The Cyan Robed Swordsman wasn’t surprised by Li Chang’an’s suspicion.
After all, the two had just been trying to take his head. Now, they had turned around and were actively trying to get on his good side. If Li Chang’an believed them so easily, it would suggest there was something wrong with him.
A look of deep resentment appeared on the Cyan Robed Swordsman’s face. He gritted his teeth and said, "The Yaoqing Imperial Court treats the people of our Central Plains like pigs, dogs, and slaves, trying every means possible to break the spine of our Martial Dao... We are Martial Artists! As long as we have a single drop of fight in us, who wouldn’t want to grind those beasts to dust and scatter their ashes?"
Li Chang’an nodded but remained noncommittal.
Seeing his reaction, the Cyan Robed Swordsman continued, "The reason we became Assassins, aside from a lack of silver, is primarily because we had no other choice but to practice the Cultivation Techniques provided to us by the Yaoqing Imperial Court!"
As he spoke, his face flushed with anger. He said hatefully, "They clearly stole our Central Plains Cultivation Techniques, yet now they dole out what was originally ours as some kind of reward. If we want to obtain the subsequent techniques, we have no choice but to be their dogs and do their bidding..."
"This time, the Yaoqing Imperial Court not only promised ten thousand silver, but also secretly offered a Cultivation Method for the Martial King Realm. That’s the real reason we all swarmed here!"
The Yaoqing Imperial Court uses Cultivation Techniques and Martial Dao resources to keep Martial Artists in check. The entire Central Plains Martial World seethes with hatred, but dares not resist, for the Court is far too powerful...
Li Chang’an finally nodded. "I see."
"This information would only rot in our hands, so we figured we might as well tell you, Senior." The Cyan Robed Swordsman continued, "You have far more integrity than spineless dogs like us, and you are so kind and benevolent. If you can reopen the path of the Martial Dao, then the Central Plains Martial Dao and its hundreds of millions of people... might truly have a chance at salvation!"
Although Li Chang’an only looked to be about ten years old.
But in the Martial Dao, ability comes first. The Cyan Robed Swordsman had already subconsciously come to see Li Chang’an as one of those legendary old masters who had reached the state of Rejuvenation.
And the combat prowess Li Chang’an had displayed earlier only served to confirm this.
When he spoke of the Central Plains Martial Dao and its people, the Cyan Robed Swordsman’s voice choked with emotion, and he appeared quite sincere.
Operating on the principle that it was better to believe it than not, Li Chang’an immediately nodded. "Where is it exactly? Take me there."
He was still being cautious, however.
If the two of them dared to lead the way, he would truly start to believe them. If they didn’t, then the truth of their story would be highly questionable.
The Cyan Robed Swordsman didn’t hesitate. "No problem. It’s currently the first month, so Tai Lake is in its dry season. This should be the best time to go. Senior, when are you prepared to set out?!"
Li Chang’an stroked his chin, thinking for a moment before replying, "I’ll need a few days to prepare."
...
Over the next few days, Li Chang’an handled some matters for the Rebel Army. After informing Wang Su and Lü Changning that he would be leaving for a while, he finally began his journey south.
The Tai Lake water system is located downstream from the Three Yellow Rivers. Li Chang’an traveled by boat downriver, taking the better part of half a month to reach the Hidden Skill Area mentioned by the Cyan Robed Swordsman.
It was called a Hidden Skill Area.
But from the surface, it looked like nothing more than an utterly ordinary, vast expanse of water.
The Cyan Robed Swordsman, Liu Shu’an, gestured in a wide circle over the water. "Senior, the Hidden Skill Area should be somewhere in this region. We’ve investigated; three hundred years ago, this wasn’t water but a shrine dedicated to an earth god... The water here is just too deep now. We’ve searched several times but haven’t found any useful clues."
He paused, then glanced cautiously at Li Chang’an before asking, "Should we hire a few local fishermen who know the water to help us search?"
His reasoning was simple.
Although they were all Martial Artists, they had grown up inland. When it came to skill in the water, they were likely no match for the local fishermen.
Besides, many hands make light work. Getting some fishermen to help would be better than the three of them trying to find a needle in a haystack.
Li Chang’an didn’t answer right away. Instead, his gaze fixed on the depths below. A moment later, his mind was flooded with flashes of insight.
[With your Heaven-defying Comprehension, you observe the fish and shrimp swimming joyfully below and grasp the Water Technique!]
[With your Heaven-defying Comprehension, through your intimate contact with the river and lake, you grasp the Internal Breathing Technique!]
After closing his eyes to absorb all the flashes of insight, Li Chang’an successfully acquired two Techniques that allowed him to move and breathe underwater. He shook his head and said, "That won’t be necessary. I’ll dive down and take a look myself."
With that, paying no mind to the two men on the boat, he leaped straight into the vast waters.
Watching Li Chang’an disappear beneath the surface like a fish, the Cyan Robed Swordsman and the slim man exchanged a look of pure astonishment.
’This "Senior" has even more tricks up his sleeve than we thought!’
...
Underwater, Li Chang’an scanned his surroundings but found nothing out of the ordinary.
It wasn’t until he was swimming past a crevice in the lakebed that he suddenly stopped. His eyes locked onto a ruined structure at the bottom of the fissure, long since covered in silt.
The waters of Tai Lake were already unfathomably deep, and the ruined structure was wedged within a crevice in the lakebed on top of that. No wonder the Cyan Robed Swordsman couldn’t find it.
Without hesitation, Li Chang’an swam straight toward the crevice.
Being underwater, the ruined structure was completely caked in mud. Li Chang’an approached and channeled his Qi Force to clear away the silt. It didn’t take much effort to find a chest, about half a man’s height, amid the collapsed walls.
The chest had likely been hidden in a cellar and was only washed out by the force of the water.
Li Chang’an opened the chest. Inside, just as he’d hoped, were many yellowed, ancient books.
The books’ surfaces were also covered in silt, and many of their title pages were damaged. However, writing materials were luxuries in this day and age, so their quality was superb.
Thus, even after several hundred years, the script on the pages was still clearly visible.
This was going even more smoothly than Li Chang’an had imagined. With this trove of Martial Arts Techniques from five hundred years ago, his power would undoubtedly rise to another level!
Li Chang’an’s heart pounded with excitement at the thought.
’Ever since coming to this world, I’ve had this Heaven-defying Comprehension but not enough Cultivation Techniques Secret Manuals to fuel it. I couldn’t even create a single Cultivation Technique suitable for the Rebel Army to practice.’
’Only I could possibly know how frustrating that’s been.’
After a quick look to confirm the books were what he was looking for, Li Chang’an began to swim back to the surface.
When he broke the surface, however, he didn’t see the Cyan Robed Swordsman and the slim man who were supposed to be waiting for him. All he saw was a massive Imperial Court vessel approaching in the distance.
Seeing this, Li Chang’an’s eyes narrowed. ’I knew it was too good to be true. So this was the real trap!’
Aboard the Imperial Court vessel.
Seeing Li Chang’an emerge from the water actually holding a chest, the Cyan Robed Swordsman and the slim man were utterly flabbergasted. "What the hell? The Cyan Cloud Pavilion’s Cultivation Techniques were actually hidden here? Impossible!"
...