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墨書 Inktalez
Xu Xiaofei gently exhaled and opened his eyes.
The mysterious martial arts technique left to him by the members of the dark sect was surprisingly compatible with him.
He was now completely certain that he would definitely be able to master this technique.
He had taken off his shoes and socks, sitting on the bed to practice. After three hours of motionless training, feeling somewhat fatigued, Xu Xiaofei tilted his head and lay down.
This bed was no longer the one from the household he stayed at in White Tiger Stronghold, but rather the bed assigned to him in the residence of Xiaoyao Sect. After coming down from the mountain, he and his two friends naturally returned to their respective homes, and Xu Xiaofei returned to Xiaoyao Sect. Although he had not been a disciple for long, he already felt a sense of familiarity with this place.
Reaching out, Xu Xiaofei picked up a Sword Manual from beside his pillow, holding it up in front of him and began to flip through it.
It was indeed the very one that Yin Yunshen had gifted him before his death.
His understanding of swordsmanship was exceptionally high, and it did not seem difficult for him. Reading the Sword Manual during his breaks felt just like reading a casual book for leisure.
This Sword Manual not only contained detailed annotations but also had a few sketches depicting the sword techniques. In his mind's eye, the sword movements flowed together seamlessly like clouds and water.
Just by mentally rehearsing each move, he could perceive the flow of spiritual energy and the trajectory of sword qi in every technique. If it were an ordinary person, they might practice it ten times without grasping its essence.
The more Xu Xiaofei looked, the more engrossed he became.
Many aspects were truly exquisite! He couldn't help but wonder how the person who compiled the Sword Manual could conceive such sword techniques.
After looking for a long while, he suddenly sprang up from bed, walked over to the desk by the window, and sat down. He found some paper and a brush, carefully copying down notes while referencing the Sword Manual.
A gentle breeze blew outside the window, causing the corners of the papers that were not weighed down by a paperweight to rustle softly.
He copied this book intending to give it to Brother Wei. The Demon-Slaying Sword Technique he taught him definitely cannot be shared with others. As for this Sword Manual, which originally had an unclear history, Yin Yunshen did not instruct him not to pass it on, so it should be fine.
The Xiaoyao Sect, along with his senior brother Han Yue, treated him well. However, he himself did not know how much longer he would stay in the Xiaoyao Sect. Before leaving, he wanted to repay as many favors as possible.
After copying for an hour, he finally finished. Xu Xiaofei checked it again, bound it with silk thread, and then tucked the Sword Manual into his Storage Bag before flying out on his Flying Sword.
Senior brother Han Yue was currently secluded in a quiet forest behind the Xiaoyao Sect to prepare for next month's Discussion Conference.
As Xu Xiaofei flew closer, he saw sword energy rising from the forest.
Amidst the blazing white sword energy, he could vaguely see Azure Birds circling.
The Azure Birds were likely Qi Shijie's technique; she had been practicing alongside senior brother Han Yue during this time.
Xu Xiaofei avoided the area covered by the sword energy and descended from the clouds towards the two of them.
"Xu Shidi! What brings you here?" Qi Yan was the first to notice him and greeted him warmly.
"Junior brother," Han Yue also looked at him with concern while dispelling the sword energy, "How is your injury?"
"I'm fine, really! I'm much better now; I've been obediently recovering," Xu Xiaofei quickly replied.
Ever since he got into trouble and returned with injuries, his gentle and kind senior brother seemed to have turned into a mother figure. Not only did he scold him, but he also made him take several specially formulated healing medicines from Elder Yang and strictly ordered him not to leave the mountain until he fully recovered.
Qi Yan chuckled softly. Han Yue's eyes also revealed a hint of amusement as he asked, "Did you come specifically to find me? Have you encountered any difficulties in your training?"
Xu Xiaofei was a disciple of the sect leader Ye Zhiqiu, who often secluded himself for long periods. His cultivation techniques and swordsmanship were all taught by Han Yue. Although he was nominally a senior brother, in reality, he was more like a half-master to Xu Xiaofei.
"There are no difficulties for now, Senior Brother. This is the Sword Manual I recently obtained from my adventures. I copied a copy for you. It's not a particularly profound or powerful sword technique, but you can take a look for novelty!" Xu Xiaofei took out a booklet from his Storage Bag and handed it over with a grin, saying, "You mustn't refuse... as long as, cough, as long as you don't nag me too much."
Even if Senior Brother doesn't practice it, it's good to broaden his horizons by seeing more.
"You... if you were a bit more prudent in your actions, what could I possibly nag you about?" Han Yue shook his head helplessly and accepted it.
He knew that Xu Xiaofei's talent in swordsmanship meant that the Sword Manual he copied and presented to him must have its merits.
"Junior Brother is so thoughtful; I thank you in advance."
"Oh? Another new Sword Manual?" Qi Yan exclaimed in surprise. "Junior Brother, it seems like you always have gains every time you go out!"
Xu Xiaofei smiled and said, "I find it a bit strange too; why do people always want to give me their techniques?"
"You," Qi Yan patted him heavily on the shoulder, "always getting benefits and acting coy."
As they spoke, Han Yue was flipping through the Sword Manual. He was also a sword enthusiast and became engrossed after turning a few pages. When he noticed that Xu Xiaofei and Qi Yan had both fallen silent and were looking at him, his handsome face flushed red. He coughed lightly, put away the Sword Manual, and said, "Junior Brother, since you've had another adventure, it seems your swordsmanship has improved. Come, practice a few moves with me so I can see how much you've progressed recently!"
"Sure," Xu Xiaofei readily agreed. "But Senior Brother, please go easy on me."
He said this casually, but Han Yue replied seriously, "Junior Brother, your injuries aren't fully healed yet; I'll be mindful when I make my moves."
Without further ado, the two stepped back a bit and began to draw their Flying Swords, engaging in a duel in this forest that had been ravaged by Han Yue's sword energy.
The two swords clashed for quite some time before a victor was determined.
Considering Xu Xiaofei's injuries, Han Yue didn't use all his strength; however, having immersed himself in swordsmanship for so long meant that even when holding back, he was still significantly stronger than Xu Xiaofei.
He sheathed his sword, nodded, and praised, "Very good, indeed you have made great progress!"
"Senior Brother, you have been diligently practicing these days, and it seems you have improved quite a bit!" Xu Xiaofei said. "The Sword Manual has already been delivered. Senior Brother, Qi Shijie, I won't disturb you any longer."
He bid farewell and turned to leave but suddenly looked back and smiled, "By the way, Senior Brother, do your best! I really want to drink... not just to celebrate your first place at the Discussion Conference, but also for the wedding wine tied with red silk."
His eyes were crescent-shaped as he smiled innocently.
No one expected him to say such a thing suddenly; Qi Yan's cheeks immediately flushed red, and Han Yue was also taken aback.
Before they could react, Xu Xiaofei had already vanished without a trace.
A cloud flew over the densely populated town and then disappeared.
In the alley where the Absolute Sect Branch was located, two figures appeared out of nowhere—naturally, it was the returning Spirit Sword Destiny and Shen Jinglan.
They walked towards a seemingly ordinary courtyard.
Spirit Sword Destiny suddenly murmured, "Shaoyuan, how has he become more and more lively?"
Shen Jinglan replied, "Perhaps he wants to test whether we can recognize him."
The "Shaoyuan" they mentioned had two buns in her hair, sparkling big eyes, and when she smiled, she had two sweet dimples. She was playing joyfully with a group of real children. Their noise was almost enough to lift the roofs off the entire street.
A pink butterfly flitted by in a panic as the children chased after it.
The two stepped aside.
A group of children rushed past them with a whoosh. Suddenly, the child transformed from Shaoyuan stumbled as if tripping over something invisible and fell to the ground.
He got up, his eyes wide with surprise, looking back.
The two people didn’t even glance at him; he thought he had fooled them—
In his line of sight, those two had already walked into Branch without looking back.
“He’s catching butterflies…” Shen Jinglan suddenly laughed, “It reminds me of many years ago when I caught some too.”
They had entered the resting courtyard of Branch, walking slowly around the pond by the Rockery.
Spirit Sword Destiny said, “Did the leader recall his childhood?”
Shen Jinglan shook his head. The sun was shining brightly today, and his mood was good, his voice carrying a hint of cheerfulness: “How embarrassing. At that time, I was not a child but already twenty-seven years old.”
Spirit Sword Destiny glanced at him and smiled: “It seems the leader still has a childlike heart. Perhaps you wanted to stay outside just now to play with Shaoyuan?”
“Well, let’s forget it; I’m still a bit stronger than him!” Shen Jinglan laughed heartily.
A look of nostalgia appeared in his eyes. He was not someone who often liked to reminisce about the past, but after falling ill, he had gradually changed.
“This is a long story; I suddenly thought you might as well listen.” He continued, “At that time, I had a friend who was always down on his luck, so poor that he didn’t even have half a copper coin. I often treated him to drinks. One day, this friend’s fortune turned around, and he came into a windfall. As soon as I heard the rumor, I received a letter from him saying he was waiting for me at Jade Pavilion in Falling Star City—the most luxurious restaurant within a hundred miles. He insisted on treating me to a meal.”
Spirit Sword Destiny said: “At this point, it seems like your childlike heart catching butterflies has nothing to do with it… So, did you miss the appointment and not go?”
“I didn’t miss it; it’s just that before going, I hired a group of talented actors who were best at trickery to clean him out of his money completely. That friend has always been soft-hearted and can’t bear to see others in need; otherwise, he wouldn’t always be down on his luck.” Shen Jinglan chuckled, “I planned to wait until he emptied his pockets helping others and then arrive late to mock him a bit, but in the end, I would still pay the bill. But when I arrived at Jade Pavilion, he was waiting by the hitching post outside, sincerely apologizing to me that due to his financial difficulties, he couldn’t treat me to a banquet and could only take me out for a meal instead. He asked me not to mind and promised he would make it up next time. Later I found out that after coming into money, the first thing he did was buy himself new clothes; the second thing was to treat me to drinks. After I tricked him out of all his money, he pawned that new outfit and put on his old ragged clothes just so he could afford to treat me.”
At this point, he looked at the attentive Spirit Sword Destiny: "Was I really annoying back then? Very unpleasant?"
Spirit Sword Destiny replied: "The leader must have had his reasons for teasing him."
Shen Jinglan said: "There wasn't really any reason from the past; I was just arrogant at that time. I was indeed a bit angry because he gathered companions to explore the sea without inviting me. Although I didn't understand the Spatial Technique, that place was still somewhat dangerous for me... Back then, I was the top disciple of the Shattered Star Sect. My mentors valued me, and my junior brothers and sisters respected me. Even outside the sect, there were many who obeyed me. If anyone went against me, I would make things difficult for them. You don't, and I also think I was quite annoying back then."
Spirit Sword Destiny said: "I would really like to see what you were like back then. There must have been more likable qualities about you; otherwise, why would so many people be willing to follow you?"
Shen Jinglan glanced at him and smiled gently: "I understand the truth now and feel guilty, but my friend would not accept my money no matter what when he invited me to the banquet, nor would he accept clothes from me. I had to think of another way. This friend had severed ties with his family early on but still cared deeply for his half-sister, whom he would secretly visit. I found out that the girl loved butterflies, so the day before her birthday, I caught a thousand of them and quietly released them in the courtyard where she lived. I also left a note telling her it was from her brother."
"I believe she must have liked this gift very much."
Shen Jinglan smiled and remained silent.
He gazed at the sunlit courtyard—it seemed as if he could really see a thousand butterflies fluttering around there.
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