The sword hilt was unexpectedly hollow, and inside were tucked a few sheets of paper. Though he hadn’t yet seen what was written on them, Su Baiyi already had an answer in his heart.
“You’ve already guessed?” Jimo Huaxue asked.
“Yes,” Su Baiyi nodded. “It seems I’m truly fated to be connected with this thing.”
“After the Battle at Heaven’s Gate all those years ago, my father brought these pages back to the city. There were twenty pages in total, depicting a sword technique. But this sword technique was strange, with bizarre and unorthodox moves. My father spent a whole year studying it, but ultimately found nothing and died with deep regrets. My father was known as the Sword Immortal of his time, yet he said he had once crossed swords with someone who practiced this technique, and couldn’t last ten moves against them. I also tried to study this sword manual, but after using just three of its moves, my true energy would flow in reverse. I thought that since it was an incomplete manual, with only moves and no cultivation method, it probably couldn’t be practiced.” Jimo Huaxue paused, then continued, “And the part with the cultivation method was likely taken by the Shanglin Heavenly Palace.”
“The Xie family has three pages, the Shanglin Heavenly Palace has one half of a volume, and Jimo City has twenty pages of the sword manual. Could it be that…” Su Baiyi raised his head, frowning slightly, “The other three major sects of the Yunmeng Daze , along with the other three of the four great families, each also possess fragments?”
“I suppose so too. All these fragments together make up the complete Book of Immortals, which was the trophy from the Battle of Heavenly Gates during the Weilong Alliance’s time. You’ve practiced an entire half volume, making you the person in this world with the greatest chance of mastering the whole book.” Jimo Huaxue looked at the sword hilt. “This book is valuable enough for the largest sects in the martial world to fight over, and even twelve years later, the Shanglin Heavenly Palace still wants to retrieve it. The martial arts techniques recorded within must be extraordinary.”
Su Baiyi took the twenty-page fragment from the sword hilt and unfolded it. Four characters were written on it.
The Immortal’s Guidance.
“So that’s the name of the sword technique,” Jimo Huaxue said in a deep voice.
Su Baiyi shook his head and sighed, “I always feel this martial art is incredibly mysterious.”
At this moment, on the official road just entering the borders of Yunmeng Prefecture, a handsome young man was enthusiastically driving a carriage with a whip in hand. Seated behind him were two young individuals, none other than the academy disciples Feng Zuojun and Xie Yuling.
“They traveled by water, so they should have arrived a good ten days before us, but…” Xie Yuling glanced at the young man holding the whip, “Brother Dongfang is driving the horse so fast that even if we arrive a few days earlier than them, I wouldn’t be surprised.”
“When I was young, my family was poor. I followed a carriage master for a year and learned the trade. He was the fastest carriage driver in the whole Shengjing City. I learned fast and within a year, I had acquired nine-tenths of his skills. Although I have lost some of it over the years, I still retain eight-tenths. There are tricks to driving fast and finding shortcuts.” Dongfang Xiaoyue gave the whip a vigorous swing, her face beaming with pride.
“Brother Dongfang, you sure know how to boast. A few days ago, when we praised your roast wild chicken, you claimed you had worked as a chef at the White Crane Inn in Shengjing City. When we mentioned your literary talent, you said you had passed the imperial examinations and the emperor himself handed you a brush. Looking at you now, you don’t seem much older than us. How could you possibly have so many life experiences?” Feng Zuojun said helplessly, “Why is it that in my youth, the only thing I did was serve as the young sect master of Heavenly Dawn Cloud Realm?”
“Young people, you need to get out and explore the world. The vastness of the martial world is far beyond the confines of Heavenly Dawn Cloud Realm.” Dongfang Xiaoyue said in a tone of earnest advice.
“Brother Dongfang, I’ve always forgotten to ask, how old are you this year?” Feng Zuojun asked.
“It’s rare to live to seventy. I’m three years past that rare age.” Dongfang Xiaoyue said calmly.
“Seventy-three?” Feng Zuojun gave a thumbs up. “Well, you’ve kept yourself looking young.”
Dongfang Xiaoyue turned his head and said with a smile, “Right?”
Xie Yuling frowned slightly, “Why do I feel like you seem to look even younger these past few days?”
“Every day, I bathe in the spring breeze, eat wild fruits, drink from clear springs, enjoy the beautiful scenery of the world, and spend time with you two young talents. It’s like living the life of a deity, and naturally, I feel rejuvenated.” Dongfang Xiaoyue seemed to be in a great mood as he leisurely whistled a tune.
Feng Zuojun shook his head and said, “I have a newly recruited junior brother named Su Baiyi.”
Dongfang Xiaoyue nodded, “I recall you mentioning him.”
Feng Zuojun continued, “He always talks about wanting to write a book to chronicle the extraordinary figures of the world. I believe he could write about you.”
“Write what about me?” Dongfang Xiaoyue asked.
“The biggest braggart in the world!” Feng Zuojun teased.
“Everything I’ve said is true.” Dongfang Xiaoyue tossed the whip in his hand to Xie Yuling, then stretched out, “I’m tired. You drive for a while.”
Xie Yuling took the reins and moved to the front, “Brother Dongfang, do you truly intend to accompany us to Heavenly Dawn Cloud Realm?”
“No, no. There are countless beautiful sights in Yunmeng Prefecture. Why would I want to go see that libertine? Just drop me off after a while.” Dongfang Xiaoyue yawned and casually took out a wild fruit from the carriage and took a bite.
“We’ll first head to the Moran Manor to meet up with my senior sister. Honestly, Brother Dongfang, you’re the most extraordinary person I’ve ever met. I’d like my senior sister to meet you as well.” Feng Zuojun also took out a wild fruit and sat down opposite Dongfang Xiaoyue, munching on it together.
“Moran Manor? Isn’t that the Mo Bai family’s place?” Dongfang Xiaoyue’s eyes lit up.
“That’s right! Senior Brother Mo Bai is known for his warm hospitality, and he would surely welcome Brother Dongfang as well. Could it be that Brother Dongfang is acquainted with him?” Feng Zuojun nodded.
“It’s been many years since we last met.” Dongfang Xiaoyue sighed. “I wonder how he’s doing at Moran Manor. Oh well, I suppose we should meet again.”
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t see him.” Xie Yuling frowned slightly, still quite wary of Dongfang Xiaoyue. “We won’t be staying there for long anyway.”
“Tsk.” Feng Zuojun frowned, clearly displeased.
“This person is too cold.” Dongfang Xiaoyue pouted.
“Ignore him,” Feng Zuojun said as he handed another wild fruit to Dongfang Xiaoyue.
“Must’ve had an unhappy childhood,” Dongfang Xiaoyue added.
Xie Yuling remained silent, only responding with a sharp crack of the whip.
“If you feel that fate has been unfair to you, and the people in your family have treated you badly, then step out of that small and unjust world.” Dongfang Xiaoyue placed the wild fruit on Xie Yuling’s head. “Because they are wrong. So you have to do the right thing.”
Feng Zuojun gave a thumbs up, “Brother Dongfang, those are wise words.”
“What do you know?” Xie Yuling murmured as he took the wild fruit off his head.
“You have an older brother, Xie Xing, known in the martial world as the Green Robed Gentleman, and an older sister, Xie Yunyan, the most beautiful woman among the Four Great Families. When you were fifteen, Xie Yunyan was forced to marry the imbecile son of the Wang Family. You and your brother opposed the marriage and intercepted the wedding procession with swords, nearly getting yourselves killed by the Wang Family. After that, Xie Xing went into seclusion to cultivate, while you came to the Shili Langdang Mountains to enroll in the academy, hoping to become a direct disciple of the Confucian Sage. You two brothers wanted to bring your sister back to the Xie Family, but unfortunately, the Xie Family is the weakest among the Four Great Families, while the Wang Family is the strongest. With no support from the family, you can only rely on yourselves.” Dongfang Xiaoyue took out a handkerchief and wiped his mouth.
Xie Yuling’s pupils constricted slightly, and Feng Zuojun’s face also showed surprise. “Is this really the case? No wonder, Xie Yuling, you always look so burdened with grievances and hatred.”
“Little Xie, don’t be angry now.” Dongfang Xiaoyue patted Xie Yuling’s back. “Let me ask Feng Zuojun a question on your behalf. If, after three more years, Xie Yuling is still unable to defeat the people from the Wang Family, what will you do?”
“What will I do? What else can I do but charge in with my sword drawn? If Xie Yuling can’t beat them alone, then together we will. If not, we’ll add Su Baiyi to the mix. If that’s still not enough, we’ll bring in my senior sister. That’ll definitely do it!” Feng Zuojun said proudly. “My senior sister is very strong.”
“Didn’t you say before that you two are arch-rivals in this generation of the Academy?” Dongfang Xiaoyue asked with a smile.
“Don’t the novels often say that people tease each other because they like each other?” Feng Zuojun stepped forward and put an arm around Xie Yuling’s shoulder. “We’re actually good buddies.”
Xie Yuling immediately got goosebumps and shouted, “Get lost!”
“Hey now, he said your sister is the most beautiful woman among the Four Great Families. How beautiful is she? Is she more beautiful than my senior sister? If we rescue your sister and she falls for me, you’ll have to call me brother-in-law in the future.” Feng Zuojun said with a wide grin.
“Get lost!” Xie Yuling shouted.
“Three years is too long.” Feng Zuojun stood up, his long robe fluttering in the strong wind. He extended a finger and declared loudly, “One year! In one year, we’ll go with you to pay a visit to the Wang Family!”