Roi céleste

Chapitre 25

Seeing Qingjiu's satisfied and smug expression as I rubbed his head, I really wanted to slap him. In the end, adhering to the virtue of a good woman not bullying a drunk man, I gritted my teeth and said, "You only have two wine jugs next to you, and you still managed to get drunk. You dare to call yourself a man? You're not allowed to drink anymore, or you won't even know how you died."

"But... when I'm in a bad mood... I always think about drinking, and then I just... get drunk..."

Looking down, I couldn't tell whether the Grand Palace Master had fainted or fallen asleep.

I squatted down beside him, silently watching the person with his eyes closed. This person was so handsome, like a masterpiece of painting, or a celestial being that one could only see in a dream. Yet, without even looking, one should be able to tell the coldness and ruthlessness in his eyes, no matter how gentle he was to you. So I didn't want to guess his thoughts at all, and didn't want to add to my sorrow.

Such a person should stand in a place even higher than this, all alone, smiling and looking down upon the world.

And I should just quietly watch him like this, just watch him until I see him as a handful of wine in my heart, and then bury him deep, deep in my heart, that would be a kind of companionship.

The bright moon shines coldly over a thousand mountains.

I lowered my head and kissed the forehead of the person beneath me.

Qing Jiu's forehead was warm, while my lips were cold.

At that moment, I caught a faint scent of wine in my nostrils. It was first bitter, then astringent, and finally I could no longer distinguish the aroma. It was rich and complex, like a secret that had been brewing for dozens of reincarnations under a flowering tree.

I stood up, picked up the wine jug next to Qingjiu, and drank the remaining wine in one gulp.

The liquor was a pungent liquid, like a sword piercing straight through my stomach, or like a reckless spark, burning and spreading. Yet, the autumn wind of the night swept by, chilling me to the bone.

The body was simultaneously pierced by ice and burned by fire, before finally returning to calm, leaving only ashes.

Thirty-three cups of holy wine

Holy wine, holy wine nourishes mountains and rivers, immortal writings unfold like a tapestry.

...

Exhausted, I took off my coat and draped it over Qingjiu's shoulders, then sat blankly beside him all night until dawn.

I saw several beams of light pierce through the darkness from beyond the mountains. In the dim and desolate sky, more and more light began to descend from the clouds, like divine pronouncements or countless golden arrows, shooting down like a volley of arrows.

A single moon rises swiftly into the heavens, chasing away the stars and the waning crescent. This is the fourth move of the Sword Technique.

I stood up with a shiver, instinctively clenching my fists as if trying to grab something, but there was no sword. In utter frustration, my hand flailed wildly, and when I touched Qingjiu's arm, I felt something hard. I touched it—it was a sword. That's right, the first time I saw Qingjiu, he drew his sword from his sleeve. I frantically drew my sword and began to swing it at the rising sun.

The rising sun shone brightly, and under its blinding light, the mountains and valleys seemed to be burning into a sea of fire. As I watched this scene, my eyes were stung and tears streamed down my face, but I refused to look away or put down my sword.

In an instant, the sword flipped, and the flash of sword light slowly began to shine as brightly as the light of dawn.

The sword moved faster and faster, but I felt increasingly dizzy. The light before my eyes grew dimmer and began to jump and distort. The whole world became a fleeting blur before fading into darkness.

When I groggily opened my eyes again, I found myself lying in bed, covered with a thick quilt, with Hua Mei sitting next to me, embroidering.

I decisively closed my eyes, convinced I was dreaming. A wave of frustration washed over me; if I had held on a little longer, I might have learned the fourth move of the Swordplay Technique.

A hand reached out and patted the mattress beside them. "You've been unconscious for two days, and you're still sleeping?"

That's when I noticed the wet towel on my forehead. I thought it was because I had just woken up and wasn't feeling well, but it turns out I had a fever.

When I opened my mouth, I realized that my throat was so dry and hoarse that I could barely utter a word.

Hua Mei quickly lowered her guard and said, "If you can't speak, don't force yourself. Here, have some warm water first."

I forced down the water and heard Hua Mei nagging, "I don't know what happened between you two. The master looked very unhappy when he brought you back. Did you offend him?"

I was completely bewildered, and asked hoarsely, "Where...is he?"

"A batch of small fish and shrimp from the Taihang Mountains has already arrived. Qingjiu has gone down the mountain to process them. You can go back to sleep."

I closed my eyes and actually fell asleep right away.

That evening, Huamei personally brought me dinner, and I felt much better. As I was quietly listening to her chatter, a disciple rushed in with a panicked look on his face, "Protector Huamei, something terrible has happened! A large group of people have suddenly stormed Tian Shu Peak!"

Hua Mei's expression immediately changed. "How is this possible? How could there be no prior notice?"

"We just received news that this group of people had been preparing for a year, posing as merchants, laborers, travelers and wanderers. Each group consisted of no more than fifty people, who arrived at Wuling Mountain from different routes and at different times. They had been lying in wait until now when they suddenly launched their attack."

"Number of people?"

"More than two thousand people."

Hua Mei's face turned pale instantly. She told me that Qing Jiu had taken Protector Chi Tian and three hundred men down the mountain to intercept what was clearly a diversionary group. Bai Ya had also been sent to make connections with nearby sects and could not return immediately. At this moment, there were only a few elders and two protectors in the palace, and fewer than four thousand disciples remained. They could certainly withstand this wave of attacks, but... the losses would definitely be heavy.

"I didn't expect the gangs in the Taihang Mountains to have been plotting for so long, and the master is out again... Gu Yi, you stay in your room. I'll go down the mountain to meet them and I won't let a single person up the mountain." Hua Mei walked out with a fierce look on her face and a murderous aura all over her body.

"etc……"

At this time, it would be unwise for a ruler of a palace to rashly descend the mountain. For Qingjiu to do something so foolish... must be related to me.

I got out of bed amidst Hua Mei's astonished gaze, put on my coat, picked up the sword beside my pillow, and said to her calmly, "...I'll go with you."

...

"What are you talking about? Go back now!" Hua Mei said, stepping forward to block me.

“Hua Mei, I can’t help much in dealing with those two thousand soldiers, but what if a master comes? Several elders have to stay in the palace to keep watch, and the leader is not here. The only ones who can be of use are you and Qian Lou. If you are defeated, the entire Tian Shu Palace will be in chaos. Can you bear that responsibility?”

"I……"

I grabbed Huamei and we rushed out together. "Enough nonsense. My fever has almost gone down. Didn't you just say that Qianlou has already led his men down the mountain to meet the enemy? Let's hurry up and catch up."

The atmosphere in Tian Shu Palace was tense. Wave after wave of disciples were sent down the mountain. However, many disciples were guarding various places in the palace in case of any unexpected events. Hua Mei and I hurried down the mountain and heard chaotic shouts of killing from afar.

Hua Mei and I exchanged a glance, knowing that the two sides had already clashed.

We crouched behind a rock and looked out. The narrow mountain path was full of people, swords flashing, shouts and groans filling the air, blood splattering everywhere. It was clearly not far away, but it looked like an unreal shadow play. Then something was thrown from the crowd towards us. I looked closely and saw it was a severed arm. Just a moment ago, it had been holding a weapon and waving it on a living person. Now it lay motionless on the mountain path.

I felt a tremor run through me involuntarily, and my hand instinctively tightened its grip on the sword.

"The situation isn't good. Shall we go over there now—to buy clothes?" Hua Mei looked at my pale face and suddenly asked, "...You've never killed anyone?"

"...I've killed them."

"Haven't you ever seen a scene like this before... a mass killing?"

"……Um."

Hua Mei patted my shoulder and said softly, "When I first saw this scene, I trembled all over and couldn't even hold the whip tightly." Then she changed the subject, "Gu Yi, you will be the future leader of the Thousand Years Sect. Sooner or later you will have to lead your disciples to face this kind of thing. I don't need to explain the reasoning to you. Everyone is doing this for their own benefit. If you don't kill, you will be killed. And the best way for you to adapt is to rush in with your sword in hand."

I nodded, remained silent for a moment, then gripped my sword and followed Hua Mei as she leaped down.

"Look, the people from Tian Shu Palace are coming down again! Brothers, let's go and take down these two little wench—" In the chaos, only this voice could be heard before more than a dozen figures rushed over.

The moment the swords came at me, I instinctively drew my sword to meet them. It was as if I didn't need to think at all; all the moves I knew flowed out of my body naturally. My blood was boiling and hot, and my limbs were filled with something primal, roaring and screaming. Yet my heart was cold; I was not happy at all.

My body felt out of control, its blades sharp as spears, and I used myself as the handle. I watched myself being slashed, parried, thrust, parried, washed, intercepted, stabbed, stirred, pressed, and hung like a bystander. Frosty blades and snowy hilts flew through the air, blood splattered constantly, and severed limbs fell. I didn't even know if any of them were mine. All I could hear were shouts of killing, screams, and cries of agony. It was like hell on earth.

I don't understand. Training through the coldest and hottest days of winter, day after day for ten years without interruption, is it all for something like this, risking your life for so-called profit? Life seems so cheap at this moment, making it all the more terrifying.

Worldly affairs are like tides, and people are like water; it's a pity that so few return from the world of martial arts.

Still suffering from a high fever and feeling weak, I don't know how much time had passed when I suddenly felt dizzy as I turned around. I almost missed a hammer that came crashing down on me. I barely managed to dodge it, and with a backhand thrust, I struck the attacker squarely in the heart. I didn't even get a good look at his face before he collapsed and never got up again.

...The martial world, the martial world.

Yu Guangzhong saw a figure rushing towards him at incredible speed, clearly a master. I mustered my strength to meet him, but my energy was gradually waning, and my reactions were no longer as nimble as before. In comparison, the opponent's sword was unbelievably fast, and I dared not use my swordsmanship to counter it, fearing that I would be cleaved in two before I could even finish my move. So I was finding it increasingly difficult and began to fall into a disadvantageous position.

The man leaped into the air, thrusting his sword at me mid-air. I gripped the sword horizontally with both hands and raised my arms to block. The sword was bent and nearly snapped under the pressure, and my thumb and forefinger were cracked. The sword fell from my hands and landed on the ground. Before I could even pick it up, the man thrust his sword at me again. I quickly retreated, but suddenly a tearing pain shot through my back—

I tilted my head back and spat out a mouthful of blood. I seemed to hear Hua Mei scream my name loudly, and then all the sounds around me receded like the tide. As I fell forward, I saw the person in front of me. This person gradually disappeared into the darkness along with the others, but it was enough for me to realize that I had seen this face before.

After that moment, I was no longer aware of anything.

Thirty-four cups of chrysanthemum wine

Chrysanthemum Wine - Sharing Chrysanthemum Wine in a Foreign Land, We Grieve Together Across Ten Thousand Miles of Distance. Today, Climbing High, We Hold Wine in Our Cups, The Fragrance of Chrysanthemums Fills Our Hands.

...

I'm so glad I can still open my eyes, it means I'm still alive.

As soon as I moved, a tearing pain shot through my back. It seemed I wasn't dreaming. I reached down to touch my back and looked around. My wound was bandaged, and I was inside a tent.

A woman was resting with her eyes closed beside the bed. She must have heard the noise, because she sat up and looked over. Looking at the horizontal scar on her forehead, I finally realized that I hadn't been rescued by the Tian Shu Palace, but was in the enemy camp.

Thinking back to the last time I fainted and was kidnapped, the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was Hua Cuitie, but this time, I saw Tie Cuihua...

I chuckled dryly and said, "Miss Cuihua, what brings you to the shore?"

Tie Cuihua's smile was forced, and the horizontal scar on her forehead made her look even more ferocious as she frowned. "For your sake, I have to get ashore no matter what."

So, they really did cooperate with the Taihang Mountain faction in order to get revenge?

At this moment, they are enemies, not friends, so there's no point in saying more. Since they've given me this treatment of bandaging my wounds and lying in bed, it means they're sensible people. I might as well lie back down and get some more sleep to recover.

"Oh, you're more relaxed than me, aren't you afraid I'll kill you?" Tie Cuihua's sarcastic voice came at an inopportune moment.

I rolled over lazily and said, "Because I am the future leader of the Thousand Years Sect, the Taihang Mountain lineage is not stupid enough to offend the Thousand Years Sect as well. So I will be under house arrest here until you conquer the Tian Shu Palace, right?"

Tie Cuihua's voice changed slightly, "As expected of someone who has learned three forms of the Duijun Sword Technique. You are only fifteen years old and you are already so good. You will definitely have a bright future. I made a big mistake by offending you without knowing the truth."

After a moment of silence, I sat up and looked at the seemingly rough and uncouth Hua Cuitie. "I really underestimated you. Very well, the deal is done. Since you are in charge of me here, as long as you help me recover from my injuries, I will definitely not pursue the matter on the water that day."

Hua Cuitie clearly wanted to remind me of my current situation under her control, but I didn't expect her to bring it up directly. She paused for a moment and then laughed, "It's really easy to talk to you, Young Master. Actually, this siege of Tian Shu Palace has little to do with me. My bunch of little brats are only useful on the water. I'm the only one who came here, just to watch the show. I know Tian Shu Palace won't lose."

She was implying that if I used some trickery to escape while she wasn't paying attention, she wasn't afraid that the Taihang Mountain lineage would gain power and retaliate against her in the future. And indeed, we didn't have any deep-seated hatred for her; it was just a minor lesson we taught her that day.

I gave Tie Cuihua a deep look, knowing that everyone had probably underestimated this female river pirate. When he mentioned Tian Shu Palace, I wondered if Tian Shu Palace had successfully blocked the first wave of attack, and whether Qing Jiu had returned to the palace. Considering Qing Jiu's unusual behavior, I couldn't help but make wild guesses.

Lost in thought, a commotion suddenly arose outside the tent. Tie Cuihua laughed, "It seems someone has come to rescue you, Young Master."

I quickly stood up, and Tie Cuihua pretended to support me as we walked out.

I don't know how many days have passed, but now it's broad daylight, the autumn air is crisp and clear, and I am in a valley. The entire valley is filled with tents of all sizes, and outside the tents, a large number of martial arts practitioners are all holding weapons and looking warily to the other side, some of them even sneaking closer.

So I moved closer. Many people saw the hatred in my eyes, undoubtedly because I had killed many of their people, but these people were still rational enough to suppress their anger and silently moved away from me.

Squeezing into the crowd, I looked up and saw a tall, slender figure dressed in white standing on the canopy of a tall tree not far away.

The man stood there casually, yet possessed the air of a dragon in flight. Sunlight streamed down his robes, making the golden dragons embroidered on the hem of his satin robe gleam.

As I stood out from the crowd, a strange feeling welled up inside me as I watched Yin Liuchuan. It wasn't that I hadn't considered that it was him, but upon discovering that it really was him, I still felt a sense of... disappointment.

Yin Liuchuan lazily glanced at everyone, not seeing me. He yawned and said with a smug look, "I'm here to take my young lady home. You all know you can't stop me, so just hand her over obediently, and I won't interfere in this dispute."

The crowd immediately buzzed with discussion, clearly the beauty knew who the young master Yin was referring to as the "little lady".