Devouring Evil Martial Arts, Eliminating Demons from All Heavens

Chapter 176 Seeking Merit Through Poetry
"The Lord of Liuyun Palace has indeed been very quiet these past few months."

Chu Tianshu said, "Since he wasn't stabbed by you and needs to recuperate, then the calm of the past few months is very likely because he's been studying the Fifteen Deadly Swords."

Lu Shuangyan looked worried: "Although I feel that the fifteenth sword does not conform to the path I really want to take."

"But if the fifteenth sword truly appears in the world, I'm afraid even if I had several decades, I might not be able to create a move that can rival it."

Xiahou Feishan asked in confusion, "You two easily suppressed the fourteenth sword just now. Even if there really is a fifteenth sword, do you think you two can't deal with it together?"

Lu Shuangyan sighed, "The fifteenth sword is on a completely different level from the previous fourteen swords."

"Moreover, I myself practice this sword technique. If I'm really pushed to that point, I'm afraid I won't be able to resist using the fifteenth sword."

"In that case, I don't know what I might do."

Xiahou Feishan recalled his feelings just now.

He only wanted to unleash the full fourteenth sword strike, but he already felt an overwhelming urge.

It seemed to yearn to bring death to all living things around it.

"what!"

Xiahou Feishan realized, "If the Lord of Liuyun Palace is corrupted by this sword technique, it will probably be a catastrophe."

The Liuyun Prefecture pursued hegemony. Although it used bloody methods of killing, it knew not to exhaust its resources once it actually occupied a territory.

While the Ming Dynasty still held nominal authority, Liuyun Prefecture was able to control three provinces.

Besides the deterrent effect of the upper echelons, it was also due to the cooperation of the common people.

Because the number of high-ranking officials in Liuyun Prefecture is far less than that of the Ming Dynasty court, and the family members and disciples that extend from each batch of high-ranking officials have not yet had time to grow stronger.

The people living under their rule were more at ease than those living in other parts of the Ming Dynasty.

However, if the Lord of Liuyun Prefecture changes his mind and no longer thinks about accumulating strength, but only cares about killing...

"Will not."

Lu Shuangyan said, "If he were truly controlled by the fifteenth sword, how could he possibly have enough rationality to mobilize the entire power of Liuyun Prefecture?"

"I'm afraid that if some random orders are issued, our own supplies and marching will fall into chaos first."

"What is worrying is what if he were to take control of the fifteenth sword instead?"

"Given his personality, he would definitely take immediate action and kill all the powerful figures in the martial arts world who might pose a threat to him in the future!"

Lu Shuangyan sighed deeply.

"In that case, the martial arts world in the next few decades would be too boring."

Xiahou Feishan corrected him, saying, "If that were really the case, you would definitely be among the first to die, and you would never have the chance to see such a boring world of martial arts."

"Hahaha."

After laughing, Lu Shuangyan continued, "The martial arts industry has lost a whole generation of talent. Even if I can't see it, it still pains me to think about it."

Chu Tianshu stroked his chin, considering whether he could send a message to the capital.

Explain the stakes and invite the leaders of Shaolin and Wudang to take the initiative to ambush and kill the Lord of Liuyun Mansion.

However, such letters rarely receive a satisfactory reply.

Even the emperor had something to say.

Who can be sure where Lord Liuyun is?
What if the Shaolin and Wudang sect leaders just left, and then the Lord of Liuyun assassinates the emperor?
Even the two top sect leaders would have to be suspicious first.

It remains to be seen whether the three of them will surround and kill the Lord of Liuyun Manor, or whether a large group of people will surround and kill the two of them.

Alas, the longer someone holds a high position, the more likely they are to suspect that someone is trying to harm them when faced with chaos.

However, no matter the outcome, the letter still needs to be sent.

Whether there are dates or not, let's shoot first.

"I have little understanding of the deadly sword intent, and I have no clue about the fifteen swords."

Chu Tianshu said, "But I am very interested in the first thirteen swords."

"You use sword energy to guide your physical body. Although it doesn't make your body strong enough, it at least makes your movements free of unnecessary movements. You use sword energy to cultivate your divine will and make your senses and intuition, as well as your grasp of the various positions in battle, reach a superb level."

Chu Tianshu was able to achieve something similar by cultivating multiple different paths of cultivation techniques.

Lu Shuangyan, however, only followed the path of cultivating spirit and transforming qi, and yet she possessed these advantages.

This shows that he not only has a profound understanding of this particular path, but also has the potential to apply it to other areas.

"I can lend you my cultivation techniques, including a set called 'Secret Blessings of Vertical and Horizontal Swords,' which may inspire you. In exchange, I will share my insights on sword creation."

Chu Tianshu emphasized again, "I don't want the final sword technique framework you summarize; I want your insights during the sword creation process."

How do the breath, body, and mind transition and connect?

Lu Shuangyan looked hesitant.

"The results of swordsmanship can be expressed not only through words, but also through actual practice and sparring. However, the insights gained when creating a sword can only be expressed verbally."

Lu Shuangyan said, "I may not be able to express that feeling."

Chu Tianshu smiled and said, "That's alright, come with me." Before leaving, he gave the monks a few more instructions, saying that since everyone was upset, they shouldn't eat too much at night and should go to bed two hours early.

The three of them went up the mountain together to the courtyard where Chu Tianshu lived.

It's located between the Arhat Hall and the Bodhidharma Hall, and not too far from the Sutra Repository.

Chu Tianshu didn't let them stay in the courtyard; instead, he invited them into the house.

Apart from a set of bedding and a table and chairs, there was nothing in the room that was inconvenient to be seen.

There were several stacks of books piled up on the table.

The bed was a mess, with books piled higher than a person's head on either side of the pillow.

There were a few books on the inside of the bed. Chu Tianshu had read them while sitting on the bed before going to sleep and had casually stuffed them inside.

When he was in poor health, he would sweat profusely at night, and if the sheets weren't changed, the smell the next night would be unbearable.

Back then, his bed was always very clean and tidy.

When his cultivation became profound and he was no longer so afraid of dreams, he liked to look through things in bed before and after sleeping, but this only made things more messy.

Lu Shuangyan and Xiahou Feishan were not surprised at all.

Although the three came from very different backgrounds, they were not much different in age, and they all knew what their own rooms would look like.

"Please have a seat."

Chu Tianshu walked around, sorted out a few books, and placed them on the table.

When Lu Shuangyan opened the book, she saw that it was full of words and short phrases.

Tang poems, Song lyrics, Yuan dramas, and excerpts from articles by famous writers.

He was a little confused, so he opened another book.

This book contains poems, couplets, maxims, and koans by famous Zen masters from various regions during the Tang and Song dynasties.

"The window is still, birds peer into the Zen; the mind is the master, the body is the guest."

"The mountain is empty, the wind blows the leaves; the sky is vast, the sea is boundless, the roots are boundless."

Lu Shuangyan read aloud the passage that had been specially circled, and after careful consideration, she found it to be full of charm and truly a beautiful sentence.

Chu Tianshu smiled and said, "Many Zen masters throughout history have excellent literary skills."

"When they were compiling the martial arts of the Southern Shaolin, they also liked to quote the words of their predecessors to express their artistic conception. In order to study the martial arts, I read through these books more often."

Traditional martial arts emphasize cultivating spirit and transforming it into qi, and there are many aspects of focusing on artistic conception in the cultivation of internal strength.

The concept of artistic conception is always the most difficult to express.

This forced them to specialize in developing their ability to express themselves in this area, coming up with original ideas and extracting phrases from classical texts.

It borrows various famous quotes from predecessors and organizes them into chapters.

"The books in my room can be considered a carefully selected and compiled vocabulary."

Chu Tianshu sat down at the table and said, "You tell us about your feelings and insights."

"Xiahou and I listened together. When we came to any unclear parts, we looked up similar sentences in these books and showed them to you to see if they were more appropriate."

"Or make a few minor changes to the famous lines, don't worry about the tones and rhymes, just make sure it expresses your feelings the most directly."

Lu Shuangyan became happier and happier as she listened.

"I have learned from many people and discussed martial arts with others quite often, but this is the first time I have encountered something like this."

Lu Shuangyan looked at the poetry collection in her hand. "In the past, I would at most read Zhuangzi and Diamond Sutra, which are well known to the public and are very good at inspiring martial arts. I didn't pay much attention to other things."

"Discussing martial arts while reading poetry is truly a novel approach!"

Chu Tianshu picked up the teapot, slightly channeled his inner energy to heat the water, and poured three cups of tea.

"Didn't you say before that literature and martial arts are the foundation of all professions, but you are not good at literature?"

"The nature of a gentleman is not different; he is good at making use of things."

Chu Tianshu spoke calmly and gently pushed the two cups of tea towards them.

"We focus on the wisdom of martial arts and are not good at literature, so we borrow literature from the sages of the past to enhance our own knowledge and take it a step further."

"Because old things can be used to verify new things, the treasures we can excavate from the vast history are boundless."

Lu Shuangyan took a sip of tea, and a wellspring of curiosity welled up in her heart, temporarily distracting her from her thoughts on the fourteenth and fifteenth swords.

I want to see! I want to see how my journey of creating the deadly sword can be expressed through poetry and prose.

While the three of them were immersed in literature and martial arts.

Inside Liuyun Mansion, someone had just woken up from meditation.

"The fifteenth sword, is it trying to be born through someone else's hands again?"

(End of this chapter)