Starting with the divine power of the Great Vajra, he traversed the heavens.

Chapter 439 The Cripple Becomes Chang'e!

"Love has always brought only regret, and this regret will last forever."

With a bright moon and few stars, Ding'an strolled through the garden in the courtyard, casually picking a foxtail grass flower, reciting poetry as he plucked its petals.

He looked utterly miserable.

Inside the house, Ren Shaoyang and the little beggar were drinking tea and eating snacks.

The tea is Jiangnan Xiaolongtuan, and the cup is Ru kiln celadon, translucent and warm like green jade. The tea in the cup is greenish-blue, like a piece of jade embedded in the cup.

The dessert was chestnut cake from Jiangnan, served on a white porcelain plate from the Song Dynasty Ding kiln. The little beggar had been craving this ever since he returned from the Western Regions.

She carefully took a bite, and immediately the aroma of flour, oil, and chestnuts burst in her mouth, each layer offering a different flavor.

There are Ru kiln porcelain plates filled with fruits, including red tangerines, yellow oranges, and pomegranates that are as fiery as fire.

Ren Shaoyang used the "Divine Spider Sword" to cut open a Western Region cucumber, revealing a mixture of orange, yellow, and snow-white, resembling a treasure trove of gold and jade.

"sweet!"

"Cool!"

Such delicious food and exquisite tableware are rarely seen even in the imperial palace, and the two of them ate with great pleasure.

Ren Shaoyang praised it highly, ate half a cucumber, and gave the rest to the little beggar. She didn't hesitate either, finishing off all the chestnut cakes and melons, and then clearing out a plate of steamed cakes.

Seeing her chugging down tea, Ren Shaoyang laughed and said, "You glutton, do you think we're short of food?"

With her round, chubby face, Hongxiu mumbled, "I've shed blood for my family, I've risked my life in the Western Regions, what's wrong with eating a little?"

Ren Shaoyang laughed and said, "Is that enough? If not, take some more."

Hongxiu shook her head and said, "It's late, five-tenths full is enough." After saying that, she drank all the tea, patted her flat belly, and sighed, "Belly, oh belly. Following me, Xiao Ren, you've definitely made the best of a bad situation!"

"It's not just not losing money, it's making a killing!"

"Haha, the first ten years or so were tough, but the next ten years were all about feasting and living the high life. It was definitely a huge profit."

Hongxiu smiled and popped a piece of chestnut cake into her mouth, eating it happily.

Ren Shaoyang suddenly said, "Little beggar, I know your background now."

Hongxiu was taken aback, then blinked and said uncertainly, "Crippled man, why are you saying such irrelevant things? My, my background." As she said this, her eyebrows trembled and her eyes reddened.

Ren Shaoyang sighed softly, reached out his sleeve to wipe away her tears, and said, "Your surname is Linghu."

"Linghu?"

"Yes, you are a descendant of Linghu Chong of Huashan."

"Huashan," Hongxiu suddenly asked, "the leader's junior brother?"

"It is this Master Linghu."

Ren Shaoyang then recounted everything he had learned from Xiao Feng, whom he had summoned in the Sword Realm.

The little beggar's eyes reddened as he listened, and he said in a trembling voice, "Crippled man, I... I have a family now. My father's surname is Linghu!"

"So you should call yourself Linghu Hongxiu."

"No!" The little beggar shook his head like a rattle-drum, his expression somber, and murmured, "I still want to be surnamed Ren."

"Why?" Ren Shaoyang asked with a smile, "You have a family now, so you can change your surname back to your original surname."

"My home is with you and my severed hand."

"Ow~!"

Ding'an suddenly let out a wolf howl, squatted down in the garden, buried his head in his hands, and sobbed uncontrollably.

Hongxiu licked her lips: "Fine, can we not bring this message ball?"

Ren Shaoyang nodded vigorously, "Okay!"

Hongxiu chuckled: "Besides, the name Linghu Hongxiu doesn't sound good. Ren Hongxiu is much more likable."

Yes, readers have gotten used to it.

Ren Shaoyang sighed, "It's a bit of a pity that we didn't go to Mount Hua back then."

"What a waste!" Hongxiu waved her hand. "You have the Sword Realm, right? Let's restore the Sword River's water level. When the floodwaters reach Jinshan Temple again, we can just go to the leader and ask him for an explanation!"

She laughed like a thief stealing a chicken, "Anyway, he's a real relative, so it's not too much to ask for some benefits from him, right?"

Ren Shaoyang blurted out, "Absolutely not! They've conquered a world of magical weapons and wonders, filled with elixirs, divine weapons, and even gods! Even a little bit of what they have is enough for us to eat our fill!"

"Haha~!" Hongxiu patted her chest, laughing through tears, "Watch me, Ren Hongxiu, smash old man's gold coins!"

Ren Shaoyang wiped away her tears again.

At this moment, the little beggar hugged his waist and said stubbornly, "Crippled man, don't even think about leaving me behind!"

His expression changed, and his younger sister chimed in: "Me too, me too."

Ren Shaoyang complained, "My sister abandoned you!"

Hongxiu snorted: "Don't forget, our hearts are connected. You feel differently about that Luo Xian."

"No way!"

"You can fool yourself, but you can't fool me!" Hongxiu suddenly lashed out with her elbow, causing Shao Yang to spew black gas from all seven orifices. She sneered, "You can't fool me!"

Ren Shaoyang coughed and said with a wry smile, "You went too far."

"Ruthless?" Hongxiu smiled slightly, her smile alluring yet cold and sinister, utterly malevolent. "I'm giving you face by not destroying her."

Seemingly sensing something, he turned his head and saw Ding'an staring at him with a flower in his mouth and a look of surprise and doubt.

Hongxiu felt slightly embarrassed and stood up to change the subject, saying, "Alright, let's look at the tortoise shell."

Ren Shaoyang gave her a deep look: "You're going to extremes." Hongxiu paused, then said nonchalantly, "You're overthinking it!" But in her heart, she muttered, "Damn it, no one can take the cripple and the missing hand away from me, not even them themselves!"

Ren Shaoyang sighed and followed her to the backyard.

As the two stood before the tortoise shell, a warm, vibrant feeling rose up, easing their fatigue of the past few days and bringing them a sense of comfort.

The beggar pointed: "Crippled man, look at the hexagrams on the tortoise shell."

Ren Shaoyang stared intently at it and nodded, saying, "The texture is exactly the same as the sixty-four hexagrams of the I Ching. If I'm not mistaken, this should also have a name—the Hetu Luoshu!"

Hongxiu said, "Before I found the tortoise shell, I did see a sword technique that resonated with this tortoise shell."

Ren Shaoyang said "Oh" and then said, "It should be the 'Easy Secret of No Seeking'."

"Is this the name?" Hongxiu smiled. "Never mind, I'll draw all the sword moves on paper, take a look."

She took a piece of drawing paper from her pocket and handed it to him.

Ren Shaoyang solemnly accepted it, examined it for a long time, but couldn't figure it out. He looked suspicious and glanced at Hongxiu: "Little beggar, is this really the 'Easy Secret of No Seeking'?"

The little beggar said, "Yes!"

Ren Shaoyang unfurled the drawing paper, his face darkening, and said, "Look at this, what is it?"

The paper showed a small figure with a head shaped like a flatbread, eyes like sesame seeds, and limbs like seaweed, varying in length and intertwined, making it impossible to distinguish the hands and feet.

"Is this some kind of scribbles?!" Ren Shaoyang couldn't help but complain.

"Take it or leave it!" Hongxiu pouted and glared at him. "You stinking cripple, you've disappointed me so much, you have no heart!"

After saying that, she stomped on his foot angrily.

"Ow~!"

Ren Shaoyang clutched his foot and cried out in pain, hopping on one leg.

Hongxiu ran towards the front yard. When she passed Ding'an, she found him squatting there, sobbing. She immediately cursed, "Useless!" and kicked him again.

"Ouch!" Ding An was kicked to the ground, got up in a daze, and watched the little beggar run out the door in a flash. He shouted, "What's wrong with her?"

Ren Shaoyang ignored him, instead floating to the tortoise shell and sitting down, picking up the "sword manual" to look at it. But no matter how he looked at it, it was still just scribbles, and he couldn't make heads or tails of it.

"That's strange, why is the little beggar drawn like this?" Ren Shaoyang asked in surprise.

"wrong!"

He suddenly remembered Hongxiu's words, "You have no heart!"
Ren Shaoyang suddenly realized, his eyes shone brightly, and he activated "Mind Movement" to observe.

Upon looking at it, one immediately felt as if there were ripples in the water before one's eyes, and the image began to distort and writhe, unfolding like a living thing, as if some kind of door had been opened.

Immediately afterwards, the knotted limbs of the little figures in the painting came undone, and their round faces transformed into the appearance of people from the Western Regions. The swords in their hands also became "peerless swords," and each of them struck a strange pose.

Ren Shaoyang scanned each of the little figures and quickly discovered the problem.

"What a clumsy move! This is not a sword technique for seeking victory; it's more like a move to court death! How can there be a sword technique in the world that deliberately puts oneself in a desperate situation?"

Ren Shaoyang frowned and simply stood on the tortoise shell with his eyes closed.

Although he closed his eyes, he mentally simulated the positions of the little figures in the painting standing next to him.

Suddenly, a new feeling arose.

Ren Shaoyang felt that these villains were positioned in a strange way, which was in accordance with the hexagrams. Although their moves were inexplicable and incomprehensible, when viewed together, they were able to survive in the face of death, and strange changes arose in response to the situation.

"So, it's about putting yourself in a life-or-death situation to survive!"

For other martial arts masters, it would be almost impossible to discern the secret. First, they would need to cultivate "Mind Movement" to break through the barriers of perception set up by Hongxiu, allowing their true spirit to reach the core and discover the key.

This level alone has already stopped 99% of the experts!
After that, one must master swordsmanship to a divine level and comprehend the realm of "life and death." In the world today, there are only three people who have reached such a level: Wuming, Ren Jianshen, and Mu Yingxiong.

Such stringent conditions truly belong to the Sword God Ren.

Ren Shaoyang sighed, "Ah, the little beggar is right, I have no heart." Looking down again, he saw a change.

The little figure in the painting twists and deforms, and as it rotates, it transforms into characters such as "absolute," "death," "nothingness," "separation," and "danger."

With a thought, he combined the sword moves to decipher the text: "Sever yourself from life and death, be indifferent to thoughts, detach from form and knowledge, sit upright and learn to unite your mind."

As Ren Shaoyang thought of this, combined with the hexagrams he saw on the tortoise shell, an endless stream of inspiration surged into his mind, as if the changes of heaven and earth and all things in the universe were echoing around him.

Disruptions include calendar changes, misaligned constellations, retrograde motion of the sun and moon, reversed river flow, and even moving mountains and filling seas.

Later on, even the straight stars in the sky became arcs, and the round ones became straight, twisting and turning at will, defying convention.

The universal truths of heaven and earth, the meanings that all people in the world deeply agree with, all crumbled and became a chaotic mess in his mind.

Ren Shaoyang felt as if a large saw was constantly dragging in his mind, rattling and creaking. Sparks of inspiration kept bursting, colliding, shattering, and being reborn.

The shadows shifted and the light changed among the branches, dimming and brightening, until the crescent moon sank in the west before we knew it.

Ren Shaoyang stood upright on the tortoise shell with his hands behind his back. A gentle breeze blew his robes and ruffled his hair, but he remained unmoved, like a statue.

Sudden.

Ren Shaoyang's mind stirred again, and a faint moon shadow emanated from his body, spreading like ripples across the entire courtyard.

In an instant, a peaceful and serene atmosphere filled the world. The wind stopped, the trees remained still, even the chirping of insects at night disappeared, and even the bright moon overhead seemed to be shocked by the scene before it, quietly hiding in the dark clouds.

Yes, Ren Jianshen became the only true moon in the entire arena!
Ren Shaoyang brandished his sword, but his movements were as haphazard and disorderly as a child in a rapeseed field, lacking any semblance of order.

Yet this seemingly chaotic and incoherent dance is strangely simple and beautiful, as harmonious and natural as flowing clouds and water!
It seems like a completely different path, but no matter how much you resist, you will eventually reach the summit. Once you reach the top, even if you are incompatible, you will surely be able to unite as one and there will be no more disputes.

Ding An rushed over, only to be stunned. He saw Ren Shaoyang transform into a faint moon-white light, dancing alone with an ethereal aura.

After a long period of contemplation, a thought flashed through Ding An's mind, causing him to cry out in alarm:
"My goodness, the cripple has become Chang'e!"
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P.S.: With the "No Desire to Hang Up the Technique", Xiao Ren's swordsmanship is elevated to "an extension of all things in heaven and earth".

Hmm, the art style is starting to change.

(End of this chapter)