Chapter 60: Hundred Birds Blade Technique
The treasure fair lasted for three days. After the northern caravan cleared out their goods, they left the city.
Song Changming only joined the festivities on the first day and didn’t go back for the following two days.
In the blink of an eye, the year-end was approaching.
This year’s Song Residence was no longer desolate in the slightest.
On the designated days, a variety of people came to visit in an endless stream, offering gifts and seeking to establish connections.
Just like when Father Song took Song Changming to visit the Zhao Family, the doorway was bustling with activity.
Those with keen information had already learned about the current power structure of the Patrol Armor Bureau.
After Liang Chuan Mountain took his position, the most utilized person among the six Patrol Captains was Song Changming.
In terms of status, Zhao Dezhi was already a thing of the past, and the most prominent figure was this young hero emerging from the Song Family.
A Patrol Captain at the mere age of twenty.
This year, many people wanted to attach themselves to Song Changming, to establish a connection and build a network with him.
But unfortunately, there were not many who could truly have a conversation with Song Changming.
In order to avoid being burdened by social obligations, he accepted very few valuable gifts, mostly directly asking about the other party’s request, only accepting if he could handle it, otherwise, he refused outright.
Others wanted to build connections with him, but in fact, he also needed to establish his own network of relationships in the County City.
Having connections sometimes means solving a matter with just a word, making it very convenient and saving him from doing everything personally in the future.
Of course, in the process of establishing these connections, he would conduct proper selection, only engaging with suitable, principled people.
"The shopkeeper of Xiangyun Restaurant sent five jars of superior Baihua Wine, three hundred jin of Taiyuan Rice..."
"Tailor Li sent five bolts of top-quality silk satin, three pieces of porcelain..."
"Zhenwei Escort Agency sent a superior steed from the Northern Plain, a treasure saber, and five pieces of jade artifact..."
"..."
Song’s Mother listed out the gifts, following Song Changming’s instructions, noting which people’s gifts were to be accepted without issue and which were to be returned.
Even without accepting everything, by the evening, Song Changming still had a lot of items in his hands.
There was fine wine and good rice, silk satin, jade artifacts, porcelain, even a fine horse and treasure saber.
To be honest, most of the gifts people chose were things Song Changming could use.
Roughly estimating, the total value of these gifts probably reached over a hundred silver!
Especially the steed, which came from the harsh northern regions, excelling in endurance and strength, and having a very good appearance, he was very fond of it.
Though he had little use for it while working in the city, it was like having a private car at home, even if it just collected dust daily, there would always be a time it would come in handy.
"Being an official is really great, the wealth I’ve accumulated over most of my life can’t compare with the gifts my son received this year." Father Song sighed with a shake of his head.
"Dad, what’s mine is yours, there’s no need to distinguish so clearly." Song Changming couldn’t help but laugh.
"That’s true." Father Song said casually.
It’s only natural for his son to gain momentum and be sought after by others.
"Speaking of which, it’s been years since Yu’Er got married over there, and there’s still no sign at all?" Song’s Mother suddenly mentioned this during dinner.
"Maybe Huaiming has been busy with work, let’s wait a bit longer, she’ll eventually get pregnant." Father Song said.
"By the way, Changming, there were quite a few people today proposing matches, all girls from good families in the city..." Song’s Mother said as she shifted the topic to Song Changming.
Now that times were good, her daughter’s pregnancy and her son’s marriage were the two things she worried about the most.
"Mom, there’s no hurry..." Song Changming, not yet interested in settling down, immediately deflected with some excuses.
After dinner, Song Changming continued practicing martial arts in the cold and freezing courtyard.
Suddenly, as if inspired, his long saber stirred up an unprecedented sharpness.
Silver specks scattered in the air, and Song Changming’s strikes grew increasingly swift and fierce, his movements even more agile and graceful.
In his mind, the insights accumulated from days of sword practice gradually intertwined, merging into a new understanding.
This understanding was so complete that it directly elevated his sword skill to another level!
Buzz!
The long saber hummed softly, resembling a flock of birds taking flight, radiating ethereal light as it moved, creating unique and fierce wind swirls.
In a flash, Song Changming did not even know how many slashes he had just delivered.
A new sword momentum had condensed upon his saber.
Unlike the sinister nature of the Soul-breaking Saber, this sword momentum was more rapid, like wind and lightning, with a might comparable to birds returning to the forest, a grandeur akin to the Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix!
With a light tap of his toe on the iron stake, Song Changming leaped over the rooftop, immersing himself in the moonlight’s silvery glow, casting a shadow that truly resembled a wild goose.
Immediately thereafter, spinning sideways in the air, he descended rapidly, bringing the long saber down with force.
In a trance, there seemed to be countless bird calls, resonant and clear.
As the saber fell, it halted just an inch above the ground, with the howling saber wind sweeping fiercely across the courtyard floor, unable to settle for a long time.
Song Changming rose slowly, twirled the saber, a smile spreading across his face.
[Flying Swallow Technique: Minor Achievement (0/6000)]
After polishing it for almost half a year, his Flying Swallow Technique finally reached Minor Success!
Originally, he estimated it would take until at least next year to have a breakthrough in the Flying Swallow Technique, but this progress had exceeded his expectations.
A Perfection Realm Soul-breaking Saber had laid an incomparably solid foundation for his sword skill, being the fundamental reason for his accelerated mastery of the Flying Swallow Technique.
Likely, even the already far-flown Liu Xiangnan would never have expected that the martial arts he imparted to Song Changming would be mastered so quickly by him.
With the Flying Swallow Technique reaching the Minor Success Realm, this High-Level Blade Skill now had Song Changming manifesting its sword momentum.
In terms of power, it can only be described as a qualitative change.
Only at this moment did Song Changming truly experience the obvious distinction between high-level martial arts and low-level ones.
Comparing his Soul-breaking Saber and the Flying Swallow Technique, even just entering the Minor Success Realm, the utilization of sword momentum and the intricacy of technique in the Flying Swallow Technique were already superior to the Perfection Realm Soul-breaking Saber by a considerable margin.
The might of a single stroke was evident at a glance.
The Hundred Birds Blade Momentum in the Flying Swallow Technique would become his new killing technique!
After this night, his strength had been notably enhanced.
At noon that day, Xiangyun Restaurant.
Song Changming and Lv Gang sat at a table eating and drinking, while six or seven other tables were occupied by members of the Patrol Guard.
Not far away, a belligerent diner who intended to dine and dash and was loudly demanding credit noticed Song Changming’s glance and immediately felt a chill down his spine.
He retracted his neck and dared not utter another word, paid for his meal, and hurriedly left.
"Huh, you usually wouldn’t meddle in such trivial matters?" Lv Gang remarked oddly.
Unless someone started fighting publicly, they, the Patrol Guards, generally didn’t bother with petty squabbles.
"My father loves the Baihua Wine here." Song Changming said casually, looking out the window.
Lv Gang immediately understood, realizing that the shopkeeper of Xiangyun Restaurant probably had a connection with Song Changming.
On usual days, it would be only natural for Song Changming to pay some attention.
"Oh, I too love this Baihua Wine, why doesn’t anyone send some to me?" Lv Gang muttered in mock self-pity.
Song Changming didn’t respond to Lv Gang’s teasing, his attention caught by a small-statured person wearing a bamboo hat outside the window.
This person, moving briskly with a cold gaze, turned on his heel the moment he spotted a few Patrol Guards approaching from the front and vanished into an alley entrance in an instant.
Song Changming narrowed his eyes slightly, his years of experience telling him that something was off with this individual.
"Brother Lv, stop eating, an opportunity for achievement has arrived."
...