Chapter 31: Little Heizi
New Year’s Day.
Snow fell in thick, heavy flakes.
Yet the atmosphere in the Inner City was incredibly lively, the streets filled with residents carrying gifts as they visited friends and family.
As the most powerful noble family in Feng City, the stream of guests visiting the Wang Family was endless.
Lu Changfeng donned a straw raincoat to ward off the snow, then led a horse from the Prince’s Mansion.
First, he went to an incense and candle shop to buy some paper money and joss sticks.
Afterward, he made his way to Tomb Mountain in the Outer City.
When he arrived at Zhang Desheng’s grave, Lu Changfeng was surprised to find a familiar face.
It was his former senior brother, Sima Ming.
Sima Ming, who had lost an arm, had fallen asleep in front of Zhang Desheng’s grave.
Several wine jugs lay scattered beside him.
Sima Ming hadn’t appeared at Zhang Desheng’s funeral. Perhaps he felt that, with his severed arm, he was too ashamed to see his master off.
Lu Changfeng shook his head slightly, offered incense at Zhang Desheng’s grave, and burned some paper money.
After a moment’s hesitation, Lu Changfeng took out a packet of Celestial Silkworm Meat and tucked it inside Sima Ming’s robes.
Then, Lu Changfeng turned, mounted his horse, and departed.
He arrived at the arranged restaurant.
Chunzhu already had the Celestial Silkworm Meat ready.
Lu Changfeng briefly explained his need to travel to Luocheng, and the two inevitably shared an intimate moment in the restaurant.
Afterward, Chunzhu was still a little disappointed.
It was because Lu Changfeng had no intention of having a child with her.
"Don’t dwell on it. Now isn’t a good time for us to have children."
"Once things settle down, we can have a whole flock of them, no problem."
After comforting Chunzhu, Lu Changfeng returned to the Prince’s Mansion. He spent his time practicing the Fengtian Forging Body Saber Skill and waiting quietly.
Early on the morning of the third day of the New Year, Lu Changfeng appeared before the main gate of the Prince’s Mansion as arranged.
Lu Changfeng stood over two meters tall, with three weapons strapped to his back.
One was a great long-bladed saber of pig iron, weighing two hundred jin.
Another was a long saber of refined steel.
And the last was the Treasure Weapon Autumn Water Long Sword.
Old Luo arrived shortly after.
He marveled at the weapons on Lu Changfeng’s back but didn’t ask any unseemly questions.
The last to arrive were Wang Yue and her younger brother.
The youth at Wang Yue’s side was her biological brother, Wang Shao.
Lu Changfeng glanced over, assessing Wang Shao’s Root Bone and Talent.
Name: Wang Shao
Root Bone: Middle B Class
Talent: Middle Grade Talent [Swordsmanship].
A Middle Grade Talent for Swordsmanship. He really did have some aptitude for the sword.
Wang Yue hadn’t been lying.
If he could join the Xuanyuan Sword Sect, he really did have the potential to become an exceptional Swordsman in the future.
"Then let’s be on our way!"
"This journey will depend entirely on our two Retainer Guardians!"
"Think nothing of it!" Old Luo said with a wave of his hand.
The four of them set off, urging their horses forward.
This was the first time Lu Changfeng had ever left Feng City.
The heavy snow had stopped. Riding freely under the warm winter sun had a unique charm.
They followed the stone-paved road.
Along the way, they still saw a great many refugees.
These people had fled from the three prefectures even farther to the west.
That region was even more chaotic than Cyan Mountain Prefecture. At least in Cyan Mountain Prefecture, a three-way stalemate had been established.
But in the three western prefectures, chaotic battles still raged. Sect forces and Martial Arts Families rose and fell in quick succession, a true picture of a world in turmoil.
Their destination was either deep within Yunyang Prefecture or north toward the Capital Region. Others simply settled where they were, building makeshift houses and hoping to establish villages in search of stability...
The four of them traveled until noon before stopping for a short rest.
They then continued on their way until evening, when they reached the small town they had planned to stop at and dismounted to rest.
They encountered no trouble on the road.
One look at the four of them was enough to tell they were powerful Martial Artists.
This was especially true for the two-meter-plus figures of Lu Changfeng and Old Luo.
What kind of blind bandit would dare to cause trouble for them?
The night at the town’s inn passed uneventfully.
They resumed their journey the next day as planned, arriving in Luocheng by dusk.
The Xuanyuan Sword Sect’s gates were situated on a mountain peak thirty li north of Luocheng.
The four decided to rest for the night in Luocheng and proceed to the Xuanyuan Sword Sect’s gates the next morning.
Unlike Feng City, Luocheng was not divided into an inner and outer city. As the main base of operations run by the Xuanyuan Sword Sect, Luocheng was far more prosperous than Feng City.
The city’s boundaries had been expanded time and again, and it could now accommodate several million people.
Luocheng was far from the turmoil of Cyan Mountain Prefecture. Although the people here knew the situation in the Song Country was chaotic, they didn’t feel the atmosphere of a world in turmoil, thanks to the protection of the Xuanyuan Sword Sect.
’In an atmosphere like this,’ Lu Changfeng thought, ’if Yunyang Prefecture truly falls into chaos...’
’...the Xuanyuan Sword Sect could seize control of Luocheng and rebel in an instant, and the city’s populace would flock to support them.’
...
「The next morning.」
The four of them got dressed and rode their horses to the location thirty li north of Luocheng.
At the foot of the mountain, they could clearly see a colossal stone longsword sculpture standing tall on the peak.
Wang Shao’s breathing grew ragged; he was clearly overcome with excitement.
"Let’s go!"
The four of them started up the winding stone steps.
Halfway up, they came upon a reception pavilion.
Inside, several disciples of the Xuanyuan Sword Sect were sparring, practicing their Swordsmanship.
Lu Changfeng took a quick look. These Xuanyuan Sword Sect disciples on reception duty all had B Class+ Root Bone. One was even Lower A Class and possessed a Low-Grade Sword Technique Talent.
Seeing Lu Changfeng’s party, one of the disciples came forward to greet them.
"Welcome, guests. What business brings you to our Sect?"
Wang Yue cupped her fist and replied, "We have come to the Xuanyuan Sword Sect on behalf of my younger brother."
She gestured toward Wang Shao. "My brother possesses considerable Sword Dao Talent and wishes to join your esteemed Sect."
"We come from the Wang Family of Feng City."
The reception disciple was discerning. Even without Wang Yue’s last sentence, he could tell that anyone escorted by experts of the Tendon Transformation Realm must have an extraordinary background.
Those with status and backing were naturally treated differently.
Thus, he said, "Ordinarily, the Xuanyuan Sword Sect recruits a batch of new disciples each spring. The registration period has not yet begun."
"However, I can see you have come from afar and with great sincerity. I will make an introduction for you, but whether it succeeds is not for me to say."
Wang Yue’s face lit up. "Thank you so much, young man!"
"You’re welcome."
The reception disciple said a word to his fellows, then led Lu Changfeng’s group up the mountain.
At the summit, the majestic architecture of the Xuanyuan Sword Sect came into view, exuding the simple, ancient aura of a thousand-year-old Sect.
The Xuanyuan Sword Sect’s overall strength ranked among the top ten of all the Sects in the Song Country.
Lu Changfeng noticed that Old Luo’s eyes had grown moist. The scene was clearly stirring up old memories.
The reception disciple led Wang Yue and the others into a guest hall.
Before long, a Steward from the Xuanyuan Sword Sect, a man in his early forties, strode out.
Lu Changfeng glanced over. The man had a Lower A Class Root Bone and a Low-Grade Sword Technique Talent.
This Steward also had a cultivation at the Tendon Transformation Realm.
"The Wang Family from Feng City, is it? Who is it that wants to join my Xuanyuan Sword Sect?" The Steward’s tone was rather arrogant.
Since they were the ones asking for a favor, Wang Yue dared not lose her temper. Just as she was about to speak, Wang Shao stood up first.
"Senior! It is I who wishes to join the Xuanyuan Sword Sect!"
The Steward sized up Wang Shao and said, "Come here."
Wang Shao stepped forward. The Steward ran his hands up and down Wang Shao’s frame to check his Root Bone, then frowned. "Do you think the Xuanyuan Sword Sect is a place that takes in junk?"
At these words, the color drained from Wang Shao’s face, and Wang Yue looked deeply embarrassed.
Wang Yue still managed to take a deep breath and say, "Senior, doesn’t the Xuanyuan Sword Sect value Sword Dao Talent above all?"
"Hmph. Sword Dao Talent is an intangible thing, something that can’t be tested. Who knows if he truly has it or not? What I *can* see, however, is that his Root Bone is subpar."
"You should leave. If you’re that desperate to join the Xuanyuan Sword Sect, wait until the spring and participate in our Sword Sect’s entrance trials. If he passes the test, he can naturally join."
The Steward turned to leave.
Just then, a voice called out, "Little Heizi, who taught you to be so arrogant?"