I’ll Teach You 17: Chapter 17: What’s the Big Deal?
I’ll Teach You No one had ever thought Huang Wenlong would make such a request.
Xiao Xuan said, “Huang the kid, do you have any idea how powerful this technique is?”
“How powerful?”
Everyone grew curious.
Xiao Xuan reminisced, “I once witnessed this swordsmanship when a man made the mistake of harassing the wielder’s wife.”
“And the swordsman simply said, ‘Where’s your home?
Just point me in the right direction.'”
“That man replied, ‘Six hundred kilometers away, at the foot of Dragon Gate Mountain!'”
Xiao Xuan took a sip of wine, and everyone else asked anxiously, “And then what?”
“Grand-uncle, hold on!
Did he really go fight his way six hundred kilometers away?”
“No,” Xiao Xuan said with a smile, looking at their curious faces.
“The man simply waved his hand.
A flash of sword light shot out, and six hundred kilometers away, the harasser’s entire clan of over six hundred people, along with nearly a thousand acres of their land, were obliterated into dust!”
“If any of you have ever been to Dragon Gate Mountain, you’ve surely seen Dragon Gate Cliff.
The reason it’s a cliff is because that one sword strike destroyed the other half of what was once a complete mountain peak!”
“What!?”
Even Xiao Yue’Er was so shocked her jaw dropped, to say nothing of the others.
“Grand-uncle, you’re… you’re telling a story, right?”
“From six hundred kilometers away?
That’s not something a human can do!”
Xiao Xuan shook his head.
“You’re all just a bunch of frogs in a well.
You spend your whole lives in the Xiao Mansion, in Celestial Fragrance City, in the Yunlong Dynasty.
You have no idea how vast the world truly is!”
“This technique is from the Dongfeng Sword Scripture.
And according to the man who used it, the first sword technique… is the weakest of them all!”
A collective gasp filled the air.
‘If the weakest technique could turn a mountain into a cliff, how powerful must the rest be!?’
‘How could such a swordsmanship exist in this world?’
Xiao Xuan said with a smile, “This swordsmanship is so precious that even I have never seen the subsequent techniques.
And you, Huang the kid, still expect him to teach you?
Don’t you know how hard it is to come by a Cultivation Technique?
Even Celestial Level techniques are rare, to say nothing of those that rank even higher!”
“I…” Huang Wenlong felt everyone’s eyes on him.
“With a swordsmanship like that, who wouldn’t be green with envy?
Who wouldn’t want to learn it?”
“Never mind swallowing your pride to ask for it.
There’s no shortage of people in this world who would grovel like a dog or even fight unscrupulously to obtain it.”
With that, Huang Wenlong cupped his hands in a salute to Shuidong Liu.
“So, I still wish to learn.
If you’re worried, I…”
“What’s the big deal?
I’ll teach you.”
Shuidong Liu waved his hand dismissively, as if it were as simple as taking a drink of water, but Xiao Xuan cut him off.
“Shui the kid, do you not understand how precious this Sword Scripture is?”
“I can tell.
It’s incredibly powerful!”
“Don’t you know that techniques like this cause bloodshed and turmoil?
People wouldn’t even casually teach them to their own family!”
“I know, but we’re all family here.
Wen Long is learning it to protect Dongling Mansion, so what does it matter?” Shuidong Liu said with a small smile.
‘The very first time they met, Huang Wenlong had given him an incredibly precious Luminous Stone.’
‘What’s a single sword technique in comparison?!’
Everyone looked at Shuidong Liu in utter disbelief.
‘He’s really that generous?’
‘That was a swordsmanship capable of annihilating a clan from six hundred kilometers away!’
‘Such a Cultivation Technique was unheard of in the Yunlong Dynasty.’
‘This was definitely a super-tier Cultivation Technique, something above Celestial Level.
It was the kind of thing that could stir up a bloodbath among cultivators in the Ten Realms of Divine Power, or even the Ten Realms of Longevity.’
‘And he was just going to teach it to someone else!?’
Huang Wenlong’s face flushed with excitement.
“Dongliu, you have my word!
Once I learn this swordsmanship, I swear I’ll only use it to protect Dongling.
I will never teach it to anyone else, nor will I ever do anything to betray the Xiao Family or you.”
Shuidong Liu raised a hand to stop him.
“You don’t have to…”
“Otherwise, I would rather be scorned by the entire world and ultimately die by your sword!” Huang Wenlong declared, excitedly cutting Shuidong Liu off to make his solemn vow.
‘This was more than just a flying sword that could take a head from afar.
This was a technique that could strike any target you pointed at!’
“I’ll teach you tomorrow… or if you’re in a rush, I can teach you right after dinner!”
Xiao Xuan glanced at Shuidong Liu.
‘This young man really doesn’t seem to value this Cultivation Technique at all.
He’s just going to teach it away like that?’
“Thank you!”
“We’re all friends here,” Shuidong Liu said with a smile.
The Duchess smiled faintly, thoroughly pleased with her future son-in-law’s character and magnanimity.
Seeing them all getting along so harmoniously made her even happier.
‘The Duke’s Mansion was large and powerful, yes.’
‘But if trouble were to brew from within, its collapse could be instantaneous!’
“I’ll come back first thing tomorrow morning, then.
You get some good rest tonight!” Huang Wenlong said, reigning in his excitement.
He truly hadn’t expected Shuidong Liu to be so open.
“Alright!” Shuidong Liu replied with a placid smile.
The rest of the meal was quite harmonious.
Huang Wenlong didn’t live in the mansion, so he left after a post-dinner cup of tea.
The Duchess, however, was still curious.
“Are you really going to teach the swordsmanship to someone else?
The Champion Marquis was invincible on the battlefield, but even he wouldn’t casually give his Cultivation Technique to others!”
“Madam, Wen Long treats me well.
He gave me a Luminous Jade the first time we met.
There haven’t been many people who have been so kind to me over the years!”
“You’re a good child.
Then do as you see fit.”
“I will take my leave now, Madam.
I’ll come pay my respects again in the morning.”
Shuidong Liu was pulled away by Xiao Yue’Er.
Xiaoyu and a few other maids followed behind them.
“Are you really going to teach that swordsmanship to Huang Wenlong?”
“Do you want to learn?
I’ll teach you!”
Xiao Yue’Er asked, a little bashfully, “You’d really teach me?”
‘They weren’t even formally betrothed, yet he was already treating her so well!’
Sweetness filled Xiao Yue’Er’s heart, and a radiant smile bloomed on her face.
“Of course, I’ll teach you!”
Under the moonlight on Canglang Island, the picture-perfect couple sparred, their long swords flashing in a captivating dance.
It wasn’t until midnight that Xiao Yue’Er reluctantly left.
Shuidong Liu had just sat down in the pavilion when he heard a sigh.
Xiao Xuan was shuffling toward him, his steps so slow and deliberate he looked as if he might collapse at any moment.
“Grand-uncle!”
Shuidong Liu hurriedly stood up.
“I told you how precious this swordsmanship is!
Why do you insist on teaching it to an outsider?” Xiao Xuan demanded, his voice a low, angry growl as he slammed his wooden staff on the ground.
THUMP.
THUMP.
THUMP.
“Grand-uncle, as wonderful as this swordsmanship is, it isn’t everything in life!”
In his past life, Shuidong Liu had valued money above all else, resorting to any and every means to get it.
He hadn’t had a choice in his past life.
But in this one, he wanted to be a good person!
He would repay kindness with kindness!
“You… You…!
Fine!
I just hope you don’t live to regret this!” Xiao Xuan looked angry enough to snap his wooden staff in two.
Shuidong Liu knew they kept trying to stop him.
It was because the Cultivation Technique was truly extraordinary.
It was the kind of power upon which a clan, a nation, or a sect could be founded.
Shuidong Liu bowed.
“If I may ask, Grand-uncle, who did you see use this swordsmanship?”
“I don’t know.
I didn’t know him… Other than that one technique, I can’t even remember his face,” Xiao Xuan said, shaking his head.
“This world is far larger and more complex than you can possibly imagine.”
“I heard from Yue’Er that you rarely leave Cangming Island, Grand-uncle, yet you’re here today… Is it possible that you know my father, the Champion Marquis?”
“I don’t know your father!”
Shuidong Liu froze.
The old man’s reply had been utterly decisive.
But then his tone shifted.
“However, I do know Duke Dingguo!”
‘Duke Dingguo… the man who secured the nation in a single battle!’
‘He was once granted the title of Prince of Yunlong—a title using the dynasty’s own name, something unprecedented in all of history!’
‘Yet he insisted on refusing the title, so he was instead named Duke Dingguo, foremost among the founding dukes of the dynasty.’
‘And the man offered that title, Prince of Yunlong, was the ancestor of the Champion Marquis—Shuidong Liu’s father—a legacy passed down for generations!’
Shuidong Liu’s mind reeled with confusion.
‘The timeline didn’t add up.
The Xiao Family had a six-hundred-year history.
Just how old was Xiao Xuan?’
“You must have known the last generation’s Duke Dingguo, then?” Shuidong Liu asked.
“In the Yunlong Dynasty, a noble title is revoked after five generations.
My grandfather was the last Duke Dingguo!”
But Xiao Xuan just gave a mysterious smile.
“I’ll tell you about that some other time.”
“Kid, that Cultivation Technique is precious.
Don’t go spreading it around carelessly,” Xiao Xuan sighed.
“Just… be careful!”
He had been so insistent because he wanted the young man to keep the technique to himself, but he hadn’t expected Shuidong Liu to be so resolute.
“Grand-uncle, what comes after Dongfeng-1?
How many Sword Techniques are there in total?”
“I don’t know!”
Xiao Xuan shook his head.
“But I like your style.
Come to my island for tea when you have time!”
“Alright!”
‘This grand-uncle, the most senior member of the Xiao Family, supposedly knew no Martial Arts, yet he was incredibly knowledgeable and even seemed to have some connection to my ancestors.’
Shuidong Liu waved his hand, and the Dongfeng Sword appeared.
“I suppose you have quite the history as well,” he murmured to the blade.
Once more, the flash of a sword lit up Canglang Island.
An hour later, a tremendous roar echoed from within the Xiao Mansion… BOOM…
The ground shook and the mountains trembled, as if something had collapsed!