Midnight.
In the darkness of the quiet room, Li Xuan suddenly awoke with a gasp, his eyes scanning the gap in the window where he saw a narrow glimmer, as if someone was spying on him.
He quickly gained full awareness and looked carefully.
What was that chilling glimmer of a spy?
It was clearly the moonlight streaming through the cracks.
He cast his glance back and forth across the window, the paper on the window glistening, and outside there was only the faint disorderly sound of the cold winter wind rustling the branches.
Soft, fragrant fingers emerged from the warm bedding, looping around his neck.
After yesterday's events, Rose had also confessed her true name.
The former Rose, now Su Qiang, sweetly called out, "Young Master, did you have a nightmare?"
"Yes." Li Xuan responded heavily.
Many things have happened these days.
His elder sister's fate was uncertain, and he himself had narrowly escaped death on Red Flower Mountain, and now, in Xiongshan County, which he had always considered safe, another Grandmaster had met a tragic end.
This originally peaceful world, where he wanted to lie back and be a wealthy idle man, was revealing its ferocious side.
He exhaled a long breath and said, "I want to practice that secret manual."
Su Qiang's delicate body trembled, and she hastily said, "Young Master must not practice it!"
In her urgency, her white shoulders emerged from under the covers.
The two of them pressed together, and though Li Xuan could feel her subtle changes, he didn't continue speaking, instead waiting silently.
The air was silent for a long time...
Su Qiang suddenly said quietly, "In the young master's heart, what am I?"
Li Xuan said, "A wife or concubine."
Su Qiang said, "But I am just a maid..."
Li Xuan rubbed her nose and said, "When I marry my official wife, I will formally take you as a concubine, never to be parted for life."
He had planned to do so.
Though in this world many people do not value maids, even going to the extent of having them serve guests or giving them away casually, to him, such actions were very disgusting.
"For life... never to be parted..."
Su Qiang murmured.
Her eyes grew moist, her cheek pressing into Li Xuan's embrace, then she said, "That unnamed secret manual is called the 'Melted Copper Treasure Manual.'
In the capital of Great Yin, every Grandmaster knows the owner of this skill is 'Vice Sect Leader of Yu Sect,' Zhangsun Yu."
Yu Sect?!
Li Xuan's pupils contracted slightly.
This was a sect notorious for rebellion; just a glance at history would show Yu Sect initiating rebellions and having a large one a bit over ten years ago; despite its grandeur, it ultimately failed.
Having resolved, Su Qiang continued, "Zhangsun Yu owns that small courtyard; he is a very formidable Grandmaster. Though declining with age, his strength wanes but is not truly weak. And I..."
She took a deep breath, ready to confess, but was suddenly hushed by a hand over her mouth.
She met the young man's eyes.
Their eyes locked, and then they rolled together.
When calm returned, Li Xuan laughed and said, "Such things that create lumps in the heart if said aloud, shall we... just not say them?"
Su Qiang's lips moved, her cheeks crimson, but she ultimately responded with a gentle "Mm," and added, "I simply wish to live well with the young master, never to harm you."
Li Xuan patted her.
Su Qiang's face reddened even more.
...
...
The next day.
Early in the morning, after breakfast.
Under Su Qiang's longing gaze, Li Xuan picked up a silver-threaded ring and slipped it onto the index finger of his right hand.
This was "Vice Sect Leader of Yu Sect" Zhangsun Yu's unique weapon — the Serrated Line.
The special resilient metal thread is stored within the ring and can be instantly unleashed by a mechanism.
The line stretches over two zhang in length, translucent and difficult to notice, with a heavy tip and a lighter middle.
If properly applied with strength, this line can easily slice through people or even animals, bloodthirsty and brutal.
However, Li Xuan had no concern over whether his methods of killing were elegant or not.
To him, equipping this serrated line would elevate his lethality to a new level.
Not to mention, he had no choice.
He had flipped through the 'Melted Copper Treasure Manual,' finding numerous scribbled notes from Zhangsun Yu, encapsulating his lifelong experience and wisdom.
It seems he didn't want his ultimate skills to be lost, so he wrote so meticulously.
Training with the "Melted Copper Treasure Manual" is like being guided by a Grandmaster.
If you're not practicing this, what else would you practice, some ordinary tricks?
Besides, when he uses this saw wire, he might simultaneously use the "Mist Leopard Magic Blood."
Once the magic blood is activated, Li Xuan instantly becomes over two meters tall, his figure changes significantly, who would think that's the privileged young master of the Li family in Xiongshan County?
Moreover, he can exhale smoke.
"Rose, remember to keep this a secret for me, young master." He chuckled, "This way, I'm also your fellow disciple. Hmm... Should I call you senior sister?"
Even if Su Qiang didn't say it, he knew Su Qiang was definitely from the Yu Sect.
If Wei Yao heard this, she would surely roll her eyes; but Rose, she enjoyed this kind of atmosphere, having a theatrical personality, she was happy to cooperate with the young master in playing out such thrilling scenarios.
But... the "Melted Copper Treasure Manual" is a rebel's manual...
She was full of worry.
However, she immediately thought that within the Yu Sect, the reason Vice Sect Leader Zhangsun didn't have a successor was because the "Melted Copper Treasure Manual" has extremely high requirements for talent and innate ability, it even requires top-tier innate talent.
And young master's innate talent, she would check from time to time.
Though she's not able to test innate talent, she had picked up a thing or two from what she saw and heard.
After gauging for so long, she still didn't know the exact level of young master's innate talent, but understood that it's not even top-tier, let alone supreme.
Thinking about this, she felt relieved.
'The young master won't succeed, definitely won't succeed.'
Su Qiang thought to herself.
Suddenly, her thoughts cleared, her apricot eyes curved like moons, and she cupped her hands around her mouth and softly shouted, "Junior brother, train well; I'll give you something sweet tonight."
After shouting, her heart raced, wishing for the evening to come immediately.
Li Xuan was already practicing while flipping through the "Melted Copper Treasure Manual."
Training the "Melted Copper Treasure Manual" to perfection allows for ten threads to fire simultaneously, instantly weaving a web of death, which no weapon can resist.
Even long weapons like spears and staffs would be easily circumvented by the two-zhang killing line, which would then loop around and cut down the person holding the long weapon.
To eliminate someone who has mastered this "Melted Copper Treasure Manual," one should probably only attack from afar, even surrounding them wouldn't work.
But when Li Xuan's agility reached 20 points, his speed was at the limit, how many people could surround him?
However, rice has to be eaten one bite at a time.
The goal of ten lines is a bit distant.
Li Xuan's small goal was to first master one line.
So, he just picked up a silver wire ring for now.
Li Xuan practiced for half a day and nearly killed himself.
After a piece of cloth from his sleeve was cut off, he became more cautious.
But the more cautious he was, the less he could grasp the feeling of it.
To prevent others from knowing he's training with this manual, in the afternoon, he deliberately got a sword, chose a swordsmanship book from the family library, and continued practicing the saw wire technique.
By the time the sun set, there were already numerous line marks on his clothes.
This saw wire is sharply dangerous, even a slight touch could spell trouble.
Li Xuan frowned with worry.
Rose cheered Li Xuan on with clenched fists, gently wiped his sweat, and encouraged him, but in her heart, she was secretly delighted.
...
...
Several days later.
Li Xuan gritted his teeth and reasoned that he couldn't focus on his training at home, so he took up his sword, packed the "Melted Copper Treasure Manual" and ten silver wire rings, and rode towards Chaotic Crow Ridge.
Fortunately, this silver wire ring weapon is extremely covert, hide it anywhere and no one could find it.
The crows seemed to recognize his scent, cawing strangely as they flew over, looking like they were celebrating meal time.
Li Xuan reached a spot, took off his clothes, folded them, placed them along with his fabric-bound sword on a rock, then the magic blood entered his body, his form grew taller, cloud and mist-like patterns appeared on his skin, and wisps of pale smoke streamed from the corners of his mouth.
"Hoo..."
Li Xuan exhaled a breath of mist and then put on the silver wire ring.
The wire threads shot out, and the saw wire which had seemed uncontrollable at home, now suddenly... became controllable.
Li Xuan could hardly believe it as he swung it around a few times, realizing it actually worked.
The saw wire requires extremely fast reflexes and physical coordination, but now... these were no longer problems.
After a brief thought, Li Xuan suddenly understood.
At the Li family, his agility was only 6 points.
With 6 points in agility, how could he even hope to handle the saw wire?! Wouldn't it be better to safely brandish a sword?
And now, his agility is 20 points.
Now he is capable!