Rumors Like Blades

"Hey! Are you really not going to accept the Challenge Letter?" Han Chanjuan asked as they walked.

"Mm... do you think I'm a coward?" He An asked with a smile.

"Tch... what's that got to do with me? But people will look down on you for acting like this. You'd better think it through," Han Chanjuan said, raising her voice, her eyelashes fluttering and her cheeks faintly pink.

"Thanks for the warning. So many people came to ask me about it in the classroom earlier. How come... you didn't?" He An asked with a smile.

"Mm... I was going to, but there were so many people around you. Then I saw Ding Wenruo run over to talk to you too, so I changed my mind. As if I cared enough to go!" Han Chanjuan knitted her delicate brows and clenched her little white teeth, pretending not to care.

Watching her look so charming whether pleased or annoyed, He An's smile grew brighter. "To tell you the truth, I'll definitely accept the Challenge Letter, and I'm going to beat that arrogant bastard!"

"Oh! Now that's how you ought to be. My grandfather always says that a man riding across the battlefield must keep accepting challenges to grow stronger. To wish you victory as soon as your banner flies, you can treat me to a meal. You pick the day." Dimples flickered on Han Chanjuan's cheeks as she smiled, her eyes curving into crescents.

"That's just what I wanted, but I wouldn't have dared ask!" He An smiled and said gently, "It's not every day that you're willing to honor me with your company, young miss. Give me a little time, and I'll take you out especially."

Han Chanjuan nodded. They chatted and laughed all the way to the gates of the Knowledge and Practice Institute, where He An watched her climb into the carriage that brought her to and from the institute each day.

He An turned around and saw Fan Dazhi trailing slowly behind him at a distance. He went to meet him with light steps, and the two returned to their lodgings together. At the entrance, they happened to meet the teacher in charge of accommodation, and only then learned that their room had been changed.

Their original four-person room had been reassigned, and Bi Yunfei's accommodation had also been rearranged.

Their new lodgings were spacious, far more spacious than either He An or Fan Dazhi had imagined. The entrance opened onto a broad hall, with several chairs arranged against the wall and a weapon rack beside them, bristling with sabers, spears, swords, and halberds. A stone training weight sat on the floor. One side room held a large vat filled with clean water, a washing basin and sink, and a chamber pot screened off by a bamboo curtain.

Another side room had two beds set beside the window, along with a full complement of everyday furnishings: a table, stools, and teacups with saucers. Neither of them owned much, and the attendants had already packed their belongings into two bundles and left them on the table.

He An and Fang Dazhi unpacked their things and sat on their beds. Gazing at the tangled, withered vines outside the window, their spirits brightened. One word from the Academy Head, and they would have private quarters from now on.

After dinner, the two began cultivating as usual. He An practiced Graceful Swan Swordsmanship several times in the hall. The swordsmanship was exquisitely intricate, and there were still moves he could not fully comprehend. Even so, when he tried channeling true qi into them, sword light flashed through the hall, accompanied by rolling sounds of wind and thunder. He An snapped the long sword straight with a flick of his wrist. The blade rang out in a long cry, then broke in two.

He An was delighted inwardly, though he kept lamenting the loss aloud. An entire sword had been ruined just like that. Fortunately, the weapon rack held plenty of blades. He bent down, picked up the broken sword, and carefully placed it in a corner. Then he drew another long sword from the rack, but did not dare mobilize his true qi again, instead repeatedly studying the sword moves.

Only late into the night did He An return to the side room and wash his face in the chilly moonlight. His clothes had been soaked with sweat and steamed dry again. After a night's work, he felt that his understanding of Graceful Swan Swordsmanship had advanced another step.

Sitting on his bed, he silently began practicing the cultivation method Uncle He had taught him. Moonlight spilled through the window like water. The tangled, withered vines suddenly trembled, and a dry, yellowed leaf rose into the air, drifting slowly toward the top of He An's head with the Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy...

"Hmm...?" Fan Dazhi suddenly rolled over and sat up, staring blankly at the dead leaf floating in the moonlight. After gazing at it in a trance for a long while, he murmured, "Drifting free... coalescing, yet not gathering... gathering and scattering at the heart's command... could it be...?"

His eyes shone in the darkness as he muttered something unintelligible.

Normally, they never disturbed each other while cultivating. He An had already entered a meditative state. He felt countless threads of Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy flowing slowly into his body. The dantian in his lower abdomen burned hot, while currents of true qi, sometimes scorching and sometimes cool, coursed through the meridians throughout his body, stirring an indescribably wondrous sensation. He did not know how much time passed before his dantian grew swollen and full, as though a breakthrough were approaching.

Early the next morning, He An was startled by Fan Dazhi's appearance. The fellow had two dark circles under his eyes, as if he had not slept all night. He looked utterly listless and kept yawning.

"Dazhi, are you feeling ill? How did you end up looking like this?" He An asked with concern.

"I... I'm fine!" Fan Dazhi answered dispiritedly, looking deeply aggrieved and innocent.

They locked their door. The early winter weather was clear and cold, and the morning sunlight offered not a trace of warmth. They followed the frost-covered path to the dining room for breakfast. From a distance, they saw Sun Biao standing at the entrance with his arms folded. At the sight of He An, he raised an eyebrow, lifted his chin, and sneered.

Just as he had yesterday, He An remained expressionless and refused the Challenge Letter offered to him. Sun Biao tugged aside the fox fur covering his cheeks, revealing a face as fierce as his name suggested. A contemptuous sneer curled his lips, and he spat hard onto the ground.

Naturally, the students coming and going for their meals saw the whole scene clearly. Before long, every student in the Knowledge and Practice Institute knew the entire story.

All sorts of ugly versions began circulating. Many people started mocking He An's cowardice, and as he walked along, people began pointing and whispering behind his back. Yet he remained perfectly composed, seemingly not taking any of it to heart.

During this time, Lu Zhengqing also approached He An, offering to help stop Sun Biao from continuing these pointless challenges. He An thanked him but politely declined.

For many days in a row, Sun Biao relentlessly presented He An with the Challenge Letter at different places, different times, and on different occasions. Without exception, He An continued to refuse.

In this world, many things became addictive if you did them long enough. Music, for instance. Gambling, for instance. Issuing Challenge Letters, for instance. Or... cultivating!

He An and Fan Dazhi had gradually become addicted to cultivation. For over ten days straight, aside from attending classes and going out to eat, they barely set foot outside their lodgings, training hard day and night.

He An had become thoroughly proficient in Graceful Swan Swordsmanship and had even exchanged moves with a swordsmanship teacher from the Martial Institute. But against the teacher's wealth of practical combat experience, he still found himself at a disadvantage, only occasionally getting the better of him for a move or two.

He knew well that the way of the sword was profoundly difficult. Many great sword masters devoted their entire lives to it before approaching mastery. In no hurry, he began slowly studying the "Spirit-Shocking Finger" manual.

Fan Dazhi had been acting rather strangely lately. He An rarely saw him practicing; most of the time, the fellow seemed to be meditating with his eyes closed. At night, He An seldom heard his familiar snores anymore, while during the day, he often sported two dark circles like a giant panda, as though he never got a good night's sleep. Silent as a sealed gourd, he followed He An out to classes and meals each day, then returned to their room to sleep, sit in meditation, and ponder.

Just as He An was considering whether he ought to find a doctor to examine the fellow, Fan Dazhi suddenly pulled him away one night while he was practicing the "Cloud-Riding Hand" in the hall. With a mysterious air, he led He An into the side room, sat down at the table, and stared at the teacup on it in a daze.

He An looked puzzled and was just about to ask what was going on when an unbelievable scene unfolded before his eyes!

A teacup rose into the air all by itself. Tracing an elegant arc, it shot past the rafters at incredible speed, tumbled through two loops in midair, and finally settled slowly back onto the table. As it landed with a clatter, Fan Dazhi said in relief, "Xiao An, I've finally figured it out!"

"Divine Sense control?"

Seeing the shock on He An's face, Fan Dazhi burst into triumphant laughter, then lowered his voice. "This... is really fun. You know, lately I've been extending my divine sense every night. It's just like having another pair of eyes. I can see all sorts of things outside perfectly clearly."

He picked up the teacup, poured himself some tea, and gulped it down before continuing, "There's an owl in that big tree not far from our window. Over the last few nights, it's caught seven mice. And another thing... that fellow with pimples on his face in the front row of dormitories, um... the one who can draw, the boy who sits in front of you-he actually likes Ding Wenruo! I saw him hiding in his room at night, secretly drawing her portrait..." At this point, Fan Dazhi laughed again, unable to contain his delight.

"You can actually see that far with your divine sense?" He An was astonished all over again, shaken to the core.

"At first, I could only probe about three zhang around me with my divine sense. After all this time experimenting, I can probably reach... the Nursery on our way to the Dining Hall," Fan Dazhi said after giving it serious thought.

He An drew in a sharp breath. That was nearly a hundred zhang away. Without a word, this fellow had cultivated his divine sense to such a level. No wonder he always had dark circles lately. He had been tirelessly practicing this at night, reveling in it.

"How did you manage it?" He An looked at his good friend's broad forehead and, for the first time, found the fellow truly rather incredible.

"I don't know either. I'd only just gained a tiny bit of insight into that 'Primordial Energy Manifestation' manual, so I tried extending my divine sense outward. Then I saw a mouse crawling past the window..." Fan Dazhi scratched his head and answered sheepishly.

Then he seemed to remember something else. With a slightly lecherous look, he lowered his voice and said, "Past the Nursery on the way to the Dining Hall, about a hundred zhang to the right, I think that's... the Female Dormitory. Heh heh heh..."

He An froze, then fixed him with a piercing stare. "What are you planning? Using your divine sense to... peep?"

Fan Dazhi's face reddened. He rubbed his head and chuckled again.

He An said sternly, "Dazhi, don't go getting such filthy ideas. If an inspection instructor catches you, the punishment will definitely be much harsher than for stealing food from the Dining Hall. You'll drag me into the disgrace too. With divine sense that strong, you could control a flying sword."

Fan Dazhi wiped the slightly lecherous expression off his face and sat up straight, looking every inch an upright gentleman. "Would I be that sort of person, brother? I... don't like sabers or swords. I just think this is fun."

Propping his elbows on the table, he rested his round chin in his hands. A rare trace of worry crossed his plump, boyish face as he added, "Xiao An, can you really beat that Sun Biao?"

He An pondered for a moment, then said, "I'm not certain I can win either. I can only do my best. But it won't be so easy for him to beat me. My uncle often says that on the martial path, talent comes first and diligence second. The cultivation arts of this world aren't divided into high and low, but those who practice them are divided into good and evil. Even if your skill falls short of someone else's, as long as you recognize your own shortcomings, sooner or later you can surpass him..."