Let This Old Man Have Some Peace

After marveling inwardly for a moment, Qiu Tianhe said coldly:

"Raise this saber's standing another half a notch? You?"

Ye Jingtang had written Zhe Yunli's name with a simple message in mind-there was a foolish girl dragging her mistress to the Capital City to get herself killed, so the old man should stop being stubborn, hurry up, teach him the saber art, and get out of here. He had never expected Qiu Tianhe to imagine so much.

Still, though their thoughts were ten thousand miles apart, they had reached an agreement.

Seeing Qiu Tianhe relent, Ye Jingtang declared with soaring confidence:

"Me."

Qiu Tianhe dispensed with any further grandstanding. He snorted coldly, slowly propped himself up, and lifted his chains.

"Give me the saber."

As he spoke, he looked up toward the shaft's opening.

Shang Jianli knew the rules. Rather than stay to steal the teaching, he withdrew from the underground chamber.

Clang-

Ye Jingtang flicked his finger, sending the Chi Dragon Ring-Pommel Saber flying forward. Qiu Tianhe caught it securely.

Qiu Tianhe had practiced with a saber his entire life, yet he had not touched one for almost a year. Once he gripped the hilt, a trace of nostalgia surfaced in his eyes, and his presence changed-as though an old man with one foot in the grave had instantly transformed into an unyielding pine towering between heaven and earth.

Clatter, clatter...

Amid the rattling chains, Qiu Tianhe shifted his feet, his body following the saber. His movements flowed like drifting clouds and running water, neither hurried nor slow.

Even with his body so severely weakened, the profound foundation behind his footwork and movements was plain to see.

Clatter, clatter...

Qiu Tianhe's saber art was intricate. A single move contained many motions and postures, seemingly putting every joint in his body to work.

When he finished the demonstration, Qiu Tianhe tossed the saber to Ye Jingtang and spoke with an elder's solemn authority:

"This blade is called 'Tianhe,' taking its meaning from 'Unity of Heaven and Humanity.' Its intent is the complete opposite of the Eight-Step Mad Blade and the Dragon-Slaying Order. It emphasizes the realm of intent rather than fixed moves, and follows the principle of letting things take their natural course. At mastery, its forceful strokes are like a raging river sweeping across the wilderness, its gentle strokes like a butterfly wandering among flowers... butterfly..."

His impassioned voice dwindled, then fell silent.

Qiu Tianhe had been instructing his junior like a reclusive master beyond worldly affairs, only for the young man before him to ignore every word. Ye Jingtang simply took the saber and copied the movements he had just demonstrated, drawing a tiger by tracing a cat.

At first, Qiu Tianhe thought Ye Jingtang was a hopeless case, too impatient for quick results. Without even understanding the saber's intent, he had begun drawing a tiger by tracing a cat. The closer his imitation, the further he would stray down the wrong path-because the Tianhe Blade had no fixed moves at all. Everything lay in its realm of intent.

But soon, the displeasure on Qiu Tianhe's face turned to puzzlement.

After practicing twice, Ye Jingtang realized something was wrong with the saber art Qiu Tianhe had taught him-the paths of qi circulation shifted unpredictably. At first glance, every route seemed right, yet closer examination showed that all of them led astray.

Ye Jingtang did not back himself into a corner over this strange feeling. He trusted his own judgment more. If the teaching was wrong, he would not follow the textbook. He carefully sensed how this stroke ought to be delivered, letting his feel for the saber lead the way.

"Exhale... inhale..."

The stone chamber was silent as the grave. Holding the saber in one hand, Ye Jingtang slowly repeated Qiu Tianhe's movements, each repetition slightly different.

Surprise filled Qiu Tianhe's eyes. He had not expected Ye Jingtang's comprehension to be so good. Without needing any explanation, he had found the path through the door and begun sensing the mysteries hidden within the moves.

The Tianhe Blade was not the strongest saber art in the world, but it was the hardest to learn.

The Tianhe Blade made few demands on a martial artist's physique, whereas arts such as the Dragon-Slaying Order and the Eight-Step Mad Blade were difficult for women, or even men of frailer constitution, to practice well.

The Tianhe Blade could be practiced by more people and possessed considerable power. Naturally, the price was an extremely high barrier to entry. It tested a martial artist's comprehension severely, bordering even on the mystical; a dull-witted person might study it for a lifetime without ever stepping into its inner hall.

Since Ye Jingtang had grasped the knack so quickly, getting through the door was only a matter of time. In Qiu Tianhe's estimation, three months at most... months...

Before Qiu Tianhe could finish the thought, the scene before him left him stunned.

After repeating the movements a dozen or so times with the saber in one hand, Ye Jingtang suddenly stopped, remaining utterly motionless.

The flame of the oil lamp on the wall stood straight, and the saber in Ye Jingtang's hand was as still as a solitary lamp.

When the faint disturbance caused by his breathing made the flame sway slightly, the saber in Ye Jingtang's hand trembled along with it.

Qiu Tianhe stared in astonishment. After a brief silence, he gave his wrist a slight shake.

Clatter-

A piercing scrape of metal rang through the dungeon.

Affected by Soft-Bone Incense, Qiu Tianhe retained less than a tenth of his martial prowess. Yet with only a slight lift of his right hand, the thick iron chain fastened to his wrist snapped taut, becoming a steel whip that lashed toward Ye Jingtang.

But before Qiu Tianhe struck, Ye Jingtang had already moved.

Whoosh-

Saber light flashed through the dungeon, and the wind of its passage instantly extinguished the guttering flame on the wall.

Just as Qiu Tianhe lifted the chain, a silver streak threaded through its middle, locking it before it could pull taut. The saber's tip stopped precisely at the point where his elbow exerted force, piercing his prison clothes without harming even a fraction of his skin.

Clatter-

Deprived of its force, the chain fell to the floor again. The noise ceased abruptly, and the chamber went dark.

Shhhk...

Ye Jingtang slowly sheathed the saber, took a fire striker from his waist, and walked toward the oil lamp, praising:

"What an excellent saber art. If the enemy stays still, I stay still; if the enemy moves, I move first. By sensing the opponent's slightest changes, you dismantle their moves and counterattack in advance, always remaining one step ahead. The elder who created this art must have been an extraordinary person with an ordinary physique, but a comprehension that shone unrivaled across the ages..."

Not a sound answered him in the stone chamber.

Qiu Tianhe's eyes held utter disbelief. Only after a moment did he ask:

"Why do you know the Tianhe Blade?"

"Hm?"

Ye Jingtang lit the oil lamp with his fire striker, then glanced over to find Qiu Tianhe staring blankly at him. He blinked.

"Didn't you just teach it to me, Hero Qiu?"

"I just taught you..."

Qiu Tianhe nearly said the same thing Luo Ning had. But having witnessed Ye Jingtang's Eight-Step Mad Blade last time, he already held him in very high regard. In the end, he recovered, nodded slightly, and waved his right hand.

"Go on out. Let this old man have some peace."

"Could I have misunderstood it?"

"No. A master leads you through the door; cultivation rests with the individual. Go back and practice on your own. Unless you have business here, don't come disturbing my secluded cultivation."

"The Tianhe Blade has only this one move?"

"The Tianhe Blade seeks the realm of intent and counts as an internal art. Put simply, it's a backhand saber stroke, but it changes in countless ways without any fixed form. What's more, the older it grows, the more uncanny it becomes. You've only glimpsed the tip of the iceberg. Don't underestimate this saber art. Once you've practiced it long enough, you'll understand its overwhelming power."

Ye Jingtang felt that the Tianhe Blade was indeed profound. Though his first impression was that it was not as powerful as the saber art his adoptive father had taught him, its intricacies were several orders of magnitude greater. Its potential was immense, and he still needed to study and comprehend it carefully.

With that thought, Ye Jingtang cupped his hands and bowed.

"Thank you for your generous instruction, Hero Qiu. If I encounter anything I don't understand in the future, I hope you'll offer me guidance. I'll take my leave now."

"Ah..."

Qiu Tianhe desperately wanted to say, I'll count myself lucky if you don't end up teaching me, never mind me teaching you.

But those words would have damaged his bearing as a grandmaster too badly. In the end, he said nothing, merely leaning against the wall and shutting himself away...