Tai Ping Medical Clinic had always been a place of peace and quiet. On Anxi Street, no matter how many vendors came and went, or how seasons changed from spring to autumn, winter to summer, the clinic always remained, a reassuring sight for everyone.

But now, Tai Ping Medical Clinic had suddenly become lively.

The Prince and Princess scaled the wall to enter, Liang Gou’er and Liang Mao’er were staying there, and the air was filled with laughter, the warmth of cooking fires, and an endless stream of martial artists…

Chen Ji stood outside the door, looking at Old Man Yao with a complex expression. “Master, did you intend for him to teach me his blade techniques?”

Old Man Yao stood with his hands behind his back, his tone indifferent. “The Liang family’s blade techniques are unmatched in Yuzhou. In this world, there are many skilled individuals, but few who seek the true essence. Learn well.”

Chen Ji asked curiously, “What is the difference between technique and essence?”

Old Man Yao slowly explained, “The essence is the intangible direction, while technique is the path beneath your feet. Remember, if you use the essence to guide your technique, your technique will surely succeed; but if you use technique to try and grasp the essence, your technique will surely decline.”

“Then why do you still want me to learn blade techniques first?”

“Learn it first. How to transition from blade technique to the essence of the blade is a closely guarded secret of the Liang family. But now, the Liang family has no descendants, and this skill might be lost at any time. What if Liang Gou’er, on a whim, decides to teach it to you? Oh, right, you’ve been making a lot of money lately. You’ll pay for the food for these two from the Liang family.”

Chen Ji grew wary. “Are you still eyeing my small earnings?”

Old Man Yao replied, “Yes, I am.”

Chen Ji was speechless.

Just then, Liang Mao’er’s voice rang out from the backyard, “Excuse me… where do we sleep?”

Chen Ji hurried inside. “You can sleep in the apprentice dorm. Our communal bed is big enough for five people.”

Liang Mao’er quickly said, “No, no, it’s a bit crowded for five on this communal bed. My brother can sleep here, and I’ll sleep in the kitchen.”

Chen Ji chuckled, “It’s fine, a little squeeze won’t hurt. Winter is coming soon, and the kitchen will be freezing.”

“Alright then…”

Liang Gou’er was already fast asleep. Liang Mao’er gently placed him on the bed and removed his shoes and socks.

However, after doing all this, Liang Mao’er didn’t go to sleep. Instead, he turned to Chen Ji and said cautiously, “Um… I can help with chores. I can clean, cook, and wash clothes. I’m not afraid of hard work.”

Before Chen Ji could reply, Liang Mao’er took a wooden basin, gathered the dirty clothes and socks from the apprentice dorm, then went to the kitchen stove to get some plant ash. He squatted in the yard, scooped several ladles of water, and began scrubbing, as if afraid the clinic would change its mind and no longer take in him and his brother.

Plant ash and soap pod were the natural detergents of that era. Wealthier families would also add mint, skullcap, and lotus leaves to rub in, giving the clothes a faint fragrance after washing.

Liang Mao’er was plump, and squatting on the ground seemed a bit difficult for him. Chen Ji thought for a moment and brought him a small chair. “Sit while you wash.”

Liang Mao’er looked up and smiled. “Thank you… I’m sorry to cause you trouble.”

Chen Ji observed him. Without Liang Gou’er by his side, Liang Mao’er didn’t look like a martial artist at all; he seemed more like a diligent worker in a humble eatery.

“Do you really not have any money at all?” Chen Ji asked, puzzled.

“Actually, I secretly saved a little, but I can’t let my brother know,” Liang Mao’er said with a simple, honest smile. “I plan to save enough money to buy a few acres of land in Luocheng’s countryside. That way, even if my brother doesn’t have to risk his life for wealthy families, we can still survive.”

“That won’t even be enough for your brother’s alcohol,” Chen Ji noted.

“We’ll see about that later…”

After Liang Mao’er finished washing all the accumulated clothes of Liu Quxing and She Dengke, his stomach suddenly rumbled.

Liang Mao’er’s face flushed with embarrassment. “Um… is there anything to eat in the clinic? Anything is fine, I’m not picky.”

Chen Ji brought Liang Mao’er a large basin of leftover corn porridge from the previous night, a plate of pickled vegetables, and four multigrain cakes.

Liang Mao’er, however, ate everything in one go, wiped his mouth, and then silently looked at Chen Ji again.

Chen Ji took a deep breath, and brought out another four multigrain cakes and a plate of pickled vegetables…

After Liang Mao’er finished eating, Chen Ji remarked softly, “Your brother really needs to teach me blade techniques soon.”

“Oh? That urgent?” Liang Mao’er was momentarily stunned.

Chen Ji said seriously, “If your brother doesn’t start teaching soon, I’m afraid I might change my mind…”

Liang Mao’er quickly asked, “Have you practiced with a blade before?”

“No, I haven’t.”

Liang Mao’er thought for a moment. “Then I can teach you first. I know all the basic blade techniques.”

As he spoke, he puffed out his plump chest and made two practice swings. “When my father taught my brother to practice with the blade, he also had me follow along, but my talent isn’t good, so I couldn’t learn it.”

Chen Ji watched Liang Mao’er’s clumsy movements, raised an eyebrow, and changed the subject. “Was your brother always like this?”

“No, he wasn’t,” Liang Mao’er quickly replied. “My brother didn’t drink back then, nor did he go to pleasure quarters. At that time, my brother was the most exceptional blademaster in Yuzhou. He single-handedly killed bandits on three mountains with just one blade. Ordinary martial artists who came to Luocheng had to seek him out first to pay their respects.”

As Liang Mao’er spoke of his brother’s former glory, his eyes were filled with memories and longing.

Chen Ji asked curiously, “What happened then?”

Liang Mao’er’s tone became somber. “Later, my sister-in-law appeared. She was very beautiful and gentle, very kind to my brother, and kind to me too. When she saw my brother practicing with his blade, she pestered him to teach her. But after she learned, she disappeared. From then on, my brother stopped practicing with his blade and started drinking heavily.”

The Liang family’s blade techniques were not to be passed down to outsiders. This was not only a family ancestral teaching, but also because the Liang family clearly knew the secret of cultivation: one path cannot be cultivated simultaneously.

Yet, Liang Gou’er passed on the blade techniques to an outsider, and this was the consequence.

Chen Ji asked curiously, “Did your sister-in-law never reappear?”

Liang Mao’er thought for a moment. “My brother said she might have returned to Jing Dynasty in the north…”

Before he could finish, Liang Gou’er, leaning drunkenly against the doorframe, roared, “I told you, don’t ever mention that again!”

Liang Mao’er shrunk his neck. “Alright, I won’t mention it again.”

Liang Gou’er squinted at Chen Ji. “You really want to learn the blade?”

“Yes,” Chen Ji replied earnestly.

“Then I ask you, why do you want to learn the blade?” Liang Gou’er asked again.

“Self-preservation.”

Liang Gou’er burst into laughter. “Then you shouldn’t learn the blade! Blade techniques are about grand, sweeping movements. One who learns the blade must first have the confidence to cleave mountains, not talk about self-preservation. When you seek self-preservation, you’ve already abandoned your blade!”

Chen Ji thought for a moment. “Then what should I learn?”

Liang Gou’er tossed his sheathed blade to Chen Ji and pointed to the kitchen. “Bring a piece of firewood. One chop, and I’ll know what you should learn.”

Chen Ji went to get a piece of firewood, stood it in the courtyard, drew the blade, and chopped it down along the existing grain of the wood.

The long blade got stuck on the surface of the firewood. Only then did he realize that Liang Gou’er’s blade was not sharpened!

How was that possible? An unsharpened blade could cleave Lin Chaoqing’s bamboo hat in mid-air?

He looked at Liang Gou’er. “Why isn’t this blade sharpened?”

Liang Gou’er casually replied, “Because there’s no need.”

Chen Ji was momentarily at a loss for words. Between the ‘most serious’ and ‘least serious’ answers, Liang Gou’er had chosen the most pretentious one.

At that moment, Liu Quxing and She Dengke were also awakened. They peered out from the doorframe, peeking.

They saw Liang Gou’er carefully examining Chen Ji’s chop mark, though they couldn’t tell what he was looking at.

Without a word, he took the long blade from Chen Ji’s hand. With a casual swing, the piece of firewood standing in the courtyard split into two, with a smooth cut surface.

Liang Gou’er turned to Chen Ji. “The blade embodies dominance. My Liang family’s blade techniques are about striking head-on, regardless of whether you have an opening; with one strike from me, your entire body becomes an opening. The blade in your hand doesn’t feel like a blade; it’s more like a sword that seeks out flaws and takes unconventional paths. Therefore, you shouldn’t practice the blade; you should find someone to teach you the sword.”

“Does one’s character determine their path?” Chen Ji pondered thoughtfully.

“When your heart and intent align, the path you walk will be long. If your path doesn’t align with your heart, you won’t get far,” Liang Gou’er explained.

Liang Mao’er, standing by, was puzzled. “Brother, you said earlier that the sword is the King’s Way, and very similar to our family’s blade techniques.”

Liang Gou’er looked at Chen Ji, his gaze meaningful. “The sword I’m talking about isn’t the long sword at one’s waist, but the Sword Seed in Jing Dynasty’s Martial Temple. So you shouldn’t learn the blade from me; you should go to Jing Dynasty’s Martial Temple to learn the sword.”

Chen Ji was startled.

He had once been led by Bingliu into that ancient battlefield, where someone had asked him: Who stole my Sword Seed?

Could the Sword Seed the other party spoke of be related to the Sword Seed in Jing Dynasty’s Martial Temple?

Chen Ji asked, “Can one only learn it at Jing Dynasty’s Martial Temple?”

Liang Gou’er thought for a moment. “Someone in Ning Dynasty should also be cultivating it, but the last time they made a move was over ten years ago, and everyone who witnessed it has since died.”

Chen Ji fell into deep thought.

If he truly had to go to Jing Dynasty’s Martial Temple to cultivate it, then would he have to earn great merits in Ning Dynasty, gradually rise through the ranks, and eventually be transferred back to Jing Dynasty?

But when would that be?

Liang Gou’er looked at him and said, “Don’t practice the blade anymore. Practicing it now will only lead you astray, and it won’t be easy to correct later.”

Liang Mao’er muttered softly, “Brother, but if he doesn’t practice, where will we live? What will we eat…”

Liang Gou’er immediately changed his tune. “You can practice stances first, and footwork! As the saying goes, ‘teach punching but not footwork, teach footwork and beat the master!’ Footwork is the foundation for using your entire body’s strength. If you don’t practice footwork, your punches will only use the strength of one arm, and how much power does one arm have? If you practice footwork, strength flows from the legs to the hips, from the hips to the waist, from the waist to the arms, concentrating the full body’s power to a single point, only then can you…”

Before he could finish, someone at the medical clinic’s entrance called out, “Chen Ji, Chen Ji!”

She Dengke looked up sharply, while Chen Ji frowned. Both of them recognized the voice; it was Chunhua.

She Dengke hesitated repeatedly but ultimately did not step out of the room. Chen Ji went to the clinic’s entrance and asked curiously, “Miss Chunhua, is something the matter?”

Chunhua’s eyes were still swollen from crying. She took out an invitation and whispered, “My lady invites everyone from the clinic to attend the Prince’s Estate’s afternoon literary gathering. She said she has an important matter to discuss with you in detail.”

Chen Ji opened the red invitation. It read: ‘On the evening of the tenth day of the ninth month, a banquet will be prepared, inviting the literati and refined scholars of Luocheng. May our friendship be long and steadfast. We hope for your presence without fail.’ It was signed: ‘—Zhu Yunxi, Prince Jing’s Estate.’

The literary gathering was hosted by the Prince. Was Consort Jing planning to use this gathering to discuss the Liu family matter with him in detail?

Chunhua looked at Chen Ji expectantly, then subtly lifted her sleeve, revealing whip marks from rattan canes all over her arm.

Chen Ji shook his head. “Miss Chunhua, showing me this is useless. If I don’t want to go, even if you’re beaten again, it has nothing to do with me.”

Chunhua grew anxious.

But then Chen Ji’s tone changed. “However, tell Consort Jing that I will go.”