The Life of a Necromancer as a Swashbuckler

Chapter 23: The Three Principles Return to One

Arriving at the cave at the entrance to the valley, Nameless found that it appeared to have been dug by human hands; the walls were smooth, and the interior wasn’t as damp and cold as the previous cave. Nameless gathered his composure and stepped inside. The interior was very spacious, with a level path. Nameless ventured deeper and deeper, after walking for quite some time, and came upon a fork in the path with three branches ahead—all pitch-black and indistinct. Nameless was puzzled. Could this be a maze? He stepped forward to examine them closely. All three paths appeared to have been dug by human hands and were roughly the same width, but upon closer inspection, he noticed slight differences. The path on the far left seemed to show more signs of having been traveled than the other two. Looking closely at the ground, he spotted some leopard fur, indicating that leopards had once lived here. If leopards could make their way through, then humans likely could as well. So Nameless chose the leftmost path and continued on. After walking for a while, he felt the visibility improving; it seemed as though a glimmer of light was appearing ahead. Nameless walked toward the light and found himself in a spacious hall. The light emanated from the stone walls surrounding the hall—warm yet cool, no less beautiful than moonlight. In the center of the hall stood a stone table and four stone stools. with a candlestick beside them, though the candle had long since burned down. In a corner of the hall lay a pile of dry grass; near it were fish bones and flesh that had been gnawed to pieces. This place was clearly the lair of two leopards. Looking around further, he saw nothing but walls in every direction; the cave ended right there. Nameless felt both disappointed and puzzled. He was disappointed that he’d come all this way for nothing, but he was also puzzled because it seemed highly unusual for this place to contain nothing but a table and some stools. Moreover, it appeared that the two leopards were the guardians of this place; otherwise, leopards wouldn’t be found in a valley like this. Puzzled, Nameless surmised there must be a secret mechanism or hidden passage. Searching the area, he noticed a gap between the easternmost wall and the surrounding walls; when tapped, it sounded hollow. It might be a door—but where was the mechanism to open it? Nameless searched the area and realized that the stone table and benches were too conspicuous; the mechanism to open the door was likely hidden in one of those two places. So he returned to examine them. The table and benches were firmly anchored to the ground and appeared unremarkable, but the walls were glowing all around—so what was the point of this candlestick? Nameless realized the problem. He grabbed the candlestick and gave it a hard twist—it turned. After turning it a full circle, he saw the eastern wall tremble and slowly slide backward. Sure enough, it was a secret door. Nameless approached the eastern wall and found that it had transformed into a folding screen. Stepping through, he discovered a living quarters inside, furnished with a stone bed, a stone table, a cabinet, and a stone chest. Since he was already there, Nameless didn’t hesitate to open the cabinet to take a look. It was empty. The stone bed and table appeared normal, but the stone chest was locked. So Nameless found a large rock outside and smashed it hard against the lock. Because the lock had weathered over the years, it broke open with a single blow. Opening the stone chest, he found a letter and a book, with three small boxes placed beside them. Inside the small boxes were three pitch-black elixirs. It was too dark inside the cave to make out the contents of the letter, so Nameless took the letter and the three small boxes back to the main hall. By the light emanating from the walls, he examined what was written. The letter was quite long—likely written by Shangguan Feihong shortly after he arrived at this place. It recounted his life story: he had once been a general in a certain dynasty, but when his country fell, he was pursued all the way to Mogan Peak. With no other choice, he leaped off the cliff. Unexpectedly, by sheer luck, he landed in a valley below. Thanks to his exceptional martial arts skills, he survived the fall and found a way to live on. However, the valley was completely sealed off, with no way in or out,and with no way to escape, he had no choice but to live there, subsisting on wild fruits and fish. His lifelong wish was to restore the dynasty, but fearing he might never be able to leave, he left this letter for future generations, hoping they would discover it and fulfill his unfulfilled ideals. At the same time, he compiled his lifetime of knowledge into a book titled *Three Origins Return to One*, which details three martial arts styles: *Iron Palm Fist*, *Wind and Cloud Kick*, and *Startling Swan Reflection*, as well as a specialized internal cultivation technique also called *Three Origins Return to One*. There are also three elixirs, which were given to him by the imperial court at the time to accelerate his cultivation. In an emergency, taking one can unleash twenty years’ worth of martial power; however, only one may be taken within a three-year period. Taking another not only proves ineffective but is also highly toxic. The remaining three elixirs have also been left here. Although the letter did not mention it, Nameless surmised that Shangguan Feihong must have eventually discovered a cave hidden within the waterfall. climbed out of that cave, reached the other side of Mogan Peak, and, upon discovering settlements there, founded the Iron Palm Sect. However, after jumping down from the mountaintop and crashing here, he must have sustained severe injuries. Presumably, he could no longer use the “Wind and Cloud Legs” or “Startling Swan Reflection” techniques, which is why he passed down only the Iron Palm Fist. After reading the letter, he realized the book was the martial arts manual *Three Origins Return to One*. The other three elixirs had been sitting for quite some time and were likely no longer usable, but Nameless accepted them all anyway. He tucked the letter, the manual, and the elixirs into his robe—at least he’d made some progress. It was almost dawn, so he had to hurry back. So Nameless packed up his belongings and retraced his steps back to his residence. Having walked the route once, he realized that now that he was familiar with it, the journey wasn’t actually that far. By the time Nameless returned to his room, the sky was already beginning to grow light. Exhausted, he collapsed into bed and fell fast asleep. While Nameless was fast asleep, he suddenly heard someone calling at the door: “Master Wu, are you awake? Master Wu!”