The old Daoist said softly, "How about it? Do you want to learn?"
"This disciple greets you, Master!"
Without a hint of hesitation, Wang Ping acted on pure instinct. He prostrated himself fully on the ground, accepting this bargain of a master.
For he was now perfectly clear on the matter:
’Ancient feudalism, my ass! The man shatters boulders with a casual move and uses a throwing knife like a missile. Conservatively, this is at least a mid-tier wuxia world. How could I possibly pass up such a golden opportunity!’
’The world has gone back to the old ways!’
Besides, being the White Lotus Sect Leader’s disciple wouldn’t stop him from continuing his work as an undercover agent for the Court. It was practically a freebie. How could he pass up such a great deal?
"Heh, you’re not so dumb after all. Get up."
Shouchong patted Wang Ping’s shoulder, satisfied. He then took a thick book from within his robes. "Go back and practice this well. I have high hopes for you."
"Thank you for your guidance, Master!" Wang Ping kowtowed again.
Shouchong smiled faintly and continued his instruction. "Once you learn this, remember not to use it casually. When you do, you must draw blood. Leave no one alive."
"After all, this old master of yours is a wanted man in Changle County. The authorities in the nearby Longxing County are hunting me day and night. Getting exposed would be a huge hassle."
"But as you know, in that last village, I wasn’t actually spreading my doctrine or inciting rebellion. I was just doing my part, healing the sick and saving lives. Yet, the more people I saved, the more my Daoist Temple’s following grew. The number of people who chose to follow me of their own accord just kept growing."
At this, the old Daoist’s expression turned grim.
"It’s not that I, this old Daoist, am so capable. It’s the state of the world... It is that incompetent tyrant in the distant Eastern Capital who has brought the realm to this sorry state!"
"Two campaigns against the Demon Kingdom have left families destitute across eight provinces and twenty-four prefectures."
"The construction of his palaces and temples has torn families apart across three hundred and sixty prefectures and counties."
"Heavy taxes on scarce land impoverish the masses, all to nourish a single family and its dynasty."
The old Daoist grew more and more furious as he spoke, his face a mask of righteous indignation. But for Wang Ping, the words went in one ear and out the other. His expression didn’t change in the slightest.
After all, none of this had anything to do with him.
’As the saying goes, you deal with the problem in front of you. Cut your coat according to your cloth. I’m just a farmer, why are you telling me about the great affairs of the realm?’
Outwardly, however, he put on a look of utmost loyalty and declared, "That is why only you, my lord Sect Leader, can save us from this fiery abyss! Only you can lead us all into the Void Homeland to enjoy eternal life! Lord Sect Leader, to me, you are the only sun in my heart!"
"...That’s a bit much."
The corner of Shouchong’s eye twitched. If a new recruit had said such a thing, his first reaction would have been to assume the person had ulterior motives.
But Wang Ping was different.
The boy had been in the sect for five years and had always spoken this way. To be honest, it had been a bit awkward to listen to at first, but lately, Shouchong was finding it more and more pleasant.
"Alright, that’s enough. Go back and practice for now."
"Finish reading the manual, get your materials ready, and come back to me if there’s anything you don’t understand."
Shouchong said casually, "Finding the spy isn’t urgent. I plan to make a trip to River Village in three days. Before then, I’ll have just enough time to guide your training."
"Thank you, Master!"
Wang Ping left, thanking him profusely. Only the master and disciple, Shouchong and Xie Shi, remained. The atmosphere slowly shifted from amicable to chilling.
After a moment of silence, Xie Shi spoke. "Congratulations, Master, on accepting such a fine disciple."
"A fine disciple? Not necessarily."
Shouchong lowered his gaze, his expression perfectly placid. "Actually, I quite liked what Wang Ping said earlier... kill them all, and the mole dies with them."
"Unfortunately, I can’t kill them."
"If I really did that, I’d lose the support of our people. His deliberately proposing that plan, even offering to kill himself, could be because he predicted I would have to stop him."
Xie Shi blinked. "So he could still be the mole?"
"That’s not the point."
Shouchong glanced back at Xie Shi and said softly, "If one wishes to achieve great things in this day and age, one must sometimes resort to unconventional methods."
"Therefore, who the mole is doesn’t actually matter. What matters is the amount of damage a person can cause our organization. The greater the damage, the more likely they are the mole. And even if they aren’t, they must be treated as if they were. That is the only way to avoid any major mistakes."
"...This disciple understands." Xie Shi said, bowing with his hands clasped.
"As long as you understand."
Shouchong nodded slightly and continued, "Keep an eye on Wang Ping. I want to know his every move for the next few days. Then I’ll decide on our next step."
"Yes, Master." Xie Shi acknowledged and departed.
...
Early the next morning, just as the sun peeked over the horizon, Wang Ping awoke. Full of energy, he immediately began poring over the manual for the [Moonlight Lotus Saber].
"Power rises from the earth, is born in the feet, generates from the legs, is governed by the waist, and is channeled through the fingers..."
In the courtyard, Wang Ping assumed a stance. He held the manual in one hand and a leaf in the other. Following the book’s instructions, he flicked the leaf forward with all his might.
CRACK!
With a sharp crack, the leaf shot forward nearly a meter, as if it were a stone. But it quickly went limp again, fluttering softly to the ground.
Wang Ping’s face lit up with excitement. Even though the leaf had lost its power less than a meter from his hand, he could feel it. By using the technique of the [Moonlight Lotus Saber], for the instant the leaf left his fingers, it was as sharp as a real blade. And this was only his first time practicing!
"Again!"
Wang Ping was like a child with a new favorite toy. He couldn’t wait to practice more, tirelessly throwing one leaf after another.
He continued until he was utterly exhausted, by which point the sun was already high in the sky.
Without realizing it, he had trained for the entire morning—for several hours straight. Yet, the joy in his heart completely overshadowed his body’s exhaustion.
’My talent seems pretty decent!’
Or perhaps it was just that the [Moonlight Lotus Saber] manual was exceptionally well-written. It was all in plain language, practically holding his hand and showing him exactly how to practice.
Generally speaking, Martial Arts comprised three aspects.
Refining Methods, Combat Methods, and Breathing Methods.
Wang Ping understood Combat Methods and Breathing Methods. The former focused on stances and moves—the art of fighting and killing. The latter focused on one’s foundation—a way to preserve health and prolong life.
In short, the Combat Method was an external art, and the Breathing Method was the art of Inner Energy.
The Refining Method, however, was different.
The "Refining" in this context wasn’t the "refining" of self-cultivation, but the "refining" of forging an object. In other words, the Refining Method referred to the art of smithing weapons: Artifact Refining.
’The Combat and Breathing Methods are secondary. The real focus of this world’s Martial Arts is the Refining Method. A Cultivator must personally forge the weapon that corresponds to their Cultivation Technique, forming a spiritual bond with it until their body and mind are in perfect sync. The weapon then nourishes the user in return. It’s less like you’re practicing Martial Arts and more like you’re refining a weapon...’
A Cultivator’s progress in their Martial Arts is also directly reflected in their weapon.
’Weapons have four grades, and the art has four realms: Entry, Minor Accomplishment, Major Accomplishment, and Perfection. The higher the realm of your Martial Arts, the higher the grade of your weapon becomes.’
’And if you can master a Martial Art to the Perfection realm, its corresponding weapon will manifest a [Weapon Art]. For instance, that strike the old Daoist Shouchong used to blow up the rockery was the [Weapon Art] of the [Moonlight Lotus Saber] at the Perfection realm. It’s called [One Thought in Bloom], and its power is incredible.’
What is [One Thought in Bloom]?
As the name implies, with a single thought, the blade is released. The target, locked on by the Martial Artist’s mind, then explodes like a flower bursting into bloom. To put it simply:
"You look at it, it explodes."
Recalling the power of Shouchong’s strike from the day before, Wang Ping felt a fire ignite in his chest. He couldn’t help but daydream for a moment, right until his legs suddenly gave out.
"Oof!"
The next second, having held his stance all morning, Wang Ping collapsed to his knees. Sweat poured from his every pore, and he gasped for air, the breath almost knocked out of him.
Immediately after, a low growl rumbled from his stomach.
GRRROWL...
The sound was accompanied by intense pangs of hunger. However, according to the manual, he absolutely could not eat just anything at a time like this.
’I have to eat rice!’
And not brown rice or other coarse grains. It had to be the ridiculously expensive, polished white rice. Otherwise, eating it would not only be useless for his training but could even be harmful.
And that was just to replenish his physical energy. If he wanted to accelerate his progress in Martial Arts, he needed to eat meat in addition to rice. By the same token, he couldn’t just eat any wild game from the mountains. It had to be high-quality meat prepared with a Secret Technique. Demon Beast Meat would be even better. The better the meat, the more effective the training.
These were requirements that could never be met in a rural village.
’...Which is actually perfect.’
Recalling the message he had seen the day before, Wang Ping’s spirits lifted. ’This gives me a perfectly logical reason to go to the county seat. It’s the perfect chance to meet up with my handler.’