The skill gap between Shen Yiren and Luo Ming was so great that she had no place even wondering when he arrived. She minded it simply because she would be mortified to know he saw her training just now. After all, she was wielding a sword she stole from his secret chamber. It wasn’t an issue prior to today since they were enemies, and all was fair in love and war. Now that they were allies, it… was rather awkward.
Luo Ming sat down on a rock, then peered into the heavens. Shen Yiren timidly sauntered over, stopping three metres behind him.
Shen Yiren hadn’t forgiven Luo Ming for the murders, theft, framing and mutiny he committed. As a swordsman, though, he was the greatest swordsman she knew. She never managed to see all of Yan Shisan’s skills even though he personally trained her due to the fate that befell him. At Luo Sword Manor, she saw Luo Ming’s full capacity, prowess that sparked her interest in swordplay for the first time. The technique she played with a moment ago was an imitation of what she witnessed from Luo Ming.
Luo Ming’s swordplay was inconceivably composed after he cleared his mind back when he first wielded Purple Forbidden Enclosure Dragon Slayer. When the side effects of the unorthodox style he picked up still plagued him, he boasted immense might, yet Abels still hit harder. Once he was in control, however, his ordinary thrust, devoid of aggression, ended up turning the tables on Abels.
Shen Yiren’s enlightened moment came from watching Luo Ming’s controlled violence. Her sword came from Luo Ming. Thus, one could argue that she owed him big time.
Luo Ming swivelled around and squinted.
Shen Yiren hesitantly held her hands into a cupped-fist salute. “May I ask what you are here f-”
“Marry my son. You can set the demands.”
“Huh?! Might you be able to repeat yourself?”
“Don’t worry about it.” Luo Ming trained his gaze onto the white fluffs up high. “I was just testing you. I know I’ll just be wasting my breath if I say any more after that reaction.”
“O-oh…”
Shen Yiren was more than perceptive enough to be aware of Luo Siming’s feelings, especially after the time she spent in fake death state. She, however, ignored him because she didn’t want him to waste his time on her. As such, she was glad Luo Ming gave up on pushing his son onto her.
“So why are you okay with the Mount Daluo one?”
“Patriarch Luo, I am engaged to Song Clan’s eldest son. As a vaunted elder, you should know better. Ming Feizhen and I are subordinate and superior; there are no romantic feelings between us. He has a partner already. Please do not try to fit two incompatible people together.”
“How curious. I never specified who from Mount Daluo. How did you know I was referring to Ming Feizhen?”
Shen Yiren’s face could compare to a ripe tomato. Under her breath, she muttered, “… Old miscreant.”
Shen Yiren was going to walk off when she heard Luo Ming say, “Do you realise you’ve completely misunderstood the manual? The route you circulate your qi is completely wrong. Without instruction, you’ll lose all of your skills if you continue training for another three to five months.”
Shen Yiren thereupon responded, “Could you please enlighten me, Elder?”
“I’m not qualified to enlighten you. The discipline is an advanced swordplay that combines internal and external systems. In other words, internal strength, technique and intent must go hand in hand. The section you’ve read is only the summary of the mental cultivation. It’s far too abstract apply practically. The only result you’ll achieve is qi deviation. Luckily for you, you possess the analytical skill to find the appropriate intent from your sword as well as recall my swordplay.”
“That means this swordplay…”
Upon meeting with Luo Ming’s gaze, she felt a sting in her forehead.
“The latter half of the manual details the true training method. Why are you only studying the summary of the mental cultivation?”
“After reading the introduction, I saw how advanced the swordplay is. Seeing as it is the swordplay of an orthodox sect, I did not dare to read further without permission.”
“I assumed so. Else, you should’ve been able to work out these two moves from Repository Sword Theory already.”
So it is Repository Sword Theory.
Rather than be glad, Shen Yiren was frenetic. Unlike Ming Feizhen, who could learn people’s disciplines without a shed of guilt, she respected the unwritten rules of the martial arts community. “Please allow me to take the opportunity to return the manual to you.”
Luo Ming didn’t reach out. “Keep it.” He didn’t have any motivation to explain his thinking to her. Instead, he said, “I shouldn’t have the privilege of possessing it, not after the crimes I’ve committed. Furthermore, I don’t even know if I will return alive from Nieyao. What’s the point of me keeping it? The futures of Siming and the rest of Luo Sword Manor are shrouded in uncertainty. Our ancestors’ work is safer in your hands than ours.”
Without Luo Clan’s internal strength cultivation guide, Sword Spirit Realm wouldn’t be able to earn the respect it deserved. Luo Ming didn’t express intention to guide Shen Yiren; what he felt was that Shen Yiren could impart it to future generations.
“Until you return victorious from Nieyao, I shall protect the manual for you.”
Luo Ming cracked a smile. “Sounds like I owe you my thanks. If I don’t give you a hand, I’ll be an ungrateful cur.”
Excited but not getting her hopes up, Shen Yiren replied, “You mean…”
“I shall help you with Ming Feizhen.”
“You want me to lay you out?!”
“Hahaha.”
Luo Ming had closed the gap, taken the sword from Shen Yiren and retreated by the time she felt him brush past. Considering the gap between their skills, she shouldn’t have lost her weapon without realising it. Luo Ming, nevertheless, performed the snatch without telegraphing any aggression.
Luo Ming affectionately ran his gaze down Yujing. “Since marriage isn’t within your interests, how about listening to a story?”
Glossary
… Combines internal and external system – try this: keep your shoulder blades back, look sideways and try to perform a push up. Then, try to not think about what your shoulder blades are doing, keep a neutral neck (look somewhere on the ground where your neck is neutral) and repeat, thinking about pushing the floor away from you. You’ll get a lot more output from the latter as your internal structures, intent and technique are more aligned.
