The Smiling, Proud Wanderer: From the Moment He Picked Up Qu Feiyan

The next day, as dawn broke and the morning mist had not yet dissipated, Shen An stretched and walked into the open space of the courtyard, ready to begin practicing his sword.

After silently reciting the Ice Heart Mantra, he picked up the heavy Songshan Iron Sword. At first, he felt a bit uncomfortable due to its weight, but as he assumed the starting stance according to his memory and slowly completed the seventeen moves of the Songshan sword technique, his swordsmanship gradually became more proficient. After completing the set, Shen An had fully absorbed the original owner's martial arts foundation.

His swordsmanship was actually quite good, but his internal energy... Shen An felt a weak, thin stream of energy slowly rotating in the center of his dantian, radiating a faint, subtle energy to the surrounding meridians.

Based on the original owner's orthodox and prestigious education, Shen An naturally knew that this was only the initial stage. His internal energy was only circulating unconsciously within his body, which could play a role in improving his physical fitness, but it was extremely difficult to mobilize it and use it in his moves.

Although it can only be considered a beginner's level, not yet reaching the minor mastery stage, cultivating internal energy at the age of twenty is already considered outstanding for his time. In the martial arts world, he would be a third-rate master, and fighting the Four Heroes of Qingcheng would probably not be a problem. After all, among the disciples of Huashan Sect, only Linghu Chong's internal energy cultivation has reached the minor mastery stage... Well, it is indeed a bit embarrassing, and Shen An himself was too embarrassed to continue.

However, since it was a freebie, Shen An couldn't complain about it, especially since he had just gained some insight into swordsmanship.

Just as he was about to strike while the iron was hot and practice his swordsmanship again, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from the front yard.

A young disciple dressed in Songshan attire rushed into the backyard and whispered to him, "Senior Brother Shen, our informant at the Liu residence reports that Liu Zhengfeng just disguised himself and headed south of the city. Senior Brother, hurry and follow him!"

Dude, who are you? Do I even have a disciple like you at Hengyang Bailianfang? Also, when did I plant a spy in the Liu residence? How come I didn't know?

Seeing Shen An's questioning expression, the Songshan disciple realized he hadn't introduced himself yet and quickly explained, "Senior Brother Shen, I am Feng Changrong, and my master is Lu Bai. He sent me with a group of people to assist you in investigating Liu Zhengfeng's matter. Let's set off quickly, Senior Brother Shen, or it will be too late!"

That's ruthless of Lu Bai. He even has a supervisor, urging people to start work early in the morning.

And Liu Zhengfeng, you too, it's only a few minutes and you can't resist going to see your old flame.

Shen An knew that his Uncle Lu knew he didn't have enough manpower and sent people to help him, but he still couldn't help but complain a few times in his heart.

Of course, he nodded solemnly, then deftly sheathed his longsword and turned to disappear into the morning mist.

-----------------

The city of Hengyang in the early morning has a unique, lively atmosphere.

The bluestone slabs paving the long street were wet with dew, shimmering in the morning light. On both sides of the street, early-rising vendors had already set up their stalls, and the steaming white mist exuded the fresh aroma of rice noodles.

Several peddlers carrying loads were shoving and shouting at each other at the crossroads, vying for the best spots. Amidst the noise, the faint sound of a erhu drifted from afar.

Shen An looked like an ordinary wanderer from the martial arts world, and even bought a meat bun on the way and was munching on it.

Everything is so peaceful... wait, the sound of a huqin?

No, Uncle Mo, you're up this early too? Old people don't need much sleep, right?

Shen An thought about it and agreed. The original story clearly stated that Mo Da already knew about his junior brother's friendship with Qu Yang, an elder of the Demonic Sect, long before Liu Zhengfeng's entire family was wiped out.

The two usually don't interact and argue whenever they meet, but secretly they care for and protect each other.

Sigh, what a tsundere.

Wait a minute...

The steamed bun in Shen An's mouth suddenly lost its flavor, and a chill ran down his spine.

Oh no, maybe he found out by following Liu Zhengfeng this time!

Upon realizing this, Shen An was startled and slowed his pace.

While hearing the erhu doesn't necessarily mean someone is a master, what if they are? Sigh, a few hundred yuan a month, why risk my life?

Shen An sighed inwardly and stopped rushing to find Liu Zhengfeng. He simply followed the directions and headed south of the city towards the outside, along the dirt road leading to Huiyan Peak outside the city.

After passing several villages, the surrounding scenery gradually became desolate. The noisy voices of people were left behind, and only a few woodcutters leaving the city remained. In their place were the birdsong in the mountains and the rustling of leaves in the wind.

Further ahead lay the depths of the mountains and forests, and Shen An decisively stopped.

Zabudodler.

We can't keep following them forever; what if they actually catch up?

Shen An looked around and then found a secluded spot in the woods with a relatively open view before disappearing inside.

Following them is out of the question; if Qu and Liu discover us, my life will be in danger.

Going back is impossible; if Uncle Lu Bai's people discover that he's slacking off, he'll be finished.

Since things have come to this, let's practice swordsmanship first.

However, the forest was too dense to maneuver properly. Shen An carried his sword and searched around for a while before finally finding a clearing by a stream by following the sound of water.

After a brief cleanup, Shen An began with the Ice Heart Technique again, regulating his breathing, concentrating his mind, and drawing his longsword once more. The blade sliced ​​through the morning breeze, reflecting a chilling glint in the morning sunlight.

The opening posture is "All Mountains Pay Homage to the Ancestor".

Next came the ancient dragon, layered green and floating blue...

After completing the seventeen moves of the Songshan Sword Technique, Shen An sheathed his sword and stood still. Although there was a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead, his eyes became even clearer.

In this state of complete detachment, Shen An found that the swordsmanship that the original owner had painstakingly practiced for over a decade actually had many aspects worth refining.

It's not that there were any mistakes or omissions; quite the opposite, the angle, force, and direction of each thrust were all remarkably precise. If Uncle Tang Ying'e, who was in charge of passing on his skills, had seen this, he would have stroked his beard and praised him, saying, "You have a solid foundation." Otherwise, the original owner of this body would not have been chosen by Zuo Lengchan as his personal disciple.

But that's it.

"Too rigid, too much of a craftsman's work."

Shen An frowned, looking at the trembling longsword in his hand, and a sudden realization dawned on him.

His first thought was of the greatest swordsmen in this world—Feng Qingyang and the future Linghu Chong.

Feng Qingyang values ​​the "Tao" (the Way). His martial arts philosophy is based on observation, prediction, and striking after the opponent has acted first. He emphasizes cultivating the mind through swordsmanship—the mind has no fixed form, the body has no fixed shape, and one moves according to the enemy.

Linghu Chong, on the other hand, emphasizes "technique." His swordsmanship is almost an intuition, proven in countless life-and-death battles. The core of his approach is to attack when the enemy must defend and to find an opening to strike.

The core of the Dugu Nine Swords is "no moves are better than moves," which does not negate the existence of moves, but rather breaks through the constraints of all fixed forms. The reason why the Songshan Swordplay practiced by the original owner seemed contrived was precisely because it was too fixated on "moves."

"If we could learn from them, would we be able to break free from these constraints?"

Shen An gestured casually for a moment, then immediately shook his head, rejecting the idea.

That's not right.

The Songshan swordsmanship does not follow a light and graceful style, nor does it emphasize the unpredictable and strange movements. The swords of the Songshan school are wide and thick, and the moves are solemn and imposing, emphasizing a dignified and righteous army that intimidates others with its power.

Leaving aside Feng Qingyang's approach for the moment, my own swordsmanship is far from reaching that level. If I were to use the Songshan swordsmanship to learn Linghu Chong's formless style, I'm afraid I would end up like a dog trying to draw a tiger, losing both the fierceness of the Songshan swordsmanship and the agility of the Dugu Nine Swords, ultimately resulting in a hybrid that is neither fish nor fowl.

"If their approach won't work, then... what about Yang Guo's 'Heavy Sword' realm?"

Shen An's eyes suddenly lit up.

He recalled the eight words that Yang Guo, the Condor Hero, had learned in the Sword Tomb: "A heavy sword has no edge, great skill is without artifice."

If Feng Qingyang represents the "Tao" and Linghu Chong represents the "Technique", then Yang Guo represents the "Power".

"Isn't the Songshan Swordplay, in essence, just about overwhelming others with sheer force?"

Shen An felt increasingly enlightened as he thought about it, but a new problem arose before him:

The Xuan Tie Heavy Sword weighs seventy or eighty jin, while his own Songshan Iron Sword is only thirty percent heavier than an ordinary longsword. If it were any heavier, he wouldn't be able to use it. Yang Guo possesses authentic Quanzhen internal energy, the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, and even the Nine Yin Manual. As for his own Songshan Heart Sutra... let's not even mention it. Even with the enhancement of sword intent, it wouldn't be enough.

"If you don't have enough internal strength, make up for it with physical methods."

Shen An took a deep breath, his mind racing.

Could the so-called "momentum" be understood as... inertia?

Since we cannot forcibly increase the mass and speed of the sword with strength and internal force like Yang Guo did, can we compensate for it with inertia and thus obtain the maximum momentum?

The Songshan sword technique is characterized by its expansive and sweeping movements. In the past, when the original owner practiced swordsmanship, every move had to be perfectly straight, with even brief pauses between moves, all in pursuit of the so-called "strict adherence to rules."

But this is really foolish from a physics perspective. Every pause means the kinetic energy is reduced to zero, and the next strike will require acceleration again.

"A heavy sword has no edge, and true skill lies in simplicity. Doesn't this 'simplicity' refer to the elimination of all those fancy variations?"

Shen An seemed to understand somewhat.

What if I ignore those ingenious variations and instead use the momentum of the previous strike to guide the next strike?

Shen An, who was focused on thinking about his future martial arts direction, was completely unaware that just a few dozen steps upstream from where the stream was babbling, a pair of bright eyes were quietly observing him.