Becoming an immortal from a canal worker

Chapter 185: Sparring Partner

The next morning, Chen Ping left the inner courtyard.

He didn't wait for Steward Lin to bring him food; he wanted to go out for a walk and have breakfast while he was at it.

After exiting the south gate of Cangwu, walk along the street towards the south of the city.

There weren't many pedestrians on the streets in the early morning.

The shops on both sides had just removed their door panels.

The men were yawning and sweeping the floor in front of the door, splashing water on the ground.

The air was filled with the distinctive aroma of scallions and cooking oil from a breakfast stall.

Chen Ping found a popular wonton stall on the street corner, sat down, and ordered a large bowl of steaming hot meat wontons.

The stall owner was an elderly woman with gray hair and a slightly hunched back.

They were very quick and efficient.

Before long, a large bowl of wontons was served. The broth was made from bones, the wonton wrappers were thin and the filling was generous, and it was sprinkled with bright green scallions and drizzled with a few drops of tempting sesame oil.

Chen Ping ate his wontons with his head down, listening to the gradually increasing sparse sounds of people on the street.

When we were halfway through eating.

Suddenly, a heated argument broke out from a street corner not far away.

That was the entrance to a fairly large security escort agency in the south of the city.

A young man dressed in the attire of a student from the Cangwu Outer Academy was blocking the steps of the security escort agency.

The student's eyes were bloodshot and red from lack of sleep.

His voice was completely hoarse, as if he had been screaming hysterically in the cold wind for a long time.

"I paid you three times the escort fee! Why didn't you send more bodyguards to pick up the people?! Why?!"

In front of the two vermilion gates of the security escort agency.

Standing there was a burly, muscular man carrying a knife.

The head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) was also ashen-faced, his thick arms crossed over his chest. He roared at the student's questioning.

"Stop throwing a tantrum here! What kind of hellhole is Yangzhou Prefecture right now? It's full of bloodthirsty deserters, man-eating demons, and bandits taking advantage of the chaos! It's a mass grave where no one can return!"

"When I took this job, I made it perfectly clear to you that our escort agency could only try our best, and we absolutely dared not guarantee that we could bring the person out of the car unharmed!"

As the镖头 (bodyguard/escort) spoke, a hint of bloodlust appeared in his eyes, and his voice became increasingly rough.

"Your parents died on the way to escape, and more than twenty of my best brothers who went to pick them up also died in that godforsaken place! Who am I supposed to go after for this mess?!"

Beside the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort), another middle-aged man who looked like a manager sighed and muttered under his breath, "Sigh, I advised the chief back then that you shouldn't take jobs in that place now, even if you were offered a mountain of gold and silver."

The student stood below the steps, his fists clenched tightly, his whole body trembling, his lips quivering, unable to utter a word.

He stood there stiffly in the wind, like a soulless walking corpse.

Several customers at the wonton stall turned to look when they heard the argument.

Then, with a blank expression, he silently turned his head away and continued to eat the food in his bowl.

No one spoke up or tried to intervene.

This kind of thing has probably happened more than once recently. Chen Ping finished the last bite of his wonton, put down the bowl, took out a piece of silver and placed it on the table, then got up and left.

Walking back along the street, we entered Cangwu.

As soon as he stepped onto the stone path between the inner and outer courtyards, Chen Ping slowed his pace.

Ahead, four inner courtyard deacons carried a stretcher and slowly walked along the stone path.

The stretcher was covered with a white sheet.

The outline under the white cloth was not quite complete; one side was noticeably collapsed, as if something was missing.

Chen Ping stood by the roadside, watching the stretcher pass by.

The wind lifted the corner of the white cloth, revealing a severed arm wrapped in blackened bandages, the cloth on the cut surface already stuck to the flesh and blood.

The stretcher was carried over.

Then another one came.

The white cloth was stained with large patches of dark red blood, layer upon layer.

A woman in her thirties, dressed in plain clothes with her hair down, walked unsteadily beside the stretcher, her face expressionless. Chen Ping watched her walk past without saying a word.

He composed himself and walked towards the outer courtyard.

The martial arts training ground in the outer courtyard was much more lively than it had been a few months ago, with students practicing martial arts everywhere.

With the competition just around the corner, everyone is giving it their all.

Chen Ping circled around the training ground but didn't see Zhai Jing.

He stopped a passing student and asked him a question. The student pointed in the direction behind him and said, "Reporting to Senior Brother Chen, Senior Sister Zhai Jing went to that secluded courtyard in the north early this morning with her sword. She looked a little unwell and didn't have anyone follow her. She went alone."

Chen Ping nodded and thanked him.

He strode in the direction the man pointed.

There are several separate courtyards on the north side of the outer courtyard, which are usually not used and are very quiet.

Zhai Jing sat on the steps of one of the small courtyards, her Autumn Water Sword resting across her lap, but she wasn't practicing.

She sat there, head down, her fingers unconsciously tracing the patterns on the scabbard, again and again.

Chen Ping walked into the courtyard and sat down on the steps next to her. Zhai Jing looked up and saw him.

There were faint bluish tints under her eyes, as if she hadn't slept well.

A few strands of her usually neatly tied hair were loose today, falling on the side of her face, but she didn't bother with them.

"Chen Ping."

She called out softly, her voice hoarse.

Chen Ping turned to look at her and asked in a calm tone, "How have you been lately?"

Upon hearing this, Zhai Jing's gaze returned to the sword sheath on her knee.

"Not bad, I only need one more Gang Yuan."

Her voice sounded very flat.

But after saying that polite remark, he seemed to have lost all his strength and didn't continue the conversation.

He just kept his head down.

The slender finger continued to caress the scabbard. Chen Ping didn't rush to ask; he glanced at the old locust trees in the courtyard, then at the sky.

There was a moment of silence.

Zhai Jing suddenly spoke up.

"You came here today to ask what the people in the administrative office want with me, right?"

She looked up at Chen Ping, her eyes filled with a cautious wariness that Chen Ping had never seen in her before.

Are you worried that my current state might affect you and impact your upcoming foreign language competition?

Her tone softened.

"Don't worry, I won't be affected by these things."

When she said this, her lips were pursed tightly and her chin was slightly raised, as if she was encouraging herself or as if she was making a promise to him.

The frequency of rubbing the scabbard with his fingers increased.

Chen Ping neither responded to her nor explained the purpose of his visit.

He simply said, "Zhang Tingwan said you haven't been doing well lately. We risked our lives together in Nanling. When I heard you were in trouble, I came to see you." Zhai Jing was taken aback.

The cautious wariness eased a little; his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he didn't.

She lowered her head, her fingers pausing for a moment on the scabbard.

After a while, her voice softened.

"In the past few days, all the students in the outer courtyard who were originally from Jinnan Prefecture have been taken away separately and forced to be questioned in the inner hall."

She paused for a moment.

"They meticulously recorded each person's details: where they lived, how many people were in their family, their names, where they learned martial arts from as children, and who their friends were in Jinnan Prefecture."

Her fingers began to caress the scabbard again, even faster than before.

"So many questions, they kept asking me over and over again."

She paused, then lowered her voice by half a second.

"Finally, the deacon in charge of the trial interrogated me."

"Back in your hometown of Jinnan Prefecture, did you... have any close private contact with those lurking demonic sect members?" Chen Ping looked at her without saying a word.

Zhai Jing raised her head, her gaze falling on the wall opposite the courtyard, as if recalling that scene.

"The place was small and dark. A deacon and an instructor were sitting opposite you."

Her voice was flat, but when she got to this point, the fingers that were caressing the sword sheath stopped.

"I could sense that if I told even the slightest lie, I probably wouldn't be able to leave that room."

She lowered her head, her voice even softer.

"Fortunately, I came out of Nanling with you guys. They checked the mission records, which made their questioning a bit easier."

She paused for a moment.

"Otherwise, I'd still be in that room right now."

The courtyard was quiet for a while.

Zhai Jing removed her fingers from the sword sheath and gripped the hem of her dress on her knees.

"I later asked them if there was any way to get my parents out." Her knuckles were white from clenching her fists.

They shook their heads.

Chen Ping looked at her hands, which were clenched tightly around the hem of her dress, and remained silent for a while.

Is there any way to contact my family now?

Zhai Jing shook her head.

"Now all the communication routes over there are cut off, and any letters that correspond with Jinnan Prefecture will be subject to strict scrutiny."

She loosened her clothes, her fingers unconsciously clenching and unclenching on her knees.

"Unable to contact."

Chen Ping remained silent for a while.

"If you're worried, I can ask around to see if there are any other solutions."

Zhai Jing raised her head, looked at him, and gently shook her head.

"No need," she said calmly.

"You don't need to get yourself into trouble because of me. Nobody could have predicted this kind of thing."

She lowered her head, her fingers lingered on the scabbard for a moment, then withdrew.

She stood up, holding the Autumn Water Sword in her hand, and looked at Chen Ping.

"Chen Ping, would you like to practice your swordplay with me?"

Her voice was flat, as if she were talking about something very ordinary.

"I'm just one more elemental core needed."

Chen Ping looked into her eyes and nodded.

The two stood facing each other in the center of the courtyard.

Zhai Jing gripped the Autumn Water Sword in her hand, tilting the blade slightly, with the tip pointing in Chen Ping's direction.

There were no unnecessary movements, no building up of momentum, and no breath adjustment.

A sword thrust out. Simple and direct, aimed straight for the face.

Chen Ping did not draw his sword. Instead, he extended his right palm and gently deflected the sword to one side with the edge of his palm.

Zhai Jing's sword did not stop. Following the direction it had been deflected, it turned and the blade traced an arc as it thrust back from the side.

Chen Ping did not move, but slightly shifted his upper body to the side to avoid the sharp sword energy.

At the same time, his right palm reached out again and plucked the sword surface as if playing a zither.

Zhai Jing's sword was like autumn water, one strike after another, without end.

Each sword strike was derived from the previous one like flowing water, and each strike took Chen Ping's reaction into account.

After blocking one sword strike, the next one appeared in an unexpected place.

Chen Ping used his palm as a knife, without using his qi and blood or internal energy.

Zhai Jing's cultivation level was far below his, but since she wanted to practice swordsmanship, he had to give her enough respect.

After several dozen moves, Chen Ping figured out the trick.

Even without activating the Water Observation Technique, he could guess about 50% of where the next sword strike would appear. The remaining 50% could be avoided with his movement techniques.

He began to adjust the force and rhythm of his palm strikes.

Each palm strike put immense pressure on Zhai Jing, forcing her to respond with all her might, yet she managed to keep everything on a single line, allowing her to execute each sword strike completely.

Zhai Jing's sword danced faster and faster.

His blood and qi surged more and more, his steps quickened, and the sound of the sword blade grew sharper and sharper.

Chen Ping continued to strike with his palms, one after another, steadily blocking the attack.

Zhai Jing's eyes changed.

The initial anxiety, despair, and frustration that had been building up in my heart because I had lost contact with my family.

It was worn away and vented out, one sword strike after another.

Her whole being.

They have completely cast aside the deceit, treachery, and life-and-death struggles of the outside world.

She began to become completely absorbed in the ever-speeding Autumn Water Sword in her hand. Chen Ping realized this and began to slowly guide her.

The palm strike is no longer just for blocking, but forcing.

Force her out of her comfort zone, force her to try angles and ways of exerting force that she wouldn't normally dare to try.

He could feel the blood and qi in Zhai Jing's body becoming more and more turbulent, like a kettle of water boiling to its last moment, with the lid making a creaking sound.

The two exchanged over a hundred moves.

Zhai Jing's breathing became more and more rapid, and sweat slid down her face, sticking a few strands of hair to her temples.

The final strike.

She took a sudden step forward, and all the blood and energy in her body gathered in her sword arm at that moment. The Autumn Water Sword, like a silver light, pierced towards Chen Ping's chest.

This sword strike was faster, more accurate, and more ruthless than any of the previous ones.

Chen Ping neither deflected nor blocked; he simply turned slightly to the side, letting the sword tip pass through his ribs.

The sword's momentum pierced through the air, reaching its limit.

Zhai Jing's hand holding the sword trembled slightly, and her chest heaved violently. Then, a very faint buzzing sound came from within her body.

The last elemental energy has been formed.

Zhai Jing sheathed her sword and stood still, the tip touching the ground, her chest heaving, sweat beading on her forehead and sticking strands of hair to her face.

She raised her head.

Those eyes, which had regained a glimmer of life due to the breakthrough.

She quietly stared at the unharmed man in black opposite her.

"Thank you, Brother Chen, for easing the pent-up emotions in my heart."

She exhaled.

"My inner energy is complete; I'm going to break through."

Chen Ping stood still, his breathing steady, looking at her.

Do you hate it?

Zhai Jing paused in her turn. She stood with her back to Chen Ping, silent for a moment.

"certainly."

Her voice was very soft, very soft.

So softly it was as if only she could hear it.

I hate that I am too weak.

He turned around, stepped out of the courtyard, and his footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Chen Ping stood in the courtyard, watching the direction she left, without saying a word.

The wind blew by, scattering the dust that had been stirred up by the sword's wind.

He stood there for a while, then turned and walked towards the north of the courtyard.

A white cloth stretcher, cries at the entrance of the security escort agency, and the dark circles under Zhai Jing's eyes.

The flames of war in Yangzhou Prefecture have spread to the rear.

He needs to find He Qingshan and find out what exactly happened over there.