The light rain brought new flowers, and a thunder startled the insects. …… In Jiangnan in March, the first spring thunder rumbles, and a drizzle follows. The air soon fills with the fragrance of damp earth. This is the perfect time to snuggle up at home, warm a pot of wine, wrap yourself in a quilt, listen to the patter of rain outside, and have a lovely sleep. Of course, it's also the perfect time for an assassin to strike or a grim reaper to collect a soul. A young man in purple boots slowly approached a weathered grey manor. The boots were exquisite, embroidered with a lifelike eight-clawed dragon in gold thread. He seemed to cherish them, carefully avoiding puddles along the way, so despite the constant spring rain, his boots remained clean. He raised his hand and gently knocked on the manor's gate. Knock, knock, knock. The knocking echoed within the manor, but no one answered. "No one's home?" The man in the purple boots turned around, confused. A burly man carrying a large golden-ringed broadsword stood there, looking up at the manor's plaque and muttering to himself, "White Crane Apothecary. Shouldn't have gotten the place wrong." The man in purple boots frowned slightly. "Could we be too late?" "It's not late, not late at all; in fact, you clearly arrived a bit earlier than me." A mocking voice suddenly rang out nearby. The burly man swiftly turned around and drew the large broadsword partway from his back, shouting in a low voice, "Su Changhe!" The newcomer sported…
At winter's end and spring's beginning, all things awaken. Yet, in the northern borderlands, a heavy snow suddenly fell upon Liaoluo City. "White snow dislikes the late coming vernal breeze, in plays the parting flowers flying through the trees." In a grand mansion within Liaoluo City, an elderly man dressed in a cotton robe sat beside the large lake in the courtyard, watching the snow. He extended his right hand, observing the delicate snowflakes drifting through his fingers, and murmured these words softly. "I thought this winter was over." A young voice suddenly sounded from behind him. The old man's expression remained unchanged. He simply picked up the wine jug at his feet, tilted his head back, and took a sip. "Those of us at this age, each year we wait for winter to end quickly. Because every end of winter means we've survived another year, and waking up is a new beginning. But alas, winter has passed, yet another snow has fallen, and you have arrived, the Ghost of the Dark River." The old man turned his head and looked at the uninvited guest. The newcomer was dressed entirely in black, holding an oiled paper umbrella in one hand. His face was covered by a red demon mask, but his voice was calm and cool. "Forgive the intrusion." "Hahahaha. An assassin at the door, holding a deadly weapon, yet still so polite and courteous. How intriguing." The old man scrutinized the umbrella-bearer. "Judging by your attire, you must be the top expert of the Su family's current generation, the…
"I was originally called Dongfang Xiaoyue, but my master said that my name was too casual and didn't sound like the name of someone who would become a Confucian sage, so he changed it to Dongfang Wenlin." Dongfang Xiaoyue shook his head. "Actually, I don't like this name. It's too old-fashioned." "Who cares if you like it or not." Jimo Huaxue slightly raised her Junyu sword. "Now that my life is nearing its end, I want to be called by that name again." Dongfang Xiaoyue spread his hands. "It reminds me of my younger self." "Shut up." Jimo Huaxue leaped forward and struck with her sword. Mo Bai struggled to lift his head and gazed at the figure in red, murmuring, "Is this what people call, a Sword Immortal's strike?" Xie Yuling and Feng Zuojun were both pinned down by the overwhelming force of the sword, unable to stand. Yet, they still struggled to lift their heads, eyes wide open as they watched the strike. Both came from prominent families. Although the Xie family had fallen from grace, they still had several masters of swordsmanship among them. Feng Zuojun's father, Feng Yuhan, was famed as the best swordsman in Yunmeng Prefecture. Together, Xie Yuling and Feng Zuojun had encountered countless masters— hundreds, if not thousands. However, this strike before them was, without a doubt, the most powerful they had seen in nearly twenty years. As the long sword descended, dark clouds suddenly gathered in the sky above, and thunder roared. Confucian Sage Dongfang Xiaoyue remained unfazed, gently waving his sleeve…
As the carriage entered the territory of Yunmeng Prefecture and headed towards the Moran Manor, Mo Bai was also leading his men out to inquire about them. It just so happened that a manor disciple who had met Feng Zuojun years ago saw him sitting in the carriage and immediately waved and called out, "Young Master Feng! Young Master Feng!" Feng Zuojun turned his head upon hearing the voice, "See, see? I told you I'm quite famous in Yunmeng Prefecture." Xie Yuling pulled the reins, bringing the carriage to a halt. The Moran Manor disciple immediately came forward, "I am Mo Zhixing. Young Master Feng stayed at the manor for a few days before going to the academy. I served as your guard at that time." "I remember you, Mo Zhixing. Your swordsmanship is quite good," Feng Zuojun nodded. "Lead us to Moran Manor. We are here to see Senior Brother Mo Bai." Mo Zhixing immediately jumped onto the carriage and took the reins from Xie Yuling's hands, "I have already received the news and came out specifically to welcome you, young masters." "Oh? Could it be that Senior Sister and Su Baiyi have already arrived?" Feng Zuojun asked. "Yes. Two young ladies and a young gentleman arrived this morning." Mo Zhixing turned to the other manor disciples beside him, "I'll take these young masters back to the manor. You go ahead and inform the Manor Lord." "Yes!" the other disciples responded. "Two young ladies? How come there's an extra one?" Xie Yuling asked in confusion. "Well, the more ladies,…
The sword hilt was unexpectedly hollow, and inside were tucked a few sheets of paper. Though he hadn't yet seen what was written on them, Su Baiyi already had an answer in his heart. "You've already guessed?" Jimo Huaxue asked. "Yes," Su Baiyi nodded. "It seems I'm truly fated to be connected with this thing." "After the Battle at Heaven’s Gate all those years ago, my father brought these pages back to the city. There were twenty pages in total, depicting a sword technique. But this sword technique was strange, with bizarre and unorthodox moves. My father spent a whole year studying it, but ultimately found nothing and died with deep regrets. My father was known as the Sword Immortal of his time, yet he said he had once crossed swords with someone who practiced this technique, and couldn't last ten moves against them. I also tried to study this sword manual, but after using just three of its moves, my true energy would flow in reverse. I thought that since it was an incomplete manual, with only moves and no cultivation method, it probably couldn't be practiced." Jimo Huaxue paused, then continued, "And the part with the cultivation method was likely taken by the Shanglin Heavenly Palace." "The Xie family has three pages, the Shanglin Heavenly Palace has one half of a volume, and Jimo City has twenty pages of the sword manual. Could it be that..." Su Baiyi raised his head, frowning slightly, "The other three major sects of the Yunmeng Daze , along with the other three…
Nangong Xi'er suddenly began to cough violently. Mo Bai turned his head and asked, "Junior Sister, are you hurt?" Nangong Xi'er shook her head. "It's a long story." Su Baiyi hurriedly asked, "Brother Mo Bai, do you have any medicinal herbs here that can stabilize one's true qi?" Mo Bai thought for a moment. "Yes, yes, there should be Spring Life Dew Pills in the pharmacy. I'll have someone fetch them right away." Su Baiyi nodded. "Thank you. Also, have any other disciples from the academy come here recently?" Mo Bai shook his head. "No, you have only been here once in all these years, and the most recent time was when a few of our junior disciples came to escort the young sect master of Heavenly Dawn Cloud Realm to the academy." "Yes, it was Feng Zuojun! It seems he and Senior Brother Xie haven't been here recently." Su Baiyi nodded and looked at Nangong Xier. "Senior Sister, why don't you go back to your room and rest up? Brother Mo Bai and I will go out and inquire about the situation." Nangong Xier nodded. "Thank you for your help." Mo Bai said to the maid standing next to him, "First, take Junior Sister Nangong to the guest room to rest, and then go to the pharmacy to get some Spring Life Dew Pills and bring them over." Nangong Xier stood up and left with the maid. Her true energy had not yet recovered, and the forced use of her sword that day had further aggravated her injuries. She…
Moran Manor Upon hearing that guests had arrived, Mo Bai, the owner of the manor, rushed out of his study. He had received a handwritten letter from a scholar at the academy a few days prior, informing him of a visit from fellow disciples. Having eagerly awaited their arrival, he was overcome with excitement. In the years since leaving the academy, I've missed the people, the scenery, and the events there so dearly. Unfortunately, being confined to Moran Manor, I haven't been able to return. Now, finally seeing fellow disciples again, we must stay up all night and talk. Mo Bai excitedly ran to the entrance, his eyes first falling upon a striking figure in red, his heart skipping a beat. Then, seeing Nangong Xi'er standing beside them, his heart skipped another beat. "In the more than ten years I've been away from the academy... the teacher has taken in so many beautiful female disciples?" Mo Bai murmured under his breath. "Nangong Xi'er, greetings to Senior Brother Mo Bai." Nangong Xi'er bowed with clasped hands. Jimo Huaxue cast a cold glance at the middle-aged scholar but said nothing. Mo Bai didn't seem to mind Jimo Huaxue's indifference at all. He quickly returned the greeting and said, "So it's Junior Sister Nangong Xi'er! We met years ago, but back then you were just a little kid. Now you've grown into a fine young lady. Please, both of you, come in, come in." "Hey, hey, Senior Brother, can you see me?" Su Baiyi waved his hand in front of Mo Bai's face.…
In the small boat, the three remained silent for a long time. Jimo Huaxue recalled the past events, feeling a sense of melancholy in her heart. Nangong Xier was suddenly struck by the news that her second senior brother had died for her. Shock, anger, and regret surged through her, a whirlwind of emotions. At that moment, she felt a desperate urge to grab her sword and go to Mount Weilong immediately, seeking vengeance for her fallen comrade. "The Shanglin Heavenly Palace with Brother Su and the Shanglin Heavenly Palace without Brother Su are completely different," Jimo Huaxue said softly. Su Baiyi's heart stirred. "City Lord of Jimo, do you know Grand Palace Master Su Han?" "He and my father were close friends. He often visited Jimo Sword City as a guest, and my father admired him greatly, believing him to be a rare talent in the martial world, one not seen in a hundred years," Jimo Huaxue said softly. "If he hadn't died back then, perhaps the martial world would have truly become the world we hoped for. By the way, you said you were Brother Xie's disciple. When did Brother Xie take on a disciple?" Su Baiyi asked in confusion, "City Lord of Jimo, you seem to be very familiar with my master, but why aren't you surprised at all by the news that he's still alive?" "Brother Xie, that sly fox, how could he have died so easily?" Jimo Huaxue chuckled. "You still haven't answered my question." "When I was young, I was targeted by enemies and…
Jimo Sword City, the ancestral home of the Jimo Clan. It took the efforts of several generations to build the current massive Jimo City. As all disciples under the clan practice swordsmanship, Jimo City is respectfully known as Sword City by the world. The previous three generations of city lords were all honored as Sword Immortals by martial heroes, further solidifying Jimo City's status in the martial world. However, after Jimo Jingzhu's death, many believe Jimo Sword City is about to decline, as the new city lord is but a young woman who has never ventured into the martial world. But three days after Nan Yulou, the second disciple of the Academy, challenged Jimo Sword City, over half of the sword masters in the martial world began heading towards Jimo Sword City with their swords in hand. This was because Nan Yulou, who had swept through numerous sword masters in the martial world over the past year, was unexpectedly defeated in his first battle with Jimo Huaxue. "Your sword technique is not bad." Jimo Huaxue looked at the man lying on the ground, staring blankly at the sky. "What's it called?" "Everlasting Flowing Sword," Nan Yulou murmured. "The name's not bad either." Jimo Huaxue turned around. "But it's a pity, I'm a bit stronger." "I want to fight again," Nan Yulou suddenly said. "Alright." Jimo Huaxue didn't know why, but she felt a bit happy inside, and readily agreed. "You can rest here and recover for a few days. After your injuries heal, we'll fight again." Seven days later, Nan…
TN: Hey everyone. I've spent the last few days doing some light editing on earlier chapters. Almost finished. From now on, expect new chapters more often. Thanks for reading. In the vast Yunmeng Prefecture, rivers and lakes are scattered like stars across the sky. Boats can be seen drifting everywhere, and in the distance, mountains and waters blended together in a picturesque scene. After Su Baiyi, Nangong Xi'er, and the Sword Immortal Jimo Huaxue came ashore, they soon boarded a small boat. According to Nangong Xi'er, by taking this boat, they could reach the Moran Manor by the Luoze River. This manor was the residence of Mo Bai, a former disciple of the Academy, and it also served as a gathering point for Academy members arriving in Yunmeng Prefecture. If Feng Zuojun and Xie Yuling had arrived, they would surely head to the Moran Manor first. "Yunmeng Prefecture...is it really this beautiful?" Su Baiyi stood on the boat, brimming with excitement, looking around in awe at the magnificent scenery of Yunmeng before him. "This is the northern part of Yunmeng Prefecture, where the water and sky merge into one. It is indeed incredibly beautiful. However, the southern part of Yunmeng Prefecture presents a different scene." Jimo Huaxue seemed quite familiar with the scenery, speaking in a calm tone. "South of Yunmeng lies the Yunhuang. The air there is thick with moisture, and snakes, insects, rats, and ants run rampant. People who live there rarely live past forty." "Then why don't they move north?" Su Baiyi asked. Jimo Huaxue smiled. "You…
