Feng Mingxue asked lightly, "How can she obtain the Buddhist beads?" Li Muzhan shook his head and chuckled, "The Dugu Mansion has deep roots; there will always be a way. Monks are not without desires, otherwise, they wouldn't need to serve the Emperor." "That's true." Feng Mingxue nodded slightly and smiled, "With her help, if you get the beads, what will you do?" Li Muzhan smiled, "Nothing for now.

We'll talk about it later." "Not settling accounts with the Zhu family?" Feng Mingxue glanced sideways at him. She knew Li Muzhan's temper intimately; sometimes easygoing, sometimes fiercely vengeful.

This incident had caused him a major setback, and he absolutely couldn't swallow this insult. Li Muzhan sighed, "First, I need to cover up my death.

If the old Emperor finds out I'm alive, he won't let up. It's truly annoying!" "You're not thinking of taking on the Emperor, are you?" Feng Mingxue asked, surprised.

Li Muzhan shook his head, "I haven't lived enough yet!" Feng Mingxue let out a sigh of relief, "You still know what's important." Li Muzhan laughed heartily, "Senior Sister, the way you say that, I'm not a child anymore..." Feng Mingxue huffed, "I just fear you'll let your pride dictate things and clash with the Emperor. That would truly implicate our entire Sect—the cost would outweigh the benefit!" Li Muzhan nodded, "Don't worry, I'll be careful!" Feng Mingxue gazed at him intently for a long moment.

Li Muzhan smiled back, their eyes locked together. As she watched, Feng Mingxue's cheeks suddenly flushed red, and she turned her head away.

She had intended to peer into Li Muzhan's thoughts, to see if his words hid a contrary intention, if he was determined to defy the Emperor. But as she watched, an unfamiliar feeling arose, causing her heart to flutter and her cheeks to burn, forcing her to look away.

Li Muzhan said, "Senior Sister, let's practice the saber technique. I want to master the Seven Absolutes God-Slaying Saber." Feng Mingxue, sharp and intelligent, understood the implication immediately: "You wish to make a name for yourself with this saber art?" His current identity was no longer Li Wuji, but Li Muzhan, his original name restored—a tapestry of truth and falsehood woven together.

Li Muzhan said, "The saber art can conceal my identity." "Indeed. The final moves of the Seven Absolutes God-Slaying Saber grow stronger with each step.

If you master it, you'll be able to roam the world relying on your blade," Feng Mingxue nodded lightly. In the northwest corner of Li Muzhan's small courtyard stood a weapon rack displaying various implements—sabers, spears, and swords.

They each drew their long sabers and began practicing the forms. Through days of contemplation, Li Muzhan, fueled by the murderous intent that surged through him daily—a desire to storm the palace and slay the Emperor with one strike—practiced with a fearless killing aura.

His progress with the saber technique was astonishing, perfectly aligning with the saber's core intent. "Receive my strike!" Feng Mingxue cried out sharply, her saber transforming into a white streak of light aimed at him.

"Senior Sister, be careful! My saber art is not what it was!" Li Muzhan laughed, unleashing a swing.

With a sharp clang, Feng Mingxue’s saber flew from her grasp. Feng Mingxue widened her bright eyes.

Li Muzhan rested his saber on his shoulder and smiled, "How was that strike?" "A superb saber technique!" Feng Mingxue slowly nodded, pondering, "That was the ninety-eighth form, wasn't it?" Li Muzhan smiled, "Correct." Feng Mingxue studied him, "When did you reach this level?" Li Muzhan said, "I haven't been idle this past month; my progress in the saber technique has been explosive!" Feng Mingxue sighed, "Which form have you reached?" Li Muzhan replied, "The ninety-ninth form." "The ninety-ninth form..." Feng Mingxue shook her head and sighed, "I can't reach that stage." Li Muzhan chuckled, "If I have mastered it, Senior Sister can too. Given your comprehension, me demonstrating it a few more times will suffice." The Seven Absolutes God-Slaying Saber comprised one hundred and eight forms.

After the eighty-first, comprehension relied on one's state of mind (xinjing). Each subsequent move appeared simpler yet demanded greater mastery.

Feng Mingxue possessed extraordinary comprehension. Li Muzhan only needed to demonstrate the moves a few more times, and with her keen intuition, she would grasp the required xinjing.

The difficulty of grasping the xinjing through personal enlightenment versus triggering it via resonance through observation was vastly different; thus, Feng Mingxue would master it easily. Feng Mingxue said, "I don't need the saber art." Li Muzhan smiled, "Senior Sister will need it when accompanying me, sometimes we must conceal our identities." Feng Mingxue pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded.

Li Muzhan demonstrated every move from the eighty-eighth form onward, starting with the eighty-ninth. He performed them consecutively for half an hour, allowing Feng Mingxue to grasp them thoroughly.

Easier said than done, the intent of this move was ethereal and unpredictable. Feng Mingxue exerted enormous effort just to vaguely trace its outline, enough to trigger her own resonance.

After breakfast, Dugu Meng suddenly appeared, clad in a purple silk gown, smiling as she approached Li Muzhan, "Brother Li, I've come to learn calligraphy from you." Li Muzhan was dressed in a plain blue robe at the moment. His appearance had shifted slightly; his eyebrows were whiter, touched with a dusting of frost, adding roughly twenty years to his perceived age, making him resemble a middle-aged scholar who had endured hardship.

Li Muzhan was seated in the small pavilion with Feng Mingxue, sipping tea and explaining the intent behind the eighty-ninth saber move. Saber intent, while better understood than explained, required Li Muzhan to be innovative; he used stories and scenarios to create atmosphere, much like modern cinema.

Feng Mingxue listened intently, visualizing and internalizing the subtle intent: the eighty-ninth move embodied the spirit of Autumn—a blend of lethal killing power laced with compassion, where sorrow and melancholy mingled in a precise, delicate harmony; even a hair's breadth of difference meant miles of deviation. Li Muzhan looked at Dugu Meng and smiled, "You—?

Learning calligraphy?" "Yes. Auntie said I must study calligraphy with you and cannot be lazy," Dugu Meng nodded, sounding resigned.

"I don't want to learn, but I have no choice! ...

Honestly, what's there to learn in calligraphy? It's not as useful as martial arts!" Li Muzhan laughed, "You fear the hardship of martial arts, and you find calligraphy useless.

You see... calligraphy cultivates your temperament, smoothing out your restlessness.

It is very beneficial when mastered!" "I don't have any restlessness!" Dugu Meng pouted coyly. "I'd rather go sightseeing with this energy; traveling through mountains and rivers cultivates the spirit even better!" Li Muzhan said, "Then I shall tell Miss Nine that you don't need the lessons." "No, no, I'll study!" Dugu Meng quickly waved her hands.

Li Muzhan smiled, "Very well then. Bring the brush, ink, and paper; practice for one hour first!" Dugu Meng pouted, turned, and quickly returned with a small tray holding the writing implements, which she placed on the stone table.

"Grind the ink!" Li Muzhan instructed. Dugu Meng pursed her lips and slowly ground the ink stick.

Her movements were gentle and fluid, possessing a certain grace; Li Muzhan nodded approvingly, truly a lady from a prominent family. Once the ink was ready, Li Muzhan picked up the brush and wrote one large character: Qì (Spirit/Energy).

"Practice this character until you can replicate it perfectly. Do not move on to the next until you have mastered this one." Dugu Meng examined the character with a puzzled look.

The character 'Qì' appeared ordinary at first glance, but after gazing at it for a few moments, it felt as if a vast, surging energy was pressing against her face, like raging tides, astonishingly real. Li Muzhan smiled faintly, "Little Sister, mastering this single character will save you an hour of meditation." "Really?" Dugu Meng tilted her head to look at him.

Li Muzhan chuckled, "Why would I lie to you? But you must write it well; writing it poorly is useless." "Good, I will write it diligently!" Dugu Meng declared full of confidence.

Li Muzhan nodded, "You sit here and write seriously. No distractions, no talking!" "Got it!" Dugu Meng eagerly picked up the brush and began imitating Li Muzhan's character.

Between practicing, she intermittently heard Li Muzhan and Feng Mingxue talking about saber intent, the cool wind, the killing essence of autumn... As she wrote, her heart slowly settled like water, her spirit and energy channeled into the brushstrokes.

The sounds and everything around her vanished; she could neither see nor hear, focused only on the character 'Qì' before her eyes. As evening approached, Li Muzhan walked alone by the lake, which was part of Dugu Jinghua's expansive rear garden.

The lake surface was clear as a mirror. He was contemplating intelligence regarding the Zhu family, methods to counter the Sacred Artifacts, and how to leverage the Dan Xin Iron Scroll to accelerate his cultivation.

"Sir!" Dugu Jinghua floated toward him, clad in white, a faint, subtle fragrance accompanying her. Li Muzhan smiled, "Has Miss Nine taken care of it?" "Sir, please look and see if this is the Sacred Artifact." Dugu Jinghua pulled a string of Buddhist beads from her robes and handed them over, watching him with slight nervousness.

Li Muzhan's brow twitched. He slowly reached out.

The string of beads shimmered with a soft, warm luster in the setting sun, as if clear springs were flowing within them. "It is a Sacred Artifact," Li Muzhan nodded slowly.

The touch was warm, like human skin, accompanied by a light, lingering warmth that was faint yet constant, an intensely strange sensation. "It is for you, Sir," Dugu Jinghua offered.

Li Muzhan smiled, "Then I shall accept it gratefully! With this object, I can move freely outside and will no longer be confined to the Mansion." Dugu Jinghua smiled, "Sir won't leave immediately and never return, will you?" Li Muzhan replied, "If you don't find me bothersome, I won't leave." "That would be perfect!" Dugu Jinghua beamed.

"With a Grandmaster guarding the residence, our Mansion will be as unshakeable as an iron fortress!" Li Muzhan said, "I am only an ordinary Grandmaster right now! As for how you obtained the beads, I will not inquire further.

I owe Miss Nine a favor!" Dugu Jinghua smiled, "Very well. In the future, you only need to promise me one thing." "As long as it does not violate my conscience, I agree," Li Muzhan nodded.

This Sacred Bead was immensely important to him; it not only concealed the perception of the world's movements but also gave him the chance to study it and devise a method to neutralize it, allowing him to move freely within the Imperial Palace as well. Dugu Jinghua asked, "What does Sir intend to do?" Li Muzhan stated, "Settle old scores with the Zhu family." Dugu Jinghua hastily cautioned, "Sir cannot be too hasty; they will become suspicious." Li Muzhan smiled and shook his head, "The Zhu family has offended too many people.

Taking down one or two won't direct suspicion my way." "Sir isn't planning to break into the Zhu Manor, is he?" Dugu Jinghua asked. Li Muzhan laughed, "I can't break in yet.

I need to wait a little longer... Don't worry, Miss Nine, I will be careful." Dugu Jinghua frowned, watching him, clearly uneasy.

He had been caged here, like a tiger held in a cage; once released, he would immediately lash out. The Zhu family's downfall was one thing, but she feared the Emperor might notice something amiss.

Li Muzhan smiled, "Miss Nine, shall we go for a walk?" "Wonderful," Dugu Jinghua readily agreed. "I must call for Sister Feng." Li Muzhan shook his head, "Senior Sister is immersed in comprehending martial arts; there is no need to disturb her.

Let's just go, the two of us." Dugu Jinghua’s cheeks flushed slightly, but she nodded softly.