Chapter 7: Frost Sword Art
In a corner of the Martial Hall, within an independent small courtyard.
As soon as she approached, Li Yunqing saw faint wisps of smoke rising, only to disperse with the wind.
A rich dicinal fragrance rushed toward her nose.
“So fragrant… is Ghost Granny refining dicine?”
Li Yunqing’s voice was pleasant as she turned to look at Ghost Granny, only to notice the yellowed book in her hand.
The four large characters “Frost Sword Art” entered her eyes directly.
Ghost Granny wore a smile, her hoarse voice carrying a trace of gentleness. “There isn’t much to do in the Martial Hall’s dical office. I just brew so dicinal soup for the disciples to use.”
“Every morning, noon, and evening, disciples can drink a bowl of dicinal soup to aid their cultivation.”
“Oh… right, you just entered the Martial Hall today, so you probably didn’t know.”
As she spoke, noticing Li Yunqing’s gaze, she did not hide it. Instead, she handed the book to Li Yunqing.
“So long useless manual. If you want to read it, go ahead.”
Li Yunqing paused slightly, subconsciously taking it, and asked in confusion, “Why would this manual be useless?”
“What else could it be?”
Ghost Granny smiled. “Tis have changed. So things naturally beco useless.”
“You’ll understand once you take a look.”
Li Yunqing did not stand on ceremony. She opened the book, and upon seeing its contents, she froze slightly.
“These are hand seals… flying swords?”
“Not bad, little girl, you know quite a bit.” Ghost Granny smiled as she explained, “They are indeed hand seals and flying swords—likely things of the legendary immortals and gods.”
Li Yunqing’s eyes widened slightly. “Do immortals and gods really exist?”
“How could they not?” Ghost Granny’s tone turned sowhat wistful. “Those demons and evil gods—aren’t they immortals and gods?”
“Demons and evil gods?”
Li Yunqing suddenly recalled the Demon Suppression Division, as well as records from various books.
Demons and evil gods had existed since ancient tis, varying in strength, possessing strange and eerie abilities.
So of the ‘gods’ worshipped in villages had a trace of spirituality—yet if they were ineffective, even so martial artists could slay them.
The powerful ones could even withstand the campaigns of grandmasters in the Profound Realm.
“You an those demons and evil gods are related to immortals and gods?”
Li Yunqing felt full of surprise.
In her imagination, immortals and gods should have been ethereal and transcendent—riding swords through the heavens, roaming the seas in the morning and the firmant at dusk, free and unrestrained.
“Though there’s no direct evidence, it should be so.”
Ghost Granny sighed. “Legend says immortals and gods once existed, but for so reason, they all perished.”
“However, so unwilling to perish left behind remnants of their consciousness, transforming into demons, feeding on living beings to continue existing in the world.”
Hearing this, Li Yunqing suddenly understood.
The era of immortals and gods had passed, and they had all perished. The remnants of their consciousness, unwilling to fade, beca demons and evil gods.
After flipping through the Frost Sword Art, which contained only a few pages, she asked in confusion, “Granny, are you researching the thods of immortals and gods?”
As she spoke, she glanced at her panel again.
Na: Li Yunqing.
Lifespan: 15/∞
Skills: Zither, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting (Perfection)
Traits: Single-Minded Focus, Vigorous Spirit, Photographic mory, Natural Spiritual Grace, Eight Tones Enter the Soul, Unparalleled Comprehension.
Mingyu Fist (Initiated 2/100.)
Traits: None.
Frost Sword Art (Not Yet Initiated 0/50)
Traits: None.
“This can actually be cultivated?”
Seeing the display on the panel, Li Yunqing was sowhat surprised.
“Mm.” Ghost Granny nodded and pointed to a corner of the dicine shelf in the pharmacy. “Look—doesn’t this small dagger resemble a flying sword?”
Li Yunqing closed the book and instinctively looked over.
It was a silver-white dagger about the length of a palm. Intricate and dense patterns covered its surface, resembling strange talismans.
The blade was sharp and exposed, glimring with cold light.
The hilt was extrely short—neither tal nor wood, yet perfectly fused with the blade.
“It really does look similar,” she responded softly.
Ghost Granny smiled. “A boy from the Demon Suppression Division brought it. Said he obtained it from an evil god and used it as paynt for dical treatnt.”
“Oh right, there are dical books in the side room. If you want to learn, just read them. If you don’t understand, ask.”
Ghost Granny was very kind, her tone gentle—completely unlike the eccentric divine physicians described in strange tales and anecdotes.
“Thank you, Granny!”
Li Yunqing bowed again in gratitude, returned the Frost Sword Art to Ghost Granny, and then walked into the side room.
dical theory and poison arts—she naturally would not give them up.
In such an era, survival for won was already difficult. They were almost entirely subject to n’s demands, living in dependence on them.
If she wanted to change that, she had to beco stronger.
Anything concerning her own safety—no matter how difficult or painful—had to be learned.
“Recognizing herbs, distinguishing dicinal principles, compatibility and harmonization, decocting and refining dicine, pulse diagnosis and symptom analysis, records of strange poisons, using poison to counter poison…”
Looking at the various books on the shelves in the side room, she did not aim too high. Instead, she started from recognizing herbs and began studying earnestly.
“A diligent learner.”
Seeing Li Yunqing’s focused deanor, Ghost Granny nodded slightly, turned, and sat in the courtyard, flipping through the sword manual in her hands.
Even while eating the food Xiaolan brought from the Martial Hall’s dining hall, Li Yunqing did not put down the dical books in her hands.
With the support of photographic mory, learning such knowledge was not difficult for her.
There were also various dicinal ingredients in the dical office for her to identify, allowing her to get hands-on experience quickly.
When tired from reading, she would stand up and practice the Mingyu Fist a few tis.
When resting, she would continue flipping through the books. The entire afternoon passed swiftly.
“Ghost Granny, I’ll co again tomorrow!”
In the evening, Li Yunqing bid farewell to Ghost Granny before heading toward the Martial Hall’s main gate with Xiaolan.
Before her eyes, today’s gains appeared.
“Mingyu Fist (Initiated 15/100)”
“dical and Poison Refinent (Initiated 66/100)”
“Knowledge-based skills, with photographic mory, really progress fast.”
“At this rate, in just a few days, I might be able to max out the experience!”
Looking at her gains, she felt increasingly delighted.
Every step she took now made her feel that she was gradually taking control of her own fate.
As for the Frost Sword Art—with its peculiar hand seals and sword techniques—such a thing naturally could not be practiced in public.
Upon leaving the Martial Hall gates, the carriage was already waiting.
“Grandpa Xu, let’s go back.”
Stepping into the carriage, Li Yunqing spoke softly.
Twenty guards and four servants ford a grand procession as they headed toward the Li Residence.
“So many people!”
Looking out through the carriage window at the pedestrians and stalls, she sighed softly.
At this hour, many people had finished work. The streets were filled with all kinds of passersby, and the food stalls were even more lively.
Fragrance, steam, and countless voices blended into one.
There were even groups of n laughing as they walked toward the district of brothels and pleasure houses.
“What’s this?”
By a roadside stall, a man in his forties suddenly changed expression. He looked around before slipping his hand into his robes and pulling out a blood-colored jade stone.
At that mont, the jade trembled slightly, emitting faint traces of a bloody aura.
“A person with innate spiritual wisdom!”
Seeing the jade’s reaction, the man imdiately stood up, dropped a few copper coins, and began walking back and forth while holding the jade.
Following the jade’s trembling and changes, the man quickly locked onto a carriage.
“The Li Family’s carriage from the Inner City!”
Looking at the emblem on the carriage, the man hesitated slightly before disguising himself as a passerby and following behind.
Watching as the Li Family’s carriage entered the Li Residence, he hurriedly turned and quickly headed toward the Outer City.
Only after reaching a remote courtyard did the man stop. After glancing around, he stepped inside.
“Divine Envoy, we’ve discovered soone with innate spiritual wisdom.”
The man entered a dark room, knelt on the ground, and spoke, “She is from the Li Family of the Inner City.”
After a long while, another voice echoed within the room.
“Investigate the identity of the spiritually gifted one!”
“Find a way to capture her and offer her as a sacrifice to our god!”
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