Chapter 17: Life-Bound Secret Technique

Chapter 17: Life-Bound Secret Technique

"Idiot! Why is your sword technique getting worse instead of better?"

"Are you trying to fool me? The more you practice, the worse you get. When do you plan on mastering your Life-Bound Secret Technique?"

"Too weak! Practice again."

Hearing the incessant nagging, Er Niu's face was filled with resentment.

Ever since he came back yesterday, his father had been forcing him to practice sword techniques.

Practicing was one thing, but if he made even the slightest mistake, he'd get a physical beating.

Now, the more he was scolded, the worse he practiced, and the worse he practiced, the more he got beaten. It was almost as if he was about to break down.

"Dad, can you please stop talking?"

Er Niu said helplessly, "You're a spear specialist. How reliable is it for you to teach me sword techniques?"

"Why wouldn't it be reliable?"

Su Wenlin glared, "I may not know sword techniques, but I can still tell good from bad. You're just not putting in the effort!"

"You're just one step away from mastering your Life-Bound Secret Technique. If I don't push you, who knows when you'll get there!"

"Hurry up and practice! No excuses!"

Er Niu sighed in despair but picked up his sword again.

His father was right; he was just one step away from mastering the sword technique. But that one step was a resonance with the heavens, which was no simple feat.

Often, this last step was the hardest, requiring a master who had already mastered the same Life-Bound Secret Technique to guide you, or years of practice and enlightenment.

Clearly, in Green Hill Village, no one else knew the Surging Wave Sword Technique except for him.

"Whatever, I'll just endure it for a few more days. Dad won't stay long."

Er Niu grumbled to himself, just as he was about to continue practicing.

But then, there was a knock on the door.

"Er Niu, are you up yet?"

Chang Qing?

Er Niu's eyes lit up, and he almost cried with relief. His savior had arrived.

"It's the Young Master. He must need me for something. I'll go check."

Er Niu said with a serious face, threw down his sword, and ran out quickly.

Su Wenlin opened his mouth to stop him but thought better of it, just scolding him with a laugh and letting him go.

...

"Brother Qing, is there something you need? Do you need help with something urgent?"

Er Niu ran out of the yard quickly and gave Su Changqing a meaningful look.

"Did you upset Uncle Wenlin again?"

Su Changqing shook his head, laughing and crying at the same time, then said, "There is something. I need you to come with me to the mountain."

Before he could finish, Er Niu's eyes lit up. "Sure! No problem!"

For him, anywhere was better than practicing sword techniques.

With that, Er Niu dragged Su Changqing and they quickly left the village.

Only then did he let out a sigh of relief and curiously asked Su Changqing, "Why do we need to go up the mountain? There are plenty of wild beasts there."

"To find medicinal herbs."

Su Changqing sighed, "Many people in the village have caught a cold and are coughing nonstop."

"I'm afraid something will happen, so I asked my teacher for a medical book and learned a few herbal remedies."

Er Niu's mouth twitched slightly.

To go up the mountain to gather herbs for the people of Green Hill Village?

Even if it were a divine book, the herbs wouldn't save them. Their condition was not just a matter of illness; even if they were cured, they would still face certain death.

But he couldn't tell Chang Qing this; otherwise, he would be the one who wouldn't survive.

"You're carrying a wooden sword. You're not planning to use it for self-defense, are you?"

Looking at Su Changqing with a bamboo basket on his back, a wooden sword on his left, and a machete on his right, Er Niu couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time.

He had already said the sword technique wouldn't work, but it seemed the Young Master was serious and had even whittled a wooden sword.

"Of course."

Su Changqing nodded seriously, "I called you here for two reasons: one, to have company, and two, to teach you sword techniques."

"That secret manual you gave me, I can't keep it all to myself, can I?"

Er Niu looked at Su Changqing with a bemused expression, pointing at his own nose, "You, teach me sword techniques?"

The idea of a mortal teaching a peak Third Realm sword cultivator sword techniques sounded absurd.

"Is there a problem?" Su Changqing raised an eyebrow.

"Ha ha ha."

Er Niu laughed, shaking his head, "Of course not. I'll be sure to learn well. Ha ha ha."

As they chatted, the two quickly reached the foot of Green Hill.

The morning fog was thick, and visibility in the forest was low.

Su Changqing led the way with his machete, searching for medicinal herbs while staying vigilant for any wild beasts.

Er Niu, on the other hand, was much more relaxed. With his strength, wild beasts were no threat, and he could easily overturn the mountain.

As they walked, Er Niu chatted with Su Changqing, "Chang Qing, I haven't thanked you for that poem you wrote last time. It really gave me a boost."

Here is the rewritten chapter with non-English characters replaced with their English equivalents or transliterations, following the provided guidelines:

Rewritten Chapter

Su Changqing carefully plucked a medicinal herb and chuckled, "What are you being so formal about? It's just a poem. If you need another, just let me know."

He might not be able to guarantee other things, but a few poems were nothing to him.

"Really?"

Erbu's eyes lit up. "Then I won't be shy. That girl loves these flowery things, and I really have no clue where to get them."

"But don't worry, I don't need too many. Just one or two more. Too many might make Master angry."

Su Changqing smiled, "Sure thing."

As they chatted, they ventured deeper into the mountains, and the snakes, insects, and rodents around them grew more numerous.

Just as Su Changqing bent down to pick another herb, a black rat snake, nearly a meter long, slowly raised its head from a nearby branch.

The moment it saw Su Changqing plucking the herb, the snake bared its fangs and shot forward at incredible speed.

Erbu's eyebrows furrowed, and a sword aura circled his fingertips as he prepared to strike.

But suddenly!

Swish!

A wooden sword, swift as lightning, cut through the air with a faint sound of flowing water, striking the snake precisely at its vital point.

"Eh? Surging Wave Sword?"

Erbu was stunned, staring blankly at Su Changqing, who had just sheathed his wooden sword, unable to react.

Although it was just a simple starting move, Erbu, who had practiced the Surging Wave Sword Technique for a night, immediately recognized its origin.

"How about it? Is this sword technique really achievable?"

Su Changqing picked up the dead snake and smiled at the stunned Erbu.

Erbu didn't respond, instead recalling the simple sword move from just a moment ago.

Swift, decisive, and precise!

Even he, a seasoned swordsman who had mastered the Surging Wave Sword Technique, couldn't find a single flaw.

Even more so, "Did I hear the sound of flowing water from the Surging Wave Sword just now? Was it just the result of practicing the sword technique all night, or was it the sword's true essence?"

Erbu's gaze toward Su Changqing changed, though there was still a hint of doubt in his eyes.

Su Changqing didn't think much of it and continued forward.

Erbu followed silently, his eyes scanning Su Changqing's back with suspicion. A moment later, his fingertips twitched, and a wave of energy spread out.

"Roar!"

Soon, a wolf's howl echoed from the distance, and within moments, a large gray wolf appeared in front of them.

"Erbu, don't move!"

Su Changqing, though surprised, held his wooden sword and slowly stepped forward, assuming a standard Surging Wave Sword starting stance.

Erbu's pupils dilated.

"Roar!"

With another howl, the massive gray wolf lunged at Su Changqing.

Erbu's energy fluctuated, and he was ready to drive the wolf away if Su Changqing was in danger.

But he soon realized it was unnecessary.

With a light shout, Su Changqing's Surging Wave Sword Technique flowed out smoothly.

Gusts of wind surged, and the dry leaves around them danced with the sword's edge.

The swirling leaves made a sound like a stream, and as the sword technique grew more intense, the stream's sound deepened, like waves crashing one after another.

The gray wolf, now covered in wounds, let out a mournful howl and turned to run.

But in the next moment, the sound of a thousand streams converging like a tidal wave struck the gray wolf, cutting it down mercilessly.

Erbu's eyes nearly popped out of his head, his face filled with shock.

"Wh-What the hell! Surging Wave Essence? Mastered sword technique?"

"What kind of joke is this!"

The Surging Wave Sword, mastered, by Su Changqing.

He knew all the words, but put together, it seemed utterly absurd!

The Surging Wave Sword was given to Su Changqing by him, and it was incomplete. It had only been two days, and now—

He had mastered it!?

"Roar!"

Just as Erbu was questioning his own existence, a roar echoed from the dense forest.

Su Changqing's expression turned serious as he turned to look.

A black bear, nearly ten feet tall, stepped out of the forest, its bloodthirsty gaze scanning the area.

"Wh-What a huge bear? This is trouble."

Su Changqing, seeing this, quickly turned and shouted, "Erbu, run! I'll catch up!"

With that, he took a deep breath, "I have to use my full strength."

Facing the bear, Su Changqing's expression was grave. He pointed a finger to his Third Eye Point and shouted lightly,

"Mark, emerge!"

Swish!

Instantly, a mark resembling flowing water appeared and then merged into the wooden sword.

In the next moment, the ordinary wooden sword emitted a faint green glow, and it seemed as if water was gathering around the blade!

The black bear didn't react much to this.

But Erbu, standing behind Su Changqing, was completely dumbfounded.

"Life-bound... secret technique?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end