Chapter 45: 44 Meeting Is Hard, Parting Is Also Hard II

Qinghe Palace.

Zhang Xuan’s Pavilion.

When Zhang Rongfang arrived downstairs, two servant disciples were cleaning the pavilion.

Piles of miscellaneous items, trash, were swept out and piled on the right side of the open space.

Sunlight shone, and the ground in front of the door was bright gray-yellow, not a blade of grass in sight.

Elsewhere, grass could still be found between the tiles, but around the master’s place…

Rongfang felt speechless, knowing without a doubt that it’s the master’s OCD, having it specially removed.

He stepped forward, and the two servant disciples quickly bowed to greet him.

As he reached the front door, he was about to step inside.

“Wait!!”

Suddenly, Master Zhang Xuan shouted.

Rongfang had already lifted one foot, suspended in mid-air, looking bewilderedly at the master running over from inside.

“Master, what’s this about?”

“Take off your boots! I just mopped the floor, don’t you dare make it dirty!” Zhang Xuan sternly pointed to the immaculate floor.

“…”

Speechless, Rongfang changed into wooden slippers and was then allowed to enter.

The two of them went upstairs to the tea room.

A pot of floral tea was steaming on the charcoal stove.

Facing each other, Zhang Xuan took an apple from a nearby wooden tray, carefully peeling it with a small knife.

“Why do you keep running here every few days? Just stay stationed down there obediently.”

“No, Master, I’ve just received news that three people from Mi Gang have gone missing. One of them is Chen Wuyou’s father, Chen Zihan.” Rongfang spoke solemnly.

“And then?” Zhang Xuan replied indifferently, “What does Mi Gang’s business have to do with you? Just worry about your own matters.”

“But…..” Rongfang still wanted to ask.

“Fine, fine, if it’s just trivial matters like this, hurry back. Don’t hang around incessantly.” Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

Rongfang felt helpless, increasingly convinced in his heart that the master definitely knew something.

But since the master didn’t want to say, he had no means.

“Alright…. and one other thing.” He said earnestly.

“Speak.”

“Recently, I felt something within, suspecting I’m about to break the limit. But what exactly is breaking the limit? I ask for your guidance, Master.” Rongfang slightly bowed his head.

“Attainment?” Zhang Xuan suddenly flinched from a hot splash, looked at his newly accepted disciple.

He pursed his lips, contemplated.

“Breaking the limit sounds mystical, but it’s actually a very simple state of the human body.”

He took a wooden spoon, gently scooped some tea onto a nearby stone table, drawing a circle.

“This represents a person’s normal state. Your strength, speed, endurance, spirit, all have this large circle as a range.”

“The edge of the circle is the human limit. And breaking the limit is….”

He drew a line at the circle’s edge with the spoon.

Suddenly, the circle had a break.

“It’s about breaking this circle, causing harm to oneself.”

“Causing harm?” Rongfang recalled sports theory, thanks to the information explosion, though not an athlete, he had read some random articles about this.

“Yes, after getting injured, the body wants to heal that wound. And to prevent that spot from getting hurt again, the body repairs it further.”

Zhang Xuan explained simply.

“Thus, the original circle swells due to injury.”

He drew a bulge at the break in the circle.

“When there are many bulges, the entire circle enlarges. That’s breaking the limit entirely….”

Soon, as the spoon dabbed about, the original circle grew noticeably larger.

Numerous bulges connected, forming a bigger circle.

“That’s it.”

Zhang Xuan stopped the spoon, looked up at Rongfang.

“Therefore, martial cultivators often decline rapidly when they hit forty. Unless they’re from sects like ours with cultivation techniques for longevity. Because practicing martial arts is inherently a process of constant injury and healing.”

“Understood….” Rongfang nodded. He recalled his past jogging experiences.

While running, when hitting the limit, persisting further would make it easier, allowing more distance.

Isn’t that just like breaking the limit here?

Repeatedly breaking the limit, making it a norm through frequent occurrences.

That’s the concept of breaking the limit….

“So? When do you feel like advancing?” Zhang Xuan asked, starting to slice the peeled apple into pieces, arranging them into a flower shape on a wooden tray.

“I should have already advanced.” Zhang Rongfang replied.

This timing for advancement shouldn’t seem abrupt.

“Ah….” Zhang Xuan lifted his head in surprise, the apple he was arranging slipped. “A year and two months…. first attainment. Impressive!”

He clapped Zhang Rongfang’s shoulder.

“Not bad, not bad, you’re really something.” Zhang Xuan showed a satisfied smile.

These days, the covert plan was going smoothly, his son was engaged, the in-laws were decent people. The disciple showed progress, attaining within over a year.

This life indeed had more to look forward to.

“Since you’ve advanced, I ought to reward you. Seeing your recent changes, I guessed you were close. Didn’t expect it’d be even earlier than anticipated.”

He stood up.

“Come with me.”

“Uh… Master, what about this apple?” Zhang Rongfang looked at the apple that had been placed there. Why cut it if we’re not going to eat it?

“Don’t touch it! It’s not for eating right now.” Zhang Xuan quickly turned and raised his hand.

“So, Master, if we don’t eat it now, it will turn brown. When do you plan to eat it…?” Zhang Rongfang blinked his eyes.

“When will I eat it?” Zhang Xuan retracted his hand. “I haven’t thought about it. Don’t you think this apple arrangement is so perfect? Could you bear to ruin such a wonderful formation?”

“…..”

Zhang Rongfang was speechless.

“We can’t just not eat it, right?” He didn’t understand what his master’s thought process was.

“It’s not that we won’t eat it.” Zhang Xuan said calmly, “When the time is right, I’ll naturally eat it.”

“….”

Zhang Rongfang felt that before he came, his master wasn’t this serious… Why was it getting worse recently?

Did Senior Brother know?

“Follow me.” Zhang Xuan said no more, turned and left the room, heading towards a corner of the second floor.

Zhang Rongfang quickly caught up.

The two slowly arrived in front of a large iron-plated door with a big lock on it.

Unlock it, and enter.

Inside were half-human-high wooden boxes. Dozens of boxes were stacked against the walls, almost covering the entire room.

After entering, Zhang Xuan hopped between the boxes, searching for a while.

“Didn’t you say before you were worried about not being able to beat weapon experts with bare hands?” Zhang Xuan soon stopped in front of a box, bent down, placed his hand on the lid of the box, and flipped it open.

Click, click.

The lid fell to the ground with snapping sounds, completely detached….

“So I tidied up the house and found this old thing.”

Zhang Xuan reached into the box, grabbed something, and pulled it out.

Clang!

A metallic screech rang out.

A grey-black circular wheel about the width of an arm appeared in his hand.

The edges of the wheel were sharp, with serrated blade-like edges, and there was a handle to grip the interior. Made entirely of metal.

Judging by its thickness, it was as thick as a baby’s fist.

“This was a weapon used by an old friend of mine. Rest assured, the Great Dao Teaching has the privilege to possess weapons.”

Zhang Xuan held it single-handedly and walked to Zhang Rongfang.

“Since you’ve reached the rank, this weapon is yours, as my first gift to you as your master.”

He held the wheel with both hands and presented it flat to Zhang Rongfang.

Zhang Rongfang reached out and held the handle inside the wheel, examining it carefully.

The blade edge of the wheel had obvious wear marks, with faintly visible engraved script on the wheel’s body, though too worn to decipher the meaning.

The grip had a non-slip cover made of fine threads and leather.

When taking it, Zhang Rongfang felt a weight in his hands.

This wheel was heavier than he expected, at least over twenty pounds.

“What is its name?”

“I didn’t use it, so how would I know? This wheel is meant to be used with the Wish Wheel Skill. That’s why I kept it.” Zhang Xuan casually replied.

Zhang Rongfang lifted it with one hand, placing it in front of his eyes, touching every detail of the wheel.

The wheel seemed to be made with more than just pure iron; there were other metallic components mixed in, showing a hint of bronze in the black.

Soon, he touched two characters on the inside of the wheel, near the handle: “Reunion.”

“Then let’s call it ’Reunion’.” Zhang Rongfang gently swung it, the serrated edges making a slight whistling sound through the air.

One can imagine the damage it would cause when it slashes through an enemy.

“It does seem to be called ’Reunion’.” Zhang Xuan nodded beside him. “Moreover, the accompanying Wish Wheel Skill, I’ll teach you when I have time.”

“Didn’t you say that hardly anyone in the Qinghe Palace knows it?”

“Did I ever tell you, I’m one of those few?” Zhang Xuan smirked, tugging at his beard.

“Please instruct me, Master.” Zhang Rongfang cupped his hands in respect.

“Let’s go, since you’re in such a hurry, let’s first test your current strength, see if you can wield it.”

The two of them went downstairs, changed shoes, and walked to the backyard.

Zhang Xuan took the wheel, swung it gently a few times.

“When I got this wheel back then, I also thought about trying it, but my strength wasn’t enough… Holding over twenty pounds and swinging it freely is not something ordinary people can do.

Although I can do it too, it’s too tiring. Not worth it.”

He lifted the wheel and gave it a spin, and suddenly it spun around rapidly.

The serrated edge also became a dangerous cutting edge as it spun swiftly.

“This weapon was set up by the Great Dao Teaching for protection. The wheel’s name should be called Wish Wheel.

Because its design is too cruel, to prevent this weapon from being misused, all who learn the Wish Wheel Skill must write down a wish on their wheel when they receive their weapon.

To show that they are not indiscriminately killing innocents, but are forced to use this weapon for their heart’s wish.”

“Now, since you want to learn the Wish Wheel Skill, I ask you, what is your wish? Why do you want to learn it?”

In the sunlight, Zhang Xuan’s expression turned solemn, looking at Zhang Rongfang.

“My wish….” Zhang Rongfang paused.

“I just…..” He raised his head. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt because of me.”

The people here actually included himself.

“Then it shouldn’t be called ’Reunion’,” Zhang Xuan squinted his eyes and said.

“It should be called ’Parting Injury’.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep