Iron Empress - Chapter 2 The Way Of The Sword

After Mei woke up, her body stank of herbs. Her bandages were white and she can finally move normally without problem. She immediately stood up and walked to the door, her sight came upon her saviour Hua Long practicing his martial arts.

She silently walked over and observed him swing his sword under a cherry blossom tree, cutting the falling leaves in half.

Only after watching for an hour did he stop and walked over to Mei, Mei immediately cupped her hands and bowed in a 90 degree angle and said the following “I wish to learn from you, to protect my loved ones and to prevent anyone from taking anything from me again”.

“Pick up that sword” – replied Hua Long pointing to the wooden sword beside Mei.

Mei picked it up swiftly and grasped it tightly in her palms, Hua Long turned around and walked up the mountains without looking back.

Mei followed and only then did she look around her surrounding, she was on the middle of a mountain with colourful autumn trees surrounding the mountain she stood on. Reaching the top, she saw a huge tree with colourful leaves softly being blown by the passing wind.

“You will be blindfolded and will use your wooden sword to cut the leaves falling down, you can only succeed once you have successfully cut the leaves precisely down the middle.” – Hua Long

Mei was speechless, she thought to herself “how can I cut anything with this dull blade”, as if being able to read minds, Hua Long responded with “you must become one with your sword and nature, anything could be used as a weapon.” he picked up a single piece of leaf and swung it vertically, cutting a rock on the ground.

Mei was amazed and no longer asked questions, she tore a piece of her sleeves and wrapped it around her head.

She started swinging her sword only to not hit anything, Hua Long interrupted by saying “Calm yourself, and feel your surrounding”. Mei tried to do that but could not seem to get it right.

Hua Long only said “Keep training till you get it, this is a special place where you will not feel hunger nor will you thirst so you can focus on completing the task” he stepped back and sat on a medium sized rock while crossing his leg and entering a cultivation stance.

Hearing this, Mei pushed herself and swung once more.

–5 years later–

After 5 years of constant training, a figure could be seen dancing on the wind with a sword on her hand. Mei was finally able to cut down the leaves falling with precision.

She hovered down and finally took down her blindfold. She now looks like a grown adult with a slim figure, her silver hair fluttered with the wind adorned with an almond shaped eyes with deep purple pupils. She was now 19, her aura had changed from a child into a woman. She observed her surrounding, everything stayed the same with the exception of her missing teacher.

She walked down the mountain to find Hua Long but found nothing but a piece of paper, a book and a sword with a jade handle.

“By the time you’re reading this, you must have succeeded. I left a sword arts book for you to master, I had some matter to attend to and thus had to leave. I hope that the next time we meet that you will be someone of strength. Till next time” – Hua Long

Mei clutched the paper and stepped outside the house she had rested in the past and bowed before getting up and descending down the mountains.