After returning to Three Thousand Courtyard from Dayuan City, Ping Yongjia had stayed seated on the bridge, some distance from everyone else.
Hugging his knees, he gazed into the distance in the breeze, imitating loneliness, until the conversation turned to Gu Qing's elopement. Unable to resist saying something, he received another scolding from Zhuo Rusui.
After that, he withdrew even further into himself and said nothing. Everyone seemed to have forgotten he was there.
In truth, everyone knew the reason for his supposed withdrawal and their supposed forgetfulness.
Ping Yongjia was the Sword Spirit of One Sword for All Things. When True Person Jingyang had transferred his life into the sword back then, where had he gone?
-What nonsense were you imagining?
Zhao Layue and Liu S sui had not heard Jing Jiu say that. Zhuo Rusui and Yuan Qu had, but did not quite believe him. Just as Ping Yongjia had said, they all felt Jing Jiu ought to be that sort of person, someone who would spare no cost to survive and would never be swayed by morality or feelings.
Only now, as Jing Jiu spoke of those past events, did they slowly begin to learn the truth.
A sky full of stars shone over the little bridge and flowing stream. Three Thousand Courtyard was so quiet, and Jing Jiu's voice still drifted through the water.
More than a hundred years ago, when True Person Jingyang ascended, he had intended to take One Sword for All Things with him, just as True Person Taiping had promised to take Yin Phoenix and Corpse Dog.
Taking the Nondual Sword and the Unthought Sword with him would have been easy. Though their grades were high, they possessed no spiritual awareness. To take One Sword for All Things with him, however, he