On the ride back, Chen Chuan couldn’t shake the feeling that the arrest operation had seed like a joke. He suspected sothing was hidden behind it all, but that wasn’t a problem he could solve right now, so he didn’t dwell on the matter too much.
After returning to the school, he resud his training.
Although the mission had been cut short, he believed that no matter how things developed, he needed to have the ability to handle whatever ca his way.
His understanding of Force Technique was currently deepening, but he had hit a plateau. So, he set aside so of his ti to focus on strengthening his Saber Techniques.
After the day off in mid-November, Cheng Zitong examined him and concluded that the Mutated Organization in his body showed no signs of accelerated growth for the mont.
He figured they could observe for another ten days. By the end of the month or mid-December, they should have a clear idea of any future changes.
Cheng Zitong felt a sense of relief for the ti being. Sitting in the living room, he picked up his thermos, took a sip of tea, and said to Chen Chuan, "I see you’ve been practicing your Saber Techniques diligently these last few days?"
Chen Chuan said, "Yes, Teacher. I actually have a question for you. I feel that this blade is rather unique. It seems to require a special thod to unleash its true power."
Cheng Zitong looked at him, a little surprised. "You figured that out yourself?" he asked.
He then chuckled. "That was a silly question. You’re a mber of the Intuition School, so it’s perfectly normal for you to sense that. But even so, you can’t possibly figure out the thod on your own until you’ve reached a certain level. Mmm, don’t worry. I’ll go find a proper training thod for you."
He mulled over the matter. After leaving Chen Chuan’s dorm, he drove toward the school’s faculty housing area. A little over ten minutes later, he arrived in front of a garden residence, parked his car, and went up to knock. The doorkeeper recognized him and said politely, "Ah, Manager Cheng. Please, co in."
After heading inside, Cheng Zitong asked casually, "Where is Senior Brother Qiao?"
"In the backyard, teaching his new disciple."
Cheng Zitong shook his head. "My student at least shows his face in class now and then. His disciple showed up once at the start of the term and hasn’t been seen in public since. He’s really just a disciple in na only."
As he spoke, he passed through the front hall and followed a cobblestone path through an archway. Ahead, a large lotus pond ca into view. Even though it was autumn, a few lotus flowers still stood tall.
From there, he could see a spacious, extended waterside pavilion diagonally across the pond. Inside, a short old man in a traditional cross-collared robe was instructing a disciple. The disciple was handso, around sixteen or seventeen years old, and dressed in a Wuyi training uniform.
He followed the corridor along the edge of the pond, entered a garden room, and after a short walk, arrived just outside the waterside pavilion. "Senior Brother Qiao," he called out, "I’ve co to see you."
Senior Brother Qiao ignored him, still engrossed in teaching his disciple how to hold a stance. Cheng Zitong went over to watch and then waited off to the side.
After a while, Senior Brother Qiao told his disciple to practice on his own and walked toward the garden room. He had an attendant brew so tea while he sat down in the host’s seat. "Have a seat," he said. "You wouldn’t co here without a reason. I won’t bother with pleasantries, so just tell what’s on your mind."
Cheng Zitong didn’t stand on ceremony either. He sat in a guest’s seat and said, "My student is practicing with a saber, but he lacks suitable Saber Techniques. I rembered you have a family heirloom Sword Manual, Senior Brother, so I’ve co to you for help."
Qiao Linhu glanced at him. "He’s your student, not your disciple. Why are you so invested? And if he needs Saber Techniques, the academy has plenty. Why would you want my outdated material?"
"If it were just a matter of ordinary Saber Technique, I would have taught him myself and not troubled you," Cheng Zitong said. "But didn’t Madam Ni recently give my student a blade? That’s why I figure only your Sword Manual is suited for it."
Qiao Linhu’s thick, salt-and-pepper eyebrows shot up. "A Forbidden Weapon?"
Cheng Zitong said, "What era do you think this is? ’Forbidden Weapon’? Who even cares about that anymore?"
Qiao Linhu thought for a mont. "I can give you the Sword Manual..." He held up a hand, gesturing for Cheng Zitong to wait. "But not just for anything." He held up two fingers and pointed toward the pavilion outside. "I want your student to be my disciple’s assistant for three years."
Cheng Zitong was imdiately unhappy. "Senior Brother, this isn’t the old days. Why are you still clinging to that feudal nonsense? What, is my student sohow inferior to your disciple?"
Qiao Linhu shook his head. "We must still follow the rules. Our master established them, and I can’t be the one to break them. Besides, everything has its proper place. Only if he’s serving my disciple can I give him anything."
"What are you even saying?" Cheng Zitong retorted. "Disciple, student... all that stuff from the old man should’ve been tossed out ages ago."
Qiao Linhu said placidly, "You go tell our master that. If he says we can toss them out, I’ll do it without a second thought. Otherwise, we do things by the book."
"Co on," Cheng Zitong said. "This is *your* family’s Sword Manual, Senior Brother, not the old master’s. Why are you sticking to those damn rules? Your disciple is preparing to practice the Strength Posture, isn’t he? He’ll need a lot of good dicine, right? I can get it for him at a discount."
Qiao Linhu replied, "Your senior brother here has so savings. I have more than enough to teach one disciple. The Sword Manual is indeed mine, but the rules are passed from one generation to the next. Our master upheld them, now I uphold them, and in the future, my disciple will continue to do so. They absolutely cannot be broken."
Cheng Zitong knew he wasn’t getting through to him. "Fine. I guess I ca here for nothing. But..." He turned back. "Senior Brother, I hope you don’t regret this later."
Qiao Linhu said, "Are you implying your student is better than my disciple? We’ll just have to wait and see. But let be clear: even if he is, I won’t break my rules."
Cheng Zitong snatched up his briefcase. "Fine. I’m leaving."
"Junior Brother," Teacher Qiao said, "why don’t you stay for dinner?"
"I’m full already—of anger."
Cheng Zitong walked outside and took a deep breath. Looking at the tall buildings, he suddenly felt much more relaxed. He glanced back. ’Old rules? Heh. My student was right. They’re just a bunch of old relics wallowing in a bygone era. If I can’t find one here, does he really think I can’t find one elsewhere?’
That evening, Cheng Zitong ca to Chen Chuan’s dorm again. He walked in, pulled a yellowed, old Sword Manual from his briefcase, and said, "Take a look."
Chen Chuan took it and saw that it was a handwritten copy, written in a vertical script. It looked like sothing from eighty or ninety years ago.
"It’s a Sword Manual from the Old thod," Cheng Zitong explained. "When I found it, it had been sitting untouched at the bottom of a chest for forty or fifty years. If I hadn’t reminded them that their ancestor owned sothing like this, they would’ve forgotten it ever existed."
Chen Chuan asked, "Teacher, was this expensive?"
"Fifteen yuan," Cheng Zitong said. "A real bargain. Paid cash on the spot, and it saved from owing soone a favor. It’s only the old-tirs who cling to their rigid rules that treat these things like treasures."
He gestured with his chin. "The Saber Techniques in there aren’t what’s important. The key is the Force Technique for using the blade. Give it a try. If it’s not a good fit, I’ll check again. If you’re not satisfied, I’ll find another one."
Chen Chuan asked, "You can find more like this, Teacher?"
"You’re underestimating ," Cheng Zitong said. "In this day and age, you can’t eat a Sword Manual. If I wanted to, I could put the word out and have seven or eight of these in my hands by lunchti.
Years ago, these Force Techniques were all unique, and their owners guarded them jealously, refusing to teach anyone. But the less they taught, the fewer people learned. Now, many of these traditions have died out completely. So impoverished descendant is left guarding sothing they can neither eat nor wear; they might as well trade it for cash. See? People have gotten much more practical. Not like so, who’d rather die clinging to their precious old rules."
’Sounds like he asked soone for a Sword Manual and got turned down,’ Chen Chuan thought. ’That’s why he’s so bitter. But if he could find another one this easily, why did he need to ask that person at all? Maybe they’re soone important?’
He didn’t dwell on it. He took the Sword Manual and flipped through it. The cover was damaged, so it was only when he got to the inner pages that he found the simple, unadorned na of a Sword Force: "Heavy Slash Blade Force?"
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