Teaching the Sword

The sparse chirping of cicadas blended into the watery night, making the entire Sect Residence seem unusually tranquil.

You Su stood in the courtyard with his eyes closed and his face tilted upward, bathing in the clear, bright moonlight.

A shadowy figure crept closer and closer to the youth from the darkness.

Ji Lingruo had already tiptoed behind You Su, her eyes and brows brimming with the delight of a prank about to succeed. She stared at the youth's utterly undefended rear and quietly drew her Wood Sword.

She felt she was truly a genius at stealth, like a venomous snake gliding soundlessly through the night. With talent like this, why bother learning the sword? That stinking senior brother of hers had clearly ignored her for several days, so why had he suddenly decided to inspect her studies?

As if she were about to avenge some blood feud, she forcibly held back a "Hehehe" and struck without hesitation.

Yet the blow produced not the sound of soft flesh taking a hit, but the clang of something hard colliding.

Ji Lingruo secretly marveled. Were all men's butts this hard? Looking closer, she realized that You Su had noticed her long ago and had already blocked the strike with his Wood Sword held reverse-grip.

When Ji Lingruo looked up again, she found that her senior brother had already turned around, his vacant eyes fixed intently on her. She steeled herself, drew back her sword, and continued attacking. She knew that if she chickened out now, she would only suffer an even greater disaster.

Her sword fell like rain. Her movements were simple and unadorned, yet refined and orderly; even an outsider could see the distinctive forms and rhythm of the Mandarin Sword.

You Su did not take the initiative to attack and merely kept parrying. His junior sister's every move was undeniably disciplined, but the actual force behind them was weak and insubstantial, leaving him puzzled.

After attacking for so long without success, Ji Lingruo grew somewhat disheartened as she watched You Su respond with ease. She was frustrated by the weakness of her body, which rendered all her efforts futile.

When all was said and done, she truly was neither a stupid girl nor a lazy one. During her first year of learning the sword, she had already nearly reached this level. On every night when she had despaired and given up on herself, she had still trained bitterly, as if warring against fate. Yet with three years nearly passed, the power of her sword techniques remained this feeble and limp.

As her frustration mounted, Ji Lingruo's offensive gradually subsided. You Su noticed as well, and after a few more exchanges, the two stopped together.

Sensing the girl's dejection, You Su clicked his tongue twice and said in surprise, "Junior sister, have you achieved enlightenment? How did you improve so much?"

At his words, Ji Lingruo widened her eyes and swept the loose strands of hair behind her ear. "Really? I improved?"

"Of course! You even learned to launch sneak attacks!"

The pretty face that had just brightened with excitement instantly fell. She was so furious that she wanted nothing more than to punch the senior brother in front of her into oblivion. Gritting her teeth, she said, "You're the only one who knows how to be sarcastic!"

You Su put away his Wood Sword and said solemnly, "Didn't I teach you before? The greatest difference between a cultivator's sword and the sword of a mortal martial hero isn't in the forms, but in the qi and resonance. The qi refers to mobilizing your own Mystic Qi, while the resonance means driving the qi between heaven and earth. The stronger the qi and resonance raised by your sword, the greater the power of your sword techniques. You had no shortage of good moves just now, but your qi and resonance were pitifully weak. Naturally, you couldn't break through my defense."

"I know, I know." Ji Lingruo lowered her dense, slender lashes and muttered under her breath, "As if I don't want to."

Though she had only muttered it, You Su, whose ears were sharp despite his blindness, still heard her clearly. He had always suspected that his junior sister had some hidden hardship, but every previous attempt to ask had yielded nothing.

Being unable to unleash a sword imbued with qi and resonance meant that one was not suited to the path of the Sword Cultivator. Yet Ji Lingruo happened to comprehend sword techniques with astonishing speed. If she had been placed in the mortal world, she would absolutely have been a first-rate sword hero. Such a contradictory situation was indeed baffling.

"Heaven and man respond to each other, and qi and body resonate. The sensation of mobilizing qi is much the same as when you first drew qi through your channels. Don't be discouraged, junior sister. Practice more, and you'll certainly learn to control your Mystic Qi," You Su encouraged her sincerely.

"I just couldn't be bothered to exert myself against you." Ji Lingruo crossed her arms over her chest and returned to her arrogant manner, as if the word "dejected" had never appeared on her face.

"What are we learning today?"

"We aren't learning a new sword technique today. Today, we review the old to learn anew."

"Huh? Why?"

"The Mandarin Duck Sword Scripture's Mandarin Sword consists of six chapters, six sections, and thirty-six forms. You've already learned them all."

"That's it? After learning the surface forms, shouldn't I continue on to the hidden ultimate techniques?"

"The Mandarin Duck Sword Scripture has no hidden techniques." You Su shook his head.

The Mandarin Duck Sword Scripture was divided into two parts: men learned the Mandarin Sword, while women learned the Mandarin Sword's counterpart. Both consisted of thirty-six forms arranged in six chapters and six sections. It might sound as though they had fewer forms than most Sword Sects, but in truth, the Mandarin Sword was a paired sword art.

The two practitioners responded to each other, and every move could combine with more than a dozen moves from the other sword art, creating effects that were ever-changing and unimaginably intricate. If a man and a woman each cultivated the Mandarin Sword and its counterpart to perfection, while sharing perfect intimacy and understanding, the sword art would reveal its true power—a kaleidoscope of the Way of the Sword.

Unfortunately, the great path of Yin-Yang had become an heretical path in the present age, despised by all. As a result, sects such as the Heaven-and-Earth Yin-Yang Union Mandarin Sword Sect had been branded heretical sects and had fallen further and further into decline.

You Su was also afraid that his junior sister would misunderstand, so he had never told her that the Mandarin Duck Sword could actually be practiced by two people together. After all, the prerequisite for joint practice was still too far in the future for the two of them, and she might not even be willing to practice with a blind man like him.

"Huh?" Ji Lingruo pursed her thin lips and knitted her lovely brows tightly. "Then what use are just these few moves and forms?"

Setting aside the paired sword art, the Mandarin Sword, even practiced alone, was absolutely worthy of being called a quasi-first-rate sword technique. It was nowhere near as useless as Ji Lingruo made it sound.

"There is no sword technique in this world that can make you invincible the moment you learn it." You Su raised his Wood Sword again and spun it into a beautiful sword flower. The moonlight shining across its gleaming wooden glaze made it seem especially sharp. "The only things that make you stronger are every breath you take and every slash you execute. Rather than complain that the sword technique isn't good enough, think about whether you've truly mastered it. Raise your sword. We'll begin reviewing from the first form."

"Nothing but grand principles." Ji Lingruo stuck out her delicate tongue, but obediently drew her own Wood Sword and assumed the starting stance of the Mandarin Sword's counterpart.

"First form: Fluttering Wings in Flight."

"Second form: Crane Crossing the Cloudstream... When practicing the sword, your body must be relaxed and your mind tranquil, with your spirit guarded within. Why do you keep staring at me?"

"I... I was just imagining things!"

"Your offense and defense must be distinct, and your sword technique must be clear. Every move must focus on concealing your body with the sword. What you're doing isn't swordsmanship; you're practically using the Saber Technique."

"Where?"

"Not bad. Keep practicing like this. Raise the sword in the third form a thousand more times, and you can rest tonight."

"A thousand times? You Su, you did that on purpose!"

"That's already considered few. Practice slowly on your own. I'm going to sleep." You Su waved his hand and returned to his room, leaving only the fuming girl behind, glaring at his back with teeth-grinding hatred.

You Su returned to his room and lay on the bed, letting his thoughts run wild.

It was already deep into the night. The myriad clamoring insects had quieted, and according to his usual schedule, he should have been resting already, but he didn't dare close his eyes. He could sense that the monstrous junior sister and Mistress were waiting for him in the world he would see after opening his eyes again.

Yet he had a reason he absolutely had to conserve his energy, because a fierce battle was destined to come the day after tomorrow. He also wanted to confirm the pattern governing his switches between the two worlds. It seemed that they always happened after he fell asleep, either deliberately or inadvertently.

You Su felt rather helpless as well. He had never expected sleep itself to become something he had to fear.

With the sound of his junior sister's sword cutting through the air outside accompanying him, drowsiness gradually came over him. You Su did not resist and gently closed his eyes.

In a haze, You Su opened his eyes again. He got out of bed and looked outside the window. Beneath the moonlight, that greasy mountain of flesh was clumsily practicing the sword. By now, he was completely calm.

"Senior brother, I'm so stupid..."