Chapter 13: Woodshadow Sect
At dawn, Li Yan awoke from his dreams.
The sky was already beginning to brighten. Li Yan, still groggy, opened his eyes to see an unfamiliar ceiling above him, no longer the deep black, oiled wooden beams he had known for years, but a smooth, blue-black rooftop.
For a mont, his mind was confused. Slowly turning his head to look around the room, he finally rembered that this was no longer the old ho where he had lived for more than ten years. A wave of unfamiliarity and loneliness surged in his heart.
He took a deep breath, expressionless, and sat up. Walking over to the table, he pushed open the window. A refreshing cool breeze flowed in, instantly clearing his mind.
From the window, he could see three towering peaks encircling the valley. The sky overhead was still dim blue, and the faint light of early morning, along with a few stars, stread softly from above.
Inside the valley, dark green vines and shrubs stretched upward from the base, layer upon layer, rising and falling like the back of a sleeping beast in the twilight. Birds chirped crisply in the valley, their calls sounding ethereal and clear.
Nearby, as expected, there was a pool of water outside the window. A light mist swirled above its surface, like a veil shrouding it, with curling moisture rising gently into the air.
Li Yan stood dazed at the window for a long ti. Only after a while did the scenery outside fill the emptiness in his heart.
He turned around, dressed properly, and opened the door to step outside. Glancing to the left, he saw that the doors of the other rooms were still tightly shut, so he lightened his steps and slowly walked toward the pool.
The pond was about four or five zhang wide, oval in shape. One side leaned against the mountain wall, where two or three streams trickled down from the mountaintop, moistening the stone wall until it glead.
Where the streams passed, many vine roots had been exposed by the flowing water, their tendrils swaying with the falling streams. Moss had grown thick on either side of the flow, forming several natural channels of clear water from the mountaintop.
Ripples stirred faintly on the pond’s surface, lapping at the scattered stones on the shore, creating soft waves.
Above the water, thin white mists wandered and danced, like several white, translucent ribbons floating in the air. The water was crystal clear, yet its depth was unknown. Looking down, it only appeared darker and colder the further it went.
Li Yan crouched down and scooped up a handful of pond water, splashing it on his face. The cold clarity seeped into his skin, making his whole body shiver, but it was invigorating.
After standing up, he glanced southward. There, he saw what looked like a vegetable garden, or perhaps a flowerbed.
Just as he was about to take a closer look, a voice suddenly rang out near his ear:
"That patch is just sothing I tend to when I’m idle, so greens and a few wildflowers."
In the still, quiet morning of the valley, the sudden voice startled Li Yan. He quickly turned and saw a man in a black robe standing in front of a row of houses, smiling at him.
"Te–Teacher!"
Upon recognizing the man’s face, Li Yan hurriedly bowed and quickly said, "I disturbed Teacher’s rest. Please forgive ."
The black-robed man was, of course, Strategist Ji. He raised his hand gently.
"You did not disturb . I’ve been up for a while, just sitting in ditation and practicing.
This valley isn’t large. You’ll have ti to grow familiar with it. Shortly, the servants will bring breakfast. After you wash and eat, co to my room."
Li Yan promptly responded:
"Yes, Teacher."
Strategist Ji gave him a gentle smile, then turned and walked back.
Watching his teacher’s retreating back and recalling that gentle smile in the quiet morning, Li Yan suddenly thought of how his parents used to care for him with the sa warmth. A feeling of comfort welled up in his heart.
Soon after returning to his room, the sa woman from last night brought breakfast. The al was simple but delicious, several stead buns, a few small side dishes, and a large bowl of preserved egg and pork congee.
Li Yan ate heartily. Even such everyday food was a rarity in his household. Still, with thoughts of his teacher’s summons weighing on his mind, he didn’t savor it much.
After finishing, he imdiately walked to the first stone house near the eastern end of the valley.
Standing respectfully outside the door, he said:
"Teacher, your disciple has co to pay his respects."
"Oh, you're here? Co in."
A gentle middle-aged voice called from inside. Li Yan didn’t dare delay and entered quickly.
The room was also arranged with a large bed on the north side and a four- or five-layer bookshelf on the west, filled with books. Different from his own room, a low table had been placed on a large rug in the center.
On the low table rested an ancient guqin. Its style was simple and rustic, and though its surface bore a few signs of wear, it was smooth to the touch, clearly well-used over many years.
In front of the guqin was a small, exquisite incense burner, from which three sticks of incense gently emitted wisps of smoke. A faint sandalwood scent filled the room, soothing the soul.
Seated behind the table was a man in black robes, his hands tucked into his sleeves, sitting cross-legged and smiling at Li Yan, it was none other than Strategist Ji.
"Co, sit here before the table."
He lifted his right hand from his sleeve and gestured to the rug before him.
Li Yan quickly stepped forward, took off his shoes, and knelt in a seated position facing his teacher. These formal manners had been taught to him by the old scholar back in the village. Seeing this, Strategist Ji smiled slightly, realizing Li Yan had indeed received so proper education.
"Li Yan, today I will tell you about our sect."
Once Li Yan had sat down properly, Strategist Ji began to speak slowly.
"Yes, Teacher. Your disciple listens with full attention."
Li Yan responded with utmost respect.
"Our sect is called Woodshadow Sect. It was founded six hundred years ago, but has always remained hidden from the world, dwelling deep in the mountains and unknown to outsiders.
The martial arts of our sect are secret techniques, never passed on to outsiders. Moreover, the requirents for cultivation are extrely strict. Finding a suitable disciple is like fishing a needle from the sea, through the generations, there have only ever been two or three disciples at most.
In my generation, I am the only one."
Strategist Ji spoke in a calm tone, and paused here.
Li Yan listened intently.
"I heard people in the city say that when Teacher charged through an army of ten thousand, it was as if no one could touch you. Such divine skills, I’ve never even heard of anything like it."
Strategist Ji only gave a faint smile at that.
"If you train diligently in the future, your achievents may not fall short of mine."
Li Yan quickly replied:
"Teacher overestimates . How could your disciple ever compare to you? No matter how hard I train, I could never catch up."
Strategist Ji smiled and said:
"We of our path should carry hearts proud enough to stand above the world, you must not think like that."
Li Yan, hearing this, dared not say more.
Strategist Ji continued speaking.
“This ti, I ca out of seclusion for a reason. Aside from our sect’s martial arts prowess, the predecessors of our Woodshadow Sect have also delved deeply into the study of dicinal herbs.
For hundreds of years, generations of sect ancestors secluded themselves in the deep mountains, wholeheartedly researching the way of herbs and plants. Though we remained hidden from the world, we still traveled occasionally and practiced dicine to help the sick and save the dying.
This has been our tradition for generations. To study without applying one’s knowledge is aningless. Martial arts, to us, are rely a ans of self-preservation when walking the world.”
Upon hearing this, Li Yan couldn’t help but feel deep respect. He thought to himself, "So, aside from martial arts, our sect also performs acts of great kindness for the people, this is truly a righteous sect."
“I, too, followed this path of traveling and healing. Unfortunately, five or six years ago, while deep in the mountains gathering herbs, I was accidentally bitten by an unknown venomous insect. Despite several months of treatnt, my condition didn’t improve, in fact, it worsened.
With no other option, I visited many old friends and famous doctors. Though their dical skills might not surpass mine, who’s to say they didn’t know the source of this poison?
If I could identify the origin of the insect, then a cure might still be possible. But things did not go as hoped, no one recognized the poison.
As ti went on, the venom slowly invaded my internal organs. Even now, I still have not found a way to cure it. I can only suppress it temporarily with internal cultivation techniques.
But based on my calculations, I can only suppress it for about seven or eight years. And now, six of those years have already passed. If I still can’t find a cure, then perhaps... it’s simply fate.”
Li Yan was shocked by these words. Looking again at Strategist Ji’s greenish-white complexion tinged with a faint black aura, his expression changed drastically.
“Then Teacher... have you found a way to detoxify it?”
“I have not. But it doesn’t matter anymore. Life and death are left to fate.”
Li Yan grew anxious.
“Then... what should be done?”
Strategist Ji waved his hand slightly.
“Haha… don’t be so alard. This is exactly why I stepped out into the world, to find a successor and pass on the sect’s legacy.
Otherwise, if our lineage ends with , how could I face the generations of ancestors and sect masters in the underworld?
However, our sect’s internal cultivation thod is extrely domineering. Without a special constitution, it is unsuitable to learn. If one forcibly attempts it, their ridians will reverse and they will die without question.
In the past, our sect’s disciples were chosen by the sect master as they traveled and practiced dicine, searching for suitable candidates. Though rare, such physiques do exist. In the vast world, one could eventually be found.
But I don’t have that much ti anymore. So I ca to the military. There are many young n here, strong and vigorous. I figured the chances would be higher.”
Hearing this, Li Yan thought to himself:
So Teacher ca to the army in order to find a disciple. That strange silver-needle acupuncture thod yesterday must have been how he tested for the special constitution.
But as he rembered the unbearable pain in his abdon from that test, a trace of fear crept up inside him.
Strategist Ji seed to see through his thoughts.
“This special constitution is latent, it cannot be identified without our sect’s unique thod to awaken it. While the awakening process may be painful, it is a necessary condition for safely cultivating our sect’s inner techniques.
I have been in the army for five or six years and only managed to find two people who et the requirent. One was discovered last year and the other is you.”
Li Yan was startled.
Two people? But in this valley, there’s only Teacher and . Last night, Chen An and Li Yin never ntioned anyone else...
As this thought surfaced, he suddenly recalled sothing. At the military camp yesterday, outside the tent, Marshal Hong seed to have said sothing like, "Last ti, the one you accepted..."
Seeing Li Yan zoning out, Strategist Ji grew puzzled.
“Marshal Hong ntioned this yesterday, how is it that you still look so surprised?”
He didn’t realize that Li Yan had been distracted and hadn’t clearly heard the Marshal’s words at the ti.
“You’re wondering why you haven’t seen the other one I spoke of? I was going to tell you about that.”
He took a long breath.
“That person should be your senior martial brother. I discovered him early last year. Do you recall that yesterday, after testing your constitution, I asked if you had studied reading?”
Li Yan nodded, of course, he rembered.
“Well, your senior martial brother had never studied. After he entered the sect, I thought that with my personal guidance, he could still cultivate our techniques.
But I underestimated how harsh our cultivation thods truly are!
After just over a month of training, while I was in the city discussing matters with the Marshal, he rashly attempted to practice an unfamiliar part of the later stages of the thod. Due to insufficient understanding, his qi reversed and surged.
By the ti I returned... he was already… sigh.”
Strategist Ji’s expression was filled with remorse and sorrow.
“It was my fault for being too impatient. The poison in my body grows worse by the day, and I beca desperate to secure our sect’s legacy.
Our inner thod not only requires the master’s personal guidance, it must also be read and understood word by word, deeply pondered, and applied according to the unique conditions within one’s body. Only by guiding the qi step by step can it be safely cultivated.
But back then, I was overconfident. I thought that with my personal instruction, nothing could go wrong. In the end, it was an irreversible mistake.”
As he spoke, tears shimred faintly in Strategist Ji’s eyes.
Li Yan was stunned.
'So the one found earlier... has already died. Yesterday, it seed like Marshal Hong was talking about “aptitude.” Could it be that he was referring to mine compared to that late senior disciple?
If that senior disciple's aptitude was better than mine and they t such an end, then wouldn't my situation be even more hopeless?'
As that thought struck him, cold sweat broke out on his back.
He looked up at Strategist Ji, lips trembling, about to say sothing like, “I’m afraid I can’t train...” But then, seeing the hidden grief and glimr of hope in his teacher’s eyes, he hesitated.
This... this is a life-threatening matter...
Li Yan’s thoughts swirled endlessly. After a long ti, he clenched his heart with resolve.
If I back down now, Teacher might send straight back to the village. How could I face my parents then?
Even if I’m lucky enough not to be sent back, I’d just return to the army, starting as a lowly soldier. Then I’d be thrown onto the battlefield, where life and death are out of my hands.
Neither of those outcos is what I want. Better to give it a try. Besides, I’ve studied in a private school, I can read and reflect on the teachings. As long as I don’t force myself to practice what I don’t understand, I can avoid disaster.
Besides... Teacher’s incredible power, that awe-inspiring strength, is precisely because of our sect’s overbearing martial arts. Nothing in this world cos without effort.
Having thought this through, his gaze toward Strategist Ji grew more resolute.
Strategist Ji saw the change in Li Yan’s eyes and understood his decision. A warm, relieved smile appeared on his face.
“Ever since that incident, I’ve had little hope left. I thought I’d run out of ti to find soone truly suitable. It all felt so distant, so hopeless. Who knew that, just before death, fate would open another door for .”
(Chapter End)
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