“Hmm, I have to say, he is eloquent. But… is he really only in the first level of the Realm of the General? Does he really possess an eighth-grade battle beast? Honestly, to me, these achievements are just so-so.” The young lord Qianjun sneered and shook his head, as he turned to Wuhen.
“Young lord, compared to you, he isn’t worth a fart. However, this dude is good at tricks, I have been on the receiving end already.” Wuhen smiled to him with full respect, which could be heard in his voice and also seen in his gestures.
“Don’t worry. Humph, to me, he’s just a weak flea. No matter how high he could jump, I’ll manage to crash him down. Listen, after the Elite Prefecture War, you’d better follow me to Immortal City.” Looking at the enthusiasm in Wuhen’s dual pupils, Qianjun encouraged him to become his follower.
“Er… Thanks so much, young lord!” Now, Wuhen’s eyes were lit up with an ardent light, and when he was about to kneel down to express his gratitude, Qianjun’s hands fell upon his shoulders and he helped him back up. Therefore, Wuhen felt even more glorified, simply by being allowed to stand behind Qianjun.
At the same time, in the near distance, Qinghan continued his speech full of fervor and assurance. Wuhen raised the corners of his mouth, shooting a scornful glance towards Qinghan, as if he didn’t fear him anymore.
Despite his outward calmness, Wuhen was inwardly thrilled by Qianjun’s acknowledgement. A decade ago, when Qianjun was just a playful kid, he occasionally fled away from Immortal City to some nearby places for fun. Coincidentally, Wuhen had encountered Qianjun, and had discovered his real identity. Since then, he had intentionally played up to Qianjun’s interests, taking him to various entertainments and scenic spots.
Today, all of Wuhen’s previous efforts finally paid off. He would, by the time the Elite Prefecture War ended, be invited to Immortal City! How could he not be excited? Although he had to enter into that holy place as a servant, he didn’t regret it at all, for he had grasped a top-confidential secret from Qianjun – a secret that could change one’s fate. Only if he could get access to Immortal City, could he have a skyrocketing rise, and challenge his destiny.
……
“Hey, look, the monkey is going to dance now!”
Qianjun’s enthusiastic scream brought Wuhen back from his daydream, as he was also curious at what Qinghan would perform in front of so many people. Wuhen reckoned that Qinghan would probably just summon his beast, and let it do the performance instead.
“Yeah, let’s watch!” The rest of the young lords booed, as they jerked their heads towards Qinghan, hoping to make fun out of this big talker.
Qinghan strode to the center of the camp, almost drowsily. To everyone’s surprise, he did nothing but raise his head, straighten his spine, and put his hands backwards. The audience was extremely tantalized by his intended delay of his performance. Suddenly, Qinghan’s expression turned solemn, and his eyes were filled with melancholy, as if he had changed from a young cultivator to a frustrated middle-aged poet.
The sudden change of temperament stunned, confused, and terrified everyone. Qinghan seemed to perfectly fit in his new “role” as a poet.
“Bring me the wine!” Disregarding other’s negative discussions, Qinghan remained in his poetic gesture, while stretching his hand towards Feng Zi, requesting a cup of wine.
With a subtle smile, Feng Zi placed a kettle of wine on his table, and pushed it forward in the air. The kettle flew towards Qinghan, without leaking a single drop of wine in the process.
Amazingly, Qinghan successfully caught the kettle without turning around, as if he had eyes on his back. He slightly adjusted himself into a challenging gesture by bending his waist backward, and swigged the wine to his heart’s content.
Under the moonlight, the transparent wine reflected a jade-like whiteness. Now, this silvery liquid poured into Qinghan’s mouth, like a waterfall, as some of it even spilled over his face, his clothing, and the lawn. All of a sudden, the strong fragrance of wine filled the air.
“Haha… good wine. Now bring me the sword!”
After having finished the whole kettle of wine, Qinghan let out a long, lasting laughter. An instant later, he threw the kettle back to Feng Zi, and pointed his finger at Dugu Jian, one of his disciples.
Dugu Jian turned to Qinghan with a friendly smile, and lifted his sword, throwing it towards his master. At the speed of lightening, the sword was now right in front of Qinghan’s face.
The tipsy Qinghan walked in drunken steps, looking up into the sky with narrowed eyes, as if he was totally unaware of the approaching sharp sword.
Abruptly, with a timely jerk of his body, Qinghan escaped the sword; and at the same time, he extended one hand and snatched the handle of the sword. Stepping forward, Qinghan held the sword up, and slowly pushed it out of its sheath.
- Clang! -
Inside the luxurious silvery sheath, a glaring sword was revealed, which was two meters in length, and about four fingers in width. In the moonlit night, the surface of the sword was gleaming with a cold light. With the slightest of efforts, Qinghan placed the tip of the sword deep into the earth. By touching the sharp edges of the sword, Qinghan stared at it with rapture, as though he was appreciating a beloved woman.
The atmosphere in the camp was directed by Qinghan, to a rare, but fantastic artistic world. As was known to all, the Flame Dragon Continent was dominated by the power of cultivation; seldom did anyone pay much attention to art. In other words, art was underdeveloped in this continent. However, Qinghan’s warm-up performance had made up for their scarcity of access to art. For the first time, they felt as if they were in a dreamlike state. Out of curiosity and excitement, they all craned their heads over each other’s shoulders, lest they missed something of the performance.
Without noticing the expectant eyes, Qinghan held the sword, once again, in the air. In his intense stare, he cared about nothing in this world but the sword. Several seconds later, he pushed his sword forward into the air, waving it in the shape of a flower. At the same time, his body leaned forward in accordance, and chanted, “At night, I stirred the wick of the candle, in order to have a look at my cherished sword…”
As soon as he finished this chant, he extended his arm out, and waved his sword here and there in graceful, continuous movements. Meanwhile, he softly sang, “So many times, in my dreams, I was sent back to the battlefield, where the sound of the warhorn rang out in the air (醉里挑灯看剑，梦回吹角连营).”
“The troopers wolf down their barbequed beef bless’d;
Parading my troops, I stand with eagerness
Gradually, the speed of the dancing sword slowed down. However, to the audience, the radiant reflection of the sword had already blurred their vision, for they couldn’t tell exactly where the sword was.
As time went on, the weather on the island of the Tranquil Lake turned to be extremely windy. In the howling of the gusts, the young lords’ robes were fluttering with rustling noises. Nevertheless, no one was distracted by the wind, as they were completely absorbed by Qinghan’s innovative, poetic performance.
There were exceptions, like the great elders in the front row, because they all watched this performance with an anxious expression, as if they had observed something bizarre…
“Our war horses charge forth, as if they were flying;
Now, fulfilling the sovereign-granted mission fine;
O! A pitiable white haired guy!”
“At night, I stirred the wick of the candle, in order to have a look at my cherished sword.
“The troopers wolf down their barbequed beef bless’d;
Parading my troops, I stand with eagerness.”
People felt as if they were in a military camp, where axes and bows were strewn all over the place. The fluttering army flag, the glistering armors, all these things emerged in their mind, as if they were one of the numerous warriors on the battlefield, ready for a ferocious fight. Qinghan’s sword dance had enacted the hidden passion inside everyone’s hearts.
All drawn bows release their arrows, thundering.
For prosperity, the great fame shall be mine.”
Translated by XianXiaWorld