Chapter 73 – Heavenly Dragon (3)
The winter of Dali was warm. Lin Yu Tong, who had never been to Yunnan in her two lives liked this place. There were many people on the streets, and it was very prosperous. From this, it could be seen that the emperor of Dali, Duan Zheng Ming, was a hard working emperor. Lin Yu Tong liked such liveliness. After asking about the way to Wuliang Mountain, she went towards her goal without stopping.
This Wuliang Mountain was not an unpopulated place. Lin Yu Tong remembered that the No Measure Sword Sect’s Sword Lake Palace was here. In the back mountain of No Measure Sect, because it was possible to see dancing figures on the “No Measure Stone Wall”, it became a restricted area of the No Measure Sword Sect. So, if she found No Measure Sword Sect, she would be close to entering the Blessed Reading Ground.
But while this No Measure Sword Sect was just a minor one in the jianghu, it was not one that Lin Yu Tong could afford to provoke.
When she reached No Measure Mountain, she could not take her horse. The little horse was half grown now. Lin Yu Tong did not bear to throw it away, and when she thought if the pocket space could hold living things, the horse immediately disappeared. Lin Yu Tong was overjoyed, and went into the space to look. As expected, it came in. But the space was limited, and it was temporary.
It seemed that the upgrade of the pocket space had some benefit.
Lin Yu Tong fretted at the base of the mountain range. It was very large, and had many peaks. Where would she go to find No Measure Sword Sect? She had no way but to go to the market, and linger around some tea shops and bars. The language here was hard to understand and Lin Yu Tong only managed to understand a bit after listening for a few days. Every fortnight, the bar would provide wine for the No Measure Sect. With such news, Lin Yu Tong was not in a hurry, and just waited near the bar.
She waited for a week before she saw a group of a dozen strong men carrying wicker baskets with jars of wine.
Lin Yu Tong could not openly follow. When she spoke, people would know that she was not from Dali. She had no way. She quickly bought two jars of salt and two jars of oil along with a wicker basket to carry on her back from a nearby shop. Then she followed behind everyone else, not speaking.
The men asked, but Lin Yu Tong pretended to be mute and pointed at the mountain.
A man smiled and said, “Likely just like you, coming to deliver goods. The child is not young, and is dressed neatly, how come you are working as a laborer?”
Lin Yu Tong looked at her gray robes, and groaned inside. She could only give a crying face and did not explain.
People did not ask more. Who did not have sad matters they could not talk about?
But Lin Yu Tong had a hard time on the way. In order not to expose herself, the salt and the oil were not light. After walking half a day, she finally made out the gates of No Measure Sword Sect in the distance.
Lin Yu Tong made “ah ah” sounds and pointed to the other way, showing that she had went the wrong way, her expression irritated. The men laughed. Lin Yu Tong took advantage and turned back, walking down the mountain. Only when she was sure the people on the mountain could not see her did she flash into her space.
She had found the place. Now, she had to think of a way to get to the rear of the mountain.
But the rear of the mountain was a forbidden place. It likely was not easy to get close. She had to sigh at Duan Yu’s luck. People said that chances were is the just a matter of luck.
Only when the sky turned black and Lin Yu Tong was full did she come out of her pocket space. Relying on the instinct the body had retained from living like an animal in the forest, she moved towards No Measure Sword Sect. The Sword Lake Palace took up a lot of space, filled with buildings that were constructed along the mountain. Looking from afar, there were lights everywhere. They clearly were not resting. Lin Yu Tong could not enter the gaits. She did not dare to come close. She moved nimbly through the forest and went around to the back.
The forest in the night had all kinds of noises. Lin Yu Tong did not feel fear and felt that it should be like this. She felt very at ease. This was the only wealth that the original person had left Lin Yu Tong, but it was very useful.
After moving through the forest for half a night, Lin Yu Tong was feeling tired when there was the sounds of people speaking.
“…… The grand master said there is a sword celestial here, where is the sword celestial?……” Such a person muttered. If Lin Yu Tong did not have sharp ears, she would not have heard clearly.
She looked up, and saw under the moonlight, the stone wall on the other side was shining with light. She was overjoyed. It was here. She quietly hid in the forest, wanting to merge into one with the forest. She looked at the position of the moon. It should be eleven or so. After another hour, that person stood up and went forward.
Lin Yu Tong did not dare to come out, and held back her impatience. She even returned to her pocket space, fed the horse, and ate before coming out. Hearing that there were no noises around, Lin Yu Tong finally headed for the cliff.
The Blessed Reading Cave was at the bottom of the cliff. No one knew how tall the cliff was. Even the martial experts with their great qinggong would not rashly go down. Otherwise, it would not have been so many years and people still did not know the secret of the No Measure Stone Wall.
The only thing that Lin Yu Tong relied on was the defense system of the pocket space. Hopefully, nothing would go wrong and she would fall to her death. Even so, she did not dare to jump down the mountain at night. When she could not see a thing, she would just be seeking her own death.
She waited until there was some light, and it was possible to see things. The sound of training in No Measure Sword Sect came. Lin Yu Tong gritted her teeth, and jumped down. The feeling of falling down in the air was not great. When the alarm started to beep, Lin Yu Tong immediately flashed into her space.
What was under was not water, but some inclined stone walls. She almost hit the stone walls.
Lin Yu Tong laid on the ground of her space, her heart beating hard. She waited for a long time before she found a thick fur jacket to put around her. When she came out now, she was a few dozen feet from the ground. There were many stones forming a hilly slope. She was not confident if she went out now, she would not be injured by the fall. So it was not wrong to take precautions.
She sat on the ground of her space. With a thought, she came out of the space and fell down immediately. However, but she felt fear, she felt a pain on her bottom. It hurt, but through the clothing, she was not very wounded. But the feeling of touching something solid was very good and the pain could not dismissed.
This was truly Amitabha.
There was still a distance down the slope. Lin Yu Tong looked at her jacket and thought, the good coat was going to be ruined this time.
She did not stand up, just sat on the ground and slowly slid down. By the time she reached the bottom, the jacket was very worn on the back.
She put the jacket back into her space and then looked up, wanting to see the bottom of the valley.
With a glance, Lin Yu Tong found it spectacular. At this time, it was morning. The sunlight shown on the soaring waterfall, creating a rainbow light. The waterfall fell into the lake, causing waves where it fell. However, the lake in the distance was like a mirror, undisturbed. The water came down, but the water level did not rise. She thought, there must be an underground river. Nature was truly the greatest artist to have created such a treasure.
By the shores of the lake were bushes of camellias, so lush that half of the branches stretched over the water. She did not know the species of the camellias, just feeling that they were very pretty. She walked along the lake. Other than the place she came down, there was about a dozen meters of slope, and the other directions were all steep cliffs. When she looked up, it was also mist and clouds, and she was unable to see the top of the cliffs.
Lin Yu Tong once again praised the secrecy of the place.
Lin Yu Tong only had a faint memory of the entrance to the Blessed Reading Place. She looked on a part of the stone wall that was like jade. This was the “No Measure Jade Wall” that she had seen last night. The water movement had polished the stone like this. She did not know how many years it took. The shadows reflected on the stone wall should have been reflected from another mirror. Finding the angle, Lin Yu Tong started to search.
In the end, she found a “jade mirror” covered in vines behind a cluster of sour fruit trees. The mechanism was close by.
But the jade wall was surrounded by large stones, and all of them were enormous. Lin Yu Tong searched for a long time which one was the one to enter the stone room. She searched almost every stone, and could not find it.
She depressedly sat down. She could only wait for night, when the moonlight shown on the jade wall before she could see a hint.
It was very difficult to find that place just based on the little knowledge she had.
She just returned to her space, ate a meal, went to sleep, and then came out again when it was dark. She stared at the jade wall, watching its change. Only when it was near midnight did a ray of light appear on the jade wall. Within the light was a treasure sword. The tip of the sword pointed to the north, right at a stone.
So it was that one.
Lin Yu Tong rejoiced inside. She looked up at the sky. She had lucky timing. If it was not the full moon and the sky was clear, she would have to expend a lot of effort to find this place.
She made a mark on the stone, and then went into her space to rest. The next day, Lin Yu Tong cleaned the vines and mud away from this stone. If this truly was the door, after not being used for a long time, these things would obstruct the movement of the door. She cleaned them, and then pushed lightly. This giant stone which should be thousand of catties heavy opened, and revealed a cave.
Lin Yu Tong was overjoyed. She waited for a while for fresh air to enter, and then found a flashlight from her space. She entered the cave. She thought there would be stairs, but did not expect it to be a stone path. When she walked in, passing through two doors, there was then light. Fish and shrimp swam owed the crystal windows. It was an underwater world.
The statue in the stone room appeared even more life-like.
This had been carved based on Li Qiu Shui’s appearance. From the statue, she looked peerless in her beauty.However, the ethereal air was not one that an adult woman like Li Qiu Shui who liked beautiful youths would have.
She was not in the mind to admire another woman’s beauty, and looked at the prayer mat by her feet. This was the goal of her trip, the Divine Skill of Northern Darkness, and the Graceful Wave Step.
As to kowtowing to the statue, she was not an idiot like Duan Yu. Thinking like this, she went to inspect the prayer mat. Just as she was about to tear open the stitches, the alarm of her pocket space went off. A light flashed, and silver needles flew at her face. Just when the needles were about to touch her, they seemed to encounter resistance, and fell down. Lin Yu Tong sighed in relief. The pocket space must have activated its defense. Otherwise, she would have died here.
This Li Qiu Shui’s methods were terrifying. She had just laughed at Duan Yu for being an idiot, and she got slapped in the face. It had to be said that foolish people had foolish luck.
When she touched the prayer mat again, there was no alarm. Lin Yu Tong relaxed and she successfully took out the scroll. She opened and confirmed it, and her heart landed down. After she learned all this, she would have a foothold.
It was not that she wanted to take a shortcut. But in such a world, people were particular about taking in students. Why would someone give you an ultimate martial skill right after meeting you?
This place was hidden, and there were no matters to distract her. Lin Yu Tong planned to live here and study this martial art well. She had never touched something like this. She could not compare to Duan Yu and learn it instantly.
She cleaned the entire stone room, and when she saw the empty shelves of the Blessed Reading Room, she felt some pity. In the future, if she had a chance, she would go to the Mantuo Manor, and copy the books from the Blessed Reading Room.
Like this, Lin Yu Tong settled at the lake.
Her pocket space did not lack for food. The environment here was very good, and Lin Yu Tong did not feel bored. She even let her horse out to the lake. While it could not sprint freely, running around the lake was quite a distance.
After settling down, she read the secret records on the scroll. She ignored the order to “kill the disciples of the Carefree Sect.” Li Qiu Shui was still alive, why did she not do it herself?
The scroll was covered in drawings, all of them her own naked figures, labeled about the meridian points and the paths of the skills.
Lin Yu Tong had learned about the meridians of the body when learning medicine along with Lin Dai Yu. She knew them, and was very familiar with them.
Lin Yu Tong did not feel anything about the Divine Skill of the Northern Darkness requiring sucking the internal qi of other people. She just had to control it well. It was like some medicines. They were poisonous, but if used well, they could save lives. It depended on how they were used.
She felt no mental burden learning it.
But when she started to learn, she truly felt how difficult it was. She meditated for more than a month and just felt a bit of qi. The method was right. Then she practiced day and night until she could use it when she wanted to.
She kept on reading. It was the Minute Ice Ripple Step. This foot work method was profound in its movements, and it was described with position names from the Classic of Changes. She only had a basic knowledge of the book, and was not skilled in it at all.
Lin Yu Tong sighed in irritation. It could be seen even if opportunity arrived, not all people could obtain it. If Duan Yu had not known the Classic Of Changes well, he could not have learned it so easily.
It seemed that she had to learn the Classic of Changes first. She found the books in her pocket space relating to the book, practicing the art as she studied. She used more effort in this than in her high school examinations. It was harder than the test to become graduate. She spent two whole years before she understood the Classic of Changes.
She finally could understand the method of the Graceful Wave Step.
Because she was unfamiliar, she practiced day and night.
People said there were no days in the mountain. Such words were right.
Lin Yu Tong did not know how long she stayed in the mountain. But she had turned from a boyish girl to a young girl. Even the little horse had grown into a handsome horse. Lin Yu Tong named it Black Whirlwind. She did not know if Blacked Whirlwind ran fast, but it liked the pocket space very much. It would spend the day by the lake, but at night, it would return to the space. Maybe because of the nourishment from the space, it was very strong and healthy. She had the horse for company for several years, and they had feelings between them.
On this day, when she was about to go out, and release Black Whirlwind, she heard noise from outside the cave.
Lin Yu Tong stilled and then realized. She thought inside, did Duan Yu fall down? She was not willing to steal someone’s opportunity. The stone wall outside had been covered by vines. He likely would need some time to find this place. She looked with pity at the stone cave in front of her. She was a bit reluctant to leave.
She put the copy of the secret scroll back into the prayer mat, and she put the original into her space. She removed all traces of living here, and blew a layer of dust on all the items and the ground, before she walked along the steps behinds the statue. This was the exit. The exit was a cave with space to allow one person to move through. The cave was in the middle of the stone cliff. Below was the surging river, and hundreds of feet above was the shore. In order to go out, she had to climb the walls.
Such a dangerous location. A few years ago, even if Lin Yu Tong wanted to leave, she could not leave. Such a tall place, without any skills, she would not be able to climb up.
Even with Lin Yu Tong’s present skill, she was very careful. After climbing up, she found there were mountain stones everywhere. Lin Yu Tong walked for half a day before she got to a path.
She looked around, found no one was around, and then released Black Whirlwind.
“Friend, let’s try your speed,” Lin Yu Tong said and got on the horse.
Black Whirlwind reared up, appearing very excited. He whinnied, and sprinted. She did not know how long the horse ran.
The scenery moved back like they were flying. “Friend! Very good.”
Just as she finished, she heard someone from the forest shout, “Harlot, stop!” Then a blade charged at her face……
Translator Ramblings: Wuxia novels are pretty much the precursors of modern cultivation novels, and the tropes of finding treasure/skills at the bottom of a cliff are …
Wuliang Mountain is an actual location in Yunnan, which is why I ended up using Wuliang and No Measure interchangeably when it’s the sect and not the mountain.
- Grafting Life Chapter 72 – Heavenly Dragon (2)
- Grafting Life Chapter 74 – Heavenly Dragon (4)
- Grafting Life Chapter 75 – Heavenly Dragon (5)
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