Three Silences in the Sword Hall

Those words were very puzzling. With no real logical connection, they seemed to have neither head nor tail.

It was unclear whether Liu S sui had understood them. In any case, he did not answer Jing Jiu's question.

He lowered his head and pressed his lips together, refusing to speak even if beaten to death. He looked like a stubborn child who had done something wrong but would die before admitting it. The trouble was, the more a child behaved like this, the more certain his parents became that he had done something wrong.

Just as everyone knew that he had certainly understood Jing Jiu's words.

Jing Jiu did not ask him again.

The next day, when Jing Jiu woke from his spring slumber, S sui fetched water for him to wash his face, then combed his hair.

The wooden comb slid through his jet-black hair.

S sui began to speak, then stopped. After hesitating for a long while, he finally gathered his courage and said, "Young master, the senior brothers have a lot of difficult questions too. They'd like you to take a look."

Jing Jiu turned to glance at him.

With his head lowered, S sui said, "Yesterday, we were discussing some difficult questions. After you taught me last night, I went back and told them. They still had some questions. I could answer some, but there were others I didn't understand either, so..."

Jing Jiu was not surprised. S sui had always been a warmhearted child. Since Jing Jiu had not forbidden him to pass it on last night, this was the inevitable result.

Such were the rules of the Green Mountain Sect. Outer disciples could rarely obtain much guidance or help from their teachers and elders. They could only struggle forward through their own understanding and diligence, so they treasured any opportunity to have their questions answered.

"That's a bit troublesome..." Jing Jiu sighed.

Noticing that he was not very angry, S sui knew there was a chance and hurriedly said, "Back in the village, when we didn't understand what we were reading, weren't you willing to teach us too?"

"That's true. For the sake of how attentively you've served me, and... it really is boring. Besides, if I don't show something soon, I'm afraid I really will be driven away."

Jing Jiu seemed to be talking to himself, but his gaze remained on S sui.

Only then did S sui realize that Jing Jiu had already guessed his intention, and he lowered his head in embarrassment.

Jing Jiu patted his head and said, "You're still a child. Just concentrate on cultivating from now on. Don't think too much about other things."

S sui thought, You're not much older than me, so why do you always like speaking like an elder?

Walking into the Sword Hall, Jing Jiu saw several young disciples.

These young disciples had also been in the Sword Hall yesterday. Since they could discuss matters concerning the Embracing Spirit Realm with Liu S sui, they were probably among the more talented outer disciples of this intake.

Their expressions were somewhat awkward as they looked at Jing Jiu.

They had contributed their share to the mockery directed at Jing Jiu on the cliff terrace at South Pine Pavilion these past days.

-You're an idiot at cultivation, yet your book boy is a genius. With your positions turned upside down, how do you still have the face to stay here?

Now, those remarks felt like heavy slaps across their own faces, leaving them burning.

Not everyone present was waiting for Jing Jiu to resolve their doubts. Xue Yongge, for instance, was not.

Xue Yongge's great-uncle was an elder of Shiyue Peak, the sixth peak. He had been exposed to cultivation since childhood, and the introductory Method Formula was not particularly difficult for him. Looking at Jing Jiu, he sneered, "Just because your family is rich and powerful and you've read a few books, you think you can point out how the world should be run? Which of you is the innate Dao Seed, anyway?"

Jing Jiu ignored him and looked at the young disciples. "Go ahead."

Being ignored made Xue Yongge even angrier. He was about to make a few more mocking remarks when he suddenly saw Liu S sui's eyes.

Those eyes were clear and still held a childish innocence, but at that moment they seemed exceptionally focused, with a hint of ferocity, like a tiger cub staring at its prey.

For some reason, Xue Yongge felt a chill. He knew Liu S sui was an innate Dao Seed whom the sect was making a priority of nurturing. If he caused a scene, he would certainly gain nothing from it. He could only give two cold laughs and let the matter drop, then turn and leave the Sword Hall.

Jing Jiu had paid no attention whatsoever to Xue Yongge's words, nor had he noticed the change in Liu S sui's gaze. Seeing that the young disciples were still staring blankly, he prompted them again. "Questions?"

Only then did the young disciples come to their senses.

Had they not heard Liu S sui admit in person last night that Jing Jiu had answered all those difficult questions, they would never have sought his guidance. But they were all single-minded in their pursuit of the Dao. Once they had made their decision, they hesitated no longer, and soon handed over the sheets of paper they had prepared in advance, their manner very polite.

Jing Jiu took the papers, read through them very quickly, then raised his head to look at everyone. "You don't understand all these?"

His tone was very level. He placed no emphasis on "all," and there was no mockery in it.

By "all," he meant the entirety, not that it was surprising.

Yet that level tone, combined with the puzzlement in his eyes, still conveyed many things that were difficult to put into words.

It seemed that he genuinely found it difficult to understand how people could be stumped by the questions on those sheets.

In other words, he found it hard to imagine that such a stupid person existed in the world-or rather, so many stupid people.

The disciples felt very uncomfortable.

Jing Jiu took out a sheet of paper and looked up at them.

A young girl stepped forward hesitantly and said timidly, "Junior Brother Jing, I wrote that."

Without looking at her, Jing Jiu said directly, "Your thinking here is wrong. At your current realm, you don't need to think too much about the relationship between the Spirit Sea and the Sword Fruit yet. Otherwise, it will affect your early understanding of how true essence circulates and lead you astray. As for 'thus should it be contemplated,' I'll write that out for you later."

Then he took out the second sheet.

A male disciple raised his right hand somewhat nervously.

Jing Jiu still did not look up at him. Reading the question on the paper, he said, "When the Method Formula speaks of drawing the heavenly spring down through the crown, it doesn't mean drawing in the primal energy of heaven and earth. It means connecting body and intent. Only then can you sense the primal energy of heaven and earth. You haven't even accomplished this step, yet you want your Divine Sense to leave your body. Of course that's wrong. As for exactly how to do it, I'll draw you a diagram later."

Then he took out the third sheet.

"You've misunderstood what this sentence means. It's impossible."

"You've got it completely wrong. The Dao Seed will wither and die."

"You've drawn the meridian diagram wrong. It will leave you paralyzed."

"The beginning is correct, but the latter part is wrong."

"The beginning is wrong, so naturally the latter part is wrong too."

"From beginning to end, you haven't got anything right."

Jing Jiu's voice echoed through the quiet Sword Hall.

The substance of these remarks sounded very blunt, even somewhat cutting, but his voice was calm-or rather, flat-with little rise or fall, and still less discernible emotion.

Yet the more it was like this, the clearer his words sounded, the more convincing they were, and the greater their destructive power.

The young disciples' heads sank lower and lower, and their faces grew redder and redder.

Why could he explain, in the simplest words, things they could not understand no matter how hard they thought, making them recognize their mistakes?

Jing Jiu walked behind the desk, took the brush Liu S sui handed him, and began writing on the paper, doing exactly what he had promised these disciples.

The disciples gathered around and watched attentively. No one spoke, and they even deliberately softened their breathing.

The Sword Hall grew quieter still.

The morning light gradually brightened, and the rising sun emerged above the peaks.

A voice rang out.

"What are you doing?"

Master Lü walked into the Sword Hall. Looking at the scene, he frowned slightly, then turned his gaze to Jing Jiu, who stood surrounded by everyone, and said, "And what are you doing?"