Lu Wenzhao froze for a few seconds. He looked around and said, "This place is cramped. I'm afraid it won't be easy to demonstrate here. Still, since it is your wish, Immortal Master, we shall oblige."
The two had come lightly equipped, without any weapons.
"Junior sister, carry the Immortal Master back to Clear Breeze Teahouse first. I'll fetch my saber from the yamen and meet you there!"
With that, Lu Wenzhao left ahead of them.
Ding Baiying helped Gary off the bed. "Rest assured, Immortal Master. I'll try to keep the ride as steady as possible."
Gary looked at Arya, who was fretting helplessly nearby, and said, "Bring this little girl along too."
"Yes." Ding Baiying tucked little Arya against her waist with one arm and hoisted Gary onto her shoulder with the other. Pushing lightly off the floor with both feet, she flew out the window in an instant and landed on the roof of the single-story house next door.
As though she carried no weight at all, she sped and leaped across the rooftops, light as a swallow, taking a shortcut.
In less than two minutes, the three returned to the rear courtyard of Clear Breeze Teahouse.
"Someone! Bring a wooden chair for the Immortal Master, quickly!"
Immortal... Master?
The workers exchanged bewildered looks, but they were fairly quick on their feet and soon brought over a large, high-backed chair.
Ding Baiying set Arya down to one side before carefully helping Gary into the chair.
"Please forgive me, Immortal Master. That was the only way I could carry you both at once."
The thought of having sprinted all that way with the Immortal Master slung over her shoulder made Ding Baiying feel terribly discourteous.
Gary did not mind. "It's fine. I was just thinking how useful lightness skills are."
Ding Baiying held nothing back either. "If you wish to learn, Immortal Master, I can offer you the manual and demonstrate it myself."
Gary waved a hand and smiled. "No need. Lightness skills and internal cultivation are simply not meant for me. Just demonstrate your martial moves. Nothing else is necessary."
Ding Baiying nodded. "Then please wait here a moment, Immortal Master. I'll fetch my saber."
She leaped up to the third floor of the teahouse, where her private chambers were.
While Ding Baiying was fetching her saber, Lu Wenzhao arrived. He vaulted over the wall with a straight saber nearly two meters long on his shoulder and landed before Gary.
Saber in hand, Ding Baiying also leaped straight down from the third floor and landed beside Lu Wenzhao.
Gary perked up and asked, "Which of you will start?"
Ding Baiying was the first to salute with clasped hands. "My martial routines are simple. Let me go first."
Lu Wenzhao agreed. "Very well."
He stepped over to Gary's side. "The Qi Family Saber my junior sister practices is one of its earliest forms. The true Qi Family Saber had yet to take shape then, so it consists entirely of killing moves adapted from the saber techniques of Japanese pirates."
Ding Baiying walked to the center of the courtyard, her gaze suddenly turning exceptionally sharp.
Swish!
The elegant saber flashed from its sheath and danced freely in her hand. Blade light scattered in every direction, graceful as a startled swan.
Every stroke brimmed with killing intent, along with an unyielding resolve to press forward.
Ding Baiying seemed to become a blood-soaked female asura, waves of killing intent spilling from her without cease, suffocating those around her.
She soon finished demonstrating the dozen or so saber moves, ending with two blade-drawing techniques, one with a forward grip and one with a reverse grip. She had truly done everything she could.
With his saber on his shoulder, Lu Wenzhao traded places with Ding Baiying. "Thank you for your efforts, junior sister. Now it's my turn to demonstrate for the Immortal Master."
Ding Baiying sheathed her saber and slowly walked to Gary's side. "Immortal Master, what my senior brother learned is the orthodox Qi Family Saber. The entire straight saber is about three chi and five cun long, with only the foremost chi of the blade sharpened. The saber is too long to wield without both hands."
Lu Wenzhao drew his long saber and began demonstrating in earnest.
"The orthodox Qi Family Saber consists of four parts. First are the saber techniques."
Ding Baiying explained beside Gary while Lu Wenzhao swung the two-meter saber in the courtyard.
Lu Wenzhao's saber techniques were completely different from Ding Baiying's. His used broad, sweeping movements, better suited to fighting many with few.
Simply put, Ding Baiying's saber techniques suited close combat, while Lu Wenzhao's suited battlefield formations.
There were not many saber moves, only nine.
After demonstrating them, Lu Wenzhao did not immediately put away his saber. Instead, he held the hilt in one hand and gripped the unsharpened part of the blade with the other.
"Next, my senior brother will demonstrate the spear techniques hidden within the Qi Family Saber."
Nearly two-thirds of the blade was unsharpened. Looking at it that way, the saber could indeed serve as a spear.
There were six spear moves in all, and Lu Wenzhao soon finished demonstrating them.
"Next comes the short saber, for close-quarters fighting."
Lu Wenzhao gripped the edge of the unsharpened blade with one hand, instantly turning the long saber into a short one. It was quite ingenious.
The short saber had only three moves, making it the simplest part.
"Last are the overarching principles. Combine the long saber, spear techniques, and short saber, linking moves flexibly and changing them at will to catch the enemy off guard."
There were too many variations for Lu Wenzhao to demonstrate in a short time. He could only demonstrate a few combinations he considered the most useful.
Gary's blood surged as he watched. "Excellent! Excellent! Excellent! Chinese martial arts truly are vast and profound."
Ding Baiying suggested softly, "Combined with the Qi Family Mental Method and lightness skills, they would yield twice the results for half the effort. Are you truly not going to learn them, Immortal Master?"
"No need." Gary smiled wryly.
It was not that he did not want to learn. He simply could not possibly master them!
Lu Wenzhao walked over with his saber on his back. "Say no more, junior sister. The Immortal Master has immortal power at his disposal. Why would he need to practice internal cultivation?"
Gary did not explain. He smiled and said, "With that, my wish has been fulfilled. It is time for me to leave."
Lu Wenzhao saluted with clasped hands. "Take care, Immortal Master. My junior sister and I will remember your great kindness for the rest of our lives."
After much deliberation, Ding Baiying walked up to Gary, knelt on both knees, and offered him her saber with both hands. "Please forgive me, Immortal Master. I damaged your immortal treasure, the Mirror of Rebirth. We possess little of value, but this saber is one of the rare fine blades in this world. I offer it to you."
The tablet had simply disappeared automatically after finishing the movie.
Gary smiled. "You needn't blame yourself. The Mirror of Rebirth was always going to do that. Besides, this saber of yours..." I can't take it out with me anyway.
Before he could finish, Ding Baiying interrupted him. "Please do not decline again, Immortal Master. You have just learned saber techniques and need a fine blade. If you can produce a better saber, I will naturally say no more."
Gary fell silent. Of course he could not alter the dream right then and conjure up a fine saber.
"This saber is called Falling Plum. It is a family heirloom. Please accept it, Immortal Master, or I will never be at ease."
Ding Baiying's saber was beautiful. Its hilt, guard, and scabbard all bore exquisite relief carvings. The blade also had a blood groove and patterns, making it quite lovely.
A white tassel was tied to the pommel, fluttering in the breeze.
Falling Plum was precious without being ostentatious, beautiful without being gaudy. It was nothing short of a work of art.
Wishing to accept Ding Baiying's kindness, Gary reached out and took Falling Plum, making a solemn promise. "This saber will stay with me for the rest of my life."
Ding Baiying slowly rose. "May you enjoy blessings, longevity, and good health, Immortal Master, and live a life free of worries."
Partings were always sorrowful. Even though Gary knew they were not real, he could not help feeling down.
He gave Lu Wenzhao and Ding Baiying a long look. "Take care."
"Take care, Immortal Master." The two saluted together.
Gary tightened his grip on little Arya's hand beside him, and the two instantly left the dream. With their departure, the dream dissolved within the Consciousness Space...
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