Chapter 43: Chapter 37: Casting Pearls Before Swine
"I thought I was going to die. But since I’ve been given a second chance, I’m dead set on getting that ’pearl’." Qin Ling’s eyes narrowed, making him look a little dangerous.
Tang Mo knew the "pearl" Qin Ling mentioned was the Crystal Stone inside the giant snake.
Qin Ling felt his new shirt and pants, nodding in satisfaction. "You know, I look pretty handsome no matter what I wear."
"Get lost," Tang Mo said, her face blank.
Life in the cave wasn’t particularly dull with the two of them together, especially since they bickered constantly.
What surprised Qin Ling was that Tang Mo didn’t seem like a very talkative person, yet he could never win an argument against her.
’Is this what they call ’every lock has its key’?’
Because of the patient in their midst, the quality of their meals skyrocketed. Even when they had instant noodles, Tang Mo would take out a pot and a gas stove to cook them properly, adding some ham sausage and marinated eggs.
Thanks to the medicine and improved living conditions, Qin Ling’s leg injury healed quickly. The color also visibly returned to his face, a healthy flush now apparent.
According to Tang Mo’s plan, the mist would dissipate in just over twenty days. By then, this place would no longer have the most abundant Spiritual Energy. The giant snake naturally wouldn’t be content to stay here and would seek out a better location.
However, Qin Ling obviously didn’t see it that way. Although he didn’t say it, Tang Mo knew he was still fixated on the snake.
Because his leg was still bothering him, Qin Ling spent his time resting, either lying down or sitting up.
Meanwhile, Tang Mo would sit to the side, seemingly resting with her eyes closed, but in reality, she was constantly training her spiritual power.
For some reason, her spiritual power grew very quickly in this cave—three times faster than outside.
She now suspected the giant snake wasn’t guarding this place because of her and Qin Ling at all. It was probably just because the Spiritual Energy here was so rich, and the snake liked it.
After sitting around for days without moving, Tang Mo felt her limbs growing stiff. She couldn’t take it anymore.
The cave was quite spacious. Shoving the "disabled person," Qin Ling, into a corner didn’t take up much room. So, Tang Mo simply took out Wind Breaker, preparing to practice.
Running wasn’t realistic in the limited space, but there was enough room to stretch her limbs and swing her blade.
Tang Mo wasn’t worried about revealing her trump cards to Qin Ling. Firstly, she trusted him. Secondly, the blade wasn’t really a secret trump card she had to hide.
She would have to use it in front of everyone sooner or later. If she really had a trump card, her greatest asset was actually her spiritual power.
After all, whether it was for temporary enhancement, escaping, or healing, her spiritual power was most valuable when no one else understood what it could do.
Qin Ling had nothing to do during the day. Besides closing his eyes to sleep, he just kept them open to watch Tang Mo.
When he saw Tang Mo pull a blade out of thin air, he didn’t think much of it at first. But when he got a clear look at it, a new expression entered his eyes.
"That blade of yours is pretty impressive, isn’t it?" Qin Ling praised.
"How impressive?" Tang Mo knew that since Qin Ling came from a prominent family, he had seen many things. If he bothered to praise something, it had to be good.
"The maker of this blade is probably among the best in the country. For my eighteenth birthday coming-of-age ceremony, I had to pester my grandfather for ages just to get one."
’Then it really is a treasure.’ If even someone like Qin Ling had a hard time getting one, it meant Uncle Wen had truly put his heart into fulfilling her request.
Tang Mo began practicing the Sword Skill she had learned from videos, bit by bit. She had been self-taught for a long time. With her increased Strength and agility, she felt the blade was becoming even more comfortable to wield.
But after watching for a while, Qin Ling’s expression turned extremely odd, as if he didn’t know whether he should say something or not.
It wasn’t until Tang Mo was panting from her practice that he finally couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst out laughing, the sound growing louder and louder.
"Giving you this blade is a complete waste of a priceless treasure. It’s such a waste. At your skill level, you might as well go to the market and buy a watermelon knife. It would have the same effect, and you might even find it easier to handle."
Qin Ling laughed so hard that he aggravated his wound. He clutched his leg, trying hard to control his expression.
"I’m self-taught," Tang Mo said, gritting the words out. ’That’s it,’ she decided. ’Qin Ling’s favorite shrimp and vegetable congee is officially off the menu. He can forget about ever having it again!’
And here she was, thinking she was doing pretty well. Turns out, in Qin Ling’s eyes, she was just a joke.
"Look at that last swing you just did. You’re supposed to use your wrist, but you’re using your whole arm."
"Never mind that it looks ugly—it’s also less efficient. Someone else could swing ten times, but you can only manage three."
Qin Ling remembered every single one of Tang Mo’s moves. He had been trained in martial arts since childhood, so giving her a few pointers was no problem at all.
"My wrist?" Tang Mo rotated her wrist and swung the blade again, following Qin Ling’s advice.
Sure enough, by changing the point of force, it felt much easier and she could generate more power.
Tang Mo was thrilled and urged Qin Ling to tell her more.
"And your stance. Your lower body is clearly unstable. You can’t tell when you’re practicing by yourself, but in a real fight, if someone charged at you, you’d probably fall flat on your face before you even got to use your blade."
Qin Ling’s words weren’t pleasant, but every point he made hit one of Tang Mo’s weaknesses dead on.
"And the direction of the blade’s tip..."
Chinese martial arts are vast and profound. It’s easy enough to practice them for physical fitness.
But if you actually wanted to wield a blade and rely on it for combat, learning solely from videos was clearly oversimplifying things.
Tang Mo thought she was doing well, but in reality, she was just poorly imitating something she didn’t understand, not even scratching the surface.
After making corrections based on Qin Ling’s guidance, Tang Mo began swinging her blade again, over and over.
With every repetition, she felt herself making progress, but Qin Ling remained unsatisfied, making her do it again until the movement was perfect.
’All those days of fattening up this pig weren’t for nothing. I got a master out of it. This was a worthy trade!’ Tang Mo thought, delighted.
Ever since she discovered that she had a free, crippled master in Qin Ling who could teach her and help her Sword Skill improve by leaps and bounds,
Tang Mo practiced with her blade day and night, having Qin Ling point out her mistakes for correction, not wasting a single moment.
Every day, Qin Ling would shout at the top of his lungs that she was exploiting the poor, disabled, and vulnerable, but it was no use.
Gradually, Qin Ling’s leg healed almost completely. Not only did color return to his face, but he had also visibly put on some weight. He showed none of the destitution one would expect from someone living in an age of famine.
Once his leg was better, Qin Ling could no longer stand sitting around all day. Having not moved his body for so long, he took Tang Mo’s Wind Breaker and went through a full routine.
Tang Mo was left dumbfounded. The power and fluidity were truly on another level, leaving her in the dust.
The tip of the blade sliced through the air so fast it seemed to make a sound. At that moment, Wind Breaker truly lived up to its name.
Holding the blade, Qin Ling’s lips were pressed into a thin line. His back was ramrod straight, and his chin was slightly raised.
"What’s wrong? Mesmerized by my handsome looks?" A single sentence from Qin Ling shattered the picture-perfect, drama-like scene.
"Sigh. If only you were mute, you’d be perfect," Tang Mo lamented, staring at the cave ceiling.
