Chapter 154: The Target Is That Mountain
Fang Jie didn’t leave his room again after he returned. He closed the windows and practiced One Saber Strike. Like always, he practiced the right-hand variation before the left-hand variation.
Although he didn’t get to use everything that he had prepared for the entrance exam, Fang Jie was cautious and felt like the left-hand variation would save his life one day. Perhaps he only thought this way due to his worries, but over-preparation was never a bad thing when there was time.
The crippled old man used One Saber Strike that was vicious when he was young, and it no longer fit his style at his age.
In fact, Fang Jie had a little bit of cowardice in him, and he didn’t even notice that the hidden cowardice in him was gradually disappearing.
People always had to change. Fang Jie persisted on not killing anyone at Fangu, but he had to when he left Fangu.
His mind started to shift from that of a modern person, adapting to the environment. This could be counted as an improvement.
Regardless of who it was, no one could instantly adapt to a world where killing was sometimes necessary from a peaceful and lawful world. If someone could, this person must be a vicious criminal already.
It took Fang Jie a long time to adapt. Even now, he was still resistant to the idea of killing people.
The broken saber that the crippled old man gave him was too short; it was a saber that got most of its blade chopped off. The cut was clean, so it must have been cut by something extremely sharp.
Fang Jie tested this saber, and he found that it was extremely tough and sharp. The sabers made by the military of Great Sui were great, but this broken saber could easily cut through them.
This made Fang Jie curious; he wondered what weapon cut through this saber.
Although this saber was short now, it was the perfect length for One Saber Strike; it could unleash the viciousness of this technique.
Given Fang Jie’s physique, he had to engage in close-range combat. Only those with high cultivation strength could control swords with their internal forces.
For example, that senior in the sapphire robe’s sword was both tangible and intangible.
Fang Jie focused on his speed. Trickiness was the essence of One Saber Strike, and speed was the key of One Saber Strike. One Saber Technique’s power could only be shown if trickiness and speed were combined.
After practicing and sweating profusely, Fang Jie sat down cross-legged on his bed and closed his eyes, trying to sense his muscles. He wasn’t pleased by the potential that his muscles had in passive defense. He never liked being passive, and he wasn’t strong enough for others to attack first and then counter.
If he could control his muscles at will, he would be able to unleash a portion of his body’s potential.
Fang Jie tried to control his muscles through meditation. Although this sounded simple, it was difficult to concentrate and not have a single random thought in his mind.
It was harder for people like Fang Jie who were cautious to clear their minds of random thoughts.
Fang Jie tried to make his muscles respond when there were no external forces, but it was difficult to execute this simple idea.
He was thinking about controlling his muscles through meditation. When waterdrops landed on his body, the corresponding muscles would harden to block the incoming forces. This was a passive response. Fang Jie wanted to make his muscles harden without external forces.
However, he failed.
He meditated for two hours and felt like he concentrated enough, but he still couldn’t control a specific group of his muscles without moving his body.
After thinking for a while, Fang Jie switched his method. He gave up trying to specifically control a group of his muscles. Instead, he tried to make all the muscles in his body react without external forces. Although it sounded more difficult, it was in fact much easier to control the whole rather than a specific subgroup of muscles while the rest stayed the same.
However, Fang Jie failed again.
When it got dark, Fang Jie still couldn’t change the state of his body at will. When he didn’t move, his muscles were relaxed. Regardless of how he pictured his muscles changing in his mind, nothing really happened. Pure meditation wasn’t working.
His muscles would only react when he moved.
For example, when he clenched his fists, the muscles in his arms would contract. However, his muscles wouldn’t move when he did nothing.
Fang Jie got down a rabbit hole and couldn’t get out.
Qi Lin guarded the door and would sometimes look back at Fang Jie. He frowned and couldn’t figure out what Fang Jie was doing. He knew that Fang Jie encountered an issue, but this dull man couldn’t help Fang Jie. He could only stand by the side. No one could walk by him and get to Fang Jie.
On the morning of the second day, Zhang Kuang was waiting for Fang Jie at his door. After Professor Mo Wanwu made a bet with that student named Liu Shuang, Fang Jie and Zhang Kuang were intrigued. After all, it involved scouts, and they were both outstanding scouts.
“What do you think? How will the bet take place?” Zhang Kuang asked while walking.
Fang Jie smiled and said, “Liu Shuang will lead a big group of students, and Professor Mo will lead a small group of students. However, the big group can’t have scouts. The professor will have a ton of advantages. This competition is meaningless. I don’t even understand why the professor would have this bet with a student who doesn’t know much.”
Zhang Kuang smiled and said, “I like his personality; he is similar to border soldiers like us.”
“Right!” Fang Jie nodded and said, “He is straightforward. He isn’t fake like others.”
Zhang Kuang nodded and fell silent. He hesitated for a moment but didn’t speak; it seemed like he had something tough on his mind.
Fang Jie smiled and patted his shoulder before saying, “It seems like something is on your mind. Just tell me; did you fall in love with a female student? You want me to bridge the gap between you two?”
“No…”
“What else is there?” Fang Jie asked.
Zhang Kuang blushed and opened his mouth. In the end, he shook his head and said, “Nothing.”
“Do you see me as a friend?”
“Of course!”
“Then just tell me!”
“Fang Jie… I’m too embarrassed…”
“Damn!” Fang Jie gasped and asked, “Are you interested in me?”
“F*ck off!” Zhang Kuang cursed before hesitating and saying, “I chatted with Brother Mo last night. Both of us are troubled by something. You know that we were all border soldiers, and our salary was low. Everything in the Martial Arts Academy costs money, including eating. The two of us…”
“I got it!” Fang Jie nodded and said, “Wait for me.”
Then, he ran back to his room and pulled some silver certificates from Qi Lin’s tight hands. He ran back to Zhang Kuang and said with a smile, “Look at how stingy my friend is. He is in charge of all the silver certificates, and I need to beg him. I did some business in Fangu and have some money. You and Brother Mo can use these for now. Of course, you have to pay me back.”
Without the last sentence, perhaps Zhang Kuang wouldn’t accept the silver certificates that Fang Jie passed to him.
“This isn’t much. Only a few hundred taels of silver.” Fang Jie scratched his head and said, “I looked around for a long while since I got to the Capital. There are all kinds of businesses in Chang’an. It is hard to make money here.”
“You are a soldier; how can you do business?” Zhang Kuang asked in surprise, “Wouldn’t others laugh at you if this information gets passed around? A soldier doing business… It isn’t good.”
“Do you want to go hungry or be laughed at by others?”
“I…” Zhang Kuang froze for a second and sighed, “One cash coin would trouble a hero. If Brother Mo and I didn’t spend too much money when we got to Chang’an, the allowance that the government gives us should be enough. However, you know how Brother Mo is like. When we go out, he wouldn’t let others pay. After a few outings, I spent all my money as well.”
“I understand!” Fang Jie nodded and said, “We are brothers and not strangers; you can just tell me whatever you need.”
Zhang Kuang lowered his head and tried to hide the emotions in his eyes, but Fang Jie’s acute senses still detected it. There seemed to be resentment and craze in Zhang Kuang’s eyes. Although it flashed by, it was intense. However, Fang Jie didn’t pay attention to it; he thought Zhang Kuang was only embarrassed.
“Silver taels…” Zhang Kuang sighed and said, “I risked my life many years on the border, yet I don’t even have enough silver taels for eating.”
Fang Jie patted his shoulder and didn’t know how to comfort him.
…
-In the forest-
Zhuo Buyi’s expression changed, and he said to others, “Someone is coming from behind! This person is extremely fast!”
After he said that, the other three instantly reacted.
Du Hongxian lightly leaped onto a tree, hiding in the thick leaves.
Li Nan pulled the young master, and they hid behind a big boulder.
Zhuo Buyi didn’t move; he stood still and faced the direction where they came. Although it seemed like they were hiding casually, the secret would be revealed if someone were to observe from above.
If someone approached Zhou Buyi, this person would be surrounded by all four of them.
However, the newcomer wasn’t an enemy. When the red daoist robe appeared in Zhuo Buyi’s eyes, he heaved a sigh of relief and calmed down.
It was Phoenix-Chirp Daoist.
“Daoist, how come you are here?” The young master poked out his head from behind the boulder and asked curiously.
“Greetings, Your Highness.” Phoenix-Chirp Daoist bowed and replied, “I chased to the west and didn’t find anything. After I received the letter pigeon, I learned that you guys came to this mountain range and followed.”
“We have enough people here,” the young master said with a smile.
“I’m here to ask Your Highness return to Chang’an; this is His Majesty’s will,” Phoenix-Chirp Daoist said.
“Huh? How does Father know?” the young master asked while shaking his head, “I won’t go back. I won’t return unless I capture that bald donkey who dared to be reckless in Chang’an. Do you think I will be a burden? So you mentioned my father to pressure me?”
“Of course not. Your Highness, you are extremely talented, and not a single young person in the entire Great Sui could be compared to you. However, this is a dangerous task; how could His Majesty allow you to do this?”
“I won’t go back!” The young master stomped the ground and said, “Do you guys dare to arrest me?”
“No… but you have to return.” Phoenix-Chirp Daoist looked back and said, “They are here to ask you to return as well.”
The young master looked into afar and gasped, “Task Battalion! Father sent these maniacs to arrest me!”
About 30 meters away, there were about 20 soldiers in black. They stood there quietly, but the air around them seemed chilly.
Every single one of them looked like a straight spear, and even the hearts of level 9 masters like Zhuo Buyi shivered a little when seeing them.
…
-The Martial Arts Academy-
Professor Mo Wanwu smiled and said to the students who gathered in front of him, “Since we are having a competition, let’s make it more real. Let’s start here, and our target is the mountain range to the north of Chang’an. Liu Shuang, you can lead 30 students, and I will only go with Fang Jie and Zhang Kuang. Crescent Moon Pond in the mountain range will be our destination.”
“Huh?” Liu Shuang asked, “Professor, you only need two people?”
Mo Wanwu said with his chin raised, “The two of them are my scouts, and I’m the army!”
Although he didn’t get to use everything that he had prepared for the entrance exam, Fang Jie was cautious and felt like the left-hand variation would save his life one day. Perhaps he only thought this way due to his worries, but over-preparation was never a bad thing when there was time.
The crippled old man used One Saber Strike that was vicious when he was young, and it no longer fit his style at his age.
In fact, Fang Jie had a little bit of cowardice in him, and he didn’t even notice that the hidden cowardice in him was gradually disappearing.
People always had to change. Fang Jie persisted on not killing anyone at Fangu, but he had to when he left Fangu.
His mind started to shift from that of a modern person, adapting to the environment. This could be counted as an improvement.
Regardless of who it was, no one could instantly adapt to a world where killing was sometimes necessary from a peaceful and lawful world. If someone could, this person must be a vicious criminal already.
It took Fang Jie a long time to adapt. Even now, he was still resistant to the idea of killing people.
The broken saber that the crippled old man gave him was too short; it was a saber that got most of its blade chopped off. The cut was clean, so it must have been cut by something extremely sharp.
Fang Jie tested this saber, and he found that it was extremely tough and sharp. The sabers made by the military of Great Sui were great, but this broken saber could easily cut through them.
This made Fang Jie curious; he wondered what weapon cut through this saber.
Although this saber was short now, it was the perfect length for One Saber Strike; it could unleash the viciousness of this technique.
Given Fang Jie’s physique, he had to engage in close-range combat. Only those with high cultivation strength could control swords with their internal forces.
For example, that senior in the sapphire robe’s sword was both tangible and intangible.
Fang Jie focused on his speed. Trickiness was the essence of One Saber Strike, and speed was the key of One Saber Strike. One Saber Technique’s power could only be shown if trickiness and speed were combined.
After practicing and sweating profusely, Fang Jie sat down cross-legged on his bed and closed his eyes, trying to sense his muscles. He wasn’t pleased by the potential that his muscles had in passive defense. He never liked being passive, and he wasn’t strong enough for others to attack first and then counter.
If he could control his muscles at will, he would be able to unleash a portion of his body’s potential.
Fang Jie tried to control his muscles through meditation. Although this sounded simple, it was difficult to concentrate and not have a single random thought in his mind.
It was harder for people like Fang Jie who were cautious to clear their minds of random thoughts.
Fang Jie tried to make his muscles respond when there were no external forces, but it was difficult to execute this simple idea.
He was thinking about controlling his muscles through meditation. When waterdrops landed on his body, the corresponding muscles would harden to block the incoming forces. This was a passive response. Fang Jie wanted to make his muscles harden without external forces.
However, he failed.
He meditated for two hours and felt like he concentrated enough, but he still couldn’t control a specific group of his muscles without moving his body.
After thinking for a while, Fang Jie switched his method. He gave up trying to specifically control a group of his muscles. Instead, he tried to make all the muscles in his body react without external forces. Although it sounded more difficult, it was in fact much easier to control the whole rather than a specific subgroup of muscles while the rest stayed the same.
However, Fang Jie failed again.
When it got dark, Fang Jie still couldn’t change the state of his body at will. When he didn’t move, his muscles were relaxed. Regardless of how he pictured his muscles changing in his mind, nothing really happened. Pure meditation wasn’t working.
His muscles would only react when he moved.
For example, when he clenched his fists, the muscles in his arms would contract. However, his muscles wouldn’t move when he did nothing.
Fang Jie got down a rabbit hole and couldn’t get out.
Qi Lin guarded the door and would sometimes look back at Fang Jie. He frowned and couldn’t figure out what Fang Jie was doing. He knew that Fang Jie encountered an issue, but this dull man couldn’t help Fang Jie. He could only stand by the side. No one could walk by him and get to Fang Jie.
On the morning of the second day, Zhang Kuang was waiting for Fang Jie at his door. After Professor Mo Wanwu made a bet with that student named Liu Shuang, Fang Jie and Zhang Kuang were intrigued. After all, it involved scouts, and they were both outstanding scouts.
“What do you think? How will the bet take place?” Zhang Kuang asked while walking.
Fang Jie smiled and said, “Liu Shuang will lead a big group of students, and Professor Mo will lead a small group of students. However, the big group can’t have scouts. The professor will have a ton of advantages. This competition is meaningless. I don’t even understand why the professor would have this bet with a student who doesn’t know much.”
Zhang Kuang smiled and said, “I like his personality; he is similar to border soldiers like us.”
“Right!” Fang Jie nodded and said, “He is straightforward. He isn’t fake like others.”
Zhang Kuang nodded and fell silent. He hesitated for a moment but didn’t speak; it seemed like he had something tough on his mind.
Fang Jie smiled and patted his shoulder before saying, “It seems like something is on your mind. Just tell me; did you fall in love with a female student? You want me to bridge the gap between you two?”
“No…”
“What else is there?” Fang Jie asked.
Zhang Kuang blushed and opened his mouth. In the end, he shook his head and said, “Nothing.”
“Do you see me as a friend?”
“Of course!”
“Then just tell me!”
“Fang Jie… I’m too embarrassed…”
“Damn!” Fang Jie gasped and asked, “Are you interested in me?”
“F*ck off!” Zhang Kuang cursed before hesitating and saying, “I chatted with Brother Mo last night. Both of us are troubled by something. You know that we were all border soldiers, and our salary was low. Everything in the Martial Arts Academy costs money, including eating. The two of us…”
“I got it!” Fang Jie nodded and said, “Wait for me.”
Then, he ran back to his room and pulled some silver certificates from Qi Lin’s tight hands. He ran back to Zhang Kuang and said with a smile, “Look at how stingy my friend is. He is in charge of all the silver certificates, and I need to beg him. I did some business in Fangu and have some money. You and Brother Mo can use these for now. Of course, you have to pay me back.”
Without the last sentence, perhaps Zhang Kuang wouldn’t accept the silver certificates that Fang Jie passed to him.
“This isn’t much. Only a few hundred taels of silver.” Fang Jie scratched his head and said, “I looked around for a long while since I got to the Capital. There are all kinds of businesses in Chang’an. It is hard to make money here.”
“You are a soldier; how can you do business?” Zhang Kuang asked in surprise, “Wouldn’t others laugh at you if this information gets passed around? A soldier doing business… It isn’t good.”
“Do you want to go hungry or be laughed at by others?”
“I…” Zhang Kuang froze for a second and sighed, “One cash coin would trouble a hero. If Brother Mo and I didn’t spend too much money when we got to Chang’an, the allowance that the government gives us should be enough. However, you know how Brother Mo is like. When we go out, he wouldn’t let others pay. After a few outings, I spent all my money as well.”
“I understand!” Fang Jie nodded and said, “We are brothers and not strangers; you can just tell me whatever you need.”
Zhang Kuang lowered his head and tried to hide the emotions in his eyes, but Fang Jie’s acute senses still detected it. There seemed to be resentment and craze in Zhang Kuang’s eyes. Although it flashed by, it was intense. However, Fang Jie didn’t pay attention to it; he thought Zhang Kuang was only embarrassed.
“Silver taels…” Zhang Kuang sighed and said, “I risked my life many years on the border, yet I don’t even have enough silver taels for eating.”
Fang Jie patted his shoulder and didn’t know how to comfort him.
…
-In the forest-
Zhuo Buyi’s expression changed, and he said to others, “Someone is coming from behind! This person is extremely fast!”
After he said that, the other three instantly reacted.
Du Hongxian lightly leaped onto a tree, hiding in the thick leaves.
Li Nan pulled the young master, and they hid behind a big boulder.
Zhuo Buyi didn’t move; he stood still and faced the direction where they came. Although it seemed like they were hiding casually, the secret would be revealed if someone were to observe from above.
If someone approached Zhou Buyi, this person would be surrounded by all four of them.
However, the newcomer wasn’t an enemy. When the red daoist robe appeared in Zhuo Buyi’s eyes, he heaved a sigh of relief and calmed down.
It was Phoenix-Chirp Daoist.
“Daoist, how come you are here?” The young master poked out his head from behind the boulder and asked curiously.
“Greetings, Your Highness.” Phoenix-Chirp Daoist bowed and replied, “I chased to the west and didn’t find anything. After I received the letter pigeon, I learned that you guys came to this mountain range and followed.”
“We have enough people here,” the young master said with a smile.
“I’m here to ask Your Highness return to Chang’an; this is His Majesty’s will,” Phoenix-Chirp Daoist said.
“Huh? How does Father know?” the young master asked while shaking his head, “I won’t go back. I won’t return unless I capture that bald donkey who dared to be reckless in Chang’an. Do you think I will be a burden? So you mentioned my father to pressure me?”
“Of course not. Your Highness, you are extremely talented, and not a single young person in the entire Great Sui could be compared to you. However, this is a dangerous task; how could His Majesty allow you to do this?”
“I won’t go back!” The young master stomped the ground and said, “Do you guys dare to arrest me?”
“No… but you have to return.” Phoenix-Chirp Daoist looked back and said, “They are here to ask you to return as well.”
The young master looked into afar and gasped, “Task Battalion! Father sent these maniacs to arrest me!”
About 30 meters away, there were about 20 soldiers in black. They stood there quietly, but the air around them seemed chilly.
Every single one of them looked like a straight spear, and even the hearts of level 9 masters like Zhuo Buyi shivered a little when seeing them.
…
-The Martial Arts Academy-
Professor Mo Wanwu smiled and said to the students who gathered in front of him, “Since we are having a competition, let’s make it more real. Let’s start here, and our target is the mountain range to the north of Chang’an. Liu Shuang, you can lead 30 students, and I will only go with Fang Jie and Zhang Kuang. Crescent Moon Pond in the mountain range will be our destination.”
“Huh?” Liu Shuang asked, “Professor, you only need two people?”
Mo Wanwu said with his chin raised, “The two of them are my scouts, and I’m the army!”
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