Embers of Sword

Chapter 199 Wild Grass Spring Breeze
If you want to gamble, gamble big!
Xie Xuanyi knew that Fang Yuanfang had placed a heavy bet on him.

He looked at the Snow Lord, and after seeing the latter's reaction, he became even more certain of this.

"Xiao Shanzhu Xie, what do you want to say?"

The Snow Lord sighed softly.

"I'm not curious about the identity of the great master behind Miss Xue."

Xie Xuanyi smiled and said, "It is enough to know that we are allies. Since he hopes that I can win the championship and become a Yang God in the future, then he should naturally understand the principle of... you reap what you sow."

The Snow Lord said in a deep voice, "What does Little Master Xie need Fang Yuan Fang to do?"

"This northern hunt is unpredictable and dangerous."

Xie Xuanyi said softly: "I need Fangyuanfang to prepare some things for me."

He took out the jade slip that he had prepared long ago.

The Snow Lord was stunned for a moment, with a complicated expression, and took the jade slip.

The last time they met in Caipu City, she was not sure whether Xie Zhen would cooperate with her... Now it seems that he has been waiting for her to come.

The jade slips contain some rare materials.

Most of these are used to cast array patterns and create talismans.

"Little Master Xie, can you form a formation?"

Snow Lord accepted the jade slip and felt relieved. After Xie Zhen expressed his opinion, her mission was considered completed.

What she feared most was Fangyuanfang's betting. Xie Zhen appreciated this good intention but did not accept it.

Every sip and every bite is predestined by fate.

Now that Xie Zhen has taken the initiative to ask for these materials, it means that they are on the same front. In the future, when he sweeps away all enemies and reaches the top of Yangshen, Fangyuanfang will naturally receive a huge return of luck!

"After all, I am practicing in the library."

Xie Xuanyi said calmly: "I know a few tricks."

The Snow Lord saw Xie Zhen's defensive intentions and said with a smile: "What I mean is, do we need to refine these materials directly into talismans?"

"No need."

Xie Xuanyi shook his head and rejected the good intention.

He knew that in the eyes of the Snow Lord, he asked for these talisman and array materials most likely for the purpose of dealing with various enemies.

But Xie Xuanyi actually wanted it for the "God Fruit"!

The secret cave in the snowy mountains is wrapped in the Vajra Principle. Ordinary practitioners need to bear tremendous pressure if they want to step into it... There is no telling how many dangers there are in that secret cave, and how many talismans and array patterns are needed to cross the void of the secret realm and reach the other side where the final fruit is ripe!

"In a dozen days, the Northern Hunt will begin."

The Snow Lord said solemnly: "These materials will be fully prepared before the Northern Hunt, and I will personally deliver them to your residence."

Xie Xuanyi was no longer polite: "Thank you very much."

……

……

With the Northern Expedition approaching, the Imperial City of Da Chu has become more lively than ever in the past decade.

The sects and noble families in the four regions of Da Chu all rushed to the imperial city.

A battle for the times, a battle for destiny.

Everyone wants to achieve fame and success in the Northern Hunt.

I can still vividly remember how Xie Xuanyi hunted the Phoenix Blood Demon that year, and then rose step by step to the top of the list of geniuses and became the champion of swords.

"Qingzhou Baihua Valley will also participate in this Northern Hunt!"

"The Holy Son of Qiantian Palace in the Western Territory has also arrived in the Imperial City!"

"The Taoist priests from the Taoist Tai Shang Zhai and the fairies from the Yu Qing Zhai have also arrived... It is said that three of the seven Taoist Zhais have come for this northern hunt!"

"Look at it this way."

"The Dasui sword cultivators seem to have really declined. Only Xie Zhen from Lotus Peak came to the Northern Hunt this time..."

"Hush! Silence!"

"Don't you know what a violent person Xie Zhen is? A few days ago, Wuzong Lin Yu challenged him to a fist fight, and he took the opportunity to make trouble and sent the Lin family to the dungeon. It is said that he and Yuan Jimo are close friends. He used to be a hidden man of the Imperial City Bureau, working specifically for the royal family..."

Xie Xuanyi sat in a private room in the teahouse, slightly opened the wooden window, and listened to the rumors in the streets with a complicated expression.

Chen Jingxuan sat opposite, listening to these outrageous rumors, and asked with emotion: "Aren't you angry?"

"angry?"

Xie Xuanyi shook his head.

He said calmly: "What's there to be angry about?"

How long has he been in the imperial city?
Rumors all over the city have portrayed him as an unforgivable criminal.

The most ridiculous thing is... he actually became Yuan Jimo's best friend.

"In this secular world, most people are just mortals."

Chen Jingxuan lowered his eyes slightly and murmured, "Cultivators call themselves 'immortals' and compare mortals to 'ants'. Actually, this metaphor is not an exaggeration... There is no need for Yang Shen or Yin Shen. As long as you cultivate a cave heaven, you will truly be separated from immortals and mortals."

A cultivator at the Cave Heaven Realm could massacre an entire city filled with mundane people.

Although the cavalry can kill them by charging into the formation... they need the help of a large formation to block the energy of heaven and earth.

In this case, it is still a battle between immortals.

"In this dynasty, the reason why ordinary people can 'live' is because they can provide incense and luck."

Chen Jingxuan sat at the highest point of the teahouse, looking down at the people in the imperial city.

There was compassion and pity in his eyes.

"Promotion to the Yang God Realm requires the right time, right place, and right people. If one can be admired by thousands of people and absorb a lot of luck, then the promotion process... will be much easier."

King You Hai wanted to be promoted to Yang God, so he chose the most cruel and ruthless way!
In Chaojili Chaocheng, one forcibly absorbs the life of living beings and uses them for one's own benefit!
In the Da Chu Dynasty, this was a taboo that was not tolerated by the iron law.

But in the demon country.

In order to be promoted to the Great Lord, sacrificing the lives of tens of thousands of demons is indeed a "common" thing.

The law of the jungle is the rule that is ingrained in every living being in this world.

It's just that the human race has used countless rules to protect this iron law -

"In the eyes of the 'Supreme Ones' of the Imperial City, the mortal world is water and they are boats. Without the mortal world, their rule would lose its meaning."

Chen Jingxuan said slowly: "In this way... as incense and river water, what mortals can see and hear are also what the 'Supreme One' wants them to see and hear."

"You have said so much, but you just want to say that all ordinary people are ignorant."

Xie Xuanyi listened to all these words with rare patience, and then gave his conclusion.

"…Most common people are ignorant."

Chen Jingxuan shook his head and corrected, "There are always special cases. Even those celestial beings were just ordinary people before they opened their minds and began to practice."

"So you don't have to worry. Their fear and slander of you today are only temporary..."

The young imperial teacher looked down at these people and said sympathetically: "The imperial city has experienced many ups and downs. The mosses on the bluestones in the streets and alleys have been replaced one after another over the years. After some time, it won't be long before they forget you."

"So you asked me to meet here just to comfort me?"

Xie Xuanyi smiled.

"The library has encountered some difficult problems these days."

Chen Jingxuan also smiled and said, "I'm sorry that I was unable to help you prove your innocence a few days ago... The Lin family case and the feud between the Northern County families can probably only be solved after the Northern Hunt is over. But those people are not stupid, they will not be used as sword masters by Yuan Jimo for no reason."

"No need to apologize to me."

Xie Xuanyi shook his head and said calmly, "I don't care about the Lin family case. I am grateful that the library is willing to give me an identity... Why do I need you to intervene in such a small matter?"

The young imperial teacher was speechless.

The two of them sat in the spring sunshine of the teahouse, drinking tea in silence.

"I thought you would only stay in the library on weekdays."

After a long time, Xie Xuanyi took the initiative to break the silence: "I heard from Master Jiang before that you have hardly ever left the library in these years."

"In fact, you can only believe half of what Benhu said about me."

Chen Jingxuan smiled and said, "After all, it's really too scary to let him know everything about me."

Just as mentioned before, this is the way to control subordinates.

When Jiang Qihu was in the library, most of what he saw and heard were what Chen Jingxuan let him see and hear. This was not a bad "deception".

It was because he was too upright and was easily tricked by Qin Baihuang.

If Chen Jingxuan had not been more wary of Jiang Qihu, it wouldn't be long before the second biographical story, Bookstore Anecdotes, would become popular in the imperial city.

"The saying that there is a difference between immortals and mortals is actually just a cover."

Chen Jingxuan sighed, "This set of lofty lies can deceive others, but not oneself... The tribulation of the heart, the tribulation of the Tao, the tribulation of heaven and man, which one is not a tribulation that ordinary people have to go through? Practitioners also have seven emotions and six desires. They become heaven monitors and new national masters, and they all want to find the meaning of 'living'."

Xie Xuanyi raised his eyebrows: "So you don't stay in the library all the time?"

in his mind.

Chen Jingxuan is a very "quiet" person, like a tough stone.

Once you settle down in one place, you can take root there for a long time.

"It's just to live better."

Chen Jingxuan smiled and said, "I like to be in this place, watching the sunshine, the heavy rain, the wind and snow."

Ten years have passed like this.

"Have you ever thought about leaving the Imperial City?"

Xie Xuanyi looked into the eyes of the young imperial teacher and inadvertently asked a question.

Chen Jingxuan was silent for a few breaths and shook his head.

"This world is huge, there is more than just one Da Chu Imperial City."

Xie Xuanyi smiled softly: "If I were you, I should go out more often, not only to see the world, but also to see all living beings. In addition to light, wind, snow and rain, there are always some people in this world that you should go and see."

"..."

This statement came out.

The teahouse fell silent again.

This time, it was Chen Jingxuan who broke the silence.

"By the way... I want to meet you this time for another matter."

The young imperial teacher avoided the topic that Xie Xuanyi had mentioned earlier.

He smiled, raised his sleeves and waved them gently.

Swish!
On the table, there appeared a long, dark object.

This is an umbrella.

No...to be precise, it's a sword, a sword wrapped in an umbrella sheath.

Xie Xuanyi's eyes were fixed on the umbrella sheath.

The umbrella sheath is engraved with dark lotus patterns, and is also dotted with mottled and delicate traces of frost and snow.

some years ago.

Qin Baihuang from the Equipment Refining Department wanted to refine the [Thousand Chance Umbrella]. At that time, Xie Xuanyi used both soft and hard tactics to force Qin Baihuang to refine a scabbard for him!
But the latter refused to agree, so the matter had to be dropped.

A "clang" sound!
Chen Jingxuan gently pressed the scabbard, exerted force to pull out the sword, and demonstrated the sharpness of the sword.

The bright silver-white light suddenly illuminated the entire world.

It's been a long time since I've seen such a soul-stirring sword.

Xie Xuanyi was a little dazed. He took two deep breaths and his heart finally calmed down. He pretended to be confused: "What is this...?"

"The Thousand Chance Umbrella has not yet been released."

Chen Jingxuan said softly, "Your master gave a very good suggestion back then, and Qin Baihuang adopted it, using the sword body as the umbrella ribs and the umbrella body as the scabbard. This is the first 'finished product' of the Weapon Refining Department. It should have been sent to Lotus Peak, but you happened to be in the Imperial City, so I handed it to you."

Xie Xuanyi's mood was extremely complicated.

He looked at the man in front of him, not knowing what to say.

But the young imperial teacher just smiled gently and pushed the umbrella and sword in front of the young man.

Xie Xuanyi looked at the umbrella sheath and sword body pushed in front of him.

He shook his head and said, "No merit, no reward. I cannot accept this gift."

Last time he accepted all the people.

this time.

Chen Jingxuan also sent a sword modified from the Thousand Chance Umbrella.

"We will need a handy weapon for this northern hunt."

The young national teacher said earnestly: "I heard that you are now in the Golden Body Realm, so the second sword path... must be what you need."

Seeing that Xie Xuanyi was unmoved.

The young national teacher sighed and said, "Don't worry, it's not a valuable item. If you don't accept it, Qin Baihuang doesn't know who to give it to. Those guys in the weapon refining department are all bad. The things they forge are either treasured or thrown away as scrap metal."

"...You don't want this sword to be thrown into a corner the moment you turn around, do you?"

The latter sentence worked.

Xie Xuanyi looked helpless, he just stared at the umbrella and sword in front of him.

Haven't reached out yet.

The umbrella sword then resonated.

This scabbard seemed to have its own intelligence. It vibrated slightly, causing the sword to emit a series of soft humming sounds.

After a while.

Xie Xuanyi finally sighed softly, reached out and grasped the umbrella sword.

"The main reason is that the scabbard is precious. It is the embryo of the Thousand Chance Umbrella, which can be transformed according to the mind's will."

The young state teacher smiled upon seeing this, and said in a gentle voice: "I took a random sword from the weapon refining department, which just fits the scabbard... The name of this sword is 'Wild Grass', but the scabbard has not been named yet."

Xie Xuanyi shook his head.

He knew very well that Chen Jingxuan was deceiving him.

Both the sword and the scabbard were forged with great care, and their sharp edge could be felt even from a distance of several feet!
He grasped the sword and sheathed it.

When it is pulled out, there will be a continuous roar.

This private room was surrounded by talismans, yet bursts of sword energy still emanated from it!
Xie Xuanyi saw that this scabbard was indeed more valuable... After being separated from the "weeds", it could still hold other swords, even his own "serious illness"!
This scabbard was clearly custom-made for myself ten years ago!
Now, it has been delivered to me in a different way.

The young imperial teacher asked with a smile, "Give the scabbard a name?"

Xie Xuanyi hesitated for a moment and sincerely declined: "This is not a good idea... I am not very good at naming."

But after Chen Jingxuan's repeated dissuasion, he could not resist.

Xie Xuanyi fell into deep thought.

He stared at the scabbard.

There is a lotus carved on the scabbard.

Between the lotus flowers, there is frosty white snow and grass leaves dyed white by the snow.

After thinking for a long time, Xie Xuanyi had the answer in his mind.

He said seriously: "Why not call it... Spring Breeze?"

“That’s great…”

The little imperial teacher, who had already prepared words of praise, suddenly froze in his smile. He looked at the scabbard with a strange expression, examined it again, and asked, "What a strange name! Why is it called Spring Breeze?"

There are lotus flowers, snowflakes and grass leaves on the scabbard.

Only the spring breeze is missing.

"..."

Xie Xuanyi did not answer this question directly.

He just pushed open the wooden window silently.

As winter goes and spring comes, the dry snow melts and the city is filled with willow catkins, which are whiter than snow.

Without the spring breeze, how can we live towards death?

The season of falling flowers.

There is no spring breeze, but it is everywhere.

(End of this chapter)