Chapter 84: A Few Smiles and a Flying Sword

Date: August 16, 2012

The old man rubbed his earlobe and sneered, "Practicing your blade? Forget about the young Wudang Sect Master who entered the Celestial Phenomenon state in one step. Can you even compare to Wu Ding, who could cleave a mountain with a single pole? Do you still have the heart to practice your blade? What's the point? With your cultivation speed, you'll spend your whole life eating dust behind these geniuses. As the son of the Human Butcher and the Princess Consort, aren't you ashamed?"

Xu Fengnian calmly smiled and said, "What's there to be ashamed of? As long as the blade is in my own hand, even if it's a mess, as long as I put in the effort, there's nothing to complain about. Was Xu Xiao ever a top martial arts master? Yet, he still built up this family legacy. My second sister is upset about my blade practice because she fears I'll go berserk, or that I'll abandon my family for it. But some things cannot be achieved by mere talk; Shangyin Academy is a good example. Eloquence is merely a contest between wise men. When faced with a brutish commoner, you still need fists and blades to make your point. There are always few learned people in the world, and even fewer truly great scholars."

The old Sword God chuckled and said, "There's some truth to that. I also don't like scholars who just talk. Back then, Qi Xuanzhen had that bad temper, but he was an anomaly beyond common sense. He could argue eloquently, and also slay demons and uphold justice as a true Daoist. If he didn't have some real power, who would be willing to listen to his grand theories?"

Two mischievous young tiger-kylins, tired from running, lay napping on Xu Fengnian's insteps. Xu Fengnian bent down and stroked the two cubs.

The old Sword God suddenly fell silent.

Xu Fengnian stood up, waking the young kylins, who continued to joyfully bounce around the bow of the boat. Xu Fengnian asked curiously, "Old senior, can you truly perform flying sword arts?"

The old man simply looked up at the cliff face, offering no reply.

The two cliff faces at Donglingtou were clean-cut as if by a blade, less than ten *zhang* apart, forming a gate that allowed only one boat to pass through at a time. That was the last Ghost Gate Pass. On the rock face, four large characters, "Ghost Weeping Grand Pass," were carved by Lu Dongxuan, the great Daoist master from Wudang Mountain who ascended on a crane. Interestingly, Lu Dongxuan was known as one of the "Three Immortals" of Alchemy, Sword, and Poetry. Not only was his swordsmanship superb, making him a renowned Terrestrial Sword Immortal, but he was also skilled in alchemy, and many of his poems circulated. Yet, his only known calligraphy consisted of these eight characters: "Ghost Weeping Grand Pass" and "Black Tortoise Must Prosper," both carved with his sword as a pen.

Exiting the Ghost Gate Pass, the view suddenly opened up. Here, the Yanzi River, Shu River, and Canglan River converged. This area was once a battlefield during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Three Kingdoms, historically a famous strategic point where countless heroes waged war. The river's current changed from swift to gentle, and the surface widened from narrow to broad, as if crossing into another world, falling from the underworld into the world of the living, which was truly exhilarating.

Xu Fengnian saw the old man Li, who perpetually wore a smelly sheepskin coat, emerge from the Ghost Gate Pass. He still turned his head, gazing at the four characters "Ghost Weeping Grand Pass" on the cliff face, a hint of sadness in his eyes. It was at moments like this, when the elder Sword God of the pugilistic world wasn't picking his toes, digging his nose, or cleaning his ears, especially when he stood still and focused, that Xu Fengnian was clearly reminded that this was Li Chungang. Even with his sword broken and his arm severed, he was still the immortal who once dominated the Way of the Sword.

The old man murmured, "When I was young, I did many absurd things. At ten, I entered the Vajra realm, then the ZhiXuan realm. At twenty-four, I reached the Celestial Phenomenon state, hailed as a rare sword immortal talent, seen once every five years. Upon my first venture into the martial world, I rode the tidal bore of Guangling across the river, watched by tens of thousands of spectators. At twenty-four, I challenged Wu Wei, the Plum Blossom Sword Sect master, at the East Yue Sword Pool, humiliating that senior so utterly that he took his own life. At thirty, I declared myself invincible, claiming that all four Grandmasters were merely seeking fame, except for me. Even Wang Xiu... Fengdu... she didn't want to live; she wanted to die in my arms. If she lived, we would be strangers again. She didn't want that. Even then, I still didn't have the courage to say it aloud. Without her, what are one, two, or thousands of swords? This Ghost Gate Pass is where she and I first met. At that time, I could already perform flying sword arts, but she was just a foolish girl who hadn't even started learning martial arts. How she later became Fengdu Green Robe, and why, I don't know. I only know that in this life, we can never meet again. All honors and disgraces, all ups and downs, like a boat drifting downstream, are fleeting like clouds and smoke. I like the girl Jiang because I feel for that 'her' of yesteryear. Ascending Lotus Peak, descending Demon Slaying Platform... I learned from Qi Xuanzhen that she was the daughter of my enemy. Since she unfortunately met me and couldn't kill me, she wished to die by my hand. The pain is lovesickness; the distance is yin and yang."

Xu Fengnian was speechless. All the past deeds of the Sword God Li Chungang were vague after forty years. Qi Xuanzhen had already ascended to heaven in broad daylight. Wang Xianzhi of Wudi City never left the East Sea. Fengdu Green Robe was dead, and Fu Jiang, the Red-Armored Man, seemed to have become a puppet. Even those fortunate enough to have seen the older generation of Sword Gods with their own eyes were mostly elderly.

It perfectly echoed the ancient saying of Sword Immortal Ancestor Lu: "When you sleep until two or three o'clock, all worldly glories become illusions; think that a year from now, young and old alike will be people of the past."

Li Chungang self-mockingly said, "When I was young, I wholeheartedly wanted to be like Ancestor Lu. In that, I was no different from Qi Xuanzhen, except I looked at Ancestor Lu's sword, while Qi Xuanzhen looked at Ancestor Lu's Dao. So, I liked Ancestor Lu's flying sword art for taking heads, but Qi Xuanzhen cursed me out, sitting on the Demon Slaying Platform, saying things like, 'When two people clash, striking the neck from above and the liver and lungs from below, what's the point of killing with a sword, or a flying sword from a thousand *li* away? This is the inferior sword of a commoner, a minor trick, no different from cockfighting. He who overcomes others has strength, but he who overcomes himself truly attains the Dao.' Listen to that, wasn't that arrogant? At that time, I was disheartened and willingly admitted defeat. Moreover, seeing that fellow, who was both friend and foe, ascend in a white rainbow, I was truly speechless. I thought, 'Perhaps I truly was wrong.' Qi Xuanzhen had comprehended the path to longevity, with every step producing lotus flowers. My own cultivation, which was already one foot in the Celestial Phenomenon state and one foot in the Terrestrial Immortal realm, retreated a thousand *li*. After descending the mountain, my arm was severed, and I fell back to the ZhiXuan realm. I no longer dared to boast about slaying dragons wherever they appeared. It was only after these years beneath the Listening Tide Pavilion that I finally understood a simple truth: Ha! That old rascal Qi Xuanzhen deliberately misled me!"

Xu Fengnian sighed softly. The large boat entered the wide river, no longer rocking violently. When he first came here by boat, he and old Huang, master and servant, were both greatly impressed. After a long while, the old Sword God finally regained his composure and prepared to turn back. He then saw Jiang Ni, who had been seasick and vomiting the entire journey, emerge from the cabin. She was holding the railing, her face still pale, but much better than at Shujian Beach and Dongling Pass. Compared to Xu Fengnian's semi-dead state on his first boat trip, they were both equally disheveled. Qingniao gracefully leaped down from the second-floor deck and softly said, "Your Highness, the man who capsized the large boat is waiting for us in the middle of the river."

Sure enough, as the large boat moved forward, they saw the green-robed figure with a boat and a pole again. This Wu Ding truly had the guts of a bear and a leopard! Was one pole challenge not enough? Did he intend to overturn all three boats now before stopping? Xu Fengnian widened his eyes, observing the increasingly clear image of the Wu family's Sword Crown. This young swordsman's appearance was not remarkable; his face was rigid, clearly indicating an unapproachable and reclusive disposition. The 'Withered Sword' of the Sword Tomb had always been this way; if a junior swordsman wished to venture out for experience, they first had to defeat one of their family's old ancestors, regardless of life or death. Wu Ding had a slender build. He hadn't brought his sword today; the dark green bamboo pole was slung over his shoulder, his hands resting on it. This posture was truly the epitome of arrogance.

Jiang Ni, suppressing her nausea, could also see the audacious assassin floating on the river. The boatmen all claimed he was the Dragon King, but she didn't believe it. She turned her head, frowned, and weakly asked Xu Fengnian, "You can't defeat this person?"

Xu Fengnian laughed dumbfounded, shaking his head, "Of course I can't."

Jiang Ni sneered, "Then what have you gained from practicing your blade?"

Xu Fengnian laughed heartily, "I don't know either. But you can ask Old Senior Li if he knew on his very first day of sword practice that he would become the Sword God."

Little did he know, the old man Li immediately interjected, "I knew."

Xu Fengnian rolled his eyes. Jiang Ni's mood significantly improved, and as she smiled, two dimples subtly appeared on her cheeks.

Xu Fengnian smiled, "Beautiful."

Jiang Ni immediately straightened her face.

Xu Fengnian said cheekily, "Little Mud Doll, come on, smile again. If you smile, I'll go forward with my blade, even knowing I can't defeat that peerless swordsman of this era. What a bargain that would be! Perhaps this young lord would never return. If the old Sword God steps in to save me, you can cry and cling to him, guaranteeing a hundred percent chance of me dying in battle in the river. How about it? Give me a smile?"

Jiang Ni's head was spinning; seasickness made her want to jump into the river. She detested the Young Lord for stubbornly insisting on traveling by boat. She struggled to ponder this "bargain." Unable to resist Xu Fengnian's coaxing and urging, she finally, with great difficulty, forced out a stiff smile she believed was flawless. Xu Fengnian immediately laughed and chided, "That's too ugly, no sincerity! This young lord won't do business that loses money all the way to my grandmother's house." Jiang Ni helplessly tried a few more smiles, none of which pleased him. Xu Fengnian deliberately sighed, saying it seemed the deal couldn't be made. "Anyway, there are plenty of masters on board. I refuse to believe we can't take down that lone bastard who came seeking death. Even if he's the Dragon King, we'll skin him alive and pull out his tendons." Jiang Ni smiled for a long time, her small face growing stiff. When she saw the cowardly and cunning Young Lord secretly amused, she became so angry that she rushed forward, ready to fight Xu Fengnian. Xu Fengnian threatened, "Bite me? Be careful, I'll let the Vajra Bodhisattva bite you!"

The Little Mud Doll, who was never very brave, immediately dared not approach, instead staring with wide eyes, hoping to flay Xu Fengnian to death with her gaze.

Xu Fengnian burst into laughter, but once he finished, he sobered, turned around, and for the first time ever, held his blade with both hands. He prepared to float out of the large boat, truly intending to fight Wu Ding, who held the pole.

Xu Fengnian was just about to push off the bow with his toes.

The old Sword God, who had been observing the two young people's antics, waved his sleeve and pulled Xu Fengnian back, causing the Young Lord to land comically on the deck with a thump.

Jiang Ni finally smiled knowingly.

The old Sword God's eyes seemed distant as he gazed at the chagrined young Xu, then at the charmingly smiling girl Jiang.

Years ago, when they met by chance on the river, he crossed the river with his flying sword, reciting poetry as he went. She was leaning on the boat's railing, with that exact same smiling face.

That year, it was when the young, dazzling sword genius Li Chungang was at the height of his prowess, and also when that devoted woman was still innocent and naive.

They passed each other by. He only sought the Grand Dao of Immortal Swords, holding no lingering thoughts, while she foolishly yearned for him her entire life.

The old Sword God silently recited the poem from that year.

"I shall forge three thousand blades;When opened one day, the jade dragon howls.My hand's might chills three feet of ice;On the stone, divine intent forms a snake."

The old Sword God extended his sole arm and softly said, "Xu Fengnian, lend me a sword. Just one sword."

Xu Fengnian was stunned.

Li Chungang murmured, "I owe one sword."

Xu Fengnian gritted his teeth, drew out his Embroidery Winter blade, and tossed it upwards over the river, as if aiming for the green-robed figure in the small boat a *zhang* away.

The old Sword God, facing Jiang Ni, glanced back at her. He had once said that the "Little Mud Doll" this young Xu spoke of resembled the Princess Consort of Beiliang, but that wasn't quite right. She was more like that girl who loved to wear green.

Li Chungang smiled, a smile filled only with the weariness of time. He floated backward from the bow, looked up, and burst into a hearty laugh, "Little Green Robe, behold Li Chungang's single sword strike! With furrowed brows and thundering words, the evil dragon in Yanzi River grows fat. A sword held high, one strike goes forth, and I depart, never to return!"

With his back to the flat boat, the green-robed Sword Crown, and the Embroidery Winter blade, the old man, now without his divine weapon 'Wooden Horse Bull' and the dashing elegance of his youth, held the Embroidery Winter, which was not a sword. He simply turned and executed a single, understated sword strike.

Qi Xuanzhen said I proved the Dao with sword power, which was inferior to the Heavenly Dao, and that I had taken the wrong grand path. Yet, you say taking one sword strike is enough.

What Heavenly Dao do I, Li Chungang, need?!

One sword is enough!

Initially, no one saw the grandeur of this sword strike; they only felt it was uninteresting, and the river surface remained silent.

But the green-robed Dragon King ignored his small boat and shot away, fleeing into the distance.

Instantly.

The great river was cleaved open with a thunderous roar, split for two *zhang* deep.

Such was the sword strike of a legendary Terrestrial Sword Immortal: if a true dragon existed in this world, it would be slain on the spot!