Chapter 19: True Meaning

Sword Dynasty

Volume 1: Great Rebel

Chapter 19: True Meaning

The primal energies of the universe stopped gushing. The wind died down and the furniture stopped moving.

Chen Moli did not exude any presence, just like when he first entered the wine shop. However, his calm words continued to blow like a strong wind through these disciples' bodies.

Ding Ning’s brows furrowed slightly, and his mouth opened to speak.

“Let's get out of the way to avoid the mess. Cleaning it up will take some effort.” But before Ding Ning could speak, Chen Moli spoke, stood up, and calmly turned to leave the whine shop.

Xu Heshan’s expression grew even more sour. When Chen Moli turned around, he did not immediately follow him. He turned around and said in a low voice to Xie Changsheng and Nangong Caishu, “Suppressing strength has nothing to do with cultivation.”

The disciples present were intelligent and all understood the meaning of Xu Heshan’s words.

When cultivation was put aside, the key to victory was usually combat experience and fighting techniques.

“I understand.”

Xie Changsheng stared at Chen Moli's back and said coldly, "This is a matter of our honor, so of course we'll choose the most skilled fighter to participate.”

When he said this, all the disciples turned to Nangong Caishu.

Among them, if cultivation was put aside, the most skilled fighter was this delicate-looking young woman.

Nangong Caishu herself seemed to realize this as well. Her expression turned solemn. Without saying a word, she moved and walked forward.

Chen Moli stood in the middle of the alley. He stared at the dirt and the weeds growing between the cracks in the stones.

He thought about Prince Li Ling, whom he had followed. In the Qin capital, Prince Li Ling was like a weed, tenaciously struggling to survive in the cracks.

But after today, would this situation change?

Her expression turned solemn.

He turned and said to Nangong Caishu, who came in front of him and nodded in greeting. He said, “Please!”

Nangong Caishu narrowed her eyes and nodded in greeting. “Please!”

The voice echoed through the alley. The sparrows on the parasol tree suddenly flew away in alarm. The yellowed, dry leaves whirled away from Nangong Caishu.

A strong wind blew. Nangong Caishu moved straight, leaving afterimages behind her, as she charged towards Chen Moli.

A scale-patterned sword appeared, wielded in her right hand, as she slashed towards Chen Moli's head in an incredibly straightforward manner.

As the sword appeared, the old energy dissipated and new energy emerged.

Waves of physical energy exploded from her sword, dissipated, and then exploded again.

Waves rippled through the cold air.

This was an incredibly straight sword strike, but it made one feel as if there were countless swords.

This was the City Connecting Sword Art of her father, the general of Lishi Commandery, Nangong Pocheng.

In numerous accounts of the war with the Zhao Dynasty, Nangong Pocheng had cut down numerous heavily armored chariots with a single strike. This was a sword move controlled through physical energy and created by continuously channeling power.

Chen Moli's eyes shone brightly. He had not expected such a delicate young woman to be so aggressive in her initial attack. She was ferocious!

But facing such a ferocious sword, his only reaction was the glint of his eyes.

He did not retreat.

A crane's cry rang through the air. His sword emerged from its sheath.

The hilt of his sword was made of pure white jade, and the sword blade was also a crystal-white, thin and slightly translucent with faint feather patterns. It looked both refined and fragile.

However, he held this sword almost roughly and horizontally before thrusting it upwards and striking the scale-patterned sword that was slashing downwards.

Bang.

A wave of air exploded around the two. Even the soft wild grasses in the stone cracks under Chen Moli’s feet was cut down by the powerful and sharp sword energies.

Xie Changsheng and the other subconsciously narrowed their eyes.

No one expected Chen Moli's seemingly fragile white sword to produce such immense power, and in such a short time.

Most importantly, the white sword showed no signs of damage. It simply continued to vibrate.

However, the thick, scale-patterned sword in Nangong Caishu's hand was already slightly curved.

A strand of blood flowed from between her index finger and thumb onto the scale-patterned sword.

Many observers had emerged from the alleys surrounding Falling Parasol. They might not have been able to see the skill in this battle, but they were amazed that Nangong Caishu's small frame could generate such immense power.

A loud, ear-splitting howl escaped Nangong Caishu's lips.

The soles of her shoes nearly exploded, but she did not take a step back.

She gritted her teeth and ignored her pain as her left hand stabbed towards Chen Moli’s abdomen.

At this moment, a small, green sword appeared in her left hand.

This green sword appeared to have numerous natural vine patterns on its surface due to the forging process. When she stabbed, the physical energy that came out of this sword seemed to form many thin green vines that grew in the air so that one could not clearly see where the tip of the sword was pointing.

This was the Green Vine Art and the Green Vine Sword Manual of Green Vine Sword School.

Ding Ning's expression turned solemn.

It was no wonder that even the arrogant Xie Changsheng would step aside and let Nangong Caishu fight. The Green Vine Art and the Green Vine Sword Manual of the Green Vine Sword School were difficult to use together. Nangong Caishu was able to use both together at realm two. She was a rare genius.

The sword aimed at the abdomen. It was a vicious blow that concealed a gentle stab. Even Chen Moli's expression changed.

He had an impulse to release his vital energy.

However, he controlled his impulse. In that split second, his left hand also moved.

His left hand was not holding a sword, but a sword sheath, a precious green sharkskin sheath.

This sword sheath suddenly turned into a pool of spring water that enveloped the green vines that were growing upwards.

Everyone only heard a light clinking.

It was the sound of the sword returning to its sheath. The vine-like sword energies disappeared. Nangong Caishu’s complexion was ashen.

All the disciples behind her gasped in shock.

Her sword was inside Chen Moli’s sheath.

Among the countless green vines, in a very short time, Chen Moli precisely found the true sword and used the sword sheath to grab her sword.

In the following moments, Chen Moli’s actions did not stop. Chen Moli held the other end of the sword and continued swinging his sword.

The spring water continued to flow.

Nangong Caishu was unable to support herself. Like a rock, she was lifted into the air, her feet leaving the ground. In the next moment, her sword slipped from her left hand. The green little sword remained in Chen Moli's green sword sheath like a bird trapped in a cage.

Xie Changsheng lowered his head. He felt cold and angry, but he knew that saying anything was futile.

Xu Heshan and the other disciples also paled.

Ever since Chen Moli began demonstrating his skills, they had known that this swordsman from the Chu Dynasty was powerful, but they had not expected him to reach such a level of strength. Even Nangong Caishu, whom the teachers of the Green Vine Sword School considered the only disciple who understood fighting among the decades of Green Vine Sword School disciples, had been defeated so easily, and even the Green Vine Sleeve Sword had been taken away using a sword sheath.

Pew… pew…

Two soft sounds rang out. Nangong Caishu landed on her feet in the dust.

She was a young woman. When she thought of her teachers' teachings and saw how someone else had taken her beloved Green Vine Sleeve Sword, she was so angry she cried.

Chen Moli glanced at her.

He put his swords away.

The Green Vine Sleeve Sword flew out of his sheath and landed directly in front of Nangong Caishu. At the same time his jade-like long sword returned to its sheath.

There was a profound elegance in his posture.

“You should be proud of being able to cultivate Green Vine Art and Green Vine Sword Manual to such a level with your cultivation. Perhaps you will defeat me in the future.”

He looked at Nangong Caishu seriously and praised her sincerely without pretense.

Nangong Caishu did not look at him.

She looked at the small Green Vine Sleeve Sword trembling in the cracks in the stone. She could feel the helplessness and powerlessness of the small Green Vine Sleeve Sword. Her nose felt slightly sore. She felt she had failed it.

She took a deep breath and rubbed her nose.

When she pulled up this small green sword, her expression became extremely solemn.

A faint green light flashed like a bush of vines growing in the air.

A faint bloody mark appeared in the center of her right hand, dripping with blood.

“Mister Chen, please live well I will definitely defeat you.”

She raised her bleeding right hand. At the same time, she put the small green sword against her chest as she spoke solemnly.

This was the sword oath of the Qin.

In her opinion, defeat was still defeat, victory was still victory. Whether the process of victory was spectacular or worthy of pride was irrelevant.

The most important thing was that as long as she was alive, then even if she was defeated, she would gain victory next time.

Chen Moli was silent for a long moment.

Not out of fear, but out of respect and worry.

The Qin possessed hearts as greedy as wolves and tigers. What this Changling young woman showed today was enough to make anyone from Chu wary.

However, he could not let this young woman and the disciples behind her delay what he needed to do today.

So his expression became calm and cold again.

“Today's battle is actually unfair because I have more battle experience than you.” His gaze swept over Nangong Caishu's white hands, then over Xie Changsheng, Xu Heshan, and the others. Then he slowly said, "This year, I am twenty-eight years old.”

Ordinary people would have difficulty understanding why he stated his age so solemnly at this time.

But these disciples were cultivators.

Usually, before they officially began cultivating, they had read many records on cultivation and heard many things.

So they all knew the true meaning in Chen Moli’s words. 

Notes:

This novel is not my work... I just translated it from a Chinese web novel written by Wu Zui

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