(Happy birthday to Master Yu An … I was forced to do this …)
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In the depths of spring, all kinds of trees were stretching their branches and spitting out green leaves. Dongyi was close to the seashore. The moist sea breeze blew day and night, making spring come earlier and fiercer here than in other places. The period of time for spring to accumulate was also longer.
No one knew how many years this big green tree on the outskirts of the city had been growing here. The trunk was tall and straight, but it did not have the intention of piercing the sky. Countless green leaves gathered at the crown of the tree to form a large canopy, appearing exceptionally beautiful and benevolent. It blocked the sun in the sky, casting a shadow over the people entering and exiting the city.
This tree was very large. The area of its shadow was several mu of land. Many people were resting under the tree. Under the tree were roots that protruded from the soil. They were like the thick body of a dragon, steady and solid. Sigu Jian, Fan Xian, and the little Emperor rested temporarily beside these roots. This strange combination did not attract the attention of passersby. It was probably because there had always been many strange people in Dongyi.
Fan Xian sat on the tree root and felt the shade under his butt. He didn't know what kind of tree the tree behind him was and couldn't be bothered to investigate. He only lowered his head to look for ants or dung-killing cockroaches moving balls of dung. He didn't find anything.
"How old was she at that time?"
"Five or six? Seven or eight? " Sigu Jian sat in the wheelchair and furrowed his brows. He thought for a long time. It seemed that because of the passage of time, his memory had become blurry. He spat on the ground and said, "In any case, it was just a little girl."
"How old were you at that time?"
"I should have been in my teens." Sigu Jian scratched his head. "You know my brain has never been very good. It's always hard for me to remember such complicated questions."
"I don't think my age is a complicated question," Fan Xian said.
"Geniuses are always different from others in certain areas," Sigu Jian said with a cold smile. He clearly did not care about Fan Xian's mockery.
"The other side of a genius is an idiot." Fan Xian glanced at him lazily. "Of course, everyone knows you were an idiot when you were young."
Sigu Jian didn't say anything. He only met Fan Xian's gaze. He tried to find some shadow of his past in the crevices of the tree roots.
The little Emperor Zhan Doudou stood coldly to the side, looking at the old man and the young man's stupidity. She felt disapproval in her heart. The three of them had traveled peacefully. Based on the theories of the secular world, the little Emperor's status was the most noble. It was clear that neither Sigu Jian nor Fan Xian cared much about this.
Sigu Jian and Fan Xian seemed to be interested in looking for ants. They stayed the entire time under the large tree the entire time. It was as if they of of the green were to die. The little Emperor furrowed her brows slightly. She thought about how the officials outside the Sword Hut were probably still worried about her. Additionally, she didn't know what would happen next. She was also worried whether or not the two of them would reveal her fate. Feeling slightly worried, she quietly said, "Lady Ye is no longer here. Even if you watch her for another three years, you cannot hope for her to come back to life."
These words seemed to be stating a matter, but they were also somewhat heart-wrenching. The little Emperor's intelligence and reaction speed were fully displayed at this moment. In the Sword Hut, Sigu Jian had only briefly mentioned the matter of persuading Fan Xian to rebel. She had caught onto some vague clues and tried to point it out.
With these words, Sigu Jian and Fan Xian both raised their heads and glanced at her, making her feel a little flustered. Fan Xian shrugged and said, "I just think ants are more interesting than people."
Sigu Jian looked at Fan Xian and sighed in admiration. "When your mother accompanied me to find ants, someone asked us this. She also answered this way."
Following Sigu Jian's joyful narration, Fan Xian smiled. The scene from many years ago seemed to rise before his eyes.
An idiot with a runny nose squatting under a big tree, watching ants moving and fighting. He might even untie the belt around his waist and pee on the ant nest. The passersby and residents of Dongyi all knew the identity of this idiot. When they passed him, they all had expressions of pity and disgust in their eyes, but no one was willing to go up and talk to him.
Then, a blind young servant holding the hand of a little girl came from afar to Dongyi. They came to this big tree and found the idiot who was so focused that he didn't care what was happening around him.
The little girl, who was carved from jade, squatted curiously by the idiot's side and asked, "What are you looking at?"
The idiot glanced at her impatiently and said, "I'm looking at ants."
The little girl made an "oh" sound and began to accompany him in looking at ants. They watched for a long time. Finally, someone at the side couldn't stand it anymore and reminded the young servant that this idiot was the young master of a major family in the city. He was just an idiot. Don't let your young mistress be stupid with him.
After the little girl heard these words, she didn't stand up. She smiled and said, "I just feel that, sometimes, ants are more interesting than people."
It was clear that the meaning hidden in these words was much more mature than the age this little body showed. However, the passersby and people under the tree didn't notice this. They just wondered whose family this young mistress belonged to. She was so pretty and clean, like a fairy who had walked out of a painting. She was squatting with the most famous idiot of the Master of the City. They couldn't bear to watch any longer.
The little girl waved her hand. The blind young servant, who had been as cold as a block of ice, also squatted down beside the two of them. Although he didn't want to squat, there was no difference between squatting and standing. Since she wanted him to squat, then he would squat.
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"At that time, there were three of us." Sigu Jian was continuing his memories. He scratched his slightly itchy face and said in a raspy voice, "We watched the ants fight for half a day. Then, I invited them to my home as guests."
"Your home?"
"My stupid father used to be the Master of Dongyi. Don't you know?"
"Oh, I've heard of it. However, that was many years ago. Your stupid father died to your sword a long time ago. I didn't think of it right away."
"The manor of the Master of the City was very large and luxurious." Sigu Jian suddenly opened his mouth and smiled. "But, the place I lived in was like a dog kennel because I was an idiot. My stupid father hated me the most. Furthermore, my mother was only a serving girl. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"Hmm, I've read many similar novels." Fan Xian nodded. No one in Dongyi dared to discuss Sigu Jian's past, but it didn't mean the Overwatch Council didn't do research in this area. He had a clear understanding of Sigu Jian's past. He knew what kind of humiliating and belittling the idiot had lived in the manor of the Master of the City. However, it was only now that he learned that Sigu Jian's birth mother was a serving girl. That serving girl had probably died many years ago.
"Your mother and Wu Zhu were the first friends I made in my life," Sigu Jian suddenly said seriously. "Although the place I lived in was terrible and I couldn't even bring out a cup of tea, they didn't look down on me and still went with me."
"Perhaps it was because I was an idiot at the time, so I didn't think there was a problem. But, it was clear that many people in the manor thought there was a problem. They could not accept two people of unknown origins living in the manor, particularly with the idiot young master. After a few days, Ye Zi and Wu Zhu left the manor. I didn't mind. In any case, I had to go out during the day to see ants. On the way, I would go to the room they rented to play. "
"This is truly the first time I learned that you once had such interactions with my mother and Uncle Wu Zhu."
Sigu Jian furrowed his brows and said in a cold voice, "Did Wu Zhu never mention to you what happened in Dongyi?"
"No." Fan Xian sat on a tree root and picked up a thin branch. Unconsciously picking at the dirt, he replied, "Later on, my memory became much worse."
"Oh, Wu Zhu, this kid, his memory actually deteriorated?" Sigu Jian suddenly laughed loudly. "Isn't that similar to my idiotic appearance back then?"
Fan Xian glared at him. Shortly after, he smiled bitterly and shook his head. "Do you know … where my mother and Uncle Wu Zhu came from?"
This was something that had troubled him for a dozen years. Although he could vaguely guess a little and Xiao En had mentioned it a little before his death in the precipice of Xi Mountain outside Shangjing, Xiao En's narration before his death only explained his mother's origins and did not mention Uncle Wu Zhu.
In Xiao En's narration, he and Ku He had suffered thousands of li and entered the outskirts of the Temple. Then, they had seen Ye Qingmei. The two of them had rescued Ye Qingmei from the Temple but had been separated halfway. At that time, Ye Qingmei was only four years old. It had been two years or even longer since Sigu Jian had seen her in Dongyi.
During this time, what had Ye Qingmei been doing? How had Uncle Wu Zhu come to her side?
In Xiao En's memories, he had once mentioned that Ye Qingmei seemed to be deeply worried about someone in the Temple. She could not let it go, so she left decisively. Was that person Uncle Wu Zhu?
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Hearing Fan Xian's question, Sigu Jian suddenly became very quiet. A moment later, he faintly said, "At that time, it was impossible for me to know where they came from or where they were going. Later, I slowly found out."
He turned his head slightly and stared at Fan Xian with his unfathomably calm eyes. "Do you still not know where Wu Zhu came from?"
Fan Xian lowered his head and was silent for a long time. Uncle Wu Zhu was a strange creature. Uncle Wu Zhu would not age. Uncle Wu Zhu did not know internal strength. Uncle Wu Zhu was very good and powerful. So, Uncle Wu Zhu … He laughed bitterly and said, "Even if Uncle Wu Zhu came from the Temple, what about my mother?"
"Nonsense. The blind man is an emissary of the Temple. Your mother is his mistress. Of course, she is a fairy of the Temple. Otherwise, how could she have done so much on her own?" Sigu Jian scolded irritably. It was as if he felt that Fan Xian's question was unnecessary.
However, Fan Xian did not feel that it was unnecessary. He smiled bitterly and thought that his mother, Ye Qingmei, was clearly like him. She had a soul that did not belong to this world. What relationship could she have with the Temple?
Fan Xian and Sigu Jian spoke energetically and sighed as they reminisced. Their voices naturally converged and did not affect anyone under the tree. The Northern Qi Emperor stood by the two of them the entire time, quietly listening to all of this. Her face gradually paled as the hands in her sleeves began to tremble.
She didn't expect that she would be able to hear such a soul-stirring secret under this tree. She finally understood why a young man like Fan Xian, from the beginning of his time in the world, possessed a confidence and even arrogance that no one else in the world could match. He dared to be so disdainful of an Emperor, sit on equal footing with a Great Grandmaster like Sigu Jian, shamelessly talk about the world, and try to control everything in his hands.
The little Emperor knew that Fan Xian's mother was Ye Qingmei. She also faintly knew that there was a blind Great Master behind him. It was not until now that she learned that the young lady of the Ye family and the blind Great Master had an inexplicable connection to the Temple.
What was the Temple? It was a god that floated above the clouds in the sky, coldly watching the suffering of the mortal world without the slightest change in expression. It was a will that surpassed mortals. It was the legendary protector of the land. However, no one knew where the Temple was or what it was, other than Master Ku He, who had seen it with his own eyes.
Ku He kowtowed in front of the Temple for three days and gained the abilities of a Great Grandmaster. Under the large tree, the young lady of the Ye family met Sigu Jian. Sigu Jian went from being an idiot with a runny nose to a warrior with unparalleled sword skills. Another example was the Qing Emperor.
The little Emperor's short eyelashes trembled uncontrollably. From the beginning of the Wei Kingdom until now, everyone in the world wanted to see the appearance of the Temple with their own eyes. They wanted to find the shadow of the heavenly path in the illusory. Back then, the Wei Emperor had sent out thousands of troops to the North to search for the Temple in order to live forever.
Behind Fan Xian, there was the shadow of the Temple. The Northern Qi Emperor glanced at Fan Xian's silhouette. Her heart was shocked and complicated.
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…
Fan Xian took a deep breath and said, "I should know a little about what happened later. After mother lived in Dongyi for a few years, she began to do business. That created the Ye family, as well as the present Qing palace treasury. "
"No matter how things develop, it is never so simple." Sigu Jian raised his remaining arm and raised a finger. "Even if Ye Qingmei was an immortal, she would not have been able to do what she did without any help. She needed someone to help her."
Fan Xian furrowed his brows and looked at Sigu Jian. "You?"
"Me," Sigu Jian said coldly. Sigu Jian coldly said, "Although I am an idiot, I am, after all, the young master of the manor of the Master of the City. As long as I control the manor of the Master of the City, the Ye family business will be able to do as they please within Dongyi."
"I understand." Fan Xian lowered his head. "The chance encounter under the tree was not necessarily a chance encounter. To put it another way, before she entered Dongyi, she already knew the situation in the city. That is why she chose you."
"No, a chance encounter is a chance encounter," Sigu Jian said coldly. Sigu Jian coldly said, "At least, that is what I firmly believe. If she is looking for collaborators, there are many better than me. The things in her head are enough to attract countless riches. The existence of the blind man can ensure that she has no true enemies in this world."
"What were you doing in the years before you started your business?" Fan Xian did not argue with this question.
"I continued to look at ants and practice my swordplay. One day, Fei Jie, that poisonous old man, came." Sigu Jian yawned. It seemed that the long hours of reminiscing had taken a toll on his mind.
"Oh, teacher said that the most glorious thing in his life was turning an idiot in Dongyi into a Great Grandmaster." Fan Xian smiled.
Sigu Jian smiled mockingly and said, "It is just that my mind is easily pedantic. I am not truly an idiot. What does becoming a Great Grandmaster have to do with Fei Jie?"
Fan Xian's eyes and brows held a smile. "Naturally, it has to do with my mother."
Sigu Jian was silent for a moment and then also smiled. "Your mother was able to pass the martial method of Tianyi Dao to Ku He, so she could pass this sword method to me. However, I am a genius. Your mother's sword method was not very useful. What was truly useful was something I comprehended later on."
"Hmm, you seem to be more narcissistic than I thought." Fan Xian shrugged. He knew that this Great Grandmaster was speaking the truth. Even if the Sigu sword method was one of the martial methods Ye Qingmei had stolen from the Temple, it was impossible for a mortal to reach the realm of a Great Grandmaster unless one was a great genius, perseverance, and luck.
"There are many meanings to a genius." Sigu Jian's eyelids drooped as if they could close at any moment and never open again. "Your mother once said that my genius lies in focus and coldness."
"It is not easy to find someone who can watch ants move for 10 years," Sigu Jian said in a raspy voice. Sigu Jian said in a raspy voice, "An idiot who uses thin branches to kill tens of thousands of ants is even harder to find. I was lucky to meet your mother and Wu Zhu. Your mother was also lucky to meet me in Dongyi."
Fan Xian couldn't speak for a long time. He quietly savored these words. He thought to himself that decades ago, a storm had been brewing on the land. Who knows how many geniuses had appeared? Someone with Ku He's perseverance, Sigu Jian's obsession, and the Emperor's endurance. They had all appeared at that time. Then, Ye Qingmei had taken Uncle Wu Zhu and escaped from the Temple and met these people.
Regardless of realm, luck, talent, and willpower, in this world, no one could compare to these warriors who had not yet become Great Grandmasters. Haitang could not. Haitang could not. Her teacher dared to eat human flesh. Fan Xian could not. His old Emperor could endure the unparalleled pain and despair of having his Meridians shattered. Thirteenth Wang could not either. His sword saint teacher did not care about human life at all. The young people of this time all had their flaws and inadequacies. This kind of difference would take many years and many setbacks to make up for. Only then would they be able to touch the layer of paper between heaven and man. Finally, they would leap over and become a true Great Grandmaster.
"Everything is fate." Fan Xian looked at Sigu Jian and sighed.
Sigu Jian looked at Fan Xian with a strange expression and said, "Do you want to learn? If you want to learn, just say it. "
Fan Xian's heart jumped. He knew what this sword saint was preparing to teach him. A bitter smile rose involuntarily to his face. In a quiet voice, he said, "I think you already know. I already know."
Sigu Jian coldly said, "I am talking about the true Sigu Jian."
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Fan Xian's heart jumped. He was silent for a long time. Suddenly, he said, "In reality, there is no difference. The important thing is still the people. The young people of my generation still cannot compare to your generation. Of course, this kind of gap may slowly shrink. Even if you moved everything in the Temple in front of me, what if I couldn't learn it? "
His heart was filled with boundless emotions. It seemed that the martial secrets his mother had stolen from the temple back then had been passed on to these great grandmasters. Apart from Ye Liuyun's Flowing Cloud Release Hand, the origin of which was a little unclear, the others had already received sufficient proof.
Outside the Temple, Ku He had paid the price of being heavily injured to save Ye Qingmei, who had only been four at the time. Then, he had obtained the price from Ye Qingmei's hands, which was now the supreme technique of Tianyi Dao.
Although Sigu Jian's sword technique was something he had comprehended himself with exceptional spiritual energy and stubbornness, it was clear that without the chance encounter under the large tree, an idiot would still be an idiot. If it could not be activated, how could he advance?
As for the little yellow booklet that had always followed Fan Xian, the first volume was the Tyrannical Way, and the second was the Kingly Way. It had been with him for 20 years. Now, he understood that this was something his mother had left for the Emperor. Then, somehow, through Wu Zhu's hands, the Emperor had left it for him.
It was the Tyrannical martial method that made Fan Xian feel a sense of defeat. No matter what, he could not enter the realm of the Kingly Way. He had also learned Tianyi Dao's zhenqi method, but it did not help him in any way. Even if Sigu Jian truly had the so-called true Sigu Jian to pass on to him, what use would it be?
The things Ye Qingmei had left behind in this world had already been gradually picked up by Fan Xian. One more seemed to be of no use.
"Back in the day, Ye Qingmei grew into a towering tree in Dongyi. I relied on the sword in my hand to obtain a position in Dongyi and become her partner in catching bugs by the side of this large tree," Sigu Jian said quietly with his eyes slightly closed. Sigu Jian closed his eyes slightly. In a quiet voice, he said, "If you can't practice it, then continue to practice. It is not so easy for a tree to grow."
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