Chapter 48: You Want to Take Me as Your Master?

Chapter 48: Chapter 48: You Want to Take Me as Your Master?

Before the Spirit Official Hall, the turbulent air in the wake of the great battle gradually settled.

Wuu Liusheng rose from the steps where he stood, his hands slowly releasing the two peerless, famous swords of his Sword God lineage, a look of sorrow on his face.

’I never would have thought... never in my wildest dreams...’

Twenty years ago, his master, Wen Taibai, had come to the mountain to issue a challenge, brimming with confidence. He believed he could best Chen Canxuan and become the peerless figure of their generation’s Jianghu. But he was defeated, his sword was left behind, and he lived the rest of his life in sorrow...

Twenty years later, he had arrived just as confident. He had thought that with the invincible Chen Canxuan gone, only a handful of nobodies remained on Dao Yi Mountain. The new, young Sect Leader was barely at the Grandmaster level; retrieving his lineage’s Treasure Sword should have been an easy task.

And in the end, the outcome was no different from what happened twenty years ago.

’Heavens, why do you favor Dao Yi Mountain so? Chen Canxuan was already invincible, hogging all of creation’s favor. Why must the son he fathered also possess such incredible Power?’

’Could it be that the next era of the Jianghu will still belong to the Chen Family?’

"Old man, are you alright?"

Wuu Liusheng looked at the anxious, concerned girl before him and could not help but force a bitter smile. 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

"Lass, you’ve seen me make a fool of myself."

Lin Qingqing bit her lip and shook her head. "No. Old man, you’re very strong. Your Martial Arts are even better than my father’s."

Despite her words, she, like everyone else, had never expected this outcome.

The young Sect Leader’s youth was genuine, and the immensity of his strength was equally real.

’No wonder... my father held Dao Yi Mountain in such high esteem his entire life.’

Lin Qingqing helped Wuu Liusheng slowly up the steps.

Chen Sha watched the girl approach, knowing she was the one from the Lin Family who wished to become his disciple. ’She’s a loyal and righteous girl,’ he thought.

He glanced at her brother, who, the moment Wuu Liusheng had been struck, had quickly moved far away, terrified of being associated with the old man.

Chen Sha looked at the old man in the cotton-padded coat and said slowly, "Your Swordsmanship and Martial Arts are extraordinary. It has been a true eye-opener for me. Although the outcome of this battle is decided, our fight was not born of hatred. If you don’t mind, please come inside to tend to your wounds."

As he spoke, he instructed the Elders behind him to fetch some Healing Elixirs.

"There’s no need!"

The old man in the cotton-padded coat, however, stood up ramrod straight, his back no longer stooped. He looked Chen Sha directly in the eye and said:

"Sect Leader Chen, you possess world-shaking Martial Arts at such a young age. I am not a sore loser. Since I have failed to reclaim my master’s sword this time, I have no face to linger at your esteemed sect."

With that, he turned to glance at the pair of longswords embedded in the steps, a look of pained resolve in his eyes, and said:

"Just now, if I had not called upon the Great River Sword, you would have surely taken Manhood as well, and my fate would have been identical to my master’s. Therefore, after I leave, you can continue to display both of these swords at your mountain gate."

For Martial Artists, nothing is more important than their reputation, both in life and after death.

Twenty years ago, his master Wen Taibai’s sword being left here had only added to Chen Canxuan’s fame.

Now that he too was defeated, he would be forced to leave his sword behind, adding to Chen Sha’s reputation.

This was the price the vanquished had to pay. To leave behind one’s sword was to leave behind one’s name.

Chen Sha, however, shook his head. "These two swords do not belong to Dao Yi Mountain. They are the heritage of your lineage. It would be best if you took them with you."

Saying this, Chen Sha walked over, pulled the two swords from the steps, and said:

"The Sword God lineage has six swords in total. It is a pity I only witnessed two of them today. If you are unsatisfied with today’s result, the gates of my mountain will always be here. I look forward to the day you recover all six Sword God swords, and we can have another satisfying battle. What do you say?"

Wuu Liusheng stared at the two swords Chen Sha held out to him, momentarily lost in a daze.

But it was only for a moment.

He let out a desolate laugh. "A loss is a loss. Sect Leader Chen, there is no need to speak of fighting again after I’ve found the other six swords. I am already fifty years old, while you are in the prime of your youth. I, at fifty, fought you at twenty, and still could not win. In the future, even if I am fortunate enough to find the other Sword Artifacts, you will likely have reached the same realm as your father. If we fought then, you would be in your prime, while I would be a decrepit old man. It would only become another joke."

Today’s battle had shown him just how terrifying the young man before him was. His moves were as cunning, tyrannical, and domineering as some old monster’s, utterly crushing him in every minute detail of their fight.

’I truly don’t know how someone like him was raised!’

With that, he turned to Lin Qingqing.

"Though I inherited the Swordsmanship and Martial Arts of the Sword God lineage, I may never be fortunate enough to step into the First-Grade Great Innate Realm in this lifetime. These are my own limitations. That is why both my master and I have only ever wanted to find a peerlessly gifted sword prodigy in our lifetimes."

Wuu Liusheng said sorrowfully, "I thought I had finally found one, but alas..."

He looked away from Lin Qingqing, not wanting the girl to blame herself for any of this. It had nothing to do with her, after all.

So, Wuu Liusheng raised his head and declared:

"But I am confident I can live another thirty or forty years. I will find a worthy successor eventually! I lost to you today, so in the future, I will have my disciple challenge your disciple. After all, who can say what the future generations will bring? There will come a day when my lineage holds its head high again."

The people of Dao Yi Mountain fell silent at his words.

Looked at from another perspective, if a Sect Leader like Chen Sha hadn’t been present, Song Yu and the others would have been utterly unable to stop Wuu Liusheng when he arrived.

This was the way of most people from prominent families. If the parents lived mediocre lives, they could only hope their children would become great and successful. It was only human.

Therefore, for Wuu Liusheng to place his hopes in the next generation after his defeat was not entirely wrong; in fact, it was likely the most correct decision he could make.

Chen Sha looked at the old man and said no more about him taking the swords. To insist would be too great an insult.

"Then I shall make a pact with you. If you can find a worthy disciple, I will have my own successor face them in battle."

Wuu Liusheng smiled at this, looked at Lin Qingqing, and said, "Barring any surprises, this lass is destined to become the most outstanding second-generation disciple on your Dao Yi Mountain!"

’Fate was truly a trickster. The disciple he had spent so much effort trying to recruit, the successor he had scouted... in all his searching, he had ended up finding a prodigiously talented rival for his own "true" future disciple.’

"Don’t you worry, old man. When you find the disciple you’re looking for, I’ll be sure to give them a serious fight."

Lin Qingqing said earnestly:

"And if you have bad luck and find another bad disciple, don’t worry about them not taking care of you when you’re old. I won’t let them mistreat you. Worst comes to worst, you’ll still have me as a friend."

"HAHAHAHA!"

Wuu Liusheng couldn’t help but roar with laughter.

After his laughter subsided, he turned away, his expression somber.

"Take care of yourself, lass."

As Chen Sha and the others watched, he took two steps and then froze. Without turning back, he spoke:

"Oh, right. Since I’ve delivered a natural-born sword prodigy to your Dao Yi Mountain, don’t just let those two swords I’m leaving behind hang there gathering dust. Let the lass practice with them from time to time. If she masters her Swordsmanship, she’ll be an even greater asset to you."

"I’m off!"

This time, he did not look back.

And just like that, he vanished into the mist on the path leading from the gate.

Lin Qingqing watched the old man depart, not knowing what year or month it would be before she saw him again, if ever.

She couldn’t help but recall his uncouth appearance when she first met the Elder Sword Champion at Lin Family Castle. She remembered how rarely he was serious on their journey, how he was always boasting about his peerless Swordsmanship, and the way he had begged to pass on all his Martial Arts to her...

Gazing at the empty path where the old man had disappeared, the girl was so touched by her memories that she let out a small laugh, only to find tears streaming down her face a moment later.

Just then, a gentle male voice sounded by her ear:

"You wish to become my disciple?"