The Blood of Youth – CH 040

Chapter 40: A Promise Made Is One That Must Be Honored

Raging Inferno, Roaring Thunder, and Boundless Dipper, a red light and a purple light. The two sword moves converged into an extremely oppressive sword.

Li Hanyi had previously smacked the two of them down with a single sword move, but now, he had changed his sword into one that was extremely beautiful yet gentle at the same time.

Lei Wujie wielded his one sword move and was on the verge of losing consciousness.

Li Fansong gritted his teeth and held onto his sword aura desperately, but he saw the entire sky filled with flowers as dense as rain. There was no way for their two sword auras to break through.

The page boy, Fei Xuan, also couldn’t sustain any longer. He fell to his knees, and his Great Dragon and Elephant Strength dissipated in the next moment.

Lei Wujie and Li Fansong’s sword auras were also wiped out, both of them equally exhausted. The two long swords flew out of their grips and hovered in the air next to Li Hanyi.

“Still can’t beat him.” Lei Wujie laughed bitterly.

“Brother, do you know of Longqiu?” Li Fansong asked suddenly.

“What’s Longqiu?” Lei Wujie was puzzled.

“Longqiu is a large waterfall on Qingcheng Mountain. It’s hundreds of zhang tall and hundreds of zhang wide. The waterfall is located between two mountains, and when it plunges into the valley below, it looks like hundreds of white-colored giant dragons spewing water. When you view it from Qingcheng Mountain, you’ll always get the feeling that a rainbow hundreds of zhang long is floating above the water while billowing clouds and summoning rain. If you imagine the difference between Longqiu and a little stream, that’s the sort of gap that exists between us and the Sword Immortal,” Li Fansong explained.

“Brother, you’re so elegant with words, and you can still quote literary verses at this time.” Lei Wujie smiled wryly. “Brother, you do know that we’re about to die, right?”

“How are we going to die?” Li Fansong asked in confusion.

“We’re about to fall to our deaths!” Lei Wujie huffed a resigned sigh.

Once again, the two of them fell from the sky.

Tang Lian stepped out and rushed towards the two.

“Tang Lian, you won’t be able to catch them with your skill level.” Sikong Changfeng sighed, then shouted up at Li Hanyi, “Hanyi!”

Li Hanyi snorted and waved his hand lightly. All the camellia in the sky dispersed towards the ground and enveloped around Lei Wujie and Li Fansong. They still hit the ground hard, but once the camellia petals disintegrated, the two of them exchanged a look.

“Not dead?” Lei Wujie said slowly.

“He saved us?” Li Fansong looked up, but he saw a red light and a purple light aiming straight for them. He cried out instinctively, “Run!”

As soon as he yelled, the peach wood sword was already pointed right in between his brows, and the Murderous Dread sword was also pressed up against Lei Wujie’s face.

Li Hanyi landed slowly and glared coldly at the two of them.

By then, Sikong Changfeng, Tang Lian, Xiao Se, Fei Xuan, and Sikong Qianluo had all rushed over.

“Aiya, Hanyi, don’t be angry. Why are you getting angry with the children?” Sikong Changfeng reached out with his spear and knocked the two swords to the ground.

Li Hanyi took a few steps forward. “The two of you wanted to meet me?”

Lei Wujie and Li Fansong exchanged a glance, then nodded fervently.

“Why?” Li Hanyi hooked his finger, and the peach wood sword flew into his hand. “What’s the name of this sword?”

“I carved it from peach wood myself and haven’t named it yet. Perhaps the Sword Immortal can name it for me?” Li Fansong smiled appeasingly.

Li Hanyi waved his finger. The peach wood sword fell to the ground and broke into a hundred splinters. “Can’t be bothered.”

Li Fansong did not dare to feel upset and could only nod his head continuously. “Sword Immortal has a point.”

“Why do you want to see me?” Li Hanyi asked.

Li Fansong hesitated for a while and said, “Well… Shifu has always been talking about the Snow Moon Sword Immortal. I was a little intrigued. This time, Shifu ordered me to travel around, so I thought I really wanted to meet this senior.”

“Now you’ve met me?” Li Hanyi’s gaze was like ice.

“Well met, well met. As expected of the Sword Immortal, this junior is full of admiration,” Li Fansong replied hurriedly.

“Since you’ve met me, why are you still here?” Li Hanyi waved his long sleeves and sent Li Fansong flying away.

Fei Xuan snorted coldly and waved his right hand, sending Li Fansong onto the tired old horse.

“Great Dragon and Elephant Strength?” Li Hanyi frowned slightly.

Fei Xuan ignored him, turned around, and led the horse to leave the city.

Sitting on the horse, Li Fansong vomited three mouthfuls of blood, but his face was still full of smiles. “This trip to Snow Moon City has really been worth it!”

“Little shishu, you were almost beaten to death, and you still think it was worth it? Is your head broken?” Fei Xuan glared at him.

Li Fansong smiled and said, “To go face-to-face with the Sword Immortal without dying has more benefits than practicing my sword for several years. If you don’t understand that, how will you ever master the Boundless Swordplay in the future?”

“Bah, if it wasn’t for my Great Dragon and Elephant Strength, you would already be a splatter on the ground,” Fei Xuan said with disdain. “The Spear Immortal even said I was the true martial expert.”

“Martial expert? You’re going to be an immortal in the future. What’s so great about a martial expert?” Li Fansong closed his eyes and didn’t say any more.

Fei Xuan also pulled on the reins silently, and the pair of scholar and page boy swaggered leisurely out of the city.

Sikong Changfeng watched the two figures depart and said ruefully, “Qingcheng Mountain has found their martial fortune and heavenly fortune in this generation, and they’re split just right. In the near future, Qingcheng Mountain will be able to compete for half of Snow Moon City’s place in the martial world.”

“Where’s the loss?” Li Hanyi turned to Lei Wujie and asked, “Your turn, then. Why do you want to meet me?”

“I implore the Snow Moon Sword Immortal to meet with my shifu just once!” Lei Wujie suddenly dropped onto his knees!

“Lei Hong?” Li Hanyi scoffed coldly. “He wants to meet me?”

“Shifu is seriously ill and will pass on soon. Lei Wujie boldly implores Snow Moon Sword Immortal to meet shifu just once.” Lei Wujie continued kneeling.

Something seemed to waver in Li Hanyi’s eyes, but he immediately recovered his composure. “Lei Hong is dying?”

“Yes.” Lei Wujie bowed his head.

“Alright, I’ll go. But I have one condition.” Li Hanyi beckoned slightly, and the Murderous Dread sword dropped into his hand.

“No!” Lei Wujie reached out instinctively to stop him. “The Murderous Dread sword is my shifu’s most treasured item…”

Li Hanyi drew a sword flower. “Why? Did you think I was going to break the Murderous Dread sword like I did the peach wood sword?”

Lei Wujie could only plead, “I beg Sword Immortal for mercy.”

Li Hanyi waved his hand casually and nailed the Murderous Dread sword above the gates of Lower Pass City. “My conditions are very simple. You will become my disciple. When you’re able to receive three sword moves from me and retrieve that Murderous Dread sword, I will follow you back to see Lei Hong.”

Become Li Hanyi’s disciple? Become a disciple of the Snow Moon Sword Immortal?

Amongst the three city masters of Snow Moon City, Baili Dongjun accepted Tang Lian as his disciple, Sikong Changfeng imparted all his spear arts to his only daughter, and only the Sword Immortal Li Hanyi had never taken a disciple after so many years, nor did he ever show any intention of taking on a disciple.

Lei Wujie was stunned and didn’t know how to answer. Although he had always been joking around and calling Tang Lian da-shixiong, the truth was he never really thought of being accepted into Snow Moon City, let alone asking the Sword Immortal Li Hanyi to be his master.

Sikong Changfeng laughed when he saw Lei Wujie staring blankly at Li Hanyi. “You’ve already completed the rites to recognize your master. Just call him shifu.”

Li Hanyi saw the doubt in his eyes. “You’re not willing?”

Lei Wujie hurriedly shook his head. “Sword Immortal, your swordsmanship is divine, and Lei Wujie’s heart has been truly captivated. It’s beyond my wildest dreams to recognize Sword Immortal as my master, and I dare not beg for it. It’s just that this matter is too important, and I need to discuss it with shifu first…”

“Are you saying that we must meet your shifu first before you’ll even consider becoming my disciple? Do you know what your behavior is called?” Li Hanyi’s eyes were like ice.

“There’s a saying at the gaming table.” Xiao Se tucked his hands into his sleeves and intoned, “Bluffing your way to a windfall.”

Tang Lian said anxiously, “Wujie, recognizing Snow Moon Sword Immortal as your master is a dream that thousands of people who practice the sword wish for but can never have. Don’t hesitate anymore.”

Lei Wujie pondered for a moment before he suddenly prostrated himself and knocked his head on the ground three times in a row. Then, he looked up and proclaimed, “This disciple, Lei Wujie, pays my respect to Snow Moon Sword Immortal as my master. Once I retrieve the Murderous Dread sword, I will return to Lei Clan Fort together with Shifu. If Lei Hong Shifu finds blame with this disciple, I will kill myself to repay all that both my masters have bequeathed me.”

“Silly child,” Xiao Se scolded him in a tone that was neither light nor harsh.

Li Hanyi turned around, and after a brief silence, he said, “Get some new clothes, and then tomorrow, come look for me at the back of the mountain.”

Sikong Changfeng was standing next to Li Hanyi, so he was the only one who saw. At this moment, the Sword Immortal, who looked upon all under Heaven with disdain, had moisture gathered at the corners of his eyes, and a single teardrop overflowed from one eye.

It was a single drop, but it was the tear of a sword immortal.

Sikong Changfeng sighed. “We live in the span between Heaven and Earth, yet we hurry along our journey as if we’re far from home.”

“You talk too much.” Li Hanyi waved his Armored Glacier, stepped onto the sword, and swept away.

Leaving behind a voice, “A promise is made.”

“No mountain will stand in its way!” Lei Wujie replied earnestly, then immediately collapsed in a dead faint.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and this exciting challenge to the tower that shook the world had finally come to a conclusion. Those Snow Moon City elders and disciples who had come out to watch the battle returned to their own halls. The vendors in the city all shared the feeling that having witnessed the events of today, they had no further regrets. As they scattered back to their own places, they began excitedly discussing who was more powerful, the immortal who could summon lightning and ride on a crane or the Sword Immortal who rolled up all the camellia blossoms in the city. Only Xiao Se, Tang Lian, Sikong Changfeng, and Sikong Qianluo, as well as the fainted Lei Wujie, remained.

Xiao Se elbowed Tang Lian. “I say, you’re now that fellow’s Da-shixiong, and your shidi owes me eight hundred taels. How about you settle the debt for me so that I can return to my Fallen Snow Villa?”

“I have no money,” Tang Lian replied frankly.

“Then who has money?” Xiao Se asked.

“He’s right in front of you.” Tang Lian nodded his head at Sikong Changfeng.

Sikong Changfeng returned a small smile. “Indeed, I’m in charge of all financial matters in Snow Moon City.”

Xiao Se opened his right hand. “Eight hundred taels.”

Sikong Changfeng brushed off the demand. “I heard Tang Lian say your name is Xiao Se?”

“What about it?” Xiao Se raised an eyebrow.

“It’s a good name.” Sikong Changfeng nodded.

“No need for flattery. Just repay the money I’m owed so that I can get on my way,” Xiao Se said impatiently.

“How dare you! Believe it or not, I can knock you dead with one spear!” Sikong Qianluo waved the spear in her hand angrily.

Sikong Changfeng smiled and forced his daughter to lower her spear. “The money will definitely be repaid, but I hope to invite Xiao-xiongdi to stay in the city for a while. I have some doubts in my heart, which I need Xiao-xiongdi to clarify.”

“And what if I refuse? Are you going to use force to coerce me?” Xiao Se sneered.

Sikong Changfeng shook his head. “Of course not. To be honest, I do have a personal motive for wanting Xiao-xiongdi to stay in the city.”

“What personal motive?”

“Changfeng is untalented, and I humbly request Xiao-xiongdi to be my disciple.”

“What?” Xiao Se was greatly shocked. Beside him, Tang Lian and Sikong Qianluo were even more astonished. They thought they had misheard and asked anxiously, “What did you say?”

“Changfeng is untalented, and I humbly request Xiao-xiongdi to be my disciple.” Sikong Changfeng inserted his spear into the ground and knelt on one knee.

Unlike the way Li Hanyi accepted his disciple earlier, Sikong Changfeng’s manner of accepting this disciple was way too humble.

Both Tang Lian and Sikong Qianluo thought he was crazy, but they could also tell he was serious and didn’t dare to say anything. They could only exchange bewildered looks.

Xiao Se, on the other hand, merely scoffed out loud.

“What a Snow Moon City!”