Li Sushang had originally made up her mind to stay until late at night without making any noise.
Before a single incense of time has run out, she couldn’t help murmuring to herself, breaking the previous deal cleanly.
Thinking back, this whole deal was just a spur of the moment thing.
An hour ago, Li Sushang defeated the four guards of the Golden Sand Gang and interrogated them.
He didn’t answer her question.
The man thought what the girl said was a bunch of crazy talk.
Li Sushang felt that she couldn’t communicate with this person at all, and simply ignored him.
Master said casually [em color=#FAFAD2]「You know the Golden Sand Gang? Go beat their boss and come back.」[/em]
It was easy to say, but it gave this honest disciple a headache.
The girl sighed and tried to come up with a plan.
She has very little experience, and the only things she could learn from were stories she had heard from her father, mother, and the storyteller in the village.
「True Celestial」 Empyrea Phoenix……[\s] 「Willowfoil」 Lin Zhaoyu……[\s] 「Tireless Courser」 Ma Feima……
The names that sounded thunderous in the Jianghu Society appeared one by one, and then she eliminated them one by one.
These were all well-known experts, and they have never landed themselves in a predicament like her.
[em italic]Yan Shiluo……[/em][\s]
Like a ghost, the strange Martial Arts hero from 40 years ago appeared in the girl’s mind.
She had only heard the story once, but she remembered it unexpectedly and firmly:
『All the heroes of the Jianghu Society gathered at the Lotus Conference to discuss a plan to attack the Fire Cult.』
『Unexpectedly Angra Atar’s Ahura Yan Shiluo was lurking in disguise, and on the day of the conference he defeated the heads of three gathering sects Shao, Lian, and Hua, set fire to the Lotus Terrace, and went away laughing.』
Lurking in disguise…
The girl finally concocted a worthy plan.
Li Sushang's finger pressed lightly against the back of the man's head, with extremely soft force, but the person under her took a nervous breath.
The man didn't speak, and Sushang took this as true, and went on happily.
So, the girl「voluntarily」squatted in the Dark Dungeon.
『The Dark Dungeon』was originally the cellar of this Stop. Since the Golden Sand Gang took over this place, its function hadn’t changed, except the stored items were replaced by living people instead of food.
The bandits’ looted「goods」were thrown into here, and hundreds of slave merchants visited clean the dungeon and leave the equivalent worth of gold and silver. For several years, the operation of this「Stop」has been very smooth.
But to snuck into the dungeon and pretended to be「goods」uninvited,
Li Sushang was probably the first one who did it.
The dungeon was dark and damp, filled with a foul scent, occasionally there were low sobbing sounds from unknown cells, sometimes there were moments of silence.
Sushang spread out a makeshift mat with only a few withered weeds,
sat down properly, and recited the『Blade Mantra Swara』to pass time.
The Blade Mantra Swara is the introductory mental method of『Edge of Taixuan』,
It was a unique skill highly coveted by everyone in the Jianghu Society.
But unbeknownst to most, the true body of the Blade Mantra Swara were just strange and inexplicable syllables.
The syllables are formless, they are indescribable by words;
It teaches neither Ki movement, nor does it guide body training;
The so-called『Blade Mantra Swara』, was absolutely meaningless.
If you listened to the Blade Mantra Swara, you would treat it as the babble of an idiot in a dream.
It was impossible to think that this was the magnificent technique that reigned on top of the martial arts in Shenzhou for thousands of years.
As everyone knows, the mystery lies in this:
Recitation, meditation, and listening were training of the mind.
The words have power.
Sushang may not understand it, but she did feel the transformation of her『Heart』.
With the reverberation of the words, the ups and downs of the rhythm, the Blade Mantra Swara seemed to seep through the blood, wandering in the eight strange channels of the meridian.
The body became lighter and lighter, the mind no longer stirred.
The five senses converged into a single place, in a single Heart Lake.
The lake was clear and transparent, a few melancholy leaves fell on the lake surface, yet they didn’t make a ripple.
The waves are calm, the water silent. It calmly reflected the existence of [Li Sushang].
This is the first out of the four stages of the Blade Mantra
-『Still Water』.
Sushang rid herself of trivial thoughts, transforming the Blade Mantra further.
Climbing the next level——
The Heart Lake condensed to ice,
Brushing away all irrelevant thoughts, without leaving a single trace.
Second Stage -『Dustless』.
The cracks of the hard ice disappear without a trace,
and the Heart Lake becomes almost infinitely transparent, its light illuminating all creations.
Third Stage -『Clear Mirror』
After ten years of training, this is the stage of the [Blade Mantra] that Li Sushang has cultivated.
But above this, there is the Blade Mantra’s highest stage…
Only her Master had reached the fourth stage in the world… that is…
…………『Taixuan』…………
The ice surface suddenly shattered, the Heart Lake dispersed, Blade Mantra had also withdrawn from her mind.
Li Sushang sat there blankly, with a splitting headache, and realized her back was drenched with cold sweat.
Ever since she reached『Clear Mirror』, Sushang couldn’t make further progress with her Blade Mantra.
Mother said that Master had been a teacher since she was two, she was the earliest one to get started, so her Blade Mantra stage was the highest.
But ever since I was born, I have been hearing Mother chanting the Blade Mantra Swara day and night,
so shouldn’t I progress faster than Master?
Master realized『Taixuan』when she was only thirteen,
and achieved『Eminence』at only fifteen.
What about me? I’m also fifteen now…
I haven’t fully cultivated『Blade Mantra』yet,
And I have no clue where I should start with『Blade Sanction』.
Even after overcoming these two peaks,
There is still the essence of「Eminence」standing above them, shrouded by clouds, and wasn’t visibly real.
Li Sushang froze, then suddenly smiled.
『Emotions』are the enemy of the『heart』.
If emotions are allowed to create waves in the Heart Lake, Blade Mantra may be damaged.
Sushang knew this since she has a Clear Mirror heart.
Li Sushang took out her cloth bag from the side.
According to the plan, tonight is when the sword will be unsheathed.