Liu Yao - Chapter 86

[rustycol]

Many thanks to MrMissMrsRandom for editing and translation suggestion

 

Under their feet, a big array slowly activates like a fire that rises as the wind blows. There is the sound of a sigh that comes from some unseen place.

Cheng Qian stares in amazement. “This looks like what Han Yuan created outside Fuyao Mountain that day.”

Yan Zhengming shushes him. “Quiet.”

He covers Cheng Qian’s eyes with his hand. “Listen carefully.”

That array-making demonic cultivator said this array’s purpose was to listen to the mountains. What kind of sound will it convey to them?

Deep from the darkness echoes the soft buzz of insects, the murmurs of the water, the gentle sweep of the wind over the grass. There is even something that sounds like someone is stirring in their sleep.

Yan Zhengming says in a low voice, “Seems like it comes from the back of the mountain.”

That day when the teenagers, with a being that they didn’t know whether was a human or a yao tagging along, fell asleep while waiting for their Master on the grass near the dark lake in hunger and cold, such sounds poured into their ears. 

Then comes the sound of wind blowing through the bamboo forest, accompanied by the scent of bamboo leaves as if they were really there. Then the elusive sound of a brush handle tapping on the stone table. Then the sound of a book’s pages being blown through by the wind but as a corner is kept down by something heavy, it became a flapping sound.

This is Qingan Abode.

Neither of them says anything. They listen in complete silence for a while, feeling as if they were taking a walk around Fuyao Mountain, until the array under their feet fades away, its final ray of light giving way to the darkness.

That day, when Han Yuan came alone to Fuyao Mountain and created this seemingly dangerous array with such an aggressive attitude, was it all so that he could listen to these sounds from Fuyao Mountain, even if just for a short while?

Cheng Qian’s chest is filled with an indescribable feeling.

The hand that has been covering his eyes is pulled away. Yan Zhengming recalls the stone seal to his palm. Darkness immediately falls over everything. Then a sphere of light suddenly emerges together with a wooden sword. The figure arrogantly sketches a salute to Cheng Qian then performs the first moves of the Fuyao Wooden Sword. 

What is the meaning of this?

Without showing regard for anyone, that person continues the Fuyao Wooden Sword at his spot.

In the beginning, that person is only a teenager dressed in pure white. With each move, his features gradually mature into those of a fully grown adult. The wooden sword in his hand transforms into a precious sword that emanates a cold rainbow-coloured glow. His simple plain white robe too turns into an elegant brocade outfit.

His moves match everything their Master taught them, but there is a minute, indiscernible difference. 

When that person finishes the long Fuyao Wooden Sword, he becomes an old man, the elaborate outfit returns to a plain robe, the precious sword is back to a blunt wooden one. The old man has the serenity of someone who has understood everything in this mortal life. He narrows his eyes.  

This person’s performance flows smoothly but full of energy like a water current. Both Yan Zhengming and Cheng Qian are experienced in swordplay. Yan Zhengming especially is a sword cultivator. Therefore, they immediately recognize the level of the person in front of them. Suddenly seized by awe, neither of them dares to say anything.

The old man in the white robe suddenly stares straight at them and attacks.

Cheng Qian pushes Yan Zhengming away. The wooden sword charges at the distance between them. The frosty sword wind flies past a stray lock of hair on Cheng Qian’s shoulder.  

The attack passes as quickly as it started. In the blink of an eye, two old men dressed in white appear. They move as lightly as a feather and separate Yan Zhengming from Cheng Qian.

When Yan Zhengming dodges, the darkness swallows him. In a heartbeat, he disappears.

Cheng Qian is terrified, “Senior brother!”

All of his spiritual energy is firmly suppressed inside him. At that moment, he isn’t much different from a mortal. Shuang Ren, which normally follows his will like a part of him, feels incredibly heavy. Cheng Qian resists the attack from the old man’s wooden sword as best as he can, but each clash is like a mountain falling on his wrists, making them helplessly numb. Furthermore, this situation is too unusual, so Cheng Qian knows himself and withdraws.

As soon as he takes a step back, Shuang Ren in his hand begins to lash out against him. This bloodthirsty sword that nothing can tame hasn’t acted up in a long time, so Cheng Qian has forgotten its bad habits. 

The old man attacks again. Cheng Qian has no other choice but to grit his teeth and meet the challenge squarely.

The force pressing on his hand keeps getting heavier, making him feel as if the sky has collapsed on his shoulders.

His raw strength is no match for his opponent’s, but the Sword of Terrible Deaths doesn’t let him retreat, even if it’s just half a step. Cheng Qian’s wrists shake, as there is a small cracking sound. Maybe they have been sprained. He tries to reach for his sealed off spiritual energy, which in turn pounds inside his head. His eyes are covered by white fog, as his spiritual energy is forced back time and time again. 

In his rush to find Yan Zhengming, he has no choice but to resort to mortals’ trick to deal with this geezer. Gathering up all his strength, he aims a kick at the stomach of his opponent.

Unexpectedly, his leg is met with empty air. The old man’s body is just an illusion. Only the sword is real. 

With that missed kick, Cheng Qian’s arm loses its strength. The wooden sword on the old man’s hand ferociously attacks his chest. Contrary to the old man, the sword is totally real. If his body weren’t made from the Spirit Collection Jade, that sword would probably break a bunch of his ribs.

Coughing a couple of times, he feels that half of his body has become numb from being beaten. The injury on his back, which has stopped bleeding, opens up again. 

The old man stares at him fixedly. There’s a threatening coldness in those opaque eyes. Then the wooden sword is pointed right at Cheng Qian’s chest again as he breathes heavily. 

Suddenly the old man speaks, “Someone with only so much ability like you dares to claim you want to walk the path of “Humanity.’”

Cheng Qian is wishing for nothing other than turning the geezer into a sack of meat, However, those words give him pause. “Senior, you are…”

“Concentrate! Stop babbling!” The old man raises his sword and unleashes the “At the Peak” move from the “the Peak is the Start of the Fall”. The blade of the wooden sketches a curve like the moon. 

If Cheng Qian is just one second late, even a body made from true jade will likely shatter. 

Cheng Qian dares not drag this out longer, but he doesn’t want to risk his life against the old man either. As he is making his evasion with difficulty, he recalls the time when he was young and his cultivation was still low. Back then, he did some research on how to counter attacks. He hastily deploys the “Small and Hidden” move.  

This move represents “The era of peace begins to end when the wind rises”. On the outside, it seems to be a time of peak prosperity, but in truth, a weak seed of disaster has been sowed. At the first opportunity, the seed will grow unstoppably and Glory turns into the Fall. The move has many unpredictable twists and turns, the subtlety of which isn’t easy to grasp. It isn’t compatible with the Sea Tide Sword and the kind of brutal force Cheng Qian likes to use. In his hastiness, he deploys the move with much difficulty, which causes his reaction to be significantly slower.   

He is just a little late, but that tiny mistake is enough to cost him everything. His hand goes numb as Shuang Ren flies out of his hand with a clang under the attack of the wooden sword!

Cheng Qian: “...”

He has never been so humiliated since he started learning swordplay at ten years old and became a force to reckon with with Shuang Ren in hand. 

The old man’s expression is unchanged. With a wave of his hand, he summons Shuang Ren back to Cheng Qian’s place. “Fight me back.” 

Cheng Qian squeezes his fist tightly. 

The old man continues. “You ignorant fool.” 

Cheng Qian nearly crushes his own fingers as he clutches Shuang Ren. The old man suddenly moves. In the blink of an eye, it seems that the sword in his hand has multiplied by the thousand. The attack is subtle but all-present like the first rain of spring. There is no way to evade or defend against it. 

This is how “Small and Hidden” is supposed to work! 

Cheng Qian’s eyes widen as he realises the old man is teaching him. He dazedly watches, until the wooden sword tears through the illusions and stops right in front of his nose. 

“Have you never learnt swordplay properly?” the old man asks, “Who is your master?”

Words are stuck in Cheng Qian’s throat.

Muchun Zhenren only taught him for barely more than a year. That night when his Master hastily taught the entire Fuyao Wooden Sword to him, all he had to rely on was his good memory. Afterwards, all swordplay instructions of his sect were based on what he managed to remember, with his most senior brother correcting the parts that didn’t seem right.

Looking back, how could the details that he got into his head during a moment of emergency, based on his lacking knowledge, be correct?  

How could his most senior brother correct anything after a childhood of lazing around? 

Cheng Qian explains in a subdued voice. “Our Master went to the realm of the immortals just as we began our paths.”

The old man frowns.

Cheng Qian tries to control his temperament to the best of his ability and says respectfully, “In his final moments, our Master demonstrated the Fuyao Wooden Sword to me. In that moment of emergencies, there are certain parts I couldn’t remember well.”

His words are cut off by a cold harumph. For some reason, Cheng Qian’s explanation makes the old man even angrier. He taps the wooden sword on Cheng Qian’s shoulder. “You fool! You hopeless fool!”

Throughout all his life, Cheng Qian has never been called a fool that many times. However, he can’t talk back. Whose fault it is that he is no match for this old man?

Facing such a senior from his sect, even if he gets called all kinds of ugliest names in the world, he’d find that music to his ears.

After the tirade, the old man suddenly transforms again into a middle-aged man clad in brocade robe, then attacks with the “Peak of Prosperity” move. 

Cheng Qian’s head nearly explodes from thinking. When this senior from his sect was in the old man guise, the “Peak of Prosperity is Start of Decline” move in his hand is ruthless but leans more towards the ‘Decline’ side, so its power is limited. However, in this middle-aged form, the wooden sword in his hand becomes that unknown great sword and the sword will is on the side of ‘Prosperity’, the power of which is something one rarely sees. 

Countless thoughts run through Cheng Qian’s head as he carefully ponders all the subtle details of the “Small and Hidden” move that the old man has been sneakily guiding them, then tries the move again. 

Success!

However, before he can savour that moment, the middle-aged man wordlessly raises his sword. The man’s entire body spins in the air as he makes a slash from high above, turning the move into Peak of Prosperity!

Cheng Qian narrows his eyes. After a second, he discovers that the restraint on his spiritual energy has been released, as the long penned-up energy roars like a storm. With a small clang, Shuang Reng in his hand dances in a bold frontal attack.

Not leaving his opponent a chance to change to a different move, Cheng Qian seizes the initiative by performing Small and Hidden. The chilly sword will fills the entire area, subtle like an illusion but present everywhere. As the third round of “Peak of Prosperity” from the middle-aged man arrives, the two spheres of energy clash with each other in the air in a world-shaking bang. 

The senior mercilessly releases sixteen slashes of “Peak of Prosperity”, which get increasingly cunning and brutal.

For the first time Cheng Qian fully understands the idea of “Small and Hidden”. His movement is still clumsy at first, but becomes increasingly natural. The image of Shuang Ren fills the air with such power that an observer would shake watching it. It is as if a Demon Execution Array were installed here.   

Unfortunately, even if he has improved, his opponent gets accordingly more powerful. In the end, Cheng Qian runs out of energy. When their swords clash together for the sixteenth time, Shuang Ren slips from Cheng Qian’s hand and pitifully falls to the ground. With an exhausted gasp, Cheng Qian loses his balance and falls to a half-kneeling pose as he tries to support himself with his arms.

Placing his blade on Cheng Qian’s neck, the middle-aged man looks at him from above and asks coolly. “Have you realised your mistake yet?”

Cheng Qian can’t say a single word as his heart beats wildly.

“This Small and Hidden move is the hardest in the Fuyal Wooden Sword set. It transforms unpredictably, leaving no opening for the opponent. At first you didn’t deploy this move smoothly, but have mastered it in no time at all. Why did you study the swordplay of outsiders if you have such aptitude?’  

Cheng Qian is willing to admit that he was too reckless due to worry for Yan Zhengming. However, throughout the years with all the dangers and trials he has been through, he thinks of himself as someone who thinks carefully and has a good reason for what he does, no matter how talented he is.. 

 

Cheng Qian immediately explains himself, “I…”

The middle-aged man curls his lips and cuts Cheng Qian off with a harsh smile. “You think that the wooden sword isn’t suitable for you, am I right? The Fuyao Wooden Sword follows the Path of Humanity. From birth to death, from childhood to old age, millions of mortals in the world through generations are unable to escape this path. And yet, without any self-awareness, you consider yourself an exception that is different from normal people, am I right?”

Cheng Qian: “...’

Upon reflection, when other youths craved to soar far and high in the world like a young water buffalo that hadn’t learnt to fear tigers, he thought of himself as someone who lost his teenage heart early and became an adult before his peers. When other people were confused about which path they should take, he thought that he was already far ahead on the way to the goal he had set his heart on. When other people struggled as they failed to achieve the result they wished for, he occupied a place in the world without fear. When other people desperately attempt to achieve ascension, he pledges to follow the ‘Path of Humanity’.

Though Cheng Qian isn’t the boasting kind, unconsciously he still thinks of himself as above other people, such that he has never thought carefully above a single move in the Fuyao Wooden Sword. 

There is always a kind of distance from the ideas expressed in the wooden sword moves. He never really empathises with the life of ‘normal’ people, nor has he directly experienced what they think and feel.

The middle-aged man scolds, “Look at the world around you then look at yourself. Why are you refusing to acknowledge that you are just like those people out there? Aren’t you a human too? If you pledge to take the “Path of Humanity”, why haven’t you given up your grandstanding but useless aspiration to reach for Heaven and Earth? Among the people who are close to you, has your heart moved for anyone? Have you forgiven anyone? Admired anyone? Loved anyone? Looked at anyone as a role model?”

At this point, the middle aged man suddenly exerts pressure on the tip of the sword, which grazes Cheng Qian’s throat. “It is said that an adolescent boy doesn’t understand the ways of the world and thus he is reckless and arrogant, thinking of himself as above everything. You are no longer a boy but your temperament isn’t much better.”

Cold sweats run down Cheng Qian’s back.

“If you think you’re an exceptional talent who can understand Fuyao Wooden Sword, why can’t you even use the “Small and Hidden” move? Stop acting like you’re dead! You haven’t finished your lesson yet!”

In the beginning, Cheng Qian was full of anxiety, feeling like a day had been as long as a year. There was no need to worry about Yan Zhengming, who was here with him, but Li Yun and the others were still out there among the demonic cultivators and the Celestial Divination Bureau outside. However, the owner of this place already sees through him and puts him in a harsh trial, such that he has to shed all distractions and immerse himself in the Fuyao Wooden Sword.

It is impossible to know how long Cheng Qian has been kept in this place. His nameless host blocks his primordial spirit and turns him into a rank beginner. His Shuang Ren becomes just like a wooden practice sword.

Before long, the host transforms into an old man again and opens a door to release Cheng Qian. He suddenly has a strange feeling, as if this timeless place only exists in the time span of a breath. Standing by the door, he stares at his strand of hair that was cut off when he entered this place, which seems to have fallen down just a second ago. 

Taking a step back, Cheng Qian asks the other person. “Senior, do you mind if I ask for your name?”

The old man apathetically replies. “Nameless. I’m only a lesson of your sect.”

Cheng Qian asks again. “What would have happened if we had chosen “Heaven” or “Earth”?”

The old man says, “From ancient times the Fuyao Sect has only walked the Path of Humanity. I can’t teach you anything about Heaven or Earth. No one could. So the only outcome would be to take you back where you started.”

An idea flashes in Cheng Qian’s mind as he hears that, so fast that he can’t grasp the details. He thinks briefly then respectfully bows to the old man and quickly leaves. 

The site for learning behind him quietly closes, as if it has never existed. Looking up, Cheng Qian sees Yan Zhengming, who is standing not far from him and seemingly deep in thought as he is holding the wooden sword from his inner mind.

 

As soon as he sees Yan Zhengming, Cheng Qian can’t help but be filled with joy. His steps become lighter. “Most senior brother…”

However, as soon as Cheng Qian speaks, Yan Zhengming’s cold gaze sweeps over him and cuts him off.

Cheng Qian grew up together with Yan Zhengming, so he can always tell when the latter is just throwing a tantrum and when he is angry for real. Seeing that attitude, Cheng Qian is surprised. He wonders to himself, “Was he given a thrashing by that old man too?” 

Yan Zhengming glares at him for a while then turns and walks forward without saying a word.

Full of confusion, Cheng Qian wracks his brain to think of the possible reason he pisses off this spoiled young master as he asks, “What was it like on your end?”

As soon as he is done with his question, Cheng Qian’s gaze falls on the wooden sword in Yan Zhengming’s arm. His scalp runs cold as realisation dawns on him. “Oh no, why would he summon the wooden sword out of the blue? That old man in the training site was very perceptive. Did he tattletale anything?”

At this point, Cheng Qian becomes anxious. He covertly wipes his sweat as his mind races to find a way out.

Seeing that Cheng Qian does not say anything else after his one question, Yan Zhengming thinks. “Oh, so he is feeling guilty.”

A moment later, as Cheng Qian coughs lightly to prepare for his talk, Yan Zhengming unexpectedly speaks, “So, are you done with preparing your lie to explain about this wooden sword?”

Cheng Qian: “…”

The two of them walk through a narrow and long tunnel and quickly reach the end, where there is a soft morning light. After asking that question, Yan Zhengming walks straight ahead without looking back and nearly disappears in a blink of an eye. 

Cheng Qian hastily follows him. As the bright light dazzles him, he realises he has returned to Tai Yin Mountain. Behind him, the training site together with the Valley of the Heart Demon already vanishes without a trace.

Besides his fuming most senior brother, there is a veritable crowd ahead of Cheng Qian. One side is Han Yuan leading a bunch of disorderly demonic cultivators. On the other side are the regular cultivators with You Liang in the front.

In the middle are Li Yun, Puddle, and Nian Dada, who are awkwardly floating in the air.

Cheng Qian is certain that when the Demon Execution Array was broken, there weren’t so many living cultivators in this area. 

Are they moving the grand battle that was already planned for Tai Xing Mountain here for real?