Han Li grabbed the rope of the wooden bucket, tossed it into the pond, then pulled it back up. A full bucket of spring water was drawn out. Effortlessly lifting the bucket high above his head, he tilted it with a flick of his wrist. With a splash, the entire bucket of water poured over him from head to toe.
“So refreshing!”
“So comfortable!”
Han Li and another youth exclaimed in delight at the same time.
It was no wonder—the scorching summer heat was unbearable. Both shirtless, they felt an indescribable comfort wash over them as the cool mountain spring water drenched their bodies.
“Heh! Junior Brother Han, you really know how to find the good spots. Such a hidden little pond, and you still managed to locate it,” said the youth with a cold exterior suddenly.
“It’s nothing. I’ve found plenty of places even harder to locate than this, but none had water as refreshing as here,” the other youth replied without any modesty, accepting the compliment outright.
This youth was Han Li, and the other was Li Feiyu, who had come to collect medicine.
Ever since Li Feiyu first obtained pain-relief medicine from Han Li and tried it, he found it incredibly effective—the agony of the “Marrow Extraction Pill” was significantly reduced.
From then on, Li Feiyu became dependent. Without Han Li’s medicine, he could no longer endure the pain of the Marrow Extraction Pill. As a result, what was supposed to last a year was exhausted in just a few months.
Tormented by unbearable pain, Li Feiyu had no choice but to swallow his pride and seek out Han Li for more medicine.
At the time, Han Li was looking to strengthen his own abilities. Upon learning that Li Feiyu had entered the Seven Mysteries Sect’s inner hall for training, he directly proposed an exchange: medicine in return for teachings from the sect’s secret techniques.
With only a few years left to live, Li Feiyu agreed without hesitation, readily accepting the terms.
To keep their dealings secret, Han Li scouted several hidden spots within the ten-mile-long Rainbow Cloud Mountains for their exchanges.
Every so often, the two would secretly meet. Han Li would hand over the medicine, and Li Feiyu would teach him some of the martial arts he had learned in the inner hall.
Both were quite satisfied with this arrangement, which continued for over half a year.
Through these months of interaction, Li Feiyu and Han Li grew to like each other and, without realizing it, became close friends who shared everything.
Li Feiyu was particularly fond of the locations Han Li found, especially this small pond surrounded by steep cliffs. It was a tiny basin, accessible only through a narrow, hidden cave that required crawling to pass through. The cave exit was even more astonishingly concealed within the hollow of an old locust tree clinging to the cliffside.
Most importantly, on such sweltering days, the cool pond was a blessing. After exercising, pouring a few buckets of cold water over themselves was an unparalleled delight.
After dousing himself, Han Li glanced at the sun and said, “The Fierce Python Strength you taught me last time is too intense and rigid. It doesn’t suit me well. Do you have any lighter, more agile techniques?”
“Junior Brother Han, do you really think the Seven Mysteries inner hall belongs to me? That I can learn whatever I want? I can only choose a small portion of their techniques. My style leans toward the masculine and forceful, so of course I learn intense skills,” Li Feiyu retorted, shooting Han Li an exasperated look.
“Senior Brother Li, you’re the top disciple among all of us. How could you compare to ordinary inner hall disciples?” Han Li replied with an awkward smile, quickly adding a few flattering words to soothe him.
“How rare—to receive a few words of praise from our prodigy Han,” Li Feiyu teased with a half-smile.
“What prodigy? You always defeat me in just a few moves.”
“Hmph! That’s because I use my inner energy to overcome technique with brute force. It’s not really skill. Without inner energy, I probably couldn’t beat you even after a hundred moves.”
“Who spars without using inner energy? Senior Brother Li, you’re too modest.”
“Modest? Not at all. You’d never learned martial arts or fought anyone before, and the only thing you practiced was that useless mantra. Yet in such a short time, you’ve mastered techniques so thoroughly. If you’re not a prodigy, what are you? By the way, that mantra has no power at all. Why do you still practice it every day?”
Han Li smiled bitterly to himself. *You think I want to learn it? I’m in too deep to back out now.*
“Junior Brother Han, I’m not nagging, but with your talent for martial arts these past six months, you should ditch that worthless mantra and learn some real skills from me. I guarantee within two years you’ll make a name for yourself. Then the two of us can dominate the Seven Mysteries Sect together—wouldn’t that be great?” Li Feiyu urged earnestly, once again trying to persuade him.
Han Li was touched. Though he’d heard this many times and found it somewhat tiresome, he could still feel the sincerity behind Li Feiyu’s words.
He gently shook his head in refusal and changed the subject. “In the inner hall, isn’t there any martial art that can overcome opponents without relying on inner energy?”
Seeing Han Li evade the topic, Li Feiyu didn’t press further, understanding that both of them likely had their own unspoken difficulties.
After pondering for a moment, he looked up and said, “There actually is a strange sword technique that doesn’t require inner energy to use, but…”
“But what?” Han Li’s eyes lit up at the mention of a technique suited to him, and he eagerly pressed for details.
“But this sword technique has been in the inner hall for over a hundred years, and no one has ever mastered it. Rumor has it even the elder who created it died before succeeding. The technique has a peculiar name too—Blinking Sword Art. Don’t you think that’s strange?” Li Feiyu remarked, marveling at the oddity of it all.
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