Li Cheng said quietly, "I was sickly from childhood. I only started getting better recently.
"Celebration Hall has a good reputation and plenty of experience teaching beginners, so I came here.
"Besides, Daoist Dinggu is my granduncle. He fell out with my grandfather when he was young and left, never to return."
Deng Qing's gaze sharpened.
"The Seven Forms of Settling Solitude spread beyond our family. We sent people to learn it, too, but none mastered it. When outsiders mention this swordsmanship, they only talk about how formidable Daoist Dinggu was back then. No one mentions the Li Family anymore."
Li Cheng tightened his grip on his sword. "I want to learn it again and bring it home. Celebration Hall happens to be close to my house, and Master Li is excellent at introducing people to martial arts. Are you still curious why I joined Celebration Hall?"
Deng Qing laughed and cupped his hands. "In that case, I'd be glad to lend Senior Brother Li a hand."
Their blades crossed in a flash. The sword flew from Li Cheng's hand and fell to the ground with a clang.
An early spring wind swept over the wall, carrying a few withered leaves down through the air.
The Li Family's Martial Arts Ground was spacious, enclosed by high walls of blue brick. Stone weights and wooden stakes stood along the walls, beside a rack of weapons.
Dusk was approaching, and the lanterns in the courtyard corners had already been lit.
Deng Qing stood a short distance from Li Cheng, the tip of the Iron Sword in his hand angled slightly down.
He regretted it.
He had held back his strength as usual with that last move, meaning only to cut off Li Cheng's sword path. He had not expected to knock the sword away.
Li Cheng stood frozen, his right hand still curled around a sword that was no longer there. Frustration filled his face.
Deng Qing had no idea what to say. The young master had money; he had a cheat. In the end, the cheat had won.
Without a word, Li Cheng bent to pick up his sword and walked toward the weapon rack. "I'm tired. I'll take a break."
He put away the Iron Sword and headed off the grounds.
Watching him go, Deng Qing thought, This is trouble.
A month had passed since Li Cheng first sought him out to practice the Seven Forms of Settling Solitude together.
During that month, they had memorized the Mental Method and studied the Sword Technique, then sparred on this ground every day without a break.
Deng Qing had thought Li Cheng owed his rapid progress entirely to the resources poured into his training.
Once he got to know him, he discovered that Li Cheng was relentless too. He worked no less hard than Deng Qing.
Deng Qing was happy to train with Li Cheng, mainly because the food at the Li Family estate was so good.
There was meat every day, with hot soup and sweet drinks brought out as well.
Apart from night patrols and sleep, Deng Qing spent almost all his time here.
For a whole month, he had enjoyed the rare luxury of not worrying about where his next serving of meat would come from.
It had to be said: the Seven Forms of Settling Solitude was genuinely hard to learn.
Seven sword forms did not look like much, but mastering them was exceptionally difficult.
The sword's path, its force, and the Mental Method all had to work together and answer one another.
If a strike came too fast, it easily became an ordinary quick sword attack. Too slow, and it lost all killing power.
Even the Senior Brother who taught them could not explain the Mental Method's key phrases—"Gather Force into a Line," "Fix One Person in Solitude," and "Sword Through the Empty Gaps." To the two of them, it might as well have been a book written in the heavens. They could only feel their way forward.
Then, one night twenty days ago, Deng Qing finished practicing his swordsmanship and sat alone beside the Martial Arts Ground, circulating the Violet Palace Method to refine and absorb the meat he had eaten.
Several lines from the Mental Method of the Seven Forms of Settling Solitude suddenly flashed through his mind, like a clear moon reflected in a river.
Then Clear Radiance, No Thought appeared on its own.
[Seven Forms of Settling Solitude: 1% (Initiation)]
At last, Deng Qing's heart settled.
His experience with Tiger-Subduing Fist and the Violet Palace Method had taught him how Tang Juan'er's ability worked: once he reached Initiation, he could keep training, and the ability would correct his course as he went.
Sure enough, it was as though a door had opened in his mind. Things he had not understood suddenly became clear.
Movements he had been unable to perform came within reach.
Now that he had succeeded, he could only half practice and half pretend when sparring with Li Cheng.
After all, he was not ready to give up the steady supply of braised pork from the Li Family.
This time, his act had slipped and dealt Li Cheng a crushing blow. Deng Qing feared his days of free meat were over, and he regretted it all the more.
At that thought, he turned his mind inward, and Clear Radiance appeared.
[Heaven Helps Those Who Help Themselves; No Effort Is Wasted] [Realm: Skin Refining Second Layer] [Tiger-Subduing Fist: 73% (Grand Mastery)] [Violet Palace Method: 31% (Minor Mastery)] [Seven Forms of Settling Solitude: 15% (Initiation)]
Deng Qing was pleased with his progress, but not surprised.
The second rule of Tang Juan'er's ability was that once a new technique reached Initiation, diligent practice would bring steady gains.
Only after Minor Mastery and Grand Mastery would that pace gradually slow.
Deng Qing was working out a plausible explanation for Li Cheng when Li Cheng returned with an old man behind him.
Surely not. I knocked his sword away once, and now he's brought someone to beat me up?
The old man wore a gray robe. Most of his hair had turned white, and though he was not tall, his back was straight. He carried an air Deng Qing could not quite describe.
"Senior Brother Deng," Li Cheng said, "this is Zhang Bo, a retainer of my family. He's at the Bone Forging Realm."
Deng Qing's heart tightened. "This junior is Deng Qing. Greetings, senior."
Zhang Bo looked him over. "The young master tells me you've made rapid progress with the Seven Forms of Settling Solitude this past month, far surpassing him. Perform it once. Let me see."
Deng Qing understood: Zhang Bo had come to gauge his abilities.
He might fool a layman if he kept playing dumb, but he would never fool the man before him.
Yet showing everything he could do would not be wise either. He would hold back.
Decision made, Deng Qing stepped into the center of the ground and raised his sword.
He sent out the first move, his shoulders and back settling as the flash of his blade followed his body.
The moment Deng Qing began, Li Cheng stared.
When they sparred, Li Cheng had not thought Deng Qing's sword moves particularly exquisite. Now that he stood outside the mountain, he could finally see its full shape.
The longer Li Cheng watched, the more tangled his feelings became.
Deng Qing completed the Seven Forms of Settling Solitude, then lowered his sword and stood still.
Zhang Bo nodded slowly. "The young master has a good eye. He chose the right person to practice with.
"The Seven Forms of Settling Solitude is this difficult, yet you've achieved this much in a month. You clearly have talent for martial arts."
Deng Qing cupped his hands. "You flatter me, senior."
Li Cheng could no longer hold back. He stared at Deng Qing. "Senior Brother Deng, how did you do it?"
Deng Qing had known the question was coming. "I can't really explain it. We practice together every day, learning the same swordsmanship and studying the same Mental Method.
"If I had to name a difference... maybe it's that I eat more than you."
Li Cheng froze. On reflection, it sounded like a joke, but it was not entirely without reason.
He had seen with his own eyes how much Deng Qing had eaten at the Li Family estate this past month.
There had been meat every day, and hot soup and sweet drinks too.
Deng Qing could easily eat enough to leave Li Cheng stuffed, then turn around and start practicing at once.
After the North Warehouse assignment, Li Cheng had wondered whether Deng Qing's rapid progress might be due to some other extraordinary opportunity.
But for the past month, they had spent every day on the Martial Arts Ground.
Apart from patrols and sleep, Deng Qing had spent most of his time at the Li Family estate. The two of them had practically shared a bed.
Li Cheng knew whether Deng Qing had practiced in secret or received guidance from an expert.
In short, apart from eating more than he did, Deng Qing had shown nothing out of the ordinary that Li Cheng could see.
Zhang Bo frowned. "Besides the Seven Forms of Settling Solitude, what else have you practiced?"
"Tiger-Subduing Fist and the Violet Palace Method," Deng Qing said.
Zhang Bo's eyes shifted. "How far have you progressed with the Violet Palace Method?"
Deng Qing kept a lid on his strength. "I can eat seven or eight jin of meat in one meal and digest it."
The corner of Li Cheng's eye twitched.