Chapter 23: That Blade (4300 words, counts as a big chapter, right?)

He saw golden light!

It came from the blurred human figures on the walls inside the temple.

Every one of them was a small light source, and as their radiance converged, the entire temple became incredibly bright, but they were not the greatest source of light.

It was... the main statue enshrined within the temple, that stone sculpture holding a stone blade!

Amidst this golden light, Xu Qing’s mind was shaken; he also saw a mass of black mist standing at the temple gate, its form unclear, only a vague human shape visible, twisting within the golden light.

Behind that figure, outside the temple, there were hundreds of similar black mist figures, some human-shaped, others beast-shaped.

At this moment, they all radiated an astonishing chill, converging together to form a monstrous, icy coldness, as if intangibly connected to the black mist that had stepped into the temple.

This caused the only shadow to enter the temple to slowly raise its head under the illumination of the golden light, let out a roar that seemed to shake the soul, and take another step forward.

This step seemed to be an offense, a violation of a taboo!

The moment it landed, Xu Qing watched in horror as the radiant, blade-wielding stone statue seemed to come alive, stepping down directly from its pedestal.

With supreme majesty and indescribable sanctity, like a god descending to the mortal world, it took large strides, the ground rumbling with each step as it walked toward the black shadow.

Raising its hand and bringing down the blade, it struck.

This strike was plain and unadorned, very simple, yet in that simplicity, it seemed to contain some kind of Dao charm, earth-shattering.

A shrill sound, inaudible to the ears but perceptible to the soul, erupted from the black shadow.

The mist evaporated in an instant, revealing a rotting, raggedly-clothed body within.

One could tell it was an old man, with empty eye sockets.

The next instant, the body collapsed, evaporating and dissipating just like the mist.

The black shadows outside were also affected, the black mist around their bodies blurring, allowing Xu Qing, with the help of the spreading golden light, to see that among those figures, there was actually someone familiar.

It was... the Blood Shadow Captain!

At this moment, he was among that group of shadows, his gaunt face devoid of expression, and as the golden light permeated, his entire body dissipated as if being purified.

After a long while, in the darkness outside, the figures that had not dissipated slowly retreated, eventually vanishing completely.

The golden light inside the temple gradually diminished; the awe-inspiring, god-like figure turned around and returned to its original position with the light. As the radiance on its body completely faded, it seemed to turn back into a stone sculpture, standing there, gazing toward the gate, as if waiting, as if guarding, motionless.

A long time passed before everything returned to normal, and only Xu Qing, who had witnessed all this from within the stone crevice, breathed rapidly, his eyes filled with disbelief.

The Blood Shadow Captain, who had clearly died in the singing mist and whom he had seen with his own eyes turn to dust, still existed.

It was clearly just an ordinary temple, yet it shone with boundless golden light at night.

The stone sculpture that had been motionless had walked down like a god descending, and that strike was vast and peerless.

Outside, sunlight appeared; a new day had arrived.

It took Xu Qing a long time to calm the shock in his mind, and he silently crawled out from the stone crevice.

He looked at the light outside, then at the figures on the surrounding walls, and finally, his gaze fell upon the blade-wielding stone statue.

He did not know what kind of existence it was, whether it was alive or long gone.

He also did not know how old this temple complex was, or what kind of glory it had once possessed.

But everything that happened last night had left him deeply shocked.

Especially the momentum contained in that vast strike, which left Xu Qing deeply shaken, as if it were carved into his soul, impossible to forget.

He could not imagine that in this forbidden zone full of danger and crisis, there was actually such an area where darkness could not set foot.

Lei Ting had never told him about this; perhaps... even Lei Ting did not know.

Clearly, scenes like last night’s did not occur very frequently, and there was no one else in the camp who could stay in the forbidden zone for as long as he could.

So even if someone had seen it, they were very few, and most had slowly turned this matter into an unverified legend.

Xu Qing was silent, bowing deeply to the blade-wielding stone statue and the surrounding figures.

After thinking for a moment, he took a candle from his leather pouch, placed it before the statue, lit it, and then bowed once more.

He turned and left the temple.

Even after walking out of the temple complex, he kept looking back, as if wanting to firmly imprint this place in his heart, while the image of that strike kept appearing in his mind.

This image was so clear in his mind that even after Xu Qing had left the temple complex and was walking in the jungle, he instinctively raised his right hand, wanting to imitate it.

And every time he practiced it, he felt a profound realization.

If the cultivation of the Sea Mountain Technique was about visualization and imitating the Xiao diagram, then at this moment, Xu Qing was replacing the Xiao diagram with the image of that strike in his mind.

In this imitation, his cultivation base broke through without him realizing it, and the Sea Mountain Technique advanced to the fourth level!

Perhaps because of imitating that strike, this improvement not only doubled his strength and speed but also brought about some breakthroughs in his spirit.

This breakthrough made Xu Qing’s thoughts sharper, and as he raised and lowered his right hand, there was even a faint hint of the god-statue’s blade-strike.

This made Xu Qing very pleasantly surprised.

Gradually, two days passed. Perhaps because he was on the outskirts, or perhaps because of the deterrence of that night at the temple, he did not encounter any eerie footsteps on his way back.

As for exotic beasts, Xu Qing encountered a few.

But the improvement in his cultivation base increased his ability to save his own life, and by being cautious, he was quite successful.

Although he did not find the Heaven Fate Flower or the Scar-Repelling Stone, his harvest of Seven-Leaf Grass was not small, and selling it upon his return would fetch him quite a few spirit coins.

As dusk approached, Xu Qing saw the world outside the jungle and was about to walk out, but his footsteps suddenly paused; he looked down at a blade of grass beside him.

The appearance of this grass had some similarities to the Heaven Fate Flower, but even with his meager knowledge of herbs, a careful inspection allowed him to recognize that it was not a Heaven Fate Flower.

However, after some thought and a guilty look around, he hesitated, but ultimately plucked it and put it into his leather pouch.

Running all the way, he exited the jungle and returned to the camp by nightfall.

It was not yet late at night, and the camp was still very lively, especially in the area where the tents had feathers, where boisterous laughter was mixed with bursts of wanton panting.

Xu Qing paid no attention to this, and when he returned to his dwelling and pushed open the courtyard gate, he saw Lei Ting walking out of the house.

Noticing that although Xu Qing was disheveled, there was nothing wrong with him, Lei Ting felt relieved.

"Why were you gone for so long?"

"I went to the temple." Under the moonlight and the light from the house, Xu Qing saw the bloodshot eyes and the exhaustion on Lei Ting’s face.

It was clear that he hadn't rested well during this time, and as for the reason... he had already realized it, and his heart felt a little warm.

"The temple?" Lei Ting was a bit surprised; he hadn't expected Xu Qing to have gone so far. He beckoned him into the kitchen, rolled up his sleeves, and as Xu Qing waited, he served the meal he had already prepared.

The food was still hot, with no signs of having been touched; Xu Qing was stunned.

He knew very well that Lei Ting did not know when he would return, so the fact that there was hot food and dishes ready the moment he returned could only mean one thing.

He... had prepared food every day, waiting for him.

Xu Qing silently stood up to get the bowls and chopsticks; there were three sets, two placed side-by-side, and then he sat down to eat.

It was delicious, with a special flavor that the taste buds could not perceive, but only the heart could experience.

Lei Ting ate very little; most of the time he was either drinking or watching Xu Qing, a smile on his face.

"Eat more, you're still growing; if you don't eat enough, you might stay this short."

These words made Xu Qing lower his head. After a long while, he murmured an acknowledgment, obediently ate more, and then told Lei Ting about what he had seen in the temple.

Lei Ting had been drinking his wine sip by sip, but he was soon captivated by Xu Qing’s account. When Xu Qing finished, he took a deep breath and spoke slowly.

"I heard people talk about this before, but that was a long time ago. Some people seemed to have seen a similar scene, but like the singing, it eventually became a legend."

"Now that I think about it, it seems it happened shortly after the singing appeared." Lei Ting muttered, suddenly thinking of something, his eyes filled with memories and a slow-growing sorrow.

Looking at Lei Ting, Xu Qing knew what he was thinking of and suddenly felt a bit self-reproachful. He felt he shouldn't have brought this up, so he fell silent.

After a while, Lei Ting recovered, seemingly noticing the reason for Xu Qing’s silence, and smiled.

"You child are too sensitive. I, well, I'm not as fragile as you think."

Lei Ting said, taking a large gulp of wine, changed the subject, and told Xu Qing about the interesting things that had happened in the camp recently.

He drank and talked, while Xu Qing ate and listened.

It was as if they were... family.

Late at night, sitting there drinking, watching Xu Qing finish cleaning the bowls and chopsticks, Lei Ting smiled, stood up, and returned to his room.

Xu Qing also returned to his room. Upon entering, he saw that the bedding had been changed to new ones and was spread out from its previously rolled-up state, still carrying the scent of having been sun-dried.

Xu Qing looked up toward Lei Ting’s room next door. After a long while, he walked over, wanting to sit on it, but looking down at his dirty clothes and hands, he rolled up the bedding instead, sat on the bed board, and closed his eyes to cultivate.

In the morning, Xu Qing opened his eyes.

Just as he was about to leave the room, he thought for a moment, then went to the washroom, enduring the discomfort to wash his hands.

After making his hands clean and white, he took a deep breath, walked out of the room, and headed straight for the tent where the caravan physician was located.

He knew he couldn't go too early, nor could he bear to go too late.

The former, Master Bai hadn't started the lesson yet; the latter... he was worried about missing the beginning.

Just like that, by Xu Qing’s calculation, when he arrived outside Master Bai’s tent, it was exactly the moment the assessment sounds were coming from inside.

Xu Qing was very happy in his heart, standing there silently, listening carefully.

"Green Lotus Dew, also known as Green Lotus Nectar, is the floral bud of the water lily plant. It is an aromatic water obtained through a special method of gentle heating. Its function is to soothe the lungs and treat coughing up blood caused by fire-type techniques..."

The young girl’s voice inside was the same as always. Xu Qing became gradually absorbed in listening, unaware of the passage of time. More than an hour passed quickly, until the tent suddenly opened, and Master Bai stood there, looking at him.

"What is it?" Master Bai’s gaze was not sharp, but it held majesty. Xu Qing was very nervous, but he bit the bullet, took out the herb he had picked on his way back from his leather pouch, and spoke softly with his head lowered.

"Master Bai, I... I wanted to ask, is this a Heaven Fate Flower?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Master Bai was stunned.

His gaze swept over, and his expression carried a hint of peculiarity. He looked at the boy’s hands, which were much cleaner than before, and after a long while, amidst Xu Qing’s growing nervousness, he spoke slowly.

"This one is not."

Xu Qing bowed quickly and hurried away. He felt relieved on the way, but his heart was still a bit uneasy, so he looked back at the tent and found that Master Bai was also standing there.

Noticing the boy’s gaze, Master Bai nodded.

Seeing this, Xu Qing paused his footsteps, bowed deeply once more, and then left.

Watching Xu Qing’s figure fade into the distance, Master Bai turned and walked into the tent; at this moment, the guards and the young boy and girl who had been inside appeared as if petrified, motionless.

Where Master Bai had previously been sitting, a table had appeared at some unknown time, set with fine food and wine, and beside it sat an old man in purple robes, with a gray-clad old servant standing behind him.

Seeing Master Bai enter, the purple-robed old man laughed heartily.

"Master Bai, how was it?"

"How was what?"

Master Bai seemed entirely unsurprised by the sudden appearance of the purple-robed old man, nor was he concerned about the motionless people around them; he sat down opposite the old man and picked up the wine pot to take a sip.

"I mean, how is that kid? I told you last time, while I was waiting for you, I found a good seedling," the purple-robed old man said with a smile.

"A good seedling? It was one thing for the brat to sneak a listen the first time, but this time, just to eavesdrop, he actually grabbed a random herb and asked me if it was a Heaven-Mandate Flower. If this keeps up, I suspect he’ll be using herb inquiries as an excuse to eavesdrop every single day. If you hadn't told me about him, I would have chased him off long ago."

Master Bai glared and huffed at the purple-robed old man.

The purple-robed old man laughed heartily.

"You, you’re just sharp-tongued but soft-hearted. With your foul temper, if you didn't truly think he was a talent worth molding, no one’s greeting would be of any use."

Master Bai snorted coldly, offering no defense, but instead asked a question.

"Are you planning to take him back to Seven Blood Eyes? That place of yours is a foul mess; it would be a waste of a scholar’s potential!"

"How is it a waste? What use is a scholar? In this world, cultivation base is the only truth!" The purple-robed old man raised an eyebrow and replied.

"Scholars are useless? Then why do you keep coming here to wait for a commoner like me, inviting me time and again to go to your Seven Blood Eyes?" Master Bai retorted angrily.

"You are different..." The purple-robed old man gave a sheepish smile.

"How am I different!" Master Bai glared at the purple-robed old man with a foul temper.

The purple-robed old man felt helpless and slapped his forehead.

"Oh, I just remembered something I haven't done yet. Master Bai, I’ll be off first; I’ll come back to drink with you tomorrow."

Having said this, the purple-robed old man stood up to leave, but before departing, he looked back at Master Bai and spoke earnestly.

"Master Bai, if you truly think that kid is a talent worth molding, then teach him more knowledge. Give him a chance to become a scholar with a cultivation base in Seven Blood Eyes."

After speaking, the purple-robed old man left with his old servant, and as soon as he was gone, the stillness in the tent instantly returned to normal, yet no one noticed the abnormality they had just experienced.

The guards were still standing watch, the boy was still feeling frustrated, and the girl was still feeling smug.

Only Master Bai looked up toward the direction where Xu Qing had departed, his eyes filled with contemplation.