畅想听

The sword technique of the loose cultivator Li Tiansu... a technique that could allow the owner to reach the Fifth Stage Golden Core Realm; in other words, a technique of the Fifth Stage! Song Shuhang recalled the sword technique that Scarlet Heaven taught Li Tiansu before leaving.

When he entered Li Tiansu’s dreamland back then, Song Shuhang experienced firsthand his childhood where he was affected by a strange disease until the days where he became Daoist Priest Scarlet Heaven’s disciple. Finally, he experienced the entire process of him obtaining fortuitous encounters during his life, too.

From what he remembered, Scarlet Heaven had indeed taught Li Tiansu a sword technique that would allow him to reach the Fifth Stage and condense a Golden Core.

Song Shuhang had seen the process of Scarlet Heaven passing down the technique with his very own eyes.

It was unfortunate that while he was playing Li Tiansu’s role and listening to Daoist Priest Scarlet Heaven pass down the technique, the memory was fragmented and confused, and some important bits were even skipped.

As if that wasn’t enough, when Scarlet Heaven passed down the sword technique, he used a language that Song Shuhang couldn’t understand.

In regards to the sword technique, Song Shuhang remembered only a few moves and nothing else.

"So, the sword technique concealed inside the paintings is the same sword technique that Daoist Priest Scarlet Heaven taught Li Tiansu?" Song Shuhang guessed.

Just as he was in deep thoughts, the little Chu Chu sat cross-legged in the middle of the room. Afterward, she carefully gazed at the four huge canvases and tried to comprehend their contents.

The four paintings depicted Li Tiansu in four different poses.

Will one obtain an excellent sword technique if they were to connect the four paintings and look at the complete picture? No, it should be only a disguise. There must be something else hidden in the four pictures that would help one ’comprehend’ the sword technique.

Song Shuhang attentively followed Chu Chu’s gaze and stared at the canvases—perhaps because his comprehension skills were too low, aside from seeing Li Tiansu’s cool poses, he didn’t notice anything particularly mysterious in the paintings.

Did the disciple of the Chu Family really comprehend the sword technique from these four canvases?

It seems you need pretty high comprehension skills to learn this technique!

Song Shuhang faintly sighed. Even after linking the four pictures to the incomplete memory fragments where Scarlet Heaven was passing down the sword technique, he wasn’t able to get any clue.

Are my comprehension skills so low?

In other words, since it was impossible for me to learn the sword technique, Daoist Priest Scarlet Heaven didn’t bother with it and taught me the Flaming Saber Technique directly?

Does it mean that I won’t have the opportunity to use the sword for my whole life? Was I born to pick up a saber and slash people with it?

Song Shuhang’s imagination started to run wild.

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Now then, if the sword technique concealed in the canvases really belongs to Li Tiansu, why did it end up in this place?

Song Shuhang recalled Soft Feather’s words as she told him about the enmity between the Chu Family and the Illusory Sword School. According to what she said, the Chu Family obtained this sword technique around a century ago.

After obtaining the sword technique, all the disciples of the Chu Family started to practice it secretly without leaking any info to the outside world. Unfortunately, no secret could be kept forever. It was unknown how it happened, but the nearby Illusory Sword School got wind of the existence of the technique. Afterward, they got greedy and started to make things difficult for the Chu Family.

The problem is... a century ago, from whom or where did the Chu Family obtain the sword technique?

The loose cultivator Li Tiansu was alive and kicking not too long ago. It was only a month ago that he tragically crashed in front of Venerable White and me, passing away.

A hundred years ago, how did the Chu Family manage to obtain the sword technique from the hands of a Fifth Stage Spiritual Emperor? Or did Li Tiansu lose the technique back then and didn’t bother retrieving it?

Song Shuhang tried to carefully recall Li Tiansu’s life experiences in the dreamland, but no matter how hard he tried, he didn’t find anything even remotely related to the Chu Family or these four canvases before his eyes.

It seemed that this part of the memory had been ’skipped’.

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’Such being the case... is it possible that Senior Li Tiansu personally gave this sword technique to the Chu Family a hundred years ago?’ Song Shuhang thought of another possibility.

...But this possibility was rather low. The Chu Family was just a mediocre small family, while Li Tiansu a dignified Fifth Stage Spiritual Emperor. There was no reason for him to give such a valuable technique to the Chu Family.

Hmm? Wait!

It might be possible. It was precisely a century ago that Li Tiansu’s beloved daughter got very ill and he had to sell everything in his possession to keep her alive.

Perhaps that senior from the Chu Family had some treasure that Li Tiansu desperately needed, and he traded the treasure for the sword technique?

’No, it can’t be.’ Song Shuhang quickly denied the possibility. Given Li Tiansu’s disposition, even if he were broke, he wouldn’t casually give away the technique Daoist Priest Scarlet Heaven passed down onto him.

Scarlet Heaven had an incredibly high status in Li Tiansu’s heart... after experiencing his life, Song Shuhang was very clear about this point.

In that case, is this sword technique something Li Tiansu created personally? Or is it something he collected during his life?

From what Song Shuhang remembered, Li Tiansu had very good luck before his daughter fell ill. On his road to the Fifth Stage, he had gathered so many treasures that he was rich even by the standard of cultivators!

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Just as Song Shuhang was in deep thoughts, Chu Chu suddenly stood up.

"I see, so that’s the secret behind the sword technique!" the small Chu Chu said happily.

Did she comprehend the technique? So quickly? Miss Chu Chu’s comprehension skills are heaven-defying! Song Shuhang was astonished. Compared to her, his comprehension skills were garbage.

"Well, my comprehension skills aren’t that bad either," Song Shuhang said quietly. Whether it was the ❮Basic Buddhist Fist Technique❯, the ❮True Self Meditation Scripture❯, the ❮Virtuous Man’s Ten Thousand Mile Walk❯, or the Lightning Palm, both Senior White and Medicine Master praised him for his comprehension skills. Apparently, he had mastered these techniques rather quickly.

...Were Senior White and Medicine Master just comforting me?

Or is there really no fate between me and the sword?

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Inside the room, Chu Chu extracted the short sword she brought along and started to wildly dance in the middle of the room, executing the sword technique.

At a glance, the sword technique didn’t seem too incredible.

It wasn’t any different than other ordinary basic sword techniques.

But as the small Chu Chu was dancing faster and faster, the sword technique started to change gradually. It kept changing until it converged into four sword styles.

These sword styles were the same that Li Tiansu was displaying on the canvases. The original form of the sword technique was that of these four sword styles, but when unleashed, it would reach up to 108 stances.

"Riiip!" Finally, the small Chu Chu slashed toward the void with all her might.

The short sword emitted a faint sword cry.

"The sword of my life, appear," Chu Chu said in a low but firm voice. When she said these words, the cry of the short sword in her hand became even louder.

Song Shuhang could feel Chu Chu’s blood and qi energy pouring into the short sword, and as though the sword had accepted this energy, its sword light became even brighter and sharper.

At this time, Song Shuhang felt his own heart speed up.

It wasn’t Chu Chu’s heart that was speeding up... it was his own heart that started to beat crazily.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

His heart was beating so fast that it felt as though it was going to jump out of his chest.

Something inside his Heart Aperture was trying to break out.

It was the ghost spirit!

From its actions, it seemed it wanted to enter the dreamland and approach the small Chu Chu in the dream. The sword in her hands had aroused its interest.

It wasn’t only Chu Chu; the ghost spirit wanted to approach those four pictures as well. Since their senses were interlinked, Song Shuhang could understand the intentions of the ghost spirit.

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In the next moment, Song Shuhang opened his eyes. The dream had come to an end.

He looked outside the tent and saw through the cracks that the sky was still dark and full of stars. The moon and the stars were both shining brightly.

"It’s still night?" Song Shuhang forced a smile and stretched his hand to feel his chest.

His heartbeat was still unstable, and the ghost spirit in his Heart Aperture was acting up as though it had received a strong stimulation. The fact that the ghost spirit was this lively wasn’t really a bad thing. It would just give Song Shuhang a large quantity of qi and blood energy.

Song Shuhang deeply sighed and couldn’t calm down for quite a while.

He touched the ancient bronze ring on his finger. Was this the karma that Li Tiansu left behind after his death?

"Those four canvases in the basement of the Chu Family... perhaps I should take a look at them?" Song Shuhang muttered to himself.

But how could he enter that secret basement in the Chu Family?

The night was still long, and Song Shuhang couldn’t get any sleep.

After heaving a sigh, he came out of the tent.

As soon as he came out of the tent, he noticed a figure sitting on a smooth rock not too far away from his position.

The figure was holding a teacup made of bamboo in its hands, with hot steam coming out of it.

Beside the figure was a simple shelf with some food, fruits, and steaming hot tea water on it.

The gentle light of the moon shone on the figure, and the entire world seemed perfectly still at this time.

Song Shuhang blinked... the figure was Venerable White!

It was already late. Hadn’t Venerable White gone to sleep yet?

Right. Given Venerable White’s strength, something like sleeping wasn’t necessary anymore. Recently, he had been sleeping only because he was coordinating with Song Shuhang.

Song Shuhang scratched his head in puzzlement. As far as he remembered, that rock wasn’t there earlier! He didn’t remember seeing it this morning. Moreover, its surface was too smooth, as though it was cut with a sword.

Just as his imagination was running wild, Venerable White turned his head around and narrowed his eyes into a smile, saying, "You woke up? Did you have a nightmare?"

"Ahaha." Song Shuhang laughed embarrassed and said, "No, it wasn’t really a nightmare... just a strange dream. After waking up, I couldn’t get any sleep. Therefore, I decided to take a stroll."

"^_^" Venerable White faintly smiled and said, "If you can’t fall asleep, how about you come over and sit here?"

"In that case, I’ll be impolite." Song Shuhang quickly climbed onto the big rock, sitting beside Venerable White. Then, he stretched his hand out and took a fruit, starting to eat it.

Venerable White lightly smiled and poured some tea for Song Shuhang, placing the cup on the shelf.

Soon after, he picked his own cup and gently blew on it, taking a sip. After slowly lowering his eyes, he asked, "What was the dream about?"

Song Shuhang took the cup of tea from the shelf and imitated Venerable White, taking a small sip as well. "I dreamt about Miss Chu Chu’s life, as well as some matters regarding Daoist Priest Li Tiansu. Li Tiansu is that cultivator that came crashing at us when I was contracting the ghost spirit."

"Oh, I remember him." Venerable White slightly nodded. "If you don’t mind, can you share the details with me?"

"I don’t mind... however, the dream was a bit strange," said Song Shuhang, somewhat embarrassed. He hadn’t told anyone about his ability to dream about other people’s lives.

"Let’s hear it then." Venerable White laughed.

Song Shuhang nodded and started to tell Senior White about what happened in the dreamland...

Venerable White was silently listening to Song Shuhang’s story, slightly nodding his head from time to time.

"That’s the gist of it. In the end, the ghost spirit in my Heart Aperture started to act up, and I woke up." After narrating the matters related to the dreamland, Song Shuhang drank the tea in one go.

"Ah! Hot, hot, hot!" He spat his tongue out and gasped for breath. At the same time, he felt that the flavor of this tea was excellent. Several times better than the ’Spirit Green Tea’. The flavor was so incredible that his taste buds were in ecstasy.

Venerable White shot a glance at the lively Song Shuhang and said with a smile, "Do you feel better now?"

"Yes... after talking to someone, I indeed feel better," Song Shuhang replied. His heartbeat had slowed down, and the ghost spirit in the Heart Aperture had also settled down.

"If you have calmed down, you should go back to sleep. We’ll leave the island tomorrow." Venerable White gazed at the bright moon hanging in the sky. Then, he lowered his head and blew on the tea.

"Senior White, don’t you find it strange? The way I have these dreams, as well as their contents?" Song Shuhang asked.

"They are indeed strange," Senior White said with a calm expression on his face. "But it’s not like they’re causing you harm, right?"

"That’s also true." Song Shuhang scratched his head and laughed.

Soon after, he stood up and waved his hand to Senior White. "In that case, I’ll go back to sleep."

"Goodnight," Venerable White said.

"Goodnight," Song Shuhang said as he jumped down from the rock.

Now then, who thought that Senior White had such a womanly side, he’s really gentle and understanding, Song Shuhang thought to himself.

"Hmm... womanly side?" Venerable White calm voice transmitted from the rock. "Shuhang, I feel that it won’t be bad for you to impersonate a woman. Hmm... for example, Miss Chu Chu."

Eh? Did I carelessly blurt out what I was thinking?