Under the tree sat a group of people, while a ghost perched atop the pagoda tree.
One bore a face of joy, the other one of sorrow.
The sword-bearing page, who had seen ghosts in daylight twice, was badly frightened. This time, Lu Baijie didn’t even bother to scold him. After the boy left the courtyard, he finally spoke: “Now that you know Master Cao plans to take Princess Jiang Si to restore the fallen Western Chu, I’ve been making strategic deployments targeting Guangling Circuit since entering the Ministry of War. If you ever get the chance to meet Master Cao, please convey my apologies to him. I have no choice but to fulfill my duties and cannot remain idle.”
Xu Fengnian smiled casually and replied, “I met Cao Qingyi once outside Iron Gate Pass, but I doubt I’ll have another chance for several years. Besides, he probably wouldn’t care much about this matter anyway.”
Upon hearing the words “Iron Gate Pass,” Lu Baijie showed no change in expression and remained calm. After finishing his meal during the dusk, he put down his chopsticks and softly said, “Draw swords.”
Xu Fengnian remained seated and nodded. At the table, Xuanyuan Qingfeng and Qing Niao sat respectfully, while only the young boy Wu continued eating. The page removed a sandalwood sword case and respectfully handed it to the sword immortal of Tangxi, then ran to the farthest corner of the courtyard, away from the ancient pagoda tree. He was angry, thinking how arrogant and undeserving the white-haired heir of Beiliang was, and at the same time, he was terrified—had he offended some unclean spirit? Why was he the only one who saw that woman in the crimson robe hanging from the tree?
Lu Baijie stood upright with the sword case in hand, struck the end of the case with one hand, and sent both the case and the sword flying toward the page. The last famous sword forged in the Tangxi Sword Furnace, Baxiu, remained behind.
Before Lu Baijie could even grasp the ancient sword Baxiu, a metallic clang rang out. The blade, without any apparent cause, bent inward at its center, forming a curve. Rather than being startled, the sword immortal of Tangxi was delighted and smiled faintly. He gripped the twisted ancient sword, gently flicked his wrist, and a ripple of sword energy spread outward. With a single horizontal slash, a brilliant, glowing arc of sword qi surged toward Xu Fengnian at the table. However, the moment the qi emerged, it dissipated, ending surprisingly without any effect. Xu Fengnian tapped the table with his finger, and Lu Baijie leaned backward. Baxiu swept out a half-circle, its sword qi radiant like a crescent moon. Yet before the crescent could fully manifest, Lu Baijie redirected the energy back into the sword, slapped the ground with his palm, spun his body, and twisted the tip of Baxiu into a serpentine motion. In the courtyard, leaves fell ceaselessly, fluttering between the two men. The sword tip exhaled energy—not in a continuous line, but along a single line where three leaves floated. Only the middle leaf was crushed into dust, clearly a display of advanced sword art where the qi overflowed at the break. Xu Fengnian traced a line on the table with his finger, and a flying sword met the sword qi, dispersing like a misty cloud of water vapor.
The sword immortal of Tangxi stepped forward like a martial artist performing a celestial incantation, his sword intent surging. Leaves on the ground were swept up by the sword qi, riding the wind as it rose. Suddenly, Lu Baijie withdrew his sword and tossed Baxiu back to the page and the case. The boy hurriedly caught the ancient sword and sheathed it. As he looked closely, he saw that his master—who was praised for wielding a sword with celestial aura—was surrounded by more than a dozen trembling flying swords, all hovering slightly and motionless. He was deeply shaken. Turning his gaze toward Xu Fengnian, he wondered: had this man been controlling the swords invisibly all along? Such a skill must surely be at the pinnacle of the first-rate realm!
Lu Baijie returned to his seat and frowned, “Your internal energy, compared to when we first met on the Jiangnan Circuit, why has it regressed instead of improved? How are you able to control twelve flying swords?”
Xu Fengnian answered candidly, “The Wu Clan Sword Tomb nurtures swords in a unique way. Once a flying sword reaches full maturity, it can be wielded even with second-rate internal energy—perhaps even third-rate. It’s not an exaggeration to say that even children of the Wu Clan can use bamboo-horse swords to cut butterflies mid-flight.”
Lu Baijie asked with a smile, “But how did you manage to cultivate twelve such swords within a single year? Is there a shortcut?”
Xu Fengnian shook his head, “There were a few fortunate coincidences, but mostly it was through sheer, painstaking effort. Each of the twelve swords required an hour of cultivation at a time, and I maintained this for over half a year.”
Lu Baijie sighed, “Only those who endure the bitterest hardships can rise above others. Indeed, the ancients never deceived us.”
Xu Fengnian said bitterly, “I once reached the Realm of the Diamond (Jin Gang level), but entered a false Realm twice. I fear I’ll never make any progress in the first-rate realm for the rest of my life.”
Lu Baijie asked, “You entered false realms of Mystic Revelation twice?”
Xu Fengnian smiled, “Once in Mystic Revelation, once in Celestial Phenomenon. So even if I could leap realms, I’d have to jump straight from King Kong to Celestial Immortal of the Earth. But I’m no divine figure.”
This time, even Lu Baijie was visibly shaken. He lightly struck the table and sighed, “What a pity! What a pity indeed!”
Xu Fengnian laughed lightly, “In the future, I won’t be able to focus solely on martial cultivation anyway. I’ll just go with the flow and find an excuse to step back.”
Lu Baijie shook his head, “I used to doubt Huang Longshi’s claim that the chaotic Qi of the Spring and Autumn Period had flowed into the martial world. But now, with so many young talents emerging like bamboo shoots after rain—whether in innate talent, fortune, or opportunity—they far surpass those of the previous generation, even worthy of being called uniquely brilliant in the past five hundred years. I can’t help but believe it now. I had high hopes for you. I hoped that one day you could take a place among the top ten martial experts in the world. Today’s sword challenge was meant to test you. If your response had met my expectations, I had planned to pass on my late master Yang Yuzhang’s sword insights and the Baxiu sword to you. Alas, I never expected it to end like this.”
The Tangxi sword immortal looked sorrowful, gazing upward at the ancient pagoda tree, muttering to himself, “Ancient records say that when a pagoda tree’s aura darkens, and its shade turns bluish-green in spring and summer, it is a good omen for a single tree, but if there are two, ghosts will dwell there. Is it really so? Fengnian, why do you carry a ghostly presence beside you? Aren’t you afraid of losing your fortune and vitality?”
Xu Fengnian replied calmly, “I have no fortune left to lose. The fact that it stays by my side despite everything already fills me with deep gratitude. Whether it is newly awakened with gratitude or instinctively believes I am still a valuable asset, it doesn’t matter to me. With such a celestial charm at my side, I feel more at ease heading to the capital.”
Lu Baijie nodded, then suddenly smiled, “Do you know who the most talked-about swordsman in the capital is right now?”
Xu Fengnian asked in return, “Isn’t it the two old rivals from Tai’an City, Qi Jiajie and Bai Jiangshan? I remember Qi Jiajie once blocked your path with his sword when you were appointed to the capital.”
Lu Baijie shook his head, “Not them. It’s a wandering swordsman who had no reputation to speak of before. He challenged this generation’s Wu Clan Sword Champion, Wu Liuding, and instead of facing Wu directly, he bypassed him and challenged Wu’s female sword Knight, known only as Cu Hua. No one expected that both would become famous in one fight. Cu Hua used the legendary sword technique ‘Two Sleeves of Green Snake,’ which was thought to have vanished with the death of sword saint Li Chungan. The wandering swordsman was also quite formidable. It is said he only delivered two sword strikes, and though he lost, he gained great honor. I missed that match, but later, the young swordsman fought Bai Jiangshan and Qi Jiajie twice, and I personally went to witness both battles. His sword techniques were astonishingly unique. Those two strikes were said to represent the pinnacle of sword art and sword philosophy. It seemed as if he had already reached the summit, leaving no further heights to climb. Yet, everyone could see that no matter whom he faced, he only had two strikes in him. When Wang Xianzhi first entered the martial world, he took the path of learning from many schools and mastering a wide range of techniques. This young swordsman was completely different—his approach was the opposite.”
Xu Fengnian said bluntly, “He skipped over most of the journey that countless swordsmen could never complete, clearly guided by an expert of the highest caliber. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be so confident. If he truly completes just one ultimate strike, it could be a devastating, unreasonable move. At that point, only Wu Liuding, the Sword Lightning of the Northern Desert, Qi Xianxia of Longhu Mountain, Wang Xiaoping of Wudang, and a few others would be able to face him. Entering the Dao through deception—I can’t help but feel this has the touch of Huang Sanjia.”
At this, Xu Fengnian fell silent. Wasn’t she, too, someone who had bypassed the need for sword control altogether, directly stepping halfway into the realm of sword immortality?
Lu Baijie laughed, “Well, I’m lucky that this young swordsman is coming to challenge me in three days. Otherwise, wouldn’t I have certainly lost?”
Xu Fengnian was startled, “That guy is coming to challenge you?”
The Tangxi sword immortal smiled, “I was thinking of giving you the sword, so I wanted to find an excuse to avoid the challenge. I’ve already received countless criticisms from court officials for watching his previous two matches. Three times is pushing it.”
Xu Fengnian whispered, “So you were planning for me to fight in your place?”
Lu Baijie nodded calmly, “After all, isn’t the entire capital full of people who don’t believe you killed the fifth Hai?”
Xu Fengnian sighed, “I’m sorry to disappoint you, Uncle Lu.”
Lu Baijie offered no comfort, instead adding salt to the wound, “So I’ll have to face this challenge myself. Consider this a final farewell to my sword path, which will never reach its peak. As for Baxiu sword, forget about it. And as for my late master Yang Yuzhang’s sword insights, you can only consider it if you don’t cause any trouble before the Winter Commencement Ceremony.”
Xu Fengnian murmured softly, “The tree wishes for stillness, but the wind won’t cease.”
Lu Baijie sighed, then rose and took his leave.
The young page no longer dared to underestimate the white-haired youth as he had before. Following his master out of the courtyard, he muttered in Grievance and confusion, lowering his voice to say, “Master…”
The sword immortal gave him a light tap on the head, “If your heart is clear, why fear ghosts or spirits?”
The sword-bearing boy lowered his head and mumbled, “But that woman in the red robe, hanging from the old pagoda tree like a hanged ghost—it was really scary.”
“Go back and reflect on your mistakes by copying scriptures.”
“Master, why did the prince’s hair turn white?”
“Why don’t you ask him yourself?”
“I dare not. He can already control flying swords. I wasn’t very kind to him on the Jiangnan Circuit. What if he holds a grudge and sends a sword to take my head? Who will carry your sword for you then, right?”
“You didn’t even believe he killed the leader of the Mountain-Taking Sect, did you? You even bet with Er Qiao, didn’t you? How much did you lose?”
“Heh, just a few coins. I even thought I lost too little.”
“Look at you—what a pitiful sight. When you’re young, it’s fortunate if you meet someone you love. If you’re confident you can make her happy and secure in the future, then speak up quickly.”
“I haven’t studied enough, my knowledge isn’t sufficient, and I haven’t mastered sword techniques yet. Master, maybe I should wait a bit longer?”
“Up to you.”
Lu Baijie nodded farewell to Tong Ziliang, the officer stationed outside the courtyard, then stepped outside the inn and turned to look back at the ancient pagoda tree.
An herbal text once said that the tender shoots of the pagoda tree, when boiled in water, can prevent graying hair and grant immortality.
But what good is that?
In the Xu family, it turns out the greatest suffering is borne by Xu Fengnian.
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