"It is my honor to witness such swordsmanship here, as long as I haven't disturbed your Sword Practice." Prince Qing laughed heartily.
Gu Yuanqing's eyes lit up when he saw two loads of luggage beside Prince Qing. "Your Highness, what are these?"
"I heard you enjoyed reading, so I had some books brought over before leaving. I didn't know what kinds you liked, so I had them prepare a little of everything."
Gu Yuanqing beamed. "Thank you, thank you. How thoughtful of you, Your Highness. I like any kind of book. Life in the mountains is quiet and lonely; having books for company in my spare time is a pleasure in itself."
The Prince laughed. "As long as you like them. Changyan, carry them inside for Young Master Gu."
"I couldn't possibly trouble the Heir Apparent. Let me do it myself."
Prince Qing said, "Come now, a little exercise is good for young people."
Li Changyan said nothing. He extended both arms, took a carrying pole in each hand, and effortlessly carried the books into Gu Yuanqing's house.
Seeing this, Gu Yuanqing could only thank him. Then he recalled what Prince Qing had said earlier. "Your Highness, are you preparing to leave?"
"The new Deputy Commander of Divine Eagle Guard, Yuan Yingsong, has arrived, and the Demon Realm Seal has been repaired. It's time to return. I came today to say goodbye."
Gu Yuanqing was not surprised. Every melody ended, and every gathering dispersed. Today, members of the Sects in the mountains had begun leaving one after another, and North Spring Mountain was slowly emptying out.
"Then I wish you a smooth journey, Your Highness. If you have some free time someday, you can come back to North Spring Mountain and catch up."
Prince Qing smiled. "Does that count as an invitation? Very well. When I have time, I'll come stay in the mountains. It's actually more comfortable here than at the Prince's Manor."
Gu Yuanqing smiled. "You're welcome anytime, Your Highness."
"As I asked last time, do you have any message for the Gu Family? As long as it doesn't violate the Imperial Decree, I can deliver it for you."
Gu Yuanqing fell silent for a moment. Both his parents had died when he was young, and he had no aptitude for cultivation. Knowing the treacherous nature of life within the Prince's Manor, he had never fought or competed for anything there. As a concubine's son, he had been all but invisible, hoping only to receive a holding elsewhere upon coming of age and live as a wealthy gentleman. His ties to the Prince's Manor had never run deep. He said mildly, "Never mind. I've already been away for over a year. There's no need to add to anyone's troubles."
"In that case, I won't meddle." Prince Qing paused, then said, "There is one other matter I think I should warn you about."
"Please go ahead, Your Highness."
"Your Sword-Riding Art that night caused too great a commotion, and quite a few people witnessed it. Although I ordered them to keep silent, news will inevitably leak out. Outsiders may not know it was you, but you should still be cautious in your daily life."
"Why is that?"
"This is North Spring Mountain. Legend has it that the North Spring Sword Sect possesses a secret sword that points straight to Beyond Grandmaster."
Gu Yuanqing's expression grew a little solemn. He had forgotten about that. But then he smiled. "Thank you for the warning, Your Highness. However, my cultivation has nothing to do with that secret sword."
Seeing that Gu Yuanqing did not seem particularly concerned, Prince Qing warned him again. "Whether it has anything to do with it isn't important. What matters is what others think. Beyond Grandmaster could draw cultivators from across the world like ducks flocking to water."
"Ordinary cultivators are naturally nothing to fear, but even Grandmasters would be tempted if they heard of it, because a Grandmaster's lifespan is two hundred years!
"Between life and death lies great terror. Even Grandmasters are no exception. Faced with life and death, some people will stop at nothing."
"Your Highness, forgive my asking, but does Great Qian have anyone at the Beyond Grandmaster level?"
Prince Qing was silent for a moment. "Those at the Beyond Grandmaster level probably wouldn't make a move over North Spring Mountain's secret sword."
Gu Yuanqing nodded. "Then I understand."
By then, Li Changyan had set everything down inside and come out carrying the poles.
"Then, Young Master Gu, until we meet again." Prince Qing cupped his hands.
"Until we meet again." Gu Yuanqing returned the salute.
Prince Qing turned to leave, with Li Changyan following behind him. But after a few steps, Li Changyan turned back. "Gu Yuanqing, you may be a Grandmaster, but if you wrong my elder sister, I, Li Changyan, won't let you off."
Having said that, he hurried after Prince Qing without waiting for Gu Yuanqing's response.
Prince Qing's steps briefly faltered, but he did not turn around.
Gu Yuanqing was slightly taken aback. Something felt strange, as though there were things he did not know.
Li Miaoxuan's figure surfaced in his mind, and he thought, Could Li Miaoxuan have used me as an excuse to leave the Imperial Family in pursuit of the path to immortality?
It was only a guess. But regardless, he had wronged Li Miaoxuan, while she had shown him kindness.
As the two figures receded into the distance, Li Changyan felt a little uneasy about his impulsive words. That was a Grandmaster, after all!
Yet, to his surprise, Prince Qing did not reprimand him. Perhaps he felt the same way himself.
Gu Yuanqing withdrew his gaze and chuckled despite himself. "To think that Li Changyan, born into the Imperial Family, would have such a straightforward nature."
Within two days, North Spring Mountain had fallen completely quiet. The Soldiers guarding the exit from Repentance Cliff on the rear mountain had also withdrawn.
Only the master and his two servants remained on all of North Spring Mountain.
Living at Repentance Cliff was ultimately rather uncomfortable, so Gu Yuanqing moved back to his Courtyard on the Front Mountain.
Everything in the courtyard remained as it had been. Lying in the chair there, he felt a comfort he had long missed.
Gu Yuanqing had already met the Deputy Commander of Divine Eagle Guard at the foot of the mountain, but, like Chen Chuanshan before him, the man had said nothing and merely nodded in acknowledgment.
Compared with before, the only change in the days that followed was the greater abundance of supplies.
The young eunuch who brought supplies up every fortnight still no longer spoke, but his eyes now held a hint of ingratiation.
From the Imperial Guard at the foot of the mountain, Gu Yuanqing learned that Great Qian's Princess had finally held her grand wedding. But it no longer had any effect on him.
As Li Miaoxuan had said, the woman in the Capital City was not her.
Gu Yuanqing's state of mind grew ever more peaceful, as though everything outside the mountains had ceased to concern him.
Each day, he rose in the morning to practice his sword, then observed the mountain and absorbed qi of Heaven Gang.
He read and worked out cultivation methods in the morning, then entered the Spiritual Mountain Trial in the afternoon.
At dusk, he gathered qi of Earth Sha; at night, he either practiced Sword Practice or trained in Object Control.
Afterward, he cultivated his methods and tempered his body.
When he grew tired, he observed the mountain and its myriad scenes, or went out for a walk and played with the birds and beasts. Everything followed his heart.
Without his noticing, his cultivation had climbed to the profound martial ninth layer. The profound martial wonderland manifesting around his body—the North Spring Mountain phantom—grew increasingly clear.
At the same time, the trees on North Spring Mountain grew ever lusher, and more and more creatures gathered there. Their keen, innate senses told them that staying in this mountain brought many benefits.
Spiritual herbs and medicinal plants rarely found elsewhere quietly sprouted and grew.
Had there been instruments to measure it, they would have revealed that the mountain had unknowingly grown several meters taller!
At noon that day, Gu Yuanqing emerged from the Spiritual Mountain Trial with a trace of joy in his eyes. He had finally slain Kong Shengbing, the North Spring Sword Sect Leader, who had stood in his path like a great mountain for nearly a month.
This also meant that even outside the bounds of North Spring Mountain, he was now almost invincible beneath Grandmaster.
Still, he had no thought of leaving the mountain. There were few people below worth missing, and his years in the mountains were peaceful. Why step into the surging dust of the mortal world and endure the tempering of human affairs?
Meanwhile, news of sword control appearing on North Spring Mountain quietly leaked out and reached the ears of those who were watching.
In Great Qian's Longbei Province, inside a cave in the deepest part of Star Sea Valley,
an old man whose face was as wrinkled as a shar-pei's, looking like a withered tree on the verge of decay, sat cross-legged on a jade bed. With trembling hands, he lifted a bowl of pure yang child blood taken from a child nourished on spiritual medicines and gulped it down in great mouthfuls.
A short while later, the wrinkles on his face seemed to have diminished somewhat, and his hands no longer trembled.
Below him, a middle-aged man knelt at the foot of the jade bed.
"Ancestor, there is news of the North Spring Mountain secret sword you instructed your grandson to watch!"
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