Chapter 120 - 90: Wind Chasing Saber Stance
A month passed in the blink of an eye.
On this day, a torrential rain poured from the sky. Dressed in a short shirt, Chen Cheng brandished his Long Saber in the backyard pavilion, practicing the Wind Chasing Saber Technique.
Lately, it had been raining heavily every few days, and sometimes a downpour would last all day.
Chen Cheng had hired craftsmen to build this simple pavilion in the backyard, making it convenient to practice his Saber Technique when it rained.
Not far away, under the eaves of the main house, Xi’Er set up a small square table and diligently wrote on yellow paper with a charcoal pencil.
After writing for a while, she felt tired. She stood up, shook her head, stretched her arms, and scratched the Night Owl squatting beside her.
The Night Owl stared with its big, yellowish-red eyes, motionless.
This strange bird was nocturnal; though its large eyes were wide open, it was actually asleep.
"Xiaoguzi, you sure can sleep!"
Xi’Er said, then turned her head to look at the pavilion not far away, where her young master was brandishing his Long Saber, practicing his Saber Technique.
In the pavilion, Chen Cheng’s figure flickered and moved about, his Long Saber weaving up and down in a high-speed dance. The glint of the blade was nearly invisible. Xi’Er watched for a long time but could barely make it out clearly.
"The Young Master’s Saber Technique is getting faster and faster!" Xi’Er murmured. She sat back down, but instead of resuming her writing, she propped her chin on her hands, looked toward the pavilion again, and sighed incessantly.
’Sigh! I really want to learn the Saber Technique from the Young Master, but he says I’m still too young and not suited for Cultivating Martial Dao.’
The torrential rain drummed against the pavilion’s tiles, a rapid and dense staccato. Rainwater flowed along the edges of the eaves and dripped onto the bluestone ground, sending up small splashes.
Chen Cheng became more and more absorbed in his practice, gradually entering a state of self-forgetfulness. In his hand, there was only the saber; in his heart, only the saber.
"Riding the Wind Technique!" His figure flashed, and the Long Saber thrust out with him. It sliced through the curtain of rain and was swiftly retracted, its blade perfectly clean, without a single trace of water.
"Wind-Controlling Technique!" The Long Saber moved even faster. As the breeze passed, the raindrops outside the pavilion were suddenly pulled by the wind’s momentum, slanting inward.
"Wind Chasing Technique!" Before the raindrops could land, flashes of Chen Cheng’s saber danced in succession. The drops abruptly bent several times in mid-air before splashing away.
[Cultivation Progress of the Wind Chasing Saber Technique has increased.]
...
[Skills: Wind Chasing Saber Technique (Perfection, Special Effect: Wind Chasing Saber Stance)]
Chen Cheng’s Saber Momentum suddenly changed. Each and every move became more agile and swift, faintly pulling at the ambient qi in the air.
As the Long Saber swung, a breeze was born!
Where the Long Saber fell, the wind’s momentum abruptly ceased!
The Saber Momentum shifted, and gusts of wind swirled from the blade!
Straight chops, light slices, upward slashes, heavy hacks... The Blade Techniques were complex and linked. A gale surged within the pavilion, and the surrounding raindrops suddenly churned in all directions, as if scattered by a fierce wind.
This scattering, chaotic at first, gradually became rhythmic. It then gathered into sheets of rain that constantly vibrated in mid-air.
"Hidden Wind Technique!"
The sheets of rain seemed to be split apart by the wind’s momentum, layering one upon another. Flashes from the saber danced continuously, and the sheets of rain gathered more and more, the layers becoming impossibly dense.
BANG!
The flash of the saber suddenly vanished. The sheets of rain abruptly exploded, bursting outward in all directions like ten thousand fine needles.
Chen Cheng’s Saber Momentum did not stop. He began to dance with his saber at extreme speed again, the glint of the blade so fast it was like a shadow. Gusts of wind rose from within the pavilion. The wind’s momentum grew faster and faster, soon turning from whooshing sounds into pulsing waves of air.
The raindrops outside the pavilion were blown by the waves of air, scattering outward at an angle as if expanding. Slowly, the torrential downpour seemed to meet a barrier, avoiding the area of the pavilion and falling in a semicircle around it.
Inside the pavilion, the man and his saber danced ever faster.
...
Seeing this scene, Xi’Er was utterly dumbstruck and unconsciously stood up.
The Night Owl at her side had woken up at some point. It stared toward the pavilion, its huge, yellowish-brown wings unconsciously spreading out and beating slowly.
Just then, a voice called from outside the courtyard gate.
Usually, it would be Mu Song from the Ruyi Square Sub-Department. If her young master was in the middle of his cultivation, he would always wait a while.
Seeing that her young master had no intention of stopping his cultivation, Xi’Er quickly put on a straw rain cape and a Conical Hat and went to the front courtyard to open the gate.
When she opened the gate, she saw a rather pretty woman standing outside. The woman wore a cloak over a set of cyan, close-fitting attire, a Longsword hung at her waist.
The visitor was none other than Xiaoxing. The little girl who opened the gate—dressed in a gray short shirt, with a delicate face, bright, jet-black eyes, and an air of cleverness—made her eyes light up.
"Is Chief Chen in?"
Seeing that Xiaoxing was a stranger, Xi’Er asked timidly, "The Young Master is practicing his Saber Technique. Who are you?"
"I am Lord Shen’s handmaiden from the Ruyi Square Sub-Department, Xiaoxing." Seeing Xi’Er’s timid expression, Xiaoxing couldn’t help but smile.
’There was a time when I was just like this little girl before me—just a cautious little handmaiden, full of fear towards strangers.’
"Oh, so you’re Lord Xiaoxing! The Young Master has mentioned you. He said you’re a Martial Dao expert." Xi’Er quickly invited Xiaoxing inside.
"What’s your name?" Xiaoxing asked with a smile after stepping into the courtyard.
"My name is Xi’Er," Xi’Er replied, then added, "The Young Master is in the backyard practicing his Saber Technique. He might be a while. Lord Xiaoxing, please wait in the main hall."
"My surname is Su." Xiaoxing entered the main hall and sat down, finally unable to resist correcting her. ’The title ’Lord Xiaoxing’ just feels so odd.’
"Yes, Lord Su," Xi’Er replied obediently. "I’ll go make you some tea right away."
"There’s no need for tea. Go get Chief Chen. I’ll leave as soon as I’ve said what I need to say." Xiaoxing waved her hand, then asked curiously, "How is Chief Chen practicing his Saber Technique in such a heavy downpour?"
Xi’Er said, "The Young Master built a pavilion in the backyard. He’s practicing his Saber Technique in there."