For a month after returning to the mountain, I practiced my swordplay every morning and evening. During the heat of midday, I retreated to my room to cultivate illusion arts, diligently catching up on the lessons I had neglected. The martial techniques of our sect were a medley designed to complement the *Heart Sutra of the Mind within Dreams and Illusions*. They included a bit of everything—fists, kicks, swords, staves, and both soft and hard weapons. This style had been created by a second-generation ancestor who was originally a traveling street performer; he had cultivated his own illusory intent before being scouted by the Thousand-Illusion Fairy. While these techniques were practical, they lacked depth and refinement. They could not compare to Wei Qingming’s saber style, and even the boxing of a brute like Mi Toutuo possessed a level of intricate detail that our style lacked. Such precision is the hallmark of orthodox martial arts. Perhaps because illusion arts had leaned more toward mental cultivation over the millennia, successive generations of ancestors had grown increasingly dismissive of physical martial skills. By the time it reached us, few truly mastered even this medley; my three senior brothers had barely finished the first half.
One day, after finishing a set of sword forms, I was staring at the manual, agonizing over several key points I couldn't seem to master. Suddenly, a voice laughed, "Martial arts aren't something you can figure out just by brooding. Come, let’s trade a few blows!"
I looked up in surprise to see Nie Xueqing. Standing behind her was Lu Kaifeng, his hands behind his back. Seeing my hesitant gaze, he nodded with a smile, encouraging me. I bowed to Nie Xueqing. "It is an honor to receive your guidance, Senior!"
As soon as the words left my mouth, I drew the Hanguang sword and unleashed "Myriad Transformations Returning to Truth." This was an opening stance that created a lotus-shaped flash of sword-light in a few strokes. The posture closely resembled a Buddhist salutation, making it a polite etiquette for sparring with seniors or guests.
Nie Xueqing leaped lightly, snatching a wooden sword from the rack. She hovered momentarily in mid-air, exuding a sudden aura of gallantry, before landing steadily to wait for my move.
I lunged with a sword strike, aiming a diagonal slash at her left side. She shifted slightly and evaded it with crisp, efficient movements, wasting not a shred of energy. I followed with three more strikes, but she didn't even need to parry; she avoided them easily with her footwork alone. Seeing that I was only targeting non-vital areas, she knit her brows and barked, "Why are you being so polite!"
I did as she wished, pulling back my sword for a thrust aimed at her face. Only then did she raise her sword to strike, her blade sticking to mine as it slid down the edge, threatening to tap my wrist. I hurriedly retreated a step and dropped into a low sweep, but Nie Xueqing had already vanished, reappearing behind me. Her sword came down in a chop, forcing me to roll forward clumsily to barely escape. This move sparked my temper. Ignoring the dust covering me, I leaped up and swung my sword in a wide, sweeping arc.
"That’s more like it!" she shouted. "You were fighting like a dough-man before—who could you possibly kill like that?"
The speed of our blades increased. I began to feel a certain thrill, a desire to use every ounce of my strength, to dance with the sword until the end of time, forgetting all my obsessive pining and delusions. Nie Xueqing was clearly holding back, dodging whenever possible and only occasionally counterattacking. But when she did, they were lethal strikes that left me scrambling to respond. Eventually, I began to shout, no longer knowing which form I was using, simply hacking and slashing wildly. Seeing that I had entered a frenzied state, Nie Xueqing angled her blade and thrust it toward my chest. With a deft flick against my fingers, she wrenched the blade from my hand as I swung with all my might. My sword spun around her wooden blade before she caught it. Had she been using a steel edge, my right hand would have been ruined.
My aggression had been fully stoked, and seeing someone take the sword *she* had given me filled me with uncontrollable rage. I lunged forward mindlessly, throwing a chaotic punch. Nie Xueqing laughed, parrying my fist with the flat of her wooden sword and flipping me hard onto the ground.
"Refreshing... so refreshing!" I laughed loudly, lying flat on my back, my strength spent, staring at the sky filled with clouds like burning embers. "Thank you, Senior!"
Nie Xueqing pointed at me and shook her head, smiling. She turned to Lu Kaifeng. "Look at her acting tough. If not for this fine sword, which of my moves could she have withstood?"
My Eldest Senior Brother smiled faintly. "In Chief Nie's opinion, is this disciple worth teaching?"
"I'll take her," she said, tossing the sword back into my arms before turning to stride down the mountain.
I was like a pile of mud, unable to get up. I hugged my precious sword and managed to prop up my upper body, asking with a grin, "Eldest Senior Brother, are you finding me a new master?"
"Nonsense," he scolded sternly before smiling. "I've simply hired a martial arts instructor for you."
Hearing this, I clenched my fist. I truly did not want to be a useless person who could only hide behind her back. For now, I didn't expect to have the ability to protect her in times of danger, but at the very least, I couldn't keep dragging her down. But then a thought occurred to me: even if I mastered these skills, could I share even a spark of her toil and danger? We had parted so awkwardly; with her pride as a favored child of heaven, we would likely never meet again in this lifetime...
"Azhi?" Lu Kaifeng had walked over to me, offering his hand as he looked at me with concern. "Are you too tired? Or do you not like this teacher?"
I said quickly, "I like her! I want to go! Eldest Senior Brother, you... you are too good to me..."
He finally gave a gentle smile, patted my head, and helped me up. "Don't say such silly things. If Azhi wants to improve, of course I must support her."
Nie Xueqing was a person like the wind, impatient with waiting. That night, I packed a few simple clothes, and by early the next morning, I arrived at Mount Tong near Lingquan Stronghold, where the Nie family's main estate was located. Sitting at the mountain gate, I watched the brilliant morning sun cast its ten thousand rays upon the broad, hand-like green leaves of the paulownia trees. I couldn't help but smile bitterly. Paulownia flowers—the flowers of first love. The flowers she had pinned to her lapel and my hair on the day of the Qingming Festival. Was she truly like this sun that illuminated all things, or like her name, existing everywhere, making it impossible to escape her?
The servants received the message and invited me into the estate. Nie Xueqing was practicing in the courtyard. To my utter shock, despite her status as Head of the Family, she had stripped off her upper garments, leaving only a fire-red *dudou* embroidered with a golden phoenix. A turquoise sash was tied at her waist, and she wore black martial trousers with leg wraps, exposing her pale back, chest, and arms. Rough, burly men moved about nearby, looking at her openly without a hint of lewdness or awkwardness.
Blushing, I bowed to her. "Greetings, Senior Nie. I, Su Yuzhi, have come to trouble you for instruction."
Nie Xueqing gave a huff. "I thought you were a sensible person, so why the official tone today? You have a proper master; I'm just teaching you a few crude moves to save your life. Call me Sister Nie, Sister Qing, Old Nie, or whatever you like. Don't be so fussy with 'Senior' this and 'Senior' that—who has the patience for it?" With that, she tightened her sash and barked, "Draw your sword!"
I knew I had to be prepared. With a *clang*, I summoned Hanguang and charged at her with a whistle of wind. Her body seemed full of openings, yet she waited until I was right in front of her before calmly reaching out like a ghost. With her bare hands, she snatched my sword away again. This really stung my pride. I lunged with my claws, aiming for her throat.
Nie Xueqing caught my hand with her other hand and twisted it back sharply. I slammed into the ground, feeling as if every bone in my body had shattered and the back of my head was about to crack.
She toyed with my sword, sneering, "This is a delicate rapier. If you keep hacking and slashing with it like that, even a heavy sword ten times as tough would snap. You're wasting a good thing!" She picked up a wooden stick and struck my right hand hard, then my left. "You've got quite a temper, but your brain is too slow. If an enemy has a blade in hand, would they let you use those 'Ten Thousand Poison Claws'? They'd have run you through the heart long ago, turning you into a real 'White Bone Claw'!"
I was both angry and in pain, staring at her with reddened eyes. She gave a contemptuous smile. "That look in your eyes is actually somewhat interesting. Your spirit must match your skill to be worthy of your sword. I'm confiscating this sword for now. You'll only be qualified to take it back from me when you've finished your training and are ready to leave the mountain."
Seeing me gnashing my teeth in a rage so great I wanted to claw the ground, she stroked Hanguang and laughed. "Oh, it really is a beloved treasure! If your fists aren't hard enough, you won't be able to keep anything you love!" Laughing loudly, she threw on a robe and returned to her room.
Everyone in the Nie Manor, men and women alike, was bold and heroic, disregarding formalities. They wore short shirts with sleeves rolled up and trousers tucked high to mid-thigh, eating together from large communal pots. The sound of their loud chewing gave me a headache. Their speech was as brief and loud as possible. To be honest, setting aside the refined Wen family I had just left in the capital, even on our mountain, everyone was elegant and well-mannered! I forced myself to circulate my heart sutra, entering a partial state of the Radiant Realm to block out the external noise. Only then did I have the appetite to eat a small portion of the basin-sized bowl of noodles before setting down my chopsticks. Nie Xueqing appeared out of nowhere and slammed my table with a thunderous bang. "Finish it!"
I looked at her with indignant grief, twisted a large clump of noodles, and swallowed them whole as if to defy her, ignoring the heat scalding my throat.
The afternoon training remained rigorous. Nie Xueqing taught me a single move—a sword hook and wrist return. I practiced until my right wrist felt like it was breaking, only for her to give a sly grin and make me practice it just as much with my left hand. From then on, every technique had to be mastered equally with both hands. I spent ten days on one move without passing. I gritted my teeth and remembered the night at the inn when Wei Qingming had taught that boy, Huai Ren, a set of staff techniques—about twelve or thirteen moves. If a seven or eight-year-old child dared to say he could master it in ten days, was I really so much worse? That night, I was too angry to sleep. Exhausted and furious, I practiced all night until my arms and my entire upper body felt as if they had been detached and lost all sensation. When it was time for morning lessons, I ran to the martial field without stopping. Nie Xueqing hadn't arrived yet, so I subconsciously began practicing that move again. When I came to my senses, she had been standing behind me for who knows how long. She smiled with satisfaction. "It's done."
I wiped the sweat from my face haphazardly. Having stayed in the manor for so long, I had gradually picked up their informal ways, and I let out a happy shout. I began to understand the feeling Wei Qingming had described—of staying up all night to train desperately when she fell behind others in her sect.
Nie Xueqing didn't let me stay happy for long. She raised her sword. "Next move. Watch closely; I'm only demonstrating this once."
What she taught me was a secret technique passed down from her mother's side, called the *Wind-Hidden Sword*. It consisted of twenty-four styles, specialized for the path of an assassin—coming and going like the wind, killing without a trace. It was perfectly suited for my Hanguang and my other treasure sword, Xiaolian, which I carefully hid to keep the "Great Demon Nie" from finding out. Despite her rough exterior, Nie Xueqing was actually as meticulous as a hair, possessing excellent patience. Her martial arts balanced power and delicacy, being both hard and soft. Her movement was incredibly swift, truly like a ghost or a slippery fish. Her killing moves were as light as spider silk, a flickering blur that brought death; before the victim could even fall, her figure would already be several yards away. Every time I watched her perform the full set of techniques with my Hanguang, I was both envious and greedy. I couldn't help but think that once I mastered it, I would use that same flick and thrust to pick her pocket and see if I could snatch one or two of her favorite things!
By the time the twenty-four styles were taught, the heat of midsummer had faded from the earth. The autumn wind began to rise, and the paulownia trees across the mountain shed their withered, golden leaves. I asked Nie Xueqing for ten days of leave. She was generous and didn't even ask for a reason before letting me leave the manor. I sent a letter to Goumeng Mountain explaining my whereabouts, packed a few essential items, and rode down the mountain toward the capital.
***
