Chen Ling'er found it a little hard to look Zhang Qingyuan in the eye. She kept feeling that the man was something of a sicko.
Last night, when she heard screams coming from the Black Lotus Sect's branch from time to time, she thought Zhang Qingyuan was in danger.
To find out what was going on, she entered that courtyard.
Chen Ling'er swore that entering that courtyard was the greatest regret of her life, bar none!
The gruesome scene inside the room made her want to vomit up all her internal organs. It was too disgusting.
Yet Zhang Qingyuan explained that a villain, a thoroughly twisted villain, should not have his throat slit with a single stroke, because that would be a reward for him, not a punishment.
To punish a demon, you had to make the demon feel despair and pain too.
She did not know whether the Black Lotus Holy Envoy had suffered, but she herself certainly had.
Zhang Qingyuan was not much better off once his anger subsided. While furious, he had wanted to hack the man into ten thousand pieces to vent his rage; once he calmed down and saw his own handiwork, even he thought it was sick.
Fuck, next time there's a job like this, I should get someone else to do it.
For wiping out the Black Lotus Sect's branch, the government office awarded five hundred taels of silver. Zhang Qingyuan gave three hundred to Chen Ling'er.
It was not that her beauty had stirred his interest and made him put on a show of generosity. Rather, he had found far more money at the Black Lotus Sect than the reward offered.
Beneath the bed in the Black Lotus Sect's main room, he had dug out a chest. The gold, silver, and jewels inside would amount to over three thousand taels of silver.
So those five hundred taels were just a splash of water.
Inside the inn, the table held braised pork, roast chicken, tomato and egg drop soup, pork stir-fried with greens, and a large carp braised in sauce.
After going without meat for so many days, Daoist Priest Zhang could finally splurge and feast to his heart's content.
As the two ate and drank, Chen Ling'er asked, "Daoist Priest Qingyuan, are you really not coming to Nanyang Commandery with me?"
Zhang Qingyuan shook his head, his mouth stuffed with meat, too occupied to speak.
"There's a peerless sword there, you know." Chen Ling'er continued tempting him with the sword.
To be honest, although she had only known Zhang Qingyuan for a little over two days, Chen Ling'er was rather reluctant to part with such a handsome young hero, a refined yet roguish Daoist priest.
If he went to Nanyang Commandery with her, they could look out for each other on the road and have someone to talk to.
Zhang Qingyuan swallowed the food in his mouth and told her, "When it comes to weapons, I personally believe that the strong don't need to rely on weapons, and those who rely on weapons can't be considered strong."
"What do you mean by that?" Chen Ling'er did not understand. In the jianghu, peerless divine weapons had always been something martial artists fought over.
"Now that's something you don't understand." Zhang Qingyuan explained, "Take swordsmen, for example. I believe a swordsman should have five realms."
"Which five?"
"The first realm is having no sword in the hand and no sword in the heart.
The second realm is having a sword in the hand but no sword in the heart.
The third realm is having a sword in the hand and a sword in the heart.
The fourth realm is having no sword in the hand but a sword in the heart.
And as for the fifth realm, having no sword surpasses having a sword."
"Having no sword surpasses having a sword..." Chen Ling'er slowly savored the words.
Zhang Qingyuan took a sip of wine. As the warm wine flowed down his throat, his heroic spirit soared sky-high. He raised one eyebrow at Chen Ling'er and said roguishly, "When your martial arts and your swordsmanship reach the point where flowers, grass, and trees can all be used to wound people, think about it. Would you still need a weapon?"
Chen Ling'er did not understand, but it sounded impressive. She felt his words were profoundly mysterious.
Just as she was about to speak, laughter suddenly came from upstairs in the inn.
"Hahaha..."
The two turned to look and saw a young man dressed like a noble scion slowly descending the stairs. He looked transcendent and unmatched, a white hair ribbon fluttering amid his hair. His blue martial attire had a touch of luxury, and the jade disc at his waist was worth a fortune, clearly no ordinary piece.
Two household servants followed behind him, both carrying swords on their backs. One also held a sword in his hands.
That sword had a white jade hilt, and even before it left its sheath, its chill could be felt.
"What a fine realm, where having no sword surpasses having a sword."
He walked over to Zhang Qingyuan, offered that praise, then cupped his hands in greeting. "I am Li Xiaodong, young master of Hidden Sword Manor. What you just said about the five realms of swordsmen resonated deeply with me, so I wished to make the acquaintance of you both."
At his introduction, Chen Ling'er was instantly delighted and hurriedly shot Zhang Qingyuan a meaningful look.
Seeing her expression, Zhang Qingyuan could not help wondering whether that was really necessary.
"This humble Daoist is Zhang Qingyuan. Qingyuan is both my name and my Daoist name."
"My name is Chen Ling'er, from the Chen Household of Songjiang Prefecture."
Li Xiaodong sat on the other side of the table, a household servant duly bringing him a stool.
"Please forgive me, young master. This humble Daoist has only just ventured out into the world. This Hidden Sword Manor is..." Zhang Qingyuan was a little embarrassed. The jianghu was still unfamiliar to him, and the few factions he knew of were those Chen Ling'er had told him about.
Hearing this, Chen Ling'er hurriedly explained for him, "Hidden Sword Manor is one of the Four Great Mountain Manors of the jianghu."
"Oh." Zhang Qingyuan smiled and inclined his body slightly toward Li Xiaodong in acknowledgment. Quite a formidable background.
"That Cloud Dust Manor we saw yesterday, compared with Hidden Sword Manor..."
Chen Ling'er said, "They aren't even worthy of carrying Hidden Sword Manor's shoes."
Now Zhang Qingyuan had a concrete impression of Hidden Sword Manor. He hurriedly said, "Young Master Li, I've long admired your name, long admired it."
"Heh." This was also Li Xiaodong's first time meeting someone so interesting. In the past, most people in the jianghu fawned over him upon learning his identity, yet this young Daoist showed no intention of currying favor.
"Where do you pursue your cultivation, Daoist priest?"
"Ah, I used to be at Three Purities Temple. Now I'm wandering the four seas."
Three Purities Temple... Li Xiaodong did not know which Three Purities Temple he meant. After all, Daoist temples enshrining the Three Pure Ones were as numerous as the hairs on an ox.
"To tell you the truth, I'm very interested in the five realms of swordsmanship you mentioned just now. Please elaborate, Daoist priest."
Zhang Qingyuan looked him up and down, smiled, and raised his wine cup. "Have a drink. After a drink, we'll count as acquainted, and we'll be friends in the jianghu from now on. I'm always happy to chat with friends."
The two attendants behind Li Xiaodong sneered inwardly. This little Daoist was quite calculating. What a crafty way to forge a connection.
Zhang Qingyuan did not know what they were thinking. He truly wanted to make more friends, but in the attendants' eyes, his behavior was an attempt to climb above his station.
Chen Ling'er was also pleasantly surprised and raised her cup along with Zhang Qingyuan. Daoist Priest Qingyuan really is amazing.
She looked expectantly at Li Xiaodong. When she saw him pour a cup of wine too, her heart filled with delight. This was Hidden Sword Manor!
The three clinked cups. Zhang Qingyuan licked his lips, looked at the two of them, and smiled.
"Do you know about the Sword Saint?"
Bullshitting was a skill every modern person possessed, and Zhang Qingyuan was no exception.
What did he know about martial philosophy? He merely summed up all the novels of the two great wuxia masters, Jin Yong and Gu Long, leaving his two listeners lost in the clouds and clicking their tongues in wonder.
Even the expressions of Hidden Sword Manor's two servants changed. They were too astonished to speak.
After three pots of wine, all four listeners were bewildered...
What were the Dugu Nine Swords?
Why did the Thirteen Deadly Swords have fifteen strikes?
What did "a heavy sword has no edge; great skill needs no artifice" mean?
This Daoist priest was so learned. He knew so much!
After the meal, Zhang Qingyuan picked his teeth and said, "Just as well. You're both going to Nanyang Commandery, one looking for a sword, the other looking for her father. I was worried about Ling'er traveling alone. Since you're going too, Brother Li, you two can travel together."
"Brother Qingyuan, are you truly not going to have a look at that peerless sword?"
Zhang Qingyuan shook his head. "I've only just ventured out into the world, so I want to travel around first. I'll visit Daoist holy sites such as Upper Yin Dao Palace, Pure Yang Palace, the Quanzhen Sect, and Dragon Tiger Mountain, read their Daoist scriptures, examine their martial arts, and properly enrich myself."
"In that case, since your aspirations lie elsewhere, Brother Qingyuan, we'll part ways here tomorrow."
"Daoist Priest Qingyuan, don't forget to come visit me at my home in Songjiang when you have time." Chen Ling'er was a little drunk.
"Don't worry. If I pass through Songjiang, I'll definitely come trouble your household."
"Then let's not go home until we're drunk today."
"All right, we won't go home until we're drunk!"
They drank until the early hours before everyone dispersed.
Not wanting to see the sadness of parting, Zhang Qingyuan quietly left alone under cover of night.
Walking drunkenly down the road, Zhang Qingyuan thought, Fuck, we've only had one drinking session together. What's with all this sentimentality?
Still, he did not go back, heading straight out of the city instead.
"First stop, Taiyin Dao Palace!"