The Path Toward Heaven

Zhao Layue had already calmed down by the time Jing Jiu returned, no unusual expression shown on her face. Jing Jiu didn’t know what she had thought about, and looking down and seeing the dust and smoke in the dense forest at the bottom of the cliff as they gradually move further away, he said, “The monkeys from other peaks are already so annoying, and people are more annoying than that; I think we’d better keep people out.”

What Jing Jiu meant was that Xilai Peak would soon send some caretakers and other assistants to Shenmo Peak according to the established rules of the Green Mountain Sect.

Looking at Zhao Layue’s baggy dress, Jing Jiu said, “I know how to do the sewing work; let me do it.”

“You know how to do this?!” asked Zhao Layue, wide-eyed.

“I learned how to in a day back in the village,” said Jing Jiu.

Having thought about it, Zhao Layue said, “In so doing, we can prevent Xilai Peak from sending undesired people.”

The atmosphere at the Green Mountain had an abnormal to it recently; it felt depressed and agitated, as if something of significance could happen. However, Shenmo Peak was located in a remote region, and since there were only two people there, the complicated power struggle had nothing to do with them, for the time being; moreover, Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue, didn’t care about these issues simply by virtue of their personalities, focusing merely on their Cultivation. Yet the problem was, what should they learn now?

Zhao Layue hadn’t found any sword manual after searching everywhere inside and outside the manor cave.

“There is no sword instruction manual; how can we learn sword work?”

Zhao Layue’s gaze left the Thoughtless Sword and then locked onto Jing Jiu’s face, staring at him for a long time.

Jing Jiu gave it some thought while rubbing his face, then said, “Otherwise…let me do it as well?”

“The capable should do more. You have made monkey fights your business, and you are of course responsible for sword instruction,” thought Zhao Layue, then asking, “Did you win?”

Knowing that she was asking about the outcome of helping their monkeys fight against other monkeys, Jing Jiu said, with raised eyebrows, “Of course.”

He then strolled over toward the manor cave.

Watching from behind him, Zhao Layue was speechless.

From the South Pine Pavilion to the Stream of Sword Washing, breaking through four states with ease, entering the cloudy top of Sword Peak, defeating Gu Qing, all the way to climbing atop Shenmo Peak, Jing Jiu always looked calm and composed, seemingly not caring about anything; but today he couldn’t conceal his contentment after helping monkeys win that fight.

What kind of person was he?

In the manor cave, Jing Jiu took out pen, ink, paper and inkstone and began to write on the paper after focusing his mind on the task. Soon, he finished writing on one piece of paper, afterwards writing on more pieces of paper, enough to make a booklet. Before he was about to stop writing, he figured writing one book was almost the same as writing two books since the ink was already ground and ready to use, so it would be troublesome to grind again next time. He used the leftover ink to write a lot more, though the contents were unknown.

By dusk, the ink on the paper was totally dry; Jing Jiu cut them into a few booklets, sewing them together with thread, afterward bringing one booklet to the outside of the cave.

Zhao Layue took the booklet and turned over the pages to read, her expression very serious.

The words on the paper were obviously newly written, having dried not long before, but a few illustrations were not completely dry yet.

These words and illustrations described the secret instructions of sword movements and sword riding.

This set of sword movements was heroic and gallant, or in another word, fearless; the meaning of regretlessness of nine deaths was apparently conveyed on the paper.

Zhao Layue lifted her head, staring at Jing Jiu, the expression in her eyes was complicated and hard to discern.

“What’s the matter?” asked Jing Jiu.

“Senior Grandmaster actually trusted you even more; I’m kind of jealous now,” said Zhao Layue.

Was it because Jing Yang left the Thoughtless Sword for her, and left the Nine-Deaths Sword Manual for Jing Jiu?

However, nobody knew which one was more important, the sword or the sword manual.

Jing Jiu returned to his bamboo chair, adjusting his position to make sure the worn-out legs wouldn’t give in and then resting with his eyes closed.

As she looked at him, Zhao Layue suddenly thought of something astonishing

Yet, the idea couldn’t be substantiated by any other means unless she asked him directly.

Ultimately, Zhao Layue didn’t ask.

And that was the difference between Zhao Layue and Liu Shisui, otherwise Jing Jiu would tell her the truth.

And she would have known the answer amid the mountain twilight.
…
…

Watching two flying swords breaking through the sea of clouds and falling toward the bottom of the peak, Gu Han said after a long silence, “It’s obvious that Shangde Peak intends to intimidate us.”

“Calm down. What you said shouldn’t be heard by others,” said Guo Nanshan.

Looking at Guo with a pungent expression, Gu Han said, “Shangde Peak behaves so offensively, yet the senior masters don’t have anything to say about them?!”

“Do you remember what your father said before his death? As long as the Green Mountain survives…” Guo Nanshan continued after a brief silence while watching the two disappearing flying swords, “…any sacrifice is worth it.”

At the Inherited Sword Competition, he was forced to use the Six-Dragon Sword Style he had learned on Liangwang Peak, doing so out of sheer anger and forgetting it was forbidden by the sect rules.

It wasn’t a big deal, but Shangde Peak insisted on investigating, and Liangwang Peak had to provide an answer.

Was it the case that Liangwang Peak taught their disciples the true sword style secretly, or had Gu Qing learned it secretly by himself?

Everyone knew how to choose.

If Gu Qing admitted it was he who learned it secretly, the worst outcome was that Liangwang Peak would be blamed for a lack of supervision.

As a result, Gu Qing became a sacrifice. He was expelled from Liangwang Peak, returning to the Stream of Sword Washing, waiting three more years to participate in the next Inherited Sword Competition.

Gu Qing wasn’t familiar with the arrangements in the cliff cave since he had grown up on Liangwang Peak, and had never spent a day in the cliff caves, not even during his sword-washing period.

Walking out of the manor cave toward the edge of the cliff, he looked down at the clean water of the Stream of Sword Washing, After a period of silence, Gu Qing said, “Have you noticed the expressions in the eyes of those sword-washing disciples?”

“The loudest is Xue Yong’e, and it’s rumored that he has a grand uncle who is an elder on Shiyue Peak,” said Liu Shisui, who accompanied Gu Qing from Liangwang Peak to come here while arranging his luggage.

Gu Qing sighed.

If this was had been earlier, he wouldn’t pay attention to Xue Yong’e at all, even though he had a grand uncle as an elder of Shiyue Peak.

Now he had to put up with their mockery and ridicule.

Gu Qing had been on Liangwang Peak the entire time and had never been at the stream, so those sword-washing disciples didn’t have a good opinion of him.

Under the circumstances, it was natural for him to hear some mockery.

He suddenly recalled the sword fight that was perhaps going to change his sword Cultivation career; though that guy Jing Jiu hit him several times, neither the look in his eyes nor his tone showed any hint of contempt and ridicule, and he even answered many of his puzzling questions.

“Jing Jiu…what kind of person is he?” Gu Qing asked Liu Shisui.

Liu Shisui was cautious and didn’t respond.

“I heard you two were a master-servant pair,” said Gu Qing.

After a period of silence, Liu said, “As Brother Lü and Brother Gu both said, all the affairs in the mortal world must be cut off once at the mountain gate, so I don’t remember those things anymore.”

Gu Qing figured he didn’t want to talk about it, and didn’t ask again.

“Do you need me to make the bed for you?” asked Liu Shisui.

“No, thanks.”

Watching those peers by the stream, Gu Qing said, after a period of silence, “I’ll leave soon.”

Liu Shisui was startled, asking, “What did you say?”

Gu Qing said, “The Cultivation is about going forward without looking back, especially the sword method of our Green Mountain Sect. If I have to wait here for three more years…I doubt that I will have the chance to enter the State of the Undefeated. As you know, if I can’t reach that state, the Cultivation becomes meaningless to me.”

His voice and expression were both very calm, but Liu Shisui could feel his sadness and melancholy.

“Brother Guo and Brother Gu both have high expectations of you…”

Liu Shisui knew his efforts to comfort wouldn’t help much.

Liangwang Peak was a place where their disciples were held to higher standards and treated almost cruelly.

Because of Gu Qing’s special status, if he couldn’t perform better than his peers, Gu Han wouldn’t spend too many resources on him.

Looking at how depressed Gu Qing, was Liu Shisui suddenly thought of a possibility, saying after some hesitation, “Would you like to try over there?”
…
…