Chapter 104: The Steps of Flowing Water (Part II)
Chapter 104: The Steps of Flowing Water (Part II)
Most of the cultivators around Mo Hua were indeed ordinary rogue cultivators with limited knowledge, but there were also quite a few exceptional ones among them.
For instance, the teacher who taught Mo Hua array formations was definitely not an ordinary cultivator. The veiled woman he called "Snow Aunt," whose face was always obscured, was likely skilled in illusion techniques, not to mention other magical arts. The two children with whom he went shopping the other day, apparently from the Bai family, clearly had an extraordinary background, as evidenced by their appearance and demeanor. Even his father, Mo Shan, despite having mediocre cultivation, was an experienced demon hunter who spent most of his time in the mountains, so his insights should not be underestimated...
Zhang Lan thought to himself that if these people found out that he had taught Mo Hua a commonplace movement technique, they would probably look down on him, not on Mo Hua.
What could a child like Mo Hua understand? In the end, the only one who would be disgraced would be him, Zhang Lan.
Just the thought of that veiled female cultivator looking at him with contempt was unbearable for Zhang Lan.
"This is not just about my personal dignity, but also the reputation of the Zhang family. I can't let people think that my family has no foundation in cultivation," Zhang Lan justified to himself.
"These movement techniques are all mediocre. I'll teach you something different," Zhang Lan said to Mo Hua.
"Different?" Mo Hua asked.
"Yes, different from ordinary movement techniques," Zhang Lan affirmed.
Mo Hua, however, became hesitant. His original intention was merely to seek Zhang Lan's guidance on which magical arts to learn, preferably something well-known and commonly practiced.
If everyone has learned it, then the technique must be practical and useful, unlikely to be a waste of time. Cultivators wouldn't bother with a technique that has no value.
Additionally, if it's widely practiced, it suggests that the technique is stable and unlikely to cause any major problems. Even if Zhang Lan doesn't continue teaching him, Mo Hua can easily find others to consult if he has any questions about the technique.
But now that Zhang Lan wanted to teach him something unique, Mo Hua felt apprehensive. What if the cultivation of this technique required rare and expensive spiritual objects? He really couldn't afford that...
"What's with that expression?" Zhang Lan couldn't help but gently tap the table. "Why do you look so reluctant? I usually don't teach others even if they ask me to. You, little brat, don't act coy after getting a bargain!"
"I'm just worried about causing you trouble, Uncle Zhang," Mo Hua scratched his head. "Why don't you just pick a movement technique from this book and teach me?"
Mo Hua opened the book, "A Collection of Qi Refining Magical Arts". It recorded common magical arts for the Qi Refining stage, well-known to the lower-level Cultivators, so Mo Hua felt more at ease learning from it.
"No way! I can't lose face like that!" Zhang Lan adamantly refused.
Mo Hua didn't understand why learning a magical art would be embarrassing...
Zhang Lan made up his mind and gritted his teeth. "I'll teach you the Steps of Flowing Water. It's a secret technique of my Zhang family!"
Mo Hua hesitated for a long time before cautiously asking, "Is your family's secret technique so cheap that you're willing to teach it to others so casually?"
Zhang Lan was so angry that he almost spat blood. He grabbed Mo Hua by the collar and lifted him up with his spiritual power. "Follow me!"
Liu Ruhua saw this but didn't intervene, knowing that Zhang Lan was a high-ranking official in the Dao Court and had a good relationship with Mo Hua. She quietly thought to herself that Zhang, despite his age, had a temperament similar to Mo Hua's.
Zhang Lan held Mo Hua by the collar and brought him to the foothills outside Tongxian City.
The place was lush with vegetation, secluded and quiet, rarely visited by people.
Mo Hua felt himself being lifted by spiritual power, his feet leaving the ground, and the world spun around him. After a while, when he came to his senses, they had already arrived outside Tongxian City.
Zhang Lan handed Mo Hua a sword with a black lacquered and gold-inlaid hilt, adorned with an ancient pine pattern, clearly no ordinary weapon.
Mo Hua hesitated, "I don't think that's a good idea."
"Just do as I say and stab me."
"But what if I hurt you?" Mo Hua asked, concerned.
Zhang Lan looked at him speechless, making Mo Hua realize that he might have overestimated his abilities a bit.
With Mo Hua's current cultivation, even if Zhang Lan stood still and let him stab all day, he probably wouldn't be able to harm a single hair on his head.
"Alright then."
If Zhang Lan wasn't afraid, why should he be? Mo Hua gripped the sword, ready to stab Zhang Lan, but after a moment's hesitation, he said, "I can't do it."
"And why not this time?" Zhang Lan asked.
"This sword is too heavy for me..." Mo Hua whispered.
What kind of sword was Zhang Lan using? It was so heavy! Was it really a sword meant for a spiritual cultivator?
Zhang Lan sighed and pointed slightly upward. Before Mo Hua could understand what was happening, a branch fell from the tree.
"Use this branch."
"Oh." Mo Hua nodded.
He took the branch, focused his qi, and channeled his strength through it, stabbing at Zhang Lan with all his might. Of course, Mo Hua's strength was negligible, as he was not a body cultivator specializing in physical training.
However, what happened next left Mo Hua stunned.
The branch pierced through Zhang Lan's body.
Mo Hua was startled and snapped back to his senses, only to realize that there was no feedback force on the branch, and he hadn't actually stabbed anything. As he looked more closely, he saw Zhang Lan's figure become blurred and then disappear, only to reappear a step away.
Although Mo Hua didn't understand what had just happened, it felt incredibly powerful!
"Is this a body art?"
Zhang Lan smiled faintly, and his figure seemed to turn into mist, dispersing into multiple afterimages. Mo Hua was surrounded by countless shadows, confusing his eyes and spirit sense alike.
In a moment, the spiritual energy dissipated, and Zhang Lan reappeared in his original spot as if he hadn't moved at all.
Mo Hua was astonished.
Seeing Mo Hua's awestruck expression, Zhang Lan felt a sense of satisfaction, but his face remained impassive.
"Now do you want to learn it?"
Mo Hua nodded involuntarily.
"This body art is called the Steps of Flowing Water. It's a secret technique of my Zhang family and is not usually passed on outside. It's a body art for spiritual cultivators, allowing them to control their physical body with spiritual energy, making agile movements within a small space to dodge attacks from cultivators. At a higher level, you can even create afterimages to confuse your opponent's vision and disrupt their spirit sense..."
Mo Hua listened intently, then asked with concern:
"But if you teach me, won't that be considered passing it on externally? Won't your family punish you? If so, let's forget about it."
"Is there something wrong with this body art?"
"No, it's amazing, but I don't want to cause you any trouble." Mo Hua replied, conflicted.
Zhang Lan paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Don't worry, if I'm willing to teach you, then there won't be any problems. Those old fogies in the clan can't do anything to me."
At most, they'll lock me up for a few months and make me kneel in the ancestral hall for a few days...
Zhang Lan added silently to himself, though he wouldn't say something so demeaning out loud.
"Oh, okay," Mo Hua nodded, then asked again, "But if I learn it, won't your family kill me to ensure that the secret technique doesn't spread?"
Zhang Lan couldn't help but knock on Mo Hua's forehead, "What are you thinking about? Why do you always come up with such random and chaotic ideas?"
(End of Chapter)
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