Chu Xisheng did not find anyone in Chu Yunyun's room. He felt strange and heard a noise from the backyard, so he followed the sound.
When he entered the backyard, he saw Chu Yunyun standing next to a clay stove, lifting her head from the iron pot, looking at him with a blackened face.Chu Yunyun's expression was extremely embarrassed, but she pretended to be nonchalant as she threw the spatula back into the pot.
"I came back late from the Taoist temple, and the canteen was already closed. So I bought some vegetables and cooked them myself, but I accidentally burnt the potatoes," she explained.
Chu Xisheng looked at her blackened face and couldn't help but burst into laughter, finding it amusing.But then he noticed a few blue fabric strips hanging on the clothesline in the corner, swaying in the night breeze.
He was very familiar with those fabric strips—Chu Xisheng's laughter subsided, his face suddenly darkened, "You washed clothes again? It's one thing to bring trouble upon yourself, but why did you touch my clothes?"
"I saw them in your room, so I washed them while I was at it," Chu Yunyun replied.
She scratched her face with her fingers, avoiding his gaze with guilt, "Don't look at me like that. These clothes can still be salvaged with some repairs. I'll compensate you for those two peculiar undershirts and underpants when I go on the trip the day after tomorrow."
She had already gathered her spiritual energy and felt that her self-control had improved significantly compared to before. She was confident at the time, thinking she could handle it.After all, she had no problem fighting and killing people.Chu Xisheng's face twitched, "Did you also ruin my vest and underwear?"
In ancient times, men wore undershirts, but Chu Xishengcouldn't get used to them, so he bought some fabric and sewed them himself. Unfortunately, as a graduate student from South University, he had never touched a needle and thread in his life. It took him a lot of effort to create these few sets of men's underwear.
Chu Xisheng was infuriated for a while, realizing that he couldn't do anything to Chu Yunyun. Could he beat her up?
He sighed and reluctantly picked up the kitchen knife, "Go fetch water for washing up, I'll cook."He saw that there were still plenty of vegetables left. The clay stove was built by both of them on the day they moved in. Chu Xisheng directed the construction, while Chu Yunyun provided the labor.
It seemed that there were still many places where smoke escaped, but it was suitable for temporary use.Chu Xisheng cut a washed potato, growing angrier as he thought about it. He slammed the knife down on the cutting board with a loud 'thud'.
"Chu Yunyun! I'm telling you, without my permission, don't touch the clothes again, or else—"
Chu Yunyun had already picked up the carrying pole from the corner, looking at Chu Xisheng with confusion.
Chu Xisheng's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
The younger sister, carrying a pole, glanced back, exuding a daunting aura as if ready for battle.
The pole in her hand seemed like a formidable weapon, comparable to Guan Yu's Green Dragon Crescent Blade.
Chu Xisheng swallowed a mouthful of saliva, suppressing his fear. He couldn't afford to show weakness in front of Chu Yunyun; otherwise, she would become even more uncontrollable. How could they continue living together in the future?
Chu Xisheng's mind raced, and he mustered his courage to glare back, "Do you believe I won't cook green peppers with potatoes for half a month, no, a month!"
Scared, aren't you? For some reason, potatoes, introduced to China from the 16th century, exist in this world.
Chu Yunyun's favorite dish was potato, and she always insisted on saving the last piece of green pepper and the last strand of potato for herself.
Chu Yunyun smiled, then pouted in a seemingly aggrieved manner, before picking up the water bucket and leaving.
A quarter of an hour later, the siblings sat at the table, eating meat buns with a plate of green pepper and potato shreds and another of scrambled eggs with chives.
As Chu Xisheng cut the vegetables, he noticed that the rice Chu Yunyun cooked was burnt halfway.
He didn't bother cooking again and conveniently heated up the dozen or so meat buns he brought from the library. Unfortunately, they had turned sour after three days in the summer heat.
Chu Xisheng couldn't bear to throw them away; after all, they were bought with silver coins, and they rarely indulged in meat-filled foods.
"What's the origin of that painting in the library?" Chu Xisheng's words were muffled; he was starving as he asked, "It seems to conceal a sense of knife."
Chu Yunyun's hand paused as she picked up food, looking surprised at Chu Xisheng. However, she still maintained her composure and finished her meal before responding, "You can sense the knife's intention? It seems your insight is much better than I thought."
Chu Xisheng looked at her in confusion, "Not only can I sense it, but I also have some understanding. You said my insight is good, but is there any specific criterion?"
"The knife intention in that painting is deeply hidden, even someone with exceptional insight might not notice it. Otherwise, it wouldn't have hung in the library of the Zhengyang Martial Arts Hall for hundreds of years, and yet few have seen through its true nature."
Chu Yunyun explained calmly, "That's why I asked you to memorize the patterns, lines, and structure of the painting thoroughly. As long as you remember about eighty percent of the whole picture and engrave it into your mind, you can trigger the knife intention when contemplating it."
Chu Xisheng couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, realizing he wasn't just insightful but rather his 'eagle eyes' allowed him to notice every detail of the painting, deepening his memory.
And this younger sister of his, was she indirectly boasting about her exceptional insight? If even people with exceptional insight couldn't perceive it, then Chu Yunyun must have extraordinary insight indeed.
"I haven't told you the origin of this picture yet, and why it is so crucial to us, involving life and death? I heard from Ye Zhiqu that there is more than one copy of this picture. The No-Phase Divine Sect has seventy-two martial arts academies, and each academy has one."
This time, Chu Yunyun did not evade the question. She pondered for a moment and then calmly replied, "About 1,300 years ago, the No-Phase Divine Sect produced a rebel known as 'Blood Eyebrow Blade Lord,' who created his own Godly Intent Death-Inducing Blade technique. He once ranked first on the Heavenly Ranking, and dominated the world for 170 years, with no one able to rival him. This picture is from his hand, recording the essence of his blade intent.
After betraying the sect, he became hostile to the No-Phase Divine Sect, leaving behind a trail of blood debts. However, when he passed away, he left the engraved diagram of his blade intent and the Godly Intent Death-Inducing Blade to the No-Phase Divine Sect. There are a total of eight copies of this picture, gradually revealed over time. The first copy was copied more than a hundred times and stored in various major martial arts academies. The second copy can only be accessed by the most outstanding disciples of the Three Leaves inner gate. As for why it is so important..."
Chu Yunyun paused in her speech, reaching out her pale hand and pressing it against Chu Xisheng's left chest.
The young man's heart was beating "thump-thump", but at a much slower rate than normal, and his body temperature was lower than that of an ordinary person.
She had the same characteristics, which were unique.
"We are alive because of the 'Six Yin Revival Curse.' The so-called Six Yin Revival involves borrowing life against fate, and if we borrow, we must repay. Every day, a certain amount of yang energy from our bodies disperses into the void. If one day, you and I are unable to repay this debt, we will return to dust.
To continue our lives, there are only two methods: practicing 'Nourishing Yuan Technique' or similar methods, which are almost pure yang cultivation techniques, and using one's own martial arts Godly Intent to dispel the Yin and cold poison. But merely continuing our lives is not enough. Have you ever wondered who created the Six Yin Revival Curse?"
Chu Xisheng's heart skipped a beat, and his complexion turned cold.
How could he have not thought about it?
In the "Tyrant Martial King's Tomb," the process of their resurrection was full of mysteries, and they inexplicably came back to life without knowing the reason.
He also didn't know who had written the Six Yin Revival Curse.
"I am grateful to the person who brought me back from the dead, and I am willing to repay them, but I am unwilling to be controlled by them."
A glint of divine light flashed in Chu Yunyun's eyes, and she withdrew her hand. "These eight copies of the Eyebrow Blade Lord's diagram are a shortcut for us to break free from the person who cast the curse. Speaking of 'eyebrows and eyes,' what comes to your mind?"
Chu Xisheng pondered for a moment and said, "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth?"
"In the phrase 'an eye for an eye,' the 'return' implies revenge and retribution," Chu Yunyun nodded. "Retribution is akin to the profound understanding of cause and effect. During the peak of the Blood Eyebrow Blade Lord's power, a mere glance could slay a third-rank martial practitioner. Hence, his blade was called the 'Godly Intent Death-Inducing Blade,' invoking death upon contact. However, what I seek to harness is the retaliatory power of the 'eye for an eye,' which can reciprocate and counteract all forms of supernatural abilities onto one's enemies.
The saying goes, 'a kindness must be repaid, an eye for an eye must be reciprocated, and retribution inevitably brings bloodshed.' This is the second son of the dragon, the Eye for an Eye! If you can cultivate the Eye for an Eye blade intent to the sixth diagram, then the person who cast the curse will find it difficult to harm us."
Upon hearing the word 'retaliation,' Chu Xisheng thought of the illusion in the Eye for an Eye diagram, depicting a middle-aged man rebounding the thunderous force of a giant back onto the giant itself.
"Actually, it's very difficult to cultivate the Eye for an Eye blade intent. Although the Blood Eyebrow Blade Lord left the blade intent diagram to the No-Phase Divine Sect, no one has been able to advance it to the fifth diagram to this day. Even I gave up on it in the past. However, there is a great opportunity at the Zhengyang Martial Pavilion in recent days," Chu Yunyun turned her head and looked in a certain direction. "If you obtain that thing, not only can you catch up to the talents from prestigious families in terms of innate talent, but you may also have the potential to cultivate the 'Godly Intent Death-Inducing Blade' in the future."
Chu Xisheng couldn't help but be intrigued once again.
He wanted to inquire further, but Chu Yunyun fell silent and stood up to tidy up the tableware.
Chu Xisheng didn't dare to let her do it. This was someone who would get so nervous that they might break the chopsticks even while picking up shredded potatoes.
He hurriedly held her back and at the same time, his expression changed. "Right, there's one more thing." He took out the two bronze waist plaques from his sleeve and placed them on the table.
Chu Yunyun's expression also slightly changed upon seeing the waist plaques.