Radiant Blade of the Wilderness

Chapter 77: Osmanthus Fragrance

Having entered his yin-walking state, Ding Songyan looked at the trembling ghost of Feng Zhengning and had the sense that it might disintegrate and vanish at any moment.

He temporarily ignored Zheng Zhuxi’s bewildered, astonished stare and addressed Feng Zhengning. ”Where did you come from?”

”Jinyang Prefecture, Du Province.” Even the ghost’s voice was trembling, its ominous chill almost entirely gone.

He really is from Jinyang Prefecture, Du Province... Ding Songyan murmured to himself and asked, ”What did you come to Alpine Lake Town for?”

The ghost of Feng Zhengning looked at Ding Songyan with both dread and terror.

”I came to investigate what happened in Dingjiang prefecture city last month and find out exactly what the Sage-Severing Way did.

”I learned that you—the one who had posed as Ji Hanyi’s elder brother—had joined the Brightnight Sect, so I came to Alpine Lake Town specifically to wait for you to come down the mountain and find out more.”

Perhaps from having posed as a fabric merchant for too long, this heretic spoke in an oddly formal, bookish manner.

”And you have what it takes?” Ding Songyan asked in amused disbelief.

At the same time, he reflected inwardly, The ripples from the Zhen household affair have yet to settle... Concealing my strength was indeed the right call. Otherwise, who knows how many major heretics I might have drawn over...

The ghost of Feng Zhengning fumed but dared not say so, and only replied in confusion, ”I have yet to have any physical anomalies, which makes me well suited for investigating matters within a town.”

”Fair enough.” Ding Songyan thought for a moment. ”You deliberately left Alpine Lake Town and doubled back, all just to ambush me here?”

The ghost of Feng Zhengning shook its head blankly.

”I came to kill Zheng Zhuxi. She is also at Anomaly Manifested and has little combat experience—a complete fledgling in the jianghu.

”If I could kill the Brightnight Sect Master’s daughter within Alpine Lake Town and get away unscathed, I would make a name for myself throughout the world in a single stroke.”

As the ghost spoke, it grew excited again.

Ding Songyan could not help glancing sideways at Zheng Zhuxi and found his senior sister with lips pressed tight and eyes cold with displeasure. She was clearly quite angry.

You’re finished. Senior Sister Zheng is furious. Actually, you are already finished... Ding Songyan turned back to the ghost of Feng Zhengning.

”You abandoned your mission? Exposing yourself on a whim?”

The ghost of Feng Zhengning seriously answered, ”Someone else can be sent to continue the investigation. How could I pass up such a rare opportunity to do evil?

”I even deliberately left behind the evil entity to create chaos. Knowing Zheng Zhuxi’s temperament, she would certainly stay in Alpine Lake Town to help deal with it. That way, she might spend the night here, giving me time to leave the town with composure, circle back, and lie in ambush at the Zheng family residence.”

”You’re from the Accumulated Evil Way, aren’t you?” Ding Songyan found it inexplicably funny.

”Yes,” the ghost of Feng Zhengning admitted it without hesitation.

Under the suppressing power of Banishing Demons and Warding Off Evil, it was growing ever thinner and more transparent.

He really is from there... Knowing the ghost was about to disintegrate, Ding Songyan asked the key question, ”Where in Jinyang Prefecture, Du Province do you live?”

The ghost of Feng Zhengning shook its head rapidly.

”I’m not from Jinyang Prefecture, Du Province. I went there to meet the Evil Envoy. He was the one who sent me to investigate what happened in Dingjiang prefecture city...”

As it spoke, the ghost’s translucent, pallid green face contorted in agony. Its body rapidly disintegrated, dissolving piece by piece, and in the blink of an eye, it was earth to earth, dust to dust.

He came from Jinyang Prefecture, Du Province because that’s where the Accumulated Evil Way’s Evil Envoy is... Ding Songyan withdrew his gaze in thought and looked at his senior sister beside him.

Zheng Zhuxi, with the celadon jade pin in her hair, furrowed her brow slightly and looked at her junior brother with puzzlement.

She pointed at the body on the ground.

”This man was in the Great Proliferation Realm. Even if he had only just reached Anomaly Manifested, he is still beyond what someone at aperture refinement can compare to and yet you killed him with a single sword stroke.”

My hand was itching, wasn’t it? He had positioned himself too perfectly, and I was just wanting to try how it felt to use Frostshade’s Sword Intent of Winter against an opponent... Ding Songyan grumbled a reply or two inwardly.

While yin-walking just now he had already been thinking about how to respond to Zheng Zhuxi’s questioning, and spoke earnestly at once.

”This man’s cultivation art likely made use of evil entities, and I gained something from the Zhen household affair. I have some measure of power to suppress evil. What happened just now was that I suppressed the evil entity within him, which slowed him for a moment, and that was when I was able to stab him in his throat with a single stroke.”

This was true, but only part of the truth.

Zheng Zhuxi paused, then understood at once.

”Back at the Tongfu Inn, was it you who helped me suppress that evil entity?

”Hmph. And you deceived me into thinking my Candlelight Sword Intent was so formidable that the first stroke had gravely wounded it.”

”Senior Sister, I truly had no intention of deceiving you.” Ding Songyan hastened to defend himself. ”It was Master who told me not to speak of it. She said the matter involves the mystery of Kunlun, and that once it became known, no matter how I explained it, it would draw the covetous attention of heretics.”

Zheng Zhuxi glanced at the corpse on the ground.

”And yet you still struck him down yourself? Did you think I was no match for him?”

”No, no, no.” Ding Songyan, who had long since extended his spirit to seal off the surrounding area, said with complete sincerity. ”It was rare to encounter an opponent so perfectly suited to me. My hands itched and I couldn’t hold back. Besides, I was never trying to keep my secret from you, Senior Sister. I have always trusted you. I know that you keep your word and will hold your tongue. It was so in Dingjiang prefecture city, and it is so now.”

Zheng Zhuxi’s dimples appeared at his words, her mock displeasure turning to pleasure. She clicked her tongue.

”I’ll give you credit for remembering the prefecture city matter. Don’t worry, I will help you keep the secret.”

She then asked with lively curiosity, ”Besides me and my mother, who else knows that you gained something from the Zhen household affair?”

”The two Grandmasters within the sect. Outside the sect, only Brother Ren Youyang of the True Spirit Sect and Miss Su Qingli of the Celestial Maiden Sect.” The one person Ding Songyan did not mention was Ji Hanyi. After all, he had claimed that the demoness did not know he had secretly kept a piece of the Chaos remains.

Zheng Zhuxi nodded with considerable satisfaction.

”You don’t need to go into the details. I’ll ask my mother later. She has far more experience than you when it involves what can be said and what cannot.”

Once the duo had finished talking, Zheng Zhuxi shouldered the burden of killing Feng Zhengning herself, summoned fellow disciples from the Brightnight Sect’s Disciplinary Hall, and had them handle the aftermath.

For those of the jianghu, the occasional intruder dying in one’s home was perfectly ordinary.

Back on the street, Zheng Zhuxi continued leading Ding Songyan on their stroll.

She picked up a sword tassel as red as cinnabar and said to Ding Songyan, ”Winter should be paired with plum blossoms. Frostshade is suited for a tassel like this. Come, let me tie it on and see.”

Ding Songyan handed over Frostshade without particular preference and watched as Zheng Zhuxi tied on the cinnabar tassel and made several flourishes with the blade.

The young woman smiled and nodded.

”I think it looks quite good. This one it is. Treat it as a welcome gift from your senior sister.”

”Then it’s my pleasure to accept.” Ding Songyan did not care in the slightest what sort of tassel Frostshade was paired with.

Holding Frostshade, now with a touch more flair, he followed Zheng Zhuxi back to Worthy Ancestors Street, where she appeared to be genuinely strolling while covertly watching for any Brightnight Sect members who seemed overly close to visiting candidates for the selection.

Ding Songyan looked around in a relaxed, casual manner, his gaze passing over a business establishment called Hong Mail.

It was one of the Brightnight Sect’s important business enterprises, with branches throughout the Great Zhao realm and in the Gan Kingdom and New Yu as well, and alongside the official postal service it also handled the delivery of letters and goods for Brightnight Sect members.

Something stirred in Ding Songyan’s heart and he walked in.

He was about to address the steward inside when the steward’s eyes lit up.

”Isn’t this Junior Sister Zheng?”

He had spotted Zheng Zhuxi coming in behind Ding Songyan.

After Zheng Zhuxi had exchanged greetings, Ding Songyan asked, ”Senior Brother, is there any mail for me? My name is Ding Songyan.”

The senior brother came to a realization.

”Ah, Junior Sister Zheng’s junior brother. Yes, there is indeed a letter for you. I was planning to send it up the mountain tomorrow.”

He went into the back room, rummaged for a while, and came out with a letter whose envelope bore only the words ”Ding Songyan,” which he handed to its intended recipient.

Before it had even reached his hands, Ding Songyan caught a faint, sweet, fresh fragrance.

After thanking the senior brother and leaving Hong Mail, Ding Songyan smiled at Zheng Zhuxi.

”Senior Sister, I’ll find a quiet spot to read the letter first.”

”That lane will do.” Zheng Zhuxi pointed to a small alley to the side.

With proper courtesy she did not follow.

Ding Songyan entered the alley, leaned his back against the gray-white stone wall, and opened the letter. Amid the sweet, fresh fragrance he found several dried flower petals, and handwriting that was graceful yet carried a hint of allure.

”Ding Songyan:”

”I’ll skip the pleasantries. We of the jianghu don’t stand on ceremony much. It’s not like we’re Five Saints Sect members.

”By the time you receive this letter, you should have been in the Brightnight Sect for over a month. Is all well? Remember to learn the Seven Swords of Candlelit Night first. I am especially fond of it. When my realm has risen, the next time we meet in the jianghu, I will certainly spar with this sword art of yours...

”I have already asked my father. Over the past two or three hundred years, there has indeed been no Supreme Master or Sage with the surname Jiang in the jianghu. However, he later consulted ancient records and found that at the end of the Wei dynasty and the beginning of the Zhao dynasty, there was a quite renowned Supreme Master named Jiang Weichen. During that century, Jiang Weichen accomplished many great deeds and was known throughout the world, but then gradually withdrew from the world and never set foot in the jianghu again.

”The end of the Wei dynasty was nearly six hundred years ago, so Jiang Weichen would be at least that old. Even if he became a Sage, he could not have lived to the present day. The longest-living ones among the Sages have not exceeded three hundred years. But if he consumed a true elixir of immortality and achieved a lifespan of eight hundred years, then it becomes impossible to say whether he is dead or still alive.

”In short, take note of this person for now. It may not be him, but we can’t rule him out either. We are already searching for the Secret Archive. Since it is a compilation of what successive generations of mountain-seekers have found and acquired, there must be more than one copy. You can pursue that angle as well.

”Please pass these matters on to Sect Master Tao. As for yourself, train diligently, temper your heart and forge your character, and make each step a solid one. Strive to one day catch a glimpse of the Heaven-Man Realm. At that point, I will spread your earlier legendary deeds far and wide...

”What is it like within the Brightnight Sect? Is it as lively as Five Hills Mountain? If you write back to me, have someone deliver it to the Tianyang Hall in Dingjiang prefecture city, addressed to Su Qingli...

”That day when I drank the small jug of rice wine and caught the river breeze, I actually got a little tipsy. I wonder how much more you and Ren Youyang drank after that. He is already a ghost-deity, and it is very hard for him to get drunk. Don’t feel obliged to compete with him on that score...

”Ding Songyan, as I was writing this letter, the osmanthus at the foot of Five Hills Mountain came into bloom early. I picked a few flowers and dried them to send to you, so that you too might catch that fragrance and feel something of the splendid sight of silver osmanthus blossoms covering the hills.

”May we both live long, and meet again another day.

”Su Qingli.”