Chapter 245: Rustling in the Forest, Wind and Rain in the Gloom
The battlefield fell into a deathly silence. With the young man as the center, the entire military formation, after a moment of stunned disbelief, erupted in a uniform clatter of iron armor. When an army fights, it is not to watch a spectacle. In an instant, spears bristled, crossbows were drawn, and all were aimed at the young swordsman who claimed to be from the land of Great Li.
Then Chen Ping'an made a very inappropriate move. With his left hand, he placed the locust-wood sword back into its wooden case, and with his right hand, he skillfully unhooked his wine gourd. Then he suddenly raised his left hand high, as if telling the Shushui Kingdom’s grand army: "Wait a moment, everyone. Allow me to drink some wine before we fight."
This immediately provoked a tidal wave of uproar. Even some of the battle-hardened colonels and commandants looked at each other in bewilderment. Was this young swordsman, who could cleave a golden-armored warrior with a single sword stroke, truly a match for ten thousand men? Could he really stride leisurely from start to finish, charging straight through, treating the vast army as if it were nothing? How were they supposed to fight this frustrating battle? Were they to let their brothers fill a bottomless pit with their lives? One hundred taels of silver for a death benefit was high, but among comrades on the battlefield, who would willingly watch the familiar living souls around them turn into a pile of lifeless silver?
Both of his bound flying swords, First and Fifteen, had already earned their battle merits, further enhancing Chen Ping'an's illusion of invincibility.
The sword qi of the Azure Bamboo Swordsman, which had slashed toward Song Yushao, surged forward like a tidal wave, but First, darting recklessly, constantly wove through the wave's front, bit by bit eating away at it. Meanwhile, the military cultivator from Shushui Kingdom, wielding his great double axes, found Fifteen, with its terrifying speed, aimed directly at his brow. Frightened, the burly man had to abandon his attack. Unwilling to trade his life for Song Yushao's, he continuously used his axes to shield himself, producing a series of crisp, pleasant clinks and clangs, while sparks flew from the axes.
Song Yushao took the opportunity to catch his breath. He extended his arm horizontally, holding Yiran, its sword tip gleaming, with a bamboo scabbard hanging at his waist. His sword intent surged, and his black robes fluttered even though there was no wind. Being able to fight freely once more brought him immense joy.
After raising his arm to create a diversion, Chen Ping'an, while drinking his wine, silently recited in his heart: "First, Fifteen, keep your opponents entangled. Make your moves flashy and flamboyant... that's fine too!"
Flying Sword First, like a relentless rogue, latched onto the Azure Bamboo Swordsman, that "little woman," while Fifteen had gnawed the heavy double axes into a mess of jagged edges, much to the burly man's heartache.
The Azure Bamboo Swordsman, whose eyesight and cultivation were a cut above the rest—a sword path master aiming for the head of the old sword saint of Shushui Kingdom—spoke out in fury while fending off First, revealing the secret: "That young man's two drinks were fake! It was all about catching his breath!"
In the battle of martial arts masters, opportunities lost are gone forever.
Chen Ping'an had already lowered his arm, tucked the Sword Nurturing Gourd at his waist, leaped over the army's formation, and grinned at the Azure Bamboo Swordsman.
Song Yushao, now revitalized, added fuel to the fire, laughing loudly: "You fool!"
The brocade-robed old man, who had earlier used a talisman to summon a Golden Armored Warrior, now gave a bitter smile after losing his trump card. He pinched three blue talismans, but their runes were no longer gold—one silver and two vermilion characters. He tossed them out again, and three more Daoist talisman sect warriors landed with a crash, standing side by side before the general's banner: one Silver Armored Warrior and two Bronze Armored Warriors.
By the time Song Yushao and the young swordsman had joined forces and reached the banner, the attacking and defending sides had subtly switched roles. Without the latter, Song Yushao would have already perished here. But with this inexplicable intruder, Song Yushao instead gained an advantage.
Chu Hao's assessment of the battlefield situation was crystal clear. With half a lifetime of military career, having fought over thirty battles big and small without a single defeat, he still had that much insight.
So this gloomy-faced grand general quietly infused a martial artist's true qi into the military treasure in his hand, shaped like a silver ingot. This treasure, the most precious of his wife's generous dowry from years ago—a battle armor pill—instantly flowed like mercury over Chu Hao's armor. Originally pitch-black military heavy armor transformed into a snow-white suit covered with cloud patterns and ancient seal scripts, named the Divine Dew Catch Armor, commonly known as Sweet Dew Armor among the mountains.
Though it was the lowest rank of military armor pills, throughout more than a dozen kingdoms including Shushui, not a single commanding general possessed such an item. It wasn't because these pillars of the state lacked money, but because it was highly sought after yet rarely available. Even if it cost fifteen hundred snow coins—or double that—generals would pawn everything to buy a set. Three thousand mountain snow coins, three hundred thousand taels of silver, in exchange for the best life-saving charm—who wouldn't pay that silver? It simply couldn't be bought.
Military cultivators from the mountains had almost completely monopolized armor pills. Qi refiners who were not sword cultivators could not temper their physiques as well as the former two, so they desired these armor pills even more as protective charms. How could the brute martial artists down the mountain ever get their hands on them? That would be a waste of a gift from heaven.
Song Yushao began to advance, his mind free of worries. One man, one sword, he charged forward with unprecedented determination. Because Chen Ping'an was covering his rear.
Chen Ping'an laughed loudly and took a step forward, leaping over two zhang in one bound. "Come back!"
First reluctantly let go of the Azure Bamboo Swordsman and slowly flew back, clearly sulking.
Flying Sword Fifteen instantly circled around Chen Ping'an, blocking the dense swarm of spear tips and arrows.
The Azure Bamboo Swordsman, still standing on the back of his warhorse, sighed. He cast a lingering glance at the bamboo scabbard at Song Yushao's waist. This swordsman from Songxi Kingdom, whose martial reputation even surpassed Song Fengshan's, leaned back, tapped his toes, and instantly shot backward. Turning in midair, he stepped on the heads of the soldiers behind the banner, drifting away gracefully. After completely leaving the Shushui army, the young swordsman tucked the section of green bamboo and hung it at his waist. He walked slowly toward the provincial capital, glancing back at the general's banner with regret. "If I want to seize that green bamboo scabbard from Qingshen Mountain again, I wonder how many years or months I'll have to wait. If Song Yushao survives this, he'll probably live another twenty or thirty years, right?"
With the Azure Bamboo Swordsman's desertion in the heat of battle, the Shushui court's grand army immediately began to lose morale. Chu Hao's eyes showed confusion as he turned to look at the infantry formations from several local garrisons. The situation was only slightly better than a full mutiny. Logically, things shouldn't have fallen apart so easily. These four garrison forces from Shushui's outposts, though far less effective than his own elite troops, included two veteran infantry battalions that had weathered years of border conflict—they should not have been so pathetic.
When Chu Hao saw a local garrison commander not only failing to stop the deteriorating situation but sitting high on his horse with arms crossed, like an unconcerned outsider, his face turned livid. He clenched his teeth in rage, wishing he could gallop over and chop the man into mincemeat.
Chu Hao's expression changed drastically. He lifted himself in his saddle, gazing into the distance. At some point, the dense infantry formations of the local garrisons, which had largely remained inactive, had become obstacles blocking his own Chu family elite cavalry from coming to his aid. They had isolated him and his several dozen personal guards beneath the banner from the three thousand elite horsemen.
Song Yushao, while dealing with the axe-wielding giant and the talisman warriors summoned by the brocade-robed old man, still had energy to spare. He kept a close eye on every move Chu Hao made.
Chen Ping'an gradually noticed the strange turn of events. The fierce attacks from the infantry formations slowed down. Besides the group of martial artists gathered to attack him, the arrows and spears from the army grew sparser, until they simply stood by and watched, as if watching a show. Moreover, commanders and colonels on horseback continually rode through gaps in the infantry, whispering something to their squad leaders and elite soldiers.
Song Yushao cut a Bronze Armored Warrior in two with one sword stroke, the returned talisman turning to ashes in the air. Another sword stroke clashed against the two great axes, producing a brilliant burst of sparks that scattered in all directions. The fiery sparks from the axe fragments shattered against the armor of distant soldiers, sometimes producing faint metallic sounds. This showed how terrifyingly powerful the martial arts skills of Shushui Kingdom's foremost warrior were.
After forcing back the military cultivator in the court's service with one sword, Song Yushao pointed his sword at Chu Hao and said with a smile, "I have come all this way to invite only Grand General Chu Hao to my mountain villa as a guest. As for the rest of you, if you wish to fight to the death, then do so. Beneath my Yiran sword, you will bear the consequences of your own lives!"
A loud crash erupted beneath the general's banner.
It turned out that Chen Ping'an had, without anyone noticing, shifted the battlefield involving over a dozen martial experts to a spot just fifty paces from the banner. He fought while moving, leaving a trail. Then, entrusting his back to First and Fifteen, he quietly used a Fangcun Talisman, bypassing the small battlefield between Song Yushao and the two qi refiners, and appeared ten paces in front of Grand General Chu Hao, who was wearing the Sweet Dew Armor! With a powerful step, he stomped the ground and then tilted his body upward, his right fist striking the warhorse's head. The blow shattered the horse's skull and broke its legs. Chu Hao, whose military talent was unmatched in Shushui but whose martial realm was actually only the third level, toppled forward. Chen Ping'an's left fist slammed into his chest. Though the spiritual energy of the Sweet Dew Armor almost simultaneously converged at the point of impact, Chu Hao was still knocked into the air, crashing heavily onto the ground three or four zhang away, kicking up a cloud of dust on the road.
Chen Ping'an continued to dash forward. A personal guard from the Chu family cavalry charged angrily at him. The guard, a skilled horseman, pulled hard on the reins, making his horse rear up, its front hooves raised high, ready to stomp down on the young swordsman's head.
Chen Ping'an sped up, ducking under the horse's belly, then suddenly straightened his back, slamming his shoulder into the beast. The warhorse was sent flying backward, its hooves dangling in the air!
Chen Ping'an rushed straight ahead. His feet suddenly exerted force, just like the time back home when the young eagle jumped over the stream. The newly risen Chu Hao was punched on the crown of his head, causing the military Sweet Dew Armor to flare with blinding spiritual light. Chu Hao himself staggered backward again, rolled his eyes, and completely passed out.
Chen Ping'an had already reached the side of this man who aspired to be among the top ten generals of the continent. He crouched down, grabbed Chu Hao by the neck, stood up, and lifted the Shushui grand general by the neck to shoulder height. He shook him a little, turned to Song Yushao, and said with a smile, "Old Song, I've caught him!"
With the tide turned, the two royal qi refiners exchanged glances, both seeing the helplessness in each other's eyes.
Song Yushao did not press his advantage. He sheathed Yiran and put it back in the bamboo scabbard, then clasped his fists toward the two top qi refiners of Shushui. "I apologize for the offense. Please pass a message to His Majesty the Emperor: Henceforth, whatever the court decides, I and the Jianshui Mountain Villa will accept it all."
Then the old man dashed forward. Sword qi fell like rain, severing the legs of several dozen Chu family personal cavalrymen who were charging desperately at Chen Ping'an.
The old man landed beside Chen Ping'an. "Let's go! Once we leave the battle formation and return to the villa, we'll be safe. This imperial army has lost its cohesion; it poses no threat for now."
The entire Shushui infantry fell into silence.
In the distance, the Chu family elite cavalry, blocked by the infantry formations, realized something was wrong near the banner. After failing to communicate with the infantry, they began to charge under the lead of a cavalry commander. The infantry, neither daring to engage the elite cavalry with blades nor willing to scatter on their own, slowly parted to both sides, making way for the cavalry to gallop through.
Chen Ping'an said quietly, "I can use the Fangcun Talisman one more time."
Song Yushao laughed. "Then this time, I'll cover our retreat. Remember, don't turn back to break through their formation. Head right, we'll take the mountain path back. Otherwise, the Chu family's three thousand elite cavalry will still be a bit troublesome."
Chen Ping'an nodded, took a deep breath, and dragged Chu Hao by the neck, activating that Fangcun Talisman.
Only then did everyone understand why the young swordsman had vanished several times on the spot.
The young man's figure disappeared, but Grand General Chu Hao's entire body was dragged horizontally through the air, like a woman's long sleeve trailing behind.
When the swordsman finally reappeared, he began to display the celestial art of riding the wind at a distance.
Yet, for some reason, the young sword-carrying youth stumbled at first, only then walking steadily through the high sky as if on level ground.
Song Yushao sped away, following Chen Ping'an away from the battlefield. He rose and fell several times, soon becoming two black dots with Chen Ping'an, and finally entered the distant forest on the other side of the road.
Once inside the mountain forest, the outcome was essentially decided. Song Yushao thought back to Chen Ping'an's earlier stumble. Worried, he asked, "Are you injured internally?"
Chen Ping'an shook his head with a smile. "One of my little ancestors is throwing a tantrum. It's nothing."
The first time he flew over the heads of an army, he had actually been stepping on First and Fifteen. The second time, First was unwilling and deliberately made him step into empty air, then returned to the Sword Nurturing Gourd to sleep. Fortunately, Fifteen flew fast enough to keep up with Chen Ping'an's pace.
Song Yushao sighed with emotion, "Legend has it that in the north, there are martial arts masters who have reached the Martial God realm. Not only can they hover freely in the void, they can also ride the wind to fly, just like swordsmen flying on their swords."
Remembering what Zhu He had said back at Qidun Mountain, Chen Ping'an grunted in response and blurted out, "That's the eighth realm of martial arts, called the Yuhua Realm. Because one can ride the wind, it's also called the 'Far Travel Realm.' Very impressive."
Song Yushao asked in confusion, "Isn't everything above the sixth realm collectively called the Martial God realm?"
Chen Ping'an was also a bit unsure. He shook his head. "That's not what I heard. Above the sixth realm, one does start focusing on refining the spirit, but it seems one isn't yet qualified to be honored as a Martial God. I only know that the seventh realm, the Golden Body Realm, qualifies one to be called a Lesser Grandmaster. The eighth realm is Yuhua, the ninth realm is the Mountain Summit Realm, and then there's the tenth realm. Currently, our Great Li has one such person: the vassal king Song Changjing. He's the uncle of a guy who lives next door to my home on Mudsilk Alley. I saw Song Changjing in the alley once. He's very strong—clearly an expert."
The old sword saint of Shushui felt as if he were listening to a fairy tale.
Seeing the old man's expression, Chen Ping'an quickly swallowed the words he was about to say.
Like how the barefoot old man who taught him boxing and tempered his third realm martial arts was actually a tenth realm martial artist, and how that old man surnamed Cui had been the first tenth realm grandmaster to appear on Bottle Gourd Continent in centuries...
Song Yushao quickly let it go and laughed. "A frog at the bottom of a well, nothing more. No matter, no matter. As long as there are still great wonders above the sixth realm of martial arts, that's a wonderful thing! Otherwise, if all the beautiful sights in the world were reserved for the immortals up in the mountains, we martial artists would lose all face! That should not be!"
Still holding Chu Hao by one hand, Chen Ping'an nodded vigorously.
He thought to himself that if Old Song could visit his hometown, he would definitely get along well with that guy in the bamboo tower.
There were still people who, despite vast differences in martial arts realms, could sit at the same table and drink together.
In Chen Ping'an's eyes, Old Comrade Song here was very remarkable. No matter where the old man went or whom he met, he would earn people's respect.
After Chu Hao's true qi had completely dissipated, the Sweet Dew Armor returned to the shape of a silver ingot and fell to the ground. Chen Ping'an flicked it up with his toe and pocketed it.
Then he exerted a little force, twisting his wrist, and knocked out the grand general, who had woken up but dared not open his eyes, again.
Song Yushao smiled knowingly.
Meeting such a "Great Li young swordsman" was indeed Chu Hao's "heaven-sent blessing."
Chen Ping'an asked, "What now?"
Song Yushao sighed. "Even if the three thousand elite cavalry are eager to save their commander, they won't foolishly charge toward Jianshui Mountain Villa. Among this imperial army, there is clearly scheming by my grandson Fengshan. It's already in chaos. They won't assist the Chu family cavalry either. They'll just retreat to the provincial capital and wait and see."
A shadow fell over Song Yushao's face. "But the sudden death of the Canyi Kingdom Sword God, the appearance of a demon in Yanzhi Commandery, and on top of that, our Jianshui Mountain Villa... I think the academy is about to act."
Chen Ping'an asked, "The academy? Is it the Guanhu Academy, one of the seventy-two Confucian academies?"
Song Yushao sighed deeply. "Yes. For a thousand years on Bottle Gourd Continent, the mountain and the mortal world have mostly coexisted peacefully. That's all thanks to the academies. But I never expected that this time, Jianshui Mountain Villa might be standing opposite Guanhu Academy. Once the Confucian masters from the academy show up, the villa might be like this imperial army—its people's hearts scattered, the villa's century-old reputation destroyed in an instant."
Chen Ping'an had some impressions of Guanhu Academy. First, it was as famous as the Original Mountain Cliff Academy founded by Teacher Qi. Second, in that incident with the ghost bride, when they were returning from Great Sui to Huangting Kingdom, young Cui Chan, having nothing else to do, had mentioned some bizarre inside stories connected to the scholars of Guanhu Academy. Finally, the foremost exemplary scholar of Guanhu Academy, Cui Minghuang, had once represented Bottle Gourd Continent's Confucian school in entering Lizhu Cave Heaven.
But why would Old Comrade Song, who had boldly snatched the enemy general from the midst of an army, like something out of a book, show such complicated emotions when mentioning the academy?
Song Yushao said self-deprecatingly, "Facing the academy, I wouldn't just give up without a fight, but I don't have the guts for a death battle either. How troubling!"
Chen Ping'an didn't quite understand.
Song Yushao seemed to see through the young man's thoughts. He clasped his hands behind his back, slowed his pace in the forest, and gazed at the sparse sunlight filtering through the leaves, like grains of gold scattered on the ground. After a long silence, the old man said helplessly, "Don't you know? The words of the academy's scholars are the greatest principle under heaven. I once witnessed a virtuous scholar from Guanhu Academy. He was young, but the Canyi Kingdom Sword God came out to welcome him from afar, seeking to discuss morality and learning with him. The young virtuous scholar wore a tall hat and a wide belt, sat upright in serious reverence, facing the Sword God, who sat like a child in his first lessons. That towering dignity was truly another kind of invincibility."
Song Yushao smiled. "So you see, even a hundred, a thousand Song Yushao's are no match for an academy master's words: 'You are wrong. You must be punished.'"
Chen Ping'an asked a question. "But what if the academy masters are wrong? What if a virtuous scholar or exemplary person makes a mistake? What should be done?"
Song Yushao laughed. "Above them, there are sages to provide instruction."
Chen Ping'an seemed thoughtful, still holding a grand general by the neck, the man's feet dragging and rustling on the forest floor.