Chapter 64: A Staff Lifts the River
The spring river was gradually warming. More than ten days had passed since Qin Mu and the Wu woman had broken the ice dam. On the riverbanks, green willows cast shade, birds sang, and flowers bloomed. The ice tide was gone.
In the middle of the river, Qin Mu suddenly stopped mid-stride, but his body did not sink into the water. Instead, he stood on the surface, ripples spreading from his feet in all directions, a beautiful sight.
He was using his Black Tortoise primordial qi to control the water, allowing him to stand on the surface as if on solid ground without needing to run. He had mastered the technique of controlling water with Black Tortoise primordial qi and could wield it with ease.
Ssshh—
The sound of a sword cutting through air came. Qin Mu, standing on the river, formed a sword finger with his hand. The Young Guardian Sword rose, leveled, and slashed down. His body moved with the sword, executing only the simplest of movements.
For some time now, he had been following the Village Chief to learn the most basic sword techniques. Besides thrusting, he had also learned slashing, lifting, hooking, circling, pointing, chopping, blocking, cutting, and wiping.
But the Village Chief had not taught him any complete sword forms. He only had him practice the simplest movements, day after day.
On the riverbank, the Blind Man stood motionless, leaning on his staff like a statue.
After parting ways with the Wu woman at the gorge, Qin Mu had returned to the village and told the villagers about releasing her. He mentioned the Little Thunderclap Temple. Ma Ye and the others then forbade him from leaving the village. If he did go out, a villager had to accompany him.
On the river, the wind grew louder. Every time Qin Mu struck with his sword, it stirred up a wave. The basic sword movements the Village Chief had taught him erupted with astonishing power in his hands!
With each repetition, the wind and waves on the river grew fiercer and more urgent. When he thrust his sword, the river split open for over ten zhang, reaching a depth of more than one zhang. The large fish and river beasts below dared not approach.
Qin Mu lifted his sword, and river water shot into the sky, scattering into a torrential downpour. He hooked his sword, and the water formed a dragon that surged diagonally outward.
Though these were the simplest techniques of guiding the sword with qi, in his hands their power was terrifying.
He had practiced these basic movements for over two years, mastering them thoroughly, yet the Village Chief still refused to teach him complete forms.
Suddenly, the Blind Man’s ears twitched. He called out loudly, “Mu’er, stop. A boat is coming.”
Qin Mu sheathed his sword, placing the Young Guardian Sword into the bag on his back. He looked up and saw a multi-story ship drifting downstream from the upper reaches. His heart stirred. This was the same ship that had been charting the geography of the Surging River.
The ship was returning from upstream, likely having completed its survey of the river’s waterways.
He stepped aside, avoiding the channel the ship would pass through.
The ship sped downstream, quickly reaching him. A voice of admiration came from the deck: “Standing still on the river—fine skill, deep primordial qi.”
Qin Mu followed the sound and saw General Qin standing at the bow, accompanied by a slightly chubby-cheeked youth holding a folding fan, who was looking at him.
“Dragon Palace Mysterious Ice!”
Qin Mu’s heart tightened. He saw a massive block of mysterious ice. Inside it hung a dragon pearl, and a hand was gripping it!
That was all he could see; the lower part of the ice was blocked by the ship’s railing. But even so, he knew where the ice and the hand came from.
Clearly, while surveying the Surging River’s geography, this general and his men had discovered the Dragon Palace at the riverbed, found it, and then uncovered Gu Linuan and the young dragon sealed by the dragon pearl!
Now, the young dragon was likely also in the ice. The general probably hadn’t killed the dragon mother’s spirit; he must have collected it, keeping the ice from melting.
His goal was likely the young dragon in the ice. If the ice melted, the young dragon would die. He was probably planning to take the ice to the Yan Kingdom to find a skilled healer for the dragon, which was why he hadn’t freed Gu Linuan.
“It’s that boy who stood on the mountain peak with the demon ape.”
The chubby-cheeked youth said in surprise, “I didn’t expect his primordial qi to be so abundant, even stronger than mine.”
Suddenly, a voice came from within the ice: “I sense my Young Guardian Sword! General Qin Feiyue, stop the ship. My Young Guardian Sword is nearby, and so is that brat who tricked me!”
The ship stopped. General Qin’s gaze fell on Qin Mu. “You tricked the Crown Prince’s Young Guardian out of his sword?”
Qin Mu said, “He wanted to eat me, so I tricked him out of his sword. You got him out of the Dragon Palace—can you get the scabbard out for me too? A sword needs its scabbard to be complete.”
Qin Feiyue’s eyes flickered. “Give it to you? This is a sword of the court. It can’t be given to you. Please return the Young Guardian Sword to the court.”
Qin Mu shook his head, puzzled. “I earned it with my wits. Why should I return it?”
The chubby-cheeked youth, the “Seventh Young Master,” chuckled at this. “This boy speaks quite amusingly.”
Qin Feiyue snorted coldly. “Deceiving a court official and stealing a court official’s treasure—do you know how serious a crime that is?”
“There is no court in the Great Ruins.”
Qin Mu said, confused, “In a lawless place, who can convict me?”
“You’re so confident, you must have backing.”
Qin Feiyue looked toward the riverbank, his pupils contracting. He said solemnly, “I am Qin Feiyue, disciple of the Yan Kingdom’s National Teacher, a fourth-rank Loyal and Martial General of the Yan Kingdom. How should I address the elder on the riverbank?”
The Blind Man leaned on his bamboo staff, chuckling. “Just a blind man, what else can you call me? A useless cripple.”
Qin Feiyue’s face darkened. He scanned the area, catching sight of Cripple Village, and smiled. “Three years ago, Mu Beifeng, the governor of the Southern Frontier Five Miao Prefecture of my Yan Kingdom, led many experts from the Lijiang Sword Sect into the Great Ruins, supposedly to settle a grudge. Later, someone found his body and those of the Lijiang Sword Sect experts under the river. I personally examined their corpses. They were killed by spear thrusts, but the killer didn’t use a spear—he used a bamboo staff. Elder, you also use a bamboo staff?”
The Blind Man leaned on his bamboo staff, smiling. “What else would a blind man use but a bamboo staff? This staff is for finding the way, so I don’t trip over hard stones. That would be bad.”
Qin Feiyue caught the implication in his words, confirming his suspicions. He sneered, “Elder, Mu Beifeng died near here, didn’t he? Did you see anything at the time?”
The Blind Man said desolately, “I’m blind. What could I see? You jest, young general. I’ve heard of Mu Beifeng’s name. To think he met such a tragic end! It pains my heart… On both banks, the apes’ cries never cease; a hero’s tears forever soak his sleeves! Heartbreaking! How lamentable!”
He lifted his staff and tapped the river surface.
The river’s surface churned violently. The entire river suddenly jumped several times, sending waves over ten zhang high on both banks. The waves split the sky, rocking even the multi-story ship. Many soldiers on board staggered, unable to keep their footing!
Beneath the river, the water parted to reveal the massive spine of a giant beast, dark and blue, as if an islet had suddenly emerged in the middle of the river.
The Surging River shook, and even this giant beast was jolted out of the water, flying into the air before crashing back down with a thunderous splash.
Qin Mu immediately saw that the beast was tethered by chains, the other end of which was fastened to the ship. The ship’s speed was so great, likely thanks to this beast.
Strangely, while the river surface elsewhere trembled violently, the area under Qin Mu’s feet remained calm and undisturbed.
The Seventh Young Master quickly grabbed the railing to avoid falling into the river and called out, “Old senior, it’s ‘Before victory, he died in the field; a hero’s tears forever soak his sleeves!’ You got it wrong!”
Qin Mu couldn’t help but say, “Young master, he means that if you die here, it would be ‘before victory, he died in the field.’ But since you’re still alive and making a fuss, it’s naturally ‘the apes’ cries never cease.’ If you insist on getting to the bottom of this, you’ll have to die first. Grandpa Blind is actually very learned.”
The Blind Man looked smug, grinning. “Mu’er knows me best. If it were those bastards Cripple or Deaf, they’d probably mock me for being sentimental again.”
Qin Feiyue’s eyelids twitched. This blind man’s strength was unexpectedly formidable. Just now, the blind man had tapped the Surging River. Fortunately, it was only a tap. If he had lifted it, the entire river surface would have been raised!
Gu Linuan, inside the mysterious ice, fell silent. Clearly, from the blind man’s tap on the river, he inferred the blind man’s strength and knew it was unwise to insist on the sword, as it might cost him his life.
“The Young Guardian Sword stays here for now. Let’s go! Set sail!”
At Qin Feiyue’s command, a soldier immediately took out a horn and blew it. The deep, resonant sound was startling. The giant beast underwater, hearing the horn, stirred up waves. The river water suddenly rose like a mountain of water, towering above the rest of the surface, lifting the ship as it roared downstream!
“General Qin, you just asked that blind man who killed Mu Beifeng. Why leave without getting an answer?” Several palace maids surrounded the Seventh Young Master, who poked his head out from between them, asking curiously.
“Young master, I’ve already found out.”
General Qin sneered. “Mu Beifeng died at the hands of that blind man. The once-renowned Spear God, now blind, has retired to this little village! What terrifying beings might be living with him? I can’t flatten this village alone, so I’ll have to call for reinforcements!”
His armor clattered loudly, and his eyes shone like clashing blades. “All under heaven is the king’s land; all within the shores are the king’s subjects! This Great Ruins is also territory of the court, not a lawless place! Mu Beifeng was a court official—how could he die at the hands of a commoner? This village must be leveled, destroyed, to display our nation’s might, our National Teacher’s might, and let His Majesty’s authority descend upon the Great Ruins!”
“Such grand talk.”
Suddenly, a voice came from behind. General Qin’s hair stood on end. He turned his head with difficulty and saw a cripple who had somehow appeared behind him, leaning against the railing with a simple, honest smile.
Qin Feiyue’s eyes twitched violently. The cripple vanished, then reappeared back-to-back with him. How the cripple had disappeared and reappeared behind him, he couldn’t see at all!
Cold sweat poured down Qin Feiyue’s forehead. His hand had already pressed the hilt of his sword, but he dared not move.
“Does the National Teacher know you talk so big?”
The cripple bent down, looking at the maps of the Surging River on the ship, and laughed. “The National Teacher sent you to chart the Surging River—is he planning to attack my Great Ruins? Tsk, this little dragon is pitiful. Eh? Gu Linuan, why the sour face? I’ll take your scabbard. This banner is nice too, I’ll take it… Little brother, this jade of yours is good, and the fan too… Ptooey! It’s a girl! Bad luck!”
Qin Feiyue suddenly sensed a flaw and spun around, drawing his sword, but the cripple behind him had already vanished!
The cripple’s laughter came from dozens of li away: “Go back and tell the National Teacher to take good care of my leg. Don’t lose it. I’ll come to get it myself!”