In this abandoned mountain manor, as though ghosts dwelled within it, Murong Brothers, corpse-like in appearance, told Duan Yun a rather sinister tale in a ghostly voice.
Murong Brothers' Murong Family was a martial arts family. Unlike martial artists outside, who had no proper path of cultivation and found it difficult even to obtain a serious secret manual, the family's martial repository contained quite a few manuals for training.
Yet Murong Brothers had known from an early age that there was one cultivation art in the family that he was forbidden to practice. They said the art was inauspicious, and that his mastery was not yet sufficient—he might not be able to control it.
"But I was a once-in-ten-thousand cultivation genius, especially skilled with the saber. Ever since I was twelve, there has been no saber art I could not command," Murong Brothers said grandly.
Hearing this, Duan Yun found it somewhat boastful. After all, only a once-in-ten-thousand cultivation genius like himself deserved such a description.
"At the time, that art was called 'Twelvefold Spring Rain.' It happened to be the saber art I excelled at most, a divine technique one of my ancestors had comprehended within the Twelve Divine Valleys."
"Twelve Divine Valleys?" Duan Yun asked in confusion.
Murong Brothers smiled in a very Dehua-like manner and said, "You do not even know about the Twelve Divine Valleys, yet you want to pretend to be Duan Old Devil?"
"The Twelve Divine Valleys are the most mysterious holy land in the martial world. Anyone who has spent a little longer in the jianghu has heard its legends. They say it is a valley that does not belong to the mortal realm, and there is a saying: 'All martial arts under heaven emerge from the Divine Valleys.'
People all knew that the Twelve Divine Valleys lay within Wu Mountain, yet very few could find them.
They said one could enter only during certain solar terms, using an exceedingly special method.
My Murong Family ancestor was fortunate then. He entered with four other fellow cultivators. That valley was another world, different from the mortal realm, and it increased their comprehension tremendously, as though they had received divine enlightenment.
The five of them all gained greatly within it, each comprehending a completely different divine technique.
The five families returned home rejoicing, while my Murong Family obtained two divine techniques. One of them was 'Twelvefold Spring Rain.'"
Still staring at the beam overhead, Murong Brothers said, "For a time, this saber art made my Murong Family's saber techniques famous far and wide. For many years, we found no rival. But later, in the prime of his life, our ancestor actually sealed away this divine technique manual and forbade the family from practicing it.
Before his death, he even left behind an ancestral injunction, saying that this saber art was not something ordinary people could wield, and that the family must not learn it."
"But I believed myself to be a heaven-blessed saber genius. This saber art had practically been born for me. So one day, I stole the manual out. By the time Father found out, it was already too late."
"Because I was a once-in-ten-thousand saber genius, in less than a month, I had trained the 'Twelvefold Spring Rain' to a convincing level. Strangely enough, it was spring when I practiced the saber, and spring rain fell often during that time. It gave me an even deeper understanding of the art.
It could be said that, over the past century, aside from our ancestor, I was the person in the family who had delved deepest into this saber art. Seeing that nothing unusual had happened to me, Father and I both believed that my peerless talent had allowed me to master it. He stopped bothering about it and was instead delighted by the rapid improvement in my saber arts."
"That was the happiest time of my life. Proud as a man and wild as a saber, I rarely met an opponent with this saber art, and so I also found love."
"A true case of love at first sight. But when I brought her to meet my parents, Father's expression suddenly changed drastically. Only after questioning me closely did he learn that the woman I deeply loved was actually my half-sister by the same father."
"I suffered the first blow of my life, but I pulled through. I wanted to forget the pain, so I wandered the jianghu. By sheer coincidence, while wiping out a band of mountain bandits, I met a swordswoman. Once again, it was love at first sight. I later brought her home, and Father's expression changed again."
At this point, Murong Brothers revealed a look of pain as though he had been struck by an arrow. "After that, Father and I had a huge quarrel. I thought he was far too promiscuous. Later..."
"After practicing this saber art, I always felt as though I were living in spring. Like animals in spring, I constantly craved love, trying to make up for regrets. But later, five times! Five women who fell in love with me at first sight and loved me to death were all my half-sisters by the same father. It was as though they had been waiting for me."
"I finally began to believe that this saber art was inauspicious, that it was cursed. Otherwise, there was simply no explaining such things. Gradually, my spring vanished. Whenever I saw my former lovers—who were now my sisters—no, one of them was an elder sister, my heart gradually died as well."
"Later, Father fell seriously ill because of this too. He aged and weakened greatly. I felt I no longer had the face to remain in that home."
Duan Yun summed up, "So you came to this dump because you wanted to die."
"More or less. Only when I lie still can I feel a little more comfortable."
As he spoke, Murong Brothers entered a state of "lazily dying."
Duan Yun had not expected Murong Brothers before him to have such a terrifying tale of cursed romance.
Five times in a row. An ordinary person would go mad after just one; after five times, it was barely understandable that he would want to die.
But what concerned him more was the saber art, "Twelvefold Spring Rain."
There was actually such a miraculous saber art in this world.
Just as Murong Brothers had said, something might happen once or twice, but never three or four times. Once it happened more than three times, it was difficult to blame it on coincidence.
Could it be that once this saber art was mastered, it created an immense attraction toward those of the opposite sex with close blood ties?
That was the most fitting explanation Duan Yun could think of. Otherwise, Murong Brothers' experience was completely impossible to explain.
At this moment, Duan Yun could not help saying, "Murong Brothers, do you want to pass that saber art on to me?"
Murong Brothers had already "lazily" died again, but upon hearing Duan Yun's words, he wore an expression as though he were looking at a pervert.
Duan Yun hurriedly explained, "Do not worry, I do not have any sisters, nor do I have that sort of... well, that sort of thought. My father was only an honest gynecologist. He is already dead, and I am the only remaining heir in the family. So this saber art's curse is useless against me."
Murong Brothers looked at him, his gaze hazy. "I thought so too back then. I believed my father was an elegant gentleman, honest and devoted. Who would have thought..."
Duan Yun had a clear understanding of both himself and his father. "My father really was not as capable as yours."
Murong Brothers looked at him suspiciously. "This saber art is so uncanny, yet you are not afraid?"
"Afraid? You failed to control this saber art for two reasons. First, you had too many hidden sisters. I do not have that trouble. Second, compared to a once-in-ten-thousand saber genius like you, a once-in-ten-thousand cultivation genius like me is still just a tiny bit more seasoned," Duan Yun analyzed solemnly.
Murong Brothers revealed a stunned expression. "I am less seasoned than you?"
He had never seen anyone so confident—or rather, someone with skin so thick—that he dared question whether a once-in-ten-thousand saber genius like him lacked seasoning.
"Why not let me practice it and see? If I get caught by it too, I can share some of your pain," Duan Yun said.
"I will not teach you."
"Why?"
"I am lazy."
"I think you just do not dare."
"Do not provoke me. I am simply lazy."
Seeing this, Duan Yun could not help sighing inwardly, Damn it, even the goading trick did not work. But I really want to learn this saber art.
Before you continue