Be Passive In The High Martial World

Chapter 13: Past, Stories, Cultivation Matters (Two in One)

The Dragon Lip is the source of sound;

The Dragon Gum is the origin of melody.

Originally, the term "Dragon Gum" refers to a piece of hard wood at the end of the qin (a traditional Chinese musical instrument), which supports the strings and is a crucial component for producing sound.

This qin is named after the Dragon Gum.

Firstly, it signifies the true essence of the sound produced by the qin, embodying the idea of seeking greatness in simplicity and the ultimate simplicity of the Great Dao.

Secondly, "Dragon Gum" and "Dragon Melody" have the same pronunciation, indicating that the sound of this qin is extraordinary.

Its tone is not ethereal and high-pitched, but rather deep and distant, like the roar of a dragon or the howl of a tiger, majestic and captivating.

The Dragon Gum was born 2,300 years ago in the long-lost ancient country of Daqi, created by the music sage Xi Mengquan himself.

After the fall of Daqi, it went through hardships and traveled thousands of miles before ending up in the hands of Emperor Liang Yu, becoming a treasured possession in his collection.

The most well-known and legendary story about this qin is the tale of Xi Mengquan obtaining the qin from the Dragon Palace.

This music sage had a free-spirited nature and once fell into a dream-like state while napping on a fake mountain stone in the courtyard. His Primordial Spirit Astral Projection wandered into the Dragon Palace, where he witnessed many extraordinary scenes unseen in the mortal world. He even plucked a cluster of large blood jade corals, only to realize that these corals were the gums of a slumbering dragon king!

In an instant, the earth shook and the waves surged. What he thought was the Dragon Palace turned out to be the colossal body of the dragon king!

Startled, Xi Mengquan woke up abruptly, relieved. However, he discovered that the fake mountain stone beneath him had transformed into the blood jade coral!

Was it a dream or reality?

Regardless, according to the legend, Xi Mengquan used this blood jade coral to create the body of the Dragon Gum qin.

However, in Chen Kuang's memory, the musician who sold the qin to him had a completely different story.

"Xi Mengquan never visited the Dragon Palace. Where did he get such inspiration? This person is very boring."

The musician threw him a tattered music score.

This score was written in Braille and only circulated among musicians, equivalent to a secret code unknown to outsiders.

In addition to the music pieces, it also contained some unheard-of rural legends.

"Back then, when he sailed past Dongting Lake, he witnessed the Dragon Lord oppressing the fishermen, forcing them to sacrifice young girls and drowning them alive in pig cages. So, he abandoned the boat and jumped into the lake, forcefully breaking off the dragon lord's large teeth."

"After venting his anger, he found that his sword was broken. Coincidentally, the broken teeth were still connected to the gums. He thought it was convenient, so he washed and ground them into a sword using the lake water."

A child with thick bandages over his eyes raised his head in confusion and asked, "Isn't it a qin?"

The musician reached out and touched his head, playfully asking, "How do you know it's a qin? Have you seen one? Do you know what a qin looks like?"

The child shook his head and honestly replied, "My family was poor before, so I haven't seen one. Now I can't see."

The musician laughed, "If you can't see something, of course you can imagine it as whatever you want it to be."

"If you think it's a sword, then it's a sword."

Encountering injustice, drawing a sword to slay a dragon, whether it's a qin or not, it becomes a sword.

This is another story.

But the musician's tone was familiar and calm. He seemed to know Xi Mengquan well.

However, how could this be possible? This musician was destitute and bought Chen Kuang as an apprentice with a bushel of rice, intending to sell him to the palace.

He bought a bushel of rice and sold it for three taels of silver.

It was simply a risk-free transaction.

How could such a rascal person know the music sage who shattered mountains and rivers with his piece "Heavenly Inquiry" and seemed to reside in the clouds?

Chen Kuang had always regarded the strange tales recorded in this music score as mere stories.

Until one day, when he had already become a court musician.

Emperor Liang was in high spirits and took out a pair of dragon teeth as a bet, challenging the musicians from the Supreme Frequency Temple to a competition.

At this moment, Chen Kuang realized that the dragon teeth had been silent for thousands of years, and no one could play a complete musical piece on them.

Whoever could play a section would be rewarded with a pure gold cup.

The musicians eagerly tried to play, but no one could reach the second note.

When it was Chen Kuang's turn, he subconsciously thought of the rural legend.

In his childhood, he had never seen a qin or a sword.

Both things were just vague concepts to him, mixed up in his mind.

What if the qin could be a sword?

"Zheng—"

He played the first note, filled with a murderous aura, followed by a resounding dragon's roar.

But the skilled guards around Emperor Liang immediately became alert, drawing their long swords and interrupting the beginning of the second section with the clashing sound of metal.

So that was the sword.

With this realization, Chen Kuang, despite Emperor Liang's repeated pleas, could no longer continue playing in tune.

That was the only time he received Emperor Liang's appreciation.

Not long after that day, the prominent Chen Kuang fell into a trap and was almost whipped to death by Luo Lezheng.

Unable to play due to his injured hand, he was soon forgotten by Emperor Liang.

The pure gold cup that was bestowed upon him never made it into his hands, stolen by someone along the way.

...

Huo Hengxuan watched him carefully tune the qin, but soon lost interest and leaned against the railing, nibbling on a steamed bun, his gaze fixed on the sky outside the window.

As the sky darkened, the eerie starlight appeared once again.

But this time, they were no longer stable, flickering on and off.

Chen Kuang finished tuning and looked down at the qin.

Most of the body of the qin was made of translucent blood jade, but the slightly raised and slanted head of the qin was a glossy white color, resembling a broken tooth connected to the gums.

Regardless of which story was true, Chen Kuang knew that this pair of dragon teeth was indeed a sword!

The skilled guards around Emperor Liang were not acting without reason; they truly sensed the danger.

If Chen Kuang had intended it, Emperor Liang's neck would have been severed the moment the first note of the qin sounded!

This was not just a sound that killed.

This qin was a complete and absolute sword!

A conceptual sword that could kill with a single thought!

That was why no one had been able to play it for thousands of years, and no one had become its confidant.

But in this matter, besides Chen Kuang and the musician who bought him and taught him the qin, no one else in the world knew.

And with this "bug," Chen Kuang, as a prisoner, obtained a weapon that would never be discovered.

This would also be his greatest reliance in the future.

"But speaking of which... who exactly is that musician?"

Chen Kuang had a great doubt in his heart.

After buying him, the musician didn't really take care of him, didn't even tell him his name, and only allowed him to call him "teacher."

Because this person was so poor that he could only wander around, performing on the streets, often going hungry and relying on Chen Kuang, a young child, to beg for food.

After teaching him for about three years, the musician sold him to an instructor at the Supreme Frequency Temple as an apprentice and left without a second thought.

But in just those three years of teaching, Chen Kuang's qin skills reached an astonishing level.

However, after that incident, Chen Kuang fell silent and only focused on his own duties, never crossing the line.

"Never mind, someone like him would have become famous a long time ago if he wanted to."

"I've been trying to find out for so many years, but there's still no news. It shows that he has the intention to hide his existence. It's useless to think too much about it."

Chen Kuang shook his head.

He closed his eyes and began to try to imprint the Mud Embryo Golden Sculpture Technique into his mind.

This Body Refining technique can be said to have no threshold or requirements, but its content is very powerful.

The main training method of the Mud Embryo Golden Sculpture Technique is to move the body's qi and blood through specific sitting postures and breathing techniques, and temper the whole body.

Among them, the postures are divided into "Eight Manifestations", namely:

"Descension from Tushita Heaven", "White Lotus Supports Life", "Two Dragons Bathing Buddha", "Moon Draped in Cassock", "Vajra Bodhi", "Supreme Dao Fruit", "Enlightenment Wheel", "Nirvana Extinguishment".

Each manifestation represents a level of the technique.

The first manifestation is called "Descension from Tushita Heaven", which looks very simple, basically a relaxed cross-legged sitting posture.

But how to move the qi and blood, how to control every inch of muscle, requires precise control. Without the experience taught by Huo Hengxuan, it would take at least three years to get started.

"I really feel sorry for General Huo. Maybe my talent is really too poor."

"Otherwise, why wouldn't he try to teach me that even more mysterious and powerful Grass-Cutting Sword Technique?"

Chen Kuang helplessly tugged at the corner of his mouth.

From the name to the content of this technique, Chen Kuang felt that it should be an authentic Buddhist Gate cultivation method.

But for someone like Huo Hengxuan, a legendary figure with extraordinary experiences, it is normal for him to know something about the Buddhist Gate.

This technique is indeed very powerful.

The eight images are derived from the process of the Buddha's enlightenment, and they are truly the secrets of the authentic Buddhist Gate!

But obviously, Huo Hengxuan, as a God of Killing and a general, is more skilled and famous for his swordsmanship.

The other party had already prepared to gamble and give up all his lifelong learning.

But he found that Chen Kuang's talent was not good, so he had to switch to something simpler.

It's like suddenly braking at a critical moment.

It really tests one's inch-stopping technique.

Chen Kuang was also helpless, but at this point, he had no choice but to try.

After all, this kind of thing is like mathematics, either you know it or you don't.

Moreover, he is a transmigrator.

Sometimes, this may not necessarily be a good thing.

He tried hard to understand the principles, but thoughts like "this is not scientific", "how can a person do such a thing", "are these spiritual energies controllable nanobots" kept popping up in his mind...

These strange thoughts and ideas.

Disturbed by them, Chen Kuang always felt that something was wrong and couldn't calm down at all...

Huo Hengxuan beside him seemed to sense something and turned his head to take a look.

Seeing Chen Kuang's twisted and incorrect posture, a few black lines seemed to appear on Huo Hengxuan's expressionless face.

Huo Hengxuan took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

As if sighing.

The old man turned his head, fortunately, he didn't plan to put all his hopes on this person.

Huo Hengxuan, with a slightly hunched figure, stuffed the last piece of steamed bun into his mouth and chewed slowly.

"Crack."

A slight sound seemed to come from between Huo Hengxuan's teeth.

Huo Hengxuan's face remained unchanged. He moved his tongue and pulled out a thin thread from the food residue, then swallowed it.

A faint smile finally appeared on his always cynical face.

This thin thread was not a silk thread, but a golden needle made of thousands of strands of refined gold, which could be soft or hard.

Of course... the most important thing is that it can enter the dantian along the meridians and then disperse, unlocking the restrictions on Huo Hengxuan's body.

But there is only one chance.

It must be foolproof.

As Huo Hengxuan said before, the face he recognized has appeared tonight as a prison guard.

That person used to be his subordinate, also a nail.

A long time ago, this nail was already planted in Great Zhou.

And now is the time for him to play his role.

If it weren't for Chen Kuang, Huo Hengxuan would have found a way to replace a group of prison guards so that this person could be inserted.

But he couldn't do it like Chen Kuang, who actually replaced everyone...

Honestly, Huo Hengxuan was a little scared.

If it were a few years earlier and this person came to train in the military, who knows...

Huo Hengxuan shook his head, forget it, everyone has their own future.

Coming to the military, it's possible to die a few years earlier, which is unlucky.

A melancholic feeling arose for a few seconds.

Seeing Chen Kuang still futilely pondering, Huo Hengxuan couldn't help but speak up:

"If you want to take a shit, just do it on the ground, no need to pretend to be a cow and moo!"

Chen Kuang's face turned black:

"You old bastard, why are you insulting people again?!"

Chen Kuang was very angry.

Is it my fault that my talent is poor?

Can't you teach me a simpler technique, you old bastard?

Huo Hengxuan pointed to the small bucket of dirty water:

"I'm teaching this little girl some arithmetic, she should have learned it in a few tries!"

The small bucket blinked innocently.

Chen Kuang didn't say anything.

Huo Hengxuan sighed, but disappointment was evident in his eyes.

Chen Kuang thought of trying harder.

But as he was thinking, something suddenly flashed before his eyes.

[You have received guidance from Huo Hengxuan and learned "Grass Cutter Song: Cycle of Decay and Prosperity" and "Mud Embryo Golden Sculpture Technique." You have obtained the passive skill "Martial Arts Prodigy": You are an extremely rare martial arts genius, with extraordinary bones and clear meridians. You can understand and learn any martial arts at a glance.]

The status bar updated!

Chen Kuang felt as if thunder and lightning were exploding in his mind, breaking through all the fog and obstacles.

He felt that his previously sluggish blood and qi suddenly surged like a flood, washing over every inch of his muscles and bones. The textual experience in his mind was instantly digested and integrated into his instincts.

Chen Kuang adjusted his body according to his feelings, and soon, every detail of the techniques fit perfectly, giving him a mysterious and profound feeling.

The blood and qi were spontaneously transported by spiritual energy, starting to roar and forge his body.

At the same time, a tingling sensation, like being immersed in amniotic fluid, emerged.

The first phase, Descension from Tushita Heaven!

Chen Kuang raised an eyebrow.

Who said I can't do it just because I couldn't before?

I won't give up.

Deep blue... no, status bar, give me a cheat!

After a few breaths, Huo Hengxuan also sensed that something was wrong. He suddenly turned around and saw Chen Kuang closing his eyes, with a hint of golden light flashing through them, giving off a solemn aura. He widened his eyes in astonishment.

This kid, was he just fooling him earlier?

(End of this chapter)