Chapter 7: Swallow’s Return Secret Step

“Wind-Chasing Swallow Saber” Zhang Erquan was of the same age as Han Ba. Although his spirit was vigorous and his eyes were bright, his hair had turned quite white. At this time, he was drinking tea in the side courtyard of the Ning residence.

Good tea.

Suddenly, he heard a flurry of footsteps, and then he saw his “last disciple” whom he had accepted on account of Old Ning.

This disciple hadn’t come for a long time.

“Master Zhang, I want to continue learning the ‘Wind-Chasing Swallow Saber’.”

Ning Xuan said.

He had previously learned the three forms of the “Wind-Chasing Swallow Saber,” but had not continued to learn the core footwork of the “Wind-Chasing Swallow Saber” – Swallow’s Return, and had only learned the basic footwork.

Why?

Because he had watched Master Zhang demonstrate the core footwork, and then looked at the training method for the core footwork, and had given up.

This training method was too difficult and too tiring, and even if he succeeded in training, it would not make him the “peerless lightness skill master he imagined.”

He was Young Master Ning, why would he go through all that trouble to learn this kind of thing?

But now, he had to improve himself.

He was too weak, with only 1 point in both nature and life.

Zhang Erquan was a little surprised to hear this.

But he was a man of few words, so he didn’t ask anything, just said, “Follow me.”

He didn’t ask because he had an answer in his heart.

A young man’s mind is fickle, and his thoughts are changeable. Young Master Ning wanted to train today, but it was not guaranteed that he would not give up after two days because it was too hard.

In fact, he also felt that there was no need for Young Master Ning to suffer this kind of hardship and practice the core footwork of the “Wind-Chasing Swallow Saber.”

After all, even if he mastered it, what then? Could Young Master Ning really become a lone swordsman who licked blood from the tip of his saber and roamed the world?

The young master wanted to practice martial arts, and the servants of the Ning residence became busy.

In the evening, the servants finally finished their work.

Eighty-one plum blossom stakes were also erected in the small river behind the Ning residence.

The top of the plum blossom stakes was not large, only enough for half a foot.

And by the river, there were sandbags of various sizes.

Zhang Erquan grabbed a specially made heavy wooden saber and threw it over.

Ning Xuan caught it.

Zhang Erquan said, “Swallow’s Perch Step, you have already practiced it when you practiced footwork before. Now you need to get on the stakes.

Remember, you must not get your shoes wet after getting on the stakes.

After you can stand steadily on the stakes for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, you will add sandbags, starting with ten catties and gradually increasing to half your body weight.

After you have stood still on the stakes, you need to move on the stakes, taking three steps forward and three steps back, holding the heavy saber, and using the saber to maintain your balance. When you can move quickly through the eighty-one stakes at a running speed, you can apply tung oil to the stakes and repeat the training.

When you can carry sandbags and walk on the tung oil-coated plum blossom stakes like flowing water without getting your shoes wet, you will have completely mastered the core footwork of the ‘Wind-Chasing Swallow Saber.’

If you master this Swallow’s Return Secret Step and combine it with those three moves, it will be the Swallow’s Return Three Sabers.

If you master these three sabers, in terms of moves alone, you will be considered not bad in a frontal battle in the martial world.

But the martial world is treacherous, who would fight you head-on?”

Zhang Erquan seemed to have remembered something, sighed lightly, and then said seriously, “Remember: knees slightly bent like a swallow perching on a branch, center of gravity flowing with the momentum of the saber. Form as solid as a mountain, spirit soaring far away, will like a light feather skimming the water.

You must stand on a living stake, not a dead stake!

There will be pain at the beginning, but this old man has a secret medicinal soup. Since you have started training, this old man will have someone brew it for you to bathe in every day.”

“I understand, Master Zhang.”

Ning Xuan held the heavy wooden saber, then stepped forward and carefully stepped onto the wooden stake closest to the river bank.

At night.

The bright moon hung high in the sky.

In the backyard of the Ning residence.

Chirping and twittering…

“Young Master~”

“Young Master~”

“The young master’s left leg is mine, no one is allowed to snatch it.”

“Young Master, eat my grapes, quick~ hurry up.”

“I’ll massage the young master’s shoulders.”

Ning Xuan sat in the bathtub, his whole body sore, soaking in the medicinal bath. A bath towel was wrapped around his waist to cover the necessary parts. He was surrounded by three young maids who were serving him.

The maids’ clothes were silky and smooth, and they all inadvertently revealed their fair skin.

Who here didn’t hope to climb into the young master’s bed?

Although that vixen Xiao Jie was formidable, couldn’t the young master have a change of taste?

The maids’ fingertips were not honest.

But Ning Xuan didn’t want any more trouble.

He could do whatever he wanted with whomever he wanted, even all three of them at once would be no problem. But with his mother’s temperament, after he was done, she would definitely give these maids some “small status,” either as bed-warming maids to serve him personally and share some of Xiao Jie’s pressure; or they would no longer show their faces outside, but be transferred to a certain part of the family’s business to do some easy work.

These maids were not serving him, they were taking a promotion exam.

Ning Xuan didn’t touch anyone.

Today, he had practiced this Swallow’s Return Secret Step, and he was bruised and sore all over.

Don’t look at how he fought back and forth with the Mountain-Crashing Bear demon in his nightmare, and how he climbed like a spirit ape in the hanging basket on the cliff. That was because he had already absorbed a lot of the Mountain-Crashing Bear demon’s power.

That was not his own body’s power.

Although the Heavenly Demon Record was strong, he himself had to stand up.

Only in this way could he maintain his current comfortable life.

After bathing and changing clothes, Ning Xuan got into bed.

He had to go to bed early and get up early, and he had to stand on the stakes again tomorrow.

Suddenly, the quilt bulged, and the little vixen drilled out from inside like a magic trick.

Her small body was not heavy.

She propped herself up on Ning Xuan’s chest with her elbows, her waist twisting slightly, intentionally or unintentionally provoking him to attack.

“Why were you willing to let other maids bathe me today?” Ning Xuan asked casually.

Xiao Jie giggled and said, “This servant girl will go to a distant place one day, so I have to let the young master get used to other maids early.”

Her smile slowly faded, and she turned her head slightly, showing a sad and lost look in the red candlelight, a look that needed to be pitied and loved.

Ning Xuan said, “Are you afraid that I’ll get tired of being with you all the time? So you deliberately allowed some maids who can’t compete with you at all to get close to me.”

Xiao Jie’s thoughts were exposed, but she was not flustered at all. Instead, she lay on Ning Xuan’s chest and said in a soft voice that said “whatever you say is right,” “The young master understands everything, you’re so amazing.”

She had a plan.

As long as the young master didn’t promote her from “bed-warming maid” to “concubine,” she would say she was leaving every few days.

She really wanted to be Young Master Ning’s concubine.

Ning Xuan practiced on the stakes for three consecutive days.

He practiced until his soul was almost gone.

And on this day, he finally received a letter of safety from the Ning family’s mountain villa.

Ning Xuan said, “Why did it come so late?”

The guard who delivered the letter said, “The boss took us to train, so we were two days late. Anyway, the mountain villa is always peaceful, and the surrounding area has been cleared long ago. There isn’t a single meat-eating beast within a twenty-li radius.”

Ning Xuan said curiously, “Boss?”

The guard explained, “It’s Old Han. We all follow him in the martial world, so we call him boss.”

Ning Xuan asked, “Which boss?”

The guard stammered, “Just… the boss of a gang in the mountains. We are all decent people, and we call him boss just because we have a good relationship. Um… Young Master, the letter of safety has been delivered, I’ll be leaving now.”

Ning Xuan waved his hand.

The guard immediately ran away.

Ning Xuan leaned back in his chair, and Xiao Jie was sitting on his left leg.

The petite and exquisite girl seemed to be proficient in some kind of magic. Even though she was pressing on Ning Xuan’s left leg, she was as light as a bird perching on a beam, and did not give the heavy feeling of a large sandbag on his leg.

Just this point alone, no maid could compete with her.

When Ning Xuan looked at Xiao Jie, Xiao Jie giggled and said in a soft and sweet voice, “What a ‘we are all decent people’.”

Ning Xuan also smiled.

People from the same nest are of the same kind.

Xiao Jie was a vixen.

He… was too.

But he was very curious why nothing had happened at the mountain villa.

He glanced at the panel again.

[Heavenly Demon Record: Perceive the coming of the Heavenly Demon, observe the root of its life and nature, forcibly refine the record. If the refinement fails, the body and dao will be destroyed. If the refinement succeeds, it can be used for one’s own purposes.]

“Perceive the coming of the Heavenly Demon” meant that the Heavenly Demon had not yet arrived, but was about to.

Originally, he thought it would arrive that night, but five days had passed, and nothing had happened.

He had to figure it out.

At this moment, Xiao Jie suddenly leaned close to his ear, breathed lightly, and then said, “The ladies of the Fuxiang Pavilion in the city came here to gather inspiration last night, and they will not leave for the next few days. This servant girl will go and find them to bathe the young master tonight, is that okay?”

Fuxiang Pavilion was a brothel, but it was a high-end brothel.

The courtesans inside had to be proficient in various talents.

Gathering inspiration was a gimmick.

Outsiders didn’t know, but Ning Xuan understood.

It was said to be “gathering inspiration,” but in fact, the owner of the pavilion had already bought new music. Now, he let the courtesans go out to gather inspiration, and then gave them the music to play, so it would be considered their own creation.

With such talent, their value would naturally increase.

With their value increased, the owner would naturally get rich.

The air suddenly became quiet.

Xiao Jie was actually very curious about what the young master was thinking now.

After a long time…

Ning Xuan finally spoke.

“Go and tell Master Zhang that I’m not practicing today. This martial arts practice needs to be relaxed and tense in moderation, and I need to rest. The Fuxiang Pavilion has gone to gather inspiration, and I have to go and gather inspiration too.”

He wanted to try a different way of practicing martial arts.

“Swallow’s Return” was very difficult to practice.

But if he first requested the Heavenly Demon Record, improved his constitution, and then practiced, would it be better? Would it feel like “already being the number one in the world, and then re-cultivating a certain martial art”?

In that case, the training speed would naturally be much, much faster.

However, the Heavenly Demon Record was his biggest secret, and he would not tell anyone.

Xiao Jie said “oh,” then moved her hips and was about to prepare to go out.

A voice suddenly came from behind her.

“You don’t have to go today either, I’ll just wander around by myself.”

“Yes.”

Xiao Jie replied.

She would never ask for the reason for a decision made by the young master.