"Blink Sword Technique?" Han Li muttered the name of the sword style to himself.
"Yeah. What do you think a sword technique has to do with blinking? Funny name, isn't it?"
"Have you ever practiced this technique?" Han Li asked, his interest piqued.
"Of course not. Who would practice a martial art that doesn't even use true qi? It's just an empty frame, nothing more. And forget me — since it was created, nobody has ever practiced it."
"Apparently, the only reason it ended up in the Seven Absolute Hall at all was because the Elder who created it had saved the Seven Mysteries Sect on several occasions. Before he died, he left behind a will insisting that this technique be included among the Hall's secret arts. Otherwise, the Blink Sword Technique would never have made the cut."
Li Feiyu, despite his cold and stoic exterior, had quite the big mouth. Han Li hadn't even asked yet, and already the man had dug up the entire backstory of the technique. Of course, this talkative side of him only surfaced around Han Li. In front of the other disciples, he reverted to the cool, untouchable "Senior Brother Li."
After hearing Li Feiyu's account, Han Li's instincts — a vague, almost sixth-sense kind of feeling — whispered to him that this was exactly what he had been searching for.
"Senior Brother Li, could you copy this technique for me? And get it out of the Seven Absolute Hall?"
"Heh! No problem. For other martial arts, it wouldn't be so easy, since there are people inspecting and cataloguing them every day. But the Blink Sword Technique just sits in some forgotten corner — nobody pays it any attention. Though, honestly, copying it out would be too much trouble. How about I just sneak the original manual out for you instead? Once you've memorized it or made your own copy, I'll sneak it back in. No one will ever notice." Li Feiyu casually proposed an even bolder plan.
Seeing how confident the man seemed, Han Li agreed to the arrangement.
He had been somewhat worried about Li Feiyu's notorious habit of being careless and forgetful — what if the man missed a few sections while copying the technique? That would be a real loss.
Getting the original manual, of course, would be far better.
"All right, it's getting late. I need to head back and train. Otherwise, the Hall master will catch me sneaking out again." Li Feiyu dried himself off, pulled on his shirt, and prepared to leave.
Han Li said nothing more, only reminding him to be careful when taking the manual and not to get caught.
Li Feiyu turned around without a care, gave a casual, suave wave with the back of his hand, and slowly crawled out through a nearby cave opening.
Han Li watched his silhouette gradually disappear into the mouth of the cave, and the smile on his own face faded just as slowly, replaced by a shadow of unease.
Not long after Li Feiyu left, Han Li returned to Divine Hand Valley.
The moment he set foot back in the valley, he spotted that tall, mysterious man standing far off.
The man stood motionless outside Doctor Mo's hut, right against the doorway, his cloak pulled low over his head. He seemed utterly indifferent to the scorching summer sun beating down on him.
Han Li stopped at the door of his own dwelling, gazing at this man who never spoke a word.