A life of idleness in the world of demons

Chapter 7.7. The Secret Steps of Swallow Return
Zhang Erquan, nicknamed "Swallow Chasing Wind Blade," was the same age as Han Ba. Although he was still vigorous and his eyes were bright, his hair had turned quite white. At this moment, he was drinking tea in the side courtyard of the Ning residence.

Good tea.

Suddenly, he heard a rush of footsteps, and then he saw his "last disciple" whom he had taken in out of respect for Elder Ning.

This disciple hasn't come for a long time.

"Master Zhang, I would like to continue learning 'The Swallow Chasing the Wind Blade'."

Ning Xuandao.

He had previously learned three moves of the "Swallow Chasing the Wind Blade," but he did not continue to learn the core footwork of the "Swallow Chasing the Wind Blade"—the Swallow Return—and only learned the basic footwork.

Why?

He gave up after seeing Master Zhang demonstrate the core footwork and then looking at the training method for that core footwork.

This cultivation method is too difficult and too tiring, and even if he succeeds, he will not become "the kind of peerless master of lightness skills he imagined".

He's the young master Ning, why would he go through all this trouble to learn this kind of thing?
But now, he needs to improve himself.

He is too weak; he only has 1 point in both sex and life.

Zhang Erquan was somewhat surprised upon hearing this.

But he was a man of few words, so he didn't ask anything, only saying, "Come with me."

He didn't ask because he already knew the answer in his heart.

Young Master Ning's mind is fickle and his thoughts are easily changed. He may want to start training today, but who knows if he'll find it too difficult in a couple of days and then give up?

Actually, he also felt that Young Master Ning didn't need to suffer like this, practicing the core footwork of "Swallow Chasing the Wind Blade".

Even if he masters it, so what? Can Young Master Ning really become a lone swordsman who licks blood off the edge and wanders the world?
The young master wanted to practice martial arts, so the servants of the Ning family got busy.

By evening, the servants had finally finished their work.

Eighty-one plum blossom stakes were also erected in the small river behind Ning Mansion.

The opening of the plum blossom stake is not large, only wide enough for half a foot.

There were also sandbags of different sizes along the riverbank.

Zhang Erquan grabbed a specially made heavy wooden sword and threw it over.

Ning Xuan caught it.

Zhang Erquan said, "You have already practiced the footwork in the previous training, now you need to practice the stance."

Remember, do not get your shoes wet after you've started walking on the stakes.

Once you can stand firmly on the stake for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, then put on a sandbag, starting with ten pounds and gradually increasing to half your body weight.

Once you've mastered the static stance, you need to move the stance, taking three steps forward and three steps back, holding a heavy knife, and using the knife as a guide to maintain balance. When you can quickly walk through the 81 stances at a running speed, you can apply tung oil to the stances and repeat the practice.

When you can carry sandbags and walk smoothly on plum blossom stakes coated with tung oil without getting your shoes wet, you have truly mastered the core footwork of "Swallow Chasing the Wind Blade".

If you master the Swallow Return Secret Steps and combine them with those three moves, it becomes the Swallow Return Three Blades.

Mastering these three sword techniques will make you quite formidable in direct combat within the martial arts world.

However, the world is a dangerous place; who would fight you head-on?

Zhang Erquan seemed to remember something, sighed softly, and then said seriously, "Remember: knees slightly bent like a swallow perched on a branch, center of gravity flowing with the movement of the blade. Form solidifies like mountains, spirit soars far, intention is like a light feather skimming the water."

You must stand in a dynamic stance, not a static stance!

There will inevitably be pain at the beginning, but I have a unique medicinal soup. Once you have begun your cultivation, I will have someone prepare it for you to bathe in daily.

"Understood, Master Zhang."

Ning Xuan gripped the heavy wooden sword, then stepped forward and carefully stepped onto the wooden stake closest to the riverbank.

night.

The bright moon is in the sky.

The Ning family's backyard.

Orioles and swallows
"Master~"

"Master~"

"Young Master's left leg is mine, and no one is allowed to take it from me."

"Young master, eat my grapes, hurry up~ hurry up!"

"I'll give the young master a shoulder massage."

Ning Xuan sat in the bathtub, his whole body aching, soaking in the medicinal bath. He only had a towel wrapped around his waist to cover the necessary parts, and three young maids were serving him around his side.

The maids were dressed in silk, and their white flesh was inadvertently revealed.

Who here doesn't want to climb into the young master's bed?

Although Xiao Jie is a sly fox, can't the young master have something new to eat?
The maids' fingertips were not behaving properly.

But Ning Xuan didn't want to cause any more trouble.

He could do whatever he wanted with them, even all three at once, but given his mother's personality, after he was done with them, he would definitely give these maids some "minor titles," or make them concubines to serve him and relieve Xiao Jie's burden; or they would no longer be allowed to show their faces in public, but would be transferred to some part of the family business to do some easy work.

The maids weren't serving him; they were conducting a promotion assessment.

Ning Xuan didn't touch anyone.

He practiced the Swallow Return Secret Steps today, and ended up with a bruised nose, swollen eyes, and aches all over his body.

Don't be fooled by his seemingly evenly matched battle with the Mountain-Collision Bear Demon in his nightmares, or his agile ascents in the hanging baskets on cliffs; that was only after he had absorbed a significant amount of the Mountain-Collision Bear Demon's power.

That was not the power of his own body.

Although the Heavenly Demon Talisman is powerful, he himself still needs to stand up for himself.

Only in this way can he maintain his current comfortable life.

After bathing and changing, Ning Xuan went to bed.

He needs to go to bed early and get up early, as he still needs to practice standing meditation tomorrow.

Suddenly, the blankets billowed up, and the little imp emerged from within as if by magic. Her petite body was not heavy at all.

She rested her elbows on Ning Xuan's chest, her waist twisting slightly, intentionally or unintentionally provoking him to launch an attack.

"How could you bear to let another maid bathe me today?" Ning Xuan asked casually.

Xiao Jie chuckled and said, "I will have to go far away one day, so I need to let the young master get used to other maids as soon as possible."

Her smile slowly faded, and she tilted her head slightly, revealing a sad and lost look in the red candlelight, a look that suggested she needed to be cherished and loved.

Ning Xuan said, "Are you afraid that I'll get tired of being with you all the time? That's why you deliberately allow maids who can't compete with you to get close to me."

Xiao Jie's thoughts were exposed, but she didn't panic at all. Instead, she leaned against Ning Xuan's chest and said softly in a tone that said, "Whatever you say is right, Young Master knows everything. You're really amazing."

She had a plan.

As long as the young master doesn't promote her "chamber maid" to "concubine," she will say she wants to leave every now and then.

She really wanted to be the eldest son of the Ning family's concubine.

Ning Xuan practiced stance training for three consecutive days.

He's been practicing so hard he's almost lost his soul.

On this day, the news of peace finally arrived from Ning Family Manor.

Ning Xuan asked, "Why are you so late?"

The guard who delivered the message said, "The boss led us in training, so it's two days late. Anyway, the manor has always been peaceful, and the surrounding area has already been cleared. There isn't a single carnivorous wild animal within a twenty-mile radius."

Ning Xuan asked curiously, "Boss?"

The guard explained, "It's Elder Han. We all follow him in the martial arts world, so we call him Boss."

Ning Xuan asked, "Which boss?"

The guard stammered, "It's just a gang from Jianghu Mountain. We're all upright people, we only call each other 'boss' because we get along well. Um... young master, I've delivered the message of safety, I'll be going now."

Ning Xuan waved his hand.

The guards immediately ran away.

Ning Xuan leaned back in his chair, with Xiao Jie sitting on his left lap.

The petite girl seemed to be proficient in some kind of magic. Even though she was pressing down on Ning Xuan's left leg, it was as light as a bird perching on a beam, without giving him the heavy feeling of having a large sandbag on his leg.

For this reason alone, no maid could compete with her.

When Ning Xuan looked at Xiao Jie, Xiao Jie chuckled and said in a soft, sweet voice, "Well said, we are all decent people."

Ning Xuan smiled too.

Two types of people can't emerge from a single family.

Xiao Jie is a vixen.

He is too.

However, he was curious as to why nothing had happened at the villa.

He glanced at the panel again.

[Heavenly Demon Talisman: Observe the approaching Heavenly Demon, examine its life essence, and forcibly refine the talisman. Failure to refine the talisman will result in death and dissipation of one's cultivation; success will allow it to be used by oneself.]

"Observing the approach of the Heavenly Demon" means that the Heavenly Demon has not yet arrived, but is about to arrive.

He originally thought he would arrive that night, but five days have passed and nothing has happened.

He needs to figure it out.

Just then, Xiao Jie suddenly leaned close to his ear, breathed softly, and said, "The ladies from Fuxiang Pavilion in the prefectural city came here last night to gather inspiration, and they won't be leaving for the next few days. May I go and find them tonight to bathe you, young master?"

Fuxiang Pavilion is a brothel, but it is a high-end brothel.

The prostitutes inside must be skilled in various arts.

The field trip was more of a gimmick.

Outsiders may not know, but Ning Xuan does.

The so-called "collecting of folk songs" was actually a way for the owner of the brothel to have the prostitutes go out and collect folk songs, and then have them play the songs, thus making it seem like they had created them themselves.

With such talent, one's value naturally increases significantly.

With their net worth increasing, the boss naturally becomes rich.

The air suddenly became quiet.

Xiao Jie was actually very curious about what the young master was thinking.

for a long time
Ning Xuan finally spoke.

"Go tell Master Zhang that I'm not practicing today. Martial arts training needs to be balanced, I need to rest. Everyone at Fuxiang Pavilion has gone to gather inspiration, I need to go too."

He wanted to try a different way of practicing martial arts.

"Swallow Returns" is very difficult to master.

But what if he first obtained the Heavenly Demon Talisman to improve his physique before practicing? Would that be better? Would it feel like "having already become the best in the world, and then having to start over with a certain technique"?

That way, the cultivation speed can be increased by a great deal.

However, the Heavenly Demon Talisman is his biggest secret, and he will not tell anyone.

Xiao Jie said "Oh," then moved her hips aside and prepared to leave.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind her.

"Don't go today either, I'll just wander around by myself."

"Yes."

Xiao Jie responded.

She would never ask why the young master made a decision.

(End of this chapter)