Although he was still somewhat weak, he thought he could barely manage the journey. He took Evelyn Spencer out of the room, only to find that one of the two horses was missing. Realizing that the old man was indeed suspicious, the master and disciple wasted no time, mounted the only remaining horse, and rode away.

The two of them rode for half a day and arrived at the next town, where they found a large inn to stay.

Evelyn Spencer, having worked as a shop assistant before—even if only for a few days—was quite perceptive. He first ordered some food, then went out to buy two sets of ready-made clothes, and also asked the innkeeper to prepare hot water for washing up, serving his newly acknowledged master with great care.

Edward Miller said nothing, but after eating, called Evelyn Spencer into the room and carefully asked about his background, making sure his family was clean. Only then did he say, “The martial arts I practice are passed down in my family and cannot be taught to outsiders!”

Seeing the look of disappointment on Evelyn Spencer’s face, he couldn’t help but smile and said, “However, since you have become my disciple and have taken care of me along the way, once I recover, I’ll teach you one or two martial arts from other schools. That should be enough for you to make your way in the martial world.”

Evelyn Spencer truly didn’t care which school’s martial arts he learned. He needed to solve the problem of whether he could learn any at all before worrying about which was better or worse. He immediately replied sincerely, “Master, your willingness to teach me martial arts is already a great kindness. How could I dare to be picky?”

Chapter 4: Cultivating True Qi

Edward Miller smiled slightly, told Evelyn Spencer to go rest, then swallowed a pill and sat cross-legged on the bed, closing his eyes to meditate and heal his injuries.

He had only managed to kill Frank Henry by sheer luck. Although he had slain his great enemy with a single strike, he had been hit by a Hunyuan Palm and wouldn’t recover for at least a year or so.

They stayed at this large inn for three days. Edward Miller took several doses of medicine and meditated to suppress his internal injuries. Then they set out again, heading south, traveling by day and resting by night. After more than ten days, the weather gradually warmed. Though it was still winter, it was no longer so cold. When they passed a large city, Edward Miller sold the fine horse and bought a large carriage, making the journey much less arduous.

By the time the master and disciple arrived at Chongyang City in Qiangnan Circuit, Evelyn Spencer finally understood the general geography and current affairs of the world.

There was now a court, the nation called Daliang, which divided the land into nineteen circuits and thirty-five prefectures. Circuits were like provinces, each with a governor handling civil affairs and wielding great power. Prefectures were military districts, each with a grand commander in charge of the army, acting independently. Civil and military powers were separated, and the world was generally unstable. Martial artists ran rampant, many gangs occupied mountains and ruled as kings, resisting taxes and levies, carving out their own territories. The two great nations of Southern Xia and Northern Yan frequently invaded, and the borderlands were never free from war.

After arriving in Chongyang City, Edward Miller found an inn and settled down, not leaving again. He stayed indoors to focus on recovering from his injuries. After more than half a month, his health greatly improved, so he called Evelyn Spencer to him and said, “Besides our family’s martial arts, the Miao family has also collected six or seven top-tier martial arts, so that our younger generations can learn by analogy and use them for reference.” At this, he sighed and said, “Our Miao family was once a great clan, but now, I fear there are few of us left.”

Evelyn Spencer didn’t know how to respond. He couldn’t very well offer condolences, so he just kept silent, trying not to spoil the mood.

After a moment, Edward Miller said, “That day you picked up Frank Henry’s Demon-Slaying Sword, so you must have some affinity with swordsmanship. I’ll teach you the Hu family sword style!”

Evelyn Spencer was surprised and said, “Master, you know the Hu family sword techniques?”

Edward Miller laughed and said, “Our two families have been enemies for generations, fighting and killing each other for over a hundred years. How could we not try every means to learn each other’s secrets?”

“However, our Miao family could only collect the introductory techniques of the Hu family sword. The most advanced Hunyuan Sword Manual was always out of reach.”

Evelyn Spencer thought to himself, “Are the martial artists in this world really so wild? I bet the ways these martial arts are acquired aren’t exactly honorable—maybe even through torture or undercover spies.”

But as for the feud between the Miao and Hu families, Evelyn Spencer didn’t really care. As long as he could learn martial arts, he didn’t mind how they were obtained.

Edward Miller said, “The Hu family’s martial arts are also very famous in the martial world. Beginners first learn the thirty-six Hunyuan Stances. After standing in stances for a few years, inner strength will naturally develop, and then you can practice the more advanced seventy-two Demon-Slaying Sword forms.”

“However, the Hu family’s most advanced martial art is the Hunyuan Sword Manual!”

“You saw it yourself—Frank Henry could force out a half-foot-long blue glow from his sword. That’s the sword energy cultivated from the Hunyuan Sword Manual, able to cut through gold and jade, nothing can withstand it, and it’s even more powerful than divine weapons.”

“The Hu family’s martial arts are different from ours. They emphasize building up strength over time. When they’re young, the Hu family’s skills aren’t much, but by the time they’re seventy or eighty, their power is profound. Once they master the Hunyuan Sword Manual and forge the Hunyuan Sword Energy, no other sect can match them.”

“For generations, our Miao ancestors racked their brains but could never find a way to counter the Hu family’s Hunyuan Sword Energy.”

“Fortunately, our Miao family’s Kuai Zai Wind is one of the world’s top blade techniques, and our lightness skills are unmatched. The Hu family can do nothing about it—each has its strengths and weaknesses.”

“My grandfather and father, when they were young, killed quite a few members of the Hu family. As long as the Hu family hadn’t mastered the sword energy, they were no match for us. But later, they were besieged and killed by seven or eight Hu family elders.”