Ms. Diviner: The Prodigal Daughter's Return-Chapter 1097: Truly One of the Three Great Masters

"I have no idea, they probably grow on their own, but every once in a while, Lord Gong instructs the three of us to carefully trim them," Tan Yu replied.

"Exactly, and I don’t know what the lord is thinking. Some grow just fine, yet we’re ordered to remove them, while others are half-dead, but we must take good care of them. If even one dies, we’ll be in trouble," Gu Yushu added.

It seems my guess was correct. Though these strange flowers and herbs aren’t valuable medicinal materials, their planting follows a significant pattern; not only do they have calming effects, but they also assist in the flow of Qi.

The Heaven and Earth Power in this valley is already abundant, and with the aid of these strange flowers and herbs, cultivation becomes twice as effective with half the effort.

Truly worthy of being one of the top three experts at Long Yan Academy! Not only is his strength astonishing, but his knowledge is also broad. At least Mu Hanyan had never heard of such methods of planting strange flowers and herbs before, nor of their curious effects. Her admiration for Gong Hongru grew even deeper in her heart.

Deep within the valley, several small courtyards were built against the mountain. A few large trees stood at their doors, simple yet elegant. There was no doubt that this was Gong Hongru’s residence.

Mu Hanyan instinctively softened her footsteps, restrained her smile, and adopted a serious expression. Beside her, Huayue and Zirong also showed the same demeanor.

Although Gong Hongru had accepted them as disciples, they had not yet officially paid respects to him as their master. In their minds, this iron-fairness-renowned top three expert at the academy was still an untouchable figure, whom they dared not offend in the slightest.

Thus, a group of them cautiously tiptoed to the door, after which their expressions turned remarkably strange.

A pleasant snoring sound wafted out, rhythmically snoring away.

If they were not mistaken, it was almost noon by now, right? Mu Hanyan and the others looked up and confirmed it was true; that glaring red sun was hanging high in the sky, neither morning nor evening, but rather midday.

Wenjian Valley was Gong Hongru’s living quarters. Usually, unless there was something urgent, academy disciples were not allowed inside. Clearly, it was Gong Hongru who was soundly asleep within.

"It seems we came at a bad time; the lord is taking a nap. Why don’t we come back later?" Mu Hanyan suggested.

She, of course, didn’t know whether Gong Hongru had been asleep all night or was simply napping, but going against their teacher before officially becoming disciples just didn’t seem right, so she took the initiative to give him an excuse.

"Yes, yes, the lord is napping. I’ll show you to your accommodations first." Tan Yu nodded repeatedly, leading Mu Hanyan and the group to a nearby courtyard.

The courtyard evidently hadn’t been lived in for a long time, but it was meticulously cleaned, exuding a touch of elegance. After a brief tidying up, Mu Hanyan and her companions moved in.

It was still early. Next door, snoring continued unabated. Since Mu Hanyan and the others had not yet paid their respects to their master, they couldn’t rest so soon and could only wait patiently.

"By the way, before leaving, Lord Gong gave you a set of sword manuals. How are you coming along with them?" With nothing to do, Tan Yu asked the Yu Shulin Feng brothers.

"We’ve practiced it already, but the sword technique isn’t anything special. It’s even inferior to the sword methods you taught us before," Gu Yushu said, patting his large belly.

"That can’t be true. I remember the lord saying that although this sword technique is just a fragment, it is incredibly profound," Tan Yu said, puzzled.

"Senior Brother Tan, you think we’re lying to you? If you don’t believe us, we’ll demonstrate it for you...ouch..." Gu Linfeng, dissatisfied with Tan Yu’s remark, leapt up, and before he knew it, he’d used too much force, hitting a beam with a loud thud, and grimaced in pain.

It seemed Tan Yu’s comment about him being able to be blown away by a gust of wind wasn’t an exaggeration after all.

"How can someone so fat jump so high?" Gu Yushu said, both envious and jealous as he looked at Gu Linfeng, who was all skin and bones.

Mu Hanyan wondered if these brothers ever looked in a mirror.

With nothing better to do, Mu Hanyan and her group joined them in the courtyard, watching the Yu Shulin Feng brothers demonstrate the sword technique.

Gusts of wind swept through, lifting dried leaves from the ground as the Yu Shulin Feng brothers gripped their sword hilts, exuding a solemn aura. Though one was too fat to look at, and the other emaciated beyond belief, they surprisingly possessed a hint of an expert’s demeanor.

A cold flash, and two longswords were drawn simultaneously. Just like the brothers’ physiques, the two longswords were equally distinctive. Gu Yushu, round as a meatball, wielded a sword as fine as a willow leaf, while Gu Linfeng, thin as a skeleton, wielded a broadsword so wide and heavy it resembled a horse-chopping blade.

It is said eccentric appearances are accompanied by extraordinary talents; thus, Mu Hanyan dared not underestimate these two in the least, nor dared she show any disrespect toward the sword technique taught by Gong Hongru. She watched intently as the two slowly unleashed the sword force.

In an instant, the cold gleam of the swords resembled flying swans, and within moments, the two had performed dozens of sword moves.

All around, Mu Hanyan and her group were utterly confused.

This... is really the sword technique taught by Gong Hongru, one of the top three experts of Long Yan Academy?

Their swordsmanship was stiff, clumsy, full of flaws, bearing not the slightest hint of intricacy. Even if a child who knew nothing of sword technique waved a wooden sword randomly, it would probably look more perfect compared to theirs.

"Stop, enough already." Not just Mu Hanyan and the others; even Tan Yu could not bear to watch any longer.

"Brother Tan, do you believe us now? This sword technique passed down by Lord Gong, we practice every day, but it seems like a suicidal sword technique with no use whatsoever," Gu Linfeng said, sheathing his longsword.

"Are you sure this is really the sword technique given to you by Lord Gong? Could you have remembered it wrong?" Tan Yu remained silent for a moment before asking.

He found it hard to believe that Lord Gong would impart such a sword to the Gu Family brothers, unless he held a grudge against them and intended to harm them. But considering his status and strength, if he wanted to harm them, he wouldn’t need to resort to such measures—it would be beneath him.

"How could it not be? This Heavenly Decision Sword was given to us by Lord Gong right in front of you, and he told us to practice it diligently; there’s no way we could have mistaken it," Gu Yushu replied, taking out a piece of tattered parchment.

The parchment, about two feet square when opened, depicted sword techniques that were already vague and incomplete, though some annotations were barely legible.

"Indeed, it is the sword technique given to you by Lord Gong. So, it’s called the Heavenly Inquiry Heart Sword, yet why does it appear so mundane and unremarkable?" Tan Yu confirmed that the parchment was indeed handed over by Gong Hongru to the Yu Shulin Feng brothers, and his heart grew even more puzzled.

"How are we supposed to know," the two brothers said, looking distressed.

"Didn’t you ask Lord Gong?" Mu Hanyan asked, puzzled.