Bai Shuyan was on his way to conduct an exchange visit.
As the Tianyang Sect's fourth elder and head of the Tianyang Martial Dao Academy's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bai Shuyan had finally gotten truly busy over the past month or so.
His leisurely days were gone, never to return.
The Wang Lineage, Song Province.
The Wang Lineage was a renowned martial arts lineage in Song Province, its Wang Lineage Hegemon Spear famed throughout the province.
When the Wang Lineage's ancestor first created the Wang Lineage Hegemon Spear, he had been a Second Rank expert. His descendants were dull-witted, however, and by now, the old Wang Lineage's head was only in the Fourth-Rank Realm.
Still, in a place as impoverished in martial arts as the Eastern Realm, someone in the Fourth-Rank Realm counted as a local martial hero.
The Wang Lineage's head was over sixty. His eldest daughter was thirty-three, already a charming young married woman. Her maiden name was Wang Xiangyi, and she, too, was in the Fourth-Rank Realm, with a mastery of the Hegemon Spear that had reached the realm of the sublime.
Old Fourth stood in the Wang Lineage's rear courtyard, a great spear pressed against his throat.
Bai Shuyan looked at the coldly gleaming Hegemon Spear against his throat. Its tip still trembled slightly, revealing its owner's turbulent feelings.
Yet there was not a trace of panic on his face. Instead, he revealed a gentle smile of reminiscence and sighed softly.
"Xiangyi, after all these years, your 'Phoenix Nods' is still just as fierce. Only... there's less killing intent, and more charm instead."
Wang Xiangyi clenched her teeth lightly, the great spear trembling in her hands.
As the current heir to the Wang Lineage's leadership, her still-charming, lovely face was frosty as she gritted out, "Bai Shuyan!
"You heartless, faithless bastard! You actually dared set foot through my Wang Lineage's gates? Believe it or not, I'll put a hole clean through you with this spear!"
Back when Bai Shuyan had descended the mountain as a youth to roam the martial world, young and reckless as he was, he truly could not bear to part with a single one of his little sisters.
But fate toyed with people, and now, though things remained, the people had changed.
Though the cold wind from the spear tip had already broken the skin before his Adam's apple, he still acted as if he saw nothing, staring into Wang Xiangyi's beautiful eyes. "I believe you. Of course I do."
Bai Shuyan neither dodged nor retreated. He even leaned forward a fraction, frightening Wang Xiangyi into hastily pulling her spear back an inch, a trace of panic flashing through her eyes.
Old Fourth secretly rejoiced, then said with deep affection and sorrow, "But I believe even more that you've always had a sharp tongue and a soft heart, Xiangyi. Look, aren't I standing before you perfectly unharmed?"
He paused, then continued with a sincere gaze, "Back then, I was young and reckless, and didn't know how to cherish what I had. But do you think I didn't want to come marry you with a bridal sedan carried by eight men?
"Only fate was to blame for toying with us.
"Having seen the vast sea, no other waters could compare...
"One meeting amid golden wind and jade dew surpassed countless encounters in the mortal world.
"If love between two hearts endures, why must they be together every morning and evening...
"You know I was being hunted back then. I had no choice but to leave!
"But Xiangyi, I never forgot you.
"Look..."
Unhurriedly, he drew a neatly folded pale-purple embroidered handkerchief from his robes. Its edges were worn, and a few stalks of green bamboo could faintly be seen embroidered upon it. "You gave me this back then. You said I was always sweating and told me to wipe it off. It's stayed with me all these years, never leaving my side for a moment."
Wang Xiangyi's gaze shifted slightly, and her grip on the spear shaft unconsciously loosened a little. She recognized that embroidered handkerchief. It was indeed her needlework from her girlhood.
"You..."
Bai Shuyan struck while the iron was hot, immediately changing the subject and putting his silver tongue to work. "Xiangyi, the past is like smoke. Let's set it aside for now. I didn't come today to reminisce about our old love. You're already married. I know there's long since been no possibility for us...
"But even after breaking up, we can still be friends, can't we?"
"I..."
"I'm sure you know about the Tianyang Daily. Our sect was the one that created it.
"I didn't come this time to ruin your family.
"I know the past can't be recovered, but we did love each other, after all.
"Everything in the Tianyang Daily is true. Do you understand what I mean?"
At some point, Wang Xiangyi's hand had lowered. Looking at the faithless man before her, her feelings were complicated.
To say she did not hate him would have been a lie.
To cut him into a thousand pieces seemed beyond her, too.
She sighed, thinking of the newspapers she had read before, all copies of the Tianyang Daily brought over from Yu Province.
At present, the Tianyang Daily's business already covered all of Yu Province. Song Province still had no large-scale newspapers, only small workshops, most of which were imitators.
They copied the Tianyang Daily's model, but their content did not seem up to much.
She also knew about the Tianyang Martial Dao Academy's recruitment.
Unbelievable!
They had recruited two thousand disciples at once. Could they teach them all?
She was not the only one who doubted it. Most people in the Eastern Realm's martial world were skeptical of the matter.
Recruiting two thousand disciples at once, and doing so every year, at that.
If it were a great sect in the Northern Realm or Central Realm, perhaps it might be possible.
Phoenix Cry City, Yu Province, in the Eastern Realm?
Hah!
But now the Tianyang Sect's fourth elder was right here. Her feelings had actually faded long ago, and she was indeed rather interested in the Tianyang Sect.
Putting her spear away, she looked at Bai Shuyan and said, "Let whatever feelings we had between us go."
"Xiangyi, it's wonderful that you can think that way!"
"Cut the nonsense. Tell me what exactly your Tianyang Sect is trying to do, and just what you've come to my Wang Lineage for."
Bai Shuyan nodded and took a form from his pocket.
"I really have come to bring your Wang Lineage an opportunity, and a future."
He unfolded the form, handed it to Wang Xiangyi, and spoke with easy confidence.
He painted a dazzling picture of the Tianyang Martial Dao Academy's model, its educational philosophy, and the potential of its soon-to-graduate first cohort, placing particular emphasis on the practical combat skills and tenacious character cultivated by its competitive system.
He stressed that these were all ideas from his junior brother, the sect master. After finishing his introduction, he continued:
"Think about it, Xiangyi." He stepped closer and lowered his voice as if sharing a secret. "Your Wang Lineage Hegemon Spear commands awe throughout Song Province, but training your lineage's children still takes time, doesn't it?
"And disciples with other surnames need to have their loyalty and character assessed, don't they?
"The disciples who come out of our Tianyang Academy have sound roots and proper backgrounds. They've received systematic training, understand the rules, and know when to advance or retreat. Most importantly-they can fight! And you won't have to raise them from childhood. They'll be ready to work!"
"After graduation, wouldn't they be more reliable as guards for your Wang Lineage than people recruited on the open market?
"As escort guards, wouldn't they strengthen your Wang Lineage's escort agency?
"And if any possess both talent and good character, you could accept them as disciples of another surname and pass on some of the essence of your Wang Lineage Hegemon Spear. Wouldn't that add bricks and tiles to your Wang Lineage, infusing it with fresh blood?"
Wang Xiangyi considered it. Train them for a year free of charge, then proactively offer them to other forces? She snorted coldly. "Your words sound prettier than a song. Who knows whether you're here to trick-"
"Cooperation! Purely commercial cooperation!" Bai Shuyan immediately raised his hand in an oath. "The academy has just been founded. We only want to secure a future for the children. As you've seen, our teaching department is the Tianyang Martial Dao Academy, not the Tianyang Sect.
"The Tianyang Sect naturally wouldn't work for other forces for nothing, nor would it feed nourishment to other forces.
"But the Tianyang Martial Dao Academy is different. It says so right here.
"We're a martial dao academy. Our teaching is purely to give poor children a future.
"After graduation, their future lies not in my Tianyang Sect, but with you.
"Your Wang Lineage is powerful and needs precisely this kind of fresh blood. We each get what we need, to our mutual benefit. Xiangyi, publicly speaking, this is a good thing that will strengthen your Wang Lineage. Privately..."
He blinked. "Couldn't you consider it lending a hand to an old friend who's worried himself sick over his students?"
Wang Xiangyi stared at him for a long while, seemingly weighing the pros and cons, yet also seeming to look through him at that absurd stretch of youth. Finally, she flicked her wrist, and the spear returned to the weapon rack beside her with a clang.
"Hmph, what a glib tongue!
"Oh, fine...
"For... for the sake of that handkerchief, and because you really are here on proper business, we can discuss cooperation."
"I knew you'd be cultured and reasonable, Xiangyi." Bai Shuyan's smile was radiant, like a spring breeze brushing past. "I'll leave all the arrangements to you, Head Wang!"
After that, Old Fourth smoothly entered the Wang Lineage's gates and met Wang Xiangyi's father.
After the introduction, Old Fourth explained why he had come.
"Rest assured, Senior. Our martial dao academy's graduation season will be next June. You can come to our Tianyang Martial Dao Academy ahead of time to select outstanding graduating disciples.
"Those disciples will have a graduation martial tournament. You can make your own selections then and pick the outstanding talents you want.
"And rest assured, Senior, given my relationship with Xiangyi, I'll prepare a list of outstanding graduates in advance. You can approach them early and offer your terms. As for whether they're willing..."
"I understand, I understand. Thank you for the trouble, Fourth Elder." Old Wang was quite courteous.
His daughter was discourteous because the two had once been lovers.
He himself had to be courteous. After all, the Tianyang Sect was a long-established sect, with a Third Rank Realm sword immortal presiding over it.
"Ah, Senior, don't mention it. If I'd only held firm a little longer back then, perhaps now..."
Wang Xiangyi shot him a glare, and Old Fourth hurriedly shut his mouth.
And so, amid the spear point and embroidered handkerchief of these former lovers, a preliminary understanding was reached on an agreement to supply graduates from the Tianyang Martial Dao Academy to the Wang Lineage of Song Province.