It was the first month of the year, and Ma Yan was practicing his swordsmanship in the courtyard. Strangely enough, Ma Yan had always felt that every time he practiced his sword, there would be an awkward feeling. It was as if someone was secretly watching him from the dark, after the old man returned home. During this period, Ma Yan had also suspected the origins of this old man. He had secretly paid attention to the old man's actions, but other than being lazy and muddle-headed, there was nothing suspicious about the old man. Ma Yan thought that he was overthinking.
After a while, Ma Yan finished practicing the 12 moves of the Hongjun Sword Technique that Si Du had taught him. He stood in the courtyard and wiped the sweat off his forehead, adjusting his breathing.
"Is this the sword technique that Si Du taught you?!”A disdainful and slightly reproachful voice came from behind.
Ma Yan was slightly surprised. He turned around and saw the "useless" old man standing behind him. The only difference was that the old man in front of him had an arrogant and solemn aura. He was completely different from his lazy and muddle-headed appearance from before.
Ma Yan was stunned and stood there, not knowing what to do.
The old man ignored him and continued," Stupid Si Du. It's fine if he's short-lived, but he actually taught a sword technique to such an extent. It's right for him to die early!”
Ma Yan couldn't take it anymore when he heard the old man. Ma Yan was such a person. If you scolded or insulted him in front of him, he would most likely think that the other party didn't understand. As long as it wasn't too much bullying, he wouldn't care too much. If it was over, then it was over. However, if you insulted his family or friends in front of him, even if it was just a casual sentence or two, he would be unhappy, let alone deliberately insulting his deceased master like this old man.
At that time, Ma Yan was just in his early thirties, and his heart was still filled with the impulse of a young man. He thought to himself, This old man is really rude. I saved your life, and it's fine if you don't say thank you, but you even insulted my master for no reason. It's really preposterous. His eyebrows raised and he was about to reprimand him. He didn't think about why this old man kept saying that Si Dou was his master and knew that his master had passed away.
Just as he was about to reprimand him, the old man brushed Ma Yan's elbow with his right hand and took the sword that fell from his hand. He began to dance. With the old man's dance, Ma Yan could not help but swallow the words he was about to say. This was because he realized that the old man was clearly using the 12 Hongjun Sword Techniques. What made Ma Yan even more surprised was that every move and stance of the old man was filled with elegance and spiciness. It gave people the feeling that it was exactly what Master Si had described to him back then, but even he himself could not do it. Moreover, every time the old man swung his sword, it was accompanied by the faint sound of thunder. Sword Qi actually shot out from the sword's edge, leaving sword marks on the wood, stone, tiles, and bricks.
In less than 15 minutes, the old man had finished executing the 12 Hongjun Sword Techniques. He then casually placed the sword on the ground and said arrogantly,""Kid, what do you think of my Hongjun Sword Art?”
Ma Yan was already stunned there, unable to say anything. He was thinking about the move the old man had just used, and he was wondering who the old man in front of him was. At this moment, he had completely understood that the old man in front of him must have deliberately pretended to be crazy. Perhaps he could be saved by him, but it was also fake. However, even though the old man was so proficient in the Hongjun Sword Technique and had such power, he had never heard his master mention it. When Ma Yan thought of this, he bowed deeply to the old man and said,"Old man, Ma Yan is blind. But I don't know…"
The old man gave him a contemptuous look. Without waiting for him to finish, he opened his mouth and said,"What's wrong? Did Si never mention me to you?!”
When Ma Yan heard this, he faintly felt that this person must have a deep relationship with his master, but he had never heard his master mention such a person. He could only answer honestly,"Old man, although Master has taught me many things, he has never mentioned you."”
The old man's eyes warmed up when he heard that. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, and he immediately returned to his previous pretense."Yes, this Si Du has always remembered my words. I didn't teach him in vain.”
Hearing the old man's words, Ma Yan thought to himself," From what the old man said, he seems to have taught my master sword techniques. According to ethics, he should be my grandmaster." "Old man, you mean you once taught my master?" Then, then aren't you my grandmaster?”
The old man did not confirm it, but he did not object either.
Seeing the old man's attitude, Ma Yan knew that his speculation was correct. He hurriedly turned to the old man and was about to kneel down. Unexpectedly, the old man waved his sleeve and forcefully stopped Ma Yan, who was kowtowing with all his might. His kowtow was not successful.
"Brat," the old man said coldly to Ma Yan,"although I taught Si Du martial arts, he is not my disciple." Therefore, you can save yourself the effort.”
Ma Yan was a person who had practiced martial arts for more than ten years. He was shocked by the old man's martial arts skills, but when he saw that the old man was still cold even after he bowed sincerely, he felt that this old man's personality was a little strange.
"The two ministers, hmph, I think they're just stupid kids.”The old man seemed to be talking to Ma Yan and then to himself," But since you saved me and served me well for a month…Kid, let me ask you, are you willing to learn the Hongjun Sword Art from me?”
When Ma Yan heard this, he couldn't help but be overjoyed. He didn't expect that this old man would scold him and his master while teaching him martial arts. He had planned to thank the old man immediately, but when he thought of how the old man had refused to let him bow to him, he folded his hands and froze there, not knowing how to get better.
Seeing this, the old man said in a gentle tone,"Although I can teach you swordsmanship, I have never thought of becoming your master. Si Du, that idiot, sent me a message before he died. He said that your talent is not bad and that you have a loyal character. He wanted me to personally guide you. I'm just fulfilling one of his wishes. You don't have to think about giving me these vulgar gifts. If you really want to thank me, you should thank that stupid master of yours.”
To be honest, Ma Yan was really not used to this old man who could be called his grandmaster scolding people while talking, but he was also helpless. The old man continued," I've been observing you for the past few days. Your aptitude is only above average. Although you're slightly stronger than your stupid master, you're still an idiot. Fortunately, you love swordsmanship and are diligent in it. You can more or less make up for it. However, it was impossible to become a top expert.”Then, he turned his head slightly and looked at Ma Yan.""I will teach you sword techniques for three days, four hours a day. Let's start at midnight today and don't let anyone know!”As he spoke, he didn't do anything. Ma Yan only felt the old man's figure float and he had already arrived at the entrance of the backyard. When he blinked again, the old man's figure had already disappeared.
Ma Yan immediately went to the room where the old man was arranged to live, but there was no sign of the old man.
That night, Ma Yan had already prepared food and fruits in the backyard. He also asked the servants to light two large bonfires so that the courtyard could be brighter. Then, Ma Yan dismissed everyone and sat there quietly. It was already midnight, but the old man had yet to appear.
Just as Ma Yan was trying to recall if he remembered wrongly, he suddenly heard someone behind him say,"You stupid kid, why did you start two fires?”
Ma Yan knew that the old man had come, but even so, he jumped and explained,"Martial Ancestor said that he would teach me martial arts, but this disciple's aptitude is too low, so I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to see everything.”
"I said you were stupid, but you didn't want to listen! At least you're more promising than your master. Remember, I'm not your grandmaster, and you're not my grand-disciple. Go, put out the fire." The old man said coldly.
Ma Yan muttered in his heart and put out the fire, but he didn't dare to say how he was going to learn the sword. After Ma Yan put out the two fires, the old man sat down beside the stone table and gestured for Ma Yan to sit beside him. Ma Yan looked at the old man under the dim light of the torch beside the table. The old man's face was expressionless. Although he had a head full of white hair, it was impossible to guess his age.
After Ma Yan sat down, the old man said slowly,""The Hongjun Sword Art originated from the Ancient Nature Chaos Scripture. It is a self-contained entity with the 'Heavenly Sound Technique'. Therefore, the true Hongjun Sword Technique had to be cultivated in conjunction with the 'Heavenly Sound Technique'.”
Ma Yan had never heard his master Si Du mention the Heavenly Sound Technique, so he asked,""Mas…old man, what is the 'Heavenly Sound Technique'?”
The old man glared at Ma Yan." When I'm explaining it to you, just listen. Don't ask." You will know what you should know, but you won't get an answer for what you shouldn't know.”
Ma Yan had long realized that the old man in front of him had a strange temper. Hearing him say this, he did not dare to say anything.
"Profound martial arts like the Heavenly Sound Technique and the Hongjun Sword have always been passed down by word of mouth. There are no historical records, so it's normal that no one in the world has ever heard of them. "Your talent is limited. It's probably very difficult for you to completely cultivate the Hongjun Sword Art. If you force yourself to cultivate it, you'll most likely end up killing yourself. That's why I'm only teaching you the Hongjun Sword Technique. If you practice it diligently, you won't let Si Du down.”The old man paused for a moment before continuing," The most fundamental thing in learning the sword is your understanding of the sword. The extent of your understanding of the sword will naturally be reflected in your moves. An ordinary person would treat a sword as a weapon, so his understanding of the sword was reflected in his bravery and ruthlessness. His swordsmanship would not be very high. Some people used their swords to lead the way, fighting for fame and fortune, so their understanding of the sword stopped at fame and fortune. Their sword skills might be uneven, but they were definitely not brilliant. There were also people who used the sword to promote virtue and suppress violence. He had some understanding of the sword, but unfortunately, it was much less."If anyone else…" The old man suddenly stopped and looked at Ma Yan."Kid, what kind of person do you think you are?”
When Ma Yan heard the old man ask him, he thought to himself that he should also finish his sentence first. However, thinking about the few types of people the old man had just mentioned, he felt that although he knew how to promote virtue and curb violence, it was still quite difficult for him to really give up his desire for fame and fortune. He became honest and said,"Old man, Ma Yan thinks that when one walks between heaven and earth, one should naturally carry forward the great Dao and abandon the small righteousness. However, it would be a lie to say that I don't have fame and fortune in my heart.”
When the old man heard Ma Yan's words, he unexpectedly nodded and said gently,""You can see yourself in this way. It's not in vain for that idiot Si Du to take you in as a disciple.”
When Ma Yan heard this, he secretly curled his lips, wondering why this old man always scolded people when he praised them. Seeing the old man's gentle attitude, he asked,""Old man, there is another kind of person you mentioned just now…"
However, when the old man heard him, his expression became stern."Didn't I tell you to just listen and not ask? What kind of person he is has nothing to do with you. What can you do even if you know?!”
Even though Ma Yan was a man of understanding, his heart was stifled when he heard the old man's words. He immediately lowered his head and did not dare to make a sound.
The old man continued to ignore his feelings and continued,""To learn the sword is to be human. What kind of person, what kind of sword technique he practiced, and what level of sword technique he eventually mastered, also represented what kind of person he was. Therefore, learning the sword was like cultivating one's body! Of course, there was a process to understanding the sword. In the beginning, most sword practitioners would think that a sword was a sword. At this stage, although the practitioner had a sword in his hand, he might not have a sword in his heart. As they became more familiar with the sword, many people not only had a sword in their hands, but they also had a sword in their hearts. However, not everyone could have a sword in their heart through hard work. If he could have a sword in his heart, his understanding of the sword would begin to change. Such a sword practitioner would also enter the second stage of understanding the sword-the sword was not a sword. Such sword practitioners would realize that the sword in their hands was not a weapon, but a cold existence. It was an extension of the body, or even a part of the body. Just like how a person felt that having hands and feet was natural and would never think that it was superfluous, he would also feel the same way about swords. The swordsmen at this stage displayed great differences in their mastery of the sword. The highest level of mastery was what those idiots in the martial arts world called-Body and Sword as One. Hmph, hmph, what do they know about swords!" The old man said to Ma Yan and seemed to be muttering to himself again. At this moment, Ma Yan had already learned his lesson. No matter what the old man said, he just listened to him from the side. Moreover, he felt that the old man's understanding of the sword would be of great benefit to him.
Seeing that Ma Yan was listening attentively, the old man said,""The third stage of a sword practitioner's understanding of the sword is-the sword is still the sword.”When Ma Yan heard what the old man said, he thought to himself,'Why is it that I've already become one with the sword? In the end, I'm still a sword.' Although he had doubts in his heart, he did not dare to rashly raise them. The old man saw the change in his expression and knew that he had something to say, but he said,"As for why a sword is still a sword, I don't think you'll be able to understand it in this lifetime. If you can find me to teach you and become one with the sword, you'll already be very lucky.”Boss Ma Yan did not agree with the old man's words. He felt that the old man was too arbitrary.
The old man continued to speak. Although what he said seemed to be about practicing sword techniques, many of it was about human principles. Although Ma Yan knew these principles, he had never been as systematic as the old man before. Secondly, he had never been connected to sword practice, so it sounded quite meaningful and often gave him a feeling of enlightenment.
Just like that, one listened and the other talked until a rooster crowed, breaking the silence between heaven and earth.
The old man seemed to be very satisfied." Kid, your luck is not bad. I originally said that I would give you four hours to talk. It seems that you let me talk for an extra hour on the first day." I hope you can understand the logic behind it so that our time is not wasted. Let's continue at midnight today." After saying that, his figure moved and disappeared into the darkness.
Ma Yan had been listening and thinking. He didn't expect the old man to leave just like that. If it weren't for the two piles of firewood in the courtyard, Ma Yan would have thought that he was dreaming. At this moment, Ma Yan realized that he was already drenched. Thinking back to what the old man had told him, he felt that he had said a lot, but he also felt that he had not said anything. When he returned to his room, he wanted to write about the old man, but he found that he didn't know where to start. Because everything the old man said was important to remember and unnecessary to write. He thought about how the old man had said that he wanted to teach him the Hongjun Sword Art, but he had not taught him a single move throughout the entire night. He suddenly thought of the old man's strange temper and felt that he could not figure it out. Seeing that the sky was getting brighter, he climbed into bed and pondered over what the old man had said to him at night before falling asleep.
On the second day, the old man arrived quietly. Although Ma Yan had prepared food and fruits, he didn't dare to light a bonfire. After the old man arrived, he did not waste any time and continued to talk as if no one was around. This time, the old man didn't talk about the moves of the Hongjun Sword Technique. Instead, he started from the Natural Chaos Scripture. It was said that the Natural Chaos Scripture was personally created by the Yellow Emperor and was a summary of ancient martial arts techniques. Later on, this scripture was passed down to the rulers of Xia, Shang and Zhou. Later on, as the feudal lords split up at the end of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, the Natural Chaos Scripture disappeared along with the nine cauldrons made by Yu. Later, Taishi Dan of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty recorded a portion of it according to his own memories and passed it down. After hundreds of years of inheritance, it formed the current Heavenly Sound Technique, Primal Technique, and Bliss Technique. The corresponding martial arts were the Hongjun Sword Technique, the Wild Sand Saber Technique, and the Sea Wave Palm Technique. Although there were people who practiced these martial arts, not many people in Jianghu knew about it. Even if they saw someone using the relevant martial arts, most of them would not be able to recognize it.
Then, the old man told Ma Yan about the Heavenly Sound Technique and the Hongjun Sword Technique, especially the principle of the Hongjun Sword Technique. By the time he finished speaking, it was already time for the rooster to crow.
After the old man left, Ma Yan sat there without moving for a long time. When he had learned the Hongjun Sword Art from his master, he had never heard of it, nor had he thought that the Hongjun Sword Art contained many of the profoundness that the old man had taught. After Ma Yan quietly thought about what the old man had told him, he could not help but feel a surge of emotions and his blood vessels surged. When he came back to his senses, the sky was already bright, and he was also exhausted. After this night, Ma Yan had already prostrated himself in admiration of the old man's martial arts cultivation. Although the old man did not tell him the specific moves, in his heart, it was as if the Hongjun Sword Art was something he had created himself. This time, Ma Yan went back to his room and fell asleep. He only woke up in the afternoon.
After Ma Yan woke up, he thought about what the old man had said to him two nights ago. He felt that his understanding of the sword and the Hongjun Sword Technique was completely different from what he had been two days ago. He picked up a sword and practiced the Hongjun Sword Technique again. However, he felt a wave of confusion in his heart. He could not even use the routine he was used to. He couldn't explain why, so he could only wait for midnight.
That night, Ma Yan ordered a few more torches to be set up in the backyard. He stood far away from the stone table, planning to tell the old man about the doubts he had encountered during the day when he arrived. Before he could think of anything, the old man quietly appeared behind him. Without saying anything, he picked up a sword from the weapon rack beside him and performed the Hongjun Sword Technique from beginning to end. The difference between this dance and the one he had performed two days ago was that it seemed to be deliberately done so that Ma Yan could see it clearly, so his movements were relatively slow. Moreover, there was no faint thunder between the attacks, only the sound of "chi chi" when the sword tip slashed through the air. The old man's sword dance had taken the time of a meal, and Ma Yan had enjoyed it. The confusion in his heart had been mostly resolved. After the old man finished his move, he did not say much. He sat down beside the stone table and gestured for Ma Yan to sit down as well. Then, he continued to talk. This time, the old man explained the moves of the twelve Hongjun Sword Techniques from beginning to end. Ma Yan was overjoyed with every move he finished. He wanted to immediately practice according to his own understanding, but seeing that the old man had no intention of letting him practice, he could only endure it and listen quietly.
When the old man finished his last move, a rooster crowed again. The old man stopped talking and turned to Ma Yan."Kid, do you understand everything I've told you these past few days?”
When Ma Yan heard this, he thought quietly for a while and replied,""Old man, Ma Yan understands."
Unexpectedly, when the old man saw Ma Yan's cautious appearance, he suddenly became impatient and said directly,"If you understand, you understand. If you don't understand, you don't understand. What's there to think about? Just like your stupid master! Now that you understand, I want you to demonstrate it for me immediately.”
Ma Yan was baffled by the old man's scolding. Fortunately, he had some understanding of the old man after these few days of interaction. He did not mind it at all. Moreover, he could not wait any longer. He could not wait to practice the Hongjun Sword Technique as soon as possible. Hearing the old man's words, he immediately took the sword and began to dance. Ma Yan's swordsmanship this time was much worse than three days ago. Ying Ming had the same sword technique, but even those who had seen Ma Yan use the sword before would wonder if he had learned a new sword technique. Although the moves were still the same and the routine was still the same, the feeling it gave off was too different.
When Ma Yan was done, the old man shook his head and said,"Sigh, it's alright. With your talent, it's not easy for you to reach this level.”Then, he stared at Ma Yan and said seriously,""Ma Yan, after I finish explaining the Hongjun Sword Art to you today, our fate has come to an end. There are some things that I have to make clear to you. The reason why I taught you the Hongjun Sword Art is not only because of your character and aptitude, but also to fulfill your master's wish. It can be considered as a consolation to his soul in heaven. The reason why I won't teach you the Heavenly Sound Technique is that both of these martial arts are top-tier martial arts. However, your aptitude is limited. If you really cultivate both internal and external martial arts, you will either fail to learn it or hurt yourself. You have to know this very well. With your understanding of the Hongjun Sword Art, if you can study it carefully and practice it diligently, you will be able to achieve something by the age of fifty. "But from today onwards, unless it's absolutely necessary, you must never show the Hongjun Sword Technique to others. As for the specific reason, I don't need to tell you. I hope you can continue to do more good deeds. You need to know that there is still a long time ahead, so don't let me down.”
When Ma Yan heard this, he realized that this was a farewell. He thought to himself that the old man wouldn't leave as soon as he got familiar with him. He hurriedly said," Grandmaster…I'm a foolish old man, and I have many questions about the Hongjun Sword Technique. Please…"
Before he could finish, a figure flashed and the old man disappeared. Only the last sentence was still floating in Ma Yan's ears.""Kid, you have to remember that I'm not your grandmaster.”
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