“Yo, little cat... What, did you stop recognizing me just because I got beaten half to death?”
The familiar, lazy tone suddenly rang out, instantly causing the corner of Shen Xiuhan's mouth to twitch violently.
The moment he opened the door and caught sight of Zuo Muxian's pale face, Shen Xiuhan felt a touch of warmth in his heart...
But as soon as this fellow opened his mouth, that tiny bit of warmth vanished without a trace, leaving only one thought in his mind: Why didn't Wei Wusheng just beat you to death?
Fortunately...
Zuo Muxian did not continue his banter. He quickly withdrew his smile, and with a serious expression, said, “I went to check the gold announcement board. I don't know the specifics of what happened, but I understand one thing...”
“The authority and noble positions of Bixia Villa have long been completely carved up by the Yue and Feng families.”
“For an outsider to seek a path to the clouds here is harder than ascending to heaven!”
Leaning against the doorframe, Zuo Muxian's cheeks were as pale as paper, but his eyes shone with a searing brightness as he looked at him.
“So...”
“Let's go!”
“Follow me back to the Star-Plucking Sect. You can choose any of the four inner courtyards. As for Bixia Villa...”
He sneered, spitting out a short phrase: “To hell with it!”
His laughing curse carried an indescribable air of chivalry and wild unrestraint.
“Phew...”
Shen Xiuhan took a deep breath, exhaling the stifling gloom that had been weighing on his chest for days.
He looked at the young man in white and nodded with a smile.
“Alright!”
...
On the lake.
A multi-decked ship cut through the waves, speeding into the distance.
On the deck.
Zuo Muxian stood with his hands behind his back, leaning against the railing as he looked down at the river, recounting the chase he had endured that night.
“That person chased me all the way out of the county but had no killing intent. His strikes seemed fierce, but in truth, they were only meant to intimidate me. It was as if... he didn't want me to set foot in the city.”
“Of course, that isn't the point. The point is...”
“That day, the head of our Star-Plucking Sect's Tingquan Academy happened to be fishing for spirit fish deep in Cloudwater Lake. I clearly knew about this, yet it was as if my mind was clouded, and I forgot about it entirely...”
Speaking to this point, a trace of solemnity surfaced on Zuo Muxian's face. He turned to stare at Shen Xiuhan.
“So, I fled back to the sect and asked Master... Do you know what Master said?”
Shen Xiuhan fell silent for a moment, then sighed softly.
“...A Destiny Divine Ability.”
Zuo Muxian clicked his tongue, showing a look of relief as if he had expected this.
“You really do know...”
“That night outside Dongyi Island, the method you used to draw Gao Fu out of the island... it must have been related to a Destiny Divine Ability, right?”
Shen Xiuhan stared at the river surface, remaining silent.
From the moment Zuo Muxian asked, “Do you know what Master said?” Shen Xiuhan knew that the other party had grown suspicious of the origin of the 『Dragon Gate Attraction』.
Seeing his reaction, Zuo Muxian also understood. He patted Shen Xiuhan's shoulder and said:
“No matter what, you must remember this!”
“Unless you are at your absolute wit's end, never reveal this technique in front of anyone. And once you do use it... you must leave no survivors to prevent any future trouble!”
“Otherwise, if the news leaks out and attracts the greed of those supreme powerhouses who sit high above the clouds...”
He did not finish his sentence, but Shen Xiuhan naturally understood.
After a brief silence.
Shen Xiuhan suppressed his turbulent thoughts, turned around, and solemnly clasped his hands.
“I understand. Thank you... for the guidance, Senior Brother Zuo!”
Hearing this, Zuo Muxian's expression froze slightly. Looking at Shen Xiuhan's sincere face, the solemnity in his eyes instantly vanished, and he burst into loud laughter:
“Hahaha!”
“Good! Just for your call of 'Senior Brother' today, these injuries of mine weren't suffered in vain!”
With that, Zuo Muxian slung an arm around Shen Xiuhan's shoulder, returning to his lazy demeanor, and clamored:
“Let's go, let's go! Enough of this serious talk, come drink with me!”
...
Inside the cabin.
Roast chicken, sauced beef, a pot of piping hot fish soup, accompanied by a flask of strong local wine.
As they ate and chatted, Zuo Muxian began to familiarize Shen Xiuhan with the situation of the Star-Plucking Sect:
“Our Star-Plucking Sect dominates a region, and the ultimate technique we inherit is called the 『General Outline of Star-Plucking and Moon-Seizing』.”
“With this general outline as the foundation, four great academies have been established, each excelling in its own right.”
“Among them, the Chiming Academy is the direct lineage of the sect master, focusing on fist, kick, and palm techniques. They follow a wide-opening, wide-closing, fierce, and overbearing path;”
“The Feixuan Academy focuses on leg techniques and movement techniques, emphasizing elegance, agility, and gliding like the wind;”
“The Kaiyang Academy focuses on spearplay and saberplay, following the style of battlefield conquest, emphasizing slaughter above all else.”
“As for the Tingquan Academy... they focus on swordplay and alchemy.”
Seeing the puzzled expression on Shen Xiuhan's face, Zuo Muxian smiled, completely unsurprised, and said:
“What, find it strange?”
“A little... A sword is a weapon of slaughter, while alchemy is the art of nurturing qi and refining medicine. One is hard and the other is soft, one kills and the other nurtures. They don't seem to have much to do with each other.”
“They don't. At its root, the issue lies with the head of the Tingquan Academy.”
Zuo Muxian explained:
“Academy Head Wen joined the sect with his own prior training back then. The Wen clan was already a prestigious family with outstanding achievements in alchemy, yet Academy Head Wen also happened to be an unprecedented genius in swordplay.”
“With his sword-yuan alone, he suppressed all the geniuses of his generation, while also possessing peerless medical and alchemical skills... The sect simply let him have his way, which is how things ended up as they are today.”
After a brief explanation, Zuo Muxian said seriously:
“The heads who govern the four academies are all renowned experts who have entered the Gangjin Rank.”
“You should consider which academy you want to cultivate in. When the time comes, I will send you there directly.”
Hearing this, Shen Xiuhan made his decision almost without hesitation!
He would choose the Tingquan Academy!
There were two reasons.
First, it was naturally for the legacy of the "Qingyang Sword Immortal."
Practicing the sword in the Tingquan Academy was his only choice.
Second, it was for cultivation resources.
He had left his hometown and headed to the prefecture capital. In the end, wasn't it to obtain resources to make up for his lacking cultivation realm?
In Cloudwater Lake, there were plenty of Tier One and Tier Two Precious Fish. As long as he was patient and spent some time, he would always gain something.
But the problem was...
While pills refined from Tier One and Tier Two Precious Fish were highly coveted supplements for Mingjin martial artists...
Ever since he broke through to the Anjin Rank, he could clearly feel that when he consumed these low-tier spiritual pills, the medicinal efficacy was far from what it used to be.
The further one progressed in martial arts, the more resources they consumed.
The saying "Mingjin eats meat, Anjin takes medicine" was exactly because of this.
As one of the four major forces in the prefecture capital, the Star-Plucking Sect would definitely have channels to obtain higher-tier pills!
Thinking of this, Shen Xiuhan looked at Zuo Muxian and said in a deep voice:
“Senior Brother Zuo, I've made up my mind... I'll go to the Tingquan Academy!”
...
Day eighteen of Duan Xiao and the Bai brothers walking hand-in-hand.
The multi-decked ship sailed for another day.
The endless lake scenery on both banks finally receded, gradually replaced by houses, docks, and market towns.
An hour later, they finally arrived at the Nanxiang Prefecture capital!
Looking from the bow, the distant city walls towered high, rising dozens of chang into the air, with flags fluttering in the wind. It was countless times larger than Changyun!
The moat surrounding the city was astonishingly wide.
Several canals converged from all directions and intersected outside the city, as if cradling Nanxiang Prefecture on a net of water.
Pleasure boats, multi-decked ships, sand barges, cargo ships, black-awning boats...
All kinds of vessels stretched for miles, slowly passing through a greenstone water gate that was a full ten chang high along the waterway.
On both sides of the water gate, the city guards were clad in dark armor, standing with their hands on their sabers, scrutinizing the passersby with hawk-like eyes.
Sensing their auras, Shen Xiuhan's heart shook slightly!
Even the ordinary guards at the gate possessed Mingjin cultivation!
The few cold-faced officers patrolling back and forth were absolute Anjin experts!
A head constable from Changyun County would probably only be fit to guard the gates here...
Shen Xiuhan muttered inwardly, gaining a deeper understanding of the prefecture capital's foundation.
As he pondered.
A clanking sound of chains echoed, and the multi-decked ship slowly docked at the bustling, noisy pier.
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