Consideration

It was late August. The autumn sun hung high, and the cool breeze was refreshing.

In the courtyard, atop the blue bricks, Duàn Yì stood bare-chested, Ten Refinements Sword in hand. Sword light flashed as sweat drenched his body while he practiced Songshan Swordplay, focused and diligent.

Though young, he had a well-proportioned, powerfully built physique. The muscles across his body flowed in sleek lines, without an ounce of excess fat, and he possessed the explosive strength of a cheetah.

His swordsmanship alternated between broad, sweeping movements and vicious, swift attacks. His Sword Path shifted in countless ways, and as he performed all seventeen forms of the Songshan sword arts one after another, they flowed like drifting clouds and running water. Clearly, he had already glimpsed its essential mysteries.

In particular, King Yue's Divine Arrow, the lightness skill Duàn Yì had recently learned from Granny An, became all the more wondrous when paired with Songshan Swordplay.

He used his movement technique to drive his swordsmanship, used his swordsmanship to temper his body, filled his flesh with vital essence, then used that in turn to advance his internal cultivation.

This effective method of training was one Duàn Yì had gradually worked out with the Tower of Hidden Martial Arts, his cheat.

"Qi cultivation requires perseverance before one can achieve great things; it cannot be rushed.

"If I want to become stronger as quickly as possible, I must follow the path of the Huashan Sword Sect and train my swordsmanship until it is masterful, until it is formidable."

Just as Duàn Yì was immersed in his training, Bái Xī Wén's voice suddenly reached his ears, telling him to come to the reception hall because he had something to discuss. Duàn Yì halted his sword forms, unable to keep suspicion from rising in his heart.

Ever since Ruan Dong had been killed two days ago, Duàn Yì had been confined by Bái Xī Wén. He had not stepped beyond the main gate or even the inner gate of the residence. Other than eating, he devoted himself entirely to practicing his sword and cultivating qi.

Unless necessary, Bái Xī Wén rarely disturbed him. Yet the voice Duàn Yì had just heard was hurried and carried a trace of embarrassed anger. Clearly, something unexpected had happened.

After wiping away his sweat and putting on his clothes, Duàn Yì tidied his appearance, gripped the Ten Refinements Sword, and hurried to the reception hall. There, he found Liu Zhiwei of the Golden Cauldron Sect, whom he had met two days earlier.

The man remained every bit as imposing as before, sitting squarely and steadily in a wooden chair. At his side lay a fist-sized piece of white jade, lustrous and translucent, of superb quality and surely worth a great deal.

When Duàn Yì entered, Bái Xī Wén first nodded in approval. With extraordinary talent and such diligence, he truly was promising material. Then Bái Xī Wén's gaze darkened, his anger rising as he said to Liu Zhiwei,

"As for what you just proposed, I cannot make the decision for him. He is here now, so you may ask him yourself."

Duàn Yì was utterly baffled, unable to understand what game the two were playing.

Then Liu Zhiwei smiled at him and carefully explained the Ruan Family's demands, naturally making Qū Dōng Liú's position clear as well.

"So, the Ruan Family believes I bear some responsibility for Ruan Dong's death. They want to find an expert to duel me. If I win, this grievance ends there. If I lose, I must bring the murderer's head before Ruan Dong's spirit, perform three kowtows and nine bows, and cut off my right hand as an apology. Is that correct?"

Duàn Yì did not know what to feel. He found it both infuriating and absurd, but more than anything, he felt helpless.

From beginning to end, he had only reacted passively. If Ruan Dong had not insisted on courting death by challenging him to a match, how would any of this have happened?

Now that the man was dead, his relatives wanted Duàn Yì to take responsibility. There was no logic to it at all, but it did make emotional sense, for feelings were the least governed by reason.

"That is correct. You are not a member of my Golden Cauldron Sect, while the Ruan Family has close ties with our sect. We must take their request into consideration.

"Of course, you may choose to refuse. With Junior Brother Bai protecting you, no one can force you. But you will no longer be able to live on the mountain afterward. That is Martial Brother Sect Leader's decision."

After a pause, Liu Zhiwei glanced at the grim-faced Bái Xī Wén below, then turned his eyes back to Duàn Yì.

"I advise you to accept. Perhaps you can win, and you can also obtain a piece of Cold Jade worthy of being called a treasure."

Duàn Yì looked at the silent Bái Xī Wén, whose expression was as dark as still water. His thoughts raced as he considered his current predicament.

Once Qū Dōng Liú had issued an order, Bái Xī Wén could not openly defy it. Thus, if Duàn Yì truly refused, he might still leave safely under Bái Xī Wén's protection.

But what about after descending the mountain? Bái Xī Wén could not protect him forever.

Since the Ruan Family could find an expert to duel him, they could naturally also hire assassins to dispose of him. For someone whose martial arts had yet to reach Great Accomplishment, this would inevitably be a threat—one that would not end until one side was dead.

Then should he descend the mountain and simply wipe out the Ruan Family's old patriarch? Send him down to the Nine Springs to reunite with Ruan Dong, and settle the grievance that way?

Perhaps such a plan could succeed if he struck with intent against an unprepared foe, but the consequences would be even more terrifying than the first option.

If he killed Ruan Xiang, the culprit would almost certainly be identified as him. Duàn Yì would be wanted by the Great Xia authorities beyond all doubt, rejected by the righteous path, and left to live each day without knowing whether he would survive the next.

If luck favored him, he might someday become an underworld overlord with a chance to rise again. If luck did not, he would likely die in some forgotten corner, with no one even left to collect his corpse.

If he accepted, his chances of victory might not be great, but neither was defeat certain. Besides completely resolving this matter, he could also obtain a piece of Cold Jade that would greatly aid his cultivation.

After weighing the matter again and again, Duàn Yì still could not decide. At last, he cautiously asked,

"Deputy Sect Leader Liu, do you know the background of the expert who will duel me?"

If it was a battle he was certain to lose, he would simply descend the mountain. But if there was even some chance of victory, he might as well take a gamble.

"Rest assured. Given Junior Brother Bai's connection, we would never send you into a duel that could not possibly be won.

"The man the Ruan Family found is named Lin Bohui. He is only eighteen years old and specializes in a set of Bixie Swordplay. Since entering the martial world, he has only defeated seven swordsmen from Wei Prefecture. He is no particularly ruthless figure. With your talent for the sword, you may not be weaker than him."

Liu Zhiwei deliberately downplayed Lin Bohui's martial arts, but the words "Bixie Swordplay" slammed heavily into Duàn Yì's heart. His mouth went dry and his limbs turned numb.

"Bixie Swordplay? Damn it, someone actually practices such a sinister martial art?"

Duàn Yì's face remained expressionless, but his heart felt heavy.

Other than the inheritor of this sword art, perhaps no one in the world understood its terror better than he did.

The Lin Family's seventy-two forms of Bixie Swordplay originated from the Sunflower Manual, one of the divine arts of eunuchs. "To reign supreme in the martial world, wield the blade and castrate oneself"—what overwhelming swagger! It had also produced the bizarre father-and-son-in-law pair of Yue Buqun and Lin Pingzhi, whose names resounded far and wide.

As for its power, this martial art had swept through all before it in The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. Judging swordsmanship alone, it was guaranteed a place among the top two and contended for first, surpassed only by the Nine Swords of Dugu and exceeding the sword arts of the Five Mountains.

Take the Songshan Swordplay Duàn Yì had learned. It could indeed be called superior, but compared with Bixie Swordplay, it fell short by an entire level—a genuine gap in rank.

Not to mention that once one practiced this martial art and crossed its most difficult threshold, the road ahead became smooth and unobstructed. Cultivation would progress with fierce momentum, allowing one to shed one's mortal frame and exchange one's bones in an extremely short time, becoming an expert.

Lin Pingzhi was one example. His martial arts had been abysmal, yet after cultivating Bixie Swordplay, he had been able to defeat experts of Yu Canghai and Mu Gaofeng's caliber one after another. Its marvels were plain to see.

Come to think of it, even Zuo Lengchan, one of the three great masters of the righteous path, had been ambushed and blinded by Bixie Swordplay.

At most, Duàn Yì was currently an incomplete, ultra-low-spec version of Zuo Lengchan. Facing an inheritor of Bixie Swordplay in a duel, he truly had no confidence.

Seeing Duàn Yì remain silent after pondering for so long, Liu Zhiwei, unaware of his thoughts, assumed he was still considering it and added,

"I have met this Lin Bohui once at the Ruan Family residence. His internal cultivation is not particularly profound, only at the first level of Qi Nourishing.

"I have also heard that he is lustful and fond of women, frequents brothels, and is not especially diligent in his sword practice. Duàn Yì, you need not worry too much."

Liu Zhiwei wanted to strengthen Duàn Yì's resolve to accept the battle so that the matter of the Ruan Family could be resolved quickly, easing one of his concerns.

Yet these words only left Duàn Yì deeply puzzled. He narrowed his eyes and curiously asked,

"This man is lustful and frequents brothels? Deputy Sect Leader Liu, are you trying to deceive me?"

A eunuch visiting a brothel was simply the joke of the century.

Could this Lin Bohui be doing it to fool others? Or perhaps he was not practicing Bixie Swordplay at all, but was merely a fraud putting on a show?

"Why would I deceive you? He truly is like that. It is said that before and after every major battle, he spends the night in a brothel. His energy is extraordinarily vigorous, and busybodies have even given him the nickname Pink Swordsman."

A thought suddenly arose in Duàn Yì's mind. His expression grew solemn as he stared at Liu Zhiwei, cupped his fists, and said,

"Sect Leader Liu, please tell me every piece of information you know about this man in as much detail as possible. Perhaps I can accept this battle."

Since he needed something from Liu Zhiwei, Duàn Yì no longer called him Deputy Sect Leader and addressed him directly as Sect Leader, hoping the man would offer more useful information for his consideration.