On the ride back, Chen Chuan could not shake the feeling that the capture operation had felt utterly farcical, as though something was being concealed behind the scenes. Still, that was not something he could resolve at his present level, so he did not dwell on it for long.
After returning to school, he resumed his training.
Even though the mission had been cut short, he believed that regardless of how things developed in the future, he had to possess the ability to handle whatever came his way when the time arrived.
While his understanding of jin techniques continued to deepen, it had also entered a plateau. Thus, he set aside a portion of his time to reinforce his practice of saber forms.
Following the mid-November rest day, Cheng Zitong examined him and judged that, for the moment, the mutated tissue within his body showed no signs of accelerated growth.
He felt they could observe for another ten days or so; by the end of the month or mid-December, they would be able to determine the subsequent changes with reasonable certainty.
Cheng Zitong was temporarily relieved as well. Sitting in the living room, he picked up his thermos, took a sip of tea, and said to Chen Chuan, "I've seen you practicing saber forms quite diligently these past few days?"
Chen Chuan replied, "Yes, Teacher. I happen to have a question to ask you. I feel this saber is rather peculiar—it seems to require a specific method to draw out its true power."
Cheng Zitong looked at him with some surprise. "You sensed that on your own?"
Then he let out a chuckle. "What a pointless question of mine. As someone of the intuitive school, it's completely normal for you to pick up on that. Still, no matter how intuitive you are, without reaching a certain level, you can't possibly figure out how to use it all on your own. Hmm, don't rush. I'll go find a suitable practice method for you."
Turning the matter over in his mind, Cheng Zitong left Chen Chuan's quarters and drove toward the faculty residential area. About ten minutes later, he pulled up before a garden residence. After parking, he walked up and knocked on the door. The gatekeeper recognized him and greeted him courteously, "Ah, Supervisor Cheng. Please, come right in."
Once inside, Cheng Zitong asked casually, "Where is Senior Brother Qiao?"
"In the backyard, instructing his newly accepted apprentice."
Cheng Zitong shook his head. "At least my student still shows his face in class every now and then. His apprentice hasn't appeared outside once since showing up at the start of the semester. He really is just enrolled in name only."
Speaking as he went, he passed through the front hall, following a cobblestone path through an archway. A large lotus pond opened up before him; though autumn had already set in, a few lotus flowers still stood upright.
Diagonally across the pond, one could see a spacious waterside pavilion. Inside stood a slight old man dressed in a vintage symmetrical front-buttoned robe, currently coaching a disciple. The youth was handsome, looking no older than sixteen or seventeen, and wore a Wuyi training uniform.
Cheng Zitong walked along the covered corridor bordering the pond, stepped into a flower parlor, and after advancing a short distance, arrived outside the pavilion. "Senior Brother Qiao, I've come to visit you."
Senior Brother Qiao paid him no mind, remaining fully absorbed in guiding his disciple into a stance. Cheng Zitong watched for a moment, then simply waited to the side.
After a long while, Senior Brother Qiao instructed the apprentice to practice on his own. He then walked into the flower parlor, had an attendant brew tea, and took the host's seat. "Sit. You never come to my place without a reason, so I won't waste time on pleasantries. Speak—what is it?"
Cheng Zitong dispensed with formalities as well, taking a guest seat nearby. "My student is practicing with a saber, but he lacks suitable forms. I recalled that you possess an ancestral saber manual, Senior Brother, so I came to ask you for it."
Qiao Hulin glanced at him. "He's only your student, not your apprentice. Why fuss over him so much? Besides, if you want saber forms, the academy has plenty. What is there to covet in my outdated relics?"
Cheng Zitong said, "If it were just ordinary saber forms, I could teach him myself without bothering you, Senior Brother. But Old Lady Ni gave my student a saber recently, remember? I figured only your saber manual could bring out its best."
Qiao Hulin raised a thick, grizzled eyebrow. "A prohibited weapon?"
"What era do you think this is? 'Prohibited weapon'? Who even cares about that nowadays?"
Qiao Hulin pondered for a moment. "I can give you the manual..." He raised a hand to signal Cheng Zitong to wait. "Not just like that, however." Extending two fingers, he pointed toward the waterside pavilion outside. "I want that student of yours to serve as an assistant to my apprentice for three years."
Cheng Zitong was instantly displeased. "Senior Brother, this isn't the past anymore. Why are you still clinging to that master-and-servant nonsense? What, is my student inferior to your apprentice?"
Qiao Hulin shook his head. "Rules must still be kept. The rules our master laid down cannot be broken in my hands. Besides, one must observe closeness and distance in all things. Only if he attaches himself to my apprentice can I pass things to him."
"Listen to yourself," Cheng Zitong countered. "Apprentice this, student that—the old man's outdated ways should have been tossed out long ago."
Qiao Hulin said placidly, "Go tell Master that. If Master says they can be discarded, I won't utter another word and will discard them too. Otherwise, everything must be done by the rules."
"Come on, that's your ancestral saber manual, not the old man's! Why cling to those rigid rules? Senior Brother, your apprentice is preparing to practice jin stakes now, isn't he? He'll need a great deal of fine medicine, and I can help him obtain it at a discount."
Qiao Hulin said, "Your senior brother still has some savings; supporting a single apprentice is more than manageable. The manual is indeed mine, but rules are passed down generation to generation. Master observed them, I observe them now, and my apprentice will continue to observe them in the future. They can never be broken."
Cheng Zitong realized there was no getting through to him. "Fine, consider my visit wasted. But..." He paused at the doorway and turned back. "Senior Brother, don't regret this later."
Qiao Hulin replied, "Are you suggesting your student will surpass my apprentice? Then we shall wait and see. But mark my words: even if he does, my rules will not be broken."
Cheng Zitong snatched up his briefcase. "Fine then. I'm leaving."
Instructor Qiao called out, "Junior Brother, stay for a meal before you go?"
"I'm already stuffed full of anger."
Stepping outside, Cheng Zitong took a deep breath. Looking up at the towering buildings around him, he suddenly felt much lighter. Glancing back, he scoffed, "Old rules? Hah, my student was right—just a pack of old fossils stuck in a bygone era. If I can't find one here, can't I find one elsewhere?"
By dusk, Cheng Zitong arrived at Chen Chuan's dormitory once more. Stepping through the door, he pulled a yellowed, aged saber manual from his briefcase. "Take a look."
Chen Chuan picked it up and saw that it was a hand-copied manuscript written in vertical script, appearing to date back eighty or ninety years.
Cheng Zitong said, "A saber manual of the old ways. When I found it, the thing had been sitting at the bottom of a chest, untouched for forty or fifty years. If I hadn't reminded them their ancestors had such an item, they would have forgotten about it entirely."
Chen Chuan asked, "Teacher, was this expensive?"
"Fifteen yuan. Good quality at a fair price—cash in hand, goods delivered. Spared me from owing anyone a favor, too. Only those old stubborn fools who cling blindly to archaic rules still treat these things like sacred relics."
He gestured with his chin. "The forms inside aren't important; what matters is the jin technique for wielding the blade. You can try practicing it. If it doesn't suit you, I'll look again; if you aren't satisfied, I'll find another."
Chen Chuan asked, "You can find more like this, Teacher?"
"Then you underestimate your teacher far too much. In this day and age, saber manuals can't put food on the table. If I were willing to buy and spread the word, I could round up seven or eight of them in half a day.
"Years ago, these jin techniques were closely guarded secrets, kept hidden from outsiders. But the less they taught, the fewer people learned. Now, many of those lineages have died out entirely. Destitute descendants clinging to things they can neither eat nor wear would far rather trade them for cash. Look at that—ordinary folks are much more practical, unlike certain people who stubbornly cling to old rules."
From his tone, Chen Chuan gathered that he had probably asked someone for a manual, met with a refusal, and was now venting his frustration. Still, if such manuals were so easy to find, why had he asked someone in the first place? Perhaps that person possessed a remarkable background?
Chen Chuan did not dwell on the matter. Flipping through the saber manual, he noticed parts of the cover were missing. Turning further inward, he finally spotted an unadorned name for the saber jin:
"Heavy Slash Saber Jin?"
...
Chapter 81