Chapter 361: Chapter 361

The old man glared at the disheveled swordsman and said, "I am cultivating the Great Dao. You wouldn’t understand. I am sacrificing my small self to seek the Great Dao!" ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novèlfire.net

"Alright, alright. Whatever you say is right. Everything you say is correct."

This was a thatched cottage in the suburbs of the capital. The old man sat cross-legged and spread out his hands.

At that moment, inside the dimly lit room, eighteen white lotuses rose. The room was immediately filled with the fragrance of the lotuses.

"Eighteen white lotuses, seventeen of which have bloomed. Why is the last one wilting?"

The old man replied, "In all matters of the world, it is most feared to overdo or fall short. Everything should leave a margin. This is the right path."

"Stop kidding yourself. Clearly, you just can’t nourish the last lotus to bloom."

"I’m saying, why don’t you borrow some National Destiny from the Zhao Family’s Emperor to bring that last lotus to bloom?"

"Hmph, do you think I can receive the blessing of the Nation’s Destiny to refine my Qi like the one in the palace?"

"Tsk, this Yan Emperor is quite generous, even willing to lend such things. Our Emperor seems a bit stingy. They say the one in the Yan Emperor’s palace once saved the Yan Emperor’s family. Why didn’t you find me earlier? I could have found an opportunity to assassinate our Emperor, then you could have popped out and saved him. Who knows, it might have let you get your hands on some."

The old man cursed, "Nonsense! Yan’s National Destiny is now very prosperous, like boiling water, so they can afford to distribute some of it. Do you not have any idea what kind of person our Zhao Family’s Emperor is?"

The disheveled swordsman shook his head and said, "I only know how to practice swordsmanship. I don’t understand all these intricacies you’re talking about. I just think you’re an interesting old man. Are all you Qi cultivators ? When you get to the end of your practice, you’re all completely weak?"

"The path of cultivation resonates with heaven and abandons the physical body; this is a natural process. Moreover, every action in the mortal world can easily involve karma. Killing should not be done lightly. Karma is easy to create but not easy to resolve."

"You’re just spouting nonsense."

"Just wait and see. The path I walk is different from yours. Your sword can kill people, but my sword can cut their National Destiny!"

"Alright, I’m waiting to see."

Saying that, the disheveled swordsman pushed open the broken door of the thatched cottage, walked out, and closed the door behind him.

Standing in the courtyard outside the door was a eunuch dressed in green. Who else could it be but Wei Zhonghe?

The disheveled swordsman didn’t seem surprised by Wei Zhonghe’s appearance. Instead, carrying his sword, he said, "Thank you for personally coming to greet me, Eunuch Wei."

"By His Majesty’s command, I have come to receive Mr. Baili," Wei Zhonghe said. "Although it is the Emperor’s order, it is my good fortune to see Mr. Baili in person."

Baili Feng, also known as Baili Sword.

A while ago, some mischief-makers in the street had compiled a list of top swordsmen—the cliché ’Top Four Swordsmen,’ with each of the four corresponding to one of the four great nations. Jin State had the Sword Saint, Chu State had a swordsmith, and Qian State had Baili Sword.

These three were all figures of the street, living freely and fitting people’s image of a swordsman. The Sword Saint of Jin State was a sword fanatic who traveled through all the nations challenging others. No one had ever seen the Chu State swordsmith display his skills, but the swords of both the Sword Saint and Baili Feng were gifts from him. In his opinion, only true swordsmen were worthy of the swords he forged.

Perhaps it was due to mutual flattery that the Chu State swordsmith, who had never demonstrated his skills, could be ranked among the Top Four Swordsmen. This was because of a single sentence from the Jin State Sword Saint: "He is forging swords because he aims to create one he deems worthy of himself."

The street thrives on flattery, and the Sword Saint’s praise directly elevated the swordsmith’s status. It’s unknown whether these were merely complimentary words spoken by the Sword Saint after receiving a sword from him.

The other one, the swordsman from Yan State, was not a street figure. Zheng Fan had met him; his name was Li Liangshen, one of the seven major generals of the Northern Army.

"Tsk, tsk, Eunuch Wei, don’t be so formal. I’m not good at speaking," Baili Sword replied.

Wei Zhonghe shook his head and said, "I only ask that Mr. Baili not find my prattling tiresome."

"Not at all. But why have only you come, Eunuch Wei?" Baili Sword asked, stabbing his sword’s sheath into the frozen soil beneath his feet and propping both hands on it as he looked around.

"Street matters are settled by the street." Wei Zhonghe placed his hands at his sides, a faint green light swirling around them, and continued, "I am not here today in my capacity as the Seal Holder of the Ministry of Rites."

"Hah, the Yan Emperor certainly has great magnanimity. I was thinking this sword of mine could drink a bit more blood today."

"Mr. Baili, you jest," Wei Zhonghe said. "Your sword can kill me, but if it does, your sword will be largely wasted. Of course, if Mr. Baili is willing, I would be honored to receive your pent-up Sword Intent, even if it means my death."

"Eunuch Wei, I do not look down on eunuchs."

"But I still feel that if my Sword Intent were to land on you, it would be somewhat of a waste."

"Then that settles it. If you don’t use that Sword Intent, you cannot kill me. I can continue to stand here, and you will not be able to go anywhere."

Baili Sword turned his head, glanced at the thatched cottage behind him, and said, "What about the one inside? You aren’t going to bother him?"

Wei Zhonghe smiled and said, "His Majesty has said that meddling too much in the affairs of street folk makes one appear cheap."