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墨書 Inktalez
Ximen Tower was so anxious that beads of sweat began to form on his forehead.
At this moment, Tian Feiyu felt reassured. He smiled and said, "Junior Brother, do not be hasty. The Bronze Man will eventually be returned to you by the Divine Mechanism Hall, but we must think of a plan slowly and find a foolproof solution."
Azure Wind chuckled and replied, "I actually have an idea, and it is absolutely foolproof—better than any perfect plan."
Finished Speaking pointed at Qinling Xue and said to Tian Feiyu, "This person’s surname is Qin, given name Lingxue. He entered the Wuhua Sect at the age of fifteen, and in just two years, he advanced to the Inner Sect at seventeen. His Fist Technique is exceptional with both sword and saber, particularly skilled in hidden weapons. No one in the sect can surpass him. He has trained dozens of third-generation disciples, making him a pillar of the Wuhua Sect. Congratulations, Senior Brother Tian, for acquiring such talent; your Seven Star Sword Hall has gained another skill."
Tian Feiyu was taken aback by Azure Wind's sudden insight.
However, Azure Wind no longer looked at him. Instead, he addressed Qinling Xue: "The meridian Bronze Man has arrived at the Seven Star Sword Hall. Without the meridian Bronze Man here, it is inconvenient for you to teach. From now on, you should go under Master Tian's guidance. Do not be lazy and neglect your cultivation."
His words carried a tone of gentle persuasion. Finished Speaking stood up and left with a wave of his sleeve.
Qinling Xue stood there dumbfounded. This was akin to being expelled from his master’s teachings; it was ten times more tragic than being punished at Broken Heart Cliff.
Seeing Qinling Xue standing still, Ximen Tower grew anxious and hurriedly gestured for him to follow. Only then did Qinling Xue come to his senses and hurriedly bowed to bid farewell to the two elders. With a frustrated stomp of his foot, he followed Azure Wind out.
Once the two had left, Tian Feiyu turned to Ximen Tower and said, "I still need you to mediate this matter; we cannot let Lan Shidi get stuck in a dead end."
Ximen Tower sighed and replied, "I will do my best. It is not entirely Lan Shidi's fault for being upset. Such a Meridian Copper Man is something that ordinary sects cannot forge. If we create a lightweight version that cannot withstand the disciples' antics, it would be rendered useless. We must find a way to produce that one."
The two exchanged glances and deliberated for a while but could not come up with a reliable method to retrieve the Bronze Man.
Ximen Tower felt somewhat discouraged and said, "It seems we really need to think this over. You should go back and come up with some ideas. I will first go to Lan Shidi to persuade him. We must not act rashly and expel that disciple, wronging an innocent person."
Tian Feiyu sighed and left, while Zhang Shoufeng lowered his head and followed him out.
The atmosphere in the hall was chaotic. Meanwhile, Xunuo stood inside the cave, facing the Meridian Copper Man, wearing nothing but a pair of shorts. He was searching for and sensing the meridian points on his own body in response to the Meridian Copper Man.
Xunuo's method was simple; he drew a strand of True Qi from his Dantian and began to explore each acupoint one by one. After traversing all the acupoints in his body, he paused when he started following the meridians.
His way of circulating Qi to find acupoints was akin to traversing the meridian pathways. Xunuo thought with suspicion: This method of mine, where True Qi flows through unactivated acupoints, seems somewhat different from what my sect teaches. Even prodigies like Liu Yunfei take years to open several acupoints. Surely, I cannot be opening them on my own.
After pondering for a while, he directed his True Qi along the Ren Meridian and found it flowed smoothly all the way through. Then he divided several strands of True Qi from his Dantian and followed the Eight Extraordinary Meridians and Twelve Meridians all the way through.
At this point, Xunuo began to lose control of his excitement.
He circled around the Meridian Copper Man, feeling a mix of joy, surprise, and confusion; yet the facts were right before him. After contemplating for a while, Xunuo decided that this matter should remain confidential. He suppressed his complicated feelings and mentally noted the meridian points.
Three days later, a disciple from Seven Star Sword Hall came to deliver food. It was through him that Xunuo learned that he had stirred up quite a bit of trouble.
Now every hall was embroiled in heated debates over this matter. That Senior Brother Qin was still kneeling outside the Bell Chamber of Divine Mechanism Hall. While Xunuo was here questioning the disciple from Seven Star Sword Hall, another person arrived at Broken Heart Cliff.
Seeing it was Azure Wind, Xunuo hurried forward to pay his respects. The disciple also came over to return the greeting. Knowing that Azure Wind had been quite angry these past few days, he quickly excused himself and left.
Azure Wind surveyed the environment inside the cave and remarked, "Liu Shizhi has quite an elegant taste."
Xunuo sat down at the table.
"Master Lan, please forgive me," he said, standing to the side. "It's rare to see you in person. The last time I came down the mountain and encountered trouble, I was troubled that you had to come down personally to rescue me. I never had the chance to thank you properly, and I've been anxious about it ever since. Now that I've finally met you, I must express my gratitude."
Azure Wind chuckled and replied, "When a disciple encounters difficulties, it is only natural for an elder to lend a hand. That is to be expected. However, I'm not here today to hear such compliments; rather, I have some matters to discuss with you."
Upon hearing this, Xunuo quickly responded, "If you have any matters to address, please feel free to instruct me. There’s no need for discussion."
Azure Wind nodded and said, "That's good to hear. It's actually not a difficult matter. I see that your place is spacious and the environment is refreshing. The Meridian Copper Man can be accommodated here as well. I would like my useless disciple to bring some other disciples here to practice pulse identification and acupoint striking."
Xunuo's face turned pale at this suggestion; it would turn this place into a monkey mountain. He hurriedly tried to refuse, but before he could say anything, Azure Wind stood up and left.
With a mournful expression, Xunuo saw Azure Wind off and then returned with a long face. Facing the Meridian Copper Man, he said, "Our fate has come to an end."
That night, Zigong Changhe was on guard outside Broken Heart Cliff when he suddenly heard creaking sounds coming from the boardwalk. Soon after, he saw Xunuo struggling under the weight of the Meridian Copper Man as he turned the corner. Zigong Changhe's heart leaped into his throat. At that moment, he truly understood the torment his senior brother had felt; it was no ordinary suffering.
Under the moonlight, the Bronze Man gleamed with a golden light, standing out starkly against the boardwalk. Xunuo's body leaned precariously as if he might topple off the cliff at any moment. There was no need for him to break the boardwalk; it would all be over before that happened. Zigong Changhe trembled slightly, too afraid to make a sound.
It wasn't until Xunuo stepped off the boardwalk that he let out a loud shout: "You scared me half to death!"
As he tried to lift his leg, he realized his legs were weak and he couldn't move.
Xunuo propped the Meridian Copper Man against the ground and approached with cupped hands. "I apologize for startling Third Senior Brother; I had no choice in this matter. Master Lan wants tomorrow’s disciples from Divine Mechanism Hall to turn Broken Heart Cliff into a monkey mountain. In the end, they will push all responsibility onto me. It would be better to return this Bronze Man to them once and for all. It's just that I’m somewhat reluctant to part with it."
He gently stroked the Meridian Copper Man, his eyes filled with reluctance.
Zigong Changhe quickly grabbed Xunuo and said, "Lu Shidi's way of sending it off is the right approach. Tian Master and Master Lan have been at odds over this matter. In the past few days, whenever we saw Master Lan, we didn't even dare to lift our heads to speak. You must not entertain any other thoughts."
Xunuo replied, "I understand, Shidi. I am certainly not the kind of person who goes back and forth on matters. I would never jeopardize the stability of our sect for my own preferences. The events of the past few days have caused unrest within the sect; please convey my apologies to Master and the Sect Leader on my behalf. I also feel guilty for implicating Senior Brother, so please ask Third Senior Brother to forgive me as well."
Only then did Zigong Changhe feel relieved. He sighed and said, "Now that you say this, I can rest easy. I will convey your words; focus on your cultivation at Broken Heart Cliff and do not cause any more trouble. The Master has been in a rather foul mood these days."
Xunuo nodded and walked towards Broken Heart Cliff with a hint of melancholy. Returning to Broken Heart Cliff, he sat at the table but found no motivation to cultivate. During the past month at Broken Heart Cliff, he had not felt lonely at all; instead, he found the tranquility conducive to his own practice.
However, after hearing Zigong Changhe's words today, he felt a sense of loneliness creeping in and wanted someone to talk to. This thought led him to Guo Shujiang. In the past, whenever he was uncertain about something, he would seek Guo Shujiang's advice. Though he was cunning and stingy, he was also a person of responsibility.
As he pondered this, images of his parents surfaced in his mind, followed by Lu Duhou, filling his heart with sorrow.
He raised his hand to wipe his eyes and thought: If no one is here to listen, then I shall speak to my parents instead. It would be good for their spirits in the afterlife to find some comfort.
With that thought in mind, Xunuo began recounting his experiences over the years, sharing both his joys and sorrows. He spoke until dawn began to break. Once he finished, exhaustion overtook him, and he laid his head down on the table, falling into a deep sleep.
This was perhaps the most peaceful and relaxed moment since he left home—sleeping as sweetly as an infant nestled in his parents' embrace—free from the vigilance that had characterized his past life where he always had to keep one eye open even while sleeping.
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