Chapter 181: Soldiers At The City Gates

Chapter 181: The Army at the Gates

Tang Wanzhuang set off directly for Jinling that very day. Zhao Changhe, who should have felt that his presence in the Tang estate no longer held any meaning, did not rush to leave this time as he used to.

Instead, he remained quietly in the guest courtyard, transcribing another copy of the sword manual he had previously given to Sisi, intending to hand it over to Tang Buqi.

It was as if the storms and chaos raging in the outside world simply did not exist.

Truth be told, the act of writing the sword manual yet again did not feel tedious; rather, it made him want to smile a little.

Much like Tang Buqi, he had originally thought Tang Wanzhuang’s mind was entirely consumed by official duties, to the point of not seeming like a real human being. Yet in the end, he discovered that she, too, would make small calculations for her own family. The monument of a saint, which existed only in stereotype, suddenly collapsed—yet there was no sense of ruin, only the feeling that this was how a person ought to be; this was what made her human.

Just like the intertwining of arms in the night, so real and soft, stepping out from the illusions of the Heavenly Book realm to materialize solidly before him.

And so, "Chief Tang" became Tang Wanzhuang.

Writing the sword manual was no different from refamiliarizing himself with the sword style once more, and at the same time, it was a way to quiet his mind anew.

By day he wrote the sword manual, and by night, aided by the Heavenly Book, he studied the "Moon Reflected in Water" heart-method and the "Treading Water, Ascending Waves" lightness kung fu that Tang Wanzhuang had delivered to him.

This heart-method was not meant for cultivating internal qi; it was an auxiliary technique, much like the "Ice Heart Formula" and similar things found in many stories—the heart clear as ice, unshaken even if the heavens fall.

Yet the "Moon Reflected in Water" did not merely possess the effect of concentrating the mind, quieting the spirit, and banishing stray thoughts; it was somewhat like an upgraded version of what Yue Hongling had once taught him regarding how to utilize the five senses to observe and perceive one's surroundings. Every minute change in the vicinity, passing from the five senses to the inner mind, would shatter illusion, reflect upon the heart, and directly perceive the essence of reality.

This was extremely advantageous for combat, ensuring at least that he would not fear the assault of feints or illusions, allowing him to find the most accurate resolution with absolute precision.

Therefore, the prerequisite for cultivating it was, naturally, to calm down, to slow down, to observe everything around him, to experience the cleansing of music, and to appreciate the beauty of Lake Tai. How could a restless mind that knew only slaughter and battle ever sense such an intent?

Why was it that the lightness kung fu of "Treading Water, Ascending Waves" required this heart-method as a foundation before it could be used?

It was simply because every shift in the surrounding air and the lightness or weight of the water had to be perceived at a single glance and turned to one's advantage.

This already touched upon the understanding of heaven and earth, and how to utilize heaven and earth, rather than being a mere matter of self-cultivation. Compared to this, the Blood God Cult’s "Treading Blood Without Trace" was simply not on the same level.

Perhaps all the world's martial arts led to the same destination by different paths, and Yue Hongling must have possessed a similar set of techniques. It was just that his own level back then had truly been insufficient; even his five senses had not been sharp enough, so what right had he to skip the five senses and enter directly into the mind?

In truth, even now it was not quite enough. Zhao Changhe strongly suspected that this technique would only be perfectly suited after opening the secret storehouses. After all, this concept was somewhat close to things like "spiritual perception" or "divine consciousness." Could something given by the third on the Earth Ranking be any joke?

For the present, the most effective aspect remained its use for concentrating the spirit, which could stabilize the soul and prevent it from being invaded by inner demons.

Thus, that originally useless Blood-Wrath Bead could finally be put to use.

Having freeloaded meals at the Tang estate for another three days to thoroughly master the "Moon Reflected in Water" heart-method, Zhao Changhe finally retrieved the bead he had left neglected in a corner all this time and commenced his long-stagnant cultivation of the Blood-Fiend Art.

…

The most notable difference between the cultivation of the Blood-Fiend Art and other techniques was that it required not only energetic nourishment but also fiendish aura. Without the core blood-fiend aura, the Blood-Fiend Art would lose the power that allowed it to surpass other techniques.

When it came to energetic nourishment, everyone at his current level was more or less the same—eating well, drinking well, and pairing it with some auxiliary medicines would suffice. Unless one had the dumb luck to stumble upon some heavenly treasure, it was difficult for anyone to find a special advantage in this regard.

After all, what everyone encountered was still mostly mundane things, at most comparing whose family possessed slightly better medicine. By now, Zhao Changhe had practically reached the ceiling in this aspect—which was also the reason why he had brazenly refrained from firmly denying his status as a prince, and why he had long believed in the "good fortune" that was useful to him. Literature belongs to the poor, but martial arts to the rich; without resources, one truly could not train up anything of note.

With nourishment at its peak, what he required was something else.

Objects that harbored fiendish aura were not as difficult to find as heavenly treasures. To put it bluntly, even killing more people could cultivate fiend. Objects of a more malevolent nature that condensed such aura were not uncommon; for instance, a blade that had taken countless lives would possess it, and the Dragon-Sparrow certainly did. The Tomb of the Sword Emperor was even more brimming with fiendish aura, yet it was all difficult to refine and convert for one's own use.

If you dared to try absorbing the fiendish aura of the Dragon-Sparrow, it would be a wonder if it didn't slap you right across the face.

Be that as it may, such items were not considered hard to find. One of Zhao Changhe's goals in coming to Jiangnan was to search for this kind of thing, and only after turning and tossing until now did he officially begin.

Zhao Changhe carefully extended a thread of true qi to sense the inner realm of the bead.

Having only probed in by a tiny fraction, he immediately felt a rushing onslaught of malice, ferocity, regret, resentment, and terror. All sorts of messy emotions flooded his mind. It possessed no energy, and its fiendish aura was impure, completely useless, making one want to fling the thing away at the very first moment.

Well, Maitreya had done exactly that.

In the past, Zhao Changhe would have cast it aside as well, but now he possessed the heart-method.

He allowed these chaotic, stray auras to rush toward his mind. Under the state of the moon reflecting in water, he could almost perceive a horde of little demons throwing themselves before a tightly shut door, gnawing at it continuously. Yet his soul remained stable and his mind closed; these "little demons" struck in vain, unable to force that door open.

This must be what "inner demons" were, if one were to manifest them into reality.

This bead was merely a peripheral inlay material used by the Blood God to construct a formation. After being eroded by eras of time, it had already lost its grandeur of yesteryear. What if it were something even more malevolent? Zhao Changhe was not certain whether this newly practiced heart-method could still hold the soul secure.

In any case, it held secure now, so why worry about things so far off.

Zhao Changhe’s mind settled greatly. Without another word, he channeled his own fiendish aura to make contact with the fiendish aura within the bead.

He could almost hear a loud boom as the bead began to tremble. The blood-wrath and fiendish aura contained inside began to swirl wildly, charging viciously toward Zhao Changhe's flesh and blood as if intending to tear him to pieces.

The backlash of the fiendish aura, a sensation he had not experienced in a long time, began to bring a dull ache. Zhao Changhe gritted his teeth, letting the fiendish aura wash over him, combining and absorbing it into his own bloodline, converting it for his own use step by step.

This was cultivating the fiend, using one's own body to nurture the fiend.

Nurtured to a certain degree, the fiendish aura would howl wildly and the blood-wrath would fill the sky, possessing boundless might. Even gods and Buddhas would vanish into smoke before it, to say nothing of ordinary enemies. They would only be frightened until their legs turned weak amidst such a tempestuous and violent malice.

It was a textbook example of an evil art, a demonic art. Yet whether it was the righteous Yue Hongling or the pure and upright Tang Wanzhuang, not a single person expressed any opposition to his practicing an evil art.

A technique depended on the person using it.

As long as he stood upright and used it for righteous purposes, then even an evil art was a divine technique.

…

Zhao Changhe did not know how many days he had been cultivating. In any case, during the first few days he wrote the manual by day and practiced the heart-method at night. Later on, he practiced the heart-method and lightness kung fu by day, and nurtured the fiend to cultivate at night.

After several days, the sixth realm of the Blood-Fiend Art he wished to break through still felt insufficient, yet Zhao Changhe no longer possessed that previous sense of anxiety.

Take it slow. This was not like eating food or drinking water to begin with. How many heroes had trained for so many years, while he had only been at it for a little over half a year.

As long as he felt there was indeed progress, the breakthrough would eventually come naturally when the water flowed to form a channel.

"Knock, knock, knock—" The sound of knocking echoed, and Tang Buqi called out from outside, "Brother Zhao, I am sorry to disturb you, but is your sword manual ready?"

Zhao Changhe opened his eyes, a flash of blood-fiend vanishing in his gaze. "It was ready days ago, but I had no time to look for you. Now that you are here, just take it yourself; it is right on the desk by the window."

Tang Buqi pushed open the door and walked in carrying a flask of wine. "The moment my aunt left, Maitreya raised his troops. Within a few days, various places in Jiangnan responded, and it has already taken the form of a sweeping torrent. Today, both Hangzhou and Wuxing are gone."

"Is that not exactly as expected?"

"Yes, and another thing exactly as expected is the court's sluggish response. Even now, the heavenly troops have yet to arrive."

Zhao Changhe let out a laugh. "It seems you are quite relaxed?"

Tang Buqi sighed. "Relaxed my foot. Gusu is truly the front line now. Why do you think I didn't come to fetch the sword manual for so many days? I've been busy spinning like a top with absolutely no free time. Word has it that Maitreya will not rest until he roots out Gusu. His vanguard general, the Ten-Dwelling Bodhisattva Fasheng, has likely already set out from Wuxing by now, coming around Lake Tai. If you want to leave, you had better leave early. Once the city is besieged, you won't be able to get out."

Zhao Changhe froze for a moment.

He knew Maitreya’s momentum would rise very quickly, but he had not expected it could be this fast.

It had only been a few days, yet the army was already at the gates.