Liu Yao: The Revitalization of Fuyao Sect

Chapter 9

Translated by Blob Translations (Alice)

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Chapter 9

Having figured that out, Yan Zhengming knew he should go down the mountain on a journey.

Sufferings and miseries could exercise a man's body, while delight of meeting and grief of parting could temper a man's mentality.

Although Fuyao Wooden Swordplay was only a primary swordplay, it implicated the ups and downs of a mortal life. It was not something created from imagination and divorced from reality. If he kept hanging around in the Land of the Tender, one thousand or ten thousand years would bring the same result, that his pace would be forever unable to catch up to the ever changing world.

Not everybody could get enlightened as luck would have it. If an ordinary cultivator could find out where the rub was, they would probably be delirious with joy, and take the bull by the horns to strive for a breakthrough.

But was young master Yan anywhere near ordinary?

The words "go down the mountain on a journey" only flashed into his head for a split second, and then were rapidly submerged by his imagination of the hardships and inconveniences of an arduous journey.

Speaking of going down the mountain, Yan Zhengming felt a terrible headache at the bare of idea of how many pieces of luggage he would have to take, and his laziness would rebel against him and take the control of his body, hampering him from heading for a promising future.

"Traveling? Whatever! I am not going anyway — screw the bottleneck, who cares." The young master thought. He finally decided not to lend himself to worries.

Yan Zhengming had made up his mind to neglect the bit of nonfluency in his moves. He deluded himself into thinking that he had mastered it as he remembered the moves, and was planning to ask his master for the fourth form tomorrow.

The unambitious and perfunctory first senior brother began to slack off comfortably. He tossed several stones at his fourth junior brother who was climbing up the tree for the bird nest, accurately, but with moderate strength.

Looking at Han Yuan howling on the ground, Yan Zhengming felt that he had made an achievement in cultivation and there was no need for him to be too serious.

At midday, the mutual torture for the master and his apprentices came to an end.

Everyone except first senior brother went back to their own yard for lunch and rest, and would practice independently in the afternoon — those who were unwilling to practice could play with monkeys in the mountain.

Muchun Zhenren gave his apprentices enough freedom. He only warned them to obey the sect rules and not to wander around the mountain in the evening of the first and fifteenth day of every month.

Only Yan Zhengming had to stay and continue to face his master's wizened face in the afternoon.

Seeing Taoist children successively bringing wood and a graver, Li Yun explained to his junior brothers, "They are used for carving charms. Charms are categorized into two groups, visible charms and invisible charms. Visible charms are inscribed on material objects; the most common is the wood. Some ace masters can also use gold as material. Invisible charms are way more powerful, they can be inscribed in the water and on the air, even mere thoughts can make them — that is a legend though, as none ever saw one. Probably only almighty beings can make it."

Cheng Qian feigned disinterest, but was actually straining his ears.

After all, charms were the root of magic tools, and magic tools were the most direct impression of cultivation for ordinary people.