The First Sword of the Universe

Chapter 377 Half of the "Sunflower Manual"

When Xu Xingchen was instructing the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan on martial arts, he put in some effort and "tailor-made" a set of martial arts for each of them.

Compared to their original martial arts skills, the techniques that Xu Xingchen tailored for them were many times stronger.

Even if it cannot compare to the peerless martial arts such as the Nine Yin Manual, the Nine Yang Divine Skill, and the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, it still surpasses the scope that many martial arts practitioners can imagine.

If they can continue their cultivation step by step, their final achievements will certainly not be inferior to those of Lingzhi Shangren, Thousand-Handed Butcher Peng Lianhu, and Ghost Gate Dragon King Sha Tongtian.
This can be considered one of the benefits the Seven Heroes of Jiangnan gained from their acquaintance with Xu Xingchen!
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, more than four months have passed.

As the year drew to a close, Guo Jing brought Huang Rong back to Jiaxing to pay their respects to Guo Jing's mother, Li Ping.

Afterwards, I met the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan and Xu Xingchen.

After exchanging pleasantries, Xu Xingchen and the others learned that Guo Jing and Hong Qigong had once again returned to Peach Blossom Island and had finally obtained Huang Yaoshi's consent to allow Huang Rong to accompany Guo Jing on his adventures in the martial world.

Even though Huang Yaoshi didn't say it explicitly, everyone knew that he had agreed to marry his daughter to Guo Jing, this silly boy.

I couldn't help but feel happy for Guo Jing!
Huang Rong originally wanted to stay in Jiaxing to celebrate the New Year with everyone, but Xu Xingchen thought about it and decided to let her return to Peach Blossom Island to be with her father, Huang Yaoshi.

Xu Xingchen said to Huang Rong, who looked puzzled, "I see your father is depressed and contemplating suicide. He might just have a moment of despair and join your mother one day. You should go back and spend more time with your father, and try to comfort and encourage him."

Upon hearing this, Huang Rong was greatly alarmed and hurriedly left Jiaxing with Guo Jing.

As a result, Guo Jing did not return for the New Year.

After the Lantern Festival, Huang Rong and Huang Rong returned to Jiaxing to apologize to everyone!
Not long after, the two set off again to travel the world.

Two more months passed
The turmoil of last year's "Battle of the Imperial City on August 15th" has gradually subsided.

Xu Xingchen said goodbye to the Seven Heroes of Jiangnan and quietly left Jiaxing.

His first stop was Lin'an!
Returning to this familiar place evoked a mix of emotions.

When they arrived at the capital, they found it deserted.

Not only were there no more soldiers guarding the city walls, but the gates of the imperial city were no longer closed, but were left open, allowing people to enter and exit freely.

Wearing a straw hat to cover her face, Xu Xingchen followed the crowd into the imperial city gate. Looking at the ruins that had been razed to the ground, she couldn't help but feel speechless.

Upon entering the imperial city, one finds a large crowd gathered to view this "post-war relic."

There were ordinary civilians as well as martial arts practitioners carrying weapons.

The crowd thronged around, shoulder to shoulder, looking at the collapsed palaces and the pitted ground. Their faces showed a variety of expressions, including astonishment, disbelief, disbelief, and shock.

Some of those who had watched the battle from the top of the city wall even pointed to certain spots and loudly described to those around them how intense and powerful the battle was.
This drew gasps of surprise from those around him.

In the shady areas nearby, numerous pergolas had been erected, selling pastries, herbal tea, and various noodle and snack foods.
Business is booming!

Xu Xingchen walked around inside and overheard some things from passersby.

When the Emperor of the Song Dynasty learned that Xu Xingchen, the number one martial arts master in the world, had actually asked them to rebuild the palace so that he could come and play again in the future, he was so angry that he cursed.

He then issued an order to cease construction of the imperial city and abandon it.

So as not to let the world think that the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty was afraid of the number one martial arts master in the world.

Upon hearing this news, Xu Xingchen smiled nonchalantly.

He only intended to provoke the Song emperor's anger and rouse him from his slump.

Today, the Emperor's decision to abandon the reconstruction of the imperial city is not a big deal; the key question is whether those in the Song Dynasty court are outraged by this, and whether they are motivated to work harder because of it.
After leaving the imperial city and wandering around Lin'an for half a day, he already knew where the emperor was living.
After exiting the north city gate, we arrived near a mountain villa not far away.

This resort covers a vast area.

It starts at the entrance of a valley and extends into the mountains behind it.

The outer defenses are so tight that they are in no way inferior to those of the former imperial city.

Many soldiers were stationed on the mountains on both sides, each one fully armed and steady, with crossbows placed beside them.

Some travelers and merchants were driven away by patrolling soldiers when they were only five or six miles away from the villa.

After observing for a while, Xu Xingchen returned to Lin'an City.

We first ate at a restaurant, and then found an inn to stay at.

When night fell and the sky was full of stars, he quietly left the inn through the second-floor window.

He leaped and bounded like the wind across the rooftops, making his way to the city wall, where he scaled it without alerting any soldiers.

After leaving Lin'an City, Xu Xingchen headed to the mountain villa he had observed during the day.

There is no bright moon in the sky tonight, and even though the stars are shining brightly, the ground remains shrouded in a hazy darkness. Especially near the mountains and forests, it is pitch black.

Of course, this only applies to ordinary people.

In the eyes of a top expert like Xu Xingchen, even the slightest bit of starlight can make the night seem like day.

Most of the soldiers guarding the manor had never practiced internal energy cultivation techniques, and were only slightly stronger than ordinary people. Naturally, they couldn't detect Xu Xingchen, who was quietly slipping in from their side.

After scaling the city walls and passing the guards, we entered the mountain village. There, we saw a dense array of houses stretching across the valleys and hillsides.

Candlelight shone in each of the houses.

Bright lanterns hang everywhere in the courtyards.

Squads of soldiers patrolled back and forth.
Imperial guards were hidden in every corner, secretly protecting the manor.
One by one, eunuchs and palace maids, carrying lanterns, moved back and forth silently.
Xu Xingchen wandered around the manor and, relying on the senses between experts, quickly located the old eunuch's position.

As they pushed open the door and went inside, the old eunuch looked up at them.

Upon seeing Xu Xingchen, this uninvited guest, a glint of shrewdness flashed in his eyes, and he frowned, his long, snow-white eyebrows furrowing: "What are you doing here?"

"Of course I'm here to see the old master! The Emperor? I don't care to see him." Xu Xingchen said, then turned his gaze to another short, stocky figure in the room and said in surprise, "Chief Qiu, I didn't expect to see you here. What? Have you switched sides to the Song Dynasty?"

Qiu Qianren, who had abruptly stood up from his chair, glared at Xu Xingchen for a moment with a dark face, then looked away and said with dissatisfaction, "This leader's affairs are none of your business!"

Upon seeing this, Xu Xingchen couldn't help but chuckle, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "So it's you, Qiu Qianzhang, who's out. It's been a long time!"

Qiu Qianzhang snorted coldly, ignoring Xu Xingchen's teasing.

Xu Xingchen turned to the old eunuch again and asked with a smile, "Senior, what has the Emperor and his officials done? Have they been clamoring to cut off my head?"

The old eunuch said coldly, "You have committed such heinous and treasonous acts, causing the Emperor and the court to lose all face. Now, do you still want to beg for the Emperor's forgiveness?"

Xu Xingchen shook his head and sighed, "I offered my heart to the bright moon, but the bright moon shone on the gutter. Senior, others may not know my good intentions, but don't you know them?"

The old eunuch closed his eyes, not wanting to say another word.

For a江湖人士 (jianghu shishi, a person from the martial arts world) to want to do favors for officials and court ministers is utterly absurd, despicable, and deserving of death.
Seeing that the old eunuch was unwilling to answer, Xu Xingchen turned his gaze to Qiu Qianzhang.

Qiu Qianzhang quickly waved his hand and said, "Don't ask me. I've been kept under the protection of my senior and have only seen the officials once. I have no idea how they reacted."

Xu Xingchen smiled and didn't ask any further questions. Instead, he took out a blue book from his pocket, looked at the four large characters on the cover, pondered for a moment, and said, "I originally wanted to give the old senior a grand gift; but now it seems that the officials and court ministers are still hopeless cases."

"Fine! Fine! We'll just give you half of this generous gift!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned to a page in the book and tore it in half.

Then, he threw the first half onto the desk in front of the old eunuch, turned around, pushed open the door, and walked out.

When Qiu Qianzhang sneaked to the door and peered through the crack, Xu Xingchen was nowhere to be seen.

"Huh, that kid really left?!" Qiu Qianzhang turned to look at the old eunuch with a puzzled expression, his gaze then falling on the half-finished book on the table. He asked curiously, "Senior, don't you want to take a look at what's written in that book?"

The old eunuch was silent for a moment, then reached out and picked up the half-finished book on the table, flipped to the blue cover, and slowly read out the four large characters on it: "Sunflower Manual?"

Qiu Qianzhang exclaimed in surprise, "A treasure manual? Could it be a martial arts manual?"

The old eunuch remained silent, turned to the first page, and saw eight extremely eye-catching characters written on it.

"To master this divine skill, one must first castrate oneself!"

The old eunuch frowned, wondering if Xu Xingchen was deliberately trying to belittle them, the eunuchs serving in the imperial palace.
If it were a younger eunuch, seeing these eight characters might cause him to lose his composure and fly into a rage.

But the elderly eunuch would never react violently to these eight words.

With his doubts in mind, he turned to the next page.

Soon, his expression turned serious, and a hint of solemnity flashed in his eyes.

After flipping through a few pages, he was astonished to discover that the martial arts manual called the Sunflower Manual was just as profound and mysterious as the Nine Yin Manual he himself practiced.
The old eunuch couldn't help but recall the words Xu Xingchen had said to him on the fifteenth of August last year.

In this world, there still exist divine martial arts techniques that can rival the Nine Yin Manual.
Now, the half-book in my hand proves that what Xu Xingchen said back then was by no means a lie.

Seeing the old eunuch's solemn expression, Qiu Qianzhang's curiosity grew. He wanted to go over and take a look, but dared not move.

When the old eunuch finished reading the last page of half the book, his gaze fell on the torn thread, and his thin, beardless face twitched violently, a deep look of annoyance flashing in his eyes.

This situation
It's like the feeling of finally finding a masterpiece, only to discover that someone has deliberately torn out the more exciting second half.

It was incredibly frustrating and infuriating.
(End of this chapter)