"So this man's name is Yuan Tiangang," Xu Ying thought.
Yet who Yuan Tiangang was, he had no idea.
He was merely a village youth who knew nothing of the imperial court, nor that Yuan Tiangang once possessed a glorious past.
Yuan Qi had read widely and knew the illustrious name. The snake was seized with shock and uncertainty. "To think it's this legendary figure!"
The bearded man threw his head back and laughed. "I severed your dragon vein under the decree of Emperor Wenwu Dasheng, lest you grow into your full power and plunge the realm into chaos. That was a public duty, not a private grudge! But if you wish to fight, then fight! What does Yuan have to fear?"
A beam of light leapt from his sword casket. In an instant, the wind and rain vanished. Tens of thousands of li of clear, washed azure opened above, entirely unlike the Underworld—it felt as though they had returned to the mortal world!
Stunned beyond measure, Xu Ying and Yuan Qi looked up to see the bearded man soaring into the sky with sword in hand, clashing against the giant in the clouds. Sword light surged and twisted like weaving lightning!
Suddenly, the giant's form shifted abruptly, turning into a colossal dragon of rock and stone tens of li in length. Its movements shook heaven and earth. Yet before the battle had gone on for long, the bearded man offered up his sword in ritual command. Sword qi arched like a rainbow across the sky and struck the beast's vulnerable neck, severing the head in a single stroke!
With a thunderous crash, the dragon's head plummeted, smashing into the ground not far before the cottages. Blood flowed like a river.
Xu Ying and Yuan Qi stood dumbfounded as the bearded man touched down. The sword light returned to the sword casket, the casket snapped shut, and the gleam vanished.
The bearded man said, "This dragon was formed from a mountain range, possessing both a mother body and an offspring body. I severed the mother body years ago. It sought to usurp the imperial fortune and sow chaos across Shenzhou the moment it was born, but I slew it before it could become emperor. Its offspring body achieved success in cultivation and came seeking vengeance against me. You two may bathe in the dragon blood; it will bring you great benefit."
Xu Ying and Yuan Qi went before the dragon's head and bathed in the dragon blood. Instantly, they felt their injuries mending at incredible speed—far faster than taking miraculous elixirs!
Xu Ying's wounded left shoulder healed completely. He felt his vital blood surging within him, far more vigorous than before!
He hurriedly placed the bronze bell into the pool as well, soaking it in the dragon blood. He thought, *I hope the bell can also absorb the vitality in the dragon blood and recover sooner.*
Watching this, the bearded man clicked his tongue in wonder. He scrutinized the bronze bell, then chuckled. "That treasure comes from no small origin, but the entanglements attached to it are just as great. If your karmic fortune is not deep enough, little brother, I fear you will be dragged down by it. It would be best to discard it early."
Xu Ying's heart stirred. The bronze bell had been forged by someone to suppress the ancient well on the stone mountain. Within that well lay a black coffin, and when the Nai River shifted its course, the young woman inside broke free.
Could the entanglement the bearded man spoke of refer to that matter?
The bearded man offered no further explanation. "Dragon blood harbors dragon essence. It can heal your wounds, but absorbing too much of it does harm to a mortal body. Once your injuries have mended, little brother, you had best refrain from taking in more dragon essence, lest it leave hidden troubles behind. As for the strange snake, it does no harm for him to absorb more; in fact, it will be of great use."
Xu Ying ceased bathing in the blood, leaving only the bronze bell submerged.
Yuan Qi simply submerged his entire body in the pool. He felt remarkably pure vitality flooding into him—undoubtedly the dragon essence the bearded man had mentioned. He was filled with both shock and delight!
"Ah Ying, it won't be long before I can take human form!" Yuan Qi cried in joy. "Once I take human form, I can properly cultivate the Elephant-Strength Bull Demon Fist!"
Xu Ying looked forward to it as well and asked, "Xiao Qi, once you transform, will you be a man or a woman?"
"What do you mean, man or woman? It's male or female!" Yuan Qi shouted. "Of course I'm male!"
"What a pity," Xu Ying sighed in regret.
Yuan Qi glared at him. "You with the surname Xu! I treat you as a brother, what are you scheming?"
Xu Ying stammered, "Of course I treat you as a brother too! What else could I possibly think?"
"Your words ring hollow! You definitely have other filthy ideas!"
"I don't! Don't make wild accusations!"
"Wild accusations? The reputation of your Xu family has never been good among us snakes!"
...
Yuan Qi absorbed the dragon essence from the blood until he swiftly reached his physical limit, feeling as though his body might burst at any moment. The bearded man said, "On the path of cultivation, never be insatiably greedy. Absorbing too much will work against you."
Yuan Qi reluctantly crawled out of the pool of dragon blood, then crouched at the edge and gulped down several mouthfuls of the blood.
Seeing this, the bearded man shook his head. "Creating extra obstacles for your human transformation for nothing—how foolish. Little brother, come with me. Though this path offers a way out, whether the old granny will let you pass once you reach the Nai River Bridge remains unknown. When you arrive at the bridgehead, it will depend on your good fortune."
Xu Ying lifted the bronze bell with his left hand and briskly followed.
Yuan Qi looked back at the dragon head with lingering regret, but still caught up. *If only I could eat it...* he thought.
Along the way, the bearded man sought paths through the mountains. Often, just when they seemed to have reached a dead end, he would discover a new way forward. Following him, Xu Ying and Yuan Qi saw ghastly, eerie realms stretching out on both sides, horrifying and grim. They were chilled to the bone.
Had they set off on their own, they likely would never have made it out alive!
Finally, the Nai River came into view ahead. A suspension bridge spanned the river, connecting to the opposite shore.
However, the Nai River was dry, leaving behind only an empty riverbed locked in mist.
Having guided them this far, the bearded man said, "Cross the suspension bridge ahead, and you will reach the mortal realm. If an old granny is selling tea at the bridgehead, do not drink her tea; just cross the bridge. If you drink her tea, you will never return to the Yang realm! Remember this, remember it well!"
Xu Ying expressed his gratitude and bowed deeply. "Thank you, Senior. Do you have any unfulfilled wishes? If I can make it out alive, I will surely repay you!"
The bearded man hesitated for a moment. "I came to Wangxiang solely to prolong my life, yet once I arrived, I could neither live nor die, trapped in this place. Though I can often gaze upon my home village, my family knows nothing of my safety."
He took off the sword casket and said, "Carry this sword casket on your back. If you happen to encounter my family, the casket will fly into their hands on its own. Let it serve as a token of my longing."
Xu Ying agreed and slung the sword casket over his back.
The casket had leather straps at the top and bottom that buckled together across the chest, making it easy to carry without getting in the way.
Xu Ying bade him farewell and led Yuan Qi onto the suspension bridge over the Nai River.
The bearded man watched them step onto the bridge, murmuring under his breath, "This youth's fortune is not shallow; I only hope he can return to the mortal realm. Whatever happens, by no means must he drink the granny's tea!"
Xu Ying and Yuan Qi set foot on the suspension bridge and walked forward. All was quiet and uneventful; they encountered no tea-selling granny.
The boy and the snake gradually let their guard down, chatting and laughing as they progressed. As they neared the end of the bridge, they saw a long line of people waiting by the crossing, blocking their way.
Xu Ying and Yuan Qi joined the rear of the line, watching the crowd inch forward slowly.
After a long while, they saw that the queue led to a tea stall where people took drinks. The seller was a white-haired, hunched old crone with a face carved by countless deep wrinkles. Holding a teapot, she poured bowl after bowl of tea.
Yet the tea in the pot never diminished.
By the time Xu Ying and Yuan Qi reached the spot, their minds were in a muddle, having completely cast the bearded man's warning to the back of their heads. Parched with thirst, they felt that the entire purpose of waiting in line was to drink a bowl of the granny's tea to quench it!
Finally, it was Xu Ying's turn.
At the other end of the bridge, the bearded man saw Xu Ying raise the tea bowl and sighed softly. "His fortune is still too shallow after all. Powerful though his parents were, they still could not shield him enough to survive..."
Just as Xu Ying raised the bowl to swallow the tea in one gulp, the granny selling the tea looked him up and down. Her expression shifted slightly. Snatching the bowl away, she sneered, "Brat, you've drunk who knows how many bowls of my tea, who knows how many times! You still want to trick me out of another drink? Get out!"
Xu Ying snapped awake in an instant, cold sweat drenching his brow. Grabbing the tail of Yuan Qi, who was just about to drink, he hauled the giant snake off the suspension bridge.
At the opposite end, the bearded man stood dumbstruck, frozen where he was.
Only after a long while did he come to his senses. "Meng Po soup can erase all memories, returning a person to a state of primal ignorance! When she said he had drunk who knows how many bowls of Meng Po soup, did she mean his memories from before have been washed away countless times, or that he has lived through who knows how many lifetimes?"
Alas, Xu Ying had already departed Wangxiang, his whereabouts unknown. The bearded man could no longer pursue him to uncover what story lay behind the boy.
Xu Ying dragged the snake demon Yuan Qi out of the suspension bridge. Yuan Qi finally came to his senses, gripped by lingering dread.
Looking back, he saw the suspension bridge shimmering like mist before gradually dissipating into nothingness.
This journey into Wangxiang felt like a dream. Beside a sense of melancholy, Xu Ying still harbored unanswered questions. He thought, *Why were the faces of my parents that I saw in Wangxiang different from the ones in my memory?*
Although the Underworld mountain ranges flanking the Nai River still stood nearby, the sky gradually brightened, no longer shrouded in fog. Carrying the sword casket, Xu Ying felt an ethereal wisp of sword qi lingering within it, leaping before his eyes from time to time like two swords clashing and crossing in midair!
Xu Ying asked Yuan Qi about it, but the snake sensed nothing.
"I've read books since I was young," Yuan Qi surmised. "The texts say that from the era of Emperor Wenwu Dasheng to that of Emperor Zhidao Dasheng, the martial path flourished, and imperial Nuo masters popularized the art of nourishing swords with qi. This Yuan Tiangang was a Grand Nuo who nourished his sword with qi, eventually becoming a myth of his era. His sword qi remains inside this casket. Carrying it on your back exposes you to its influence, which is why you see the sword shadows."
Xu Ying grew intrigued and asked, "Then could one decipher the sword techniques he practiced from his sword qi?"
Yuan Qi broke into laughter. "Ah Ying, what kind of dream are you talking about? Even if an ordinary person were handed an authentic scripture, they couldn't master it, let alone decipher the profound mysteries of swordplay from mere sword qi!"
What he said was the truth. Countless people yearned to cultivate yet found no method; even those who found a method could not necessarily master it. Even with years of painstaking study, one could easily misinterpret the teachings and stray onto the wrong path.
A prime example was Old Niu's family across three generations, who had practiced the Elephant-Strength Bull Demon Fist without ever grasping the proper method, unable to reach the fourth stage.
Only with Xu Ying's guidance had Yuan Qi swiftly broken through to the fifth stage, and now stood on the verge of the sixth.
From this, one could imagine how difficult it would be to decipher sword techniques from mere sword qi!
Yet Xu Ying remained full of enthusiasm, continuing his own contemplation. The boy picked up a straight willow branch and began to gesture casually as he walked, using the branch to execute the leaping sword light he perceived.
Gradually, Xu Ying's vital blood surged through the willow branch. Unbeknownst to him, as he executed the forms, his vital blood began circulating in a peculiar pattern. Upon reaching the willow branch, it transformed into sword qi, razor-sharp and striking!
He thrust the willow branch out, sometimes sweeping back into a cloud sword, sometimes flicking his wrist upward, cleaving, parrying, slashing, or pointing. The sword qi hissed through the air, growing sharper and louder with every pass!
Swordplay was composed of numerous basic movements, broadly divided into thrusting, flicking, clouding, slashing, chopping, pointing, bursting, hooking, lifting, wiping, sweeping, parrying, intercepting, flourishing, circling, and weaving. Xu Ying had never studied swordsmanship before, yet as he communed with the sword qi, he grasped these fundamental techniques entirely on his own!
As his excitement mounted, the circulation of his vital blood became increasingly exhilarating and smooth. Sharp sword-glow began to extend from the willow branch, expanding and contracting with the flow of his vital blood!
This sword-glow, condensed purely from sword qi, gave off a cold gleam that was sharper than an actual treasured blade, piercing through all defenses!
Yuan Qi took fright, thinking, *Could he really be deciphering a complete set of sword techniques from that sword casket?*
Suddenly, holding the bronze bell aloft, Xu Ying leapt into the air. Mid-leap, he swung the willow branch, unleashing a downpour of hissing sword qi!
Alarmed, Yuan Qi scrambled to dodge. He saw dozens of holes punched into the ground—even the rocks were pierced right through by the sword qi!
*This fellow can still be this ferocious while holding that bronze bell!* Yuan Qi was filled with envy.
Xu Ying landed, delighted. He jabbed the willow branch this way and that, eager to find something to pierce.
Yuan Qi quickly moved further away from him.
Xu Ying asked, "Xiao Qi, I watched the deities wield their swords. Their flying swords could separate from their bodies and travel dozens of paces, directed at will like an extension of their arms. How do they control their flying swords?"
Yuan Qi corrected him, "Deities use flying swords to kill from a thousand li away, taking heads from a distance, not just dozens of paces! Their flying swords are manifested from incense smoke; they aren't real flying swords and have no weight. Besides, the flying sword is their Dharmic power. Isn't controlling one's own power second nature?"
Xu Ying stared blankly, then broke into wild delight. "You're right! Xiao Qi, you're brilliant! Why didn't I think of that?"
Yuan Qi gaped, dumbfounded. "Wait a moment, which part did I get right? I don't quite understand..."
Chapter 19