Radiant Blade of the Wilderness

Chapter 145: Yuejiang Prefecture

After some time, Ding Songyan’s mind and spirit gradually withdrew from the expanse of sky and earth.

His understanding of ”Establishing the Six Directions” had deepened.

Before the New Year, after extracting the Lesser Limitless Art from the Diagram of the Great Change, Way Attainment, Ding Songyan had also gradually extracted the traits of ”Establishing the Six Directions and Dividing the Four Seasons” and ”Bringing All Things Into Unity” from it.

He had decided to name his fundamental art the Chaos Scripture. It currently comprised the Nine Primal Arts, the Forward-Reverse Circulation, the Diagram of the Great Change, Way Attainment, and a Chapter of aperture forging methods for alien apertures covering only 56 locations for now.

The Chaos Scripture had in turn given rise to three derivative arts: first, the Lesser Limitless Art corresponding to ”Manifesting the Way and its Virtue”; second, the Heaven-Earth Cosmos Chapter developed from ”Establishing the Six Directions and Dividing the Four Seasons”; and third, the Scripture of Returning to Stillness rooted in ”Bringing All Things Into Unity.” All three currently only reached the Human Realm’s aperture refinement.

”Banishing Demons and Warding Off Evil” could not be extracted as a separate component; training any of the three arts—the Lesser Limitless Art, the Heaven-Earth Cosmos Chapter, or the Scripture of Returning to Stillness—would produce a similar effect. The Scripture of Returning to Stillness had the strongest demon-banishing power, the Lesser Limitless Art was second, and the Heaven-Earth Cosmos Chapter was barely better than nothing.

Besides Zheng Zhuxi, Ding Songyan had also had Xu Chang’an take up the Lesser Limitless Art—an extra hour to two hours squeezed in each day, without affecting his training of the Blameless Profound Art.

The Heaven-Earth Cosmos Chapter lacked the ”Manifesting the Way and its Virtue” trait and was difficult to combine with other martial arts. Everyone around Ding Songyan was already at the Human Realm at minimum and could no longer switch their cultivation path, so he had yet to find a suitable ”inheritor” to verify its effects.

The Scripture of Returning to Stillness, on the other hand, could be practiced by anyone; however, it was domineering. After condensing half of the apertures, it would completely convert and dissolve the practitioner’s original martial arts, leaving only the Returning to Stillness True Qi. This would cause anyone above the mid stage of aperture refinement to regress in realm. Ding Songyan had therefore abandoned any thought of promoting it, hoping only that someday someone just beginning the martial path might obtain this opportunity.

As for Yang Shiduo, Ding Songyan hadn’t thought about having him learn any of his own arts. Yang Shiduo’s role was to verify Ding Songyan’s martial theories and concepts through other martial arts.

That said, they had known each other long enough to count as genuine acquaintances. If Yang Shiduo truly requested to practice the Lesser Limitless Art or the Scripture of Returning to Stillness, Ding Songyan wouldn’t refuse.

Phew. Beyond the Sword Intent of Winter and Summer and the fast-slow sword, the sword intent and techniques for the Six Directions feel like they’re close to having a nascent form of one move. Taking in heaven and earth really is quite useful... Ding Songyan breathed out a cloud of white vapor.

He turned his head and saw Pan Yunzhou, bundled in thick combat attire, shivering violently. Ice crystals had formed on his eyebrows and beard stubble, and on the hair beneath his square-settled cap.

You don’t have Manifesting the Way and its Virtue, so what are you copying me for? Ding Songyan found it quite funny.

Without the Manifesting the Way and its Virtue trait, even he himself could only rely on the knowledge framework from his past life and a reasonably sharp mind to work toward insights slowly. It might take several years to get anywhere. He certainly couldn’t be having small and large moments of enlightenment everywhere he went like he did now.

Still, Ding Songyan couldn’t help but feel a touch of admiration.

Senior Brother Pan’s drive to improve himself and his burning desire to restore his family’s glory gives him a truly unyielding will. That’s worthy of respect.

Sensing Ding Songyan’s gaze, Pan Yunzhou opened his eyes and said through chattering teeth, ”The sky and earth are so vast. It has broadened my horizons and stirred something within me.”

It was the truth. It was his first time soaring through the sky and looking down upon the land.

”Did you grasp anything, Senior Brother Pan?” Ding Songyan teased.

Pan Yunzhou managed a strained smile.

”My talents are thin and my learning shallow, so I have nothing yet. What about you, Junior Brother Ding?”

”I was wondering: what determines above and below, and how do they come to be divided?” Ding Songyan was in good spirits and offered Pan Yunzhou a hint.

What he had been pondering was this: before above and below took shape, that was when Chaos remained unopened. And afterward, how had above and below differentiated, and how had Chaos been split open...

The answer might only become clear once he traveled north to the Nine Heavens Sect someday and experienced the Heaven-Opening Skill firsthand.

Pan Yunzhou immediately fell into deep thought, but couldn’t work out anything useful for his martial arts.

”Let’s go back inside and think it over there,” Ding Songyan called out.

You’re mid Great Proliferation Realm, barely keeping the cold at bay with true qi and thick clothing. How could you compare with a Grandmaster who can Divide the Four Seasons and is unaffected by heat and cold?

If you actually got frostbitten, who would shoulder my feats when we reach Yuejiang Prefecture?

A sick Pan Yunzhou felling all kinds of monsters doesn’t sound right, does it?

Pan Yunzhou gave a nod and followed Ding Songyan back inside.

The spring-like warmth brought him back to life at once. The frost on his hair, eyebrows, and beard stubble gradually melted.

He returned trembling to his seat, feeling as though each shudder was driving the cold that had seeped to his very bones out a little further.

After cycling the Star-Sequence True Qi through several circuits, Pan Yunzhou finally settled back to normal.

Wei Ling’s wildcat-like ears gave a small twitch. She looked curiously at Ding Songyan and Pan Yunzhou.

”Young Hero Ding, Young Hero Pan—what were you two doing on the deck just now?”

It looked a little strange to me...

Ding Songyan smiled.

”My master’s husband often says that the Great Way has its own principles, and those principles live in the martial path, in the learning of the sages, and most of all in heaven and earth itself. If one can grasp the ultimate truth from the sages’ learnings and from heaven and earth, then everything becomes interconnected and one’s own martial path advances greatly.

”Just now, finding myself in the sky with the earth spread out like a game board below and the heavens seeming to converge overhead, I felt something stir within me and went to the deck to contemplate it. Unfortunately, my foundations are not yet solid enough and I came away with nothing substantial to show for it. I have made a fool of myself in front of you both.”

After hearing Ding Songyan’s reply, both Ren Jiuyue and Wei Ling had formed a quite favorable impression of him.

This Young Hero Ding is neither arrogant nor servile. He’s modest and sincere.

He had not deliberately brought up his master’s husband’s identity and had zero hint of showing off. And he had frankly admitted that his impromptu attempt at insight had come to nothing, without concealing a thing and without any hint of self-deprecation or embarrassment.

A truly upright and honest gentleman!

With that favorable impression formed, Wei Ling and Ren Jiuyue fell into easy conversation with Ding Songyan and Pan Yunzhou about martial arts and various rumors, passing the time on the journey.

Nearly two hours later, as noon approached, the two attendants from before came from the rear of the cabin carrying food boxes and laid out dishes for Ding Songyan and the others.

There was roasted mutton, and poached fatty chicken—four cold dishes and four hot, each in modest portions.

After lunch, Ding Songyan glanced out the window from time to time, as if waiting for something.

”Young Hero Ding, what are you looking at?” Wei Ling asked, curious.

Hadn’t he already contemplated heaven and earth?

Ding Songyan gave a self-deprecating smile.

”It’s inevitable that I’m a little worried about being attacked.”

He wasn’t worried at all. He was actually hoping for one.

If they were attacked, he could see what offensive capabilities this mechanical construct had. And if the flying vessel couldn’t hold out, he could get some real experience fighting in the air. With the flying vessel drawing the vast majority of attention, he was fairly confident he could bring every passenger, attendant, and crew member aboard to safety.

Ding Songyan waited and waited. The entire journey passed without incident. Apart from the occasional slight turbulence, the ride was smooth.

Another two hours passed. Ren Jiuyue and Wei Ling signaled them to take their seats and lock them again.

Compared to the violent shaking of takeoff, the descent was far gentler, accompanied by a long glide.

At last, the flying vessel landed on the training ground outside Huachang County—the prefectural seat of Yuejiang Prefecture.

Ding Songyan undid his seat mechanism and said farewell to Wei Ling and Ren Jiuyue.

Seeing that neither of them showed any sign of leaving the vessel, he said with an easy laugh, ”You’re not going into the city to rest?”

Wei Ling smiled in response.

”We’re heading back to Flame Capital now. We should arrive after nightfall. During the New Year season, what inn on the road compares to home?”

”Senior Brother Pan and I are in no position to hear that,” Ding Songyan quipped, then turned and left the cabin, descending the wooden gangway.

Once the flying vessel had taken off again, Ding Songyan reflected for a moment and murmured to himself, Still quite a bit slower than an airplane...

He then set off with Pan Yunzhou into Huachang County, planning to stop at the local branch of the Brightnight Sect’s Hongxin Trading Company to borrow two horses for the road.

The prefectural city was hung with lanterns and streamers, packed with people, and still thick with the festive atmosphere of the New Year. This would continue all the way to the Lantern Festival.

After walking for a while, Ding Songyan noticed a three-story building off to one side ahead. Below it lay an open space surrounded by a large crowd; the clash of metal rang out from time to time, followed by bursts of cheering.

”Is that a fighting stage?” Ding Songyan asked Pan Yunzhou, curious.

Pan Yunzhou looked into the distance.

”That should be a martial arts competition for marriage.”

That’s such an old custom... Ding Songyan couldn’t help but grumble inwardly.

Seeing his confusion, Pan Yunzhou explained, ”That’s probably some family that has lost their pillar and has no one promising in the current generation, so they simply recruit a powerful martial artist to anchor the household and give their descendants more time to grow. In these cases, besides marrying off a son or daughter, the family typically gives the couple a substantial share of the family property. Fourth- and third-rank martial artists with no strong backing who have grown tired of wandering the jianghu love this kind of arrangement.”

If it were just a fighting stage, Ding Songyan would have liked to test his sword. Hearing it was a martial arts competition for marriage, he decided to take a detour.

Now that Pan Yunzhou was back in familiar territory, he was considerably more talkative.

”Martial arts competitions for marriage are very common in Chu and Bao Provinces. The local way of things is to hold powerful martial artists in great reverence. A family without one to anchor it is easily exploited. That said, local martial artists and commoners alike are famous for their fierce and courageous spirit: powerful people deserve respect, but if you bully them, they’ll throw their lives away to make you pay. What’s a few steps of bloodshed?”

Ding Songyan listened with great interest to these customs from a different region.

Before long, the two found the Hongxin Trading Company.

A steward with double pupils spotted Ding Songyan and Pan Yunzhou arriving and hurried forward to greet them.

”Would you be Junior Brothers Ding and Pan?”

After confirming their identities, the steward continued.

”The sect master sent a carrier pigeon yesterday instructing us to assist you both in any way we can. Do you need horses?”

Ding Songyan nodded first, then asked thoughtfully, ”Has the trading company lost any goods recently? Has anyone given you trouble?”

Back at the sect, he had been wholly devoted to training and had no particular desire to wander the jianghu. But now that he was out in the world, he couldn’t help but feel the urge. My sword is not without its sharpness either!

Otherwise, what was the point of all that martial theory and technique training?

The Hongxin Trading Company steward shook his head with a slightly blank expression.

”No.”

How disappointing... Don’t protagonists in other stories always run into heaps of trouble the moment they step outside? Looks like I’ll have to make my own opportunities... Right, I can test my sword before we reach Immortal Grotto County. Once we’re there, I have to move quickly and decisively to avoid complications... Ding Songyan reached a rapid decision and smiled at the steward.

”Senior Brother, we’ll need two horses—within a quarter of an hour if possible.”

”It has already been prepared.” The steward let out a breath of relief and smiled.

Ding Songyan glanced at Pan Yunzhou and gave a small nod.

”Senior Brother Pan, there’s no time to lose. Let’s set out now.”