Chapter 5: Fierce Sword

Sword Dynasty

Volume 2

Chapter 5: Fierce Sword

As night fell, the curtain of darkness seemed unable to withstand the weight of winter, and white snowflakes finally fell from the sky, filling the air with white dots.

A carriage waited quietly at the gate of the White Goat Cave, and the black cotton cloth covering the carriage gradually turned white.

Ding Ning came out of the gate of  the White Goat Cave.

He did not bring an umbrella. As he walked to the front of the carriage, he bowed to Jing Mozong, who was still wearing his gray robe. Then, he patted his clothes and brushed the snow off his hair before lifting the thick, layered black curtain to enter the carriage.

“You really are weak.”

Ding Ning could not help but remark when he saw Wang Taixu wearing a large fox fur robe that looked like he was under a pile of fox skins.

“I'll recover my strength after this winter, as spring approaches.” The faint smile on Wang Taixu's face made him look even more like a cunning old fox. “Why did you want to see me today?”

Outside the carriage cabin, Jing Mozong began to drive. The cabin swayed slightly.

Ding Ning pulled up a cushion to lean against and said, “I heard something major happened in Changling these past few days.”

“Are you referring to Bai Shanshui?” Wang Taixu glanced at him, nodded, and said, “Perhaps you only learned about it today. Changling is in an uproar. It’s said that both the prime minister and the empress are furious. Many Changling officials have been dismissed and exiled. The repercussions of this incident will be enormous, especially since Bai Shanshui spoke and sang such brazen lyrics while fighting, and he also managed to escape.”

Ding Ning thought for a moment and said, “Bai Shanshui fought, but no one around him was able to stop him from escaping Changling… Do you know the story behind it?”

Wang Taixu said, “The Changling Guards were pursuing stolen items from the imperial tombs and managed to force Fan Zhuo and Bai Shanshui out. Fan Zhuo was in a merchant caravan that was being investigated. He thought he couldn’t hide his powerful cultivator status, so he attacked and created an escape route for Bai Shanshui. The Changling Guards surrounded the merchant caravan from the start. It was purely coincidental. Otherwise, I’m afraid we wouldn’t have discovered it.”

Ding Ning frowned and said, “Someone in Changling deliberately intimidated Bai Shanshui into coming out. However, I heard that Bai Shanshui killed people to clear his way out of the city from the Jiujiang Commandery Assembly Hall and escaped to the Wei River. He should be much stronger than Zhao Zhan.”

Wang Taixu smiled faintly and said, “Bai Shanshui is as famous as Fourth Mister Zhao. You didn't want to meet me today just to discuss Bai Shanshui's cultivation, did you?”

Ding Ning glanced at him and said, “What have you been doing lately?”

Wang Taixu's expression became serious. He said seriously, “Actually, I want to hear your opinion on what I should do in the short term. Others don't know, but I know very well that the reason I survived the battle with Jinlintang was because of your plan.”

“When he brought you to the White Goat Cave, Xue Wangxu said that it was impossible to get more people to sacrifice their lives for your brothers. I don't think you would do such a foolish thing.” Ding Ning looked at him and said, “If I were you, I would use this time to pressure the military and gain more benefits. Especially now that the empress and the two prime ministers are furious over the Bai Shanshui matter. The people in the military will definitely want to resolve this matter and won't do anything that crosses the line. You've survived the assassination attempt and are prepared. They should know that even if they kill you, some of your subordinates will immediately leak the matte.”

“I admire you very much. I increasingly feel that even if those legendary eccentrics surpass you in cultivation speed, they can't possess as broad a vision as you.” Wang Taixu looked at Ding Ning with emotion. “I've given the Warden’s Office a great headache. I want the warehouse and mine business.”

“Having lofty aspirations is good.”

Ding Ning was silent for a moment. “You didn't choose to leave Changling but instead chose to advance. This means you still want to fight against the powerful people who killed your brothers..”

“The people who dared to manipulate Jinlintang to do such a thing and send so many cultivators to assassinate me that night were either generals, princes, or marquesses.” Wang Taixu coughed softly. “Of course I can't influence such people. My brothers are like my limbs. Even if I were willing to cut off my limbs in exchange for them, they wouldn't be able to be brought back to life. I hope that one day, I can make those who killed my brothers pay some of the price they deserve.”

“Since you've already done so, I'd like to ask for your help with one matter,” Ding Ning lowered his head and said softly.

This was clearly at odds with Ding Ning's initial attitude.

At first, Ding Ning had not wanted to have too much contact with the Two Level Tower. This matter must have been extremely important to Ding Ning. Otherwise, he would not have spoken so seriously.

As a result, Wang Taixu felt a little strange. “What matter?”

Ding Ning slowly said, “In the final stages of your discussions with the Warden’s Office, see if you can secure some prison-related business.”

Wang Taixu was slightly silent. “Prison-related business?”

Ding Ning nodded. “It would be better if it was a business that required going in and out of prisons and constant contact with the people who run the prisons.”

Wang Taixu glanced at him and said, “I will do my best.”

Ding Ning frowned slightly. “Don’t you find my request strange? Aren’t you going to ask why?”

“You reached Energy Refinement in a month, and won in a competition like the sword trial festival. You are someone who will do great things in the future.” Wang Taixu laughed. “Since we are all people who will do great things, nothing we do is strange.”

 

The snow-covered carriage entered an alley and stopped in front of the door of an unnamed wine shop.

Ding Ning got off the carriage and waved his hand in farewell to Jing Mozong and Wang Taixu.

Pushing open the half-open door, he saw Zhangsun Qianxue waiting for him with a small oil lamp, as usual. The steam rising from the food on the table looked as if it had just come out of a bamboo steamer.

Ding Ning saw that Zhangsun Qianxue had changed into new clothes. Although this was a common style on the street, even the most ordinary adornments seemed exquisite and captivating on her.

So when he sat down, he could not help but say, “Other people are beautiful because of their adornments; you make adornments even more beautiful.”

Zhangsun Qianxue did not care about his words. “Why did you come back in Wang Taixu’s carriage again?” she asked coldly.

“Because I have something I need his help with,” Ding Ning said as he began to eat.

Zhangsun Qianxue did not ask any more questions. This was an agreement she and Ding Ning had naturally established over the years.

“You really won the sword trial festival?” she asked neutrally. Seeing Ding Ning happily enjoying the food, she picked up a sweet rice cake and ate it slowly, something she had never done before.

Ding Ning made a sound of acknowledgement. He took a wooden box from his sleeve and handed it to Zhangsun Qianxue.

Zhangsun Qianxue did not need to look to know that the content of the wooden box were the green jade amber that were extremely important to her.

She did not immediately take the wooden box. She looked at Ding Ning and slowly said, “Thank you.”

Ding Ning casually said, “There's no need for thanks between us.”

“This isn’t like the previous times… You should know, after the last ordeal and this green jade amber, my sword will be stable, and I won't be so reliant on you in the future. If it were me, I probably wouldn't have given this green jade amber to you,” Zhangsun Qianxue said calmly.

“It doesn’t matter.” Ding Ning looked up at her and licked the corners of his lips. He said, “Because I've never thought about relying on you for anything in all these years.”

Zhangsun Qianxue frowned.

Aside from matters of cultivation, she rarely considered other matters; but she was not stupid. She quickly realized that although she possessed great strength compared to ordinary cultivators, Ding Ning truly had not relied on her for anything all these years. He had not even asked her to fight once to protect him.

Ding Ning did not say anything.

“You will sleep by yourself tonight.”

Zhangsun Qianxue stopped talking for no apparent reason. She picked up the wooden box and walked out into the courtyard. “I owe you a favor.”

Ding Ning smiled bitterly.

 

As she passed through the courtyard towards the bedroom, snowflakes landed on Zhangsun Qianxue's flawless face. Feeling the coldness of these snowflakes, Zhangsun Qianxue felt even more that the resentments and grievances in Changling were too complicated.

She stopped thinking and cleared the chaotic thoughts from her mind, leaving her mind empty like a sheet of white paper once again.

As usual in the past when she was cultivating, she lay on her bed, fully clothed.

The green jade amber inside the wooden box emitted a soft light and a faint, calming fragrance. A strand of vital energy shot out from her finger; crushing this green jade amber into powder, which all entered her abdomen along with she breath.

When her Spirit Thought sank into her energy sea and touched the dark blue sword in the jade palace, the sword once again became extremely restless and ferocious, like a giant dragon trapped in a trap. The sword emitted an incomparably evil and ferocious aura, as if it wanted to force its way through her jade palace and then split her energy sea open to make its way out of her body.

However, waves of green energy continued to flow out of her body and sink into her energy sea.

The light green energy, emitting a gentle halo, flowed into the jade palace and the fierce dark blue sword.

The fierce dark blue sword gradually calmed down and began to accept the presence within her jade palace.

Her Spirit Thought began to slowly merge with the sword.

In the darkness, a faint dark blue flame flickered on her forehead as if it were a small dark blue sword.

 

Notes:

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

Previously

Next