Chapter 146: Practice

"Ea...ea...eat..."

Li Huowang sighed in frustration, watching Gao Zhijian stammer for a long time without managing to get the words out. He reached out and took the two books from the big man. "Alright, I don't need you anymore. You can go."

Once the crestfallen Gao Zhijian had left, Li Huowang lowered his head and looked at the two books in his hands. One was a regular paper book, while the other was entirely encased in translucent wax.

The wax-covered book was the Fire Robe Sutra that Jiang Yingzi had given him, accompanied by her own translation. The Fire Robe Sutra was a valuable item; despite the excruciating treatment process, it could be life-saving if he encountered any external injuries on his journey. It would be a great pity not to learn how to use such a beneficial item.

However, Li Huowang was now virtually illiterate. He couldn't even understand the strange script in the Sutra, let alone the translated text that had been written for him.

"This won't do," he thought. "I can't be illiterate my whole life. I have to re-learn how to read." With a hint of helplessness, Li Huowang tucked the Fire Robe Sutra into his embrace.

While that was true, systematically learning an entire writing system from scratch would take several years. Even having someone follow him and translate word by word would likely take months, and he simply didn't have that kind of time right now. As for having the only literate "fool" in the group teach him, that was completely futile; two sentences would take ten minutes of stammering.

Unwilling to give up, Li Huowang reopened the translation. "M-m-mu... Ko... Ren..." Faced with pages of characters, he could only recognize the simplest ones.

"Haha, I've truly returned all my teachers' lessons, haven't I?" Li Huowang said to himself, self-mockingly. He had initially thought that his lost knowledge would return after Dan Yangzi's death, but it seemed that wasn't the case at all.

*Knock-knock.* The wooden door was suddenly tapped. "Brother Li, are you there? I've found the sword manual you asked for."

Hearing this, Li Huowang immediately stood up, walked over, and opened the door. The Fire Robe Sutra would have to wait; he had waited here this long precisely for this sword technique.

Soon, the sword manual in Zhao Qin's hands was passed to Li Huowang. Four large characters were written on it, but Li Huowang didn't recognize them.

"I saw that Brother Li uses a three-foot sword, so I specifically chose this 'Duan Family Sword Art' to match it. It should suit you perfectly," Zhao Qin explained. "This sword art was created by the genius Duan Si. It's quite different from other sword techniques; it has no subtle intricacies, only powerful, wide-sweeping movements."

"Duan Family Sword Art?" Li Huowang murmured, lifting the cover. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that most of the content consisted of illustrations, with only sparse text. "No problem," he thought. "Chief Escort Zhao can teach me this much, and I can just memorize it."

Thinking this, Li Huowang turned to Zhao Qin. "Chief Escort Zhao, I've never studied swordsmanship before. Could you give me some pointers on where to begin?"

"Hmm? You don't use swords? Not even the basics?" Zhao Qin looked at the two swords on Li Huowang's back, momentarily confused. However, as a former escort, his mind was quick. He immediately placed his right hand on Li Huowang's shoulder and ushered him outside. "No matter, no matter. Swords and sabers have always been closely related. I, Zhao, am not very capable, but I'll be Brother Li's introductory master for a few days."

As soon as they reached the training ground, Li Huowang spotted Xiao Man practicing saber with Gou Wa and the others in the distance. He called out directly to her, "Xiao Man, you come too!"

Hearing this, Zhao Qin nodded in approval. "Excellent, Brother Li, you're very thoughtful. It's best to practice swordsmanship with two people, otherwise, you won't even have a sparring partner later on." Chun Xiao Man, gripping her long sword, was very excited, clearly understanding why Li Huowang had called her over.

Soon after, Li Huowang's sword training at the escort agency began. With the experienced Chief Escort Zhao diligently teaching, and both Li Huowang and Chun Xiao Man learning earnestly, they quickly grasped the fundamentals.

*Clang!* Sparks flew into the air as Li Huowang and Chun Xiao Man each retreated three steps. Chun Xiao Man raised her sword in her right hand, stepped forward with her right foot, and charged again. Li Huowang dodged sideways. The moment her wooden sword struck empty air, he instantly transitioned from defense to offense with a "Returning Wind Falling Geese" move. This series of movements instantly disrupted Chun Xiao Man's rhythm. As the saying goes, one wrong step leads to another, and before long, Chun Xiao Man's sword was knocked away, defeating her and drawing a round of applause from the spectators.

Zhao Qin, standing nearby, walked up to Li Huowang with a look of surprise. "Brother Li, what remarkable talent! To go from a complete novice to this level in just fifteen days—you're truly a martial arts prodigy!"

This was no exaggeration. As the chief escort, he had seen many promising talents, but very few like Li Huowang. "You flatter me," Li Huowang said modestly. "I still have a long way to go." Only he truly understood why he learned swordsmanship so much faster than Chun Xiao Man. Ba Hui's gaze didn't just heighten his pain sensation; it amplified all his other perceptions as well. These enhanced perceptions allowed Li Huowang to learn with remarkable efficiency. Regardless of any potential future drawbacks, this was undoubtedly beneficial to him in this particular endeavor.

Handing his bamboo sword to Sun Baolu, who was nearby, Li Huowang turned to Zhao Qin. "Chief Escort Zhao, I've troubled you these past few days. I can't waste any more time; I should be on my way. I hope we meet again someday."

As the saying goes, a master leads you to the gate, but cultivation depends on the individual. Since he had already learned the basics, Li Huowang saw no need to waste more time here. Moreover, Zhao Qin primarily practiced saber, so he couldn't teach him much more about swordsmanship. Besides, Li Huowang primarily relied on his sword, not just the techniques.

"Alright! Brother Li, come with me; I'll get you what you need."

Inside Zhao Qin's study, writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone were neatly arranged. *Swish, swish, swish.* Zhao Qin wrote with vigorous strokes using a wolf-hair brush. He then blew on the freshly written paper to dry it before placing it into an envelope.

"This is my letter of recommendation," Zhao Qin said. "I have a bit of influence within the escort business. Brother Li, you can use this letter to accept escort missions at any escort agency in the future."

Li Huowang reached out and took it, then clasped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Zhao Qin. "Thank you for your guidance these past few days, Chief Escort Zhao."

After much consideration, Li Huowang had finally decided that the escort profession was indeed suitable for him. Gou Wa was right; since he had to travel anyway, why not kill two birds with one stone and earn money while on the road?

"Brother Li, you're too polite," Zhao Qin replied. "This is nothing. The fact that you helped my wife recognize me makes you my benefactor! I won't ask where you're going or what you'll be doing. But if fate allows you to return to this town someday, you must come in and visit."