Chapter 113: A Cup of Wine in the Peach Blossom Breeze, Ten Thousand Blades Drawn to See Off the Imperial Uncle

The setting sun flickered, its fading glow shredded into ribbons. The celestial wind sheared them into fragments, as if woven into a robe for an immortal.

...

The sun-drenched, rosy clouds that had set the sky ablaze began to dissipate, their light weakening like a final, stubborn flame amidst the pouring rain of late spring that scoured the mortal world. When the last of the light was extinguished, the illuminated firmament plummeted into silence. Cold rain, carrying the chill of the waning spring, pattered against the stone plateau.

On the summit of the Sixth Mountain, the two figures sitting cross-legged were already soaked through. The incomparably massive Sword-Qi Bodhisattva had vanished, and the sword qi of the Sixth Mountain had retracted back into the mountain itself, showing not the slightest trace thereafter. A feat that defied the heavens had finally reached its curtain call.

On the stone path of the Sixth Mountain, Li You’an and Hua Jiebing no longer paid attention to An Le, whose internal energy was climbing steadily as he made an eerie, full recovery from a weakened state in just three days. The two broke through the rain and drifted down the mountain, landing on the plateau. The bean-sized raindrops falling from the sky were diverted by their aura before they could even land, sparing the two figures sitting withered on the plateau.

The muscles on the deeply furrowed face of the Imperial Temple Elder, Zhao Huangting, twitched slightly. He slowly opened his eyes, and the clarity of the world gradually returned to his gaze. It seemed they had succeeded. Zhao Huangting revealed a faint smile; by using the Heart Sword to suppress the Nirvana Fire, he had snatched his life from the hands of the heavens, buying himself a little more time. Even for someone like Zhao Huangting, his heart was filled with trepidation. After all, how audacious it was to steal one's life from the heavens? It was fortunate enough that the heavens hadn't struck him down with purple thunder.

Of course, the pressure on Master Suzhu was even greater. As the one who delivered the Heart Sword, she was the true rebel against the heavens, inviting the disdain of the celestial realm. Furthermore, due to the division of her Heart Sword, her primordial spirit was incredibly weak, and her cultivation would be suppressed to its lowest point in history. A pallor washed over Master Suzhu’s beautiful face, a paleness so profound that even her immense power could not conceal it.

"Master!" Hua Jiebing opened an oiled paper umbrella, shielding Master Suzhu from the icy late-spring rain. The raindrops hit the umbrella, emitting muffled sounds, then intertwined into a curtain of pearls that cascaded down, forming a web of rain.

Master Suzhu rose gracefully, her snow-white monastic robes hanging loosely. The mist, blurred by the rain, clung to her slender frame, and her crystalline feet seemed to hover slightly as if supporting her body. Zhao Huangting stood up, cupped his hands, and bowed deeply.

"My thanks, Bodhisattva." This gratitude was sincere. After all, dividing her Heart Sword to suppress his Nirvana Fire was an act of defying the heavens. For a practitioner of the Buddhist path, which emphasized karma, this meant inviting a heavier karmic burden upon herself. The backlash to her primordial spirit and the enmity of the heavens were minor matters; the most critical issue was that for this period, Master Suzhu would fall into an unprecedented state of weakness, and if she were not careful, she might even trigger her own Nirvana Fire. Therefore, given his status as a royal of the Zhao clan, the proud Zhao Huangting’s gratitude came truly from the depths of his heart. Had it not been for their friendship from their youth when they vied for dominance in the world, and had he not rescued Hua Jiebing from Lin’an, Master Suzhu might not have been willing to pay such a price to help him suppress his Nirvana Fire.

Master Suzhu’s expression was like frost and snow, becoming even more ethereal and elegant. She formed a Buddhist mudra and returned the salute. "Suppressing the Nirvana Fire is an act against the heavens. I have used a shard of my Heart Sword to suppress it; the longer it remains, the greater the torture to your soul. When the shard is finally withdrawn, the pain will be more intense than ever before..."

"Zhao Huangting, take care of yourself." Master Suzhu looked at Zhao Huangting deeply, a trace of a sigh in her eyes.

Zhao Huangting, however, was quite carefree. "No matter, no matter. For the final grand flourish of my life, what is a little bit of pain?"

Master Suzhu did not speak further. She turned to look at Hua Jiebing. "Jiebing, it is time to return to Ganye Temple. Your eighth-realm limit Heart Sword also needs to be tempered well, in preparation for your final push toward the ninth realm."

Hearing this, Hua Jiebing did not refuse this time. She had already left Lin’an, and her ties with the Lin household could be considered severed. Moreover, she truly needed to make a proper push for the ninth realm. Her cultivation at the limit of the eighth realm made her feel her own inadequacies and many constraints.

"Master, this disciple is willing to return to Ganye Temple," Hua Jiebing said respectfully.

"By dividing her Heart Sword to suppress the Nirvana Fire, Master Suzhu will be very weak for some time. Only Ganye Temple is truly safe." Li You’an spoke up. "There are too many in this world who covet the Heart Sword. Once the news of Zhao Huangting’s successful suppression of the Nirvana Fire spreads, many who are nearing the end of their lives will surely learn of Master Suzhu’s weakness, and it is inevitable that some will harbor ulterior motives."

"Ganye Temple has two other Great Masters sitting in residence, plus the red python that has lived for thousands of years guarding the temple; it is naturally the safest place."

Zhao Huangting let out a loud laugh. "You underestimate this... Bodhisattva. Back when we roamed the world together, when she still had her thirty-three thousand strands of black hair and was beautiful enough to make bubbles, many martial artists who coveted her beauty were ruthlessly killed by her. Don’t look at her as weak now; the weaker she is, the more terrifying she becomes. Back then, I never could have imagined this woman would become a Bodhisattva."

Master Suzhu smiled at Zhao Huangting. Zhao Huangting immediately shut his mouth, clutching his waist and groaning, "Oh, my. Now that the Nirvana Fire is sealed, it feels different. These old bones of mine have truly become old bones; even moving my waist slightly makes me feel like I’ll throw it out. Little An, do you have any wine? Give me a sip to strengthen my bones."

Watching Zhao Huangting as he wandered off while complaining, Master Suzhu withdrew her gaze, her eyes as calm as water. "Although Zhao Huangting called me a female demon in his words, there is some truth to it; there is no need to worry."

"Moreover, I now bear the celestial wrath of the heavens for Zhao Huangting’s defiance. At this time, whoever obtains my Heart Sword will not be seeking longevity, but rather a death warrant."

Li You’an nodded slightly. After cupping his hands toward Master Suzhu, he took a step, the wind and rain suddenly ceased, and he arrived at the foot of the mountain. On the hillside, Zhao Huangting and An Le sat together on the blue stone path, which was wet and littered with peach blossoms knocked down by the rain.

"I wonder what plans the old Imperial Uncle has next?" Li You’an stood before the two, thought for a moment, and then sat on the stone path as well.

The rain fell in a drizzle, but it was shielded by Li You’an’s aura, as if an invisible canopy covered them from the falling drops. An Le clearly had not brought any wine from Lin’an Prefecture. Zhao Huangting smacked his lips in regret and said, "What plans could I have? Naturally, I will cross the Canglang River and head north all the way to the Yuan-Mongol Great Capital."

An Le turned his head; he remembered Elder Zhao saying he would take him to see something truly invigorating.

Li You’an smiled. "Going straight there?"

Zhao Huangting stretched. With the Nirvana Fire suppressed, his cultivation was hidden, and he looked truly like an elderly man. "Go straight there? My foot." Zhao Huangting rolled his eyes. "The journey to the Yuan-Mongol Great Capital is fully eight thousand miles. Once across the Canglang River, you are in Yuan-Mongol territory. We might be beaten to death by Yuan-Mongol experts before we even reach the capital."

"Once out of Lin’an, it is the 'Jianghu'... Those spineless fellows in the Tianxuan Palace probably won’t care about my status as an Imperial Uncle anymore; they will stop at nothing to hire experts to kill An Le. Of course, I still have some face, and some might be happy to see me head north to test the depth of the Yuan Emperor, who hasn't made a move in hundreds of years. But for those with deep grudges, they won't want me to have such an easy time."

Li You’an narrowed his eyes. "Do you need me to escort you?"

Zhao Huangting shook his head. "No need, no need. Let’s skip the escort. You were invited back by Hua Jiebing this time, and having been away from the upper reaches of the Canglang River for so many days, those two demonized father and son from the Western Liang Kingdom will definitely not let such a good opportunity pass; they must be planning something."

"The father and son of the Western Liang Kingdom are certainly not good people. You must keep a close eye on them, not for the sake of the Great Zhao, but for the sake of the people in the several cities that would be affected if the Western Liang Kingdom were to strike deep..."

"Once the Western Liang father and son breach a city, they will inevitably slaughter it. By then, it will be a river of blood."

"Then I, Zhao Huangting, would become a sinner."

Hearing this, Li You’an’s gaze sharpened. "Before I returned to Lin’an, I fought the Western Liang Crown Prince, Gu Chenglin. In that battle, I wounded his demonic heart. For a short time, he shouldn't be able to cause any trouble."

"The situation in the Western Liang Kingdom is quite complex. The Yuan-Mongol army has already marched toward Western Liang, watching like a tiger, so the Gu father and son dare not cross the river south at this moment," Li You’an said.

His eyes shone brightly. "And you surely won't head north immediately. You plan to take An Le to the Sword Pool Palace in Shu first, to try and sharpen the 'Qingshan' sword once more."

Zhao Huangting scratched his head and laughed. "You really can't be fooled. I have two great regrets in my life. One is that I never had a proper fight with the world’s number one, the Yuan Emperor. The second is that I failed to sharpen Qingshan."

"This is my fifth time rushing to the Sword Pool Palace in Shu. If I still can't sharpen Qingshan... I suppose I’ll have to accept my fate."

"Besides, I am taking An Le with me this time. With this kid’s affinity for swords, he might just succeed." Zhao Huangting patted An Le on the shoulder and said with a chuckle.

"Then I will escort you for a stretch of the road. I will leave once we reach Shu. It just so happens that I have some things I need to tell An Le during this time," Li You’an said.

Zhao Huangting couldn't help but narrow his eyes. "What things do you need to tell him?"

The two went back and forth, and An Le, caught in the middle, felt very uncomfortable, not knowing whether to move or stay still. Especially now, with Zhao Huangting narrowing his eyes, an oppressive aura began to permeate the air. Li You’an, in his scholar’s robes, sat on the blue stone with his back straight. Facing Zhao Huangting’s narrowed-eyed posture, he didn't care at all and said, "Do you know that An Le holds a strand of the Sage Master’s future sword qi?"

"Looking at the future from atop the sheer cliff, I saw a spark of fire that will start a prairie blaze."

As soon as these words fell, the dark clouds laden with spring rain seemed to emit a thunderous explosion. Lightning flashed abruptly behind the clouds, illuminating the mortal world with brilliant light!

Zhao Huangting’s narrowed eyes suddenly widened.

"You have changed, Li You’an. You have changed," Zhao Huangting breathed out and said slowly.

Then, his widened eyes slowly returned to their original state, looking somewhat listless. "Forget it. I don't care about these messy affairs, and I can't control them anyway."

"However, if it is truly as you say, then we must go to the Sword Pool Palace even more. If the sword isn't sharpened, there isn't the slightest chance against the Yuan-Mongol Emperor." The old man sighed endlessly.

Li You’an reached out and caught a drop of late-spring rain. The raindrop hovered in his palm, reflecting a brilliant radiance like a mirror. "But it is still early. We need more people—important people—to see through the sword qi and believe that this spark can truly start a prairie blaze. The current Zhao Emperor cannot twist the rope, and if one has no ability, it is also very hard to twist it." Li You’an said softly.

An Le, listening to their seemingly Zen-like conversation, was completely confused. He felt as if he understood, yet he didn't understand at all, and he didn't want to get involved in their dialogue. He cast his gaze toward the plateau, where Master Suzhu was talking to Hua Jiebing. With a shift of his mind, he began to draw the 'Age Energy' from Master Suzhu. These days, he had been trying to draw the Age Energy from these powerful figures. He had tried with Li You’an and the Sixth Mountain Master—one failure and one success. Unfortunately, the Age Energy he had painstakingly extracted from the Sixth Mountain Master was only a wisp of white. As for Zhao Huangting and Master Suzhu, because they were in the process of defying the heavens and changing their fate, An Le dared not try, fearing it would cause some unexpected trouble. Now that the act of defying the heavens had ended, An Le naturally started to absorb it.

The [Age Energy] tally jumped violently, constantly flickering. After a tug-of-war, like plucking a feather from a phoenix, a wisp of Age Energy drifted over. A faint golden color emerged, lingering at An Le’s fingertips, reflecting a flowing golden luster.

Joy immediately appeared in An Le’s eyes. The long-awaited flowing golden Age Energy! However, the environment was not right, so An Le did not immediately immerse his mind to observe this rare golden Age Energy.

"Let’s go, Little An." Zhao Huangting stood up, patted the raindrops off his body, and said lazily. "Having stayed on this Sixth Mountain for several days, it’s time to set off."

"You took first place in the Imperial Examination in Lin’an, but you are ranked seventh on the Little Sage List. That’s because Zhao Xianyou stepped down, so overall, your ranking hasn't improved. It would be best to top the Little Sage List; when you talk to the Sage Master, you’ll have much more confidence." Zhao Huangting patted An Le on the shoulder. Now, he had no doubts about An Le’s conversation with the Sage Master.

As the flowing golden Age Energy absorbed from Master Suzhu entered his body, An Le stood up and looked at Zhao Huangting with confusion. "I ruined the Zhao Emperor’s scheme before the Tianxuan Palace. Does this top ranking... still count?"

Zhao Huangting couldn't help but let out a dry laugh upon hearing this.

Just then, the Sixth Mountain Master drifted down from the mountain, carrying a pine wood sword box on his back. "When you became the leader of the civil and military examinations, in the eyes of the Sacred Mountain, you were the top scholar." He then crossed his arms and added coolly, "The Zhao court’s word no longer matters."

Master Suzhu and Hua Jiebing from the plateau drifted onto the stone path. Everyone converged again on the peach-blossom-filled stone path between the mountains. The rain fell in a drizzle, hitting the peach blossoms on both sides, and the muddy water rolled with the petals, flowing down along the mountain road.

"An Le, take this 'Dingfengbo'." Hua Jiebing handed An Le the golden-backed broadsword, 'Dingfengbo', which she had retrieved from beneath the nose of the Zhao Emperor in the Tianxuan Palace. The sword was three feet long, with golden patterns on the back, as if ancient characters were engraved on it, containing a special energy. Cold raindrops stained the blade, sliding off gently and leaving water marks.

"Madam... this..." An Le looked at the sword Madam Hua handed him and hesitated. After all, for Madam Hua, this sword had extraordinary significance.

"Take it. For me, the moment I retrieved this sword from the Tianxuan Palace, the meaning it contained had already dissipated like smoke. People die, but the sword remains. If someone can wield this sword well and recreate the true intent within it, that is what is truly meaningful." Hua Jiebing said softly.

Everyone present remained silent, only looking at this second-grade golden-backed broadsword, 'Dingfengbo', with a sense of melancholy. The original owner of this 'Dingfengbo' was the old master of the Lin family. The golden sword of 'Golden Sword Lin Wudi' was indeed 'Dingfengbo'. After the old master died in battle, the precious sword was inherited by the Lin eldest son, only to be lost later on the battlefield against the Yuan-Mongol army. Finally, the Zhao royal family retrieved it from the Yuan-Mongol army by some unknown means and stored it in the treasure vault.

"The person is dead, but the sword refuses to be covered in dust."

"I am going to return to Ganye Temple with my Master. When I reach the ninth realm and forge the ninth-realm Heart Sword, I will come out of the mountain again to kill that Qin Lishi," Hua Jiebing said earnestly.

Hearing this, An Le no longer hesitated. He reached out and took 'Dingfengbo' from Hua Jiebing’s hand. The moment the sword was in his hand, it didn't feel as heavy as he had imagined. Instead, the dormant blood and energy in his body seemed to surge at this moment, as if raging dragons in a river were stirred by the sword qi, roaring continuously. A second-grade treasure sword was indeed quite extraordinary. However, because it was his first time holding a sword, An Le, due to the [Natural Swordsman] Dao Fruit, had a high sensitivity to swords, but for a blade, it was quite ordinary. Aside from causing his blood and energy to surge, there was nothing special. A blade, like a sword, needs to be nurtured.

There was no miraculous sight of the true blade intent of 'Dingfengbo' emerging just because An Le held it. The others did not find this strange. The Sixth Mountain Master had no feelings for blades, but this 'Dingfengbo' moved him as well, because he saw the faint blade intent contained within. He raised his hand, and sword qi suddenly erupted from his fingertips. A peach tree was instantly and pitifully cut down. The sword qi danced, and the peach tree finally transformed into a simple peach-wood scabbard, hanging in front of An Le.

"A blade is like a sword; both need to be nurtured. Take this peach-wood scabbard to nurture 'Dingfengbo'," the Sixth Mountain Master said.

An Le sheathed 'Dingfengbo'. After thanking the Sixth Mountain Master, he wore the sword on his right side. With 'Qingshan' and 'Mochi' on his left and 'Dingfengbo' on his right, his white robes flowing in the spring breeze, he looked quite like a scholar of the Jianghu.

"Let’s go." Master Suzhu spoke. The master and disciple, both stunningly beautiful and appearing as if they had walked out of a painting, pressed their palms together and saluted the others. Countless spring raindrops turned into sword-qi lotus flowers under their feet, lifting the two into mid-air, truly looking like a Bodhisattva and Guanyin wandering the world.

An Le cupped his hands and gave a long bow. The Sixth Mountain Master nodded slightly, and Li You’an and Zhao Huangting both cupped their hands.

"Take care." Everyone spoke.

There was not much sadness of parting. For such powerful figures, apart from life and death, there is no permanent parting, only whether one wants to see each other or not. Hua Jiebing and Master Suzhu did not linger, stepping on the sword-qi lotus flowers, tearing through the rain curtain, and departing with peerless grace.

On the mountain road outside the Sixth Mountain, the ten thousand soldiers arranged by the Zhao Emperor all looked up. The two second-grade generals, as well as the incomparably majestic Pillar of State, Liu Guanshi, who had just been deployed, all looked up, watching the Bodhisattva and Guanyin depart, without making a single move. The two generals of the Imperial Guard wanted to draw their swords, but seeing the majestic Pillar of State and the two great generals make no move, they awkwardly released their grip on their sword hilts.

...

The rain comes, fine and sparse; it cannot be much, yet it refuses to be none.

At the foot of the Sixth Mountain, a luxurious carriage was parked quietly. Fourth Master Lin wore a bamboo hat, clad in scholar’s robes, with a firewood knife at his waist and a black long spear on his back, gently patting the horse bathed in the spring rain. On the carriage shaft, Lin Zhuifeng sat cross-legged, a fire poker at his waist and a bamboo hat on his head. Inside the carriage, Lin Qingyin occasionally lifted the curtain, looking at the misty Sixth Mountain.

Suddenly, on the mountain road obscured by the misty rain, several figures walked down slowly. The Sixth Mountain Master carried the pine sword box on his back, followed by Fairy Yunrou holding an umbrella, then Li You’an, Zhao Huangting, and An Le in white.

Fourth Master Lin drifted over. Seeing Zhao Huangting, whose aura was contained and who no longer showed any sign of the Nirvana Fire, a strange look flashed in his eyes.

"The carriage is ready. It just so happens that Zhuifeng and Ninth Sister will accompany you," Fourth Master Lin said.

"I won’t be going. I will reside in the Lanke Temple for a long time." Zhao Huangting glanced at the carriage, smiled faintly, did not say much, and climbed into the carriage.

Li You’an nodded toward Fourth Master Lin, stepped into the clouds, and disappeared, but his aura lingered faintly, continuing to protect the carriage for the journey. An Le cupped his hands and bowed to the Sixth Mountain Master, Fairy Yunrou, and Fourth Master Lin.

"Roam the Jianghu, see the flair. The sword needs sharpening. When the Seventh Mountain opens, I hope your sword can bring me a surprise," the Sixth Mountain Master said with a rare, gentle smile.

An Le gave a long bow. Fourth Master Lin, with his firewood knife at his waist, nodded repeatedly with a smile.

Peach blossoms and spring breeze, a cup of wine; Jianghu night rain, a lamp for ten years.

We shall meet again.

An Le turned and entered the carriage. Lin Zhuifeng, wearing his bamboo hat, pulled the reins, and the carriage slowly began to move toward the mountain road. Fourth Master Lin and the Sixth Mountain Master also ascended into the sky and vanished into the clouds.

The carriage wheels ground through the mud of the mountain road. The rain roared even louder. At the mountain road entrance, ten thousand iron-clad soldiers stood, their armor cold and severe. The Pillar of State, Liu Guanshi, carried a long spear on his back and rode a chestnut horse, which neighed in the rain. Beside him, the two great generals also rode their horses. The two generals of the Imperial Guard narrowed their eyes, seeing a carriage swaying toward them on the rain-curtained mountain road.

It’s here! The two generals of the Imperial Guard narrowed their eyes.

The eyes of the Pillar of State, Liu Guanshi, suddenly burst with brilliance. He suddenly drew his blade and raised it, his voice tearing through the torrential rain.

"Draw your blades!"

With a sharp shout, the sound exploded, and countless raindrops shattered. The iron-clad soldiers behind him all drew their blades, the cold light piercing the ninth heaven!

And in the swaying carriage, facing the imposing aura of the ten thousand, An Le sat upright, his gaze fixed. His white robes fluttered involuntarily, and the blood and energy in his body began to surge slowly. 'Qingshan' and 'Mochi' trembled, having already released a sword hum at his will. But the old Imperial Uncle reached out and pressed his shoulder, and the surging blood and energy within him instantly returned to calm.

"I will borrow a blade," Zhao Huangting said softly, his gaze somewhat complex.

An Le did not say much and drew the 'Dingfengbo' from his waist. Zhao Huangting grabbed 'Dingfengbo', took a step, and drifted, laying the blade across the roof of the luxurious carriage. In an instant, brilliant blade qi and supreme heroism swept up from him, shredding the wind and rain.

The Pillar of State, Liu Guanshi, immediately dismounted, and the two great generals followed, leaving only the two generals of the Imperial Guard looking completely bewildered. The three stood in the rain by their horses, holding their long blades at an angle. The majestic Pillar of State suddenly plunged his blade into the ground.

"See off the Lin family’s golden sword!"

"See off the old Imperial Uncle!"

The torrential rain instantly froze. The ten thousand iron-clad soldiers all followed suit, plunging their blades into the ground, watching the old man who sat in the carriage, laying a golden sword across his lap. The ten thousand suits of armor clanked, and a collective roar exploded like a clap of spring thunder from behind the clouds.

"See off the Lin family’s golden sword!"

"See off the old Imperial Uncle!"

***

(PS: Welcome to 2023, Happy New Year! The author spent the New Year’s countdown writing. Please support with new year’s monthly passes and recommendation votes!)