SS CH26

“One sword breaks the clouds to open heaven and earth; three blades divide the flow to settle the universe.”

The Cloud Breaking Sword has been absent from the Jianghu for ten years. Among the “Three Blades,” Duanshui is currently at the height of its fame; Wanyue is passed down only to women and has long since lost its former glory; and Jinghong—the Startled Swan—has been famous for thirty years, yet its successors throughout history have always been flashes in the pan, elusive as dragons that show their heads but never their tails.

Whenever Gu Xiao listened to storytellers at the tea stall, he would see so-called martial artists sighing with regret, claiming the landscape remained as it was, but the heroes were nowhere to be found. Listening to these rumors, his heart was already filled with longing; he only regretted not being born a dozen or twenty years earlier to witness those legends himself.

However, he never expected that his own unruly, hooligan-like Master would actually be the current wielder of the Jinghong blade.

By the time Gu Qifang pressed him down to kowtow three times before the Ancestor’s spirit tablet, Gu Xiao was still covered in dust, his mind unable to process what had just happened.

Gu Qifang found the sight amusing. While peeling a piece of fruit and handing it to Duanqing, she asked, “Has this child been dazed by the pie that fell from the sky?”

They had left their original home and traveled for two months before settling on this nameless, deep mountain. Because it towered into the clouds and was filled with strange pines and jagged rocks, Duanqing named it “Feiyun Peak”. The place was far from any town and backed by natural barriers, making it an ideal, defensible place for martial artists to cultivate. It was just a bit far from civilization; even to reach the nearest town, it took a full day’s journey. Fortunately, Gu Qifang’s qinggong was superb. Carrying two large bags of miscellaneous supplies was like lifting cotton, her feet moving as if riding a clear breeze, and she could make a round trip in just an hour.

Duanqing glanced at Gu Xiao, picked up a piece of fruit, and ate it, then said in a leisurely manner, “It is likely that the gap between his imagination and reality is too great for him to accept.”

“Why do I feel like you’re mocking me?” Gu Qifang picked at her ear, leaned over, and bit away the wild cherry Duanqing had just been holding between his lips, swallowing it whole.

Duanqing cast a glance at her and said nothing, though his ears turned red. He put on a stern face: “Enough of this nonsense. Go do your work.”

“Oh my, A-Shang, your skin is getting thinner and thinner!” After teasing him, Gu Qifang walked over with poise, grabbed Gu Xiao by the back of his collar, and hoisted him out like a chick.

–

Gu Xiao’s life learning the blade was bitter—so bitter that he didn’t even want to recall it in his dreams.

Though Gu Qifang was usually unserious and rowdy, she was excessively strict when it came to teaching the blade. She didn’t even take up the Jinghong blade herself; instead, she crossed her arms and said, “Within one stick of incense, if you can touch the corner of my clothing, dinner gets an extra chicken leg. If you can’t, you’ll be eating salted vegetables.”

Gu Xiao picked up a tree branch from the ground, focused his energy in his dantian, pushed off with his feet, and immediately rushed forward. He was small and lacked brute strength, so he wisely avoided a frontal confrontation. He darted around Gu Qifang, his branch striking out from tricky angles, knowing to keep three parts of his strength in reserve. At his age, even among the great martial families, few disciples were as outstanding.

Gu Qifang watched with satisfaction. Her hands remained still, yet she always shifted out of the way at the most critical moments, moving with such ease and grace that after a stick of incense had burned down, Gu Xiao was drenched in sweat, while she didn’t even have a single hair out of place.

At that very instant, she suddenly lifted her leg, swept her toe across Gu Xiao’s calf, and leaned forward. Gu Xiao slammed into her leg, narrowly avoiding a face-full of dust.

“You dodge too fast!” Gu Xiao sat on the ground, sticking his tongue out from exhaustion.

“Dodge?” Gu Qifang flicked his forehead. “Stupid disciple, look clearly before you speak.”

Gu Xiao’s gaze fell to her feet. The place where they practiced was a sandy patch, now covered in his small, messy footprints. Yet, there were only two of Gu Qifang’s footprints, as if she had been standing in the same spot the whole time, never having moved.

“Do you understand now? It’s not that I am fast; it’s that you are too slow.” As the wind rose, Gu Qifang tossed away his branch. “In the world of martial arts, only speed is invincible. The essence of the Jinghong blade lies in the word ‘fast.’ Just like a startled swan or a dragon in flight, whether it is your footwork, technique, or blade, you must be faster than the enemy. Otherwise…”

While she was speaking, Gu Xiao felt a blur before his eyes. Before he could react, someone was pressed against his back. He subconsciously opened his mouth, only to have it stuffed with wild cherries.

Gu Qifang stood up behind him, put the remaining cherries in her hand into her mouth, spat out eight or nine pits at once, stacking them in a small pile in the sand. She didn’t forget to look back and complain to Duanqing: “They’re too sour; how can you eat them?”

Duanqing stood under a tree three yards away, looked at the few cherries left in the plate, shook his head, and remained silent.

Gu Xiao’s nerves remained taut. With his mouth full of cherries, he didn’t know whether to swallow or spit, his hair standing on end.

Gu Qifang rubbed his head: “Look, if I were an enemy just now, wouldn’t you be dead?”

Gu Xiao’s face turned pale. Gu Qifang wiped the dust from his face and said, “The Jinghong Art is divided into seven stages of practice: Eye, Ear, Hand, Foot, Mind, Sensation, and Blade. If any one of them is not fast enough, you might lose the initiative. So, from now on, no complaining of exhaustion, no calling out the bitterness, and definitely no slacking off. Your master will not harm you.”

“…This disciple understands.” Gu Xiao puffed out his cheeks, finally swallowed the cherry meat, spat out the pits, and bowed to accept the order.

Duanqing, watching from the side, finished the last cherry in the plate and turned back to his books. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, looking quite pleased—it seemed these two, one big and one small, wouldn’t be bored for the next few years.

Sure enough.

Gu Qifang was a strict master, and also an evil one dedicated to making her disciple cry.

Every day, Gu Xiao’s training content was bizarre—either catching mosquitoes in the grass with chopsticks, being blindfolded and thrown into the woods to identify the direction of thrown stones, or chasing birds and beasts across the mountains. Later, it devolved into the two of them beating each other up. Not to mention boredom; he barely had time to rest.

Six years flew by. The child’s small body stretched into that of a long-limbed youth, his features gradually filling out. Gu Qifang’s face added a touch of feminine charm, while only Duanqing remained unchanged, a peaceful picture of stillness.

The winding road of the martial arts youth, the years show no mercy to the hardships of heroes.

Gu Xiao had followed Gu Qifang since he was a child, with seven years of solid foundation-building and six years of day-and-night rigorous training. In the spring of his sixteenth year, Gu Qifang finally showed mercy and lifted the ban. She tossed him a blade and a bundle, and kicked him down Feiyun Peak to roam the Jianghu.

She said he was a frog in a well who didn’t know the immensity of heaven and earth and needed to go out and see the world. Gu Xiao clutched his luggage and muttered to himself, suspecting that his master just thought he was getting in the way of her being lovey-dovey with his Shiniang.

Behind him were the deep mountains and dense forests; before him was the vast expanse of heaven and earth. Above him was the blue sky and white sun; beneath his feet was the vast, dusty world.

Because Gu Qifang had been caught secretly drinking, she was being punished by kneeling on an abacus at home and couldn’t see him off. Only Duanqing accompanied him out of Feiyun Peak.

“One step into the Jianghu is as deep as the sea; you must not be careless.”

“Don’t worry, Shiniang, this disciple understands.”

“The Jianghu is treacherous, and deaths and injuries are countless. You must be careful.”

“…Can’t you say something auspicious for once?”

Duanqing smiled: “I ask you, if you face a desperate situation where there is no retreat, what will you do?”

Gu Xiao thought for a moment: “Fight to the death, pull someone down with me… Ouch, why did you hit me, Shiniang?”

“You are dull-witted.” Duanqing withdrew his hand, feeling frustrated that he wouldn’t live up to his expectations. “Do not be reckless in your actions; think thrice before you act. Beware of the treachery of human hearts; do not easily trust others; do not be impulsive. That is enough. I will take you only this far. You go now; your master and I will wait for your return. If you disgrace the name of Jinghong or get yourself killed, prepare for a lecture.”

“…Oh.”

The youth walked away with his bundle on his back and a long blade at his waist, looking back every three steps. Duanqing shook his head, turned around, and saw a wisp of water-green robe peeking out from behind a large tree.

“Since you are here, why not see him?”

“Heh, that brat looked like he was about to cry just seeing you. If I had come out, wouldn’t he have bawled?” Gu Qifang walked out from behind the tree. “I can’t take care of him forever. Some things must be learned on his own, and some lessons must be learned through hardship. Fortunately, while you and I are still here, even if he pokes a hole in the sky, we can still help him patch it. Otherwise, years later, when you and I are in the grave, he would be the one crushed to pieces by the vanity of the world.”

“You always have your reasons.” Duanqing sighed, reached out to break off a branch of fresh peach blossoms, used his finger-wind to carve it into a floral hairpin, and gently inserted it into her hair. “The newly blooming red peach blossoms suit you well.”

Gu Qifang was not a beauty; at best, she could be called delicate and pretty, with the graceful demeanor of a southern woman. Yet, her personality was forthright, and her dress was not flashy, making her appear somewhat plain and uninteresting.

But when Duanqing inserted this peach blossom for her, it was like adding a stroke of rich ink to a dull ink-wash painting, as if a beautiful flower had bloomed in the midst of harsh mountains and treacherous waters, so charming that it took one’s breath away.

When the golden wind and jade dew meet, nothing compares to the reflection of peach blossoms on a human face.

She touched the delicate flowers in her hair, happy as a child who had received candy, and couldn’t help but tiptoe to hug Duanqing, kissing him on the cheek: “A-Shang…”

Duanqing smiled, letting her hold his hand: “The wind is picking up, let’s go back. He will definitely return safely.”