I Cultivate Sword Qi

I Cultivate Sword Qi

And indeed, the moment Tang Yao announced her name, it caused an immediate uproar.

The name Hong Yuan might not have rung particularly loudly in the martial world, but among the common folk, it was known to everyone. Especially across the southern provinces, the most widely circulated storybooks all came from Hong Yuan's hand.

Her prose was delicate, and she excelled at writing tender, heartrending tales. Mixed in were rumors from every corner of the martial world that no one knew where she had unearthed, making her deeply beloved by the common people.

Especially among young ladies in their chambers, countless girls in the south passed her books from hand to hand and raced to read them. She wrote of the martial world of girls' dreams and was an idol in their hearts.

When Romance of the Sword Immortal first came out in Gongzhou City, tens of millions rushed to buy it, and for a time paper became as costly as it had in Luoyang.

Even after it was banned, people throughout Gongzhou City still secretly passed it around and copied it. The Sword Immortal's little stories stirred the entire city into a storm, making who knew how many lovesick young ladies blush in shame.

"What? You're Hong Yuan?" The student at the front was utterly astonished. Or perhaps this Hong Yuan before him was rather different from what he had imagined.

"The Hong Yuan who wrote Chronicles of the Martial World?" Questions and excited cries rose one after another from behind.

"No way! Hong Yuan actually came aboard our ship?"

"I love Bai Yujing so much, especially..."

At that moment, seven or eight female students hurried out from the cabin. The instant they saw Hong Yuan, they swarmed around her and shoved everyone else aside.

A certain Great Immortal, who had always enjoyed being the center of attention and everyone's gaze, had now been squeezed into a corner and reduced to an ordinary passerby.

Xishan Academy did not only admit men. It also had a separate branch teaching women, with quite a number of female students.

From this, it seemed Great Zhou's customs were quite open, and women's status was not low. Gao Xian had already felt this deeply in Gongzhou.

As these female students spoke now, they were full of confidence and carried themselves with easy grace.

"Hong Yuan, Master Hong Yuan, could you tell us whether Sun Baiqiu and Zhou Xing'er from Chronicles of the Martial World ended up together?" A younger round-faced girl was concerned with the ending of the story's man and woman.

Hong Yuan expertly gave the all-purpose answer. "That depends on how everyone sees it. Each person has their own different interpretation of the ending in the book."

A tall female student asked a more literary question. "What exactly was the meaning behind the final line spoken by the protagonist in Bai Yujing?"

Hong Yuan answered with perfect professionalism. "That must be analyzed through the protagonist's personality and experiences..."

"Master Hong Yuan, do the people in your books truly exist in the martial world?" Someone voiced doubts about the authenticity of Hong Yuan's stories.

Though Hong Yuan was not tall, when she spoke grandly, she possessed an imposing air and manner.

"Of course they exist. The Qiankun Sword, the Bawang Spear, Heart Sword, the Sword Saint—I'm all very familiar with them."

"We call each other brothers in the martial world. Mention my name, Hong Yuan, and who wouldn't know it?"

"Master Hong Yuan! Master Hong Yuan! Do you have any new works lately?"

At that moment, Master Hong Yuan, who loved teaching others, was joyfully expounding the Great Way to her female fans, telling them about the world within the books she had created for them.

She failed to notice that a certain Daoist in the corner was gazing leisurely at her.

Donkey Guardian General cautiously rubbed against Gao Xian's hem, its donkey eyes wide.

"Great Immortal! The case is solved, the case is solved!"

"It was this person."

All in all, Gao Xian and the other man were successfully accepted aboard the ship and embarked on the journey to River Prefecture.

After several days of sailing, they entered River Prefecture early on. Yet that day, the atmosphere aboard the ship grew somewhat heavy.

The unease came mainly not from the passengers, but from the sailors and shipowners.

At the bow, the shipowner set up an incense table and placed a pig's head upon it. He led all the sailors and deckhands in kowtowing toward the great river, muttering words under their breath as though making offerings and worshipping some deity.

It drew the passengers' attention.

Master Hong Yuan, Tang Yao, pushed open the cabin door and emerged with a group of female students she had completely won over.

The men and women were separated. The passenger cabins were given to the female students, while the men could only sleep together in the open.

Tang Yao immediately knew what was happening. "We've entered River Prefecture, but this stretch is not peaceful. River demons have been causing trouble here badly. The shipowner is praying to the River Demon and offering livestock sacrifices, asking it to let us pass."

"Isn't it supposed to be the River God?" A student nearby had heard the shipowner's prayer.

"What River God? Can something that specializes in eating people be called a god? Every year, river demons capsize boats and devour people in this region. What's hateful is that the demon hides beneath the water, and no one can do anything to it."

"Moreover, many villages and towns along the route worship this river demon, even offering human sacrifices to it every year. This fiend has caused no small number of tragedies." Tang Yao had the bold spirit of a martial wanderer and loved standing up for injustice.

Worried expressions appeared on everyone's faces aboard the ship. "We won't run into that river demon, will we?"

Seeing the panic spreading, Tang Yao began another torrent of eloquence.

It seemed those who wrote storybooks could boast and deceive without even blinking, but when it came to easing the mood and calming hearts, the effect was exceptional.

Tang Yao rose with her sword in hand and stood at the center of the ship before everyone, her back to the newly risen morning sun. "Do you know how I learned of the relationship between the Sword Immortal and the Two Daughters of the Li Family?"

Many had long speculated about this. Some said Hong Yuan belonged to the martial world's most powerful intelligence organization, Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, the organization that compiled the Heavenly Secrets Ranking.

Some said Hong Yuan was friends with the Sword Immortal. Others said Hong Yuan lived in Gongzhou City and knew the two daughters of the Duke of Wei's household.

Now, the male and female students of Xishan Academy aboard the ship began guessing about Hong Yuan's relationship with the Gongzhou Sword Immortal as well.

Having kept them in suspense long enough, Tang Yao turned around in the stance of a martial arts master, her gaze distant.

"Everyone knows that I, Hong Yuan, am a heroine of the martial world, wielding my sword to punish evil and uphold righteousness. Yet no one knows that I, too, came from an Immortal Gate."

Everyone present immediately revealed shocked expressions. The gazes of the female students toward Tang Yao were even filled with longing.

The Sword Immortal's story in Gongzhou City had spread for so long that everyone knew a true immortal had appeared in Gongzhou: A Sword Comes from the West, a Flying Immortal Beyond the Heavens, fire treading the long streets, a flying sword slaying demons a thousand miles away.

This was no mere martial wanderer. In an instant, he had been elevated from the martial world into the realm of myth—a mythic tale occurring in reality.

"Could it be?" Everyone involuntarily swallowed.

A calm, drifting look appeared in Tang Yao's eyes, as though she were imitating the bearing of Great Immortal Kongchenzi.

"That's right. I am also a Sword Cultivator."

"Like Cloud Heaven Monastery of Mount Lao, I possess an immortal sword inheritance."

Tang Yao casually shook the Sword Scabbard. The sword in her hand seemed to trigger some mechanism and rang without wind, faintly sliding from its sheath to reveal a thread of cold light.

"However, the Sword Immortal cultivates the Sword-flying Technique."

"What I cultivate is Sword Qi."

Hearing the sudden sword cry and seeing the renowned Master Hong Yuan, everyone present felt at ease. With such an expert traveling with them, what did it matter even if they encountered the River Demon?

In the corner, Gao Xian and the donkey both opened their mouths wide and stared at each other.

"So, there is no need for anyone to be afraid if we encounter the River Demon."

Tang Yao held the scrap of broken metal in her hand horizontally. "I, Hong Yuan, only fear that it will not come. If it comes, today shall be the day we Slay Demons and Exterminate Devils."

Cheers erupted all around. Many female students took Master Hong Yuan as their life's ideal and wanted to become someone like her.

But despite Master Hong Yuan's grand words, she knew the truth perfectly well.

Rumors of the River Demon had endured for a long time, but so many ships traveled the great river, and each year only a scant few were said to have been overturned by it. Who knew whether it was real at all?

She had traveled this route many times and had never encountered any river demon. These students were simply worrying over nothing.

Why fuss over nothing? Eat when it was time to eat, sleep when it was time to sleep. They would reach Jiangting Commandery tomorrow.

All that would spread through the martial world was that the River Demon had narrowly escaped from Heroine Hong Yuan's hand, once more carrying Heroine Hong Yuan's name in all directions.

The corners of Master Hong Yuan's lips rose.

"Everything is within my calculations."