Six years ago. Apricot Blossom Village.
Xie Kanhua had drunk too much again and was lying in an apricot tree, drowsy and about to fall asleep.
Beneath the tree, a young man in white clothes tirelessly practiced drawing his sword, over and over again.
He had spent quite some time with this youth now. The boy reminded him of his younger self – cheerful, optimistic, and incredibly intelligent. Although in his earlier years, his adoptive parents hadn’t taught him to read or write, he now had excellent penmanship. He could recite classical poems and elegant prose from memory with ease. But sometimes the young man was not like him, such as now when practicing swordsmanship.
Too clumsy. Too persistent.
“You’ve seen my swordsmanship,” Xie Kanhua said with a yawn.
“It’s very impressive,” the young man replied.
“Yet I’ve only had you practice drawing your sword endlessly, without teaching you my sword techniques.” Xie Kanhua let out another drunken hiccup.
“Master must have his reasons,” the youth said, swinging his sword once more to slice a falling apricot blossom.
Xie Kanhua sighed and leapt down, sending a shower of blossoms fluttering from the apricot tree. He took the sword from the young man’s hand and swung it gently. In an instant, all the falling apricot blossoms disintegrated into ash. He said in a solemn voice, “I rank first in sword intent on the Heavenly Martial Rankings. Do you remember what I told you about sword intent?”
“Sword intent is the will to kill,” the young man said bitterly.
“Indeed, sword intent is the will of killing,” Xie Kanhua said, spreading his sleeves with an air of carefree elegance. “But look at me now. Do I appear to have even a trace of a killing intent?”
The young man looked at Xie Kanhua in front of him, a faint smile on his face, dressed all in white. He saw only the air of a refined scholar. Where was the killing intent of a swordsman?
“No,” the young man shook his head.
“How about now?” Xie Kanhua suddenly swung the sword towards the youth. In that instant, the young man felt as if even the apricot tree trembled slightly. He almost fell to his knees, but fortunately, it lasted only a moment. In the next breath, Xie Kanhua had already thrust the sword into the ground. He leaned down again, ruffling the young man’s hair, his eyes curving into crescent moons as he smiled. His tone was incomparably gentle. “When holding a sword, think more about happy things. Only when you truly need to kill someone should you unleash your killing intent. This way, you’ll become stronger.”
“Master, do you also have someone you want to kill?” the young man asked.
“Yes, there are many,” Xie Kanhua withdrew his hand and stood up, turning his back. “But I can’t go kill them yet. When you grow up, we’ll go find them together and make them pay for what they did.”
“Those people are my enemies too?” the young man frowned.
“Yes. Your parents also died because of them.” Xie Kanhua looked up at the sky. “Some grudges must be avenged one day.”
“Among those people, is there one with a small black birthmark on his forehead, not easily noticeable, a knife scar on the back of his left hand, and a mole near his right eye?” the young man asked slowly.
“Who is this person?” Xie Kanhua frowned. The details the young man provided were too specific. But precisely because they were so specific, he couldn’t immediately think of who it might be.
“The man who killed Uncle Chen that day,” the young man said, looking down at the sword. “Uncle Chen made one last strike with his sword. That man was injured, but he didn’t die. Later, he caught up with us and killed Aunt Qian.”
“Uncle Chen, Aunt Qian,” Xie Kanhua murmured.
“He was my foster father, but he wouldn’t let me call him dad. He told me to call him Uncle Chen. Aunt Qian was the same, but in my heart, they were my parents. That person wasn’t among the ones you crippled in the end that day,” the young man said firmly.
Only then did Xie Kanhua realize that the young man, who seemed to live so carefree in this Apricot Blossom Village, had never forgotten the darkest day of his life. He understood now that every time the youth drew his sword, he had his own imaginary opponent in mind. Xie Kanhua smiled, “For now, forget about all this. Hide it away. But when the time comes, unleash your killing intent. By then, your killing intent will be the fiercest, and your sword intent will be the strongest.”
“Alright,” the young man smiled back.
“One day, I may suddenly leave you. When that time comes, you should first go find your enemies. Once you’ve dealt with what you need to, when we meet again, it will be time for us to complete our task together,” Xie Kanhua turned around. “How does that sound?”
“Agreed!” The young man nodded vigorously.
In the depths of his prison, Xie Kanhua recalled this conversation with Su Baiyi. Six years had passed in the blink of an eye, and Su Baiyi had never mentioned revenge again, as though that day had never happened.
“He should have figured out by now what I meant when I said we would suddenly part ways,” Xie Kanhua took a sip of wine.
“He went to Daze Prefecture,” Helian Xiyue said.
“Then he must have met Confucian Sage and learned where the pages of the Book of Immortals are scattered. Daze Prefecture is a place he had to visit,” Xie Kanhua tossed a peanut into his mouth.
“Your daughter is there too,” Helian Xiyue added.
Xie Kanhua’s hand paused slightly for a moment, but he quickly grabbed another peanut and said with deep meaning, “It’s fine. We’ll all meet again.”
Helian Xiyue smiled and took a sip of wine.
The person in the depths of the prison tossed back the wine jug, “There’s no such thing as people who are destined to meet again. If you want to see someone, go and see them yourself.”
Daze Prefecture, Heavenly Dawn Cloud Realm.
Feng Yuhan looked at Su Baiyi and asked after a long contemplation, “Do you realize how much mortal danger your words might bring upon you?”
Su Baiyi laughed, “How many people want to kill me? More likely, they want to capture me. Besides, I’m not the only one who has practiced the Book of Immortals. Sect Leader Feng, I presume you’ve practiced it too, haven’t you?”
“Come with me,”Feng Yuhan turned around and opened a secret passage beside the bed, heading down. As Su Baiyi moved to follow, Feng Waner reached out to stop him. She asked, “You knew all along that I had another purpose in asking you here?”
“Of course. How could the third elder of the Feng family, with her discerning eye, mistake me for a mere carriage driver, or my senior sister for a maid? Where would you find a maid so beautiful and skilled in martial arts? But Aunt Feng, you didn’t expose us. Instead, you helped us successfully infiltrate the Feng family. So I guessed that you must be on Sect Leader Feng’s side,” Su Baiyi smiled.
“So you’re quite shrewd after all. Judging by your behavior in the carriage, I thought you were really just a simpleton,” Feng Wan’er reached out to gently lift Su Baiyi’s chin with her finger.
Su Baiyi’s face reddened slightly. “I didn’t expect Aunt Feng to be such a convincing actress…”
“Oh, I wasn’t acting at all,” Feng Wan’er smiled charmingly. “Everything I did was sincere.”
“I must take my leave!” Su Baiyi hastily turned around and followed Feng Yuhan into the secret passageway.