Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Goal, desire, and persistence were important and appropriate materials to talk about in the first lesson. But things that could be cleared up in two or three sentences were obviously not lengthy enough for an entire lesson. Chen Chang Sheng needed to teach some things that were useful.

He picked out an index about the human body structure and veins that was officially recognized by the Department of Education of the Tradition. He skipped through the previous simple introductions and jumped straight to the last page, which contained a colored page of the human body. He checked the red and green lines in the picture and started to compare them to Luo Luo’s actual situation.

The lines represented the complicated veins of the human circulatory system. Just from an estimation, there were more than a few dozens of veins but with a more closer look, this amount would double or even triple in number. However, from Luo Luo’s perspective, there definitely were not this many veins in her body.

These were two completely different vein structures. One was complicated but fragile and the other one was simple yet enduring. The humans had one vein structure and the Yao race had another. The difference in vein structures lead the two different species into two distinct paths.

This difference in vein structures lead the two different species into two distinctive paths. There was no way of knowing which path led to greater success. This became a topic of debate between the races which is still ongoing.

Chen Cheng Sheng wasn’t moved by the uniqueness of another life, he was just moved by the Creator’s miraculous ways. He also knew that if two lives wanted to cross the middleground and learn the other side’s xiuxing technique, it would be an extremely difficult task.

If Luo Luo’s race could easily learn the humans’ way of xiu xing, then she wouldn’t be learning the Wind and Rain Sword of Mountain Zhong right now but rather the Principal Sword Technique of Mountain Li that she gave Chen Chang Sheng the day before yesterday – the Principal Sword Technique of Mountain Li was one of the strongest techniques that humans had. This meant that it was extremely difficult for those of her race to learn and master. Because of this, Lou Lou had to step down a notch and learn the weaker ones.

The humans’ way of xiu xing combines physical techniques with the inner qi. Take Wind and Rain Sword of Mountain Zhong for example, only knowing the sword techniques wouldn’t be enough. People also need to control their qi in a certain way to fully show the true power of this sword technique.

The problem for Luo Luo was that her body never contained the veins of a human, so she could not continue to xiu xing. Although she understood the words in the book and knew that she needed to control her qi to circle around her veins, the problem was that she didn’t have the proper veins in her body. Even if her spirit was powerful, how could she circle her qi around veins that she didn’t have?

“That night, when I was following the Master’s instructions and tried to activate my qi, I noticed that I could actually control the Wind and Rain Sword like other humans. Was that a stimulation or……. was that my way of combining inner qi and sword technique?”

Luo Luo asked sincerely. She was very studious right now.

Chen Chang Sheng thought about her question but didn’t reply to it immediately. He turned around and walked out of the library and picked out a broken tree branch in the forest around the lake. He then took out his short sword and peeled away the skin of the branch. Now the branch was a white thin stick, and Chen Chang Sheng didn’t forget to dull the tips of the stick using the stones lying around the lake.

He walked back to the library and said, “If you don’t want to, speak.”

Luo Luo looked at the thin wooden stick in his hand and opened her eyes widely. Would she get beaten right after becoming his apprentice? Does her Master believe in the big stick policy? But it wasn’t easy becoming his apprentice, how could she say that she doesn’t want to speak? Luo Luo nodded her head heavily.

Chen Chang Sheng raised the thin wooden stick in his hand, pointed at a spot on her belly, and said “run your qi up to here.”

This point was the so called Sea of Qi in humans. He was not sure if Luo Luo had it or not. It’s inconvenient for him to ask about questions that intruded on privacy, but based on Luo Luo’s emotion, there shouldn’t be any problems. After a while, he asked, “What do you feel?”

Luo Luo was focused and concentrated on what she felt from the location that the thin wood stick pointed. “I feel a little hot.”

“Fire of Yang can show itself when running through certain veins. If you have this feeling, then I believe this vein here should have the same functions as the Rao Vein.”

Chen Chang Sheng took notes as he explained to her.

That night, he only said one sentence and helped Luo Luo successfully activate her qi and truly use the Wind and Rain Sword of Mountain Zhong for the first time. But that was the only move and it was kind of lucky that they even succeeded. The thing he needed to accomplish now was to break the limit of human body and vein system and create an entire new way to xiuxing. Of course, it was incredibly difficult.

This wasn’t something that could done in one day and night.

If he hadn’t memorized the entire Scroll of the Way when he was young, if he hadn’t excelled in the area of medicine due to his own sickness, if his veins were actually ordinary instead of abnormal, there wouldn’t even be a possibility.

After finishing taking notes, he picked up his head and thought for a moment. He poked lightly on a certain spot on Luo Luo’s neck through her shirt with the stick.

“Careful and slow.”

“What do you feel?”

“A bit gentle.”

“Okay.”

“What about here?”

—————————————–

The thin wooden stick landed on Luo Luo’s body. It pointed and directed; this means to mentor.

Chen Chang Sheng got his response and took notes, then he continued.

Time passed quickly as they talked and as Chen Chang Sheng mentored Luo Luo.

As the dusk arrived, Chen Chang Sheng’s arms were a bit sore. He put down the wooden stick and glanced out of the window. He only saw the yellow roof and red wall, then suddenly laughed.

After using half a day, he found a certain possibility. He found a possible quick path, the quick path in Luo Luo’s body.

“Try?”

He took back his glancing eyes from the setting sun of the capital and looked at Luo Luo. He drew out the short sword from his waist and handed it to her.

Luo Luo accepted the weapon and took a deep breath. Her eyes suddenly became extremely bright and then they were closed. She was silent for a long time.

Just as the setting sun was devoured by the city wall, she opened her eyes and yelled lightly.

This yelling was crispy and sharp, it contained no trace of disruption and was clear as the spring rain, or perhaps the spring wind.

Following this scream, she raised her short sword upwards from her waist with her hands. It was as if a flower has blossomed and grew on cloud nine.

There were countless sword shadows, like rain. The sword’s might was unstoppable, like wind.

This was wind and rain.

This was the Wind and Rain Sword.

——————————————

Without the veins of humans it was impossible to learn the way of using qi in the Wind and Rain Sword of Mountain Zhong. But the sword she previously used was the Wind and Rain Sword. This meant that the way she controlled her qi mimicked the humans’ way of controlling qi perfectly.

The wind and rain gradually stopped, the setting sun was gone and night slowly arrived. The old garden was quiet.

Nothing but silence filled the library.

Luo Luo’s hand that was holding the short sword was shaking.

She stared at Chen Chang Sheng and her voice was shaking too, “Master, you are truly extraordinary.”

She was shocked. She felt that her Master was a god from heaven. Or else how could he teach her so many things in such a short period of time?

She thought he was a god.

Chen Chang Sheng placed the thin wooden stick in front of him and laughed happily while looking at her.

These few days, no, more precisely, these past years he had always thought about how could one xiu xing under the condition of broken veins? Previously, he never xiu xinged and therefore all of his hypotheses couldn’t be tested. But now, although he still didn’t have a trace of qi, he has a female student. That female student was excellent and could perfectly test all of his ideas. On top of that, they used half a day to test his hypothesis, which came out to be correct.

Luo Luo said, “Master, thank you for mentoring me.”

Chen Chang Sheng said, “Thank you too.”

The dusk wasn’t burning but warm, just like the stove fire of the woton shop.