I began to understand the myriad things by chopping wood

Chapter 181 I am the Sweeper

Xie Yuan was bathing in the sun, enjoying the joy of having just been promoted to a higher realm. Suddenly, his expression changed and he looked back.

On the mountain road far away, there seemed to be several disciples of the Sword Sect who were having a conversation.

Xie Yuan had just transformed, and his ears and eyes were sharp. He could faintly hear a voice coming from the wind:
"...what's going on...halfway up the mountain..."

Xie Yuan frowned and looked towards the cliff. He happened to see a few people walking around the bend of the mountain path and looking over here.

"It's a patrol disciple!"

Xie Yuan was shocked.

I was testing my sword and axe, and the power of the last strike was so great that it actually disturbed the patrolling disciples nearby?
The leader seemed to have seen him as well. At such a long distance, Xie Yuan could not see the other person's face clearly. However, those calm and steady yet sharp eyes instantly left an impression on Xie Yuan.

He immediately lowered his head, turned his Tianyin Technique slightly, and walked away quickly.

The leader on the cliff frowned slightly. He was about to see clearly who it was, but how come he was dazzled all of a sudden?

"Go and have a look, there is some movement there."

He said in a deep voice.

"Yes, Brother Qin."

The three patrolling disciples behind responded respectfully.

The three of them looked at each other, all with admiration in their eyes.

The battle between the two sects was about to begin, and many curious people had gathered at the foot of Yunshan Mountain. Therefore, the Yunshan Sword Sect also stepped up its patrols.

Senior Brother Qin Zhenyang set an example by leading the team on patrol every night to avoid any mistakes at this critical moment.

Unexpectedly, they heard nothing, but the eldest brother was very quick-witted and noticed the movement first. He walked around and took a look, and indeed seemed to see someone.

The four of them quickly walked down the mountain path and came to the edge of the cliff on the side of the guesthouse halfway up the mountain. They checked, but found no trace of the person.

The three disciples on patrol looked at each other in surprise:
"Where is the person from before? Why is there not even a footprint?"

There are traces left by previous guests or passers-by here, but the disciples who are responsible for guarding the sect can naturally tell the new and old traces apart.

Qin Zhenyang stood at the edge of the cliff, but did not check for any traces. Instead, he looked outside the cliff with a slightly frowned brow.

He is not handsome, and of average stature, with two thick eyebrows and a pair of calm eyes. He looks very peaceful, and is well-known in the sect, with the prestige of being the eldest senior brother.

However, at this moment, there was a sharp look in Qin Zhenyang's calm eyes. His gaze was like a sword, carefully scanning the clouds outside the cliff.

The other three disciples fell silent when they saw him, not daring to disturb him. Whenever Senior Brother Qin was serious, the extremely sharp aura he exuded reminded people that this senior brother, who was not very conspicuous, was actually a genius who ranked at the top of the Hidden Dragon List, and was also the closest to the Grandmaster among the disciples in the sect, and was better than many of his senior uncles.

Qin Zhenyang looked at it for a while, his brows furrowed, and a serious look appeared in his eyes.

This sharp energy...seems a little unusual.

He sensed the aura of Yunshan swordsmanship in the remaining energy outside the cliff. His cultivation was not bad, at least at the Qi and Blood Transformation Stage, but that was just okay;
However, there was another powerful energy that startled him from a distance. Although it had almost dissipated at this time and mixed with the wind, clouds and other auras, when he felt it carefully, it still frightened him!
"It doesn't look like swordsmanship... but it does look a bit like swordsmanship in that it's extremely sharp."

The more Qin Zhenyang looked, the more strange and serious he became.

He discovered that the energy emitted by this weapon was even stronger than he had imagined!
Looking around, I saw clouds and mist swirling around, and then there was a large expanse of clear sky in front of me, and the white mist disappeared without a trace, as if it had been swept away by that powerful energy!

Qin Zhenyang frowned tightly. He didn't even dare to say that he could completely withstand the power of this attack! Is he actually a disciple of the Qi and Blood Transformation Realm?
But he was already the number one disciple in the sect, close to the limit of Qi and blood transformation. How could anyone have such a strong cultivation level?
Moreover, the sword technique didn’t seem to be particularly strong. Could it be that this was the killer sword move that he had comprehended?
Is it so powerful that it can threaten me?

Qin Zhenyang was somewhat shocked and confused. He wanted to look again, but unfortunately the energy was getting more and more dispersed. If he hadn't arrived quickly, he would have been unable to see anything, and now it was even more blurry.

He shook his head, turned around, frowned and thought hard.

I am familiar with those junior brothers and sisters who have made rapid progress in their cultivation. Did they break through quietly? It shouldn't be possible...

Who else would practice in such a secluded place, and not want to be discovered? I was about to see that person clearly just now, but he disappeared in a blink of an eye. It is obvious that he has extraordinary cultivation.

Qin Zhenyang thought about it and nodded repeatedly as if he understood something.

If he is not a disciple of the same generation with extraordinary cultivation, then he must be one of the former uncles and aunts!
This senior has been practicing martial arts on his own and has gained some insights. He might be close to realizing the way of a master, so he doesn't want to be disturbed and keeps a low profile.

The more Qin Zhenyang thought about it, the more it seemed possible. He nodded slightly and turned to his fellow apprentices and said:
"It may be that one of our senior uncles is practicing here. We should not disturb him. He is probably close to reaching the Grandmaster level."

When several disciples heard this, they were all shocked. It turned out to be the senior. No wonder the noise of practicing martial arts alarmed Senior Brother Qin from a distance.

Thinking that the sect might have one more grandmaster, they were all happy and left immediately.

When he was about to walk away, Qin Zhenyang looked back, looking at the courtyard and the cliff, still feeling a little confused.

I always feel like something is wrong...

The clothes just now seemed to be gray? But how could it be...

He pondered for a moment, nodded slightly, and left quickly.

Xie Yuan stood quietly by the wall of the courtyard, watching Qin Zhenyang and several disciples leave, and said to himself:

"I was almost discovered by Senior Brother Qin. He is close to being a Grandmaster and has amazing eyesight. Fortunately, I reacted quickly.

"As a great senior brother, you must go on stage to compete, but you still have to patrol in person. Your schedule is similar to mine... It seems that the sect is really paying attention to this competition."

He looked at the sky, took a step forward, and quickly walked towards the main peak from another mountain road.

At the outer door.

As the sky gradually brightened, the disciples stood up and prepared to start their day's work. Recently, the Yunshan Sword Sect had been busy preparing for the sword contest between the two sects, and their tasks were very heavy.

Tian Zhuang was washing his face, and he felt that he could not roll up against Xie Yuan, so he just lay down and never went to the main hall to work early again.

Washing your face slowly and eating breakfast slowly at the right time, wouldn't that be relaxing? He suddenly felt the joy of life in a different way, which can be said to be a thought that makes the world wider.

With a creak, the courtyard door was opened. He didn't think much of it and washed up slowly, but suddenly he heard a series of exclamations.

"Senior Brother Qin!"

"I've met senior brother!"

"Why are you here, Senior Brother?"

Tian Zhuang was startled and turned around quickly. As expected, he found that Qin Zhenyang, the master's direct descendant and the number one disciple, had somehow come to the servants' courtyard for the first time.

Qin Zhenyang waved his hand:

"My fellow disciples, there is no need to be so polite. The sect has been busy with tasks recently and everyone has worked hard."

"You're welcome, Senior Brother! This is what we should do!"

"Thank you for your hard work, Senior Brother! We must capture the people from Hidden Sword Pavilion when the time comes!"

Seeing Qin Zhenyang's condolences, everyone responded with surprise and joy. Qin Zhenyang cupped his hands and said:

"I'll do my best. I came here to ask, which junior brother is in charge of the East Half Mountain Flower Valley Guest House?"

Many menial disciples only cared about their own little piece of land and were not clear about this, so they shook their heads in confusion.

When Tian Zhuang heard this, he knew exactly what was going on, after all, he had been paying attention to Xie Yuan before.

He took two steps forward and bowed respectfully to Qin Zhenyang:

"Brother Qin, I know who it is. It's our Junior Brother Zhang Shan who is in charge."

"You are Junior Brother Tian Zhuang who works in the back hall, right?"

Qin Zhenyang glanced at Tian Zhuang. He often went in and out of the back hall, so he naturally had an impression of him.

Tian Zhuang was very excited when he saw that Qin Zhenyang actually remembered his name:
"It's me! I didn't expect that Senior Brother Qin knew me... Oh, right, Zhang Shan is also working in the back hall! He is in charge of the back hall in the morning and goes to the Mid-mountain Guest House in the afternoon. He is very... well, very hardworking."

Tian Zhuang paused, then changed his words to a nice one and praised him.

Qin Zhenyang nodded:

"Where is Junior Brother Zhang Shan? I have something to ask him."

"Brother Qin, Zhang Shan has already gone out. He always gets up early..."

Tian Zhuang replied quickly.

Qin Zhenyang's eyes narrowed slightly:
"You've been out for a long time? You always get up early?"

Tian Zhuang saw Qin Zhenyang's strange expression and said cautiously:

"Yes, Junior Brother Zhang is a very diligent errand disciple, and he often goes to the main hall to work early in the morning..."

"Is he going to the main hall?"

Qin Zhenyang interrupted.

Tian Zhuang nodded blankly:

"Yes, he always goes to the main hall in the morning..."

Qin Zhenyang pondered for a moment and patted Tian Zhuang:

"Thank you, Junior Brother Tian."

After he said this, he walked out of the door quickly, turned around, and disappeared.

Tian Zhuang looked puzzled and guessed secretly:

"Brother Qin is always calm, why is he so anxious today? Did Brother Zhang get into trouble in the hall? Hiss, although he is a bit unlucky, but... do I have another chance?"

Qin Zhenyang walked quickly along the way, attracting the attention of his fellow disciples, uncles and aunts on the road. Even if someone greeted him, he would just respond quickly, leaving others looking at each other in bewilderment, wondering why this usually steady disciple had lost his composure like this.

He arrived at the main peak, walked to the front of the main hall, straightened his clothes, then walked in quickly and went straight to the back hall.

"Sand, sand, sand..."

The sound of a broom sweeping the floor was heard. Qin Zhenyang raised his eyebrows and turned around. Sure enough, he saw a gray-clothed disciple sweeping the floor.

He looked at the disciple who hadn't noticed him, coughed lightly, and waited for him to look up blankly before saying:
"Are you Zhang Shan, Junior Brother Zhang?"

"Yes, it's me! Meet Senior Brother Qin!"

Xie Yuan looked "nervous" and saluted in a panic:

"I wonder what Senior Brother Qin wants to talk to me about?"

"Nothing, just curious, what are you doing here so early?"

Qin Zhenyang stared at him closely.

"Why am I here..."

Xie Yuan looked at the broom in his hand, then looked at Qin Zhenyang with a strange expression:
"I'm here to sweep the floor, Brother Qin."

This clear look made Qin Zhenyang feel inexplicably hot on his face, and he felt that it was his own problem.

Qin Zhenyang was speechless for a while before explaining:
"I'm asking you what you're doing here 'so early'? Your work should start after breakfast."

"Oh, I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd come earlier so I could do more."

Xie Yuan smiled, warm and innocent.

"Oh... so you didn't seem to be here this afternoon? I didn't see you."

Qin Zhenyang thought about it and asked again.

"I was at the Huagu Guest House in the East Mid-Levels this afternoon. A guest came earlier and the manager asked me to go over there."

Xie Yuan answered seriously.

"The manager asked me to..."

Qin Zhenyang hummed, and seeing that Xie Yuan looked like an ordinary errand disciple, but he looked familiar, he shook his head secretly:
"I must be overthinking it. How could a menial disciple have such a high level of cultivation?"

His expression slowed down, and he was about to leave, but suddenly he remembered and asked:

"Have you seen other fellow disciples practicing in the guest house recently?"

Xie Yuan looked bewildered:
"No."

Qin Zhenyang thought:
"That's right. That senior wanted to conceal it. With his level of cultivation, how could he possibly detect it?"

His expression was gentle, he patted Xie Yuan and encouraged him:

"You are really hardworking. You have worked hard these days."

"No, no! Senior Brother Qin, you are too kind."

Xie Yuan looked honored and excited, watching Qin Zhenyang walk away, thinking to himself:

"This senior brother is quite considerate... No, I can't go there to practice recently.

"But it doesn't matter. Since I can't practice, I can use this time to go to the sword cave for enlightenment...

"I have finally reached the Qi and Blood Transformation Stage. Now I should be able to go down to the outer edge of the cave to comprehend the sword energy without any mistakes. I need to complete the Black Heavenly Book as soon as possible and improve my swordsmanship to match my current level of cultivation."

(End of this chapter)