Heart Lake Reflects the Sword

Heart Lake Reflects the Sword

Two days later, February 28.

Zhang Yu, dressed in a deep green robe, sat behind a wooden desk, his brush moving without pause. Before long, the blank paper below was filled with neat rows of writing. More than ten similar sheets had already been stacked beside him.

He set down his brush. After waiting a moment, he gathered all the written pages into a lacquered box prepared long ago, pasted on a seal, and stamped it with wax.

"Qing He."

At his call, Li Qinghe entered from outside the study and bowed. "Sir, what are your instructions?"

Zhang Yu took a calling card from his sleeve and pushed it, together with the lacquered box, before him. "Take this card and this box to Peaceful Lodge for me. Ask the shopkeeper there to send these to a suitable newspaper office. While you are at it, bring back several newspapers from the past few days."

He had now begun preparing the plan he had in mind. Though he could not yet leave the Academy for safety reasons, Li Qinghe could.

So many people came and went from Taiyang Academy every day that no one would take an interest in a mere attendant.

Li Qinghe acknowledged the order, took the items, then paused before leaving and asked, "Sir, is there anything in particular I should pay attention to?"

Zhang Yu said, "Just be careful. If anything happens, do not act on your own. Come back first."

Li Qinghe answered earnestly, "Yes, sir."

After Li Qinghe left, Zhang Yu went into the rear courtyard and picked up a bamboo sword that had long been carved and prepared from atop a stone bench.

During his battle with Su Kuang, he had entered an utterly still state of body and mind, and the Heart Lake Seal had reflected the many breaths and presences of the outside world.

This had, in truth, been an ability brought about by the Xia Sword.

But afterward, he had kept trying to see whether he could enter that state without relying on the sword. Over these past two days, he had begun to glimpse some clues.

If he could grasp the knack and wield it with mastery, perhaps he might even cast its reflection into the Great Dao Unified Text.

But that was likely a matter for far in the future. Still, after several days of peaceful cultivation, he felt that his swordsmanship had faintly improved.

This was no illusion. The glow on the Sword Seal had increased by another trace. The greatest benefit of the Great Dao Unified Text was that whenever the abilities and techniques recorded upon it improved even slightly, the change could be displayed directly.

At this thought, his mind could not help but wander. According to the Profound Residence, once one found that thread of profound mystery within a Profound Text, one could break through the first text, and the body would undergo a transformation.

Could the Turbid Canon be the same?

Until now, every ability upon the Turbid Canon had been something he already possessed, something learned and cultivated from the outside world. Could the profound mystery of the Turbid Canon likewise be found outside?

The Profound-Seeking Method, he felt, did resemble the Old Method's way of breaking through the body's limits through breath and exhalation. Only by shattering this layer of restraint could one cultivate deeper and more profound techniques.

Seen this way, although the Old Method and the New Method cultivated differently, some of their principles still led along the same path.

He shook his head. Since he had already set foot upon the road of the New Method, he should not dwell too much on matters of the Old Method for now.

Gathering his scattered thoughts, he stilled his breath and concentrated for a moment, then unfolded his sword forms and began practicing in earnest.

Li Qinghe handled matters efficiently. By noon, he had returned.

"Sir, I gave the items to a hall manager surnamed Lu there. He said you need not worry. He would send them to the Hanmo Newspaper Office. He said that place was also a Security Patrol Association property, so your affairs would not be delayed."

Zhang Yu said, "Very good. You did well."

Li Qinghe was delighted by the praise. "It is what Qing He should do. Oh, sir, the newspapers I brought back have been placed on the newspaper rack in the study."

Zhang Yu nodded and told him to withdraw first. He himself sat in the quiet room and regulated his breathing for a while before going to the study and picking up the newspapers to read. After going through several issues in succession, he found that reports of Other God Cult followers causing trouble had become increasingly frequent. Plagues and locust swarms were also appearing time and again in various places.

Compared with those places, Auspicious Light City remained peaceful and tranquil.

That afternoon, Ren Yi came rushing over in high spirits and said that all the medicinal ingredients Zhang Yu needed had been purchased.

Zhang Yu felt he had come at just the right time. He did not have much Primordial Elixir left, so he was now taking only one or two pellets each day.

As for the Brilliance-Collecting Pills supplied by the Academy, when he had previously tried to swallow one, its smell had made him feel faintly unwell. His body instinctively rejected it, so he had simply decided not to take them again.

He changed clothes, called Li Qinghe over, and went with Ren Yi to the miscellaneous storeroom.

As before, all the medicinal ingredients had been sorted into separate categories and arranged there. He inspected them once and found that, judging by their quality, much more care had clearly been taken than last time. However, the bone fragments in which he had discovered Source Energy previously were not among them.

When he asked, Ren Yi smiled. "These are ingredients the assistant instructor values. I was afraid some accident might happen again, so I specially had them stored separately. I'll have them brought over now." At his order, someone soon carried over a large bundle of medicinal ingredients, opened it on the broad platform, and poured out a great heap of bone fragments with a clatter.

The moment that bundle had been brought over, Zhang Yu had sensed Source Energy within it. He reached out and grabbed a handful of bone fragments. In that single handful alone, he could sense at least three or four pieces containing faint currents of heat.

But unlike last time, there were many more within this pile. What truly delighted him was that since both the previous batch and this batch contained Source Energy, it meant he could use this channel to find even more.

He asked, "Were these still purchased from the same medicine shop as before?"

Ren Yi replied, "Yes. I specifically told that medicine shop about them. Is the assistant instructor satisfied with the kind from last time?"

Zhang Yu nodded. "Very much so. Continue dealing with that medicine shop and collect as much of this ingredient as possible. However..." He picked out all the bone fragments containing Source Energy and said, "Look. These fragments can be seen to come from the same place, while these do not. So if possible..." He pointed at the pile containing Source Energy. "Try your best to select the kind I mentioned."

Ren Yi was not a specialist in the medicinal trade, so he could not make anything out no matter how he looked. He immediately gave an order, and someone brought over a bearded middle-aged man with steady footsteps.

"Old Chen, can you distinguish the differences in this batch of ingredients?"

The middle-aged man came over and examined them. Pointing at the pile of bone fragments in front of Zhang Yu, he said, "Boss Ren, all the fragments here came from the same exotic beast."

Then he pointed to the other pile. "And these are another kind. But the two exotic beasts should have come from the same place. The surrounding waters and soil would not have differed much, so ordinary people would find it difficult to tell them apart just by appearance."

Ren Yi raised a thumb. "Old Chen, you truly have sharp eyes. When we buy these medicinal ingredients next time, come with me. How about it?"

The middle-aged man did not immediately agree. Instead, he looked at Zhang Yu, straightened his expression, and clasped his hands. "Could this be Assistant Instructor Zhang, who saved the lives of so many brothers in the storeroom last time?"

Ren Yi said, "That's right. This is Assistant Instructor Zhang. Purchasing these ingredients was also something Assistant Instructor Zhang instructed us to do."

Gratitude appeared on the middle-aged man's face. "That day, my brother only escaped with his life thanks to the assistant instructor. Since it is the assistant instructor's matter, then there is nothing more to say. I, Chen Guang, will certainly devote myself to it."

Zhang Yu nodded. "Then I will trouble you all. These ingredients are quite good this time, so I will take them back. Qing He, go settle the account with Attendant Ren."

Ren Yi said anxiously, "Assistant Instructor, you saved the lives of most of us. How could we possibly let you pay for this?"

Zhang Yu said evenly, "Those are two separate matters. If Attendant Ren feels indebted, then please put more care into the matters to come."

Seeing that Zhang Yu insisted, Ren Yi could only let the matter go. He went down with Li Qinghe to settle the account, then ordered several laborers to help deliver all the medicinal ingredients to the Academy.

After Zhang Yu returned to his residence and washed up briefly, the first thing he did was absorb all the Source Energy from every bone fragment into his body. At once, he replenished a considerable amount of Divine Essence.

When he checked again, he had more than enough to read three text seals, though reading four was still somewhat difficult.

After thinking it over, he decided that as long as the next shipment of bone fragments was not much fewer in number than this one, it should be enough. Since that was so, he might as well wait a little longer.