Hearing that Old Sword Sage Li Chungan was about to impart the legendary Two Sleeves of Azure Serpents, Xue Fengnian was utterly astonished. Before he could even react, Li Chungan coldly snorted and demanded a sword. The spring thunder at Xue Fengnian’s waist trembled violently, and instinctively, he reached to hold down the ancient short saber, unwilling to let it leave its sheath.
The old man in the sheepskin robe sneered, saying, “Let me first show you the sword mastery of the Wu Clan Sword Tombs—the flight of swords to Kunlun.” With a clash of spiritual pressure, how could Xue Fengnian possibly rival this old sword sage who had secluded himself beneath the Tide Listening Pavilion for decades? The spring thunder was still drawn away by the old sword sage’s single finger, leaping into the air.
Li Chungan pressed his finger downward, and the spring thunder fell. Then he twirled his finger again, and the spring thunder spun rapidly in front of him, forming a bright halo of saber light, the blade itself invisible.
The old sword sage let the spring thunder continue to spin in midair, then reached out and grabbed the hilt. Two azure halos exploded from the ancient blade, like two mystical azure serpents entwining and swirling. Without warning Xue Fengnian to be cautious, Li Chungan wielded the saber as a sword, unleashing a blade of sword qi that slashed directly toward Xue Fengnian, who was still pondering the secrets of sword flight. The sword qi surged forth, racing toward his face in an instant.
Back on Wudang Mountain, Xue Fengnian had once fought an imperial guard from the Eastern Yue royal family. The swordsman wielded twin Barbaric Brocade blades, and what impressed and intrigued Xue Fengnian most was that unique sword-drawing technique. Now, faced with the surging azure serpent, a sudden spark of understanding struck him, and somehow he grasped that ineffable, indescribable mystery.
Since the azure serpent’s sword qi was unavoidable, Xiu Dong was drawn from its sheath in a flash. With a surge of energy to the Yellow Court, he held the blade and met the cold sword qi head-on. Standing atop the hill, Xue Fengnian was pushed all the way down to the middle of the slope by the entwined azure serpents, the ground exploding with dust. The sleeves and shoes of the young prince were utterly ruined. But the old man in the sheepskin robe was relentless, striking again and again, the sword qi growing stronger, the azure halos intensifying. Xue Fengnian barely had time to catch his breath, but fortunately, the Great Yellow Court’s fourth floor could generate two streams of azure lotus energy, allowing him to withstand another strike of the serpent’s emergence. This time, he was driven all the way from the hillside down to its base.
Standing atop the slope, the old sword sage narrowed his eyes and asked, “Your sword drawing has a bit of flair. If I’m not mistaken, it’s the famed technique of the Eastern Yue royal family. It was never written down in any manual, only passed down orally. How did you learn it?”
Xue Fengnian’s internal energies surged like tidal waves. His Great Yellow Court cultivation had just begun to stabilize, but now he felt terribly unwell. With a bitter smile, he replied, “I once saw a swordsman from the Eastern Yue royal family draw his blade once. I suppose you could say I learned it by watching.”
The old sword sage nodded indifferently, then grinned and asked, “Finished resting?”
Xue Fengnian acted decisively, replying with unshakable resolve, “Not yet!”
But the old sword sage was no kind-hearted mentor. Laughing heartily, he launched another azure serpent, this time even fiercer. Xue Fengnian wanted to evade, but he couldn’t escape. He had no choice but to use the crudest method—clashing head-on. Fortunately, Li Chungan seemed to be holding back deliberately, not striking with full force. Compared to the hundred-zhang sword qi on the imperial road, this was more like a slow blade cutting away at him. It seemed the old sword sage was testing just how many azure lotuses the Great Yellow Court could produce. Gritting his teeth, Xue Fengnian planted his feet, sinking into the mud, and used the armor-like sword technique taught by his aunt to resist the azure serpent’s sword qi.
Unfortunately, how could the old sword sage’s sword qi not be devastating? Xiu Dong was pressed down by the relentless waves of sword qi, bending until it could bend no more. With a loud bang, Xue Fengnian and his blade were sent flying backward, tumbling several times before rising just in time to see another azure serpent slithering toward him. Desperately, he countered with the “Pao Sheng” move from the Dunhuang Flying Sword Manual, and as he was struck again, a sudden clarity dawned upon him.
The pinnacle of swordsmanship is divided into sword flight and sword aura generation. Abandoning sword intent for sword techniques is why the Wu Clan Sword Tombs reigned supreme. However, there was a flaw: the deeper a swordsman’s cultivation, the more he relied on a divine blade—like Wu Liuding bringing forth the Suwang upon leaving the tombs. In contrast, the latter approach treated the sword itself as merely a medium, with the sword aura being the true path. Like Li Chungan, who could wield anything—umbrellas, water droplets—as swords, he had already reached the realm where all things could become swords. Yet, only after facing the Two Sleeves of Azure Serpents did Xue Fengnian truly understand why Li Chungan had once stood at the pinnacle of swordsmanship. Whether commanding swords or generating sword aura, the old sword sage was unparalleled. The azure serpents seemed to strike in a straight line, but in reality, they could twist and turn under the guidance of spiritual pressure, their movement precise to the finest detail, giving rise to such a vast and wondrous spectacle.
Holding the spring thunder saber, the old sword sage slowly descended the hill, saying, “Boy, you’re still alive?”
Xue Fengnian, his fighting spirit ignited, forced a grin despite his battered state. “Not yet! Come on, again!”
Li Chungan merely smiled, muttering, “Minor grievances in the heart can be washed away with wine, but the great injustices of the world can only be quelled by the sword. Xu Xiaozi, whether it was my Wooden Horse Ox, the Suwang now in Wu Liuding’s hands, or the Da Liang Long Que once wielded by your mother, none of us ever dared to dream of cutting down the world with a single strike. If you can’t even dare to dream it, how can you reach the realm of an earthly immortal? When you’ve seen enough of my Two Sleeves of Azure Serpents, you’ll find your own bearing. Only then will the Great Yellow Court truly be yours. In battle, never think of retreat before the fight begins. Tonight, I teach you this truth, which is no less valuable than the Two Sleeves of Azure Serpents.”
At the two campfires below, all they could see was sword qi piercing the heavens from the hillside. General Ning Emei, somewhat concerned, wanted to lead a group of White Horse Volunteers to keep watch, but was stopped by the old Daoist priest Wei Shuyang with a smile.
Moving a little farther from the fire, Ning Emei quietly asked the elderly Daoist, “Master, is that old master Li Chungan, the Sword Sage?”
The old Daoist, nearing seventy, looked wistful, as if recalling his youth when he had once roamed the jianghu with sword in hand, just like Li Qingdan. Stroking his beard, he smiled, “Indeed, the Sword Sage. Thinking back now, it feels like a dream. I never imagined I would have the fortune to travel alongside such a venerable figure in this lifetime!”
Ning Emei, always modest and reserved in private, smiled, seemingly unsure how to continue the conversation. To him, Li Chungan was merely a legendary earthly immortal spoken of by older martial artists—nothing more than tales of a hundred-year-old youth with the complexion of an infant, a swordsman who could cross a hundred li in a single step, and whose sword techniques towered above all others. But now, having met him in person, he found himself somewhat at a loss. That old man in the sheepskin robe had such an eccentric demeanor and posture. Especially after his sword, the Wooden Horse Ox, had been shattered by Wang Xianzhi of Wu Di City, and now, for reasons unknown, he had only one arm left—it was truly a cause for lamentation. To Ning Emei, witnessing the azure serpent sword qi’s unstoppable might, what would it have been like if he still had both arms?
Alas, how could one sleeve hold two azure serpents?
Wei Shuyang seemed to read Ning Emei’s thoughts and shook his head. “General Ning, it’s not that simple.”
Ning Emei remained silent, then turned to see the young prince, dressed in new clothes at dusk, now approaching in tattered rags, with the old sword sage leisurely trailing behind with a sly smile.
Seeing that they were still some distance from the campfire, Xue Fengnian bitterly smiled and said, “Old master, you said you’d teach me the Two Sleeves of Azure Serpents, but you’re not teaching at all. All I’ve done is take hits, unable to even flee.”
The old man puffed out his beard and glared. “Fool! What’s the use of telling you all those grand truths? Do you think my famous technique is so easy to learn?”
Xue Fengnian muttered, “You’re just lazy and don’t want to talk.”
To his surprise, the old sword sage didn’t get angry but laughed instead. “That’s true enough. The Two Sleeves of Azure Serpents—though called two sleeves, not counting the sword aura, there are already sixty-six sword techniques. If I had to explain each one to you, how much saliva and effort would I waste?”
Xue Fengnian put on a pitiful expression, as if he had expected this all along.
The old man sneered, “Don’t be the kind of brat who takes advantage of a lady and still complains about her looks. Keep enduring. When you can finally cut through an azure serpent with a single strike, then you’ll have truly entered the hall of martial cultivation.”
Xue Fengnian asked with a bitter face, “By your words, old master, does that mean I’ll be getting beaten every day?”
Li Chungan glanced sideways. “What else did you expect?”
Instantly, Xue Fengnian put on a fawning smile. “This is truly a great blessing, something people pray for their whole lives and still can’t obtain!”
Li Chungan stared at the young prince’s face with an odd expression, then suddenly kicked him in the backside. Watching the stumbling figure, he chuckled, “You sure have a pretty face. I wonder how skilled you are in bed. Why don’t you go practice with that Jing’an Princess and see how you fare!”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage