The Blood of Youth – CH 046

Chapter 46: Reversing the Strong Winds

The two world-renowned city masters of Snow Moon City were simply sitting together and chatting about random topics. Li Hanyi was a person of few words, and he stopped talking after a while. He sat down on the ground and closed his eyes, cultivating his qi. Sikong Changfeng had no intention of leaving either, and he drank his tea slowly, but suddenly, he sniffed the air. “Something smells good.”

As soon as he said it, they heard the sound of rapid footsteps approaching. Lei Wujie pushed open the door and entered, stopping abruptly when he took in the interior of the hut. “Third shizun, you’re here too.”

Lei Wujie was holding the Rainfall sword, which he couldn’t draw, in his left hand, while in his right hand, he held a long wooden stick. A pheasant that had been roasted golden was skewered on the stick, and it was the source of that delicious aroma.

“Wujie, what is this…” Sikong Changfeng started salivating.

Lei Wujie scratched his head. “I was practicing my sword and got hungry, so I went into the mountain to catch a pheasant. After roasting it, I was going to eat it, but I thought, ‘Shifu hasn’t eaten either,’ so I thought of letting Shifu eat this first. It’s just…”

Li Hanyi’s expression was cold and forbidding, and the Armored Glacier sword lying on the table trembled slightly as if he was about to draw his sword anytime and chop this hopeless disciple into pieces.

Sikong Changfeng, on the other hand, was full of smiles. He prompted Lei Wujie to continue, “It’s just?”

Lei Wujie laughed with embarrassment. “It’s just that since Third Shizun is here too, then I’m afraid this pheasant probably won’t be enough for the three of us.”

Sikong Changfeng stood up and took the pheasant from Lei Wujie’s hand. “Your shifu probably won’t like it…”

He had just grabbed the bird when a wave of sword aura attacked him. Sikong Changfeng retreated a step, but the roasted chicken in his hand was instantly cut in half. Li Hanyi reached out a hand and snatched the wooden stick with the roast chicken skewered on it, while the other half dropped to the ground. Thankfully, Lei Wujie had quick eyes and faster fingers. He hurriedly thrust out his Rainfall sword and caught the other half of the roasted chicken.

Li Hanyi smirked. “I never thought the Rainfall sword could be used like this.”

“We have meat but no wine. Such a pity. Your shifu never lets other people see him eat. Let’s go outside. I buried a jar of wine just outside the hut. You go and roast another chicken, then join me for a drink.” Sikong Changfeng patted Lei Wujie on the shoulder as he walked past. Lei Wujie hurried to follow him out.

It was already dusk, and Lei Wujie caught another pheasant from the mountain, set up a fire on the side, and started roasting it. Sikong Changfeng had really dug out a jar of wine from the ground. As soon as he broke the seal, the strong aroma of wine diffused through the air. Lei Wujie inhaled deeply and sniffed, “Good wine.”

“My sword rode on a wind here, eliminating demons between Heaven and Earth. If I have wine, I’m happy and free; if I have no wine, I’m also insane. One drink to drain two rivers, another drink to swallow the sun and moon. A thousand cups of wine won’t make me drunk; I’m the one and only Drunken Sword Immortal. Wujie, have you heard of this poem?” Sikong Changfeng asked as he poured two bowls of wine.

“Of course I’ve heard it.” Lei Wujie was rotating the roast chicken while listening with fascination. “It’s a poem written 300 years ago by Situ Zhong, the Drunken Sword Immortal from Shu Mountain.”

“Now, Shu Mountain is but a legend, and that Drunken Sword Immortal has long since died of old age. But that sword intent in the wine has remained in the world. Isn’t it fascinating?” Sikong Changfeng touched the wine cup lightly, and the wine cup flew off the table and floated into Lei Wujie’s hand.

Lei Wujie accepted the cup of wine and thanked him.

Sikong Changfeng swirled the cup in his hand and suddenly asked, “Lei Wujie, what’s the martial world you see in your mind?”

Lei Wujie thought for a while and said, “Young people and excellent wine, a life of luxury. Surrounded by romance, sharing wine and singing loudly.”

“The martial world is not like that.” Sikong Changfeng drank his cup of wine. “The martial world is exactly the same as the imperial court, full of endless ambitions.”

“Everyone has their own martial world. The martial world I want is like that,” Lei Wujie stated firmly.

Sikong Changfeng took another sip of wine. “We laughed and talked about conquering the martial world. Isn’t it better to get drunk and enjoy life? This is really excellent wine. Wujie, you mustn’t blame Hanyi. He hopes that you can understand the reason for drawing your sword. Only by knowing why you draw your sword can you truly master your own sword.”

Lei Wujie laughed, picked up the roasted chicken that was ready, and placed it on the table before sitting down. “Of course I won’t blame Shifu. Shifu is the Snow Moon Sword Immortal. His words are always right.”

“I heard from Xiao Se that Wuxin once said you have a naturally pure heart that has never been corrupted by the mortal world. Looks like he was right. By the way, you know that there are five swordsmen in this world who are called sword immortals. Do you know which five they are?” Sikong Changfeng asked.

Lei Wujie nodded. “Of course I know. Snow Moon Sword Immortal Li Hanyi, Solitary Sword Immortal Luo Qingyang, Daoist Sword Immortal Zhao Yuzhen, Wrath Sword Immortal Yan Zhantian, and Confucian Sword Immortal Xie Xuan.”

“Among the five sword immortals, who do you think has the highest realm?” Sikong Changfeng asked a difficult question.

For a moment, Lei Wujie didn’t know how to answer him.

“It’s alright; you can be frank.”

Lei Wujie thought for a while and then answered, “Luo Qingyang.”

Sikong Changfeng laughed out loud and said, “Hahaha. Indeed! There are four cities under Heaven: Heavenly Revelations, Admirable Desolation, Snow Moon, and Unrivaled. The Solitary Sword Immortal Luo Qingyang occupies an entire city on his own. That kind of dominance is truly unequaled. If you ask me, I also think he’s the strongest. But, your shifu won’t admit it. He has been looking forward to the day he can duel against Luo Qingyang. So, in the entire Snow Moon City, the one most diligent at sword-training is this Snow Moon Sword Immortal.”

As soon as Sikong Changfeng said those words, Li Hanyi walked out of the straw hut and took a flying leap towards the summit of the mountain.

“Let’s go. I’ll bring you to have a look at how the Snow Moon Sword Immortal trains his sword.” Sikong Changfeng downed the rest of his wine in one mouthful and pulled Lei Wujie along to follow.

All the way, Li Hanyi never looked back once. It was said that a mountain had four seasons, and right now, Lei Wujie was truly experiencing it. When he reached the mountain summit, he felt the cold and desolate wind that was much colder than the time he spent three months running about in snow-filled nights. But Li Hanyi didn’t seem to feel it. He stood at the summit, the famous sword Armoured Glacier in his hand, as he closed his eyes and meditated. His white clothes fluttered in the strong and biting cold winds.

“He’s going to…” Lei Wujie’s eyes widened.

“Look carefully now.” Sikong Changfeng was amused.

Suddenly, Li Hanyi leapt up and jumped into the space between two peaks. Wielding his sword, he floated in midair like an immortal, and suddenly, he swung his long sword. The gale-force winds along the snowy ridge roared in an instant, whipping over Lei Wujie so strongly that he could barely stand.

“Rise!” Li Hanyi pointed his sword towards the sky, and the gale force winds along the snowy ridge seemed to rise into the sky, and the snow at the mountain summit scattered and started falling. Li Hanyi stepped on the snow and took one step after another, climbing higher and higher. Again, he held up his sword, the sword that almost seemed to suppress all of the gale-force winds on the mountain, and made a revolution with all his strength.

“I understand!” Lei Wujie had a sudden realization. He finally understood what Li Hanyi was doing. Li Hanyi was trying to use his sword to reverse the gale force winds between the snowy ridges.

But was something like that possible using martial arts?

Li Hanyi’s sword stopped halfway through. As the sword came to a stop, all the gale-force winds between the mountains reversed again, and layers of snow fell on top of Li Hanyi, hitting him head-on. Li Hanyi hurriedly withdrew his sword, leaped again, and returned to stand at the mountain summit. He sheathed his sword with a frown but kept silent.

The gale-force winds between the mountains continued to howl incessantly.

Sikong Changfeng sighed. “This is the final stage of your shifu’s River Impeding Swordplay, Heavenly Law. Once he masters this sword, he will leave the mountain and head for Admirable Desolation City. It’s just…”

“Just what?” Lei Wujie asked.

Sikong Changfeng shook his head. “Never mind.”

As the two of them were talking, Li Hanyi, who was standing on the mountain summit, was already gone.

Sikong Changfeng sighed and patted Lei Wujie’s shoulder lightly. “I think whether or not your shifu can master his River Impeding Swordplay will be up to you.”

Lei Wujie returned a bitter laugh. Up to me? How can it be up to me when I can’t even draw my sword?