Chen Changsheng, holding a bottle of wine in his hand, seed to hear shouts coming from behind. He turned his head and looked back, peering through the thick fog and seeming to see a person running away in panic.
He paused for a mont and mumbled, “Startled soone…”
Chen Changsheng shook his head. He looked down at the river water split by the long bamboo.
Going against the current was indeed much slower.
But it didn’t matter; going slower was actually quite nice.
He simply sat cross-legged on the long bamboo and started drinking alone.
“Ouch…”
Chen Changsheng winced and couldn’t help saying, “It really burns fiercely.”
But having wine was better than no wine; it was strong, but it suited the view.
Walking alone in the foggy river, who would have guessed soone would be drinking here?
While Chen Changsheng drank happily.
He suddenly heard the sounds of sword cries.
“Hmm?”
Chen Changsheng looked towards where the sounds ca from.
He peered through the fog, seeming to see a person practicing swordplay by the riverside with a bare upper body.
He was not old, still a young lad, with tough muscles and an amazing build.
At his young age, he had already reached the fifth rank.
Shangguan Ningjing’s gaze fell on the sword in his hand. The long sword danced smoothly in his grip, its sword qi cutting through so fog a few ters away.
He held his breath and concentrated hard.
But he was already drenched in sweat, with veins bulging on his forehead.
Chen Changsheng, watching this scene from the fog, frowned right away.
This young lad seed off…
The sword in Shangguan Ningjing’s hand grew faster.
“Arghh!!”
A painful sound ca from his mouth. His eyebrows squeezed together, and his wrists were already red, with clear pain signals coming.
Not only that, the blood qi all over his body kept flaring up more violently, almost draining it all at once.
If this went on, the end was imaginable.
“Why can’t I! Why can’t I do it!”
“Ah!!”
Shangguan Ningjing swept with his sword.
Suddenly, three water columns burst from the river, followed by a loud boom.
“Splash!”
Water splashed onto the river surface, stirring the fog like dust.
Shangguan Ningjing’s thoughts got ssier.
The blood qi in his ridians started flowing backward.
Shangguan Ningjing seed to realize sothing.
Right away, his steps and sword moves beca chaotic.
‘Oh no!’
His heart jolted, and he quickly cald himself.
He gripped the sword tightly and started guiding the backward-flowing blood qi in his ridians.
“Urk…”
Just a beat slow and he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He spat out a mouthful of blood, which trickled from his mouth corner.
But he dared not stop; if he paused, he might die faster. If the blood qi rushed into the heavenly gate, he would die or beco a cripple.
Shangguan Ningjing panicked at once.
He was all alone by the river. With Qi Deviation, he might not last half an hour. Normal martial artists couldn’t save him.
Just as Shangguan Ningjing was lost and helpless.
Suddenly, a voice ca across.
“Half an inch down the sword, sweep the six directions.”
Shangguan Ningjing hesitated. He knew the voice ca from the fog and was about to ask, but the Qi Deviation worsened.
He dared not ask more. He just gritted his teeth and stared at the fog ahead.
He wasn’t sure if it could be trusted and felt unsure.
“Then just wait for death.”
Another voice ca from the fog.
After hearing it, Shangguan Ningjing said quickly, “Senior…”
Then he moved the sword half an inch down as per the voice and swept it in front.
Before it ended, sounds ca again from the fog.
“Go through behind, move the sword around the body.”
“Left step up half an inch, level thrust.”
“Lead blood qi with the sword, follow the sun to Yumun point, lift head and thrust back.”
…
“Level thrust, blood qi returns.”
Following the sword and blood qi moves as told, Shangguan Ningjing suddenly found the backward-flowing blood qi under control. It started flowing slowly through the acupoints.
But for now, he still couldn’t stop.
“Move sword tip down half an inch, sweep the six directions, blood passes through Dragon Gate point…”
“Why are you dazed?”
“Oh, oh…”
Shangguan Ningjing stopped daydreaming and concentrated on moving the sword.
“Sword back, blood qi returns to nest.”
“Do it ten more tis to stop the Qi Deviation.”
After hearing this, Shangguan Ningjing was stunned inside. But he began the sword forms and qi and blood moves as he’d rembered them.
Suddenly, the fog in front of him seed drawn and stilled.
Shangguan Ningjing noticed this and broke to a pause, but dared not stop his hand.
Threads of fog followed him, all clear to see.
Shangguan Ningjing closed his eyes. After finishing one round, he started the next.
By the third round, the signs of Qi Deviation vanished completely.
But Shangguan Ningjing did all ten tis as told, not missing a single round.
When he opened his eyes again, the fog from the riverbank had shifted towards him.
He was wrapped in fog, which vanished entirely as he sheathed the sword.
“Senior! I’ve finished ten tis, Senior where are you?”
Shangguan Ningjing called towards the thick fog.
“Senior’s life-saving favor, Shangguan Ningjing never forgets! Please show yourself!”
But after shouting, he heard no reply, not even a ripple on the river surface.
“Senior, could you appear?”
Shangguan Ningjing called once more.
It was just like before; no sounds ca back.
He suddenly snapped back and understood.
“Senior, you tricked ! Ten tis weren’t needed!”
Only now did he grasp it; three rounds would have been enough, but he did ten full tis.
Shangguan Ningjing cursed himself for being so stupid.
Then he chased along the riverside in one direction.
“Since it’s on the river, it must be downstream.”
“Senior, wait for !”
He shouted while chasing along the river—running the wrong way.
anwhile, Chen Changsheng was already far away, sitting cross-legged on the bamboo raft heading upstream.
A gulp of strong wine went down his throat, and he breathed out a wine sigh.
The river fog ahead had mostly cleared.
Chen Changsheng laughed and muttered, “So foolish, how did he reach the fifth rank?”
He shook his head helplessly and drank so wine as he went on.
“Not as good as his father.”
Chen Changsheng murmured, thinking of that Jianghu swordsman he’d t on the river long ago—Shangguan Han.
He’d known he was going to kill the Northern Desert sorceress. Not sure if he did it, or if he lived.
But that man’s son now used a sword…
“From this, did Shangguan Han later switch to walk the path of the sword?”
Chen Changsheng rubbed his chin but felt too lazy to wonder. With a wave, he said,
“Forget it, I’ll ask on my way back.”
The long bamboo floated onward. As for where to go, Chen Changsheng had no idea.
He would go wherever it led.
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