Chapter 3-6

Bai Shixuan sat facing Dan Yeryeong as she taught him how to read and write. He was learning little by little, steadily and diligently, but many of the characters Dan Yeryeong knew differed from the ones Bai Shixuan was learning now, so there were quite a few characters even she did not recognize.

“More importantly, is that girl named Xuelan cute?”

“What? No, more importantly, how did you know her name?”

It had already been nearly a year since Bai Shixuan began learning martial arts here, but he had never once told Dan Yeryeong or Jin Yuha Xuelan’s name. So when Dan Yeryeong suddenly mentioned Xuelan by name and asked him about her, he could not help being startled.

“Hoho. Is it that strange?”

When Bai Shixuan asked back in surprise, Dan Yeryeong gave him a mischievous smile and took something out from inside her robe.

“Gasp!”

It was the letter Xuelan had left for Bai Shixuan.

“When did you……?”

“I’ve had it since the first day you arrived. When I took off your clothes to treat your wounds, I placed it on the table. It was still sitting there afterward, so I kept it safe for you.”

Only then did Bai Shixuan realize that he had been so delighted at the prospect of learning martial arts that he had completely forgotten about the letter.

“Then did you read it?”

“No. I didn’t read all of it. I only read the name. Xuelan……. What a pretty name. Be careful not to forget her.”

With a smile, Dan Yeryeong handed Xuelan’s letter back to Bai Shixuan. He carefully accepted it and tucked it inside his robe.

“Aren’t you going to read it?”

“I’m not reading it in front of Mother. I’ll read it by myself.”

At Bai Shixuan’s words, Dan Yeryeong stared blankly at him for a moment before covering her small lips with her right hand and laughing. Watching Dan Yeryeong, Bai Shixuan thought that she truly was a beautiful woman.

“Let’s stop here for today.”

“Yes.”

At Dan Yeryeong’s words, Bai Shixuan rose from his seat, bowed to her at the waist, and went outside. As soon as Bai Shixuan left, Jin Yuha entered the room.

“Is he doing well?”

“He’s a clever child. He learns extraordinarily quickly. How is he doing with martial arts?”

“The same. He already completed the training I went through long ago. His body had already been conditioned, so he had no need for basic training.”

At Jin Yuha’s words, Dan Yeryeong nodded. The training Jin Yuha referred to was what Bai Shixuan had done in a small mountain in Sichuan while hiding from Jiang Zhilong’s subordinates—repeatedly swinging his sword in eight directions. Jin Yuha had started with the same thing when he first learned martial arts. First with both hands, then with his right hand, and finally with his left. He had intended to make Bai Shixuan do the same, but Bai Shixuan had swung the sword with enough proficiency to surprise even Jin Yuha.

“Are you going to give him that saber?”

“It’s for training. Whether he ultimately chooses a saber is up to him.”

Dan Yeryeong asked while looking at the black saber Jin Yuha was holding, and Jin Yuha answered her with a smile. The saber in Jin Yuha’s hand had no edge. At first glance, it resembled a club made from black iron, but it unmistakably had the shape of a saber. However, it was a type of saber rarely seen in the Central Plains. Its shape resembled the sabers forged in Dongying (Japan). Yet it possessed only the shape, and because its edge had not been sharpened, one might wonder whether it could truly cut a person. The saber was over five chi (approximately 150 cm) long, while the hilt alone exceeded one chi (approximately 30 cm). Moreover, the hilt and blade were not separate pieces but were connected as one. In other words, a single piece of iron had been forged into that shape. This was the very saber Jin Yuha had carried in his youth. With this saber, he had taken countless lives and protected both his own life and Dan Yeryeong’s. Since it had been forged entirely from Dark Iron, it was also extremely heavy.

“He’s going to have a hard time.”

“He has to. What else can we do?”

At Jin Yuha’s words, Dan Yeryeong smiled gently.

“Don’t push him too hard. He’s still young.”

“He’s doing it himself. I’ve never forced him.”

Jin Yuha spoke as he sat beside Dan Yeryeong. She then rested her head against his shoulder. They had been together for a very long time. After their son and daughter died, and then after Bai Shixuan, Jin Yuha’s sworn elder brother, died as well, Jin Yuha had become deeply listless. But now the young Bai Shixuan has appeared. Ever since then, vitality had returned to Jin Yuha. Dan Yeryeong was overjoyed by that. That was why she already treated Bai Shixuan as though he were her own deceased son. Jin Yuha was also stern and cold toward Bai Shixuan, but even he could not hide the warmth in his eyes. Bai Shixuan still found Jin Yuha intimidating and therefore did not realize it, but Dan Yeryeong, who had spent so many years by Jin Yuha’s side, naturally could.

“You look like a father.”

“Ahem. What do you mean, a father……?”

Jin Yuha cleared his throat at Dan Yeryeong’s words. However, his face had become slightly flushed. Dan Yeryeong gave Jin Yuha a brief kiss on the cheek before standing up.

“I’ll go prepare the meal.”

“Yeryeong.”

“Yes?”

Jin Yuha took Dan Yeryeong’s hand as she rose.

“Thank you. Truly. For continuing to stay beside a worthless man like me.”

“Me too.”

Dan Yeryeong smiled as she answered Jin Yuha, then left the room. Jin Yuha watched her retreating figure for a moment before picking up the black saber and stepping outside. Bai Shixuan could be seen swinging his sword there.

“Use this.”

“What is this?”

“It’s the saber I used to wield. It is extremely heavy, so it should help with your training.”

Jin Yuha handed the black saber to Bai Shixuan. Bai Shixuan carefully accepted it with both hands, only to recoil in surprise. Calling it merely heavy was an understatement. It was tremendously heavy. Was he really supposed to swing this? No, even if he somehow managed to swing it, it did not seem capable of cutting a person.

“Once you become strong enough, you will be able to cut with that saber as well. You have the qi of the White Tiger, do you not? No, even without the White Tiger’s qi, you will be able to cut with it.”

“Yes.”

If Jin Yuha said it was possible, then it was possible. Bai Shixuan began swinging the black saber Jin Yuha had given him. It was unbelievably heavy. No matter how well-conditioned Bai Shixuan was, swinging the black saber without using Internal Energy was far from easy.

“May I use Internal Energy?”

“No. I will not permit it. You must swing that saber one thousand times along each sword path. Once you become accustomed to it, you may stop.”

“…Understood.”

Bai Shixuan answered and began swinging the saber again. Jin Yuha sighed as he watched him. Even Jin Yuha himself could not swing that saber one thousand times without using Internal Energy. He had merely said it that way because he wanted Bai Shixuan to become accustomed to it. Even with something like the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, whose Internal Energy seemed as though it would never run dry, there was always the possibility of the unexpected. If one exhausted all of one’s Internal Energy, then in the end, one would have to fight using pure physical strength. It was better to become reasonably accustomed to that saber in preparation for such a situation.

The boy was naturally intelligent, yet when it came to martial arts, he showed an exceptionally steadfast side. Watching Bai Shixuan complete everything he was told without trying to take shortcuts, the corners of Jin Yuha’s mouth rose before he even realized it.