109 Twenty Years (2)
“When I become a Grandmaster, I’ll go and take a look!”
Jiang Ming stopped thinking about it and took out a small notebook from his pocket. He crossed out a few names in Dongyuan City and looked for the next place he wanted to go.
“Hmm? Lingyang City. It’s said that it’s famous for calligraphy and painting.”
In the immortal cultivator’s scribbles, the information on talismans mentioned that the creation of talismans required extremely high calligraphy skills. Even if ordinary immortal cultivators wanted to go on this path, it was very difficult to get started. Moreover, there were even fewer people who could achieve success.
The best way to get started was to start with calligraphy and painting, but it was also very time-consuming to learn it. Very few immortal cultivators were willing to waste their time on this.
“But I have all the time in the world!”
Jiang Ming smiled and looked at the beautiful scenery in front of him. He whistled and the horse under him suddenly sped up, leaving a trail of dust all the way.
* * *
Lingyang City was now under the command of the Qingxuan Army. However, it was peaceful because it was located in the rear. Many high-ranking officials and nobles of the country of Yan had moved their entire families here and continued to live in the rich and prosperous Jiangnan prefecture.
“It seems that many people have their eyes on the Qingxuan Army.”
As Dao Master at his peak, Jiang Ming easily sneaked into Lingyang City. He found a small art studio with no visitors and walked in.
“I am Yu Asheng, may I ask if this place is accepting apprentices?”
From then on, a teenager named Yu Asheng became an apprentice in that art studio in Lingyang City. Every day, he would do odd jobs in the art studio to learn the trade. At night, he would go to the dock to work hard to earn tuition fees.
Two years later, a shocking change happened in Lingyang City. Several Dao Masters were murdered on the same day. At the same time, the apprentice named Yu Asheng in the small art studio disappeared.
* * *
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, ten years had passed.
The world was divided into three parts. The war had not ended yet. However, the country of Yan was getting weaker and weaker. Marquis Zhou had left for many years, and the strategies he had left behind were no longer of any use.
In the bitterly cold land of the northern border, a figure was sitting quietly on the frozen lake. There was a hole in front of him, and a fishing line went straight down.
“It’s been twenty years since I left Peace County!”
Jiang Ming’s gaze was distant. In the past 20 years, he had traveled to several countries. He had visited all the places recorded in the Grandmaster’s notebook.
Along the way, he had gone through a wide variety of experiences and his comprehension of martial arts had also become more divine.
A few years ago, he even had some drinks with Fang Lie for a few days in Zhang Shan’s guise. He even became a general of the Flying Cloud Castle and killed enemies on the battlefield. He only left after making many contributions.
He had similar experiences with The Qingxuan Army and the country of Yan.
“It’s a pity that we all serve our own masters. I wonder how many of them are still alive!”
Jiang Ming shook his head. Even in the country of Yan, there were many hot-blooded and righteous people. Otherwise, they would not have been able to survive until now. Unfortunately, the country was about to collapse, and it could not be saved by a few passionate people.
Suddenly, the line dropped. Jiang Ming’s face was full of joy. He quickly stood up, raised his hand, and pulled up a fat fish that weighed dozens of pounds.
“Dinner is settled again!” Jiang Ming grinned.
He then looked up and saw a faint fiery red color on the other side of the frozen lake.
“That’s the red pine snowfield!”
Jiang Ming stared at the fiery red area, shook his head, and left after a moment.
He had plenty of time, and there was no need to rush to explore anything.
The red pine snowfield was not the only place he had left to explore. He also had to explore the Nine Dragon Lake and the Thunderclap Valley. Jiang Ming carefully avoided many places with rumors of immortal activity.
In addition, although Jiang Ming did not have contact with the Nameless, he still got a lot of information from Miss Wang with the help of his birds. They also avoided places that were suspected to have traces of immortal activity and never touched them.
After all, curiosity killed the cat.
Jiang Ming’s eyes were calm. There was only a little bit left before he broke through. He only needed a certain opportunity to break through to the Grandmaster realm.
“However, even though I’ve intentionally avoided all traces of immortal cultivators, I’ve gained quite a lot over the years, and I’m almost done with my research. It’s time to leave.”
A year ago, Jiang Ming had rushed to North Peace City and took care of the last name on his list. Then he lived in seclusion to sort out what he had gained over the years.
His strength was now almost comparable to that of a Grandmaster, and he had acquired several rare treasures.
Now, Jiang Ming had a better understanding of the mysterious world of immortal cultivation.
“It seems that in the world of immortal cultivation, there is also a vast immortal dynasty that governs everything.”
Jiang Ming thought of the copper coin that he had obtained that year and could not help but shake his head. It seemed that there were experts everywhere.
“But it doesn’t matter. As long as I stay under the radar, no one will be able to hurt me!”
Jiang Ming hummed a little tune and returned to a small wooden house by the lake with the fish. The house was messy and scattered with books, medicinal herbs, scrap paper, and iron weapons.
There were also many bottles and jars filled with various pills and potions. Some were the results of Jiang Ming’s research on alchemy, and some were the medicinal drinks made during the process of practicing making talismans.
Jiang Ming glanced at the table. There were a few talisman practice papers. His calligraphy skills had improved a lot, but without spiritual energy, no matter what he did, it was all for naught.
“I’ve laid down some foundations for the study of immortal cultivation techniques, so I’ll stop here. In the future, when I leave seclusion, I should be able to quickly get to work.”
The next day, Jiang Ming carried a bulging bag on his back and walked further and further away in the wind and snow.
He arrived at Snow Forest City.
After the Green Mountain Army’s rebellion, North Peace City had been almost wiped out. Snow Forest City had then become the most prosperous place in the North Peace Prefecture.
Jiang Ming quite liked this place.
“Waiter, three glasses of Brick!”
Jiang Ming walked into a popular bar, waved, and shouted.
Brick was the nickname of this bar’s signature wine. An ordinary person would feel as if they had been hit by a brick with one sip. Unless they were martial artists, a single glass was enough to inebriate them.
The moment the bartender heard that he wanted three glasses, he knew that this person was definitely a martial arts expert.
In the bar, a few martial artists were gathered at a table, discussing the news.
“The country of Yan’s army is nothing to be worried about, but the Flying Cloud Castle and the Qingxuan Army are getting fiercer and fiercer.”
“I heard that even the Grandmasters have made their moves. The Grandmasters from both sides have fought more than once. It’s just that they’re holding back and didn’t appear on the battlefield. Otherwise, they’d be absolutely invincible!”
“I heard that last month, the Qingxuan Army seemed to have suffered a great loss. They were used as bait by the Flying Cloud Castle and hundreds of thousands of soldiers died. However, I heard that the Flying Cloud Castle is still guarding an isolated city. They have been facing the Qingxuan Army for more than half a month. It still hasn’t fallen!”
“That’s really admirable. Speaking of which, I’ve even met General Guan once. It’s a pity that we can’t hold on for too long,” one of them sighed.
Jiang Ming paused. He slowly raised his head and asked, “May I ask if you guys know General Guan’s full name?”