Chapter 280: Merely Parting
A sigh sounded somewhere within the Sword Qi Great Wall, as if disapproving of the old sword immortal's violent killing, yet unwilling to come forward and argue.
Beside the one who sighed, an aged voice followed, "Merely Jade Pith Realm, and besides, Chen Qingdu had his reasons. You should just bear with it."
The signer sighed again.
The aged voice smiled helplessly, trying to dissuade him, "Trying to explain your Confucian rules to Chen Qingdu is like talking to a chicken about ducks—what's the point? Moreover, your Confucian doctrine is 'the learning of closeness to humanity,' not seeking Buddhahood, not seeking immortality. The path beneath your feet is neither lofty nor distant. Why must you insist Chen Qingdu follow all the rules? Would that make him a perfect sage? It's simple enough if you stop measuring Chen Qingdu by the standard of a sage."
The man said calmly, "The impact of any single instance of Chen Qingdu's unreasonableness probably surpasses ten thousand instances of unreasonableness by ordinary mortals."
The old man laughed, "He's a sword cultivator, you're a Confucian scholar. Not the same."
The Confucian scholar was silent for a long time, then murmured, "What does the Master do? Busy in his generation."
The old man, having failed to persuade him, also sighed.
Within the city north of the Sword Qi Great Wall, someone roared, "Chen Qingdu!"
A cascade of rainbow light rose from the ground, carrying an unstoppable momentum of wind and thunder, charging straight toward the city wall.
The stooped old man who had already leaped off the wall frowned slightly. He lightly waved his sleeve, pulling Chen Ping'an behind him to stand where Chen Ping'an had been, facing the furious sword cultivator head-on. The old man squinted and said, "What, just because your clan produced a spy for the demon race, you think you're in the right?"
The sword cultivator hovered four or five zhang outside the wall. He was a tall old man with snow-white hair and an extremely imposing presence. Even facing the oldest and most highly accomplished senior on the Sword Qi Great Wall, this old man showed no fear or respect. Face full of anger, he demanded, "My Dong family has its own family laws and rules for dealing with traitors. Even setting aside the main point, the Hidden Officer has not yet judged the severity of my grandson's crime. On what grounds do you, Chen Qingdu, have the right to dispose of Dong Guanpu?!"
The white-haired old man—hair, beard, and clothing all snow white—pressed aggressively, his voice suddenly rising, "Are you treating me, Dong San'geng, as if I'm dead?!"
Chen Qingdu's face was full of mockery. "Before I killed Dong Guanpu with my sword, I did indeed treat you as if you were dead. An irrefutably proven demon race spy, and your Dong family spent a whole month investigating. You think if his surname had been something else, say Chen, one day would have been too many?"
The Dong surname old man who had rushed from the city was furious. "A Jade Pith Realm sword immortal willing to repent and make amends—isn't that more beneficial to the Sword Qi Great Wall than a corpse?"
Chen Qingdu didn't even deign to say yes or no. He just sneered, "With one strike of my sword, would there even be a corpse? Did that little bastard secretly ascend to the Immortal Realm without anyone knowing?"
Dong San'geng, the tall old man, glared, his sword intent surging like a violent storm crashing against the city wall, waves roaring.
Chen Qingdu raised an eyebrow. "What, want to fight?"
Dong San'geng stepped forward, laughing in anger. "Everyone else fears you, Chen Qingdu, but I don't! Fight if you want, what's the harm?!"
A childish voice rang out from a distant spot on the city wall, somewhat plaintive and aggrieved. "Alright, it's all my fault. I couldn't bear to let Dong Guanpu die so quickly. After all, Little Dong was one of my favorite fellows. As much as I love Cao Ci now, that's how much I loved Little Dong the Snot-Nose back then. Now that he's dead... well, he's dead."
The speaker was the little girl with goat-horn braids, dressed in a large black robe—the current Hidden Officer of the Sword Qi Great Wall.
Imperceptibly, more than a dozen top sword cultivators of the Sword Qi Great Wall had appeared in the distance around this section of the wall. Some were heads of major clans, others sword immortals with outstanding combat power. Only the two sages, who were on equal footing with Chen Qingdu, were absent.
A handsome middle-aged man spoke sternly, "Dong San'geng, what you did was wrong—wrong from the start! For so many years, your expectations for Dong Guanpu were too high. That's what made his sword heart so extreme, insisting on going alone into demon race territory to train, which led to this disaster. He thought the Sword Qi Great Wall had Dong San'geng, had A Liang, and could have another Dong Guanpu. I don't think so, but he wouldn't listen—young and hot-tempered. What about you? Didn't you know the danger?"
Dong San'geng's face was cold. "A son of the Dong family should have such ambition. Why would I dissuade him? I wish every descendant of the Dong family would surpass me, Dong San'geng, in the sword dao!" He then chuckled contemptuously. "Our Dong family, after all, isn't like the Chen, Qi, or Nalan families. We don't have so many tricks up our sleeves."
This arrogant old man's one stroke had almost killed half of the Sword Qi Great Wall.
The handsome man snorted coldly and said no more.
Chen Ping'an noticed that the old man surnamed Qi also had a place there. He spoke slowly now, "Since things have come to this, what can we do? With a great enemy before us, are we going to fight among ourselves?"
A thin, long-robed elder with a sword on his back nodded slightly, "Regardless, the most important thing now is to deal with the demon race offensive. We must not throw our own formation into disarray and hand the beasts in the south an advantage for nothing."
The old sword immortal paid no attention to these two who were trying to smooth things over. He had no intention of letting the matter rest. Fixing his gaze on Dong San'geng, he smiled, "If meritorious service can atone for crimes, then can I kill you, Dong San'geng, today, have the Hidden Officer tear out a few pages from the merit book, and call it even?"
Dong San'geng was left speechless.
The atmosphere was awkward, stagnant, and heavy.
Chen Ping'an watched from behind the old sword immortal, feeling that the sword qi on the wall, with the appearance of these people, had gained weight, pressing down on him until he could hardly breathe.
Suddenly, Dong San'geng looked around and roared, "Enjoying the damn show? Gathering for the damn excitement? Get lost, get lost!"
More than a dozen of the Sword Qi Great Wall's pillars knew that Old Dong was giving himself a way to retreat. The fight wasn't going to happen today, so they dispersed one by one, returning to the city in the north.
Only after they had all scattered did Chen Ping'an see that Ning Yao was among them. She slowly flew on her sword toward the wall. Dong San'geng glanced at the little girl and said gruffly, "Ning girl, don't learn from your useless parents. You, I still like."
Ning Yao's expression was blank.
Dong San'geng didn't mind. He turned and strode back toward the city on the wind.
The Hidden Officer on the wall was the most carefree of them all. She had been secretly yawning, but now she wrinkled her face, hesitated, then opened her mouth wide, stuck out her thumb to press against that restless tooth, gently wiggled it. In the end, she couldn't bear to pull it out. After closing her mouth, she turned and muttered her way into the distance.
The old sword immortal Chen Qingdu seemed unruffled by the night's uproar. He smiled at Ning Yao, then swept down from the wall and walked toward his old thatched hut.
Chen Ping'an leaped back onto the wall and stood shoulder to shoulder with Ning Yao.
Ning Yao showed no great emotional fluctuation. "The Sword Qi Great Wall has always been like this. Fortunately, one rule left by our ancestors hasn't changed much."
Chen Ping'an looked at her curiously.
Ning Yao said slowly, "Sword tips face south."
Those four simple words made Chen Ping'an, who had just begun learning the sword, tremble with excitement.
Chen Ping'an couldn't help turning his head to look south.
Ning Yao took the initiative to remove Chen Ping'an's Nurturing Sword Gourd and began to drink.
Chen Ping'an withdrew his gaze and asked softly, "That traitor Dong Guanpu—was he the kind of person you mentioned? A hero on the battlefield, but unreasonable within the city?"
Ning Yao shook her head. "On the contrary, Little Dong Grandfather was always a good man. North of the Sword Qi Great Wall, he kept to himself and didn't like interacting with others much. When I was little, if I occasionally met him, Little Dong Grandfather would be very polite. He wasn't good with words, but he always smiled at me, like an elder in the family."
Ning Yao sat cross-legged and said helplessly, "No one knows why Little Dong Grandfather chose to side with the demon race. Maybe that dangerous training journey years ago went seriously wrong. Actually, many sword cultivators leave the Sword Qi Great Wall and go alone into the wild lands to hone their sword dao. Because over there, demon race of the mid-five realms take pride in cultivating human appearances, and in daily life they look just like us. Only in critical moments on the battlefield do they reveal their true forms, relying on their innately powerful physiques to withstand flying swords. So as long as a sword cultivator is careful and hides well, it's not too easy to be discovered."
The reason humans are the leaders of all spirits is that human acupoints and energy palaces are themselves the most profound grotto-heavens and blessed lands in the world. That's why demon race tirelessly cultivate human forms, after which their cultivation becomes twice as effective with half the effort. The blue-clad boy and pink-skirted girl of Fallen Mountain were examples.
Ning Yao continued, "Of course, some special cases on the Sword Qi Great Wall are noted early on by peak great demons and recorded in secret books, making it harder for them to travel through the wild lands. But that book, I heard, has limited slots. Not too many sword cultivators have their names written in it. Usually, only when a sword immortal from my homeland dies in battle is another name added. Logically, when Little Dong Grandfather went traveling, he was just an ordinary Nascent Soul sword cultivator, not someone who should have been in the book. The Dong family, with its deep foundations and unique secret arts to conceal aura, would be hard to detect."
Ning Yao didn't mention one thing.
She was one of the sword cultivators in that strange book, and one of the youngest in Sword Qi Great Wall history. She had been recorded in the book before she was ten years old. In history, every favored son of heaven who received such treatment had, without exception, been killed in battle on the battlefield south of the Sword Qi Great Wall before the age of thirty. The demon race paid any price for that. Often, the life or death of a single favored son would involve the life or death of one or even several great demons or sword immortals. Because the demon race felt that having one Chen Qingdu on the wall was enough. If there were another Ning Qingdu or Yao Qingdu, it wouldn't be a matter of just one or two Upper Five Realm great demons dying. The Sword Qi Great Wall's helplessness lay in the fact that if such favored sons of heaven were not tempered on the battlefield early and did not rise quickly between life and death, but were merely raised north of the wall, even with several sword immortals teaching them meticulously, they would have no chance of growing into another Chen Qingdu, A Liang, or Dong San'geng.
Chen Ping'an suddenly asked, "Being here with me—is it actually distracting you and holding back your cultivation?"
Ning Yao nodded, "Mm," without denying it, and without hesitation.
But she added bluntly, "But with you here, I'm very happy. When I'm cultivating at the Dragon-Slaying Platform at home, I often can't help thinking of you. I'll space out, and after spacing out, I'll come running straight to you. After I go back, I hurriedly handle some family affairs, and then the day seems to just pass. Before I sleep, I wait for the next day to see you."
That was Ning Yao.
Qi Jingchun had once warned Zhao Yao, his academy student who had fallen in love with her at first sight, that it was best not to like Ning Yao, because she was a sword without a sheath—her edge was too sharp, easily hurting others, and even herself.
Ning Yao saw the world always as good and bad, black and white, almost to the point of ruthlessness.
But now there was an extra Chen Ping'an.
So Chen Ping'an said firmly, "At most three days, and I have to leave here. Then I'll go to North Ju'lu Continent, which is most like the Sword Qi Great Wall. I'll practice fist and sword, and strive to reach the seventh realm of martial arts as quickly as possible, so I can qualify to participate in the battles here. Then I'll come back to you!"
Ning Yao was silent. She knew this was the right thing, but she simply didn't want to speak, didn't want to nod. On the contrary, she would complain about why this person beside her could make up his mind so quickly.
Chen Ping'an wanted to drink, but the Nurturing Sword Gourd was held tightly in Ning Yao's hand. She even seemed to deliberately switch it to the other hand, farther away from Chen Ping'an.
Ning Yao suddenly said, "Every time the demon race attacks the Sword Qi Great Wall, it lasts for twenty or thirty years. I'll give you ten years to reach the seventh realm. Is that enough?" She raised her eyebrows. "Only ten years, no more!"
Chen Ping'an shifted his position and sat facing her. He smiled, "Okay. But you have to promise to wait for me."
Ning Yao hesitated, then also turned to face him. She handed the gourd back to him and nodded. "Okay."
Chen Ping'an took the gourd, tilted his head, and drank.
Ning Yao said softly, "I have a lot of flaws."
Chen Ping'an smiled. "It doesn't matter. I like you."
Ning Yao's eyes reddened.
Chen Ping'an stretched out a hand, trembling slightly, and gently touched Ning Yao's cheek.
Ning Yao blushed a little, but she didn't refuse. She just closed her eyes, not daring to look at him.
Just as the world seemed silent and the only two people were left, an inopportune cough sounded softly.
Chen Ping'an quickly withdrew his hand and drank to hide his embarrassment. Ning Yao turned to look, her long narrow eyebrows filled with killing intent. The uninvited guest was none other than Old Sword Immortal Chen Grandpa. He stood not far from them, hands behind his back, a smile on his face. "Suddenly remembered something. Afraid I'd forget later, so I wanted to tell Chen Ping'an quickly."
"Go ahead," Ning Yao said, taking the gourd. She sat facing the city, her back to the old sword immortal.
Chen Ping'an jumped off the wall and asked, "Grandpa Chen, what is it?"
The old man smiled. "The blind old man in the south paints well. The bald monk in the west makes good chicken soup. The scholar in the central lands has beautiful calligraphy. I think all of them are very interesting. But the most interesting thing is that these old fellows just won't die, one after another."
Ning Yao couldn't help turning her head. "Grandpa Chen, according to what you said before, isn't there also that stinking Daoist from the East Sea?"
The old sword immortal nodded. "It's because I thought of him that I wanted to say something to Chen Ping'an."
Ning Yao was puzzled.
The old sword immortal pointed at Chen Ping'an. "Your Longevity Bridge—whether you repair it or not doesn't matter much. It would be better to find a different path. So you need to go find this Daoist. But it's highly likely you'll be turned away at the door. However, I think that since you've managed to come this far, you might be an exception."
Chen Ping'an's heartstrings trembled. He asked, "Grandpa Chen, how do I find this master? Is it to the East Sea? Our Vase Bottle Continent seems to be above the East Sea, right?"
The old sword immortal shook his head. "Go southeast to Tongye Continent and find a Daoist temple called Viewing the Dao."
Chen Ping'an stood frozen, hesitating a little. This didn't quite align with his original intentions, but since the old sword immortal had said so, there must be deep meaning. Still, Chen Ping'an couldn't help worrying about the ten-year agreement. The difficulty of breaking through to the fourth realm made him unable to be optimistic about the next three realms—fifth, sixth, and seventh.
The old sword immortal said, "That locust wood sword case of yours has a big background. Why don't you lend it to me for ten years? I'll trade you a sword, and after ten years, we'll swap back. This sword, when you reach Tongye Continent, will help you find the general direction to search for that old Daoist from the East Sea. As for whether he'll be willing to help you after you luckily find him, that depends on your own fortune, Chen Ping'an."
Chen Ping'an nodded. "Okay!"
Chen Ping'an took off the sword case, took out the locust wood sword Demon-Subduer. Ning Yao asked, "Could you leave the wooden sword with me? I can also trade you a sword."
Chen Ping'an scratched his head. "The locust wood sword was a gift from Master Qi. I can't give it to you, but there's no problem leaving it by your side. And you don't need to give me a sword. The Sword Qi Great Wall is short on swords, and I don't have an immediate use for one."
Ning Yao beckoned, and Chen Ping'an gently tossed the locust wood sword to her. Then he handed the sword case to the old sword immortal.
The talisman that had been stored in the sword case had already been placed into the flying sword Fifteen before entering Inverted Mountain, otherwise that skeleton female ghost would have long since turned to ash on the Sword Qi Great Wall.
The moment the old man's fingers touched the locust wood sword case, it vanished into thin air.
Finally, the old sword immortal kept one hand behind his back, while with the other hand, he brought his index and middle fingers together and quickly swiped in front of him.
Between the old man and Chen Ping'an, the true form of a sheathed long sword appeared.
The old sword immortal gestured with his eyes for Chen Ping'an to take the sword.
Chen Ping'an reached out with both hands. The sword fell, and Chen Ping'an thought he could catch it easily, but he staggered and nearly fell flat on his face.
The old sword immortal's expression remained calm. "The sword is named Long Qi. The sheath and body weigh only seven jin, but the sword qi within weighs a full eighty jin. The one who bears this sword can temper his soul day and night."
Without his sword case, Chen Ping'an couldn't yet carry this "Long Qi" on his back, so he simply stood holding it.
The old sword immortal looked Chen Ping'an over and nodded. "At least you look a little bit like a sword cultivator now."
Ning Yao suddenly turned her head sharply to look south.
The old man smiled. "Now you know why I interrupted you two?"
Ning Yao's eyes were sharp. In an instant, she soared into the air on her sword.
The old man turned to Chen Ping'an. "Go say goodbye to Ning girl quickly. I'll send you back to Inverted Mountain."
Chen Ping'an stood holding the sword, looking up at Ning Yao. But for a moment, he couldn't speak a word.
Ning Yao looked down at him. She quickly tossed the Nurturing Sword Gourd to Chen Ping'an.
The old man chuckled. "Love between a young man and woman—it's not inferior to sword qi. So let's leave it at that. Keep all that lovey-dovey talk for your next meeting."
The old man flicked his finger, and Chen Ping'an, who had just caught the gourd, fell backward.
The next moment, when Chen Ping'an steadied himself, he found himself no longer on the city wall, but on the square at the foot of the solitary peak of Inverted Mountain.
Here, only the great sun hung high—not the spectacle of three moons suspended in the sky over that other world.
A man holding a sword sat on a hitching post, watching the stunned youth who held a sword in one hand and a gourd in the other.
Merely parting.
Yet it made Chen Ping'an forget that he had wine to drown his sorrows.
On the southern city wall of the Sword Qi Great Wall, the little girl with goat-horn braids sat on the edge, swinging her feet. She muttered to herself, "I want to become a tree. When I'm happy, I bloom in autumn. When I'm sad, I shed leaves in spring."
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(The short poem at the end of yesterday's chapter came from Bai Helin's "Loneliness." The one at the end of today seems to have been written by a child; I only slightly adapted it. I like both little poems very much—love at first sight.)