บท 13: Shifu!
The days passed quickly. Wang Jingyuan mastered all forty-nine forms of the Xuanyan Sword Skills, and although she needed more practice to sharpen her skills, Luo Qingye deemed her passable. The twelve forms of the Song of the Phoenix were what were difficult. Although they seemed simple, really understanding it was the hard part. The forms were similar because Song of the Phoenix was an evolution from the Xuanyan Sword Skills. However, Wang Jingyuan had difficulty unlocking their true power.
"I can't give you more help on this," Luo Qingye said when she floundered again. "When I created the Song of the Phoenix, it was because I understood the dao, the ultimate truth, behind swordsmanship. It is impossible to put into words. You'll have to try and figure it out yourself, I'm afraid."
Wang Jingyuan frowned as she ran through the forms. Whereas it was easy to see the power when she performed the Xuanyan Sword Skills, the Song of the Phoenix seemed average. It took her the same amount of time to master five forms from the Song of the Phoenix as it did for her to become proficient at thirty forms from the Xuanyan Sword Skills.
What's worse, Luo Qingye's condition worsened noticeably every day. He seemed paler and more tired, and although Wang Jingyuan helped him to change the medicine on his wounds, they weren't healing as quickly as she had initially thought. Luo Qingye understood his condition best. Ever since he transferred his internal forces and power to Wang Jingyuan, he could feel the internal injuries worsening clearly. He was growing weaker by the day, and he knew that it wouldn't be long before his body gave out completely.
Besides going down to the village one more time to replenish supplies, Wang Jingyuan spent all of her time practicing. She needed a breakthrough in the forms. She had been stuck on the eleventh form for a while now, and she was growing frustrated.
Luo Qingye taught Wang Jingyuan all the forms, but she just couldn't get the last one right. He gave her pointers, but the thing with the Song of the Phoenix was that the true power could only be unlocked if one really understood how it flowed together with the rest of the forms. Like Luo Qingye told Wang Jingyuan, it was up to her to realize the dao and make the final breakthrough.
All day, Wang Jingyuan muttered the verbal formula for the Song of the Phoenix as she practiced in an attempt to understand the dao. But it was like a riddle; even though she understood the surface-level meaning of the words, there was something deeper that she didn't get. And no one could help her with that.
Seven days after Wang Jingyuan first found Luo Qingye, she was practicing outside the cave like usual. Luo Qingye sat in his spot against the stone wall, watching his newest disciple. She was very hardworking, and it was clear she desperately wanted do it right. He wished he had more time to teach Wang Jingyuan more, but this was all he could do. Luo Qingye hoped that his internal forces, now merged with Wang Jingyuan's own, were enough to make up for her lack of training and experience. She was his last hope.
Wang Jingyuan concluded the entire set of Song of the Phoenix. She thought maybe she performed a little better than yesterday, but she couldn't be sure. She turned to look at Luo Qingye to see if he had any comments, only to see him leaning to one side and heaving. Blood dribbled from his lips onto the grass. "Shifu!"
Wang Jingyuan hurried over and knelt beside him, wringing her hands in agitation. "Shifu, what can I do to help you?"
"There's nothing you can do," Luo Qingye rasped. He looked at the small crimson puddle on the grass and knew that his time had come. He turned his attention to Wang Jingyuan, who looked like she was about to cry. "I told you at the beginning—I wouldn't live past seven days."
"But shifu, I haven't even fully mastered the Song of the Phoenix. I still can't get the twelfth form correct." Wang Jingyuan's chin trembled. "You have to stay and teach me."
Luo Qingye shook his head ruefully. "I've taught you all you have to know. I'm afraid you'll have to figure out the rest on your own." He coughed again, and the action racked his entire frame. Slowly, he lifted a shaking hand and reached inside the folds of his hanfu to pull out a bronze tablet the size of his palm. A jade tassel hung from the bottom.
"Jing-Jing, shifu has one last favor to ask." Luo Qingye said with much difficulty. It was getting harder to breathe. Wang Jingyuan nodded quickly.
"Please say it, shifu. I will do everything in my power to accomplish it."
"Shifu didn't tell you earlier, but you actually have a senior brother," said Luo Qingye, his voice raspy. "He is my star disciple. He wasn't here when the sects attacked, so he was the only one who escaped the bloodbath. It was my intention to make him the chief of Xuanyan Sect eventually, but I didn't know the day would come so soon. Right now, since you're new to the martial arts sector, there are a lot of things you don't understand yet. Your senior brother is the only one who can revive Xuanyan Sect.
"This is the token of the chief. I want you to find your senior brother and give this to him so he can become the next chief of Xuanyan Sect. You two are the only surviving disciples of the entire sect. You and your senior brother are our only hope." Luo Qingye pressed the token into Wang Jingyuan's hands. She saw the words "Xuanyan Sect" carved down the center of the metal, directly beneath a phoenix with open wings. Bronze flames wrapped around the bottom and sides of the token.
"Shifu, don't worry. I will make sure this token arrives safely into senior brother's hands." Wang Jingyuan promised as she gripped the token tightly. "How can I find him? What is his name?"
"Your senior brother is named Liu Xiaochen. He was out gaining experience in the world, but now he will be on his way to attend the triennial Hero Assembly that will take place in two months time at the Capital. Go to the Capital, and you will find him there. You will know it's him because he is the only other person in the world who knows Song of the Phoenix," Luo Qingye told Wang Jingyuan. With every word he spoke, he felt his life force slipping away.
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