Chapter 84

Update time: August 16, 2012

The old man rubbed his earlobe and mocked, "Practice swordsmanship? Even if we don't talk about the young leader of Wudang reaching the Celestial Phenomenon realm in a single step, just look at Wu Liuding's pole that can lift a mountain. Can you compare to him? Do you still have the heart to practice swordsmanship? What a joke! At your cultivation speed, you'll be eating the dust of these prodigies for the rest of your life. As the son of a butcher and a princess, aren't you ashamed?"

Xu Fengnian smiled calmly and said, "What's there to be ashamed of? As long as the sword in my hand is my own, even if it's a mess, as long as I put in the effort, there's nothing to complain about. Wasn't Xu Xiang ever a top martial arts expert? Yet he still built this family business. My second sister is worried I'll go mad with practice and abandon the family, but some things can't be achieved by just talking. The Shangyang Academy is the best example. Words can only be a contest between the wise. Once you encounter a brute, you still need fists and swords to settle things. There are few learned people in the world, and even fewer great scholars."

The old sword god smiled and said, "Some truths I don't like scholars to talk about. Back in the day, Qi Xuanzhen had this bad habit, but he was an exception. He could both argue brilliantly and slay demons, making him a true guardian. If he didn't have the skills, who would listen to his grand theories?"

Xu Fengnian had two playful little tiger cubs, exhausted from running, napping on his feet. He bent down and stroked the two cubs. The old sword god suddenly fell silent. Xu Fengnian stood up, startling the cubs, who began to jump around happily at the bow of the boat. Curiously, he asked, "Old Master, can you really fly your sword?"

The old man still looked up at the cliff face, not answering.

At the end of Tongling, the two cliffs were as neat as if cut by a knife, less than ten zhang apart, forming a gateway, allowing only one boat to pass. This was the last Ghost Gate. The cliff face was inscribed with the words "Ghost Cry Heroic Pass," carved by the great immortal Lü Dongxuan of Wudang Mountain with his immortal sword. Interestingly, Lü Dongxuan was known as the Immortal of Alchemy, Sword, and Poetry. Not only was he a master of the sword, a famous terrestrial sword immortal, but he was also skilled in alchemy, and his poetry and calligraphy were widely known. His calligraphy, however, only had eight characters: "Ghost Cry Heroic Pass" and "Xuanwu Shall Rise," both carved with his sword.

After passing the Ghost Gate, the view suddenly opened up. The Yanzi River, Shu River, and Canglan River converged here, a battlefield of the Three Kingdoms era, and a famous place for heroes and warriors. The river water slowed, and the river surface widened, as if entering a different world, from the netherworld to the mortal world, making one feel refreshed.

Xu Fengnian saw the old man, who always wore a smelly sheepskin coat, still looking back at the four characters "Ghost Cry Heroic Pass" on the cliff face, somewhat melancholy. This old sword god, when not picking his feet, digging his nose, or cleaning his ears, especially when he paused and focused, reminded Xu Fengnian that he was Li Chunjiang, even with his broken sword and severed arm, still the immortal who once dominated the sword path.

The old man muttered, "In my youth, I did many reckless things. I reached the Vajra realm at sixteen, the Finger Seal realm at nineteen, and the Celestial Phenomenon realm at twenty-four, hailed as a sword immortal who appears once every five hundred years. When I first entered the martial world, I crossed the Guangling tide under the watch of millions, and at twenty-four, I challenged Wu Wei of the Plum Blossom Sword Sect in Dongyue, humiliating him so much that he took his own life. At thirty-six, I declared myself invincible, saying that the four great masters were all frauds except for me. Even if Wang Xiu, Fengdu's Green Robe, and the Red Armor of the Talisman General joined forces, it would only take me one sword. Later, I didn't lose to them, but I lost to the younger Wang Xianzhi. She left Fengdu and found me, this foolish woman, deliberately letting me pierce her chest with one sword. I boasted that I could defeat any enemy with one sword and win any woman with a finger, but in the end, I learned what heartache truly means. Heartache is when you hurt someone else, but the one who gets hurt is yourself. To save her, I went to Dragon Tiger Mountain to ask Qi Xuanzhen for a life-prolonging golden pill, but she died before I reached the Demon-Slaying Platform. She said she didn't want to live, she wanted to die in my arms, and if she lived, we would be strangers again. She didn't want that, and even then, I didn't have the courage to say it. Without her, what does it matter if I wield one sword, two swords, a hundred swords, or a thousand swords? This Ghost Gate is where we first met. Back then, I could already fly my sword, but she was just a clumsy girl who hadn't started martial arts. Later, how she became Fengdu's Green Robe, and why she became Fengdu's Green Robe, I don't know. I only know that we can never meet again. Glory and disgrace, ups and downs, all pass like clouds. I like Jiang Nv, because she reminds me of that girl. Climbing Lotus Peak and descending the Demon-Slaying Platform, I learned from Qi Xuanzhen that she was the daughter of my enemy. Since she met me, she couldn't kill me, so she wanted to die by my hand. The hardest thing is longing, and the farthest distance is between the living and the dead."

Xu Fengnian was speechless. The various deeds of the sword god Li Chunjiang had become blurred over the past forty years. Qi Xuanzhen had already ascended to immortality, Wang Xianzhi never left Wu帝城, Fengdu's Green Robe was dead, and the Red Armor of the Talisman General seemed to have become a puppet. Even those who had seen the old sword god in person, if they were still alive, were mostly in their sixties.

As the immortal sword immortal Lü Zu once said, "At the second or third watch of the night, all worldly glory becomes an illusion; thinking of a hundred years from now, all will be ancient."

Li Chunjiang mocked himself, "In my youth, I wanted to be like Lü Zu, just like Qi Xuanzhen. But I admired Lü Zu's sword, while Qi Xuanzhen admired Lü Zu's Dao. So I liked Lü Zu's flying sword, but Qi Xuanzhen scolded me. He said that in a duel, whether you strike the neck or the liver, whether you kill with a sword or a flying sword, it's all just a lowly skill, no different from a cockfight. The strong can defeat others, but only those who conquer themselves are truly enlightened. Listen to that, isn't that a big mouth? I was disheartened and willingly admitted defeat. Seeing this rival and friend ascend to immortality, I had nothing to say. I thought I might have been wrong, while Qi Xuanzhen had enlightened the path to immortality, I had one foot in the Celestial Phenomenon realm and one foot in the Terrestrial Immortal realm, but my cultivation regressed. After descending the mountain, I lost an arm and fell to the Finger Seal realm, no longer daring to boast about slaying dragons. But these years in the Tidal Pavilion, I finally understood a simple truth. Ha, Qi Xuanzhen, that old rascal, deliberately misled me!"

Xu Fengnian sighed softly. The large boat entered the wide river, no longer swaying. When he first came here by boat, he and Old Huang were both amazed. After a long time, the old sword god finally came to his senses and was about to turn back, but he saw Jiang Ni, who had been seasick and vomiting, come out of the cabin, leaning on the railing, still pale but much better than at Shujiang Beach and Tongling Pass. Compared to Xu Fengnian's first boat ride, they were both in a similar state. Qingniao lightly leaped down from the second floor of the boat and whispered, "Your Highness, the person who capsized the boat is waiting for us in the middle of the river."

Sure enough, as the large boat approached, they saw the green-robed figure with a bamboo pole.

This Wu Liuding must have had the heart of a bear and the courage of a leopard! One pole wasn't enough; did he want to capsize all three boats? Xu Fengnian widened his eyes, looking at the increasingly clear figure of the Wu family's sword champion. This young swordsman was not particularly handsome, with a stern face, clearly a solitary and aloof person. In the Sword Tomb, young swordsmen must defeat an elder to leave for training, regardless of life or death. Wu Liuding was tall and slender, not carrying a sword today, but holding a dark green bamboo pole on his shoulder, his hands resting on it, an extremely arrogant posture.

Jiang Ni, still feeling nauseous, could see the bold assassin on the floating boat. The boatman said this person was the Dragon King, but she didn't believe it. She frowned and looked at Xu Fengnian, weakly asking, "Can't you beat him?"

Xu Fengnian laughed and shook his head, "Of course not."

Jiang Ni sneered, "Then what have you been practicing your sword for?"

Xu Fengnian laughed, "I don't know, but you can ask Old Master Li if he knew he would become a sword god on the first day of his practice."

To his surprise, the old man said, "I did."

Xu Fengnian rolled his eyes, and Jiang Ni's mood improved, smiling, and two dimples appeared on her cheeks.

Xu Fengnian smiled, "Beautiful."

Jiang Ni immediately put on a serious face.

Xu Fengnian grinned, "Little Mud Doll, come on, smile again. If you smile, I'll go fight that top swordsman, even though I know I can't beat him. What a good deal, I might not come back. If Old Master Li saves me, you can cry and beg, ensuring I die in the battle. How about it? Smile?"

Jiang Ni's head was dizzy from seasickness, almost wishing to jump into the river, hating the prince who insisted on taking the boat. She struggled to think about the deal, but couldn't resist Xu Fengnian's persuasion. Finally, she managed a stiff, forced smile. Xu Fengnian immediately laughed and scolded her, saying it was too ugly and insincere, and he wouldn't do a losing business. Jiang Ni tried several times, but none were satisfactory. Xu Fengnian sighed, saying the deal was off, and with so many experts on the boat, they could surely defeat the lone challenger, even the Dragon King. Jiang Ni smiled until her face was stiff, then saw the prince secretly laughing, and ran up to fight him. Xu Fengnian threatened, "Bite me? Be careful, I'll have the Vajra Bodhisattva bite you!"

The timid Jiang Ni immediately stopped, glaring at Xu Fengnian, hoping to kill him with her eyes.

Xu Fengnian laughed, but then turned serious, holding the knife with both hands, preparing to leap off the boat to fight Wu Liuding.

Just as Xu Fengnian was about to jump off the bow of the boat,

The old sword god, who had been watching the two young people play, waved his sleeve, pulling Xu Fengnian back, making him fall onto the deck in a comical manner.

Jiang Ni finally smiled genuinely.

The old sword god's eyes were distant, looking at the frustrated Xu Fengnian, then at the smiling Jiang Ni.

Back then, when they met by chance, he flew his sword across the river, reciting poetry, and she leaned on the railing, smiling just like this.

That year, Li Chunjiang was the youngest and most brilliant sword genius, full of confidence and vigor, and she was the most innocent and pure girl.

They passed each other, he only sought the Dao of the sword, not caring, but she remembered him for a lifetime.

The old sword god murmured the poem from back then.

"I shall forge three thousand blades, and one day unsheathe them to hear the dragons roar. My sword's might will freeze the air, and its spirit will slay the serpent on the stone."

The old sword god extended his single arm and softly said, "Xu Fengnian, lend me your sword, just one sword."

Xu Fengnian was stunned.

Li Chunjiang muttered, "I owe you a sword."

Xu Fengnian gritted his teeth, drew Xiudong, and threw it toward the green-robed figure on the small boat a hundred zhang away.

The old sword god, facing Jiang Ni, gave her one last look. When he said this Xu Fengnian reminded him of the Northern Liang princess, it wasn't entirely true. She was more like the girl who liked to wear green.

Li Chunjiang smiled, a smile full of沧桑, and floated off the bow of the boat, raising his head and laughing loudly, "Little Green Robe, watch this. With a frown and a roar, the fat dragon in the Yanzi River will be slain. I'll send my sword into the sky, and it will return to me in two hours!"

Facing the green-robed sword champion and the Xiudong sword, without his divine wooden ox, and no longer the young, handsome man he once was, the old man, with only one arm, held the Xiudong, which was not a true sword, and turned to deliver a light, simple strike.

Qi Xuanzhen said, "I proved the Dao with my sword, but it was not the true Dao. You say one sword is enough."

What do I, Li Chunjiang, care about the true Dao?!

One sword is enough!

At first, no one saw the beauty of this strike, thinking it was dull, and the river was silent.

But the green-robed Dragon King couldn't stay on the small boat, shooting away in a flash.

In an instant,

The river was split, reaching two hundred zhang.

Such a strike by a terrestrial sword immortal, if there were real dragons, they would be slain on the spot!

{Piaotian Literature}