I am not a master

"Junior Brother Chen, it's been more than half a year. What's your decision? Joining my Chu family and working for me is much better than staying with the Wang family in Fenglinfang."

Chu Liutang did not give up and wanted to bring Chen Lu under his command.

"The Wang family of Fenglinfang treated me well; to go elsewhere would be to betray the kindness of their upbringing."

Chen Lu politely declined. Chu Liutang had been an apprentice here since he was 6 years old, and in the blink of an eye he was almost 28, still an apprentice.

The Chu family has been making empty promises for 22 years, but Chu Liutang has not only failed to get a single bite, but now they are still making empty promises for him.

Having eaten so much in his past life, he was already sick of it. Now, he prefers the Wang family, which he can see and touch.

Before saying goodbye, Chen Lu rushed to Wangyue Tower before it got completely dark.

It was still Peach Girl, just like before, gentle and considerate, not letting him expend any extra effort.

After feeling refreshed, he returned to the escort team and the next day he and the others rushed back to Fenglinfang.

The cultivators of Yuansheng Sect have been quite peaceful lately, and there haven't been any more cases of robbery.

The family refused to say a word, and when he consulted the divine oracle, he received no useful answers.

But he always felt that those people were brewing something big.

After the initial months of turmoil, the reform of the escort agency returned to normal.

There were still many cargo owners inquiring outside, but the family used the excuse that the trial period had not yet ended to keep them in suspense.

The happiest were the small cargo owners, whose escort fees used to be exorbitant, leaving little profit after paying the spirit stones.

But nowadays, as long as an exclusive transportation contract is signed, even if the amount of goods is pitifully small, you can enjoy two layers of discounts.

With a slight advantage, they defeated many small vendors and businesses that were struggling to survive on meager profits.

Another security escort agency was one step ahead of the Wang Family Security Escort Agency, copying its internal reform plan exactly.

Many people are observing, but very few are signing exclusive contracts. Cooperating with them only offers the benefit of a commission.

The Wang family owns numerous businesses in Fenglinfang, and an exclusive partnership with them would bring considerable convenience in business.

For the escort agency, everything was moving in a positive direction, and everyone was looking forward to the day when the reforms would be extended to Fenglinfang.

After delivering the goods and everyone returned home, the third镖头 (bodyguard/escort) walked towards Chen Lu.

"Let's go, Alu, I'll take you into the royal family's territory again today."

Several months ago, Wang Shengning suddenly stopped showing up, but her mother-in-law did not explain the specific reason.

Left with no other choice, he approached the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) and asked him to lead him inside, and then, seven days later, to take him away from the Scripture Pavilion.

He didn't want to ask too much about Wang Shengning's affairs, lest he bring trouble upon himself.

Upon entering the courtyard of the Sutra Repository, the main gate opens automatically.

Two nimble cats darted out from the left and right, surrounding Chen Lu, raising their heads and staring longingly at the storage bag at his waist.

Chen Lu squatted down with a smile, took out two pieces of dried meat wrapped with green spiritual herbs, and casually tossed them over.

The two civets' eyes lit up, and in the blink of an eye, they pounced on it together. In a fierce struggle and biting, they disappeared without a trace.

That was a rare green spiritual plant, similar to catnip from his previous life, that he had asked Master Li to find.

This medicinal plant often grows in the wild, and many tigers in the mountains like to gnaw on it.

However, there are not many cultivators in Red Bamboo Immortal City who raise cats or tigers, so this kind of spiritual herb is not cultivated on a large scale.

With the bribe of his secret-recipe jerky, the two spirit cats went much easier on him during training, and at least the situation of tearing clothes to shreds never happened again.

Upon arriving on the third floor, Elder Chuanjing was still sitting by the window, resting with his eyes closed.

"Chen Lu, in the past six months, you have almost mastered the swordsmanship."

Your goal is to develop your sword skills, not to become a sword cultivator. Further improvement will only be a waste of time and serve no purpose.

Now, you need to focus on comprehending the essence of swordsmanship. You're just one step away from successfully entering the field.

Chen Lu sighed inwardly. He also wanted to comprehend the sword intent, but no matter how much he practiced, he couldn't grasp it from swordsmanship.

The Elder of Transmission noticed his thoughts and chuckled softly.

"Swordsmanship can be taught; with diligent study and practice, one can reach a high level."

But sword intent relies on a sudden enlightenment; no one can teach it, and diligent practice is useless.

With a flick of his wrist, an old booklet appeared. Chen Lu struggled to decipher it for a while before finally making out the four characters "Sharp Gold Sword Pointing" from the nearly rotten cover.

"What I gave you before was a handwritten copy; this is the original of 'Sharp Golden Sword Pointing'."

Be very careful when looking through it, as it has been hundreds of years and is already rotten.

After you take it home, read it carefully. The content after the beginner level is not restricted, and you can read it all. This will help you comprehend the essence of swordsmanship.

But I'll say it again: if you haven't mastered the basics within a year, you're no longer permitted to study this secret art.

Chen Lu carefully held the booklet, which looked as if it would fall apart with a gust of wind, and felt a surge of excitement.

I never expected that the Elders of the Scripture Transmission Society would be so at ease entrusting this historically significant legacy to a disciple from another clan.

On the surface, it is said that one should not read the book if one has not yet entered the path within a year, but the elder who transmitted the scriptures also emphasized that this is the complete text.

As long as he memorizes everything, even if he hasn't mastered it after several months, he can secretly practice on his own.

After seeing that Chen Lu understood his meaning, the Elder Transmitting the Scriptures nodded slightly and continued:

"Words can carry power. This manual originally contained a few strands of residual sword intent."

But as time passed and later generations learned from it, it was almost completely depleted; even the last bit of it was used up by me back then.

Chen Lu raised his eyebrows in surprise, feeling greatly puzzled.

Since you can learn from the sword intent of predecessors, why don't you just pass it on directly, instead of wasting so much time?

After noticing Chen Lu's puzzled and confused look, the Elder who transmitted the scriptures smiled somewhat awkwardly:

"Only a master of swordsmanship can convey the essence of swordsmanship through words."

A master swordsman must not only be extremely powerful in killing, but also possess lofty ideals, and be able to impart knowledge, teach skills, and resolve doubts.

I can barely manage the former, but as for the latter, my abilities are limited, and my mindset is far inferior to those of others. I certainly cannot be called a master.

Seeing that Chen Lu still had some doubts, the Elder of Transmission patiently explained the difference between the two:

"When a master reveals his sword intent, he can kill all who witness it, or he can impart his wisdom invisibly."

I used that last bit of product and within a month I successfully mastered it; you'll only get shorter.

If I were to reveal my sword intent, you would likely perish on the spot.

Even though the sword intent contained within this manual has disappeared, it once carried that sword intent.

If you pay close attention, you'll discover subtle differences between it and ordinary writing, and perhaps you'll gain some insight from it.

Chen Lu nodded somewhat dejectedly.

The sword intent section of this manual is quite interesting, allowing one to fully appreciate the art of language and the art of discontinuing updates.

The parts that could have given him insight, however, came to an abrupt end at the crucial point.

Those inspirational quotes and anecdotes keep popping up, almost as if they want to talk about how to be a person and how to do things.

Perhaps this is why swordsmanship is learned, but the essence of swordsmanship is comprehended.