Chapter 8: Snaking Mist Steps
Chapter 8: Snaking Mist Steps
Meeting Gu Qingluo had changed Su Chen. She had become a speck of light in his dark life.
From that day onward, Gu Qingluo and Su Chen had become friends. Their friendship deepened rather quickly, and they became close enough to talk about anything. However, this relationship between the two had been kept a secret, and no one knew of it.
This was because Gu Qingluo was a noble guest of the Lin Clan.
The Lin Clan was one of the four great clans of Northface City. Northface City was a small strategic frontier town in a desolate, wild place. Because there weren’t any strong clans willing to gather there, four very minor mixed blood clans were able to become the local hegemons of the area.
Despite it being a remote and desolate place, there was still fierce competition between the major powers.
The four great clans all held disdain for one another, and there was great conflict between all of them. In order to hold influence over Northface City, they used all available methods. Naturally, their relationships with one another were not worth mentioning.
Gu Qingluo was an honored guest of the Lin Clan. Naturally, it wasn’t very suitable for her to be closely related to Su Chen.
However, a youngster’s temperament was innately rebellious. With regards to the interests of the clan, a fourteen year old girl was bit far away from understanding this concept, and it wasn’t something she was willing to consider. Normally, such a girl would act on instinct and happiness.
In Gu Qingluo’s point of view, Su Chen was a calm, impressive, gentle and considerate boy.
These characteristics usually proved to be fatally attractive to women. Especially when compared to similarly aged youths with restless temperaments, Su Chen appeared far more mature, as if he were a crane among a flock of chickens.
Although his eyes could not see, his heart was brilliant.
When she was together with Su Chen, Gu Qingluo never felt that she was being considerate toward a blind person. Rather, she felt that Su Chen was often showing consideration toward her.
Because of this, Gu Qingluo couldn’t care about dispute between clans, and became friends with Su Chen.
Naturally, this was limited to being friends.
The majority of the time, Gu Qingluo would go to the Su Clan’s rear mountain to find Su Chen. There was an enchanting view here and it was far from the city, so she didn’t have to worry about people discovering her. The mountain spring water was refreshing and made it very suitable for bathing. Every since the first time she bathed here, Gu Qingluo enjoyed bathing at this mountain spring. Thus, she would frequently come here to bathe. Su Chen proved to be an excellent sentry for her, having the rare combination of being both blind and capable of sensing his surroundings.
As a result, Su Chen received another joy in his life. Leaning on the side of a tree, listening to the sound of the water splashing, he imagined the postures Gu Qingluo would assumed as she bathed.
Today was the same as ever.
Su Chen sat on a large stone at the edge of the water.
The wind blew and a cloud of dead leaves floated down behind Su Chen.
Su Chen didn’t look behind him. Instead he looked to his front-left, “You’re there?”
Gu Qingluo figure appeared and she clapped her hands with a smile, “You’ve won again. Are you really blind?”
This was a game Su Chen and Gu Qingluo often played, based on Su Chen guessing where she was.
However, the majority of the time, it was Su Chen’s loss. After all, for a person to intentionally hide from him, all they had to do was not produce any sound. Although Su Chen’s hearing was sharp, it would still be difficult for him to sense it.
Despite this, Su Chen wasn’t discouraged. He persisted and continued to play this game with Gu Qingluo. After some time had passed, his guesses of Gu Qingluo’s location had unexpectedly became far more likely to be correct.
At this moment, Gu Qingluo said, “Hey, how were you able to do this? You were unexpectedly able to guess right for three days in a row. I’ve made sure my movements were as silent as possible.”
“It is airflow and heartbeat. “You are able to hide the sound of your footsteps but you aren’t able to conceal your heartbeat. Your existence also affects the surrounding airflow. So long as I can feel these, I am able to sense your body approaching.”
“You can already do this?” Gu Qingluo asked with shock.
“I must thank you for your help all this time.” Su Chen faintly smiled.
“Thanking me for what? This is all due to your effort.” Gu Qingluo rolled her eyes at Su Chen. It was truly a pity he couldn’t see. Her charming glances truly had no effect on a blind person.
Gu Qingluo had already walking toward the pool. After a short moment, the sounds of water could be heard and she was already bathing.
Although he was blind, Su Chen had never lightly approached the pool.
He just sat down and listened carefully.
It was unfortunate that although he was a position to see, he wasn’t able to see anything at all.
He would never know what Gu Qingluo looked like. Even moreso, he wouldn’t know how beautiful her postures were as she bathed.
Faint depression appeared in his heart and that pain filled him with emptiness once more.
Despite having not given up, who could be able to guarantee they would always remain resolute? By the time he woke up from his midnight dream, his jacket was soaked with tears.
Su Chen’s feelings of weakness emerged for only a moment, and were quickly suppressed.
No matter what happens, he must persevere; he can never collapse.
Even if the entire world gave up on him, but he would never give up on himself!
He heard Gu Qingluo’s voice, “Su Chen, I heard in a few days it will be the time for your Su Clan’s end of year major evaluation?”
“Yes.” Su Chen said with a light voice.
“I heard the rules were changed this time. The first place of the formal comparison must undergo a challenge before being recognized?”
In these several months, Gu Qingluo wasn’t as completely ignorant of this place as she had been at the start. With regards to the matters of Su Chen and Su Clan, Gu Qingluo had long obtained information on this.
“That’s right.” Su Chen replied.
“Then what will you do?” Gu Qingluo looked at Su Chen.
Su Chen was still sitting as before, “I will just fight.”
I will just fight?
Gu Qingluo’s heart shook.
He easily said this but in the end, Su Chen was still blind.
That’s right, his ears could hear many sounds. However, they could never take the place of his eyes. On the arena, he wouldn’t be given the opportunity to hear the wind. With just the the slightest of error, his opponent would seize that opportunity and defeat him!
He had no chance.
However, Gu Qingluo didn’t say those words; she wasn’t Su Chen’s father. As such, she understood Su Chen far more clearly and respected him.
She absolutely didn’t want to insult Su Chen’s dreams and shatter his hopes.
With that thought, Gu Qingluo suddenly said, “Let me teach you the Snaking Mist Steps.”
“What?” Su Chen was stunned.
Longxi’s Gu Clan had three absolute techniques. One of them was the Snaking Mist Steps. It is said that when its steps and strange movements were put to full use, one would display incomparable speed and would be extremely hard to catch. It was also the Gu Clan’s clan suppressing technique.
Hearing Gu Qingluo’s words, Su Chen instinctively said, “What joke is that? Are you really allowed to so casually teach these clan suppressing techniques to others?”
Gu Qingluo then smiled and said, “Snaking Mist Steps is a secret bloodline technique. If you don’t have the corresponding bloodline, you are simply incapable of displaying its true might. Even if I were to teach it to you, it truly wouldn’t be of concern.
In this world, one’s bloodline was absolutely crucial to one’s success.
Although humans have developed for countless years, they were fundamentally still incapable of discussing cultivation systems and bloodline inheritance at the same level.
A warrior who bitterly cultivated for many years might not necessarily prove to be a match for a hedonistic scoundrel with an awakened bloodline.
The world wasn’t fair and bloodline inheritances were the greatest example of this. .
The Gu Clan’s Snaking Mist Steps followed this principle.
It was divided into two parts: one part footwork, one part bloodline inheritance.
Only those who truly possessed the bloodline would be able to fully display the effect of the Snaking Mist Steps. By only grasping footwork, only its skin could be acquired and its essence couldn’t displayed.
This was the reason why Gu Qingluo dared to teach Su Chen the Snaking Mist Steps.
In this world, techniques weren’t forbidden; bloodlines were!
Naturally, even if it wasn’t forbidden, it couldn’t be so casually spread. Thus, Gu Qingluo requested that Su Chen mustn’t display this footwork to others unless it was absolutely necessary.