24: Wait for a good season
Amidst the vibrant lights, clinking cups, and flowing wine, the night banquet concluded.
Chu Qing, clutching several Secret Manuals and a large quantity of Secret medicine, cupped his fists to Zhao Wuji and the others standing below the Xian Yuan Restaurant, saying:
"Hall Masters, please don't trouble yourselves. This Junior will return home on his own."
With that, he turned and walked away.
Below the Xian Yuan Restaurant, the lights shone brightly:
Zhao Hongxiu watched Chu Qing step into the dark alley, sighing softly.
Shi Tiezhu cautiously approached. He saw Zhao Hongxiu's eyes, hazy with drink, her cheeks flushed, staring intently at Chu Qing's retreating figure.
His Heart-Nature was in turmoil.
How hateful that I once told Chu Qing to seek a living at my family's blacksmith shop.
Now that the Martial Hall is in trouble, we still have to rely on him.
I... sigh!
"Senior Sister..."
Zhao Hongxiu whispered, "I'm fine, I just had a few drinks with him."
Shi Tiezhu's heart was twisted as if by a knife.
He said bitterly, "It seems we will have to depend on Chu Qing from now on."
Zhao Hongxiu chuckled, "Not necessarily."
Shi Tiezhu was puzzled.
"Chu Qing working for Chief Constable Shi looks impressive; however, Chief Constable Shi is a person with a cold Heart-Nature. I heard some constables say that Chu Qing gave him a lot of silver, but he still can't remember Chu Qing's name to this day."
Zhao Hongxiu continued, "You and I can enter the Martial Academy, but he cannot."
"In the future, our achievements will be greater than his."
Shi Tiezhu's eyes lit up as he said, "That's right, he doesn't have three thousand taels of high-grade silver, so even if he wanted to sign a contract, there would be no way for him to do so."
"If he can't enter the Martial Academy... he will accomplish nothing."
"If he falls on hard times in the future, I will definitely give him a position in the blacksmith shop."
Zhao Hongxiu nodded.
Shi Tiezhu, this person, still had some brains.
At this moment, Zhao Wuji, Iron Hand, and the other Hall Masters left together.
They found a secluded spot to conspire.
Zhao Wuji spoke first:
"Hall Master Liu has an evil Heart-Nature."
"He wants to put us to death."
"Everyone... what should we do?"
The Iron Fist Hall Master roared, "I want to kill him."
The Red Snake Leg Hall Master sneered, "I suffered an undeserved calamity, and he wants me dead. What do you think I should do?"
The Iron Hand Hall Master took a deep breath and whispered, "My Martial Hall has quite a conflict with his Head Chopping Hall. He wants to harm me, and I am unwilling to accept it."
Zhao Wuji lightly clapped his hands and said coldly:
"Then, we will wait for an opportunity to make Hall Master Liu abandon his malicious thoughts."
The other Hall Masters nodded in agreement.
The Crowd conspired for a while and decided to wait for an opportunity.
Zhao Wuji said leisurely, "A dark and windy night, killing on a rainy night; it's the best way to clean up traces."
The Crowd exchanged glances and smiled.
Everyone was a Martial Artist, and although their level was a bit low, they all carried a blade in their hearts.
Before parting, Zhao Wuji suddenly said;
"What do you think of Chu Qing?"
The Iron Hand Hall Master said, "A barefoot young man in linen clothes, very calm on his first visit to the Xian Yuan Restaurant."
The Red Snake Hall Master said, "He is young and full of vigor, admiring young women; but when two clean women served him, he only focused on eating chicken feet and didn't touch them inappropriately."
"This child... has a good Heart-Nature."
Zhao Wuji nodded. After parting with The Crowd, his mind raced with a thousand thoughts:
Chu Qing, he first noticed him when he was doing frog jumps and eating frogs.
"Wearing linen clothes and going barefoot, with no money for meat, he ate frogs."
"He was able to discover the importance of leg strength to Mantis Fist."
"He recognized Hall Master Jin's wife as his Godmother, and also watched a play with Madam Shi."
"He has perseverance, is clever, intelligent, and scheming."
"The Martial Academy... will open its doors to him."
"It's a pity Hongxiu didn't choose him."
"Fortunately, I made amends... In the future, how far the Mantis Martial Hall can go will depend on him."
...Chu Qing returned home and saw someone at the door, so he slowed his pace.
As he approached, he saw it was a small leader.
The small leader reeked of alcohol and cupped his fists, saying, "Master Qing, Hall Master Liu... cursed you."
Chu Qing raised an eyebrow, very surprised.
What surprised him was not that Hall Master Liu cursed him, but that the small leader would tip him off.
The small leader quickly said, "Hall Master Liu resents you, he's probably going to make trouble for you."
"Master Qing, you need to be careful."
Chu Qing cupped his fists in thanks and gave him another tael of silver.
The small leader was so happy that his eyebrows danced: "Hall Master Liu is stingy, only knowing how to extort; Master Qing is generous."
A few minutes later:
Chu Qing saw off the small leader and closed the door.
He lit the oil lamp, and on the table were several Secret Manuals and their corresponding boxes.
But he didn't look at them; instead, he frowned in thought.
After a long while, he said leisurely:
"Hall Master Liu... I hope you don't do anything foolish."
"Wouldn't it be better to live a few more days?"
When Hall Master Liu asked him for three thousand taels of silver, he already had murderous intentions.
It was only because he didn't know Hall Master Liu's background that he endured.
Now... Hall Master Liu actually cursed him in front of so many small leaders, saying he would make trouble for him.
This made him even more furious.
Who are you looking down on?
Do you really think I'm still just a flunky who only knows how to wave flags and shout?
Also, the act of obstructing Chief Constable Shi from giving him a blade technique made his murderous intent even stronger.
Now... he needed to wait for an opportunity.
Waiting for a rainy day.
"I wonder how long I'll have to wait."
After some thought, he looked through the Secret Manuals on the table.
There were four in total, three of which were thick, and one was very thin.
The three thick Secret Manuals were:
Iron Hand!
Iron Thread Fist!
Red Snake Leg!
Red Snake Leg, Chu Qing had already reached Perfection.
No need to consider it.
He looked through the remaining two and quickly mastered them.
The last thin one, given by Zhao Wuji, had no cover and no name.
Opening the first page, there was only one crooked line of text:
When using this Cultivation Technique, be sure to kill all witnesses!
Chu Qing was puzzled. A Cultivation Technique that required killing witnesses after use?
What did that mean?
Opening the second page, his expression changed slightly.
On the page, a praying mantis with a human face was drawn.
The mantis's arms stretched and merged, resembling a... great long sword.
One page... ten pages... [You have obtained the Cultivation Technique: Double-Handed Mantis Sword!]
Rip!
Chu Qing tore off the last page.
The rest: burn, soak, and mix with soil.
After everything was done, he realized his heart was pounding violently.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
His little heart was about to jump out.
"Zhao Wuji actually has a weapon Cultivation Technique, and he's willing to give it to me?"
Although the imperial star was wavering, and the Great Qian Empire was about to face the Millennial Calamity.
However, the Empire's surveillance of weapon Cultivation Techniques was still strict.
Even for the Powerful and Wubao Disciples, only a very small number of direct descendants could learn weapon Cultivation Techniques before entering the Martial Academy.
And even after entering the Martial Academy, one had to pass numerous tests to learn weapon Cultivation Techniques.
The destructive power of someone with a weapon Cultivation Technique versus someone fighting bare-handed was like heaven and earth.
"How does Zhao Wuji have a weapon Cultivation Technique?"
"Why did he give it to me?"
"Isn't he afraid I'll report him?"
"Is he trying to win me over?"
Chu Qing's mind raced with a thousand thoughts, then he smiled in relief and said:
"No need to think so much."
"Since he gave me a weapon Cultivation Technique, I'll find an opportunity to repay him in the future."
With the weapon Cultivation Technique, he couldn't wait to Cultivate immediately.
But... bare-handed Cultivation Techniques were more important.
After all, the preliminary examination for the Martial Academy tested bare-handed combat.
Hand and foot skills could not be neglected.
As for weapon skills... both Cultivating and using them were very troublesome.
They could be used as a trump card and slowly developed later.
As he thought, he looked at the last piece of paper.
On it were drawings of two great two-handed swords, intended to be used with the Double-Handed Mantis Sword.