Yefutidaolu

Chapter 437 Severing Ties
Having stepped out of the massive gate of the Purple Palace Enclosure, which separated the inside from the outside, Gao Jian stood on the edge of the platform suspended above the sea of ​​clouds, pausing to look down.

Before us lies the heart of the Divine Dynasty—the capital city of Yangjing, now displaying its breathtaking grandeur and prosperity without reservation.

Below, the Twenty-Eight Mansions area unfolds like a constellation of stars, with layered and staggered buildings covering the vast land, featuring flying eaves, brackets, carved beams, and painted rafters, stretching all the way to the horizon.

Countless pavilions, towers, and golden buildings, illuminated by an eternal artificial "sky light," reflect the luster of glazed tiles and gold paint, as if the entire city were cast from gold and jade.

The crisscrossing streets are like the blood vessels of the human body, with carriages and horses like dragons and pedestrians like weaving weaving, creating a bustling and vibrant atmosphere that can be faintly felt even from high above.

What's even more eye-catching is the sight of it weaving through the skies above the city.

Countless flying boats, like giant whales, trailed shimmering trails as they sailed orderly along fixed straight tracks. They varied in shape; some resembled soaring rocs, others towering ships, and still others were simply shuttle-shaped. Carrying people and goods, they moved back and forth ceaselessly, forming a three-dimensional transportation network covering the entire sky.

Occasionally, one could see magnificent imperial carriages pulled by rare birds and animals, speeding along specific routes, with beaded curtains and embroidered screens, and the tinkling of jade pendants, highlighting the nobility of the passengers.

A thousand sails race, ten thousand boats vie for passage; above this floating megacity, prosperity and order unfold.

His insightful gaze pierced through the nearby clamor and swept across the entire land.

In his perception, the mountains and rivers of the vast territory of the Divine Dynasty, the invisible dragon veins and the spiritual energy of the water, were forcibly guided and gathered here, just like hundreds of rivers flowing into the sea, nourishing this floating miracle.

All mountains come to pay homage, and all rivers flow into the same direction; all the "power" revolves around this central point.

This is Yangjing.

The ancient meaning of "京" came to mind.

Man-made structures are called "Jing," while naturally formed structures are called "Qiu." They resemble the shapes of palaces, pavilions, and monasteries, and in the world, none other than the residence of a king. The residence of a king is high and grand, hence "Jing" carries the meaning of greatness and height. "Jing" means great, and by extension, anything high must be great.

The tall and magnificent dwellings created by human labor are called "Kyoto".

This definition is exceptionally fitting, even surpassing its original meaning, when applied to Yangjing, the divine capital city before us, which floats in the sky, gathers the wisdom of all directions, and is forged by the blood, sweat, and strength of countless generations.

This is no longer a simple city, but the ultimate manifestation of human ambition to challenge nature and even attempt to replace it.

A magnificent and towering city built entirely by human labor, a marvel of engineering.

Gao Jian took one last look at this miraculous city that embodied all the glory and contradictions of the Divine Dynasty, imprinting its magnificence and oppressive atmosphere deep into his heart.

Okay, let's go to the Imperial Academy.

Without lingering, he moved and transformed into an inconspicuous streak of light, merging into the trajectory of the countless flying boats that crisscrossed the sky, heading towards the Imperial Academy.

Without exchanging a word, Gao Jian quietly returned to the Imperial Academy and went back to his secluded little building.

He seemed to have returned to the state he was in when he first entered the Imperial Academy, temporarily suppressing the disturbances of the outside world and beginning a regular and very fulfilling daily life.

He focused on life, study, practice, and improve his martial arts skills, devoting all his energy to controlling his rapidly increasing power.

This process of settling down is crucial for him.

His breakthrough was like a volcanic eruption, rapid and violent. His power level rose too quickly, so that although his foundation was still there, his control over the details was inevitably somewhat superficial.

At this moment, calm down, like a craftsman patiently polishing a rough jade, gradually become familiar with, adapt to, and tame the powerful yet slightly unruly force within your body, making it truly as easy as your own arm.

He enjoys this busy yet peaceful life.

Every day before dawn, he would rise and wander into the vast sea of ​​books in the library, eagerly absorbing the wisdom of his predecessors. When the sun was high in the sky, he would return to the open space in front of the small building, or to the quiet room, to repeatedly temper his body and practice his swordsmanship. More importantly, he would learn how to restrain the divine will that naturally overflowed from the calamity of life and death, which was terrifying.

His cultivation level did not improve, but as his control increased day by day, he became more efficient in using his power and his moves became more fluid, so his actual combat strength steadily and significantly increased.

Under the clear light of the Heart Lamp, he could more clearly "see" the many subtle flaws and disharmony in his own martial arts and even the circulation of his breath.

The vast collection of books in the library became his treasure trove for finding "patches" and "solutions."
Many flaws are deeply rooted, and fixing one can have far-reaching consequences. Blindly trying to fix them may even reduce the power of the moves or introduce more new problems. Fixing one bug can easily lead to a whole bunch of new bugs. Therefore, a clear and systematic approach to fixing them is crucial. And the construction of such an approach must involve a wider range of methods and integrate more complex knowledge.

All of this depends on the accumulation of knowledge in the library and his own understanding and accumulation.

The expert clearly understands that every bit of effort made now is related to the foundation of the future, and every piece of knowledge acquired may become a turning point at a critical moment.

He cherished this rare peaceful time and dared not slack off in the slightest. He usually practiced for more than ten hours every day, completely immersed in the world of self-improvement.

The days passed quietly in this fulfilling yet monotonous cycle, like a stream flowing silently, washing away the sharp edges of the pebbles.

Soon, ten days passed in a flash.

On this day, Gao Jian was practicing the control of his divine will in the courtyard, striving to completely conceal the aftershocks of the birth and death calamity, without revealing a trace of them.

Suddenly, a slightly hesitant knock on the door broke the tranquility of the courtyard.

"Boom... boom..."

Gao Jian slowly withdrew his stance, and the previously concealed sharp aura around him instantly returned to calm. He walked to the door and calmly opened it.

The person standing outside the door made his gaze flicker slightly.

The water is vast and green.

That young master from the Shui family of Cangzhou once had a relationship with Gao Jian...

At this moment, Shui Cangcang's face was much thinner than before, and his brows carried a trace of weariness and complex expression that was hard to hide. The arrogance of the young master from a noble family was long gone.

He stood there dressed in simple Imperial Academy disciple robes, his eyes flickering, as if he didn't know how to speak.

Gao Jian looked at him without speaking, simply waiting for the other party to state his purpose. A subtle silence filled the air.

A brief silence hung between them. "Come in... and sit down?" Gao Jian broke the silence first, stepping aside to make way for the doorway.

His tone was calm, revealing neither joy nor anger, as if he were merely receiving an ordinary visitor.

"Hmm." Shui Cangcang responded softly and stepped in. His steps were somewhat heavy, and his shoulders were slightly slumped; he had long lost the dashing spirit of a young nobleman he once possessed.

He already knows everything.

The patriarch's demise has turned the landscape of Cangzhou upside down... and the root of it all lies with the man he once considered a friend. He has lost not only his patron and status, but also the foundation and future hope of his entire family.

I walked into Takashi's rather simple courtyard and sat down at an ordinary stone table in the corner.

Shui Cangcang looked around at the environment, which seemed far too "simple" compared to the other students' residences at the Imperial Academy, and couldn't help but say, "Still so frugal, you have nothing at all. It seems like you do nothing but cultivate, train, and study. I still don't understand what you're thinking."

His tone was tinged with incomprehension and a hint of suppressed resentment: "You don't crave enjoyment, you don't care about women, you don't crave wealth, you don't pursue gourmet food, you don't like fancy clothes... You are naturally frugal, you simplify everything, and you're always doing simple things. But you just... you just have to do those things, you just have to go against so many people, you don't want anything for yourself, but you can't stand others?"

“Beautiful clothes and fine food,” Takami shook his head, his tone flat, “it’s all rather uninteresting.” He walked to the side, took out an ordinary earthenware pot and two clean teacups, “You like tea, but I don’t have any good tea, so just make do with this.”

As he spoke, he casually placed his hand on the earthenware pot filled with water, and his internal energy circulated slightly, causing the water in the pot to boil instantly.

Boiling water with qi and blood is still quite simple for someone with advanced knowledge.

He didn't follow any tea ceremony rules. He simply brewed the tea leaves with boiling water, without any particular infusions, skimming the foam from the cup, or any fancy gestures like "nodding into the sea." He just made two cups of tea and handed one of them to Shui Cangcang.

Shui Cangcang didn't take the cup of tea. Instead, she raised her eyes and looked directly at Gao Jian, her voice dry: "Aren't you going to kill me?"

“I am not a bloodthirsty person.” Gao Jian said, pushing the teacup he offered forward a little further. Seeing that Shui Cangcang did not take it, he placed it on the stone table in front of him, then poured himself a cup and took a sip.

“You killed my ancestor,” Shui Cangcang said. “When the news came, my parents… also died. It was your men who did it. I will soon be returning to the Shui family in Cangzhou to take charge. If you kill me now, you can save yourself a lot of trouble in the future.”

“Haha,” Gao Jian chuckled and shook his head, “It won’t be much less. Even without you, Shui Cangcang, there will be other ‘Shui Lao Er’ or ‘Shui Lao San’ who will be pushed out to take charge. The Shui family will not sit idly by and wait for their doom, that’s for sure. But…” He paused, looking calmly at Shui Cangcang, “they won’t be able to cause any waves.”

These plain words are more despairing than any threat, because they state a cold, hard fact.

"Do we... have a grudge against you?" Shui Cangcang suddenly raised her head, her eyes bloodshot, staring intently at Gao Jian, trying to find a trace of grudge on his face.

"The Shui family has a grudge against countless people." Gao Jian's tone remained calm, yet carried a heavy weight. "Where aristocratic families reside, land is annexed, exploitation is rampant, the law is rendered meaningless, and the people are all slaughtered. The world has suffered under aristocratic families for too long, and many harbor resentment. You... have a grudge against this world."

"You are not the world!" Shui Cangcang roared suddenly, losing control of her emotions. She swept the teacup off the stone table, shattering it instantly and splashing warm tea and tea leaves all over the floor.

Gao Jian looked at the shattered teacup on the ground, then looked up at the agitated Shui Cangcang, and asked in return, "What's wrong with taking the world's heart as your own and the wishes of all beings as your own?"

The sage is indifferent to the world, his heart is with the world, and the people are all his eyes and ears, that's all.

His words, like the morning bell and evening drum, struck Shui Cangcang's heart.

“You want to be a saint—” Shui Cangcang’s voice was filled with sarcasm and disbelief.

“No,” Gao Jian interrupted him, his eyes clear and firm, “I am just being a ‘human being.’ But aristocratic families… often don’t treat others as ‘human beings,’ and they themselves… don’t treat others as human beings either.”

This statement, like a final verdict, completely severed the boundary between the two and revealed the most fundamental and irreconcilable contradiction behind the storm that swept through Cangzhou.

The courtyard fell silent once more, save for Shui Cangcang's heavy breathing and Gao Jian's calm, unwavering gaze.

“If you don’t kill me today,” Shui Cangcang suddenly stood up, his robes fluttering in the breeze as he moved. He stared intently at Gao Jian and said, word by word, “you will regret this one day.”

In his eyes, the affection of the past had been completely burned away.

“There’s no need for that.” Gao Jian remained seated on the stone bench, motionless. “Go back to Cangzhou. Go back and see for yourself if that land looks any different. Perhaps then you’ll have a different perspective.”

However, how could Shui Cangcang listen to such words at this moment? He turned around directly: "The hatred of having my family destroyed is irreconcilable! Today, my cultivation is shallow, and I am powerless to kill you; you underestimate me and are unwilling to kill me. Then let it be—"

He suddenly swung his hand, and with a "rip," cleanly severed the hem of his robe!
"We're severing all ties!" Shui Cangcang's voice was resolute. "If we meet again, we'll be enemies, not friends. There will be no more past affections!"

After speaking, he didn't look at Gao Jian again, resolutely turned around, and strode away. The torn hem of his robe drifted forlornly onto the stone slab in the courtyard, just like the meager friendship the two once shared, which was now completely severed, with no chance of reconciliation.

Gao Jian watched Shui Cangcang's resolute departure until her figure disappeared outside the courtyard gate, without saying another word.

Should we let the tiger return to the mountain?
Not so much.

Shui Cangcang is currently only at the fifth level of cultivation. Even if she drops out of the Imperial Academy and returns to Cangzhou, given her abilities and the current precarious state of the Shui family, she really can't cause too much trouble.

Out of genuine concern for his superior judgment, I truly did not want to kill him.

Gao Jian was not bloodthirsty, and Shui Cangcang was not a villain; in fact, one could say they weren't inherently bad. However… often, a person's character has no necessary connection to their position or circumstances.

Born into the Shui family, he enjoyed the privileges of a noble family, but he also had to bear the consequences of the family's downfall.

That's it.

Gao Jian let out a soft breath.

They chose their own path, and they must bear the consequences. He pitied Shui Cangcang's situation, but he would never regret what he had done in Cangzhou.

He will only do more in the future, and his actions will not be swayed by his personal feelings.

Anyway, let's practice first.

For Gao Jian at this moment, enhancing his strength, consolidating his foundation, and preparing for the challenges of a broader future are of paramount importance.

(End of this chapter)