Liu Xianyang showed up today without a sword at his waist or on his back, empty-handed.
He had actually wanted to carry a sword, if only to look the part of a sword cultivator. But when he saw Chen Ping'an carrying one—and, crucially, looking rather decent while doing so—he had no choice but to abandon the idea.
Liu Xianyang stood there now, calm and composed, arms folded across his chest, not far from the archway at the mountain gate. He tilted his head up at the plaque bearing the words "Zhengyang," and the expression on his face gradually turned awkward.
Earlier, Chen Ping'an had joked with him, saying his name was well chosen—did it mean he envied Zhengyang Mountain? The remark had left Liu Xianyang dumbfounded for half a day. It disgusted him so badly that even a jug of sulking wine had not helped him recover. Zhengyang Mountain truly had committed a sin. Tomorrow, when he asked for a sword challenge, he had to offer their Patriarch Hall some advice: they ought to heed him and change their name.
Yesterday, while drinking at Guo Yun Lou, Chen Ping'an had tossed him a booklet amid their jokes and said it might come in handy for tomorrow's sword challenge. Liu Xianyang had flipped through it casually, only remembering the rough outline without taking it to heart.
As for the older generation—old Sword Immortals such as Bamboo Emperor, Xia Yuancui, Tao Yan Bo, and Yan Chu—the booklet Chen Ping'an had helped compile, that "family register," contained detailed records of their Natal Flying Swords, their styles of sword challenges, and their trump cards.
It also listed every young Sword Immortal of the younger generation, especially those most likely to appear first and accept his sword challenge: Liu Yu, Yu Lin, Wu Tijin, Yuan