Book 17 Chapter 4

請負!

-Kill the sword!

"Kill the Sword Saint!"

It was short and to the point. However, it was clear that there was no proportional relationship between the length and brevity of the words and the weight of the content.

The face of the young man, who had been listening respectfully, had turned white. It was as if the life had been sucked out of him.

I'm willing to concede - albeit unwillingly - to the damned point (at which point I've already conceded a hundred, or a thousand, or ten thousand steps) that the very nature of human speech, which is entirely subject to that thing called individual free will that is so abhorrently under-appreciated everywhere and in every era, is such that this kind of disrespectful rant can come out of a human mouth.

The brighter the light, the deeper the shadows it casts. From a strictly emotionless perspective, I could understand (albeit reluctantly) that a man of his stature would have many admirers and equally many haters. With a reputation like that, there must be a price to pay or a sacrifice to make. Of course, the victimized parties may claim to be innocent victims, but they were the ones who built their reputation by sacrificing others. In any era, in any time, the perpetrators don't know what it's like to be a victim until they are.

To be sure, something as horrifying as the murderous shaman of the Sword City was something that could only be uttered in a dank, slimy, deafeningly evil demonic lair at the bottom of the darkness, not in the middle of a bright, sunny, breezy, green afternoon in the heart of the Heavenly Martial Academy, the center of spiritual cultivation in the Hundred Islands. Moreover, there was an even greater and more grave problem: whether by coincidence or inevitability, the person being asked to accept the master's position had the surname of Hui in his family name - a very coincidental name indeed. It was clear that the other man was not interested in people skills.

It was one thing to talk about what was going on in your mind and what was going on in your heart, but it was not something you would say to your own grandchildren, judging by the circumstances and common sense. No matter how many thousand or ten thousand concessions he made to the other party, he could never concede this point, but what he wanted was total submission and obedience, not understanding.

"Why did this happen? Where did it start and what went wrong?

His world was tumbling like an overflowing pool, and if he let his guard down for even a moment, he would plummet into the dark abyss below.

I felt dizzy.

I was still confused, dizzy and nauseous, but I couldn't let myself collapse. Before I could calm my mind, I controlled my breathing to calm my body. My pulse quickened, my limbs still trembling slightly, and a cold sweat broke out on my forehead. The chaos of his mind had spilled over onto his physical shell, and he controlled it by breathing slowly and deeply in reverse. As his breathing stabilized, the tremors subsided, the sweat on his brow dried, and his heart resumed its rhythm. And the waves of turmoil in his mind seemed to calm, if only slightly.

Only then did Mo Yonghui think back to the conversation they'd had earlier and begin to piece together the pieces, one by one.

"Are you ready?"

"Of course!"

Mo Yonghui didn't hesitate to answer Chu Hao's question. The old man nodded.

"Talk is cheap, and I hope your actions are as cheap as your words."

Anyone can talk the talk, but it takes an equivalent amount of will and determination to put those words into action.

"I'll do whatever it takes, I'll never give up."

The well-behaved young man answered again. Again, there was no hesitation.

"Are you sure you can do that? Are you sure you can go forward, undaunted by all the trials and tribulations? Are you sure you can do whatever I ask you to do, without question or doubt, no matter what I say?"

The old man asked, sounding doubtful.

"Yes, if you tell me to die, I will die; if you tell me to live, I will live; if you tell me to be strong, I will endure any hardship."

Never before had he yearned for strength so desperately as he did now, his will burning like wildfire. The old man laughed heartily at his imposing reply.

"Hehe, I wouldn't ask you to die, would I? If you were to die, I wouldn't know who to teach. But… since you've answered so bravely, I'd like you to show some resolve."

Words can't be seen. Only actions can be seen.

"I'm not going to ask you to die. In fact, I'd say it's a lot easier than that. It's not a big deal, but if you're not up for it, you might as well not try, right?"

"Give me the job, and I'll never let you down."

A flame of determination flashed in Mo Yonghui's eyes.

"You're still hesitant, but I believe you when you say that. Okay, okay, you don't have to be so nervous. I'm not going to eat you, you only have to do one thing."

"What do you want me to do?"

The old man's mouth didn't move for long. For a moment, fear danced down to a melody of despair.

-Kill the sword!

Mo Yonghui was crushed by the mountainous momentum of the old man's spirit, which seemed to overwhelm him, and he dared not even utter a short reply. Even if he wasn't congenitally dumb, his tongue and mouth were paralyzed, and the words he wanted to say could only tremble in fear in his chest, unable to crawl out.

-kill[殺]… kill[殺]… kill[殺]…….

Whose? swordsman? who? your own grandfather? who? your own idol? who? your own god……?

A topic thrown from the bottomless pit. Could it be that the old man's sudden, shocking, and terrifying words contained a spirit? Caught up in the harmony of the spirits, Mo Yonghui was unable to lift a finger, as if his mind and body were bound.

The old man's words touched on the greatest, highest taboo in his existence. Was that the path he wanted to take? Was he now standing on the path of Sura?

He had to be reminded of what a treacherous path he'd entered by the cold sweat running down his back, the shivers that frantically pounded the tips of his limbs, and the pounding of his heart, which was pounding like a madman's bat.

And the fact that there's no going back.

'How great would it be if you were joking…….'

However, it was clear that he wasn't joking. The old man was unmistakably demanding Mo Yonghui's death. The look in his eyes and the tone of his voice were clearly not a joke. In some way, he was forcing Mo Yonghui to kill him.

Mo Yonghui felt the passion burning within him grow cold and the tower of will he had believed to be solid crumble like a sand castle, and he cursed his own mouth for uttering the words of his oath so easily.

-You still have no hesitation!

The reverberations of the words, already in the past, rang loud as thunder in his ears.

He couldn't help but hesitate. with the biggest question of his life.

He cursed himself for the words that had spilled out of his mouth without thinking.

-I'm ready, I'll do anything!

He didn't want to say something he couldn't keep, but the words he'd already spoken were holding him in bondage. He wanted to retract his words, but they stuck like glue.

"I'll leave you to figure it out!"

After addressing the confused young man, the old man quietly left the room. The door slammed shut.

Boom!

Blind-eyed and completely off-guard, Mo Yonghui watched the old man disappear like a man in a trance. The sound of the only exit closing sounded very far away. As if to say that there was no way to escape.

"Tsk, tsk, grandfather, don't you think you're being a little too hard on yourself? Do you really think you can do that?"

Hyuk-jung's footsteps stopped as he nonchalantly walked out of the room, leaving Mo Yong-hui in a state of utter devastation.

"Oh, was that you?"

The old man's gaze was drawn to the self-proclaimed mysterious genius, Bi Ryuyeon, who was leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed and smiling curiously. The self-proclaimed best boy in the universe asked.

"You know, the guy you just told me to kill, Gongsheng. Isn't he your friend's paternal grandfather?"

"Has there ever been another swordsman in the martial arts world besides him? I've never heard of him before."

"Hmmm, so you're a convicted felon. Oh, I thought it was someone else."

"No, is Nobu crazy, asking that child to kill someone other than Sword Sheng? What good would that do?"

"What? Does that mean you're not crazy?" would be the question asked by a hundred strongmen who heard the conversation between the two. Of course, this is a trick reserved for those who are not worthy of their lives or who wield the blade of ignorance.

"I see, so there's no point in it other than for screening, is that it?"

Rather than condemning the old man's unorthodoxy, Bi Ryuyeon nodded in understanding. A slightly surprised expression appeared on Hyuk-jung's face.

"You're really quick on the uptake."

He's definitely coveted.

"Because he's a genius."

Except for that.

"Hmm, did I?"

This time, he gave me a look that said this is a golden opportunity.

"Nobu's been staying here for a while now, keeping a close eye on you, but you don't seem to appreciate it."

She snorted, as if she had never heard such a silly question before.

"Tsk, tsk, if you're recognized by a bunch of stupid criminals, you're a genius. You're either a handyman or a fraud. What kind of nonsense is it that you're using criminals' standards as a way to measure genius in the first place? Take your nonsense somewhere else. Everyone thinks you're senile."

As if it were a given, she said. It was clear that she really did think so without a shred of doubt.

"That's a pretty extreme opinion."

It was hard to believe that someone so young could be so brazen. But there was something strangely persuasive about his seemingly radically ignorant opinions.

"…but now that you mention it, it makes sense."

The old man answered reluctantly.

"It doesn't just make sense, it's the truth. From time immemorial, the masses and the rulers don't like geniuses. All they like are the corpses of geniuses and saints, which they can wrap up to their liking."

It was an immutable truth. Since time immemorial, the corpses of adults have always filled the ships of rulers and religious organizations. The phrase "the dead are always silent" is not necessarily reserved for murderous deaths. Perhaps the saints of old would rise from their graves in their sleep if they knew that there were crows pecking at their corpses and calling their ships.

That was something the old man agreed with, and he didn't want to bother arguing about whether Bi Ryuyeon was a genius when there was nothing more to be said. The old man decided to change the subject.

"Do you think he's being unreasonable? Do you accuse me of being unreasonable? But the path he has to follow is a hard one, and he can't do it without that kind of determination. He must be prepared to give up everything he has."

"No, I don't. I think it was the right thing to do, because it's what he needs right now, and it's not like it's a hurdle he can go around, is it?"

For a moment, the old man looked at Bi Ryuyeon as if he were a child who had met a squire who recognized the sound of his lyre.

"You might be a genius after all."

Hyuk-jung said admiringly.

"It's not 'may be', it's 'is'. Haven't you ever heard of blessed are those who believe?"

"I haven't heard of that. Where's that?"

Hyuk-jung denied it as firmly as if he were cutting it with a knife, then asked.

"Well, I heard it from a cranky old man one day, too, so let's call it source unknown."

This time, she turned the tables.

"But can he do it? For him, it's the ultimate taboo, a holy place, a forbidden zone that must not be trespassed. Can he deny himself the world he's stepping into?"

To kill the swordsman was to deny Mo Yonghui himself. And they both knew it. Or should I say, because they knew.

"They put the wind in the old woman's sails because she can't do it herself, and she has to trample on the sanctuary with her muddy feet and break the bounds of the tabernacle to get in, and that's where she needs to go now."

"And if it doesn't work, you just give up?"

At this point, I was more likely to fail than succeed, but I didn't want to give up.

"What do you think, why don't we make a bet here?"

With one corner of his mouth curled up, the old man rhymed in a subtle tone. It was quite a refreshing experience to talk to someone on the same level as him in this stuffy world.

"I bet……. That's a pretty out-of-the-blue offer, and it sounds pretty immoral and unjust, doesn't it?"

"Why, you don't care?"

Bi Ryuyeon quickly held out her hand and said.

"No, I'm not interested. Who do you think I am, that's interesting."

It was definitely tempting.

These two men may be treating human life as the life of a fly. They are terrifying. Even the life and death of a Heavenly Martial Saint, one of the top tier supreme behemoths, was nothing more than a bet to these two? If that was the case, then this old man must have something wrong with him mentally. If his nerves were properly organized, he wouldn't be able to think this way.

It's not too late for Mo Yong-hwi, who is also suffering and agonizing in that room right now, so it was obvious that meeting a more proper human being other than this delinquent would help him not to waste his young and fresh youth and live a smooth, ordinary, and boring life.

"Well, how do we do that?"

Bi Ryuyeon chuckled. Hyuk-jung said in frustration.

"Don't pause, and make your attitude clear. Do you think he can do it, or do you think he can't? I want you to make a bet. Whether you're right or wrong. This is a showdown. Between you and Nobu, who has the broader, deeper, more accurate view, who can more accurately wait in the future for the present to come. Isn't that what they say about defying time, the order of the travelers, the reverse of the wise?"

The old man's last words, uttered without meaning to, triggered a buried memory in Bi Ryuyeon.

"Heavenly and Earthly Position, Yamasawa Tong Qi, Thunderstorm Thin, Water Fire Fire, Eightfold Path, Eightfold Path, The Order of the Prince, The Order of the Elders, The Order of the Elders, The Order of the Elders, The Order of the Elders, The Order of the Elders, The Order of the Elders, The Order of the Elders, The Order of the Elders, The Order of the Elders!"

The words flowed out of her mouth unconsciously. It happened almost reflexively.

"The heavens [乾] and the earth [坤] stand upright, the mountains [艮] and the lakes [兌] give and take, the thunderbolts [震] and the winds [巽] strike each other, the water [坎] and the fire [離] do not quarrel with each other, and thus the Eight Realms intertwine and cause change. Do you understand?"

"What?"

Bam!

A bad memory surfaced. His complexion, which never seemed to lose luminosity, darkened slightly. His cheerful tone turned a little somber.

"That's from the third chapter of the Journey to the West."

Counting what is going is called forward, and knowing what is coming is called backward. So to count backwards is to count backwards, or in other words, to follow the passage of time is forward, and to go against it, to go to a point in the future and wait for the time of arrival, is backwards. Counting backwards [逆數] means the same thing. If you go with the flow, you'll just get swept along, but if you anticipate what's coming, you can control the flow. It's a matter of being active or passive. Neither he nor I are of any use if we don't know about inverse numbers and the regularity of change.

"Huh? Did you even know that?"

The corners of Bi Ryuyeon's mouth twitched.

"I had to force myself to cook it even though I didn't want to because someone had a bad temper."

-How can you possibly understand true change without studying the ultimate quest for change? Are you crazy?

It was good for his mental health to let go of bad memories quickly, because dwelling on those dark, grayish memories could lead to too much mental pollution. He calmed himself by imagining a bird's eye view of a bright future.

"Heh heh! You start out seemingly innocuous enough, but the more I look at you, the more you surprise Nobu. I don't think I've been surprised so often and in such quick succession in recent (?) decades."

This time, Hyuk-jung is really surprised. He was caught off guard and stabbed. People are sometimes taken aback when they understand a monologue they didn't expect to understand. He hadn't expected her to know that much.

Even among the most renowned figures in the martial arts, there were very few who studied it. In spite of the fact that all the martial arts called first-class, or mastery, do not deviate from the Dao of One Yin and One Yang, nay, are built upon it and handed down from generation to generation, the vast majority of them are ignorant of the Dao of Change. How can one fully comprehend the martial arts built upon it when they do not understand its most essential essence? He could not understand such a reckless attitude of people even after a hundred years.

"If you know and understand that, it's easier to talk to you. You don't have to explain things from scratch. It's very annoying, and it's not really fun, because it's boring, and if the person you're listening to is talking about something else, they're a dick and they're nodding off, so you just kind of ignore it and move on, and then you can't have a conversation. How can you have a good conversation when you're not on the same page, right?"

So most people recognize the distance and give up trying to talk to each other, but those who persist must be truly indomitable. Or just a fool.

"Yes, I understand."

How much heart and violence (?) he had to use to communicate with people who were stuck in the rut of conventional wisdom. Human mutual understanding is an ancient and epic human challenge to the impossible.

"You always have to sharpen your vision to see who can see further, and there's nothing like practice. Humans don't focus well without a little bit of suspense. You need to have the courage to throw yourself into the unknown."

Ryu-yeon Bi summarized the old man's long-winded words in a single line.

"So you're saying we should fight to see who's the bravest?"

The idea was to see who could count backwards the most.

"Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!"

The old man stretched his arms out in front of him. He had a face like a dog's. Dignity had been thrown out into the wilderness or left to roam the fields for a while, and his clear eyes were sparkling with mischief. The old man's spirit was beyond years and age. For better or worse.

"You called yourself a genius, didn't you? Your prophetic accuracy is the proof of your genius. A genius is a man who can see farther and farther ahead than the average man can see, farther and farther ahead than the average man can imagine. It doesn't take a genius to touch the surface of reality. And this is not a very far-sighted thing to do, is it? If you can't do this, you should be ashamed of yourself, and how dare you put up the sign of genius, don't you think?"

It was definitely a provocation and a challenge. If you were a genius, it was a challenge to prove it.

"Hmmmm……."

But just because her mind was made up didn't mean she had to accept it, so she crossed her arms, feigning indecision. The last thing she wanted was to give the impression that she was being dictated to by someone else's intentions.

"Why are you still taking so long to finish your meal? We all know your mind is made up. Don't you realize that if the old man hadn't brought it up, you would have done it first? That's not how players play. No!"

It's a subtle, high-sounding provocation, but she doesn't let it get to her.

"A player? What an ungracious thing to say. A good student like me would never dare to engage in such a dangerous game of chance."

It was a story so out of touch with reality that some people who weren't Ryuyeon would have vomited blood in disbelief. Of course, the old man, who prided himself on being a man of common sense, didn't believe it.

"Where else would this old man go to pick a betting partner of your caliber if not you, and isn't a bet like this only fun when you're on eye level?"

The old man ejaculated.

"If that's what you're saying, then you can't subtract any more, okay. Let's try it."

Nodding her head in grudging agreement, Bi Ryuyeon smiled inwardly in conversion. He pretended to pull his ass back, but that was exactly what he wanted. And while he wasn't bragging, he was proud to say that he hadn't lost a single bet yet.

"I'll call it then!"

Elder Hyuk-jung said firmly. Finally, Bi Ryuyeon nodded, indicating her willingness to participate in the conspiracy to murder her kin. Even if she didn't directly participate in the murder, would she still be an accomplice if she aided and abetted it? That might also be very interesting.

"Great!"

The old man smiled gently, as if satisfied with her answer.

"Where would you hang it?"

As the proposer of the bet, he was offering to concede the initiative. There was no reason not to.

"It's the real deal, and I bet he can kill a swordsman."

"Ho-ho, you're going to come out like that?"

Thinking that this was no ordinary person after all, the old man flashed a meaningful smile and glared at the young man, who was at least a hundred years younger than he was. Even with a bit of eye contact, the old man's glare only made Bi Ryuyeon feel weak. How many people in today's powerhouses would be able to meet this old man's glare head-on, and if they did, they would be in awe of the value of such a feat, as well as the fact that she was able to return the favor without losing as if nothing had happened.

With a smile on her face and a relaxed demeanor, Bi Ryuyeon replied.

"You're doing it at a loss."

But the old man had too much experience to fall for such a bluff.

"I don't believe you when you say you're losing money. I don't believe it. No, I don't believe it."

"They say you get cynical when you get older… Have more faith in people."

It wasn't the kind of thing he'd say, to be sure, and the way his words dispersed like smoke in the air as soon as they left his mouth was a good indication of how unconvincing they were. The old ginger must be spicier after all, because even though he hasn't been wearing a mask for so long, he still has a pretty good grasp of Bi Ryuyeon's race. It was clear that she hadn't wasted her age.

"I can't. It's not every day that a beautiful tradition of the Zhang Yu family is lost. Very well, then, Nobu, I'll bet that child can't kill a sword castle."

"That's a good idea."

"Can I assume we have a bet then?"

"Sure."

It was a moment when the life of a swordsman was reduced to a mere gamble. The reputation of the Heavenly Martial Emperor, shining as brightly as the sun of the Martial Realm, was indeed being humiliated in an unknown place. If anyone heard it, it would be a fitting tribute. He was accused of arranging the death of a swordsman. Yes, if anyone heard it, they would.

"So let's talk about the most important thing."

"What?"

"Stakes!"

The young man with the long bangs grinned and answered briefly, "Of course not.

Ryuyeon was just confirming his wager with Liu Zhong when his elusive companion, Wu Ruohawk, flew across the wind, circled gracefully through the air once, descended smoothly, flapped his outstretched wings, and landed on Ryuyeon's wrist, looking as dignified as the king of the winds. A scroll dangled from Wu Linghua's ankle. It was a reply.

"That's faster than I expected."

Bi Ryuyeon muttered, looking a little surprised.

"What is that?"

The old man asked, curiosity evident in every wrinkle. After flipping through the book once, Bi Ryuyeon folded the finished scroll and placed it in her arms.

"It's just personal business. It's not a big deal for an old man to care about."

"Well, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I don't make a hobby out of digging up secrets to hide."

Hyuk-jung said with a hurt look on his face. It was a look that didn't suit him at all. If anyone who knew this old man's true colors had the misfortune to witness this scene, he would have been frozen in shock and horror. In severe cases, he could have died from the trauma.

"I have places to go, so I'm going to have to say goodbye."

"What's the use of a big farewell when you can't even share a letter?" "Well, put the old man aside and have fun."

Although the words were bony, Bi Ryuyeon's mind had already reached the Diamond Immortal Realm, so he was unharmed. Not only that, but he even fought back.

"Then the next time we meet will be when I win, and I'll be looking forward to that day with great anticipation, because it's always nice to win."

With a light bow, Bi Ryuyeon disappeared across the garden and into the distance. The old man watched her back as she walked away, unfazed and unfazed.

"Who would raise a monster like that?"

The unresolved suspicions twisted inward into a myriad of question marks.