11: Claw of the Eternal Beast (2)

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Shu Yue was careful to keep her face neutral as she read the scroll. The last thing she wanted was for Lu Baiyu to see her shock and anger and become suspicious. If Lu Baiyu claimed it was his secret manual, then Shu Yue was not supposed to know about this. She had to pretend she'd never heard of this sword technique. She needed to figure out what was going on first.

No wonder the sword stances looked familiar to her. She saw them once from her father. They even dared to change its name from Silver Moon Claws to Claw of the Eternal Beast.

The Ophiuchus Clan possessed five high-level sword arts. However, thirty-eight years ago, the seventh-generation leader of the Ophiuchus Clan was executed for treason, and the clan was stripped of its title as one of the Zodiacs--the great clans of the Luo Empire.

Following that, some clans took advantage of the clan's demise to steal their martial arts manuals, which the emperor allowed to happen. An imperial decree was even issued to confiscate their ancient sword art manuals, including the abridged versions, as additional punishment and most likely to hold them in check. Ophiuchus was once the strongest clan, so the emperor had to change that by suppressing their influence and power. No longer part of the Zodiac, Ophiuchus must be weakened to prevent them from becoming a threat to the Twelve Great Clans and the imperial family.

No one from the Ophiuchus Clan should have a single copy of any of those five powerful techniques. The previous clan leader was able to teach Shu Liang, his son and now the current clan leader the first parts of the five ancient sword techniques, which was why Shu Liang knew some of the stances even without a manual.

So, how did Lu Baiyu acquire this scroll?

Time stopped and all sound went muffled in her ears as a myriad of thoughts ran through her mind.

"...Chen." Lu Baiyu's voice snapped Shu Yue out of her reverie. "Young Lady Chen?"

Shu Yue realized she was lost in her thoughts and didn't hear the rest of what Lu Baiyu said.

Oh, damn!

Shu Yue arranged her face in a studied embarrassment and smiled sheepishly at him. "I'm sorry, Master. I'm so engrossed and mesmerized by this sword technique. Each form has three minor sub-forms, and its attacks resemble the claws of a wild beast. It also said that this sword skill uses force chi to perform." She looked up at Lu Baiyu, her eyes full of feigned awe.

Lu Baiyu smiled proudly. "That's right. And let me tell you, the damage it causes to the target is greater than all of our clan's techniques combined."

"What a good sword technique!" Shu Yue exclaimed. It truly was an amazing sword art, but she couldn't be distracted now. She needed to figure out how Lu Baiyu got this copy without raising his suspicions. She cocked her head, summoning a curious look on her face. "Where did this technique come from, master?"

For a second, wariness shone in Lu Baiyu's eyes. Then his mouth quirked in a sly grin. "That will remain a secret. For now."

"I understand, master," Shu Yue said ever so politely. She cringed inwardly. It took her a lot of effort to keep the bitter laugh from bursting out of her mouth. She despised calling this human her master, but she had to keep up this facade.

It's not the time to strike yet.

Lu Baiyu gave her a few minutes to study the Claw of the Eternal Beast. It didn't take long for Shu Yue to understand and memorize the contents of the bamboo scroll. Ready to begin her training, she unstrapped her bamboo sword and swung it around, as if testing it out. It whistled as it cut through the air. As usual, she didn't remove the sheath.

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