At 100 years old, he joined the army in place of his granddaughter, and became a national war god.

Early morning, in the east wing of the Prince's mansion.

Su Mu woke up very early.

He got dressed, opened the window, and took a deep breath of the morning air.

Although it was a bit chilly in the courtyard, it was filled with the sweet fragrance of flowers, mixed with the scent of grass and earth, which was refreshing and delightful.

"Grandpa! Grandpa!"

Su Qingxue's clear voice came from outside the door, and then the door was pushed open, and a small head peeked in.

Su Qingxue was wearing a pale yellow dress, her hair was tied in two small buns with red ribbons, and she was skipping around, full of energy.

She held a nimble little wooden knife in her hand.

Su Mu smiled, his eyes full of affection.

"Qingxue, where are you going so early?"

Su Qingxue raised the small wooden knife in her hand and said excitedly, "Grandpa, I want to go to the back garden to practice swordsmanship with my two older sisters! I started practicing when I first came to the Prince's Mansion. My two older sisters said that I need to learn to protect myself, and if I master swordsmanship, I can protect Grandpa in the future!"

As she spoke, she puffed out her small chest and looked very serious.

Su Mu was taken aback for a moment, and a warm feeling welled up in his heart.

This girl learned martial arts to protect her grandfather.

Those two girls, Xiao Zhixia and Xiao Zhiqi, are really thoughtful.

They're right, Qingxue can't hide under her grandfather's protection forever.

The world is not peaceful; no one knows what tomorrow will bring.

Teaching Qingxue to protect herself is more important than anything else.

"Okay." Su Mu stood up, stretched his arms, and his eyes lit up with interest. "Grandpa will go with you to see how your training is going."

Su Qingxue's eyes lit up, and she grabbed her grandfather's hand and ran outside.

"Hurry, hurry! Grandpa's here! My sisters will be so happy!"

……

In the back garden, there is a wide, flat area paved with bluestone slabs and surrounded by green bamboo, creating a serene and elegant atmosphere.

This is where Xiao Zhixia and Xiao Zhiqi usually practice their martial arts.

At this moment, the two had already taken their fighting stances.

"ha!"

The two attacked simultaneously, their blades flashing as they exchanged blows.

Su Qingxue ran over, stood to the side, held up a small wooden knife, and imitated the gestures.

Su Mu did not disturb them, but walked to the pavilion and sat down, quietly watching the three of them practice their skills.

He looked at it for a while, then his brows furrowed slightly.

Xiao Zhixia and Xiao Zhiqi's swordsmanship was fairly proficient, but the problem was that their moves felt too heavy.

This sword technique emphasizes powerful and heavy strikes; a single slash must possess the force of a thousand pounds.

But they were women, and their strength was limited. Using such a fierce sword technique would not only fail to unleash its power, but would also exhaust them.

They are better suited to sword practice.

Swordsmanship emphasizes lightness, agility, and speed, using skill to overcome force.

Given a woman's physical condition, practicing swordsmanship is far more advantageous than practicing knife skills.

Su Mu stood up and walked out of the pavilion.

"Wait a minute."

Xiao Zhixia and Xiao Zhiqi stopped their moves at the same time, turned around, and saw Su Mu walking over. They quickly clasped their hands in a salute.

"Grandpa Su!"

Xiao Zhi Qiu's eyes lit up, and she hopped over to Su Mu in a few steps, her face beaming with smiles and her tone slightly coquettish.

"Grandpa Su, do you think we're not practicing well enough? Could you give us some pointers? How about passing on the swordsmanship you used to kill enemies on the battlefield?"

Xiao Zhixia also came over. Although she wasn't as direct as her sister, her eyes were full of anticipation.

She had heard her father recount Su Mu's exploits in the Northern Territory many times.

This centenarian's swordsmanship was so powerful that even the strongest man in the Northern Di, Timur, couldn't withstand it. If one could learn even a move or two, it would be an incredible stroke of luck.

Su Mu smiled.

"You little girl, you've got quite the nerve, coming here wanting to learn my Five Tigers Severing the Gate Saber technique right away."

Xiao Zhi Qiu chuckled, not even blushing: "Grandpa Su, just think of it as teaching your granddaughter! Qing Xue is your granddaughter, and we're like sisters to her, so she's your granddaughter too!"

Su Mu shook his head and laughed, "The Five Tigers Severing Gate Saber is fierce and domineering, requiring immense strength to support it. You are women, and your strength is already insufficient. Practicing this saber technique will be twice the effort for half the result, and you won't be able to unleash its power."

"However, I have a sword technique that you would like to learn."

Xiao Zhixia and Xiao Zhiqi exchanged a glance, their eyes simultaneously gleaming with surprise.

"Swordsmanship? Grandpa Su knows swordsmanship?" Xiao Zhi Qiu blurted out.

Su Mu smiled slightly.

"I know many things."

Xiao Zhi Qiu quickly replied, "We'll learn! Of course we'll learn! We'll learn whatever Grandpa Su teaches!"

Su Mu nodded and turned to look at Xiao Zhi Qiu.

"Go find some swords, the lighter ones, the kind that girls can easily handle."

Xiao Zhi Qiu responded, turned around and ran, disappearing from the garden in a flash.

Before long, she came running back, panting, carrying four long swords in her arms.

The scabbard is plain, the sword is thin and light, and the blade is sharp, making it a common sword for women practicing martial arts.

"Grandpa Su, the sword is here!"

Su Mu took a sword, drew it, and examined it in the morning light.

The sword is as thin as a cicada's wing, with a cold gleam in its blade. The hilt is wrapped with blue silk thread, making it light and agile to hold.

"A fine sword."

He nodded, placed the scabbard aside, gripped the sword in one hand, and walked to the center of the open space.

Xiao Zhixia, Xiao Zhiqi, and Su Qingxue stood aside, holding their breath.

Su Mu took a deep breath and slowly straightened his hunched body.

"This sword technique is called the Dugu Nine Swords."

"It emphasizes the principle of defeating opponents without using any moves, becoming stronger when facing stronger opponents, and breaking through all martial arts techniques. It does not focus on strength, but rather on eyesight, reaction, and skill."

He moved as soon as he finished speaking.

The longsword thrust out, its light as sharp as a bolt of lightning, drawing a silvery-white arc in the air.

One sword strike after another, thrusting, parrying, and sweeping.

The sword was light and agile, moving like a nimble snake in his withered hand, darting up and down and weaving left and right.

First move, Sword Breaking Move.

The sword light was like silk, continuous and unbroken, drawing silver trajectories in the air. It seemed light and casual, but each sword strike accurately pierced the vital points of the imagined enemy.

The second move, the Blade-Breaking Move.

With a twist of the blade, the sword swept upwards, its light cascading like a waterfall, completely neutralizing the imagined attack.

The third move, the spear-breaking move.

The sword tip lightly touched the ground, drawing a circle in the air, like water flowing through stone, passing through the imaginary shadow of the spear.

Su Mu's swordsmanship became faster and more ferocious.

Do as you please, act freely and unrestrained.

Xiao Zhixia and the other woman stared wide-eyed.

They had never seen such swordsmanship before.

Xiao Jingyu also arrived at the back garden at some point.

He watched in silence as Su Mu demonstrated his swordsmanship, utterly astonished.

He had been on the battlefield when he was young and had seen the swordsmanship and saber techniques of many generals.

But he had never seen such swordsmanship before. It was sharp, elegant, and unpredictable, with each strike flexible and varied, full of killing intent.

"General Su... just how many more skills do you still possess?"

Xiao Jingyu muttered to himself.

He didn't disturb them, but tiptoed into the pavilion, sat down on the stone bench, and watched quietly.

……

"Did you see clearly?" Su Mu sheathed his longsword.

Xiao Zhixia and Xiao Zhiqi exchanged a glance, nodded at the same time, and then shook their heads at the same time.

"I saw it clearly, but... but it was too fast, I didn't remember a lot of things," Xiao Zhi Qiu said honestly.

Su Mu smiled.

"No rush. Take your time."

He handed the longsword to Xiao Zhixia and stepped aside.

"Give it a try."

Xiao Zhixia took the sword, took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and recalled the moves Su Mu had just demonstrated.

When she opened her eyes again, there was a hint of determination in them.

The longsword was slowly raised, its tip pointing into the air.

"ha!"

A sword thrust out.

Although it wasn't as fluid and graceful as Su Mu's movements, it already showed some promise.

Xiao Zhixia has a good foundation and good comprehension. Although her moves are still a bit clumsy, she is on the right track.

Not to be outdone, Xiao Zhi Qiu took the other sword and began practicing with her sister.

Su Mu looked at the two of them and nodded slightly.

These two little girls do indeed have a talent for swordsmanship.

If you can memorize the moves quickly and apply your power accurately, you can become a master swordsman in time.

"Qingxue, it's your turn." Xiao Zhi Qiu sheathed her sword, turned around, waved to Su Qingxue, and said with a grin, "Let your older sister see how many moves you can learn!"

Su Qingxue held the short sword, somewhat hesitant.

"Kiyoshi, keep up the good work!"

She took a deep breath, gripped the hilt of the sword with both hands, and, mimicking Xiao Zhixia's actions, slowly raised the tip of the sword.

Then, based on the moves I remembered, I began to execute them.

As Su Qingxue unleashed her sword technique, Su Mu's eyes gradually brightened.

I was quite surprised.

He watched as Su Qingxue unleashed her sword strikes, from the first move to the ninth, all in one smooth motion, without pause or hesitation.

Every move, from its initiation to its angle and its finish, was completely different from what Su Mu had just demonstrated.

Although the power and speed were insufficient, the stance and essence of the move were still there.

Xiao Zhixia and Xiao Zhiqi were stunned.

Xiao Jingyu was also stunned.

They never expected that Su Qingxue, at such a young age, would be able to completely replicate Su Mu's swordsmanship after only watching it once.

Su Qingxue sheathed her sword, stood still, her face slightly flushed, and panting.

"Grandpa... is Qingxue practicing correctly?"

She looked at Su Mu with some trepidation, afraid that she had done something wrong.

Su Mu's face was already full of smiles and pride.

"Qingxue,"

"Have you practiced swordsmanship before?"

Su Qingxue shook her head and honestly said, "No. Qingxue has only practiced swordsmanship with my two older sisters."

Su Mu took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and muttered to himself.

"Photographic memory... a natural talent for swordsmanship... my granddaughter is actually a sword genius."

Xiao Zhi Qiu snapped out of his daze and loudly praised:

"Qingxue! You're amazing! My sister and I only understood half of Grandpa Su's swordsmanship, and we only vaguely remember many parts. You actually memorized it all? Not a single move missed?"

Su Qingxue blushed and said, "I... I don't know what happened, but when I watched Grandpa draw his sword, those moves were like they were engraved in my mind, and I just couldn't forget them."

Xiao Zhixia walked over, looked at Su Qingxue, her eyes filled with surprise and emotion.

"Qingxue, if you can master Grandpa Su's Dugu Nine Swords, you will be even more powerful than us in the future."

Su Qingxue glanced at her grandfather, then at the sword in her hand, her eyes filled with determination.

"Qingxue will definitely practice hard. In the future, Qingxue will protect Grandpa, Sister Zhixia and Sister Zhiqiu, and everyone who is good to Qingxue."

Su Mu walked over, reached out, and gently patted his granddaughter's head.

"Alright, Grandpa will teach you. From today onwards, Grandpa will personally teach the three of you the Dugu Nine Swords."

The Xiao sisters were also extremely happy.

"Thank you, Grandpa Su!"

Xiao Jingyu sat in the pavilion, feeling quite gratified.

These two sisters are incredibly lucky to have received personal instruction from Su Mu.

He thought of his two sons, Xiao Yichun and Xiao Yidong!

Thinking to himself, "Once the two of them return from their mission guarding the East China Sea, I must make them become disciples of Old Master Su!"

"If I could be taught martial arts by Master Su, I would surely be able to achieve great things on the battlefield in the future."

At this moment, Su Mu saw Xiao Jingyu and immediately walked over.

He said, "Your Highness, what is it?"

Xiao Jingyu cupped his hands and replied, "Elder Su, please come to my study with me. I have something important to discuss with you."

Su Mu nodded, then followed Xiao Jingyu and left the back garden!