Sword of Coming

Sword of Coming

First, it was a young man in Confucian robes ascending the city wall and using some mysterious mystical ability to instantly kill a swathe of demons.

Afterward, it was Xie Songhua unleashing blades from her sword case and comprehensively destroying the bonded flying sword of a demon sword immortal, causing the latter to fall to the Nascent Tier. In fact, even this Nascent Tier cultivation base was unstable and on the verge of falling. As such, it was difficult to say whether this demon could still be regarded as a sword cultivator in the future.

Innate sword talents were rare, after all, and it wasn’t the case that a sword cultivator with a high cultivation base could casually nurture a new bonded flying sword after their original one was destroyed. In other words, this great demon had suffered a huge loss in its exchange with Xie Songhua, and it could be said that it had lost more than just its cultivation base in this battle.

Along with this, it had also lost the many benefits that came with being a sword cultivator. Demons ultimately weren’t the same as sword cultivators from the Sword Qi Great Wall, so it would also be ridiculously difficult for them to cultivate alternative techniques and return to the Upper Five Tiers.

The attacking demons evidently faltered along the sections of the city wall guarded by Chen Ping’an, Liu Xianyang, and Qi Shou.

According to the rules of the Sword Qi Great Wall, Xie Songhua had achieved all of opportune timing, geographical advantage, and human harmony when unleashing the full power of her swords. It could be said that she had performed a remarkable feat.

This was significant military merit, and with the severely wounded demon being a most valuable sword cultivator from the Savage World, Xie Songhua had essentially killed half an Immortal Tier demon or the equivalent of a complete Unpolished Jade Tier demon. Regarding how one was rewarded, this would depend on one’s choice between these two options.

If a sword cultivator chose the former option, they would need to again kill half an Immortal Tier demon, and only then would they be able to claim the corresponding military merit. If a sword cultivator chose the latter option, they would face a small loss, but they could immediately receive money and treasures from the Lord Hidden Official.

However, it was clear that Xie Songhua was hungry for more and wanted to unleash more sword strikes.

Qi Shou sighed in grief and lamented, ”The good fortune has all been eaten up by Sword Immortal Xie. I need to play it safer now.”

He resolutely summoned his third flying sword, Jumping Spider, and established a sword formation around himself, lest he be secretly attacked by some Upper Five Tier demon sword cultivator as well. He then turned around and asked, ”Are you getting a cut of this handsome reward?”

Chen Ping’an was sitting cross-legged on the city wall, and he placed his hands on the standard sword resting horizontally across his knees before shaking his head and replying, ”No, I’m not.”

He wasn’t earning a single copper coin for acting as bait.

Liu Xianyang smiled and asked, ”Are the two of you friends?”

Chen Ping’an shook his head again.

Qi Shou chuckled coldly and snickered, ”Friend my ass. More like enemies. Once we leave the city wall, this second shopkeeper will try his best to screw me over, and I’ll also take full advantage of my cultivation base to suppress him.”

Liu Xianyang nodded and said, ”Then this place is quite similar to our hometown. People here are simple and honest.”

There was a huge number of military supervisors in the large army of the Savage World, and they would ruthlessly wield their weapons and wreak havoc and death if the army dared to show any signs of slowing down their offensive.

Thus, the demons continued to surge forward along the section of the great wall guarded by the three young men. Not only that, but they seemingly had increased support to deal with the three people as well, with a group of demon cultivators that had elementary knowledge of Talismanic Dao haphazardly throwing out stacks of yellow paper talismans and attempting to cloud visibility over the battlefield. Plumes of dust rose into the air, and the surrounding spiritual energy also became unstable and chaotic.

The demons on the front line were all humongous in size and responsible for dying first, and it was likely that the demon army wanted to draw more attacks from Liu Xianyang, which would then allow them to figure out his techniques.

Qi Shou was unfazed by this, and Flying Kite and Heartstring continued to rapidly race around the battlefield, releasing sword light that dismembered many demons measuring more than a dozen meters in height. These limbless demons crashed to the ground and wailed in agony.

Things would always be like this when Qi Shou wielded his sword against enemies. Apart from making his enemies suffer cruel deaths, skinning them alive, severing their tendons, and cutting their flesh until bone was visible, he would sometimes act like he was right now, purposely giving them severe wounds without killing them. His victims would be forced to struggle in vain on the battlefield, unable to do anything but obediently wait for death.

This was especially the case for those demon cultivators that had assumed human form. They were targeted more often by Qi Shou’s flying swords, with their stomachs also sliced open and their intestines left hanging out. Some demon cultivators couldn’t bear to watch on, and they attempted to rescue these suffering victims, yet they would quickly become victims themselves.

Chen Ping’an took a swig of medicinal water elixir wine from his Sword Nurturing Gourd as he continued to control his flying swords to kill enemies. First and Fifteenth would attempt to kill their targets in a single strike, but if the demons possessed overly tough physiques or managed to survive even after having their critical acupoints penetrated, then Pine Needle and Lightning Devourer would race over to deliver an extra one or two killing blows.

There were indeed some sacrificial demon cultivators that attempted to secretly suppress and capture Chen Ping’an’s swords, wanting to destroy these flying swords as they died. However, Chen Ping’an was an expert when it came to scheming and acting, and this was not to mention First, which was only slightly slower than Fifteenth, possessing exceptional toughness.

Earlier, a sacrificial demon had remained very well hidden and purposely suffered many wounds, with its entire body bloody and mangled. Not only that, but it had even grabbed another demon to use as a shield to block the attacks of First. However, First simply pierced through the glabella of the demon in front before directly retreating and disappearing in a flash.

The sacrificial demon cultivator had timed things perfectly to self-destruct its demon core, and before falling dead, it had dazedly stared at the city wall as if feeling slightly confused. Meanwhile, First had only been hit by the shockwave of spiritual energy resulting from the self-destruction, having nimbly flown away from the demon cultivator’s trap. It was completely unharmed, but this had been quite taxing on Chen Ping’an’s mental energy.

Just like Qi Shou had said, Chen Ping’an wasn’t a sword cultivator, so his spiritual energy and mental energy wouldn’t be able to sustain his sword strikes for very long.

Moreover, the battle between the Savage World and the Sword Qi Great Wall had only just begun.

Even so, Qi Shou was well aware that Chen Ping’an would be like a fish in water once the sword cultivators needed to leave the city wall to fight on the battlefield below.

Liu Xianyang didn’t launch any visible attacks, and his swords were still nowhere to be seen. However, from the north to the south, more and more demons were killed before the section of the wall initially guarded by Sword Immortal Xie Songhua.

This was completely unreasonable.

Chen Ping’an couldn’t help but warn, ”Be careful. You’ll attract the attention of the great demons.”

Liu Xianyang used his mind’s lake to reply, ”The biggest and only drawback of my sword technique is its destructive power. It’s nowhere near strong enough. There’s no other problem apart from this.”

He paused for a moment before continuing, ”Listen carefully and don’t forget a single word of what I’m about to say.”

Chen Ping’an was just about to say something upon hearing this.

However, Liu Xianyang didn’t so much as glance at Chen Ping’an as he smiled and said, ”Don’t give me any nonsense and just listen carefully when Boss Liu speaks. Will you be able to learn this technique even if I teach you all of the mantras and tricks?”

Chen Ping’an remained silent.

Liu Xianyang continued to use his mind’s lake to teach the mantra. He knew that Chen Ping’an had always had a good memory from a young age, so he explained the mantra as he recited it, completely unworried that Chen Ping’an would remember incorrectly. In fact, Liu Xianyang went into great detail and complexity with his explanation.

What he expounded was none other than the sword scripture passed down through his clan.

There had been two family heirlooms passed down in the Liu Clan, and apart from the sword scripture, there had also been the severely scratched suit of wart-like armor, one that was bluish-black in color and had no artistic quality to speak of. The woman from Light Breeze City’s Xu Clan had obtained the suit of treasured armor back then, allowing the Xu Clan to become like a tiger given new wings.

The Nascent Tier cultivator of the Xu Clan became one of the most powerful and destructive cultivators in the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and with the indestructible suit of armor, the Xu Clan was now viewed as a potential sect-level force for the future, only slightly behind its ally, Sun Scorch Mountain.

From a long-term perspective, the Xu Clan being able to join hands with the Great Li Empire’s Pillar Yuan Clan through marriage — even if only through a direct daughter marrying an illegitimate son — was still a very positive development that would only have benefits and no drawbacks. The reason the Yuan Clan had agreed to this unpleasant marriage during the turbulent times in Light Breeze City was, most critically, because the clan leader of the Xu Clan had the potential to advance to the Upper Five Tiers.

Back then, Liu Xianyang’s plan had been to sell the treasured armor and keep the sword scripture, and the price to pay for keeping the sword scripture was losing half his life. Moreover, if it weren’t for the rules of the Jewel Small World, the mountain-moving ape from Sun Scorch Mountain would have gladly taken the remaining half of Liu Xianyang’s life as well.

This was also very unreasonable.

In any case, Liu Xianyang had become a scholar now, and he had even received fortune from misfortune when lying on the sickbed in Ruan Qiong’s sword shop. Teetering on the verge of death, he had managed to learn sword techniques in his dreams. As a scholar, he needed to abide by rules and principles, but this wouldn’t interfere with him seeking revenge.

”Have you remembered everything?” Liu Xianyang asked. As he spoke, wisps of sword intent flowed around him, appearing as if they were forming a shield and protecting him.

Chen Ping’an nodded and replied, ”Yes, I have, but I surmise that I won’t be able to learn it. The threshold to entry is too high.”

Liu Xianyang smiled and said, ”Then, as always, just adjust your mindset and stay positive. You can compare your talent with anyone else, but just don’t compare it with Boss Liu. Is learning sword techniques very difficult? It’s so-so for me, but it’s obviously very difficult for you. However, taking a step back, what was the most significant craftwork in our hometown? It was pottery firing, wasn’t it? And we both managed to learn it.

”So, your current situation is similar to the period of time when you were learning pottery firing. Back then, you felt like you would never be able to master this skill, and you were convinced that you would never become a proper kiln worker, right? You had a gloomy expression the entire time, and you were always quiet and sullen. But look at you now. Would you craft one or two pieces of porcelain wares even if the emperor begged you to? Would that not depend on your mood?

”There are naturally many details that need to be mastered when it comes to this sword technique passed down by my ancestors, and even though you’re much slower than me when learning new things, you’re ultimately able to learn and master them. So, what are you worried about? You’re inferior to me in all aspects, and you need me to teach you everything. You need to accept this and get used to this.”

”I’m genuinely used to this already,” Chen Ping’an replied in a quiet voice.

Liu Xianyang laughed heartily and remarked, ”That’s a brilliant habit! There’s no need to change it!”

————

To the south of Chen Ping’an and Liu Xianyang’s defensive line, there was a huge military tent located behind the main army and surrounded by layers upon layers of demons. There was a small and unremarkable wooden sign hanging outside the entrance of the huge tent, and the two lone characters on it read: Jia Shen.

There were many study desks of various sizes inside the huge military tent, with mountains of books and scrolls completely covering all of them. A lot of these were heavily damaged military books, and they were all copies instead of originals. Even so, they were still viewed as precious treasures, and the demon cultivators would all treat them with utmost care as they studied them.

When books were rare, the readers would treat them with much more care and value, willing to carefully go over every single sentence and character. They would study the contents instead of simply reading them, digging deep for the knowledge buried within.

The military tent covered a huge area, and almost one hundred demon cultivators were gathered here. They didn’t appear young because they were lofty cultivators with the ability to change their appearances, but rather, they were indeed fairly young.

Among them was the young sword cultivator called Bei Qie, who was sitting cross-legged and leaning back on his sword case.

Beside him was a demon called Yu Si, a sword cultivator the same age as him and also ranked among the Hundred Sword Immortals of the Savage World. Yu Si was flipping through a military book right now, and just like Bei Qie, he also didn’t have a surname right now.

A young man pushed aside the tent curtains and stepped inside.

Yu Si looked up and asked with a smile, ”How did you do in battle this time, Tun Tan?”

”Not as good as last time. I only managed to destroy three flying swords,” Tun Tan replied.

The young man put up three fingers and shook his head as he spoke, after which he squatted down beside Yu Si and Bei Qie and said in a gloomy voice, ”It’s truly very difficult to get near the third sword formation. There was slightly more commotion on my battlefield, and some sword immortals immediately rushed over to quell the situation and protect those Middle Five Tier sword cultivators with unsteady sword strikes. I was almost cut in half at the waist by a burst of sword qi, and it was genuinely a very dangerous encounter.”

A brilliant smile appeared on Tun Tan’s face as he continued, ”However, I wasn’t too far away from the battlefield along Chen Ping’an’s section of the wall. He’s neighbors with Qi Shou, and Qi Shou has indeed broken through to the next tier. He’s also very impressive, and he managed to control the battlefield with just two flying swords. Afterward, a scholar appeared on the great wall, and his immortal techniques were incredibly strange and powerful. Those who were struck by his techniques would be killed in mysterious and unknown ways.”

A young woman sitting behind the study desk glanced at the map and said slowly, ”The sword immortal you were facing was most likely Situ Jixue, an Unpolished Jade Tier sword cultivator from the Golden Armor Continent. His bonded flying sword is called Heavy Cavalry, and the sword at his waist is called Majestic Pass. His destructive ability isn’t outstanding, but he’s able to maintain an extraordinary level of offensive and defensive capabilities, so being able to escape death at his sword is already an impressive feat.

”I’ll make things clear, Tun Tan. You can continue to slowly accumulate military merit, but don’t go dying on the battlefield. Your section of the battlefield is commanded by Mu Ji, and you’re also a potential candidate for the Hundred Sword Immortals. After working so hard, Mu Ji is finally looking at the opportunity to have a surname bestowed upon him, so please don’t die and strip him of this opportunity.”

A bashful young man sitting behind a study desk near the young woman looked up and said in a quiet voice, ”Don’t die. Otherwise, I’ll feel guilty for a very long time even if I’m bestowed with a surname.”

The young man called Tun Tan cracked a grin and replied, ”I understand.”

The Hundred Sword Immortals of the Savage World were prodigies of the Great Dao officially chosen by Holding Moon Mountain, and their importance was only second to that of Ascension Tier great demons.

These demon sword cultivators, regardless of their current cultivation base, were all incredibly valuable.

Those at Jia Zi Tent and Holding Moon Mountain would hold accountable and severely punish those responsible for the death of any demon sword cultivator.

Right now, there were five demon sword cultivators inside the Jia Shen Tent.

There was Tun Tan, Bei Qie, Yu Si, the young woman who had revealed Situ Jixue’s abilities, and the young man who appeared like a misfit in the corner.

Mu Ji turned around and glanced at a study desk, habitually speaking in a soft voice as he said slowly, ”Have we managed to determine the origin of that Confucian disciple’s immortal technique and whether or not he’s actually a sword cultivator? The losses we’ve suffered on this battlefield have already far exceeded our expectations, so we need to make the necessary adjustments.

”Our sword immortal already failed to kill Chen Ping’an before, but if you and the others conclude that we do indeed need to employ the help of a sword immortal, and I also agree with your proposal, then I’ll use a messenger flying sword to deliver the message and ask a sword immortal to launch a surprise attack on the Confucian disciple. If this request is turned down, then I’ll personally visit the Jia Zi Tent of generals to discuss the matter with them. You don’t need to feel any pressure because of this.”

A young man shook his head and said, ”We need more deaths to gather some more clues.”

Mu Ji nodded in response.

”The Southern Whirl Continent’s Chen Chun’an has personally come to the Sword Qi Great Wall, so that young scholar definitely belongs to the lineage of the Second Sage. This is without a doubt,” the young woman said. ”In reality, we can reduce the number of soldiers we deploy to that section of the wall to a suitable degree, since we’ll definitely receive a secret messenger flying sword from the great wall very soon.

”After the Jia Zi Tent verifies the information, they’ll naturally redirect the letter to us. If the letter reveals the background and abilities of this person, then our Jia Shen Tent still has two remaining chances to employ the help of a sword immortal. We can use both chances at once and choose to either kill that scholar or kill Chen Ping’an. Otherwise, we can take a step back and kill Qi Shou. We’ll allow the two sword immortals to choose the most suitable target based on the actual situation.”

Mu Ji contemplated this proposal for a brief moment before nodding and replying, ”This is a solid plan.”

The bashful young man then pulled a piece of yellow paper from the stack next to his hand, folding it into a small bird and gently throwing it to the entrance of the large tent. ”Pass on my command. Slow down the offensive on the Sixth Jia Shen Front. Apart from not being allowed to retreat, they’re allowed to prioritize protecting themselves and staying alive.”

The paper bird flew out from the Jia Shen Tent.

Yu Si, the young demon sword cultivator with a strange name, said in amusement, ”Tun Tan, even though your cultivation base isn’t high right now, you have many different abilities and will have the opportunity to challenge Chen Ping’an when those sword cultivators leave the city wall in the future. Compared to idiots like me and Bei Qie, who only know how to barge forward, you can more easily gain an advantage over Chen Ping’an.”

Tun Tan thought for a moment before nodding and saying, ”I’ll give it a go.”

The Jia Shen Tent was one of sixty military tents in the army of the Savage World named after the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, and with the exception of the Jia Zi Tent being the main commander’s tent, the remaining military tents were each responsible for managing the soldiers in a specific section of the battlefield.[1]

Since the Jia Shen Tent started with the character ”Jia,” the importance of this large military tent was already very evident. According to the military rules, even sword immortal great demons would be punished by immediate death if they dared to barge into Jia-level military tents without permission.[2]

Things were orderly in the Jia Shen Tent, with each demon performing its own duties. The overall atmosphere was relatively relaxed.

The young woman, who had a map unfurled on the table in front of her, looked up and said in a solemn voice, ”For the sake of our growth and for the sake of conquering and maintaining control over several large continents of the Majestic World in the future, we’ve already suffered an additional ten thousand deaths on the Jia Shen Battlefield for no good reason. Our merits are carved on the corpses of these soldiers, so don’t think for a second that this is amusing or fun.”

A deathly pale young man sitting in an isolated corner by himself chuckled coldly and scoffed, ”Soldiers? Can those brainless ants even be regarded as military assets? It’s better off that these ants die in battle. That way, they can save food for the army while also helping us fight for the world. This is killing two birds with one stone. The Savage World is unable to sustain so many useless ants to begin with, so their dying here is for a worthy cause. They’re finally able to make a very minor contribution.”

The young man then glanced at the nearby Bei Qie and Tun Tan and continued, ”Leave Chen Ping’an for me to deal with. If anyone dares to fight me for him, then don’t complain about my flying sword having no eyes and accidentally wounding my allies.”

Quite shockingly, this person was actually Li Zhen, who had transformed from a child into a young man. He still possessed a portion of Primordial Prisoner Li Zhen’s remnant soul, and he had used a secret technique of Holding Moon Mountain to reconstruct his physical body, after which he had pieced together a complete soul.

Bei Qie was completely unfazed.

The brilliant smile remained on Tun Tan’s face as he replied, ”No complaints from me.”

Yu Si smiled with squinted eyes and said, ”I wouldn’t dare to. In any case, I don’t have the right to be regarded as Young Master Li Zhen’s ally.”

The arrogant young man suddenly smiled and stared intently at Yu Si, saying, ”I encourage you not to learn from those people in the Majestic World and speak in such a provocative manner.”

Yu Si raised his hands in surrender and said in mock pity, ”I’ll shut up then, okay? I’ll shut up.”

Mu Ji furrowed his brows and looked up, speaking in a more solemn tone in a rare display. However, his voice was still softer than that of Li Zhen, Yu Si, and the others as he said, ”Li Zhen only lost by the finest of margins, and this is no reason for you to take pleasure in his misfortune, Yu Si. All of you are sword cultivators who enjoy a loftier status than everyone else, so you should also have an equally lofty mental state.”

Yu Si immediately put on a serious expression and nodded in response.

Mu Ji then turned around and said to Li Zhen, ”A loss is a loss, and that was due to your lack of abilities, Li Zhen. You being able to revive afterward is also thanks to your ability as the closing disciple of Holding Moon Mountain. These things are outside my control, and I don’t care about them. I’m only responsible for the victories and losses on the Jia Shen Battlefield. I need to carefully consider each small victory and loss on the battlefield.

”The battle will be intense and deadly afterward, but you still need to listen to the commands, Li Zhen. Ignoring military rules and acting of your own accord will amount to dragging down the entire Jia Shen Tent. If that’s the case, then you’ll need to face the consequences yourself.

”However, if the time is right and you’re still willing to seek Chen Ping’an out as your opponent, then that’s entirely up to you. I won’t care even if you fight to the death. The Jia Shen Tent definitely won’t stop you. In fact, I’m willing to offer my own military merit to help you create the opportunity to face off against Chen Ping’an and fight to the death. This is because fighting alongside a Li Zhen who dares to die again will be a great honor.”

Mu Ji looked around and asked in a solemn voice, ”Why did Li Zhen engage in that battle? Why did he face off against Chen Ping’an below the Great Wall? Are you people not aware? Did any of you have the right to be in his position? So, how can this be a reason for you to laugh at Li Zhen now? Just because he lost the battle and died?

”Well, the Savage World has never won a battle against the Sword Qi Great Wall over the past ten thousand years. Not a single battle! All of those Ascension Tier seniors, and even the entire Holding Moon Mountain... Which of these entities isn’t a joke?! If you’re so capable, then laugh at those humans after you enter the Majestic World. You’re free to laugh at them as much as you want!”

Mu Ji took a deep breath, with his expression becoming downcast as he murmured, ”Saying these things to you people doesn’t make me feel happy.”

Among those inside the Jia Shen Tent, Li Zhen somewhat seemed willing to listen to Mu Ji. Sure enough, he stopped butting heads with Yu Si and the others, closing his eyes and continuing to rest his mind. At the same time, he performed advanced refinement on five bonded items.

”Handsomely said, Mu Ji,” the young woman praised in a teasing voice.

The young man smiled shyly, with a slight blush appearing on his cheeks.

Bei Qie, who could almost be regarded as a mute, spoke up in an uncharacteristic manner, saying, ”The flying sword from the Jia Zi Tent is about to arrive.”

Sure enough, a messenger flying sword soon arrived at the Jia Shen Tent.

Mu Ji’s expression became solemn after he read the secret letter, and he revealed, ”We only know that the scholar is called Liu Xianyang and hails from the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. He’s not a descendant of the Pure Confucian Chen Clan, so we’re still in the dark about his cultivation techniques.”

The young woman sighed and said, ”Then let’s act according to the worst-case scenario. We’ll sacrifice more soldiers to uncover the truth.”

”Yu Si, make your way to the battlefield and remember to disguise yourself well,” Mu Ji suddenly said. ”Face a single sword strike and then immediately retreat. There’s no need to hesitate at all. The destructive power of Chen Ping’an’s swords isn’t especially great, but his ability to observe and understand the battlefield is incredibly detailed and thorough. With his personality, I dare say that his trump card is definitely much more than just that female sword immortal. If you don’t die on the battlefield, some other sword immortal will quickly be responsible for keeping a close eye on you.”

Yu Si resolutely stood up with a look of eager excitement on his face. However, he grumbled and complained, ”Wow, karma is biting back so quickly.”

Mu Ji turned around to look at Bei Qie.

Yu Si instantly sprinted out of the Jia Shen Tent, not giving Mu Ji the opportunity to change his mind.

Mu Ji shifted his gaze again, saying to Tun Tan, ”I’ve done some calculations, and your accumulated military merit is still far from being enough to purchase that immortal treasure of Elite Cavalry River. However, this doesn’t matter, and I’m willing to take the lead and chip in with some military merit. Everyone else who chips in will also earn annual dividends in the future. Who’s willing to join me?”

The young woman shook her head and said, ”I’m also saving up, so I can’t offer anything.”

”You can offer something,” Mu Ji interjected. ”You’ll make up your investment before this battle is over. Believe me, this definitely won’t delay you from obtaining that treasure.”

Li Zhen opened his eyes and asked, ”Is there any need to purchase it? I can directly walk over and ask for it.”

Mu Ji shook his head and was just about to turn down this offer.

However, Li Zhen had already stood up, and he asked the young woman, ”Which treasure do you need? Just tell me, and I’ll retrieve it together with the other one. I can’t be bothered making two trips.”

The young woman didn’t hesitate, and she directly said the name of that paramount treasure. She then laughed loudly and raised her cupped fists high into the air, expressing her thanks.

Li Zhen expressionlessly walked out of the Jia Shen Tent.

He looked up at the Sword Qi Great Wall, where the northern section of the great wall appeared extremely hazy right now. In stark contrast, the battlefield was vividly clear from the northern section of the great wall.

Li Zhen retracted his gaze and faltered for a brief moment. He turned around, cupping his fists and bowing in respect in a rare display.

Standing beside him was a big-bearded man carrying a sword and a saber.

The man nodded in acknowledgment and said, ”You go ahead and do your things.”

Li Zhen flew away on the wind.

Bei Qie walked out of the Jia Shen Tent and greeted his master.

”I want to see a certain person, so you need to do something for your master,” the big-bearded man said. ”Go and kill Chen Ping’an.”

Bei Qie nodded silently.

1. The Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches (天干地支) were used to name the years, months, and days in ancient China. There are ten Heavenly Stems and twelve Earthly Branches.

2. Jia (甲) represents the first of the ten Heavenly Stems.