Chapter 26: What is the Way?

  May I ask, Miss Chivalrous, in what capacity are you interrogating me?

  The words Yao Guang spoke were filled with disdain and sounded extremely unpleasant to Sun Xiuzhen's ears, but she had to suppress her anger and replied calmly without losing her composure: "Of course, as the wife of Ximen Chui Xue."

  Yao Guang heard this answer, and couldn't help but feel some disappointment in her heart. This disappointment was not hidden on her face, and added to her original coldness and disdain, making her appear even more unapproachable with a haughty attitude that looked down on others as if from a high place.

  "If that's the case, I think there's nothing for us to talk about. You and my husband have no old friendship or new friendship, since we parted ways at the Forbidden City, you two haven't met before. If Madam Xi is searching for her husband from a thousand miles away, it seems she has come to the wrong place. There is no Ximen Chui Xue in White Cloud Castle."

  Sun Xiuzhi heard this, her eyes which had been hidden with tears gradually turned red, almost recovering the temperament of her former days as a wandering swordsman, about to draw her sword. But she hadn't held a sword for too long, and in front of her wasn't just some nameless person, but rather a legendary swordsman who was said to be even better than Ximen Blowsnow. The shock and anger only lasted for an instant, Sun Xiuzhi managed to suppress that anger, the pain of being abandoned by the one she deeply loved once again taking over her heart. Her voice was filled with bitterness as she spoke, weak and without the freshness and beauty of her days in the capital's pastry shop.

  "Why must you, Zhen Ren, be so evasive... Before that one battle, Ximen Chui Xue had already abandoned his former swordsmanship... After that one battle, he seemed to have reverted back to the old Ximen Chui Xue, as if he had never known me or promised his heart to me... You, Zhen Ren, are also a woman, you should understand this feeling of gaining and losing, forever losing the one I love... Please, Zhen Ren, pity me, let my husband return. My child and I... are waiting for him..."

  Sun Xiuzhi bit her teeth, barely holding back tears. She looked at the girl in front of her, who was still shorter than herself, trying to move her, but was shocked to find that the girl's expression had undergone a subtle change. For an instant, she almost thought she saw Ximen Chuixue.

  Same cold as frost, same sword aura pressing down, same stern and unapproachable, same unlike a person from the mortal world.

  Sun Xiuqing's remaining words were stuck in her throat, and she found that under the gaze of those pitch-black eyes, she had even lost the courage to speak, as if what was staring at her was not a seemingly harmless girl, but a long sword frozen on the snowy mountain for thousands of years, breaking through the ice in one night, with a chilling sword aura that penetrated every inch of skin, making people feel like they were in an ice cellar, cold to the bone.

  After a few gasps, Sun Xiuzhen's body became increasingly stiff, and even her lips turned purple, as if she were really in the snowy mountains.

  With a thud, Sun Xiuzhi fell powerlessly to the ground, staring blankly at the girl in front of her as if she had lost her soul.

  Since ancient times, top swordsmen have always given birth to their own sword energy. Some people's temperament becomes almost indistinguishable from the sword they wear, while others make their sword more in line with their own temperament. The former is like Ximen Blowsnow and Ye Gucheng, the latter is like Yao Guang. From the result, both are different paths that lead to the same destination, ultimately reaching the four words "unity of man and sword".

  Whether it is a person like his sword or a sword resembling its owner, the final formed sword energy is unique and has a few points of killing intent.

  Unique, it will reject parts that don't belong to itself; murderous intent will bring a strong sense of threat to others.

  A sword is a deadly weapon. Anyone who holds a sword must have the intention to kill, whether they are doing good or evil. If they do not intend to harm others, they will never hold this sharp instrument.

  One who can control the heart of killing is a swordsman; one who is controlled by the heart of killing is a sword slave.

  Yao Guang was on Mount Hua, her sword did not stain with blood, its sword energy was only cold and frosty like ice and snow. But after she came down from the mountain, walking in the midst of war, the bones under her sword were piled up, and that icy chill also seeped into her killing intent day by day, until it became inseparable. When she had a mind to restrain herself, using her Taoist heart to bind herself, with an icy heart as her scabbard, this sword energy would not surprise anyone. But if she intentionally released her restraints, this sword energy would instantly turn into a deadly weapon. Those who were weak-willed and whose will was shaken could hardly stand firm, perhaps leaving behind an eternal and indelible shadow.

  At this moment, Yao Guang was furious at Sun Xiuqing's absurd and incomprehensible words, intentionally releasing his sword energy to probe, but ended up laughing in extreme anger.

  Ye Gucheng, the contemporary unparalleled swordsman, was able to move freely in this sword aura, and could even say that this sword aura gave him a sense of familiarity. However, when he saw Sun Xiuzhu's disheveled appearance, this swordsman who considered Ximen Chuiyun as his confidant couldn't bear to see his wife humiliated, so he took a few steps forward from his quiet observation position and, like a sharp sword, precisely cut off the sword aura that Yao Guang was releasing towards Sun Xiuzhu.

  Yao Guang was about to speak sarcastically when he noticed someone entering the atmosphere, and his gaze immediately fell on a middle-aged man in white clothes.

  "Does Ye Cheng have something to say?"

  Ye Gu Cheng thought for a moment before answering: "After all, she is the wife of Xi Men Xue."

  Yao Guang couldn't help but laugh and say, "If she were Ximen Chui Xue's mother, I might have been more polite. As a mother, she has the virtue of giving birth to him, so Ximen Chui Xue shouldn't abandon her either. It's precisely because she is Ximen Chui Xue's wife that I find it even more laughable. She doesn't understand her husband at all and tries to seek help from a stranger, hoping to make the ruthless swordsman who has walked the path of no return turn back to the mundane world. Isn't this the most foolish thing in the world?"

  Yao Guang withdrew the sword energy, and Sun Xiuning no longer felt that cold killing intent. She slowly regained her composure, stood up, and wanted to thank Ye Gu Cheng. Thinking that seeking help from Bai Yun Castle Master might be better, she heard Yao Guang's sudden statement and felt extremely shocked.

  "How can I be so foolish?"

  This time Ye Gu Cheng spoke first, and a faintly polite tone appeared in his normally cold expression.

  "Nature is long, art is short."

  Yao Guang glanced at Ye Gu Cheng and read the meaning in his expression, and finally couldn't help but laugh softly.

  "So it turns out that Ye Chengzhu just wanted to use me as a mouthpiece to tell the truth to Madame Ximen."

  Ye Gu Cheng and Xi Men Chui Xue are both unparalleled swordsmen, walking the same ruthless path. The two are extremely similar, so Xi Men Chui Xue's choice is not unexpected for Ye Gu Cheng. Ye Gu Cheng would never try to persuade Xi Men Chui Xue to become "human" again.

  Since that's the case, Ye Gu Cheng would have specifically sent someone to invite her over, entreating her with such sincerity, all for the sake of having her inform the "Madam Xi Men" before her.

  Sun Xiuzhi was even more stunned and at a loss for what to do.

  Yao Guang pondered for a moment, then looked at Sun Xiuling with an indifferent expression and said in a low voice: "Madam Ximen, do you know what the Tao is?"

  "Way?"

  Sun Xiuzhen was stunned by the questioning.

  She was brought up on Mount Emei since childhood and only learned martial arts and swordsmanship, without ever putting in effort to study these Taoist classics.

  Yao Guang didn't expect to get an answer either, and smiled slightly before continuing: "Not being able to answer is nothing unusual. From ancient times to the present, many sages have pursued this answer with great difficulty... 'The road stretches far and wide, I will search up and down'... What is the Tao? Where is the Tao? Those who can answer are all sages. It's precisely because it's so profound and closely connected to all things that countless people have lived and died for it. The path of seeking the Tao is endless, there is no shortcut to asking about the Tao, those who cultivate the Tao only move forward, never retreating. Once on this path, one will not retreat, nor is there a way to retreat. I am the same, Ye Cheng's master is the same, and now, your husband is also the same."

  Sun Xiuzhen was completely stunned.

  She had never heard these words before, and she had never even thought about them.

  This has completely gone beyond her familiar world.

  "I sought the Way with my sword, and cultivated my sword as I cultivated the Way. As for Ye Cheng's master... let us not speak of that for now. Ximen Chuiyun took his sword as his path, cultivating his sword was cultivating his path, taking the emotionless way, cutting off the seven emotions and six desires, far from the worldly dust, love, hatred, affection, and enmity all scattered like clouds and smoke, he is still Ximen Chuiyun, but will not become again the Ximen Chuiyun who once promised you his heart. Wife, child, friend, enemy, to him they are all meaningless, in his heart there is only the sword way, no longer any worldly attachments. Advance, then freely roam the nine heavens; retreat, then the sword breaks and the man dies. There will not be a third path. Have you ever seen an eagle soaring through the nine heavens? He is now like that eagle spreading its wings, if you want him to return, you can only cut off his wings, let him return from the Way to the human world, from a wandering swordsman asking about the Way to a rustic village husband... Such a thing as burning the zither and cooking the crane truly makes one's heart ache. In this world, how many ignorant and benighted people there are, now someone has awakened, knocking on the door of the Way... yet there is someone who wants him to return to that ignorance, how cruel."

  Sun Xiuzhen finally couldn't bear it, crying and asking: "What about me?! How cruel he is to me! I just married him not long ago, the child hasn't even turned one month old yet! He abandoned us mother and son like this ——"

  Yao Guang couldn't help but laugh, "On the day you married him, you already knew he was a ruthless swordsman. Why did you still abandon your sect and marry him without hesitation? Who will sympathize with you now that you're complaining? The people closest to you back then were abandoned by you when you put on your wedding dress. Sun Xiuzhu, do you still remember that you used to be a disciple of Emei? I suppose if our master knew about this in the afterlife, she would be smiling in her grave."

  Sun Xiuzhi's face suddenly turned pale.

  Yao Guang hummed softly and asked straightforwardly: "Sun Xiuzhen, what do you mean? One day when you find your way, maybe I'll have a good talk with you again. Let's stop here for today."

  After finishing speaking, Yao Guang swept his sleeves and left.

  Ye Gu Cheng didn't stop him either, but instead looked at Sun Xi Qing.

  Sun Xiuzhi was stunned for a long time, quietly wiping away her tears, and bowed to Ye Guancheng to thank him and bid farewell.

  She knew that no one in this world could bring back Ximen Chuixue again.

  The person she once loved with all her heart no longer exists in any corner of this world.

  The author has something to say: Yao Guang's remarks only represent her personal views and have nothing to do with the author! She is speaking as a Daoist (Pure Yang Palace) sword cultivator, while the author is just an ordinary person who can't reach that level. In fact, I sympathize with Sun Xiuqing in my heart... but thinking about the revenge for killing her master earlier, it's all very complicated.

  Highly recommended: