightness in her hand; the "Qilin Hundred Slashes," weighing over six pounds, had easily fallen into A Qiu's grasp.
A Qiu held the sword with both hands, held it horizontally in front of his chest, and laughed: "After watching Aunt Yao use the sword just now, I have summarized that this heavy sword technique has five moves: thrust, chop, strike, cut, and point. Each move is based on the shape and situation, and there are also differences in advancing and retreating, left and right, and up and down. There are a total of twenty-four moves."
As she spoke, her left hand led the way, followed by her right, and the sword's edge, like a long dragon parting the water, surged forth, striking directly at Sima Yao's right shoulder.
Sima Yao dodged to the side, her eyes gleaming, and exclaimed, "What a brilliant move, 'Teasing the Stars'!"
A Qiu's attack missed, so he turned his body and took a step to the right. His movements changed with his footwork. He turned around and slashed down with a powerful slash, then stepped forward and swept across with tremendous force.
Sima Yao dodged backwards, then advised, "This move is called 'Lifting Robes and Raising Wine.' If you go all out, I certainly won't be able to avoid it!"
It turned out that A Qiu was only demonstrating and did not use his full strength, so Sima Yao had time to dodge and give pointers for each move.
Because of the characteristics of a greatsword, if it is swept with full force, the user's full strength plus the weight of the sword (six or seven pounds) will be combined with the speed and power to the extreme, leaving the victim with no way to avoid it. They can only block with all their might, which will inevitably result in serious injury, or they can only try to escape with all their might, running away in panic.
A Qiu slowed down and used only 40-50% of her strength, so that Sima Yao could clearly see her technique and point out any flaws.
Sima Yao dodged twice, then suddenly stepped forward, switching from defense to offense, and raised his hand in a gesture, saying, "If I attack from this position, how will you retaliate?"
Without uttering a word, A Qiu swung the sword with both hands, twisting it upwards from left to right, her hands and feet moving in unison as she stepped forward to parry. Her responsiveness and fluidity were as if she had practiced with Sima Yao hundreds of times.
Sima Yao's eyes gleamed with a strange light as he said, "You used the 'Pagoda-Lifting Flag' move exceptionally well. I never imagined it could be used like this."
She looked at A Qiu again and sighed, "Now I finally understand why the Grand Tutor, knowing you were an assassin from the Lanling Hall, still took you as his disciple."
She added, "Because good talent is hard to find."
In just a few rounds, he mastered the characteristics and essence of the Sima Heavy Sword without the slightest error, and he could wield the heavy sword with such ease and skill as if he had been practicing this sword for decades. I'm afraid that in the whole world, only A Qiu could do this.
This doesn't mean she's the best martial artist in the world. Rather, it means her ability to draw inferences from similar cases, simplify complex concepts, and grasp the essence of a weapon is unparalleled.
A Qiu simply smiled, and in a short while, he flawlessly performed all the moves of the heavy sword technique. Except for a few parts that Sima Yao had not fully demonstrated, his memory was flawless.
Sima Yao had never expected such a pleasant surprise. She had tried her best to persuade A Qiu to learn her heavy sword after a long and arduous debate, and had already given up. Unexpectedly, in the two exchanges of swordsmanship, A Qiu had already mastered the sword technique completely, seemingly without any effort.
Even with A Qiu's exceptional talent, Sima Yao still reminded him, "You've only memorized these sword moves, but you haven't truly achieved perfect harmony between you and the sword. To reach the pinnacle, you'll need to practice every day. Oh, and you're still missing a heavy sword."
The thought filled her with extreme frustration, for the heavy sword technique required achieving perfect harmony between man and sword, mind and body, necessitating daily practice. However, this king's sword had a special design, not something ordinary craftsmen could forge. Moreover, since the extinction of the Sima royal family, the royal craftsmen who originally belonged to the Great Huan dynasty had either fled or perished, and the method of making this heavy sword had likely been lost.
She hesitated and said, "Otherwise, I'll just give you this 'Langya Hundred Cuts' sword. I don't need it anyway."
Sima Yao hesitated because the sword originally belonged to her father and was known as the number one sword of the royal family. Before Sima Jun gave the sword to her, he specially returned it to the craftsman and asked him to readjust the proportions and center of gravity according to Sima Yao's height, sword-wielding style and habits. Therefore, it can be said that the sword was specially tailor-made for Sima Yao.
Even if she gave this sword to A Qiu, it might not be as suitable for A Qiu's use.
According to the rules of this Imperial Sword tradition, any member of the royal family who learns this swordsmanship must first have a sword custom-made for them, with specifications that cannot exceed imperial standards and a weight that is comfortable to hold. Furthermore, as they grow older and their posture changes, the sword must be continuously adjusted and improved. A member of the royal family can only possess one heavy sword in their lifetime, and its symbolic meaning outweighs its practical value.
This is also why this sword technique is not suitable for the inheritance of martial arts.
Upon hearing this, A Qiu was immediately startled and hurriedly handed the "Langya Hundred Cuts" back to Sima Yao, saying repeatedly, "Thank you, Aunt Yao, but please don't bother." It was as if she had received a hot potato and was eager to get rid of the burden.
Because she was different from Sima Yao. She was an assassin by trade, always accustomed to traveling light, and knew very well that all weapons and baggage should be simple rather than complicated, and light rather than heavy.
Throughout her life, Sima Yao was either in the Langya Prince's Mansion or the Shangguan Forbidden Area. She always had carriages and attendants when she came and went. She only carried a heavy sword, and most of the time, her servants carried the sword for her.
But for A Qiu, an assassin who acts alone, carrying such a heavy and large sword, adorned with gold and pearls, would be quite inconvenient, whether traveling alone in the suburbs, crossing prefectures and counties, or even scaling walls and trees.
Sima Yao hadn't expected this. Seeing A Qiu's obstruction, her face darkened, and she said, "Any sword technique requires daily practice to truly achieve something. I don't believe that the young master didn't tell you this principle. The heavy sword technique is profound and powerful. You can't rely on your intelligence to think that practicing it once is enough."
She sighed, knowing full well that this was a difficult matter, and softened her tone, saying, "You are considered my successor, and according to the rules for graduation, I should give you a sword. Unfortunately, not only is this great sword very valuable, but there are also no craftsmen to be found nowadays, so even if you have the money, it is difficult to make one for you."
A Qiu thought to herself that she clearly said she was passing on the teaching on behalf of others, and that the person she thought was the successor of the heavy sword was Xie Tiao, not herself. So why did Sima Yao seem to have decided that she was the successor, without mentioning Xie Tiao at all, and even telling her that she must practice diligently every day?
Even now, she had no intention of acknowledging the lineage, only willing to pass on the swordsmanship, and thus smiled and said, "I only need to teach, I don't need to..."
What she meant was that she didn't need to cultivate to such a high level herself. But before she could finish speaking, she heard shouts and commotion coming from afar.
Sima Yao's expression changed immediately upon hearing this, and he shouted, "That's the entrance to the forbidden area! Who dares to be so bold as to trespass on my Shangguan Tomb!"
Without a second thought for A Qiu, he immediately used "Qilin Hundred Slashes" to fly away.
A Qiu paused for a moment, then immediately headed in the same direction. After a long talk with Sima Yao and exchanging sword techniques, although she hadn't yet agreed to become Sima Yao's swordsmanship successor, she naturally no longer considered herself an outsider, especially now that she was under the protection of the Shangguan Forbidden Land. She certainly couldn't stand idly by while something happened here.
Even from some distance away, the sounds of clashing weapons could be heard, accompanied by a woman's angry shouts.
A Qiu was horrified. With Sima Yao's powerful sword, there were very few people in the world who could stand against her. Who was this person, breaking through the pass with a weapon in the dead of night?
As she got closer, she could hear more clearly the fragments of conversation, and she could even faintly hear phrases like, "Where is she?" "I came here specifically to find her!" "I don't want to see you, I just want to see her!"
From what she could hear, the other person seemed to have come specifically to find her. Since she had entered the forbidden area half a day and a night ago, no other outsiders had entered. If they were looking for someone, then it could only be her.
A Qiu was even more surprised and quickly hurried over.
Then they heard Sima Yao's angry shout: "Where did you get this sword!" He then yelled, "You unscrupulous old servant, how dare you steal palace treasures!"
Immediately afterward, a heavy clang of swords clashing rang out. Just from the sound, one could imagine the intensity of the battle, indicating that both sides had engaged in a fierce exchange.
A Qiu could no longer hold back. He took two steps at a time, listened to the sound and recognized the shadow, and flew away with all his might.
After rounding a clump of trees, she saw two women facing each other in the moonlight, each holding a long sword.
One of them was naturally Sima Yao, while the other was Chu Yuanyi, whose hair was disheveled and whose clothes were tattered.
The sword held by Chu Yuanyi gleamed with golden light and was much larger than a regular sword. Even from a distance, one could feel its powerful and domineering aura, making it a worthy rival to the Qilin Hundred Slashes sword held by Sima Yao.
Ah Qiu then understood why, with Sima Yao's current level of skill, Chu Yuanfang was able to fight her to a draw.
Because what Chu Yuan held was clearly the golden heavy sword "Zulong" that Xie Lang used as the emperor's personal weapon in Jianzhang Palace.
Ah Qiu had only seen this sword once, but it left a very deep impression on him. That was on the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, when Xie Lang's inner demons flared up, and he dragged the Ancestral Dragon Sword and ran wildly and slashed around the Jixian Hall.
At the time, A Qiu had never seen this emperor before, but he guessed it was him from the color of his clothes and the sword of the First Emperor.
Because the Ancestral Dragon is about seven feet long, with dragon patterns wrapped around it and its patterns are brilliant, it is not an ordinary weapon. It is recorded on the first page of the Lanling Hall Divine Weapon Manual.
The Emperor's Sword, the Ancestral Dragon, was wielded by the First Emperor of Qin.
But at this moment, it was held by the old palace maid Chu Yuanyi, who was fighting against Sima Yao.
If Chu Yuanyi had used any other weapon, he would not have been a match for Sima Yao. However, the Ancestral Dragon was also a heavy sword similar to the Qilin Hundred Slashes, and it was superior in both weight and length.
Therefore, Sima Yao lost the advantage of her weapon. Her swordsmanship relied heavily on heavy swords. Faced with the Ancestral Dragon, which was superior in both weight and length, she was unable to effectively wield it.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
