Chapter 146 - Sword That Rules Heaven and Earth (Part Eight)

What is the jianghu?

Ye Beizhi didn’t know, nor had he ever thought about it. He’d only heard others say that the jianghu was a world of constant conflict, where grievances were settled with swords and blades. People died in the jianghu every day, just as new people entered it every day.

As the Sun-Moon Blade fell upon him, he realized that perhaps he would be the next one to die in the jianghu.

Ye Beizhi had never considered himself a person of the

jianghu, nor had he ever felt like one. However, before he knew it, he had already set foot into it. Like a lost traveler without direction, he could only wander forward, following the path beneath his feet.

He had never intended to enter the jianghu, never thought about stirring up any storms within it, and never wanted to die in it...

Through it all, he kept struggling, fighting to survive. Though he didn’t know why he kept fighting to survive, it was still better than dying.

Dong—

His Tang blade swung out, deflecting the incoming Sun-Moon Blade.

His wrist ached slightly, the rebound force from the clash was too strong. He was starting to lose his grip on the blade.

Ye Beizhi knew well that the old man before him, named Fu Yiran, was faster, stronger, and more skilled than he was. He had desperately fought the old man for a long time, yet the old man showed no sign of fatigue. If this continued, his defeat was inevitable.

If defeat and death were inevitable, then why did he still grip his blade tightly? Why couldn’t he resist the urge to swing it again? Ye Beizhi suddenly found it somewhat amusing, as if asking the question.

If life inevitably leads to death, then why live?

Why indeed? Just like the journey he had struggled along to get here, was it just to struggle a little longer and then die quietly anyway?

What was it all for?

The hilt of his Tang blade was sticky, soaked in blood from the tear at the base of his thumb. The red cloth wrapping was darkened with blood that coated the original color. Ye Beizhi pushed it all aside. If not for the pain radiating from his thumb, he might not have realized how injured he was.

His Tang Blade slashed through the air, each stroke building on the last and forming a continuous curtain of light. All he could do was try to defend himself against Sand Scourer’s relentless attacks.

The Sun-Moon Blade hammered down on him from every direction, leaving Ye Beizhi with no opportunity to counter. Amidst the shimmering blade light, metal clashed against metal incessantly, and sparks flew wildly in the forest.

Ye Beizhi hadn’t expected to encounter a long weapon capable of such terrifying speeds. He knew the Sun-Moon Blade wasn’t technically a blade; it should be classified as a spear or staff. That was precisely what made this man terrifying.

In terms of speed, long weapons were naturally inferior to shorter weapons like blades and swords, let alone speed-focused weapons like daggers. In spite of common sense, the Sun-Moon Blade was like an extension of Sand Scourer's body. His movements were both agile and precise, with an astonishing speed that left afterimages behind, forcing Ye Beizhi entirely onto the defensive.

But Ye Beizhi was not Lin Jiulao. He didn’t think, upon meeting someone stronger, that dying at his hands would be an honorable death. All he knew was that... when everyone who wanted to kill him dies by his blade, then no one could kill him anymore.

Ye Beizhi had always lived by that principle, but now he suddenly realized something. It seemed his commander had forgotten to tell him... What should he do when faced with an enemy he couldn’t defeat?

***

Heavenly Divination Shrine, Chi Nanwei had never heard of this place, but she finally found it after asking for directions several times.

Today she wore a simple linen dress that was hardly suitable for climbing, but her worry for Ye Beizhi made her ignore the steep path as she jogged up the stone steps.

Sweat trickled down her temples, and Chi Nanwei began to run out of breath, her pace gradually slowing. She looked up, the path wound up to the mountaintop, still stretching out of sight. After a few more steps, she saw a somewhat familiar person sitting on the steps ahead.

As she got closer, Chi Nanwei gasped in surprise, "Young Master Su!? Why are you here?"

Hearing the shout, Su Yi instinctively looked up. Chi Nanwei then noticed the panicked state. There was fear and confusion in his eyes, his hair was disheveled, and his clothes were smeared with dirt and leaves. His luxurious official robe lay discarded at his feet, and he looked utterly disheveled.

Seeing Chi Nanwei, Su Yi, who had been in a daze, widened his eyes, his expression growing increasingly fearful. Just as Chi Nanwei was about to ask more, Su Yi suddenly screamed, "You’re with him! Murderer! I... I’m going to report this!" With that, he scrambled up the mountain path on all fours as fast as he could, leaving his official robes behind.

Processing his absurd scream, Chi Nanwei felt a jolt in her heart. She was now convinced that Su Yi knew something, so she quickly reached out to grab him.

Caught by his hem, Su Yi struggled frantically, kicking out at Chi Nanwei before resorting to rolling and thrashing about to break free. Unable to match his frantic strength, Chi Nanwei eventually lost her grip as he struggled free.

Once freed, Su Yi clumsily scrambled to his feet, and frantically raced up the mountain while shouting, "Stay away from me! Stay away!"

"Young Master Su! Wait!" Chi Nanwei grew panicked as well. She was relying on Su Yi to tell her where Ye Beizhi was, so she couldn’t let him escape. She lifted her skirt and chased after him, calling out loudly, "Su Yi! Stop! I won’t hurt you!"

Neither of the two were particularly strong or fit, so they quickly slowed down in their race up the mountain. Su Yi was too scared to stop. He laboriously climbed upward, but each time he looked back, he could still see Ye Beizhi's companion trailing him in the distance. He was scared enough to cry as he whimpered to himself, "Don’t follow me... don’t follow me... someone, please... save me..."

Chi Nanwei had her hands on her waist and was gasping for breath. She had long since lost the energy to call out to Su Yi. She could only muster her energy and speed up as much as possible to catch up to the fleeing scholar.

When she looked up again, Chi Nanwei suddenly saw Su Yi standing still on the stone steps ahead, his back facing her. Overjoyed, she thought he had finally exhausted himself and hurried to close the distance.

"Hah... hah... Young Master Su..." Chi Nanwei, panting heavily, caught up from behind and reached out to grab his shoulder. "I told you, I won’t—"

Her words abruptly stopped.

Her words were stuck in her throat, unable to be spoken, as she stood there, staring blankly at the forest ahead.

In the forest, Ye Beizhi’s body was covered in multiple wounds, blood freely pouring from his body. He was slumped against a tree, and his Tang Blade was tightly with a hand pinned under an old man’s foot. The old man held a long weapon that pierced through Ye Beizhi’s left leg, nailing it to the ground.