By the moonlight, Meng Qingshan made out four hastily scrawled characters on the tattered cover of the manual: "Nine Forms of Swift Saber"!
At a thought, its detailed information appeared before his eyes in a glowing panel:
Item: Nine Forms of Swift Saber Grade: Ordinary (Green) Restrictions: None Description: It was said that this saber technique was derived from the Furious Wind Saber Technique of the Seven Mysteries Sect of Yunzhou. Unlike ordinary saber techniques, which pursued power and ferocity with broad, sweeping strokes, this technique emphasized agility and speed. Once mastered, its strikes were as fast as lightning and swift as the wind. Enemies could often sense only the saber's fearsome flash, but struggle to catch sight of the wielder. Effect: After reading, it can be recorded in the Martial Arts Illustrated Book. Note: If you want to verify whether this technique really came from the Seven Mysteries Sect, go and take a look!
Holding the manual, Meng Qingshan couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from rising. He was nearly grinning from ear to ear.
Today had been a real windfall!
Not only had he obtained a rare piece of equipment, he'd also gotten a matching saber technique. He was practically blessed by the gods of fortune—his luck was through the roof!
Setting aside the cultivation points those bandits had contributed, these two items were undoubtedly the biggest gains of the trip.
Meng Qingshan casually flipped through the saber manual, adding it to the Martial Arts Illustrated Book.
Then he put away the saber and the manual and muttered to himself, "No wonder Chen Sandao was so hard to deal with. He had the Brocade Cloud Saber and knew the matching saber technique. Good thing I've been training hard these past few days and had the edge in skill."
To be honest, if Meng Qingshan hadn't kept up his diligent training and advanced the Long Wind Heart Method to the sixth level, he wouldn't have won this chance encounter.
It was only thanks to his advantage in internal cultivation that he'd emerged victorious.
Who knew how things might have turned out today otherwise?
Just then, Meng Qingshan looked back at the huge wild boar he'd left on the ground and couldn't help but smile wryly.
In his current condition, there was no way he'd be able to bring the boar back today.
After resting for a bit, Meng Qingshan picked up two pheasants and a hare from the ground and hung them from his waist.
After all, hunting had been his main reason for leaving the city today, so he couldn't very well return empty-handed.
Then he picked up the broken Ox Horn Bow.
After scanning the area to make sure he hadn't left anything behind, he set off along the road back to Jade Mountain City.
As he made his way along the rugged mountain path, he gazed at the moonlight growing ever brighter and more radiant and couldn't help but remark, "In troubled times, human lives are as worthless as grass. The ancients spoke the truth!"
To be honest, if he didn't count what had happened to the original owner of this body, today's fight was the closest he'd come to death in either of his two lives.
Yet Meng Qingshan felt no fear. Instead, he was filled with an inexplicable sense of exhilaration.
After he'd personally killed several Black Wind Stronghold bandits today, the pent-up frustration the original owner had left behind had faded considerably.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help comparing his strength to Chen Sandao's.
Clearly, Chen Sandao was about as strong as Meng Qingshan would have been without cultivating the Long Wind Heart Method—in other words, about as strong as the original owner.
That explained why Black Wind Stronghold had sent seven more men to help him. If the original owner had been here, he'd probably have died all over again.
Meng Qingshan then compared himself to his uncle, Li Yuanzhen.
According to his memories, Li Yuanzhen had already mastered both his spear technique and internal cultivation method.
By his reckoning, Li Yuanzhen's Long Wind Heart Method had certainly reached at least the eighteenth level.
Even so, Li Yuanzhen hadn't escaped being surrounded and beaten to death by Black Wind Stronghold and the Fuwei Escort Agency.
By that measure, Meng Qingshan still wasn't strong enough to make a name for himself in Jade Mountain City. He needed to get to a Mysterious Encounter location as soon as possible and improve his strength.
When he returned to the Changfeng Escort Agency, his cousin saw his injuries and burst into tears.
Meng Qingshan spent a long time comforting her. He even showed her that he'd only suffered a few superficial wounds and was fine, and eventually managed to calm Li Qingzhu down.
There was still some of the medicine Mister Mo had prescribed last time.
Li Qingzhu carefully brewed a bowl and made Meng Qingshan drink it before staying by his side until he'd settled in to rest.
Night fell.
The room was as bright as day, filled with lamplight.
Wrapped from head to toe in bandages, Meng Qingshan felt as if he'd returned to a familiar state.
"Cousin..."
By the bedside, Li Qingzhu called softly, her voice tinged with worry.
Being alone in a room with a woman late at night was a first for Meng Qingshan, too.
Embarrassed, he scratched his head. "Cousin, I'm really fine!"
Li Qingzhu let out a soft sigh, her voice tinged with unease. "You were fine that day, too, but the next morning, you wouldn't wake up..."
Meng Qingshan had no choice but to close his eyes and pretend to sleep.
After a brief silence, Li Qingzhu's voice rang out again, tinged with unease. "Cousin..."
Meng Qingshan replied weakly, "I'm here."
Li Qingzhu said softly, "Cousin, I can't quite fall asleep..."
After his fierce battle that day, Meng Qingshan was utterly exhausted. "Then read a book. You'll get sleepy after a while."
Li Qingzhu searched the room and found a copy of the Long Wind Heart Method. She immediately began reciting it softly.
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