In the small courtyard of the Taiping Medical Hall, crows hopped from branch to branch, as if they had witnessed something unbelievable.
Old Yao stood up from his bamboo recliner, so shocked that he stuttered, "You... you... you..."
Chen Ji sat cross-legged on the ground, sensing the faint sword energy within his body.
Old Yao bent down and pinched Chen Ji's ear, snapping, "Wake up! What just happened?!"
"Ow, ow, ow!" Chen Ji grimaced in pain.
Just moments ago, he had been feeling proud and confident, but Old Yao's pinch brought him back to reality.
It was like how no matter how successful a child becomes, they still get scolded by their parents when they return home.
Chen Ji quickly asked, "What's wrong, Master?"
Old Yao let go of his ear and straightened up, grumbling, "I asked you, were you just cultivating the Sword Seed Path?!"
"Yeah."
Old Yao stroked his beard, momentarily at a loss for words.
It wasn't that he lacked knowledge; in fact, it was precisely because he knew what the Sword Seed Path meant that he was so shocked.
After a long pause, he finally blurted out, "How did you manage to cultivate the Sword Seed Path?!"
Chen Ji replied innocently, "Didn't you say that if I cultivated the Sword Seed Path, I could cut down officials and even princes? That the two paths complement each other...?"
Old Yao was stunned again.
He glared at Chen Ji and said, "Don't take my words so literally! I was just joking! You can't just go around killing people! The best way to cultivate the Mountain Lord Path is to wait for those high-ranking officials to die naturally. That way, you won't bring trouble upon yourself."
He then patiently advised, "The entire cabinet combined doesn't even have ten teeth left. They're all old, decaying men who won't live much longer. Just wait a bit longer. There's no need to rush."
Chen Ji realized that his master was genuinely worried about him taking such drastic actions.
He quickly reassured him with a smile, "I was just joking, Master. I'm not someone who kills indiscriminately."
Old Yao corrected him, "Well, those cabinet elders aren't exactly innocent... But if you kill too many, you'll eventually slip up. Do you think those elders don't have powerful guards protecting them?"
"Got it, got it," Chen Ji nodded.
Old Yao, now calmer, sat back on his bamboo recliner and asked seriously, "Where did you learn the Sword Seed Path? This is the greatest secret of the Jing Dynasty's Martial Temple. How could you possibly have learned it? Could it be that the person the Jing Dynasty has been searching for is you...? No, that can't be. The timeline doesn't match. You weren't even born yet."
"Was it your uncle or your mother who taught you? No, that can't be either. How would they have had the chance to come into contact with the Sword Seed Path...?"
Chen Ji answered honestly, "Master, a celestial being named Xuan Yuan appeared in my dreams and taught me."
Old Yao rolled his eyes, "If you don't want to tell me, just say so. No need to make up stories. Get out of here."
But Chen Ji insisted earnestly, "Master, I'm not lying. The celestial being's name is Xuan Yuan. I've been dreaming about him since I was a child. In the past, I couldn't see him clearly or communicate with him, but now I can talk to him properly."
Old Yao studied Chen Ji's expression closely.
The young man seemed utterly sincere.
He pulled out six copper coins from his sleeve and tossed them onto the ground.
But no matter how many times he threw them, the results were inconsistent.
"The divination is all messed up. Could it really be a celestial being helping you?" Old Yao muttered, clicking his tongue.
"I didn't know you had such connections."
Chen Ji: "..."
Old Yao sighed deeply, "To think you could learn the Sword Seed Path like this... Where's the justice in that? Do you know that if we were to rank all the cultivation paths in the world, the Sword Seed Path would be second to none?"
"Do you know that Lu Yang, who devoted his entire life to martial arts and never married or had children, had countless young talents from the Jing Dynasty enter the Martial Temple, hoping that he would pass down the Sword Seed Path when he reached the end of his cultivation journey? Yet, how many of them waited from youth to old age, only to grow old with nothing to show for it?"
He looked at Chen Ji and said slowly, "If the Jing Dynasty finds out that you're cultivating the Sword Seed Path, they'll mobilize the entire Military Intelligence Division to kill you. Aren't you afraid?"
Chen Ji whispered, "Master, if I cultivate in secret... will Lu Yang come to kill me personally?"
"No, he won't. Lu Yang's lifelong pursuit wasn't to achieve immortality, but to find new opponents," Old Yao shook his head.
"He might even look forward to you reaching the Divine Path Realm so he can fight you. But even if he doesn't act, you won't survive. Let me take a look at your lifeline again. I might have misread it earlier..."
Chen Ji said, "Master, I won't let anyone know that I'm cultivating the Sword Seed Path."
Old Yao stared directly into Chen Ji's eyes, "But I know."
The small courtyard fell silent.
The crows stopped hopping around, as if a giant hand had enveloped the area, making the atmosphere heavy.
Old Yao spoke slowly, "I can tell you're a very cautious person. You were so cautious that you held onto that broken piece of porcelain all the way from the Zhou residence back to the Taiping Medical Hall.
When I asked if you had killed anyone, you said no. But if you're so cautious, why did you dare to cultivate in front of me? Do you know how unpredictable human hearts are? How can you be sure I won't betray you?
If I were to report this to the Jing Dynasty, I might receive ten thousand taels of gold. They might even build me a golden house."
Chen Ji sat cross-legged on the ground, lowering his head in thought for a moment before saying, "Carrying too many secrets is like carrying a mountain on your back. It's suffocating. I choose to believe that you won't harm me. After all, you've saved me twice. If you really want to exchange me for gold, then go ahead."
Old Yao studied Chen Ji for a long time before finally saying softly, "Don't tell anyone else. Not a soul."
The crows on the tree also observed the old man and the young man, sensing that the relationship between the two had improved slightly, with a bit more trust.
Old Yao said, "Since you've cultivated the Sword Seed Path, show me your sword energy."
"Alright," Chen Ji activated the sword energy within his body, letting it flow through his meridians before shooting out from his right fingertip and striking the ground.
It kicked up a bit of dust.
Old Yao chuckled, "So this is what it feels like to be speechless. Even She Dengke's farts are more powerful than your sword energy. Liu Quxing is no good either—he only lets out weak ones."
"... Master, I've only been cultivating for less than an hour."
Old Yao thought for a moment, "Lu Yang used the North Sea of the Jing Dynasty to nurture his sword. What are you using? Back then, Lu Yang's father took him across mountains and rivers for a whole year before choosing the North Sea. You chose your sword-nurturing place so casually. Don't tell me you picked my Taiping Medical Hall?"
At this, Old Yao grew frustrated, "Since you've obtained the Sword Seed Path, you should have told me earlier. I could have taken you out to find the best place to nurture your sword. Whether it's the Ten Thousand Mountains in the southwest or the Seven Sacred Mountains of the Esoteric Sect, they're all better than this place! How could you make such an important decision so carelessly?"
Chen Ji pointed to the east, "Master, I chose the sun as my sword-nurturing place."
Old Yao's expression froze.
He slowly looked up at the rising sun, "You..."
...
At that moment, a sneaky voice came from outside the courtyard wall, "Bai Li, Bai Li, step on me to climb up. Slow down, don't fall."
The crows flew into the sky, leaving ahead of time.
Chen Ji turned to look at the courtyard wall and saw Princess Bai Li peeking over, quietly observing the courtyard.
"Wow, Chen Ji, Old Yao, you're awake? Good morning!" Bai Li, standing on the prince's shoulders, waved unsteadily.
Chen Ji asked, puzzled, "Princess Bai Li, you and the prince are up this early too?"
Princess Bai Li explained with a smile, "We've already finished our morning lessons with Teacher Wang. He's so strict. My brother got his palm slapped again this morning."
Outside the wall, the prince urged, "Bai Li, climb over first, then chat."
Bai Li pushed herself up and climbed over, descending into the courtyard using a ladder.
Old Yao watched her familiar movements, raising an eyebrow and giving Chen Ji a stern look.
Chen Ji quickly said, "Master, I've already paid the toll."
"Almost forgot," Old Yao's brows relaxed.
He stood up, grabbed a bamboo stick, and headed into the apprentice dormitory, "You guys chat. I'll go wake up She Dengke and Liu Quxing."
A moment later, the two senior apprentices' wails echoed from the room.
One held his butt as he went to fetch water, while the other held his butt as he went to sweep the floor.
Liang Mao'er happily slipped into the kitchen to start cooking.
Surprisingly, Princess Bai Li rolled up her sleeves and entered the kitchen, skillfully scooping a spoonful of lard into the pan, seemingly ready to help with the cooking.
Chen Ji asked, puzzled, "Princess, why are you so skilled at this?"
Bai Li laughed, "We all do this at the academy. The teachers don't allow us to bring servants, so everyone has to fend for themselves."
"Everyone fends for themselves?"
"Not exactly," Bai Li thought for a moment, "Some from very wealthy families pay their less fortunate classmates to do their laundry and cooking. They live quite comfortably. My brother wanted to do the same, but I wrote to our father and exposed him!"
The prince leaned against the kitchen doorframe, sighing, "Bai Li, think about it. Some students from declining families struggle just to pay the tuition for Donglin Academy. After that, they still have to prepare for the provincial exams, and if they pass, they have to go to the capital for the metropolitan exams. If they succeed, they'll need to buy property in the capital. All of that costs money. We save effort, and they earn money. What's wrong with that?"
"No way!"
With a sizzle, the princess skillfully heated the oil and tossed in the chopped cabbage, making a dish of sour and spicy cabbage.
The aroma wafted into the courtyard.
The Taiping Medical Hall, once a forgotten corner of the world, now felt like a bustling, lively courtyard full of life.
This liveliness pulled Chen Ji back from the world of officials to the human world.
He struggled to his feet, lay down on the bamboo recliner, and slowly closed his eyes, exhausted.
Chen Ji gathered the molten flow from the sixteen furnace fires, allowing the icy flow to spread through his meridians, plunging once more into the depths of the dark sea of clouds, returning to the ancient battlefield.
...
Chen Ji opened his eyes on a green mountain, where Xuan Yuan, clad in golden armor, sat on the edge of a cliff, gazing into the distance.
The banners no longer fluttered, and the golden armor no longer clinked.
Following Xuan Yuan's gaze, Chen Ji saw a snow-covered mountain in the distance, its peaks eternally capped with snow.
In the past, every time Chen Ji had come here, Xuan Yuan had been like a war god, battling amidst armies.
But this time, he seemed like a lonely traveler, sitting in his own amber.
Chen Ji walked to the edge of the cliff and stood beside Xuan Yuan, "What are you looking at?"
Xuan Yuan suddenly turned, his gaze sharp as lightning, "Why are you here again? To nurture a sword, you need centuries of hard work. Didn't I tell you not to come back until you've chosen a place to nurture your sword?"
"I've chosen one," Chen Ji said.
"Choosing isn't enough. You need to calm your mind and spend time crossing the starry sea to communicate with it, turning it into your sword-nurturing star," Xuan Yuan said slowly.
"When you do, you'll understand that centuries of dedication are worth it."
"I've already communicated with it."
Xuan Yuan stood up slowly, "You never used to lie... Which star did you choose? Let me guess—with your personality, you'd probably choose the brightest one in the sky, Sirius. But even Sirius would take years for your consciousness to reach. How could you have done it in just an hour?"
Chen Ji paused, then said, "I chose the sun. It's quite close. You might not have realized it, but the sun is also a star."
Xuan Yuan was stunned for a long time, "The sun... You chose the sun? Once, you took the brightest star in the sky, but you didn't cherish it. Now, you've taken another..."
"Huh?"
A breeze swept across the green mountain, rustling the banners.
Xuan Yuan stood motionless on the cliff, as if he had turned into a statue.
Chen Ji asked seriously, "I borrowed the sun's fire to cultivate my first strand of sword energy. But the energy is weak, and it disappears after use. I saw your sword on the battlefield, swift and sharp, unstoppable. How can I forge a sword like that?"
Xuan Yuan suddenly said, "Go back. I don't want to teach you anymore."
Chen Ji looked up in shock, "You're just going to stop teaching me?! People should keep their promises! An hour ago, you said you would teach me, and now you're saying you won't. Isn't that a bit rash?"
"Say what you will. I'm not teaching you anymore," Xuan Yuan raised his banner and walked down the mountain.
"Don't come back."
Chen Ji panicked.
He followed Xuan Yuan, stumbling down the mountain path.
Xuan Yuan took strides of over ten feet, as if walking on flat ground, while Chen Ji could only stumble along the winding mountain trail.
Fortunately, in this dream, he was free from illness and injury, or else the descent alone would have killed him.
"Hey, slow down! Let's talk this over!" Chen Ji shouted.
"Why won't you teach me? Is it because I chose the wrong place to nurture my sword, or because of some past grudge between us?"
"You don't need to know," Xuan Yuan said as he walked.
"You and I have a feud. I don't want to teach my enemy."
Chen Ji quickly said, "Even though I'm not the person you know... I can see that you're handsome and upright. If you have a grudge against him, it must be his fault. If he did something wrong, I apologize on his behalf."
Xuan Yuan suddenly turned at the foot of the mountain, his expression calm as he looked at Chen Ji, "?"
He was stunned, "You're apologizing? Just like that?"
Chen Ji nodded, "Very sincerely."
Xuan Yuan burst into laughter, "Did you hear that? He apologized to me! He actually apologized to me!"
Chen Ji: "..."
"Do you really want to learn the Sword Seed Path that badly?" Xuan Yuan asked solemnly.
"Yes."
"Fine," Xuan Yuan waved his hand.
The frozen battlefield came to life.
A burly soldier walked out from the ranks, holding a long halberd.
He knelt on one knee, "My king, what is your command?"
Xuan Yuan pointed at Chen Ji, "Kill him."
Then he looked at Chen Ji, "I won't take advantage of you. His cultivation level has been lowered to just slightly above yours. If you defeat him, I'll teach you."
"Huh?" Chen Ji watched as the burly man swung his halberd.
The massive bronze weapon cut through the air with a whistling sound, so loud it hurt his ears.
Sss!
Chen Ji gasped and woke up on the bamboo recliner.
Before he could even process what had happened, he had already been killed by the halberd-wielding soldier.
The pain felt so real, as if he had truly died.
Was Xuan Yuan using this as an opportunity to vent his hatred?
At that moment, Bai Li was still cooking in the kitchen, while the prince sat beside the bamboo recliner, cracking melon seeds.
Seeing Chen Ji wake up in a panic, he asked curiously, "What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"
Chen Ji shook his head, "It's nothing."
With that, he gathered the molten flow once more and quickly plunged back into the dark sea of clouds, landing on the green mountain.
This time, however, the halberd-wielding soldier was already waiting for him.
Before Chen Ji could react, he was pierced through the heart by the bronze halberd.
Xuan Yuan sneered, "Have you forgotten even the basics of combat? In this world, all battles are about deception and giving your all. If you've forgotten even that, what's the point of learning my Sword Seed Path?"
But Chen Ji, with blood spilling from his mouth, turned to Xuan Yuan and smiled, "Again!"
"Huh?" Xuan Yuan raised an eyebrow, a glint of interest in his eyes.
The next moment, Chen Ji calmly opened his eyes on the bamboo recliner, then closed them again, returning to the battlefield.
As he descended into the dark sea of clouds, he ducked, narrowly avoiding the whistling halberd that swept over his head.
Chen Ji picked up a stone shard from the ground and charged at the halberd-wielding soldier, taking advantage of the moment when the halberd's momentum had waned.
As he closed in, the soldier suddenly dropped the halberd and drew a bronze dagger from his waist, thrusting it toward Chen Ji.
The soldier expected the dagger to strike Chen Ji, but it didn't.
In a daze, he looked up and saw Chen Ji hoisting the discarded bronze halberd and running down the mountain...
For the first time, Xuan Yuan showed a hint of hesitation, "... Has he admitted his mistake?"
(End of Chapter)