Chapter 86: The Great Sun Sword Technique
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The stars and moon had faded; the first light of dawn crept softly over the land.
Sunlight streamed into the thatched cottage.
With withered hands, the old man slowly propped himself up.
Supported by Lin Cheng, he walked step by halting step to the ancient pagoda tree.
A gentle breeze stirred, sending the birds in the branches fluttering skyward.
It seemed as if a murmur drifted on the wind.
"Through all these years, with beauty yet untarnished, I thought you would return..."
The voice was low and lingering. From behind the old pagoda tree, a figure emerged.
Bathed in sunlight, her form seemed crystalline—half-real, half-illusory—staggering forward with an infant in her arms.
She approached the two men, yet did not stop.
Lin Cheng was about to step aside, but the figure carrying the baby passed straight through them.
A phantom?
Watching the apparition reform, Lin Cheng understood—this must be the obsession left behind from her life.
The woman's figure came to rest beside a low stone platform not far away, sat down, and gently rocked the child in her arms.
She murmured to herself, "We first met by the edge of Frostcloud Village. Green winds teased the willows, dew hung from the hairpins. Silent, the world passed by in mist and haze. A startled glance, a fleeting fragrance, long blessing a brother’s sorrow at parting."
"Long I waited beneath this ancient tree, only to hear of past-life mistakes carved in stone."
"I met you at eighteen. I hoped for your return, but you never came."
...
The old man hobbled to stand before her, hands trembling as he tried to touch her face, voice choked with emotion: "Huarong, why do you cling so stubbornly..."
"How could you become so infatuated with such a heartless man..."
"Let go, won’t you... It’s all in the past, let it go..."
But the woman seemed not to hear, only lifting her gaze to the distance.
Lin Cheng stepped forward and studied her face; she was indeed a woman of rare beauty.
His eyes fell on the infant in her arms, and for a moment, Lin Cheng seemed to see again the woman who had faded away in the courtyard. He spoke softly: "Perhaps you truly loved him, but he indeed betrayed you. For the sake of the child in your arms, you should let go..."
"She has no father now—must you let her lose her mother as well?"
Lin Cheng did not know if she could hear his words, but he had to speak them.
Thunder rumbled in the sky, though the sunlight remained blinding.
Shortly after, a torrential rain poured down.
There seemed a flicker of emotion in the woman's eyes.
Looking up at the falling rain, Lin Cheng sighed: "Since ancient times, longing has been the bitterest pain. Listen to the rain by day, and you will hear the voice of your heart."
The colors in the woman's eyes brightened a little, and she murmured, "I saw him..."
Then, with a self-mocking smile: "But where is his face? His horse’s hooves will never return..."
Seeing her still lost in her obsession, Lin Cheng cried: "Foolish, foolish to the extreme..."
"While you waited in suffering, that man was likely enjoying himself in some other woman’s gentle embrace..."
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"Do you realize how selfish you are? For the sake of your own longing, you’ve left the child in your arms with not a shred of warmth, not a glimmer of light—only the darkness of your own inescapable, wretched yearning..."
"Ask yourself, have you ever been fair to her? Can you answer to her?"
It seemed the woman before him, through the gulf of time and space, heard Lin Cheng’s rebuke—for a strange thing happened.
A crystal tear slid from her eye as she slowly raised her head to look at Lin Cheng. "It isn’t like that..."
In that instant, the infant in her arms dissolved into shimmering points of light.
From them formed the beautiful woman Lin Cheng had seen dissolve in the courtyard at night.
She walked to her mother, gently embraced her, and spoke softly: "Mother, it’s all over now..."
"To see you awaken, freed from the torment of your obsession, is enough for me..."
"Let’s go, let’s leave this land forever and never look back."
The beautiful woman took Huarong’s hand and together they stepped into the air and vanished.
"Senior, how do I get out?" Seeing the figures about to disappear above, Lin Cheng suddenly remembered and shouted his question.
The woman seemed to glance back at him, eyes alight with a mysterious smile.
A glance that could topple a city.
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A breeze stirred, and behind him, the old pagoda tree faded with the wind.
In its place, a jade gate appeared.
Overjoyed, Lin Cheng knew this must be the exit.
He turned to look at the old man.
Lin Cheng’s gaze was complex; he now understood—the old man must be the young master, once the village chief’s son.
It was because of his protection that Huarong and her unborn child were spared.
And for this, the woman had slain all in Frostcloud Village—save him.
With a soft sigh, he said, "Old sir, all grudges and debts have blown away with the wind. Why not leave here with me?"
The old man did not answer, but slowly turned and walked back toward the thatched hut, his figure desolate in the rain.
Lin Cheng sighed inwardly, understanding the old man’s choice.
He said nothing more, but after one last look, stepped into the jade gate.
Only the old man’s drifting words remained behind:
"I once chased the white clouds, with ambition soaring thirty thousand miles. I could not grasp the water in my hands, so I cast it into the blue sky, sitting alone until dusk."
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In the silent, empty blackness, a shaft of white light appeared.
On the forty-ninth step of the pitch-black stone staircase, Lin Cheng’s figure materialized.
He paused, surprised by the familiar scene.
Still on the stone steps!
No, he recalled—he had been on the ninth step before, but now, counting carefully...
It was the forty-ninth step!
Clearly, these black stone stairs held their own mysteries.
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Unthinkingly, Lin Cheng glanced down and noticed, beside his foot, two objects placed on the step.
Delight flashed in his eyes; he hurried over and bent down to look.
A book! And a storage pouch!
He picked up the dust-covered book, brushed it off, and read the title.
The Great Sun Sword Manual! An Earth-Rank Superior Technique!
What!
Lin Cheng swallowed hard.
An Earth-Rank Superior Technique—even his master, the Sword-Hidden Immortal, might not possess such a treasure!
He was instantly excited.
True, he already had the Five Element Sword Manual, but there was nothing to stop him from learning the strengths of another advanced technique.
Moreover, it must undoubtedly contain many exquisite sword arts. As the saying goes, more skills never hurt; this would remedy his lack of sword techniques.
With joy, he opened the manual.
The opening passage was clearly a later addition:
"If you can pick up this manual, you have passed the first trial.
First, thank you for awakening my mother, for helping her let go of her obsession and freeing her from the pain of longing.
This Great Sun Sword Manual is the technique I practiced in my youth. It led me down an extraordinary path, allowing me to reclaim my life and do what I once only dreamed of.
The storage pouch contains the five million spirit stones I left behind. It’s not much, but I hope it will be enough to aid you in your future breakthroughs."
Lin Cheng’s heart pounded wildly as he read this.
He grabbed the storage pouch from the step and glanced inside.
Indeed—five million spirit stones!
Suppressing his excitement, Lin Cheng muttered inwardly, Five million spirit stones—not much?
This woman—no, this senior—was truly wealthy!
Forcing down his joy, he continued reading the manual.
"Take the manual and the spirit stones, and leave the staircase behind; our karmic ties will be severed.
But you have another choice: continue upward, open the white stone door, and obtain the inheritance I have left here.
And yes, the rare treasures I collected in my early years are there as well.
But remember—advance, and you face the next trial.
Be warned: one misstep could cost your life!"
...
At the bottom was a single line: "Cultivate diligently; may we meet again one day!"
What?
Could that beautiful woman still be alive?
Then this cave was not her tomb after all!
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