"Now!"
Without a moment’s hesitation, Wang Ping seized the rare opening. He snatched the Ox-tail Saber beside him and began to execute the techniques of Yama’s Three Demonic Sabers.
SHING! SHING!
The long saber left its sheath. In that instant, an incredibly intense will flooded into Wang Ping’s mind along with the ring of the blade, and his eyes instantly filled with bloodshot veins.
It was—Greed!
Money, women, power... an all-consuming desire to possess everything in the world, no matter the cost. To fight for it, to seize it—the kind of desire that could be called the root of human evil!
As Wang Ping began to swing the saber according to the style of Yama’s Three Demonic Sabers, following its breathing method and circulating his Qi and Blood, this emotion intensified. It seemed to resonate with the Ox-tail Saber in his hand, causing more and more blood vessels to appear in his eyes as his sanity faced a powerful assault.
"What a demonic saber!"
The next moment, Wang Ping held his breath. Relying on the relaxed state of mind he’d achieved after his training, he managed to barely suppress the desire and returned the Ox-tail Saber to its sheath.
When he came to his senses, he realized he was drenched in sweat.
"I see... I understand now."
Looking at the long saber in his hand, Wang Ping had an epiphany. ’Greed... The process of being assaulted by this emotion is actually the process of the Cultivation Technique reforging my body.’
’Only by remaining clear-headed during this process...’
’...and suppressing the desire with reason, without being influenced by it, can I maximize the effects of the body’s transformation. The results after mastering the basics of the Sword Technique will be that much better.’
Thinking of this, Wang Ping immediately made a decision.
’For now... I’m in no rush to master the basics.’
To be honest, with the foundation from his Iron Bull Skill and the rapid recovery granted by [Qi Suppression], he was confident he could master the basics of the Sword Technique right now.
However, if he mastered it this way, the "dragon tendon" he would form would likely be the lowest grade—a "serpent-dragon tendon." It would be fast, but it wouldn’t benefit his future development at all. If he didn’t have a cheat, he might have settled for the bird in hand. But since he *did* have one, he naturally had to set his sights higher.
’No rush. I’ll take it slow.’
’My Iron Bull Skill isn’t at the Perfection level yet. My ’little brother’ isn’t fast enough, nor vicious enough, and can’t maintain the relaxed state needed to fight the Sword Intent of Greed for long.’
Wang Ping continued to train as he planned in his mind.
As the saying goes, great towers are built from the ground up. If he couldn’t strive for the best even in Martial Arts, wouldn’t Immortal Cultivation be nothing but a pipe dream?
’After I bring my Iron Bull Skill to the Perfection level, I can start practicing the [Innate Law of the Desire Realm] and undergo a complete metamorphosis. Then, I’ll use an Immortal Cultivator’s constitution to practice Martial Arts and master the Sword Technique. The results should be no worse than those geniuses with superior innate talent. At the very least, I should start with a ’flood-dragon tendon’.’
Regardless, now was the time to lie low and build up his strength.
No time to be reckless!
......
「Longxing County, Outer City.」
Following Chen Haoyan’s order, Longxing County was officially sealed. Entry was permitted, but no one could leave. Dozens, even hundreds, of constables went door-to-door, hunting for the White Lotus Sect rebels.
But after searching for the better part of a day, they hadn’t found the rebel Xie Shi. Instead, they’d accidentally rounded up a large number of fugitives, throwing the entire county into chaos.
"Damn it, I never should have listened to that old bastard..."
In a remote alley in the outer city, Xie Shi hid in the shadows, clutching the rags wrapped around his body. He carefully protected a fist-sized wound on his lower abdomen.
Through the wound, one could even faintly see his internal organs.
"The Cloud-piercing Heaven-shaking Bow..."
Xie Shi gritted his teeth, feeling a stabbing pain everywhere from his skin and flesh to his tendons and bones. He had lost a severe amount of blood, and his body constantly signaled its depletion.
His Skin, Flesh, Tendons, Bones, Blood, and Marrow—none had been spared.
The six corresponding weapons were all shattered. As a result, he could now use less than a tenth of his full Martial Arts prowess. It was as if he had already lost half his life.
"What do I do now?"
Wait for rescue... That was out of the question. With that old bastard’s personality, he would never risk walking into a trap to save him in the county.
He could only save himself.
After thinking it over, Xie Shi could only come up with one option: "In the northern part of the city, the sanctuary of that Court Alchemist, the Wandering God Zhenren, should be able to protect me in my current state."
Although the County Magistrate’s Office was a behemoth in Longxing County, it didn’t have absolute authority. Leaving aside the White Lotus Sect outside the city, even within the city walls there were entities the County Magistrate’s Office was unwilling to provoke. The You Shen Temple in the northern district was one of them. Even with a city-wide manhunt, no one dared to search there.
And right now, the You Shen Temple was recruiting servants.
"If I can find a way to sneak in, I can escape the pursuit of these black-skins," Xie Shi schemed, but his brow quickly furrowed with worry.
The problem was the recruitment requirement for the You Shen Temple.
Applicants had to be beautiful women.
At this thought, Xie Shi felt utterly hopeless about this world that judged everyone by their looks. After all, a burly, brutish man like him could never be considered a beautiful woman.
Unless—
A glint appeared in Xie Shi’s eyes. Back when he was trying to perfect his external martial arts, he had searched for many techniques. Among them was an unorthodox Martial Art that was perfect for his current situation.
[Shape-altering Disguise Technique]
It was a low-tier Martial Art with no corresponding weapon. After perfecting the Cultivation Technique, the condensed martial essence was called [A Thousand Faces], and it allowed one to change their appearance and reshape their body.
Not only could it change one’s face, but it could even alter one’s body shape and size at will. A woman could grow a beard, and a man could grow breasts. Besides being unable to truly change one’s sex, there were almost no limits to the external changes. With this Martial Art, he should be able to meet the You Shen Temple’s recruitment requirements.
But... what should a beautiful woman look like?
Xie Shi had a headache. Images of beautiful women he had seen before flashed through his mind, but without a real person in front of him, it would be difficult to create a perfect disguise from imagination alone.
"...I need to find a real person to use as a reference."
Where could one find the most beautiful women?
At this thought, Xie Shi looked up. His gaze immediately fell upon the largest, most prosperous, and brightly lit tower in the city.
.........
「Danfeng Building.」
Wang Ping had only two words for the largest entertainment establishment in Longxing County.
Truly "endowed."
On the brightly lit floors of the tower, the din was incessant. Crowds came and went, seeking pleasure and entertainment. There were wealthy merchants, scholars, and even officials among them.
However, Wang Ping paid no mind to these people. His gaze went straight to the woman sitting on the highest central stage, playing the zither and singing. He had heard her name mentioned by the other constables on the training grounds; she was the most famous top courtesan in Longxing County.
Her fingers plucked the strings gently, like a soft breeze through willow branches. Her red lips parted slightly, her voice like a nightingale heralding the spring.
Although Wang Ping was not a lecherous man, he was still stunned by her at first glance. It was undeniable that one needed real skill to become a top courtesan.
In terms of looks, the woman’s exquisitely made-up face was second to none.
In terms of temperament, she carried herself like a lady from a noble family.
And yet, she wore a thin dress, a sash wrapped around her chest that pushed up two snowy peaks. It was a look that was both concealed and revealing, the bottomless ravine between them converging into a single dark line.
To put it in a single verse:
A worldly treasure, the darling of one’s heart, with a slender, graceful waist; waking behind fragrant curtains, hair done and makeup rich with wine, her reddened face like an apricot blossom in spring; coyly she loves to hold a silk fan, hiding her red lips behind a gentle smile.
"Miss Qingfeng’s singing is truly beautiful."
"A pity she’s still a Qing Guanren. We’ll never get to hear what wonderful sounds she makes in bed..."
"Hmph, you vulgar lout! How dare you speak such filth..."
Averting his gaze, Wang Ping stopped paying attention to the top courtesan and the clamor surrounding her. After all, he had trained hard for half a month and was here on business.
The next moment, Wang Ping strode to a corner of the building.
There, a beautiful woman was busy giving orders. Though she was clearly getting on in years, her every glance could not hide the charm in her eyes.
"Miss Feng."
Wang Ping, who had done his homework before coming, called out to the beautiful woman directly and got straight to the point. "My name is Wang Ping. Master Liu sent me."
After speaking, he patted the Ox-tail Saber at his waist.
Although he wasn’t wearing his black and red constable’s uniform, the distinctive style of the Ox-tail Saber was enough to prove his identity.
"...So it’s Brother Wang!"
The madam of the Danfeng Building was taken aback for a moment, then seemed to remember something and immediately smiled. "Master Liu did mention it. This way, Brother Wang."
A short while later, Wang Ping followed Miss Feng into a private room.
"Brother Wang, you’ve acquired the Iron Bull Skill and intend to practice it here, correct?" Miss Feng’s tone was relaxed, and her words made it clear she had a close relationship with Liu Ye.
Then, she looked Wang Ping up and down.
Seeing Wang Ping’s frame, which didn’t look particularly robust at first glance, and his rather young face, a hint of amusement appeared in Miss Feng’s eyes.
"Brother Wang, you’ve just started practicing the Iron Bull Skill, so you shouldn’t overexert yourself. How about this? I’ll have a girl come over first to help you... warm up?"
"Warm up? Who are you looking down on?"
Wang Ping sneered, immediately activating his Iron Bull Skill to its fullest. Empowered by its martial essence, he said seriously, "Let’s start the real training, now!"