"So that man is Yuan Tiangang." Su Yan filed the name away.
He was just a village boy. He knew nothing of court affairs or legendary figures.
Yuan Qi, better read, recognized the name with shock. "That legendary existence!"
Yuan Tiangang laughed up at the sky. "I acted on the Emperor's command to sever your dragon vein and prevent catastrophe. That was public duty, not private grudge! But if you want battle, I accept!"
Light erupted from his sword case. The storm vanished. Clear blue sky stretched overhead, as if they had returned to the living world.
Su Yan and Yuan Qi watched in awe as Yuan Tiangang rose into the air, sword flashing like lightning against the divine giant. The giant transformed into a stone dragon stretching dozens of li, shaking heaven and earth. But Yuan Tiangang's sword ascended in a rainbow arc, striking the dragon's weak neck and severing its head in one blow.
The dragon's head crashed down before the house, blood flowing like a river.
Yuan Tiangang landed, his sword returning to the case. "This dragon was born from a mountain vein. I slew its mother body years ago. The child came for revenge. Bathe in its blood. It heals wounds better than any elixir."
Su Yan and Yuan Qi approached the dragon's head. The blood washed over them, and their injuries healed with startling speed. Su Yan's wounded left shoulder closed completely. His qi and blood surged stronger than before.
He placed the bell in the dragon blood too, hoping it would absorb some of the vital essence and recover faster.
Yuan Tiangang watched with interest. "That treasure has an impressive origin, but also dangerous entanglements. If your fortune is insufficient, it may bring disaster. You should discard it."
Su Yan's heart stirred. The bell had been forged to suppress the stone mountain's ancient well, where a black coffin held a girl who escaped when the Naihe changed course.
Was that the entanglement Yuan Tiangang meant?
Yuan Tiangang didn't explain further. "Dragon blood contains dragon essence. It heals your wounds, but absorbing too much is harmful for humans. Stop once your injuries heal. The snake, however, can absorb more. It will benefit him greatly."
Su Yan stopped bathing. Yuan Qi soaked in the blood, feeling pure vital energy flood into him.
"A-Yan, I'll be able to transform into human form soon!" Yuan Qi exclaimed. "Once I have a human body, I can properly cultivate Titan-Ox Demon Fist!"
"Will you be male or female?" Su Yan asked.
"What do you mean male or female? It's male or female! I'm male!"
"What a shame," Su Yan said.
Yuan Qi glared. "I treat you like a brother, and you have dirty thoughts?"
"I don't! You're the one slandering me!"
"Slandering? The Xu family's reputation among snake kind has never been good!"
Yuan Qi absorbed dragon essence until his body neared its limit. Yuan Tiangang warned, "Greed harms cultivation. Too much is dangerous."
Yuan Qi reluctantly crawled out, then drank several more mouthfuls of dragon blood.
Yuan Tiangang shook his head. "You've added unnecessary difficulty to your transformation. Come with me. Though this is the living path, whether the old woman at the bridge will let you pass remains uncertain."
He led them through treacherous terrain, finding paths where none seemed to exist. Finally the Naihe came into view, a rope bridge spanning across to the other side.
But the river had emptied. Only the channel remained, locked in mist.
Yuan Tiangang stopped at the bridge. "Cross this, and you reach the living world. If an old woman sells tea at the bridgehead, do not drink it. Cross quickly. Drink her tea, and you can never return! Remember this!"
Su Yan thanked him and asked, "Does Senior have any unfulfilled wishes? If I survive, I will repay your kindness."
Yuan Tiangang hesitated. "I came here to extend my life, but I'm trapped between life and death. I can see my homeland, but my family doesn't know my fate." He handed Su Yan the sword case. "Carry this. If you meet my family, it will fly to them on its own. A token of my remembrance."
Su Yan strapped it to his back and set out with Yuan Qi.
Yuan Tiangang watched them go. "This boy has deep fortune. May he return to the living world. Whatever happens, he must not drink the old woman's tea!"
They crossed the rope bridge without incident. No tea seller appeared. They relaxed and talked as they walked.
Near the bridge's end, they found a crowd blocking the way. People stood in line, shuffling forward.
Su Yan and Yuan Qi joined the queue. After a long wait, they saw the line led to a tea stall. An old woman with white hair and countless wrinkles poured bowl after bowl. Yet the teapot never emptied.
Su Yan and Yuan Qi stood in line, minds growing hazy. Yuan Tiangang's warning faded from memory. They felt unbearably thirsty. The purpose of the queue became clear: to drink Granny Meng's tea.
Finally Su Yan's turn came.
At the bridge's far end, Yuan Tiangang watched him lift the bowl and sighed. "His fortune was insufficient after all. His parents were strong, but could not protect him..."
As Su Yan raised the bowl to drink, the old woman studied him. Her expression shifted. She snatched the bowl away and sneered.
"You brat. You've drunk my tea countless times, countless bowls. You think you can fool me into giving you more? Get out!"
Su Yan snapped awake, cold sweat pouring down his face. He grabbed Yuan Qi's tail and dragged the snake off the bridge.
Yuan Tiangang stared in disbelief.
After a long moment, he understood. "Granny Meng's soup erases all memory, returning one to primal chaos. She said he drank countless bowls. Does she mean his memories were wiped countless times, or that he has lived countless lifetimes?"
Su Yan pulled Yuan Qi off the bridge. The snake woke up, terrified.
Behind them, the bridge trembled like mist and vanished.
The journey through the Terrace of Longing felt like a dream. Su Yan felt melancholy and confusion. "Why did the parents I saw in the terrace look different from the ones in my memory?"
Though underworld mountains still surrounded them, the sky cleared. Su Yan carried the sword case on his back. Faint sword energy drifted from it, sometimes flashing before his eyes like clashing blades.
He asked Yuan Qi about it, but the snake sensed nothing.
"The books say that during the reigns of the great emperors, martial arts flourished. Court nuo masters cultivated swords with qi. Yuan Tiangang was one such legendary nuo master." Yuan Qi guessed, "His sword energy remains in the case. Carrying it affects you, so you see sword shadows."
Su Yan grew excited. "Could I comprehend his sword techniques from this energy?"
Yuan Qi laughed. "A-Yan, are you dreaming? Ordinary people can't master techniques from scriptures, let alone comprehend sword arts from residual energy?"
He had a point. Many sought cultivation without success. Even with proper methods, one might misunderstand and walk the wrong path. The old ox family had practiced Titan-Ox Demon Fist for three generations without reaching the fourth level. Only Yuan Qi, with Su Yan's guidance, had reached the fifth level and neared the sixth.
Comprehending sword arts from energy? The difficulty was unimaginable.
Su Yan didn't care. He picked up a straight willow branch and practiced as he walked, mimicking the dancing sword light he sensed.
Gradually his qi flowed through the branch. As he moved, his qi followed strange paths, transforming into sharp sword energy at the branch's tip.
He thrust, parried, flicked, chopped, sliced, and pointed. The sword energy hissed, growing sharper and louder.
Sword techniques were built from basic moves: thrust, flick, parry, chop, slice, point, snap, hang, hook,抹, sweep, frame, intercept, flower, circle, and flow. Su Yan had never studied swordsmanship, but through sensing the sword energy, he mastered these fundamentals without a teacher.
His enthusiasm grew. The willow branch sprouted a sharp sword glow that lengthened and shortened with his qi. This glow, formed from condensed sword energy, shone with cold light, sharper than any real blade.
Yuan Qi watched in shock. "Can he really comprehend a sword technique from the case?"
Su Yan leaped into the air, willow branch swinging. Sword energy poured down like rain.
Yuan Qi scrambled to dodge as dozens of holes appeared in the ground, stone pierced through.
"This guy, carrying that bell and still this fierce!" Yuan Qi envied.
Su Yan landed, delighted. He thrust the willow branch around, itching to test it on something.
Yuan Qi kept his distance.
"Little Seven, I saw gods controlling flying swords at distances of dozens of paces, moving them like their own arms. How do they do it?"
Yuan Qi corrected him. "Gods kill with flying swords from a thousand li away, not dozens of paces. Their swords are formed from incense energy, not real blades. They have no weight. And the flying sword is their magical power. Controlling magical power is natural for them."
Su Yan froze. Then he laughed wildly. "You're right! Little Seven, you're brilliant! How did I not think of that?"
Yuan Qi stared. "Wait, which part was right? I don't understand..."