Volume 4, Chapter 25 – Accord

While Yao Xing and Liu Xi were in discussion, in the rear courtyard of the same temple, those two monks who had left earlier were leading a group of armed monks, facing a black-clothed man in the courtyard as if confronting a great enemy.

The reason for such tension was not only that they had not seen how this man had entered the courtyard at all, but also that even now, standing before him, they could not sense the slightest trace of his qi.

“Is this how Yao-Yu receives its guests?” The man smiled at the gathered monks, as if he did not feel threatened in the least.

His hands were clasped behind his back, a sword hanging at his waist. He looked around thirty or forty, with a touch of scholarly handsomeness to his features. His black hair was casually tied in a bundle at the back of his head, with a few strands falling over his forehead, lending him a strangely bewitching beauty.

Seeing the monks grow ever more tense, he narrowed his eyes. “I advise you to calm down.”

“Otherwise, if we really start fighting and this Jade Capital is wiped off the map, all the blame will land on your heads.”

The words were wildly arrogant. The crowd had meant to show their disdain, yet somehow a chill of fear rose in their hearts, as if they genuinely believed he had the power to do just that.

“Enough.”

At that moment, an old woman’s voice came from the side room.

“A guest is a guest.”

“Step back. Do not make a fool of yourselves in front of Patrol Warden Li.”

Earlier, they had refused to retreat even under immense pressure. Now, at this voice’s command, every one of them obediently moved aside, opening a clear path from the courtyard to the main door of the side room for the black-clothed man.

With a slight smile, the man said nothing more. One hand resting on the sword at his waist, he stepped inside. At a glance, he saw an elderly woman sitting upright before a Buddha statue.

Her face was full of wrinkles, her silver hair carefully combed and held in place by several jade hairpins. Judging from her appearance alone, she was at least ninety, yet the qi she radiated was vigorous. She wore a dark red kasaya and looked at him with a smiling gaze.

“You are not afraid of me?”

For the first time, the man was a little surprised.

On his way here, he had indeed seen many strange sights. But most had not gone beyond what he expected from the main world, no more than turning imagination into reality.

He had thought that finding this place would be just a formality. All he had to do was kill a few people, take what he needed, and head on southwest. He had not expected anyone here to surprise him.

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This was, indeed, interesting.

“I have not many days left.” The old woman spoke to him. “With half this body already in the ground, why would I still fear a fate that has long been decided?”

Not many days left?

The man neither agreed nor disagreed.

With his eyesight, he could tell at a glance that the exuberant vitality in her body did not truly belong to her. It came from another cultivator, someone whose hand was keeping her life dangling.

“My name is Li Huiran.” he said directly. “I bear the Demon Court Order and have come to discuss the merging of Daos with Yao-Yu.”

The old woman did not answer him at once, but first asked, “From where has Patrol Warden Li come?”

“From the north.” The man lifted his brows.

“Did you happen to encounter the Swordmaster Qingping?”

“If you mean that fool…” The man bared his teeth in a cold smile. “I admit he is strong, and he still has room to grow. But since I am already here, you should understand how that battle ended.”

“Is that so.” The old woman was still smiling. “Then it seems Patrol Warden Li did not truly cross swords with Swordmaster Qingping.”

How does she know that?

The man frowned.

Hunting for other Illusory Realm exits wasted too much time. For efficiency’s sake, he had simply taken the Blood Sea as his route. When he rose up, he happened to run into a strange old man in a tattered black robe, and without a word, he had drawn his sword at him.

He had to admit that, faced with that sword, he had been impressed.

It had even forced him to draw his own blade to parry at an angle. Their two swords crossed in midair, but the old man’s sword suddenly snapped in two, which was the only thing that stopped the next series of ferocious strikes.

Yes, of course he had seen it. If the old man’s sword had not broken, his sword techniques would surely have flowed on without end, and he would definitely have traded several more moves with him.

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Unfortunately, he had been using a sword of common iron.

On top of that, his mind seemed somewhat unsound. Once his sword broke, he simply stood there motionless, no matter what Li Huiran said or did, not responding at all.

At first, Li Huiran had thought this old man had been sent by Yao-Yu specifically to stop him. But from his observations, the other man’s eyes held no trace of him. The only reason he stood blocking the path seemed to be to practice his sword forms.

That must have been a state of enlightenment.

Finding it amusing, Li Huiran had done nothing more to him. He had left behind some silver and a single line, “I hope when we meet again you can give me a proper fight,” then flown straight on to the Jade Capital.

Now it seemed that man was none other than Swordmaster Qingping, Chu Weiping.

“You do not actually think these little mind games will work, do you?” The man narrowed his eyes.

“If I were to make a move right here…”

Whoosh.

All at once, a fierce wind rose outside the side room.

Clouds rapidly gathered over the sky, forming a funnel-shaped vortex above the temple. In the swirling downpour of air currents, one could vaguely spot a hundred strands of purple qi, and now and then even a trace of golden qi.

“……” The man fell silent and said no more.

Only after the commotion outside quieted and the heavens returned to normal did he say, “Sword Dao and Human Principle… It seems you have not wasted these thousand-odd years.”

“But it is not enough.”

“Still not enough.”

“Patrol Warden Li may as well state his demands.” The old woman’s smile faded as she spoke. “Let us see whether this old body can accept them.”

“Simple.” The man pressed his lips together.

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“Strike Yao-Yu’s name from the rolls and hand over the rebels.”

“From each of the Nine Provinces, choose one Overseer, nine in total, to be placed under the Demon Court’s authority and unified deployment.”

“That is something we cannot do.” The old woman frowned as well. “Patrol Warden, you go too far.”

“Too far?” The man laughed with a hint of mockery. “Can it compare to when Yao-Yu cut off the passages between heaven and earth back then?”

“How many demons did that drive drifting through the main world? How many realms did it shatter, to be swallowed by the Void Tribulation? Do you truly not have a tally in your hearts?”

“Humans and demons cannot both stand.” He let out a cold snort. “With the great calamity at hand and order about to topple, the main world’s resources must be drawn upon with care. So long as you agree, you need not die.”

Clang—

Suddenly, a violet-gold sword light crashed down from the void, forcing the man to draw his sword in a sweeping parry. A sharp sword cry rang out over their heads.

His feet did not shift, but after that one exchange, four or five fresh cuts had opened on his face, blood slowly trickling down.

“Hidden Sword… still so fond of sneak attacks.”

He was not angry. On the contrary, he sheathed his sword and leaned against the doorframe.

“At this level.”

“Barely adequate.”

He had moved aside and left the view outside the doorway clear. If someone inside had looked out just then, they would have seen a huge trench, about five meters wide, gouged into the ground beyond the door, starting from the courtyard of the side residence and carving straight through the mountain, almost splitting the entire peak in half.

“We are not trying to make things hard for Patrol Warden.” The old woman slowly shook her head. “It is simply that what little resource remains is already being devoured by others.”

“You mean that new Path of Qi.” The man sounded curious. “You actually do not dare make a move?”

“That Path of Qi was born from the Sword Dao. It has taken full advantage. The method I just used against you would be effective, but it would not be so easy to use directly on her.”

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“So you want to use my hand to deal with this new art?” The man smiled. “The human heart is devious, thoughts close to those of demons.”

“As Heaven-Patrol of the Demon Court, Patrol Warden already bears the duty of straightening out order and defending the dignity of the Dao-Void Methods.” The old woman continued. “Even if this old body did not ask it of you, you would still have to do it.”

The man fell into thought. “So this counts as a deal?”

“If Patrol Warden deems it so, then so it is.”

“What do I gain?”

“A clear attitude of agreement to further talks.”

“Only that much?”

“Enough for Patrol Warden to report back.”

“……” After a moment of thought, the man asked, “You mean that so-called ‘Nine Prefectures Sword Meet’?”

“Patrol Warden may decide the time to act as you see fit.”

“Less than two months. Waiting is still waiting.” The man shook his head.

“But in the end, it is still a new art.”

“I will go find her first and see what her aptitude is like.”

With those words, his figure vanished.

Only the old woman remained sitting inside the room. After a long time, she finally let out a faint sigh.