He Bailou stretched his limbs and let out a wide yawn.
“Old Gu, Old Gu, what on earth did you say to Old Immortal Qiu?”
The Old Sword Attendant gave a faint smile.
“What? Do you want to have a fight with me too?”
He Bailou sighed.
“How boring. I came all this way just to look at your ugly face.
“Forget it. When the sky falls, the tall ones are there to prop it up.
“Since Old Qiu has spoken, what reason do I have to stay here?”
He turned his gaze back to Chen Zui.
“Kid, you took those two punches beautifully. If fate allows us to meet again, this old man will treat you to a drink.”
Chen Zui cupped his fists in a salute.
“Thank you for the guidance, Senior.”
Liu Yinsheng hadn’t said a word from beginning to end. He simply drifted down from the city wall and stood side-by-side with Qiu Baisheng.
The three Martial Arts Grandmasters departed from Luoyan City just like that—a grand buildup with a quiet end.
Xie Jiuzhen slumped onto the cold snow, cradling the blood-covered and crippled Meng Huaiguang.
He finally understood.
From the very beginning, the Jinyang Sect had been nothing more than a chess piece, a tool.
And now, that piece had become a discarded one.
Chen Zui slowly stepped past Xie Jiuzhen and snatched the knife belonging to A-Man’s father from the hands of a Jinyang Sect disciple.
At this moment, none of the Jinyang Sect members had the courage to stop him; their faces were as pale as ash.
Their sect had been ruined in an instant by a single, flat sentence from that Earthly Immortal...
Ye Zhibai approached the withered old man with a sword on his back and asked uncertainly,
“You... are the Senior Sword Attendant?”
The old man glanced at her.
“Are you a disciple of the Frost-Sigh Sect?”
Ye Zhibai nodded.
“Who is your current Sect Master?”
Ye Zhibai cupped her fists. “To answer Senior, our Sect Master is Lu Guanxue.”
The withered old man nodded.
“It could only be him.
“Your Frost-Sigh Sect’s previous generation of disciples didn’t have many talented individuals.
“They were even worse than a sword-carrying servant like me.
“Moreover, to still refuse to submit to the imperial court under the current general trend... Lu Guanxue is the only one with any backbone left.”
Hearing this, Ye Zhibai did not get angry, which was rare for her.
After all, the person before her was someone who had stayed by Sword Immortal Shen’s side for many years.
For him to offer such an evaluation was already a great honor for the Sect Master.
“Do you know the Sect Master?”
“I wouldn’t say I know him. Back then, my master had just entered the martial world and sought out every sect to challenge their swordsmanship.
“When he reached this Northwest region, he heard that your Frost-Sigh Sect possessed a profound sword technique passed down through many years.
“So, he brought me to your sect.
“However, your Sect Master at the time was beaten back repeatedly by my master’s self-created sword technique, unable to even fight back.
“It left my master greatly disappointed.
“And that year, my master was only sixteen years old.
“At the time, your entire sect was despondent, and only this Lu Guanxue claimed he would challenge my master again in the future to wash away the shame.
“In the blink of an eye, more than half a lifetime has passed.
“I haven’t seen him come looking for my master once.”
Ye Zhibai: “...”
Was he joking?
That was Sword Immortal Shen.
No matter how foolish the Sect Master was, he wouldn't go looking for him to challenge his sword.
“Alright, let’s not talk about that for now.”
The Old Sword Attendant looked at Chen Zui.
“Kid, how are your injuries?”
Chen Zui smiled. “It’s nothing major. It won’t interfere with drinking.”
The Old Sword Attendant raised an eyebrow.
“Since you want to treat me to a drink, I’ll give you the chance.”
With that, he began walking toward a tavern in the city.
Chen Zui: “...”
Ye Zhibai: “...”
Xiao Chengyan shrank his head and said, “How can this Senior Sword Attendant still be so fond of taking small advantages? He doesn't have the air of a senior at all.”
Ye Zhibai suddenly remembered something and glared at Chen Zui.
“So, that day you asked if I was still coming to Luoyan City because you already sensed the Senior Sword Attendant was behind us?”
Chen Zui shrugged noncommittally.
“Yeah. Wasn't that your own choice?”
Ye Zhibai suppressed the urge to draw her sword, her face darkening.
“Then you should have been clearer!”
“Gosh, I thought Heroine Ye had already felt the Senior Sword Attendant’s sword intent.
“I figured that for the sake of Prince Xiao and me, you had resolutely given up the opportunity to meet the Senior Sword Attendant earlier and came to Luoyan City to deal with the Jinyang Sect.”
Ye Zhibai was left speechless by those words.
At the mention of the Jinyang Sect, she recalled the sentence left behind by Old Immortal Qiu.
The Jinyang Sect had fallen in a single day.
In that case, wouldn’t their Frost-Sigh Sect have hope of flourishing?
“I must get this news to the sect immediately!”
Ye Zhibai suppressed her excitement and followed Chen Zui into the tavern.
...
Inside the inn.
Chen Zui leaned against a chair by the window, his chest still aching slightly.
Although the majority of the force from He Bailou’s two punches had been diverted by Unmoving Like a Mountain, the residual fist force was still rampaging through his meridians.
“Don’t worry, it’s fine. Although I said earlier that He Bailou was forcing your growth, his fist force actually has some benefits for you. It’s not as exaggeratedly bad as I made it sound.”
The Old Sword Attendant sat across from Chen Zui, glancing around the surroundings from time to time as he sighed.
“Sigh, they say things remain while people change, but now it seems both things and people have changed.
“Many years ago, I came to this tavern once with my master.
“I didn’t expect that decades later, the owner would have changed, and even the tables and chairs would be completely different.
“I just don’t know if the taste of the wine is still the same as before.”
Ye Zhibai sat beside Chen Zui, her gaze sweeping over the Old Sword Attendant from time to time. She wanted to speak but didn’t dare to.
She had rushed to the border on this trip specifically to witness this Senior Sword Attendant draw his sword.
But now that the person was right before her eyes, she didn’t know how to start.
Chen Zui poured a bowl of wine for the old man.
“Senior Sword Attendant...”
The old man raised a hand to interrupt.
“My surname is Gu, and my name is Gu Yiyou. My master gave me that name.”
“Senior Gu, was that truly Old Immortal Qiu Baisheng just now?” Chen Zui asked.
Gu Yiyou first took the wine Chen Zui handed him and took a sip, smacking his lips.
“Not bad, not bad. The wine is still that same wine!”
With that, he downed the bowl of wine in one go.
“What? Do you think he looks much younger than you imagined?”
The three of them nodded simultaneously.
The legends of this Old Immortal Qiu had been circulating for nearly sixty years, yet seeing him today, he looked like a middle-aged man.
How could they not have doubts?
But even Grandmaster He had respectfully addressed that middle-aged-looking man as Old Qiu.
It surely couldn't be a fake.
“That’s because you don’t know the wonders of the Earthly Immortal realm.
“The reason people yearn for this martial realm so much, aside from possessing strength that looks down upon the world, is that it also allows one to infinitely approach the effect of longevity.
“Otherwise, how could it be worthy of the word ‘Immortal’?”
Hearing this, the three of them couldn’t help but gasp.
Though they had all stepped onto the martial path, they had never imagined that the end of martial arts would be longevity!
Gu Yiyou continued.
“Therefore, the appearance you saw of Old Immortal Qiu is how he looked when he entered the Earthly Immortal realm.”
“So you’re saying Old Immortal Qiu entered the Earthly Immortal realm in his forties or fifties?”
Ye Zhibai couldn't help but exclaim in wonder.
Gu Yiyou spoke flatly.
“What does that count for? Do you know when my master entered this realm?”
“When?”
Xiao Chengyan asked with wide eyes.
“Before he was thirty.”
As soon as these words were spoken, even Chen Zui was shocked.
Thinking about himself, even with the support of a system, he had only reached the Inquiry Realm—the so-called Third Rank peak—in his early twenties.
But this legendary Sword Immortal had actually started late and yet reached the peak of martial arts before the age of thirty.
The title of Sword Immortal truly wasn't given in vain!
“So, was it because Old Immortal Qiu didn't want to make an enemy of Sword Immortal Shen that he didn't dare act against you?”
Chen Zui asked the question he had been wanting to ask.
It was impossible for an Earthly Immortal to come to Luoyan City just for show.
And according to what Shopkeeper Zhou said, those three Martial Arts Grandmasters had come for the sake of the Senior Sword Attendant before them.
But just now, only Senior He had thrown two punches.
That Sword Saint surnamed Liu hadn't even drawn his sword.
There had to be something fishy about this.
Gu Yiyou looked at Chen Zui.
“Yes, and no.”
Then he asked a question in return.
“Do you know what I’ve been doing these past thirty-plus years while ignoring the martial world?”
“Doing what?” Ye Zhibai asked.
“I was doing odd jobs at an academy.”
“Doing odd jobs?” Ye Zhibai frowned.
“I was originally a servant. If not for my master, I wouldn't even have a name. What’s wrong with doing some odd jobs?”
“While that may be true, you are a Second Rank peak Grandmaster after all. I assume this academy is also quite extraordinary?”
Chen Zui guessed.
Gu Yiyou nodded.
“This academy itself isn't unique; in fact, no one has even heard its name.
“However, the master of this academy has a very grand background.
“In this world, there is probably no one who doesn't know of him.”
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