Chapter 162: Jing Jing Shuhu Goes Fishing

Morning light broke at dawn, the great sun hung high, and golden radiance scattered across the frost-glimmering mountain forest.

"The Scripture Pavilion has only two floors, inner and outer. The so-called Secret Pavilion was set up by the Valley Master before last, after the earliest Scripture Pavilion was robbed. The Valley's finest collection of martial arts manuals is stored within it."

In the mountain forest, Jing Jing Shuhu paced along, Li Yuan following slowly behind, while Yu Jin and the other veterans trailed far off, not daring to approach.

"The word 'secret' naturally means it is not announced. Historically, only the Valley Master and the Young Valley Master could come and go freely. I am somewhat of a special case and may enter occasionally."

Jing Jing Shuhu pinched his beard and shot a sidelong glance at Li Yuan. The latter, though he knew perfectly well, still pretended to be baffled.

"In my younger years my talent ran deep. The old Valley Master favored me greatly and once specially permitted me to enter and leave the Secret Pavilion…"

Li Yuan, naturally, wore a face full of shock and flattery.

Jing Jing Shuhu's reputation in his prime was enormous; his fame as a prodigy of weapon-forging once threatened Lord Master Gongyang Yu of that era. Had he not suffered heavy injuries, he very likely would have become Valley Master.

The top three true disciples of those years all enjoyed such treatment. Of course, Jing Jing Shuhu naturally would not mention that Han Han Chuijun also enjoyed it.

"Enough."

Seeing his expression grow more and more exaggerated, Jing Jing Shuhu shot him an irritated glare:

"You wish to cultivate multiple martial arts in pursuit of Yi Duo Xing transformation. I have no objection, but I would still offer you a few words of counsel."

Li Yuan bowed.

"Yi Xing is the true beginning of stepping onto the path of the martial way, but remember not to be overly fixated on Yi Xing. Han Han Chuijun's path may not necessarily suit you."

Jing Jing Shuhu said in a low voice, uncommonly solemn:

"Bingtang has several fine seedlings, but they are fixated on this and have been unable to open their meridians for ages. Take this as a warning!"

"Dizishou Sect."

Li Yuan's expression turned solemn. He had never harbored too great an obsession with cultivating many Yi forms; otherwise, he would not have achieved Inner Strength Completion so quickly.

It was only that he carried the Soldier-Bearing Register, which gave him a tremendous advantage in cultivating multiple forms, so naturally he would not give it up.

He intended to advance them all in parallel.

"Mm."

Jing Jing Shuhu nodded. By now, the two had already arrived outside the Scripture Pavilion.

Li Yuan, who had a good eye for things, naturally stopped there and went to read in the outer pavilion. After waiting roughly an hour or more, Jing Jing Shuhu finally returned and handed him a manual.

"Ancient Elephant Six-Form Hammer Art. If this hammer art is cultivated to Grand Completion, it can transform six forms. However, in the past several hundred years, very few have managed to master it."

"Transform six forms?"

Li Yuan was startled at heart. This must rank among the very best of Zhong Cheng Wu Gong?

But where was the Root Diagram?

"Elder…"

"Reaching for what is beyond your grasp is unacceptable!"

Jing Jing Shuhu's face darkened: "The Root Diagram is only needed when the hammer art reaches Completion. You haven't even begun. What would you do with the Root Diagram?"

"The Root Diagram is the very essence of a martial art…"

Li Yuan still wanted to explain, but Jing Jing Shuhu had already flung his sleeve and departed: "If you want the Root Diagram, forge One superior-grade famed weapon first!"

This old man wants to keep me dangling!

Li Yuan was instantly at a loss for words. He knew the old man feared he would become obsessed with martial arts and neglect his weapon-forging.

But I really can do it!

"Right!"

After only a few steps, Jing Jing Shuhu turned back again: "Don't go down the mountain these days. If you need anything, inform Yu Jin and have him handle it…"

"Mm?"

Li Yuan gave a slight start, thinking of Sun Zan.

Last night, before he suddenly struck to kill, he had heard that old fellow say he had leaked his intelligence to Sanyuanwu?

"In short, just focus on forging in peace."

Jing Jing Shuhu said no more and departed with a dark expression.

"Being too Ren Kan Zhong is its own annoyance."

Clutching the manual, Li Yuan thought it over and accepted it.

He had been cultivating weapons for so long, yet he truly had not seen any Soldier-Blessing enhancement related to the 'Ancient Elephant Six-Form Hammer.'

Even if he got the Root Diagram, he could not Soldier-Bless it.

"I'll practice it first."

Li

Yuan tucked away the manual. A martial art without the Root Diagram could only be cultivated by himself.

But his bone-structure and talent were both already excellent, so his self-cultivated progress was also very fast.

The techniques Han Han Chuijun had left behind, such as Mang Niu Gong, Eagle-Claw Grappling Hand, Bai Lu Vaulting Art, and Kite-Step, he had also practiced along the way to Completion.

"What a pity, there really is no martial art for the Yi-Jiao form."

Li Yuan felt a pang of regret, turned around and went back to his courtyard. He had not slept all night and meant to catch up on some rest.

……

On the way back to Weapon-Forging Valley, Jing Jing Shuhu passed the Divine Weapon Pavilion and at a glance spotted Sun Zan's collapsed little courtyard.

"I haven't even reeled in my line yet, and the bait has already been eaten?!"

Jing Jing Shuhu's heart sank slightly, his gaze turning dangerous.

He went to take a turn around the little courtyard, closed his eyes briefly to replay the scene, and his expression shifted:

"Leaping along the beams, hammering a man's head with a backhand strike. So clean and decisive—Ba Ba Wanli and Fang Fang Bao Luo couldn't pull this off. Surely it wasn't that old thing Han Han Chuijun who made the move?"

He returned to Weapon-Forging Valley with a furrowed brow, found Lei Lei Jingchuan, and laid into him without preamble. The latter was sprayed full in the face with spittle and nearly rolled up his sleeves to fight.

"Old fool, have you taken the wrong medicine?!"

Lei Lei Jingchuan flew into a rage.

"Not you?"

Jing Jing Shuhu grew more and more doubtful — his junior brother didn't have that kind of composure.

"What about me?"

Glancing at the blacksmiths bustling about in the forge, Lei Lei Jingchuan said in a hostile tone: "I've never left the Valley!"

"Not you? Then who killed Sun Zan?"

Jing Jing Shuhu frowned deeply.

"You suspect I killed Sun Zan?"

Lei Lei Jingchuan only then caught on: "Are you mad? I have no grudge against him, why would I kill him?"

Jing Jing Shuhu swept a glance around, lowered his voice and said:

"I learned from the Inspectorate Hall that Sun Zan is suspected of secretly colluding with Sanyuanwu, very likely on Shi Hong's orders, targeting Li Yuan…"

"What?"

Lei Lei Jingchuan's voice immediately rose: "That boy dares be so bold?!"

It really wasn't him?

Seeing his reaction, Jing Jing Shuhu shook his head inwardly: "This is only my guess; it may also be that Sun Zan acted on his own."

"That Sun Zan absolutely could not be so bold."

Lei Lei Jingchuan furrowed his brow: "You should have made a decisive move and captured Sun Zan!"

"What's the use of catching him? Without evidence, who would believe you?"

Jing Jing Shuhu's face was dark as water: "With Sun Zan dead, those who colluded with him will surely be alerted, and I'm afraid they won't make a move."

"Unless…"

"No!"

Lei Lei Jingchuan read something in his expression and immediately objected: "Go fishing if you want, but Li Yuan cannot be the bait!

I'm still counting on him to become a Divine Blacksmith and bring back the treasures left by the ancestors — he absolutely cannot be risked!"

"You can only catch a thief for a thousand days, but there's no guarding against a thief every day. If this group isn't rooted out, they'll always be a hidden danger."

Jing Jing Shuhu paced back and forth: "Besides, the one who assassinated Sun Zan is also very dangerous."

"That won't do either."

Lei Lei Jingchuan had no way to counter it, but still shook his head in disagreement.

Jing Jing Shuhu wasn't annoyed either — he hadn't made up his mind to begin with: "Then, in a few days, shall we ask Li Yuan?"

Lei Lei Jingchuan frowned slightly.

……

"In the great dream, who awakens first? All my life, I alone know."

After sleeping in, it was already late morning. Li Yuan stretched lazily — he had rarely dreamed.

In the dream, he was still at the little supermarket, still tinkering with the Heaven's Bestowment Ritual, and was finally swallowed by darkness.

"Probably influenced by the blood sacrifice description in Old Han's 'Treatise on Bone Constitution'?"

Li Yuan muttered to himself — he did have some trauma regarding blood sacrifice.

He didn't get up, just leaned against the headboard and squinted, beginning to take stock of Sun Zan's 'generous gift.'

The Steward of the Divine Weapon Pavilion was clearly

a very lucrative post.

Apart from the True Inheritors, any disciple who went to the Divine Weapon Pavilion to exchange for weapons had been fleeced to some degree.

After several decades, the accumulated nest egg was also quite considerable.

"What a plunderer!"

After a quick tally, Li Yuan was somewhat astonished — the property deeds and land deeds under this old fellow's name were three or four times more than Ding Zhi's.

He calculated on his fingers: just these house deeds, land deeds, and field deeds were worth over a hundred thousand taels of silver!

On Fucheng's most bustling Divine Weapon Street, Sun Zan owned over forty shops, all in prime locations.

"Too bad, can't see the light of day."

Li Yuan continued tallying.

Most of Sun Zan's wealth was tied up in property, but he also had plenty of cash on hand — gold and silver notes, jewelry, adding up to thirty-four thousand taels of silver.

Besides that, every blade and sword was a superior-grade famous weapon, worth another thirty thousand taels of silver.

But there were very few elixirs, and no secret manuals either.

"Makes sense — after all these years he still hadn't reached Great Completion of Body Transformation, probably because he never got the matching Qi Art; indulging in pleasures was probably part of the reason too?"

Most of Ding Zhi's gift remained unspent, and Sun Zan's gift had once again made Master Li fabulously wealthy.

"No wonder the old saying goes: without windfall wealth, one cannot be rich."

After tallying it back and forth several times, Li Yuan suddenly felt that for many Star-Plucking Tower assassins, the bounty might just be a side benefit —

picking out the 'fat sheep' from among the many bounties was the real main income?

With Sun Zan's nest egg, even a True Inheritor disciple would have to save up for decades without eating or drinking — this was an enormous fortune.

"If I sell off these two superior-grade famous weapons, I'll have enough silver to advance the Soldier-Stealing Register to the sixth tier!"

Li Yuan murmured inwardly.

The materials to advance the Soldier-Stealing Register to the sixth tier, apart from refined gold, could all be obtained with silver — refined gold wasn't rare in the Divine Weapon Valley.

"Mm, a small swap. Best to advance the Soldier-Stealing Register to the sixth tier before Sanyuanwu arrives at the gates."

Li Yuan was calculating in his mind — given his current status and position, the purchase of these iron materials was only a small matter.

It's perfectly reasonable for a casting prodigy to have a few quirks, right?

After counting back and forth several times, Li Yuan nodded. Having cleared the obstacles and resolved the issue of the Weapon Master's Record advancing, he was in a very good mood.

"Mm, the leave has already been requested, so I might as well rest for a few days."

Leaning against the headboard, Li Yuan took out the booklet Old Han had sent and began studying the Thousand-Jun Qi Art.

Force reaches one chi, Qi extends three zhang.

The vast gap between internal force and internal Qi spoke for itself; naturally, converting force into Qi was also very difficult.

Experts of the Form-Shifting realm like Ding Zhi and Sun Zan had never accomplished this step — though the latter perhaps simply lacked a matching Qi Art.

But this also showed how difficult this step was.

"'Scatter and gather, formless into Qi' — the first step of converting force into Qi is to integrate internal force. My Internal Strengthening is already complete, so this step can be considered done.

The second step is to disperse the force, so that the various kinds of force are indistinguishable from one another. Then, coordinating with different breathing methods and using special environments, slowly transform it into Thousand-Jun Qi…"

Li Yuan recited word by word in his mind, analyzing as he went.

Over the past half year or so, as he had read more and more books, his martial foundation was no longer as shallow as before, and he had his own understanding of converting force into Qi.

Dispersing force and converting it into Qi could be broken down into many small steps, but it wasn't impossible to walk them all at once.

"Mm, the Spirit-Storing Minor Return Pills are even more suitable here. Mm, I have two, Ding Zhi left eight, plus the three Sun Zan left — that should be roughly enough."

Thirteen Spirit-Storing Minor Return Pills, worth a full ten thousand taels. If Li Yuan hadn't struck it rich, he would have been somewhat reluctant to part with them.

In fact, the other True Inheritances wouldn't be so extravagant at this step either.

"Fortunately, there's no rush to convert force into Qi. Plenty of True Inheritances and Elders only begin after reaching Form-Shifting."

Li Yuan closed the secret manual, his doubts resolved.

Sect disciples often had systematic inheritances, so they rarely took detours in martial training — this was also the benefit of being in a sect.

"Now, I can already set about 'Form-Shifting'!"

Putting away the secret manual, Li Yuan felt a hint of anticipation.

The Form-Shifting realm was called 'crossing the threshold into the hall' by people of the jianghu; only upon reaching this step could one truly be called an expert.

In Han Han Chuijun's eyes, Form-Shifting was also the beginning of the inhuman.

"I carry the bone structure of fifteen forms. Once Form-Shifting bears fruit, even without the augmentation of the Weapon Master's Record, the likes of Sun Zan and Ding Zhi would absolutely not be my match!"

Li Yuan put on his shoes, rose and pushed open the door. Gazing at the blazing scorching sun, his mood instantly felt expansive.

It had only been a year since leaving Gao Liu, and he was already about to catch up with Old Han?

……

During the five days of leave, Li Yuan stubbornly did not go to the Casting Valley.

Every day, he would either go fishing at the Cold Pond, or browse books at the Library. Sometimes he would go to the bamboo grove to roast one or two spirit sheep, or buy a few jin of Monkey Wine from the Star-Picking Tower outpost. Life was quite pleasant.

"From Qi-Blood to the great completion of Form-Shifting, there are three breakthroughs in total. The height of the breakthroughs relates to one's own bone structure. After the great completion of Internal Strengthening, the growth in physical strength should, by all accounts, be very subtle…"

In the bamboo grove, the spirit sheep sizzled and oozed oil as it roasted. Li Yuan lay in a rocking chair, controlling the five-step snake-skin belt, sensing the changes in his own force.

After the great completion of Internal Strengthening, force wove into a net among the viscera, further stimulating the viscera and increasing physical strength.

But according to the records in the book, this increase was not fast, and its duration was short. Yet Li Yuan had already continued for five days, and it seemed the end was still not in sight.

"Probably related to bone structure?"

Li Yuan didn't investigate further — in any case, this was a good thing for him.

After the spirit sheep was roasted, he extinguished the fire and, pairing it with Monkey Wine, took a sip of wine and a bite of meat, enjoying the rare leisure.

After the news came that the Sanyuanwu army had set out, both inside and outside the Divine Weapon Valley were very tense and busy. Every day of leave was hard to come by, and he cherished it greatly.

However, before the spirit sheep was even finished, Li Yuan already had a premonition that his leisure was about to end prematurely.

"You're certainly at leisure."

Jing Jing Shuhu's voice came from outside the bamboo grove.

"This disciple still has half a day of leave!"

Li Yuan sat up with a start, smiling as he tore off a lamb leg and handed it to Jing Jing Shuhu. The latter took it with a stern face:

"Where's the wine?"

Upon hearing the voice, Li Yuan had already hidden the Monkey Wine. At this point he could only let out a wine burp: "Just finished. If you want some, this disciple will go fetch it right now?"

"No need, this old man has some too."

Jing Jing Shuhu took out a red gourd from his sleeve, drank a few sips alongside the lamb leg, with absolutely no intention of sharing.

"Elder, you've come to find me — is there something you need to instruct?"

Li Yuan had no interest in his wine and asked about his purpose.

"Mm, it's nothing major."

Jing Jing Shuhu wiped his mouth: "This old man is preparing to go fishing and is still short on bait — I need you to come help."