Chapter 1-10

Bai Shixuan traveled toward Qinghai together with Cao Zhenshi. They had no particular objective. They were traveling simply because Cao Zhenshi had decided that he wanted to see Qinghai Lake. There were two routes from Shaanxi to Qinghai. One passed through Gansu before entering Qinghai, while the other passed through Sichuan. The route through Gansu would have been faster than going through Sichuan, yet Cao Zhenshi deliberately headed for Sichuan.

“Gansu has the Qilian Mountains. They’re famous mountains beneath the heavens. But that’s an old story now. It’s been forgotten, but a very long time ago, there was a master who once shook the entire realm. He killed countless Orthodox masters in the Qilian Mountains. That’s why I’m not going through Gansu. I don’t want a vengeful ghost attaching itself to me.”

That had been Cao Zhenshi’s answer when Bai Shixuan asked why they were traveling through Sichuan instead of Gansu. The man treasured his own life beyond measure. For someone who made his living by the sword, why did he cling so desperately to his life? If he was going to be like that, he should never have become a wandering swordsman in the first place. Or he should simply have refrained from killing people. He never seemed to think that other people’s lives were precious, yet he cherished his own body so much.

‘Is that simply unavoidable because he’s human?’

Bai Shixuan was probably the same. After all, he too had killed someone in order to survive. And now, was he not doing everything he could to stay alive so that he could keep his promise to Xuelan?

Sichuan was a place where territorial struggles were particularly fierce. Two of the Orthodox Faction’s Nine Great Sects and One Gang were located there, as was one of the Five Great Families Under Heaven, so that was only natural. All three followed the Orthodox path, so they did not openly fight one another, but behind the scenes they constantly struggled to expand their respective territories.

The Emei Sect, the Qingcheng Sect, and the Sichuan Tang Clan. Long ago, however, all three had been forced to close their gates because the master of the Qilian Mountains whom Cao Zhenshi had mentioned above had used the power of the Demonic Cult to wage war against the Orthodox Faction. Yet after being defeated in a duel against the man once known as the Invincible New Dragon —or rather, the one now remembered as the Invincible Divine Dragon —he had simply withdrawn. Before the Invincible Divine Dragon appeared, however, that master, the man called Demon Shadow, had forced not only the Five Great Families, but every sect among the Nine Great Sects and One Gang, except Shaolin and Wudang, to endure the humiliation of closing their gates. Had Demon Shadow won his duel against the Invincible Divine Dragon, the Central Plains would now have been under the rule of the Sun-Moon Divine Cult, which people had called the Demonic Cult. That was the truth of what had happened two hundred years ago. Because of one nameless master, most of the Orthodox sects had been forced to close their gates, and because of another nameless master, they had been able to rise again. In any case, because of that history, Emei, Qingcheng, and the Tang Clan were all striving to seize hegemony over Sichuan so that they would never again suffer such humiliation.

“Cao Zhenshi?”

Since they had come all the way to Sichuan, Bai Shixuan had thought it would have been nice to try some of Sichuan’s famous cuisine. But Cao Zhenshi was hardly the sort of person who frequented inns, so just as Bai Shixuan was lamenting the missed opportunity, he heard someone call Cao Zhenshi’s name. Bai Shixuan raised his head and looked ahead to see a powerfully built man staring at Cao Zhenshi with eyes full of mockery. Five martial artists stood around the man.

“Jiang Zhilong? What are you doing here?”

“What about you? Why are you here? You look like a complete beggar. Oh, is that brat your sword attendant? Someone like you actually struts around with a sword attendant?”

When Jiang Zhilong looked at Bai Shixuan behind Cao Zhenshi and spoke, the five martial artists around him also began snickering. Cao Zhenshi’s face twitched at their behavior, but he did not rashly draw his sword.

“Are you finished? Then I’ll be going.”

Was this man called Jiang Zhilong stronger than Cao Zhenshi? Or were they about equal in skill, with Cao Zhenshi merely suppressing his anger because of the five martial artists accompanying him? Bai Shixuan studied Jiang Zhilong for a moment, then lowered his head again and began walking behind Cao Zhenshi while watching his legs.

“Huh? When did I say you could leave?”

“Don’t make me laugh. Is there some reason I need your permission?”

When Jiang Zhilong stepped in front of Cao Zhenshi and blocked his way, Cao Zhenshi shoved his shoulder aside as he spoke. A smile appeared on Jiang Zhilong’s face as he was pushed back.

“You pushed me, didn’t you? You’re the one who started the fight.”

‘What kind of ridiculous…….’

Was that not sheer sophistry? While Bai Shixuan stared in disbelief, Cao Zhenshi abruptly snatched the sword from his arms. The force sent Bai Shixuan stumbling several steps backward before he dropped onto the ground, and at the same moment, the sound of swords being drawn began to ring out.

“A-a fight!”

“What? They’re going to fight right here?”

As the two men suddenly drew their swords, the surroundings erupted into commotion. Many people retreated a considerable distance before gathering together in small groups to watch the duel. Bai Shixuan, who had been sitting on the ground a short distance away from the pair, stood and moved farther away, then suddenly glanced at the martial artists behind Jiang Zhilong.

‘Are they wandering swordsmen too? Then why aren’t they drawing their swords? Does that mean this man Jiang Zhilong can defeat Cao Zhenshi all by himself?’

That had to be it. Otherwise, there was no reason for them not to draw their swords. Jiang Zhilong looked down on Cao Zhenshi. The two had clearly known each other for some time. Judging by the way they spoke, they did not seem close, so perhaps they were old enemies who had fought repeatedly in the past. Or perhaps Jiang Zhilong had simply made a habit of bullying Cao Zhenshi. In any case, that must have been why Jiang Zhilong treated him with contempt and smiled so leisurely, while Cao Zhenshi wore such a tense expression as he searched for an opening.

“Haaap!”

Cao Zhenshi was the first to charge. With a loud battle cry, he thrust his sword toward Jiang Zhilong.

-Clang.

Still wearing a broad smile, Jiang Zhilong casually blocked Cao Zhenshi’s sword without even moving from where he stood. At the same time, Jiang Zhilong’s sword moved with startling speed.

“Urgh.”

Jiang Zhilong’s sword had aimed for Cao Zhenshi’s arm. However, Cao Zhenshi reacted quickly and twisted his body, so it resulted in nothing more than a shallow graze. Although Jiang Zhilong appeared disappointed that his sword had failed to cut completely through its target, the relaxed smile never left his face.

“You’ve improved a little. Just a little.”

“Grr…….”

Cao Zhenshi could say nothing in response to Jiang Zhilong’s mocking words. It had always been like this. Ever since Cao Zhenshi had first become a wandering swordsman, Jiang Zhilong had, for some reason, continued to torment him. Cao Zhenshi had thought he had grown somewhat stronger, but Jiang Zhilong was still powerful.

‘Could that rumor be true?’

There was a rumor that Jiang Zhilong was the son of the King of Wandering Swordsmen. Cao Zhenshi had not believed it at first, but every time he saw Jiang Zhilong still handling him with ease no matter how much stronger he became, he found himself wondering whether it might actually be true.

“What’s this? One tiny cut and that’s it?”

“Don’t mock me!”

Grinding his teeth at Jiang Zhilong’s words, Cao Zhenshi charged him again. A barrage of swift attacks, worthy of his sobriquet Cold-Blooded Swift Sword, rushed toward Jiang Zhilong.