There are countless principles in the world, but only the fist is the hardest truth.
Whether in his past life in modern society or after transversing to this era, Jiang Shouzhong had a deep understanding of this.
Alas, with diocre aptitude and having missed the pri age for martial training, he had to give up the idea.
Now, hearing about the other party’s swordsmanship, he couldn’t help but ask curiously, "Brother, when did you start learning swordsmanship?"
Mr. Yan was not one to boast; he honestly replied,
"In my youth, I had no fondness for martial arts, and even with a renowned master’s guidance, I never took it to heart. It was not until the age of twenty that I truly began my training. Unfortunately, my talents were lacking, and the swordsmanship I have learned has barely made so progress, hardly worthy of high praise."
Jiang Shouzhong was skeptical of the man’s modesty.
In his quest to find his daughter, he had traveled far and wide, especially since she had been abducted by horse bandits, the places he searched were inevitably perilous.
In this era of constant turmoil in the martial world, one with re superficial swordsmanship would have long been buried in foreign soil.
However, he did not doubt the man’s claim of starting swordsmanship at the age of twenty.
As for the self-deprecation of "having poor talent," Jiang Shouzhong simply laughed it off.
Perhaps guessing what Jiang Shouzhong was thinking, Mr. Yan said with a smile, "The path of cultivation is wide and varied; the clever have their broad avenues, and the fools have their narrow bridges.
Even though the path of cultivation highly values one’s innate talent, if the grand path is obstructed, there still are smaller paths.
Every field produces its leading experts, and every path can lead to the great river. As long as one is willing to learn, success is inevitable; it’s just a matter of whether it is a greater or lesser success."
Possibly feeling a connection with Jiang Shouzhong, Mr. Yan didn’t keep secrets and, caught up in his enthusiasm, untwisted the stopper of his flask to sip on the wine-stained mouth before exclaiming,
"Ordinary people practicing martial arts need to clear twenty-one of the three hundred sixty-five acupoints throughout the body and expand at least four of the great acupoints, consolidating Qi within the Dantian to engage in body cultivation.
However, so thods of training do not follow the conventional route. For instance, the swordsmanship I learn doesn’t require clearing all the body’s acupoints, only opening eleven and expanding two is enough.
Though the upper limit is not high, the lower limit isn’t low either. If practiced well, one can still ascend to the Grandmaster Realm."
The Grandmaster Realm!
Jiang Shouzhong listened with astonishnt.
Even Zhang Yunwu, who knew but three simple moves, held the status of a Second Grade Martial Artist, and was already extrely formidable — not to ntion the chief, Li Nanshuang.
Her cultivation level was unknown, but he guessed that at least a small Grandmaster Realm was within her reach.
Should one achieve the Grandmaster Realm, one cannot claim to be invincible under heaven, but at least making a famous na for oneself in the Jianghu would not be difficult.
Jiang Shouzhong’s spirit yearned; reflecting on his own situation, he felt even more dejected.
Mr. Yan went on and on, discussing various aspects of cultivation, and then took out a yellowed ancient book from his bag with a sincere smile and said, "The thod I practice is not exactly a secret technique; brother, if you are interested, how about I sell it to you for ten silver pieces?"
Talking about money hurts feelings!
The image of a simple and honest Grandmaster that the other party had built up collapsed the mont he uttered "ten silver pieces".
Jiang Shouzhong, now on high alert, shook his head and said, "I have very poor aptitude."
Mr. Yan waved his hand dismissively and said, "Clumsiness can lead to advancent, and a poor starting point is no real impedint; diligence compensates for incompetence. Early bloors may not equal late bloors.
In my youth, my family was wealthy, and I experienced a great deal, having heard of many talented yet unpolished gems; unfortunately, most ultimately faded into diocrity.
In cultivation, the most important aspect is to be ’diligent’ and ’steady’. With your feet on the ground, achievent is possible."
Seeing that Jiang Shouzhong remained unmoved, Mr. Yan didn’t push the sale and stopped his chatter, contentedly savoring the aroma of the wine from his flask.
A gentle breeze blew, and the lake’s surface shimred, the bare branches above swayed softly.
Jiang Shouzhong beca conflicted.
Recalling the genuine emotion the man had shown when speaking of his search for his daughter, Jiang felt sowhat moved.
"Give money."
Mr. Yan, observing Jiang Shouzhong’s expression, smiled and stretched out his hand.
The other man’s two light words seed to carry a magical force, leading Jiang Shouzhong to inexplicably pull out a small ingot of gold left to him by Ran Qingchen and toss it over.
The mont the gold left his hand, he instinctively reached forward to grab it.
Regrettably, it was difficult to take back.
Jiang Shouzhong, however, was quite carefree. He was stunned for a mont but then chuckled and said, "Then I’ll buy it."
Mr. Yan took the small gold ingot, weighed it, and then took out the ancient book from his sack and threw it to Jiang Shouzhong.
Mr. Yan said with a smile, "Rember what I said earlier, cultivation is like being a person, you need to be adaptable and grounded in reality. The path of martial arts is nothing more than one footprint at a ti."
Jiang Shouzhong was about to nod when suddenly, from a distance, a cry of terror ca,
"There’s a ghost! There’s a ghost in the water!"
Jiang Shouzhong turned his head and saw a tourist who had accidentally fallen into Cloud Lake struggling desperately, screaming in panic.
The surrounding boatn and tourists all stared blankly.
And the tourist was one of the young n who had boarded Zhao Wancang’s boat earlier.
Zhao Wancang stood inside the cabin not far from the shore, looking stunned.
Jiang Shouzhong hesitated whether to go and help, turned his head to say sothing to Mr. Yan, but when he turned around, he saw that the man, holding his sack, had already run far away, still shouting as he ran, "The ghost is coming, run, run fast!"
Jiang Shouzhong was dumbfounded.
Damn it, I hope I haven’t actually been duped.
...
The young tourist was rescued from the lake by Zhao Wancang. Even after being pulled ashore, he kept on ranting.
Eventually, he was scolded by his companions and dragged away forcibly.
So people thought it was just a scare from falling into the water, and they laughed and talked about it, not taking it seriously.
Others were truly frightened. Originally planning to take a boat ride, they no longer had the courage, and they all left, much to the dismay of the boatn who cursed in frustration.
They had made their livings on Cloud Lake for so many years and had never seen a ghost in the lake.
Zhao Wancang’s face darkened.
He tied his boat to the post on the shore, staring at the tranquil lake, seemingly lost in thought, with one hand tightly grasping the Jade Buddha hanging around his neck.
Jiang Shouzhong watched from a distance, his expression thoughtful.
As it neared the afternoon hour of You, the lake’s visitors had all gone, and most of the boatn had also returned ho. Zhao Wancang borrowed so tools from the boat service and began repairing his small boat.
As the sky gradually darkened, only Zhao Wancang was left in the vicinity.
After repairing for nearly an hour, as the darkness beca more profound, Zhao Wancang stood up to stretch his weary muscles and bones.
He looked around, and after confirming that no one was around, he untied the boat rope and gently rowed his boat towards the center of the lake.
The Jade Buddha that he bought near Wuchan Temple was already taken off his neck, clutched firmly in his hand.
"It still proved to be a good catch."
Jiang Shouzhong, witnessing this scene, couldn’t help but feel his spirits lift. He roughly estimated the direction the other man was heading and quietly followed along the lake’s shore.
Strangely enough, Zhao Wancang stopped his boat in the middle of the lake on the south side of Cloud Lake and did not row any further.
Zhao Wancang stood quietly in the cabin, motionless.
As if he were frozen in place.
Jiang Shouzhong was puzzled.
With his gaze fixed on the small boat, he did not notice the faint ripples spreading in the farther parts of the lake.
A shape slowly rose from the waters.
A woman in a red wedding dress, her complexion deathly pale.
The red-dressed woman’s eyes, devoid of pupils, looked towards Zhao Wancang in the boat, then her gaze shifted, falling upon Jiang Shouzhong on the shore. Her crimson lips slightly curved upwards.
"Such a heavy aura of death... it looks very delicious."
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