Chapter 199: Three Years
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
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The fog had gradually dispersed.
The setting sun illuminated the mountains.
The Sword-Washing Stream was flowing slowly, like the way it had been doing in the past countless years, and it looked like a golden whip while reflecting the setting sun.
This year was a minor anniversary year for the Green Mountain. The disciples who had been practicing Cultivation by the stream and prepared for inheriting swords didn’t show much outstanding talent, though.
In contrast, the visitors and the representatives sent by various sects drew more attention.
Like before, the Fruit Formation Temple, the Hanging-Bell Sect, and the Great Marsh Sect all sent their representatives to the occasion. This was the third ti in a row that the Windy-Broadsword Sect had sent a representative. Yet, it was quite surprising that the Center Sect sent soone to observe the Inherited Sword Competition, and this was the first ti they had done so in hundreds of years. It was interesting to note that the Cloud Dream Mountain kept reticent even during the ti when the Immortal Jing Yang ascended.
The representative sent by the Center Sect was a disciple of the second generation, but the disciples of the Green Mountain didn’t feel it was disrespectful, because that person was rather famous in the Cultivation world.
Standing by the stream, the young disciples looked at the cliffs nervously, not knowing whether they would be able to pass the test and masters of which peaks would choose them.
On the mountain path in the cliffs and on the platform enshrouded by the twilight, sat sparsely the observing visitors and the masters and disciples of the Green Mountain peaks.
Many gazes were fixed on the disciple of the Center Sect, so with a hint of hostile intent, though most of it was curiosity.
“As I rember, he participated in the Cultivation tournant ten years ago, so he is not young anymore; but why does he still look so tender and childlike?”
“Is this the so-called ‘a person is the sa as his na’?”
“It’s said that he learns Dao through playing chess, and he has an exceptional talent in chess playing, knowing no equal. I don’t know if the story is true or not.”
“Zither, chess, calligraphy and painting are trivial thods not worth paying attention to; besides, he lost to our Young Senior Master in the chess tournant, and who can say he has no equal?”
It beca quiet in the cliffs.
Sobody sighed once.
The sorrowful and regretful atmosphere filled the crowd.
The young senior master the disciples of the Green Mountain ntioned was Jing Jiu.
Many years ago, that aristocratic young master from a small village beca a celebrity among the nine peaks of the Green Mountain since the day he had entered the Sword-Washing Hall from the South-Pine Pavilion.
His celebrity status ca from the stories of his conflicts with Liangwang Peak, his relationship with the two people of the natural Dao quality, his laziness, and especially his handso face.
At a certain Sword Inherited Competition, Jing Jiu had finally displayed his rare swordplay talent by the stream, and at a certain Sword Trial on Green Mountain, he stood up for a certain reason, defeating two disciples of Liangwang Peak back to back, and in the end breaking the sword of Guo Nanshan’s, the principal disciple of the Green Mountain.
The masters of the nine peaks believed that he was a rare swordplay talent, hoping that he would bring a happy surprise to the Cultivation world on behalf of the Green Mountain. And he didn’t disappoint their high expectation. At the last Plum eting, he first defeated Tong Yan and won first place in the chess tournant, and then defeated the powerful Luo Huainan and Tong Lu and won first place in the Cultivation tournant. At the ti, he showed his talent to the whole Cultivation world and beca a bright star.
What had happened afterwards was a story known by all in Chaotian.
The night before the significant change in the Snowy Kingdom, Jing Jiu stepped forward against trendous resistance, saving many Cultivation practitioners’ lives, including Luo Huainan’s, but he vanished in the cold fog himself.
Whenever the Cultivation practitioners in Chaotian thought of this, they would feel very sorry.
In the long Cultivation journey, the most important factor was fate, besides the talent and diligence.
The disciples of the Green Mountain felt even more miserable whenever they thought of this, and missed their youngest senior master so very much.
Jing Jiu didn’t have a close relationship with other disciples; and due to his conflicts with Liangwang Peak, he hadn’t been liked so much on the Green Mountain.
Yet, it was quite different nowadays.
First of all, his outstanding performance at the Plum eting had gained a great deal of respect and honor for the Green Mountain, and secondly, Jing Jiu had done a series of heroic deeds during the Cultivation tournant.
Thinking about it afterwards, the disciples of the Green Mountain realized just how much Jing Jiu had shelled out physically and ntally for the event.
The nine disciples saved by Jing Jiu had beco the most loyal safeguard of his reputation. One ti, after Yao Songshan, Lei Yijing and two other disciples of Liangwang Peak heard Jian Ruoshan’s mockery about Jing Jiu’s vanity, they couldn’t control their anger, the four sword lights falling down on Jian Ruoshan at the sa ti and turning him into a bloody pulp. Not even the pleas of the fourth Big Brother, Jian Ruoyun, who attempted to ask them to stop beating his young brother, held any sway. If Guo Nanshan and Gu Han hadn’t persuaded them to stop and asked Jian Ruoshan to bow toward Shenmo Peak in guilt, they probably wouldn’t have stopped beating him until Jian Ruoshan died.
It was because of Jing Jiu that the relationship between the Center Sect and the Green Mountain Sect beca closer, and the Center Sect sent sobody to observe the Inherited Sword Competition.
In the story, it was for the sake of saving Luo Huainan that Jing Jiu and Bai Zao had vanished.
The most important part was that all the matters related to Jing Jiu had beco rosy since he was gone.
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On the cliff where the disciples of Liangwang Peak were, a sigh broke out.
“All of these are fate, soone has a better fate.”
Guo Nanshan grimaced slightly, as he knew the speaker was Lei Yijing, and his target was Luo Huainan.
This young brother of his who had admired him the most had beco the craziest follower of Jing Jiu; and he often expressed his discontent whenever the matter was ntioned.
Luo Huainan was indeed lucky. Though he was injured severely, the wound didn’t harm his Cultivation background. It was said that he had a peculiar encounter in the snowland, that his Golden Pill beca brighter, and that his Cultivation state had improved so fast that his strength was more powerful now.
Guo Nanshan had the chance of competing with him, after Guo Nanshan had entered the State of Free Travel, but the difference between the two of them had widened.
The reason why Guo Nanshan frowned was not because he was jealous of Luo Huainan or unconvinced of Luo Huainan’s ability, but that he didn’t like what Lei Yijing had said.
As far as he was concerned, if this was the fate, then Luo Huainan was the person who should take on the role of destined leader for the orthodox Cultivation world and achieve sothing great in the future.
Seeing Luo Huainan’s expression, Gu Han told other young brothers, “Cultivationist Luo has been slaying demons and purging devils everywhere in the last few years without considering his Cultivation being negatively affected or his own life-and-death experience. Such a determination is really admirable and should be learned from by the disciples of our generation, so don’t doubt him so carelessly.”
The disciples of Liangwang Peak agreed in unison.
Looking at a certain stone platform on the cliffs, Gu Han felt a bit regretful.
The Shenmo Peak hadn’t shown up yet.
The young Cultivation practitioners by the stream felt regretful as well.
They all wanted to be a disciple of Shenmo Peak.
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“She has never co down from Shenmo Peak. This senior master of ours is really like that grandmaster.”
“It’s said that her Dao Heart is dead, so all she is doing is focus on Cultivation on the peak. Of course, she won’t take any more disciples.”
“How co? Is it because she is heartbroken that Senior Master Jing Jiu has died?”
“Nonsense. She had stayed on Sword Peak for a couple of years before then; do you think she did it because she was heartbroken?”
“Even though you like Senior Master Jing, you shouldn’t deny that the scene where he inserted a flower in Senior Master Zhao’s hair at the last Plum eting had been witnessed by countless people.”
“They had never admitted that they were Cultivation partners; besides, the relationship between Senior Master Jing and the Fairy Bai Zao was so close. If that mishap hadn’t occurred, who knows what relationship they would have by now.”
“Since senior master Jing t Bai Zao the first ti at the Plum eting, it’s impossible.”
“Big Brother Yao of Liangwang Peak had said that she and Senior Master Jing fought together in the Cultivation tournant. The senior master was under trendous pressure at the ti, and why would she support him so much?”
“That’s right. It’s obvious that the Center Sect has two Ten-Thousand Mile Seals; Luo Huainan used one, and Bai Zao had another one, but why didn’t she co out from there?”
“This proves that they planned to live and die together. If their love for each other were not stronger than gold, why would they have done so?”
As the young girls of Qingrong Peak were gossiping, they didn’t know that their conversations had reached the ears of that disciple of the Center Sect.
The twilight fell on his still tender and emotionless face; the only exception was that he was thinner than he was at the last Plum eting.
Tong Yan looked at the empty stone platform.
After the chess tournant of the Plum eting, he had stayed behind closed doors. He didn’t leave the Cloud Dream Mountain even when he learned of what happened during the Cultivation tournant.
He ca out from the closed doors not long ago. As he learned that the Center Sect intended to send soone to observe the Inherited Sword Competition of Green Mountain, he asked his sect to let him take the trip.
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The Shenmo Peak was the loneliest among the nine peaks of the Green Mountain.
A figure by the cliff’s edge was also very lonely.
The mountain wind was tousling her short hair, making her hair even ssier.
It had been three years.
She hadn’t combed her hair.
It was because she didn’t know where Jing Jiu had put that effective wooden comb.
She hadn’t made the pigtail.
It was because she didn’t know how.
All she had done in the past three years, either in White Town or on Shenmo Peak, was one thing, that is, Cultivation.
It was like back then when she was on Sword Peak.
Nobody knew how hard she had cultivated, and how fast she had improved her Cultivation state.
She had already had the hope of entering the State of Free Travel after rely a little bit over ten years of cultivating.
This news would have shocked the entire Cultivation world if it had leaked out.
“The latest news.”
Gu Qing’s voice broke out behind her.
Zhao Layue said with a casual expression, “Go ahead.”
“It was similar to last few tis. He killed a demon in Yuzhou and was wounded. And he stopped those who attempted to praise him, and said that if Jing Jiu were still alive...”
Gu Qing continued, “He didn’t say anything more after that, and he left with a sigh.”
“What about his emotion?” asked Zhao Layue.
Gu Qing said, “I didn’t ask directly, but based on the description, I should say that seven parts are sentintal and three parts are sorrowful, and he doesn’t show sadness and pain anymore.”
“What do you think?” Zhao Layue asked.
Gu Qing replied, “This is the seventh emotion he has displayed, and he has beco less and less emotional; but this is expected, because the ti will wipe out everything.”
“But...” Zhao Layue said.
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Luo Huainan had been the strongest swordsman of the young generation.
His reputation was even much better than before, and had no equal.
Many people didn’t understand why he didn’t take the ti to cultivate, but rather, he would go out once in a while to slay the demons and devils.
His answer was: his life was saved by Jing Jiu and his Young Sister, so he couldn’t spend ti entirely on his own Cultivation, instead he should repay the world.
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Gu Qing said, “But, I feel that his behavior is too normal; it’s so normal that I feel it’s a deliberate act, as if he wanted others to rember the incident on purpose.”
Zhao Layue said, “Maybe, he has a guilty conscience.”
“Maybe,” said Gu Qing after a mont of silence.
Zhao Layue asked, “What do you think about the story told three years ago?”
Gu Qing replied, “I still don’t believe it.”
Jing Jiu in that story was a bit too perfect, as if he were a hero in the legends.
Zhao Layue said, “I don’t believe it either. It’s because the person in the story wasn’t Jing Jiu, but soone Luo Huainan wants to beco.”
If Jing Jiu in the story was soone imagined by Luo Huainan, then the story was obviously fabricated.
The reason why Luo Huainan had fabricated this story was the key to all the other questions.
Looking at the distant north, Zhao Layue said, “It’s been three years.”
“Yes,” Gu Qing responded.
Zhao Layue said, “It’s ti to kill him.”
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