Chapter 194: Jade Maiden Heart Sutra Swordplay
“Hiss.”
A stone flew through the air, hitting a pit viper directly.
The force was just right, incapacitating the venomous snake without killing it.
“With ‘Finger Flicking Divine Skill,’ it’s indeed much more convenient,” Zhou Yan strode forward like the wind, grabbed the venomous snake, extracted its venom to smear on a bamboo arrow, and flicked his finger. Internal Force shot out an inch from the ‘Guangchong’ acupoint, ending the snake’s life.
The venom of the large poisonous snake was smeared on bamboo arrows to create archery traps. As for the snake itself, it could be roasted and eaten.
Lu Youjiao said the opponents numbered over thirty. Zhou Yan estimated that at best, it was a miscalculation by the Changfeng Escort Agency escorts, and ordinary traps would be difficult to be effective. The surest method was archery traps made from green bamboo.
He caught snakes for venom and cut down bamboo and wood, having already made over ten such traps.
He had lost count of how many times he had faced enemies, but as an escort, most of the time he was engaged passively, rarely having the opportunity to deploy so calmly and methodically as he did now.
Even though the opponent was Ouyang Feng, Zhou Yan still felt a sense of hunting.
Lin Chaoying’s Maid stood on a hill not far from the Ancient Tomb. Standing for a long time, she watched Zhou Yan make traps, find a stone cave to build a campfire and roast food, and then come out to tirelessly continue his enthusiastic trap-making.
Prejudice in the human heart is a great mountain, impossible to surmount. The Ancient Tomb is doomed. She remembered Zhou Yan’s words again. The setting sun cast a warm glow, the lingering sun like fire, a sigh flowed in the vast, gentle breeze.
Lin Chaoying’s Maid leaped a few times to the Ancient Tomb, her figure disappearing into the edge of the sunset.
…
“Head Escort Zhou!”
A clear voice suddenly rang out. Li Mochou’s figure stretched out, graceful yet swift as she approached.
Zhou Yan smiled faintly. Regarding the survival of the Ancient Tomb, Lin Chaoying’s Maid had compromised. She agreed to practice swordplay.
He felt Li Mochou had become a bit thinner, but her face was even more exquisitely beautiful.
Li Mochou, within Zhou Yan’s line of sight, smiled charmingly. In reality, she was already controlling her emotions to the extreme; her heart was already as turbulent as the underground river beneath the Ancient Tomb.
If she could forget, she would have long ago inherited the mantle and entered and exited the Ancient Tomb freely.
Li Mochou was confined when Zhou Yan went to the Western Regions. He escorted the Indian Monk to Zhongdu, then made a trip to Shaolin, taking nearly two months.
Lin Chaoying’s Maid had actually kept Li Mochou confined for such a long period.
The more Li Mochou tried to forget, the more deeply etched her memories became.
However, her martial arts practice had not been neglected at all. The “Yijin Forging Bone Chapter” of the Nine Yin Manual that Zhou Yan taught her was to ensure Li Mochou’s safety and protect the Ancient Tomb. When Lin Chaoying’s Maid inquired, Li Mochou always replied that she still found it difficult to forget. After the other party left, she diligently practiced the cultivation technique, hoping to exchange an improved realm for her Master’s forgiveness.
Zhou Yan knew from Li Mochou’s footwork and evasive maneuvers that her cultivation had made significant progress.
Li Mochou felt that Zhou Yan’s demeanor had changed even more.
Standing tall and graceful, compared to before, she had an extra three parts of unrestrained, wild charm, and an extra three parts of noble bearing befitting a high official. The remaining four parts were her familiar demeanor.
Li Mochou’s perception was due, firstly, to Zhou Yan’s improved cultivation. Secondly, since returning from Zhongnan Mountain, the experiences of the past half-year were incomparable to mere escort missions; they were thrilling and perilous. He participated, thought, decided, and acted, which invisibly elevated his temperament.
“Did Senior agree to practice swordplay?” Li Mochou approached, and Zhou Yan asked.
Li Mochou’s spirits soared, and she replied, “Yes, I’ve told you. However, Master doesn’t allow Junior Sister to leave the Ancient Tomb during this time.”
“That is as it should be.”
“What are you doing?”
“Archery traps, smeared with snake venom. As long as they hit, even if they don’t kill, they can incapacitate the opponent. Using poisonous bees for a surprise attack to inflict damage again. The more the enemy is reduced, the more it helps to delay time and wait for Elder Hong to arrive.”
“Yes, the martial arts competition date is indeed approaching soon,” Li Mochou sighed, lamenting the passage of time. Then, she excitedly said, “Last time we fought together, the swordplay’s power greatly increased. After returning, I studied it in seclusion. Guess what?”
“Quanzhen Swordplay and Ancient Tomb Swordplay are like Yin and Yang, two extremes. When combined, they possess the power to overturn heaven and earth.”
“You are truly clever. You actually saw that at the time. I meditated in the Ancient Tomb and studied the martial arts passed down by Grandmaster, the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, which finally enlightened me. Oh, and Master also mentioned the external cultivation methods of the Heart Sutra.”
A gentle breeze blew across the hill, Li Mochou’s hair fluttered, and her long sword gleamed three feet. “We can practice now.”
Zhou Yan chuckled. Lin Chaoying’s Maid had still taken precautions and had not taught the internal energy cultivation of the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra. As for the reason, he naturally knew it.
It required disrobing to cultivate.
Cultivating external martial arts was the other party’s bottom line.
Zhou Yan was unconcerned.
Ouyang Feng and his nephew would not delay for ten days to half a month before reaching the Ancient Tomb. Time waits for no one. Even if Lin Chaoying allowed it, they still couldn’t cultivate the internal energy of the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra. Being able to cultivate the external martial arts was sufficient.
“There’s no rush for now. After setting up the archery traps and eating, we’ll practice swordplay.”
“Okay, I’ll help.”
With Li Mochou joining, the progress quickened.
Unless it was an extremely rare and potent poison, Zhou Yan was immune to all poisons. He caught snakes and toads, and after two days in Hundred Herbs Valley, he could identify several types of poisonous plants. He gathered the venom, and Li Mochou made bamboo arrows. As night fell, Zhou Yan had already set up over forty traps on the path leading to the Ancient Tomb, in the surrounding woods and bamboo groves.
The campfire cast a dim, yellow glow that danced on Li Mochou’s face. Her face was like a peach blossom. The water on the fire boiled, and they ate the dry rations Zhou Yan had bought from the market and the roasted, scorched snake meat.
Li Mochou’s life in the Ancient Tomb was monotonous, while Zhou Yan’s was the exact opposite.
Time seemed to have returned to two years ago, outside the Mountain God Temple in the suburbs of Datong Prefecture, when Li Mochou listened to Zhou Yan talk about interesting Jianghu anecdotes and methods of self-protection.
She sighed with emotion. In just over two hundred days, Zhou Yan had gained such rich experience, from the northern winds of the frontier to the apricot blossoms and misty rain of Jiangnan. Her heart even harbored a slight longing for the life of an escort.
After they had eaten, Li Mochou said, “According to the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, when two people combine their swords, they need to be familiar with each other’s swordplay. I’ll tell you about the Jade Maiden Swordplay first.”
Zhou Yan had watched Li Mochou practice in the Mountain God Temple in Datong Prefecture and outside the Ancient Tomb, and he had already memorized a lot. He said, “You should familiarize yourself with the Quanzhen Swordplay first.”
“Your comprehension is far superior to mine. Learning the ‘Jade Maiden Swordplay’ will be lightning fast. I’ll listen to you.”
To cultivate Quanzhen Swordplay, one must first comprehend the internal energy cultivation method.
“The Great Dao begins by opening the nine orifices, the primary orifice being the Weilü point. First, surge from Yongquan at the sole of the foot, rising from Yongquan and gradually reaching the knees. Past the knees, slowly to Weilü, then rapidly circling at Niwan atop the head…”
Zhou Yan began with the ‘Quanzhen Great Dao Song’ taught by Wang Chuyi, elaborating in detail on the complete internal martial arts. Li Mochou had many points of confusion, such as “twelve layers of the tower” and “the golden lock, the golden lock crossing the magpie bridge.” As he explained and elaborated, Li Mochou saw Zhou Yan as a learned scholar and a master of the classics.
She was originally a romantic, and Zhou Yan’s figure became clearer and more distinct.
By midnight, Li Mochou understood the Quanzhen cultivation method.
Zhou Yan poured wine and drank heartily, then rose with his sword.
“Zhang Fan Ju Zhuo,” “Rou Lu Bu Shi,” “Xiao Ji Qing Zhou,” “Tiao Xi Chui Lun,” “Bian Zhou Yi Ye” – the forty-nine stances of Quanzhen Swordplay flowed one after another, like meteors streaking across the sky, snow gathering in the Milky Way, intercepting and counter-attacking, ancient and majestic.
He performed it twice, breaking down the movements once, and Li Mochou could already remember the general outline.
“It’s my turn to tell you about the Jade Maiden Swordplay.”
“Okay, we’ll practice together then.”
Li Mochou also first explained the Qi Guiding Method, then danced with her sword to teach the stances. The improvement in her internal energy cultivation made Li Mochou’s swordplay graceful and her movements slow and elegant, like an immortal riding the clouds, dancing in the void.
In just over an hour, the ‘Jade Maiden Swordplay’ was fully imparted to Zhou Yan.
They each pondered their swordplay, losing track of time. The iron-grey of the sky had faded, and a magnificent sunrise emerged.
“Let’s spar.”
“That’s exactly what I was thinking.”
They moved to a slightly open area in front of the Ancient Tomb. Zhou Yan used Quanzhen Swordplay, and Li Mochou countered with Jade Maiden Swordplay.
When Li Mochou used Quanzhen Swordplay, Zhou Yan countered with Jade Maiden Swordplay. The Jade Maiden Swordplay was originally the nemesis of Quanzhen Swordplay; each move and stance perfectly suppressed the moves of Quanzhen Swordplay, making them unable to move. They were locked in a step-by-step confrontation. However, due to the difference in their cultivation realms, Zhou Yan’s every move was driven by momentum. His swordplay lacked a bit of its ancient simplicity and had more speed, leaving Li Mochou helpless.
Suddenly, two sword lights flashed, one after the other. Li Mochou lightly drew her long sword, unleashing a move that sent a wave of white light flying. Zhou Yan’s sword strike, arriving later, sent out a wave of green light. The green and white lights intertwined, creating a dazzling display. Sword flowers scattered like countless stars, falling down. The two swords combined, their power immense.
Zhou Yan used the Quanzhen Swordplay move “Bian Zhou Yi Ye,” and Li Mochou followed with the Jade Maiden Swordplay move “Cai Bi Hua Mei.” Both were horizontal sword slashes, but Zhou Yan’s long sword swept from left to right for several feet, while Li Mochou’s sword merely trembled twice. The two moves combined into a move from the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra Swordplay called “Fu Qin An Xiao.”
Zhou Yan’s moves had sword intent, and Li Mochou felt a connection. A stray glance fell upon her, and her fragrant cheeks flushed with a shy smile.
