Chapter 491: Suitable

Chapter 491: Chapter 491: Suitable

According to the account in this memory, the Holy Spirit Swordsmanship consists of nineteen forms in total, each with its own unique power, and the further you go, the more domineering they become. This is considered a profound art among sword cultivators.

The true depth lies in the fact that, starting from the first move—"Sword One"—it already involves what’s known as "Intent," the hallmark of a master among sword cultivators: Sword Intent!

Other sword techniques are fundamentally powered by True Qi, and some are even aided by the Five Elements attribute—for example, "xx Ice Sword Technique" or "xx Fiery Sun Sword Technique" and so on—these are formidable as well, and many sword cultivators practice them, some with quite a reputation. None of these are inventions by Shen Hao, but rather what he personally encountered during his last visit to Chang Baifeng.

But the driving force of this Holy Spirit Swordsmanship is neither True Qi nor the Five Elements. It directly uses Sword Intent as its root.

Ten years of sword training is all about practicing the stances of Holy Spirit Swordsmanship, not only to become familiar with the forms, but more importantly, to temper one’s own sword intent during the process.

In other words, truly mastering Holy Spirit Swordsmanship starts only when you have sword intent—otherwise, even if given the sword manual, you’d still be unable to practice.

This memory projection repeated three times before fading away, and every detail about "Sword One" had already been etched into Shen Hao’s sea of consciousness, never to be forgotten. It’s similar to the effect of a jade scroll.

Shen Hao could sense the power of "Sword One," and he also possessed the prerequisites to train in this sword technique, because he had comprehended his own "Intent."

But "having the prerequisites" and "being able to practice" are not the same. Blades and swords may seem similar, but they’re worlds apart in practice. Shen Hao would have to start from scratch, and it would definitely require a lot of effort.

To train or not? For now, Shen Hao hadn’t made up his mind.

After emerging from the memory projection, the black beast tattoo on his chest once again signaled, "If there’s something to eat, I can eat a bit more." Shen Hao could only look at the long sword on the table in confusion, knowing that whatever the tattoo wanted to "eat" was inside this long sword. Otherwise, the long sword wouldn’t have had the power to project memories.

Just as before, he leaned in and drew in forcefully, and again a clump of golden soul energy was sucked out from the long sword and went straight into Shen Hao’s mouth. Afterwards, the long sword shattered.

"Uh..." This time, Shen Hao could clearly feel the black beast tattoo’s feedback: "Stuffed full."

Since it’s bloated, shouldn’t they hurry up and leave? At any rate, Shen Hao was now uninterested in exploring deeper into the tomb. There might still be gains ahead, but it was uncertain whether the stuffed black beast tattoo could continue acting as his support, and since his main objective was already achieved, there was no need to take further risks.

As for the shattered long sword and the stone gate that could no longer be closed... Shen Hao had no intention of feeling sorry. Feelings of guilt are nothing he’d waste on the dead.

He exited the stone chamber, retraced his steps, found the exit, collected the jar that served as his marker, and then slipped outside.

"Phew!"

Letting out a long breath, Shen Hao looked up and saw Liu Kuan still lying on the ground. The guy was still unconscious, meaning Shen Hao had been inside for less than two hours. Looking at the nearby candle, he estimated it had been less than an hour.

Good, right on schedule. If he stayed inside too long, the people outside would definitely get suspicious. Others wouldn’t dare to question Shen Hao, but those three "guards" from the Commander’s Office were a different matter; if their curiosity got the better of them, they might barge in to see for themselves. If asked, a simple "worried for Lord Shen’s safety" would suffice—and Shen Hao couldn’t just instruct them not to come in ahead of time, otherwise that would be even more conspicuous. ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

He took the antidote for the Dream Tying Pill out of his storage bag and let Liu Kuan sniff it. Within a few breaths, Liu Kuan awakened, feeling no discomfort—in fact, after the deep sleep, he felt remarkably refreshed.

"My lord." Liu Kuan was curious whether Shen Hao had actually gone into the tomb, and if so, how he managed it in its sealed state, and how he ensured his own safety there, especially since it didn’t seem as though much time had passed. But he dared not ask, and could only climb up, pat the dirt off himself, and stand obediently to the side.

"You know what you should say when we get out, right?"

"Yes, my lord. Just now, I was feeling curious and asked about the Sword Emperor’s Tomb, and thanked you for saving me from the illusion array back then. We got carried away reminiscing, which delayed us a bit."

Just an excuse—Liu Kuan could give such answers effortlessly, and perfectly reasonably. Shen Hao had indeed saved him before, otherwise he would’ve starved to death. Now, revisiting the place and talking about the past out of gratitude was only natural, nothing to arouse suspicion. Besides, they’d only spent less than an hour—hardly too long.

Shen Hao nodded, satisfied, and smiled, "Very good. In the future, I’ll come over for inspections from time to time. Just prepare as you did today. Understand?"

"Yes, sir."

The two went out together, and none of the guards outside suspected anything. They hurried back to Tu Kui City without delay. Shen Hao didn’t stay for the feast, declining the invitation. Now that his mind was at ease, he was anxious to go home and inventory his gains from sneaking into the Sword Emperor’s Tomb—not willing to stay and drink with Liu Kuan.

This trip was strictly business—spot checks and patrols, finished and gone. Besides reinforcing the reputation of the Shen family as "aloof and unsociable," nothing else drew attention.

Back home in Fengri City, Shen Hao had Xia Nu make him a bowl of sour soup noodles, then retreated to his study.

The only ones permitted to enter Shen Hao’s study were housekeeper Hu Tian and Xia Nu; others could only enter if notified. Even the cleaning of his study was done by Xia Nu herself—the two young ones were not allowed to help.

"Master, here’s a spicy dish made with Hong Chou. Try it; Li Erfu says he’s reached about thirty percent of his skill." Xia Nu brought over a large bowl of sour soup noodles, along with a plate of bright red spicy sides.

"Hmm, I’ll try it."

Shen Hao picked up his noodles and slurped a big mouthful, then took a bite of the spicy dish. Gotta say, it was really good—fragrant, spicy, crisp. Perfect with the noodles.

"Eh? My lord, you can draw?" Xia Nu didn’t leave, quietly attending Shen Hao, waiting for him to finish eating. Her gaze swept the desk and lit up at the sight of a thick stack of drawings.

"Eh? Oh, no, those are just case files."

"Oh." Hearing they were case files, Xia Nu quickly lowered her head, not daring to look again.

But Shen Hao noticed the flash of delight on Xia Nu’s face, and asked while eating, "Are you interested in drawing?"

"Yes! Master, I draw really well. Back in the tribe, I used to help the elders paint murals."

"You’re good at it? So how come I’ve never seen you draw?"

"I... In the tribe, we used ground stone for paint. Here, it’s paper, brush, and ink—that’s so expensive! I didn’t think it was worth it, so...so I never bought any."