Chapter 7: The Seven Swallows Returning Secret Footwork

Chapter 7: The Secret Steps of the Swallow’s Return

"Swallow Chasing the Wind Blade" Zhang Erquan and Han Ba were of the same age. Though his spirit was vigorous and his eyes still held a sharp glint, his hair had already turned quite gray. At this moment, he was drinking tea in the side courtyard of the Ning estate.

Good tea.

Suddenly, he heard a hurried, blustering approach, and then he saw the "closed-door disciple" he had taken on solely out of respect for Old Master Ning.

This disciple hadn't visited in a long time.

"Master Zhang, I want to continue learning the 'Swallow Chasing the Wind Blade'."

Ning Xuan said.

He had previously learned the three forms of the "Swallow Chasing the Wind Blade," but he had never learned the core footwork—the Swallow’s Return—sticking only to the basic footwork instead.

Why?

Because after watching Master Zhang demonstrate the core footwork and reading the training methods, he had given up.

The training was too difficult and too exhausting, and even if he succeeded, it wouldn't turn him into the "peerless light-footwork master of his imagination."

He was the Young Master of the Ning family, after all; why would he go through such grueling hardship to learn something like this?

But now, he had to improve himself.

He was too weak; both his "Nature" and "Life" stats were only at 1.

Zhang Erquan was somewhat surprised to hear this.

But he was a man of few words, so he asked nothing, merely saying, "Follow me."

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

Young men were fickle, their minds easily changed. The Young Master wanted to train today, but there was no guarantee he wouldn't quit in two days once he found it bitter.

In truth, he also felt there was no need for the Young Master to suffer such hardship to practice the core footwork of the "Swallow Chasing the Wind Blade."

After all, even if he mastered it, so what? Could the Young Master really become a lone swordsman, licking blood from the tip of his blade and wandering the ends of the earth?

Once the Young Master decided to train, the Ning estate servants sprang into action.

By dusk, the servants had finally finished their work.

Eighty-one plum blossom stakes had been erected in the small river behind the Ning estate.

The tops of the stakes were small, barely enough for half a foot.

By the riverbank, there were also sandbags of various sizes.

Zhang Erquan grabbed a specially made heavy wooden blade and tossed it over.

Ning Xuan caught it.

Zhang Erquan said, "The Swallow Perch Step—you have already practiced the basic footwork, but now you must get on the stakes.

Remember, once you are on the stakes, you must not touch the water or wet your shoes.

Once you can stand steadily on the stakes for the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, you will add sandbags. Start with ten catties, and gradually increase until it reaches half your body weight.

Once you can stand still on the stakes, you must move. Advance three steps, retreat three steps, holding the heavy blade to maintain your balance. When you can move rapidly across all eighty-one stakes at a running pace, you may coat the stakes with tung oil and repeat the training.

When you can carry the sandbags and walk across the oil-slicked stakes as fluidly as flowing water without wetting your shoes, you will have truly mastered the core footwork of the 'Swallow Chasing the Wind Blade.'

If you master these secret steps of the Swallow’s Return and combine them with those three forms, you will have the 'Three Blades of the Swallow’s Return.'

Once you master these three blades, in terms of pure technique, you will be no slouch in a head-on fight in the pugilistic world.

However, the world is treacherous; who would ever fight you head-on?"

Zhang Erquan seemed to recall something, sighed softly, and then said sternly, "Remember: knees slightly bent like a swallow perched on a branch, center of gravity flowing with the momentum of the blade. Form as steady as a mountain, spirit soaring far; intent as light as a feather skimming the water.

You must stand on 'living' stakes, not 'dead' ones!

There will be pain at first, but I have a secret medicinal decoction. Since you have begun this training, I will have someone brew it for you to bathe in daily."

"Understood, Master Zhang."

Ning Xuan gripped the heavy wooden blade, stepped forward, and carefully placed his feet on the stake closest to the riverbank.

Night.

The bright moon hung in the sky.

The Ning family backyard.

A bevy of beauties.

"Young Master~"

"Young Master~"

"Young Master’s left leg is mine, no one is allowed to snatch it."

"Young Master, eat my grape, quickly~ hurry now."

"I’ll knead your shoulders, Young Master."

Ning Xuan sat in the bathtub, his whole body aching as he soaked in the medicinal bath. He was wrapped only in a towel to cover the essentials, surrounded by three young maidservants serving him.

The maids wore silky, slippery clothes, and every so often, they would inadvertently reveal glimpses of pale, soft skin.

Who among them didn't hope to climb into the Young Master's bed?

That little vixen Xiao Jie might be formidable, but couldn't the Young Master want a fresh taste for once?

The maids' fingertips were not behaving.

But Ning Xuan didn't want the extra trouble.

He could have any of them if he wanted, even all three at once, but given his mother's temperament, once he was done, she would surely give these maids some "official status," perhaps as concubines or personal maids to serve him permanently, sharing the pressure on Xiao Jie; or they would be moved away from the public eye to handle easier tasks in the family business.

The maids weren't just serving him; they were taking a promotion exam.

Ning Xuan didn't touch any of them.

He had practiced the secret steps of the Swallow’s Return today, and he was bruised, swollen, and aching all over.

Don't let his performance against the Mountain-Crashing Bear demon in his nightmares fool you, nor his agility like a spirit ape on the cliffside baskets; that was only because he had absorbed a significant amount of the bear demon's power.

That was not his own strength.

The Heavenly Demon Record was powerful, but he had to stand on his own two feet.

Only then could he maintain the comfortable life he currently enjoyed.

After bathing and changing, Ning Xuan went to bed.

He had to sleep early and rise early; he had to stand on the stakes again tomorrow.

Suddenly, the quilt bulged, and the little enchantress emerged as if by magic.

Her petite body didn't feel heavy.

She propped her elbows on Ning Xuan's chest, her waist twisting slightly, intentionally or otherwise teasing him to launch an attack.

"Why were you willing to let other maids bathe me today?" Ning Xuan asked casually.

Xiao Jie giggled, "This servant will have to go far away one day, so I must let Young Master get used to other maids early."

Her smile slowly faded, and she tilted her head slightly, revealing a look of sorrow and loss in the candlelight, a look that begged for pity and affection.

Ning Xuan said, "You're afraid I'm tired of always being with you, aren't you? That's why you deliberately allowed maids who can't compete with you to get close to me."

Her secret exposed, Xiao Jie didn't panic. Instead, she leaned against Ning Xuan's chest and said softly in a tone that suggested "whatever you say is right," "Young Master understands everything; you're truly amazing."

She had a plan.

As long as the Young Master didn't promote her from "personal maid" to "concubine," she would talk about leaving every few days.

She really wanted to be a concubine to the Young Master of the Ning family.

Ning Xuan practiced on the stakes for three consecutive days.

He was so exhausted he felt like his soul had left his body.

And on this day, the peace letter from the Ning family estate finally arrived.

Ning Xuan asked, "Why so late?"

The guard delivering the letter said, "The boss was putting us through drills, so we were two days late. Anyway, the estate has always been peaceful; the surroundings were cleared out long ago. There isn't a single meat-eating beast within twenty miles."

Ning Xuan asked curiously, "The boss?"

The guard explained, "It's Old Han. We all followed him in the pugilistic world, so we just call him boss."

Ning Xuan asked, "Boss of where?"

The guard stammered, "Just... just the sect on the mountain in the pugilistic world. We're all decent people; we just call him boss because we're close. Anyway... Young Master, the peace letter is delivered, I'll be going now."

Ning Xuan waved his hand.

The guard ran off immediately.

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

The petite girl seemed to have mastered some kind of magic; even though she was pressing on his leg, she was as light as a bird perched on a beam, not giving the heavy sensation of a sandbag resting on his thigh.

On this point alone, no other maid could compete with her.

When Ning Xuan looked at Xiao Jie, she giggled and said in a soft, sweet voice, "What a 'we are all decent people'."

Ning Xuan laughed too.

A nest doesn't produce two kinds of birds.

Xiao Jie was a vixen.

And he... was one too.

However, he was curious why nothing had happened at the estate.

He glanced at his panel again.

【Heavenly Demon Record: Perceive the arrival of the Heavenly Demon, observe the root of its life, forcibly refine the record. Failure in refinement leads to death and dissipation; success in refinement allows one to make it one's own.】

"Perceive the arrival of the Heavenly Demon" meant the demon hadn't arrived yet, but it was coming soon.

He had originally thought it would arrive that very night, but five days had passed, and nothing had happened.

He had to find out why.

Just then, Xiao Jie leaned into his ear, breathing softly, and said, "The ladies from the Floating Fragrance Pavilion in the city came here to 'gather inspiration' last night, and they won't be leaving for a few days. Shall I go find them to bathe you tonight, Young Master?"

The Floating Fragrance Pavilion was a brothel, but a high-end one.

The courtesans inside had to be skilled in the arts.

"Gathering inspiration" was just a gimmick.

Outsiders didn't know, but Ning Xuan did.

It was said to be "gathering inspiration," but in reality, the owner of the pavilion had long since bought new musical scores, and now she let the courtesans go out to "gather inspiration," then play the music, so it could be claimed as their own creation.

With such talent, their value naturally skyrocketed.

As their value skyrocketed, the owner naturally made a fortune.

The air suddenly went quiet.

Xiao Jie was actually curious about what the Young Master was thinking.

A long time passed.

Ning Xuan finally spoke.

"Go tell Master Zhang that I won't be training today. Martial arts training requires a balance of tension and relaxation; I need a break. Since the Floating Fragrance Pavilion is out gathering inspiration, I should go gather some too."

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

The "Swallow’s Return" was very difficult to master.

But what if he refined the Heavenly Demon Record first to improve his physique before practicing? Would it feel like "having already become the world's number one, and then returning to re-cultivate a certain technique"?

That would naturally make the training speed much, much faster.

However, the Heavenly Demon Record was his greatest secret; he wouldn't tell anyone.

Xiao Jie said "Oh," then moved her hips and went to prepare for the outing.

A voice came from behind her again.

"Don't go today; I'll go stroll around by myself."

"Yes."

Xiao Jie replied.

She would never ask for the reason behind any decision the Young Master made.

(End of chapter)