stjorthotic Chapter 35: The Perfection of the Blade-Splashing Technique, Man and Blade as One
Chapter 35: The Perfection of the Blade-Splashing Technique, Man and Blade as One
Looking at the anger on his face, Wang Chen said in a deep voice, "His name is Wu He. He was personally summoned to the military camp by General Guo."
"Xiao Du, you should actually thank him for what happened today. If he hadn't delivered the accurate information, you wouldn't be back."
"But it was his men who shot down my carrier pigeon, which gave Liu Baoze leverage over us."
Du Jianlian snorted coldly, his stubbornness leaving Wang Chen speechless, and he could only sigh softly...
This trip was a complete victory for Liu Baoze's troops, and he truly fulfilled his promise, awarding Wu He the greatest credit, even ranking him above the five captains under him.
All told, that's enough to exchange for sixty catties of wolf meat from ten years of farming!
After some deliberation, at noon, he returned to the Desire Immortal Pavilion carrying ten catties of wolf meat.
At that time, I was so hungry that my stomach was sticking to my back. I cooked the food myself and then took it out to eat with great relish.
The meat was a bit tough, tasting like the turkey I ate in a past life; the flavor wasn't really good.
However, the energy it provided was immense. After just two pieces of meat weighing four pounds each, the hunger quickly subsided, and the whole body felt warm and extremely comfortable.
After filling his stomach, he also gave Li Bo two pieces.
"You keep it for yourself, I don't need it."
Inside the room, Li Bo waved his hand, glanced at it briefly, and then pushed it back.
Seeing this, Wu He also voiced his doubts: "Godfather, the higher the cultivation level, the more energy is required from food. You are at the Blood Burning Realm, so why is your daily diet much simpler and lighter than mine?"
He had noticed it long ago: although Li Bo ate more than the average person, his diet was simple and bland compared to that of ordinary martial artists.
Li Bo chuckled and said, "It's true that the higher your cultivation level, the more food you need. But if you don't use your qi and blood normally, or if you only fight with a low level of cultivation, you will naturally eat less."
"I see."
Wu He nodded in understanding.
Li Bo rarely went out. When no one caused trouble at Yuxian Tower, his main activity was sparring with Wu He.
If you move less, you eat less.
He then took the wooden box out of his bag and placed it on the table, asking doubtfully, "Godfather, can you tell anything about this item?"
He then recounted what he had seen and heard at Xiaoheishan that day.
Li Bo was playing with the wooden box with great interest, feeling quite relaxed. However, when he heard about the changes in the corpses of the Black Dragon Gang members, his expression changed.
"All the flesh and blood are gone?"
"Only the parts on the face are left, otherwise I wouldn't have recognized you."
Li Bo solemnly put down the wooden box: "The Khitan shamanic magic has always been strange. They are best at killing the living, bringing the dead back to life, or leaving people half-dead or like walking corpses."
"According to what you've said, they must be using the flesh and blood of martial artists to create some kind of wondrous artifact, but—"
He paused, a hint of doubt on his face: "After a martial artist dies, the essence of their flesh and blood usually lasts only for a dozen or so hours. Those with high cultivation, such as those who have entered the Open Source Five Palaces Realm, will have it last for several days."
"The Black Dragon Gang's corpses were displayed at the yamen for two days. Logically, their essence should have dissipated long ago. How did the Khitan shaman manage to create them?"
Even the well-informed Li Bo was quite puzzled at this point.
He then patted the wooden box and said, "This box is the Lu Ban Mechanism Box, made by Tiangong Pavilion, one of the Seven Alliances of Jianghu. It can only be opened using the correct method."
"If you want to know what's inside, you can go to the Curious Treasures Shop and find someone to decipher it. There are people from the Heavenly Crafts Pavilion there."
Wu He nodded slightly: "Okay, I'll give it a try in a few days."
The contents of this wooden box are unusual, and many people will likely be looking for it. With things in such a tense situation, there's no need to risk taking it out.
After leaving him with Li Bo for the time being, Wu He set off for Xichun Hall.
Practice!
……
Five days have passed since we parted.
At noon that day, the weather was fine, and the sun was shining brightly.
Swish!
Swish!
Wu He, shirtless, stood in the backyard, the sharp sound of his Plum Blossom Blade cutting through the air.
In a short while.
[Progress completed (Mastery of Blade Splashing Technique): 400//400]
[Has the pre-emptive strike of the Splashing Knife Technique been completed?]
The Book of Heavenly Debt shone brightly.
After several days of diligent study and practice, I have finally completed the required progress.
Wu He was overjoyed and immediately chose to receive the advance payment.
[Martial Arts Skill Already Received in Advance: Splashing Blade Technique Perfected]
The essence of the sweeping swordsmanship flowed into my mind, refining and elevating my original impression of the splashing sword technique.
When his eyes returned to their senses, a sharp glint flashed before revealing a deep and unperturbed expression.
His entire aura underwent a tremendous change at this moment. If he was previously as sharp as a blade, then now he was like a blade sheathed, concealed and not yet unleashed.
It looks unremarkable, but it moves with the force of thunder.
Wu He looked down at the Plum Blossom Knife in his hand. The feeling of holding the knife was as if it were an extension of his limbs. In his mind's eye, he could see every detail of the knife.
"Perfect sword-splashing technique, true unity of man and sword."
He kept chanting in his mind, and casually swung his knife, the blade's movements controlled with ease, sometimes as light as falling snow, sometimes as heavy as a towering wave.
At that moment, it felt as if I no longer remembered any moves or steps of the Splashing Knife Technique, but rather it had seeped into my body's instincts, and every movement was spontaneous and subtly in harmony with the power.
A perfect and flawless synthesis!
Wu He smiled slightly, then looked at the She Tian Ce.
[Progress completed (Blade Splashing Technique maxed out): 0/500]
[You need to complete the progress of the Splashing Blade Technique before you can advance other sword techniques and martial arts.]
"Five hundred progress points, a new height."
"Take it one step at a time."
He calmed himself and sheathed his sword.
After a quick wash, he donned his armor, went out, and rode straight to the Waqiao camp outside the city.
After the last battle to annihilate the Khitan at Xiaoheishan, Wu He was promoted to the rank of captain and concurrently served as the tenth general of the Bingzi scout team, with more than two hundred soldiers under his command.
We also need to supervise their training regularly.
At the drill ground, I happened to run into Yu Long. During our chat, he mentioned the Black Dragon Gang's corpses from a few days ago.
"General Guo asked Physician Wen to examine the corpse. Physician Wen said that it was the Khitan barbarians who stole the essence of the corpse's flesh and blood, probably to refine some kind of strange object."
"And there must have been quite a few that slipped through the net, because the holes in the corpses looked like some kind of needlework used to lock in the essence of the flesh and blood, something those shamans wouldn't know how to do."
Does acupuncture lock in the essence of blood and flesh?
Wu He felt somewhat relieved upon hearing this.
If that's the explanation, then it makes sense.
Yu Long continued, "Little Black Mountain is definitely not the end. General Guo is worried that the Khitan barbarians are plotting some kind of evil magic, so he has already sent people to invite people from the Celestial Master's Mansion. Only they can deal with those mysterious barbarian shamans."
The Celestial Master's Mansion is also one of the Seven Alliances of the Martial World.
Wu He nodded slightly, indicating that the matter was indeed becoming more serious.
"By the way, Chief Wu."
Then Yu Long suddenly changed the subject and asked, "Last time in the stone chamber in Xiaohei Mountain, did you see anyone else going in or out?"
After a moment's thought, Wu He replied, "When I arrived, only the shaman was left; there was no one else."
"Oh, so it was taken ahead of time."
Yu Long pursed his lips and explained, "Doctor Wen said that the rare items those shamans refined with the essence of flesh and blood are comparable to century-old precious plants and are extremely valuable, but none of them were found in the stone chamber on Black Mountain."
"He even suggested that General Guo send people to search for it, but how could they possibly find it!"
"Looking for a needle in a haystack."
Wu He echoed, though inwardly he was somewhat horrified.
Comparable to a century-old treasure?
How could such a powerful thing be cultivated from the corpses of those few guys?
"Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore."
"Tonight at Fuxiang Restaurant, Lord Liu... oh no, I should now call him Commander Liu, will be hosting a banquet to celebrate the great victory at Xiaoheishan!"
Yu Long patted Wu He on the shoulder with a smile: "You absolutely have to come! Commander Liu said you've made invaluable contributions and are a great hero. Tonight we'll celebrate your promotion to captain!"