Chapter 31: A New Storm

Sword Dynasty

Volume 2

Chapter 31: A New Storm

A new record in the world of cultivators meant leaving a deep mark in the annals of history.

However, a new record also often represented new storms.

Therefore, when Ding Ning returned to the Falling Parasol Wine Shop, as soon as he stepped through the door, Zhangsun Qianxue's displeased and cold voice rang out, “Do you have to let people know that you've achieved a breakthrough so quickly?”

Zhangsun Qianxue's words carried two meanings. The first was that he could control his cultivation speed. The second was that even if he wanted to achieve a breakthrough so quickly, he could conceal his cultivation afterward so that others would not detect him.

“It has to be this fast,” Hearing the double meaning in Zhangsun Qianxue's words, Ding Ning responded with unusual firmness. Then, looking at Zhangsun Qianxue, whose face was covered in frost, he softly explained, “Because I want to bring glory to Xue Wangxu.”

Zhangsun Qianxue seemed to accept Ding Ning's words. Her expression softened, but her tone remained as cold as ever, “For you, you have too many other things to consider.”

“The end result is the goal. Regardless of whether I can achieve my goal or not, I hope the process is more spectacular and meaningful.” Ding Ning looked at her and said, “The fewer ties a person has, the more easily they will be hated by others.”

 

Like all ordinary old people, Xue Wangxu went to sleep early, but he woke up later than most old people.

Zhang Yi held his bowl of noodles in the dim light of the rising sun. He paused and listened to the heavy, yet irregular breathing coming from the room. Thinking of Xue Wangxu's ethereal aura in the past, and how he had already reached realm seven, he could not help but feel sad, and tears almost fell into the bowl in his hands.

He was deeply worried that the heavy breathing would suddenly stop and Xue Wangxu would never wake up again.

However, before his first tears could fall, Xue Wangxu woke up with a long sigh and welcomed the new day in Changling.

Hearing Xue Wangxu awake, Zhang Yi immediately walked out into the courtyard without putting down his bowl of noodles.

While slowly putting on his clothes, Xue Wangxu heard hurried footsteps outside the door. Zhang Yi's anxious and hurried appearance flashed through his mind. He could not help but reprimand him, “Why are you running so fast? Are you afraid I'll die in my sleep?”

Zhang Yi stumbled and froze a few steps from Xue Wangxu's door. He said with some annoyance, “It's almost the new year, and you're still saying such inauspicious words!”

Before Ding Ning joined the White Goat Cave, Zhang Yi was Xue Wangxu's favorite disciple after Li Daoji. However, Xue Wangxu could not stand Zhang Yi's meticulous and fastidious nature. Xue Wangxu frowned when he heard Zhang Yi speak like that. He was about to scold him when his nose suddenly twitched at a familiar aroma. He became curious, “Zhang Yi, are you eating noodles?”

Zhang Yi paused and looked at the bowl of noodles in his hand. He immediately felt a little embarrassed and lowered his head, “I heard others say that you and Youngest Sect Brother were eating noodles at the stall near the alley entrance. Earlier, when I woke up, I prepared hot water for you. When I saw you weren't awake yet, and because I heard the stall owner say they would be closed tomorrow for the New Year, I took a bowl to taste. I was a little careless; you hadn't eaten yet, but I had already started.”

Xue Wangxu suddenly became excited and moved before he finished dressing. “Push the door open and let me see.”

Zhang Yi was immediately confused. Did the Sect Master really like eating noodles? But he, who respected his master so much, did not dare delay. He rushed to the door, pushed it open, and entered.

Xue Wangxu looked at the bowl in Zhang Yi's hand.

When he clearly saw the color of the bowl in Zhang Yi's hand, he pointed at Zhang Yi with one hand and patted the bed with the other, laughing so hard that he could not breathe.

“What is this?” Zhang Yi's face paled. He remembered how his Youngest Sect Brother had entrusted the Sect Master in his care, to him, but after a night, the Sect Master had gone mad! How could he explain it!

“It's nothing, it's nothing.”

Seeing Zhang Yi almost lunging forward in nervousness, Xue Wangxu rubbed his aching stomach and said, “Next time, remember to bring your own bowl when you go to that shop.”

“My own bowl?”

Zhang Yi still felt that Xue Wangxu was acting very abnormal. What did the taste of the noodles have to do with his bowl? Besides, the stall was so close, and the owner was so friendly. Couldn't he just finish eating and return the bowl?

“Is your Youngest Sect Brother not awake yet?” Xue Wangxu asked, holding back his laughter, and continued, “Tell him to come eat noodles with me.”

“Alright, I'll call him right away.” Zhang Yi felt that Ding Ning needed to be present to calm the situation. He immediately turned and ran out.

“Why are you running!” Xue Wangxu saw this and shouted, “We're so close, won't he hear you if you shout for him?”

Zhang Yi was startled and said awkwardly, “This seems a bit rude…”

Xue Wangxu was a little annoyed. “What's so rude about it? This is an ordinary alley. Where do you think you are? You're being so sentimental for no reason! Do you want me to shout?”

Zhang Yi grimaced and immediately shouted in a harsh voice, “Youngest Sect Brother, Sect Master wants you to eat noodles with him!”

The noodle stall owner at the entrance immediately replied, “Two bowls of noodles. What kind of noodles would you like? I'll start making the sauce for you!”

“Fatty intestine noodles.” Ding Ning's voice was clear.

“The same as his.” Xue Wangxu glanced at Zhang Yi.

Zhang Yi could only shout with a frown, “Two bowls of fatty intestine noodles.”

“How about we order another one.” Xue Wangxu, now satisfied, looked at the bowl of noodles in Zhang Yi's hand. “You take one bowl and eat with us.”

“That is not right.” Zhang Yi, as if making up his mind, finished all the noodles in the bowl in two mouthfuls. Then he said apologetically, “These grains are a gift from the son of heavens, and have been diligently nurtured by farmers before being milled. They must not be wasted.”

Xue Wangxu looked at his puffed cheeks and sighed softly, then said, “You only remember this ancient saying, but you don't know that ignoring your elders is harmful to yourself. If you knew that the dishwasher likes to pick his nose occasionally, would you still say this?”

Zhang Yi's eyes immediately widened. The expression on his face was striking.

Just at that moment, Ding Ning's figure appeared in the small courtyard behind him.

Zhang Yi turned around. As soon as he saw Ding Ning's face, the noodle bowl in his hand fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.

Xue Wangxu could not help but shake his head. “Even if you're venting your anger, don't smash other people's bowls.”

Zhang Yi stammered in a trembling voice, “Youngest… Youngest… Youngest Sect…”

Xue Wangxu finally realized something was wrong. He stared intently at Ding Ning who was walking over and his eyes widened.

“Realm three?”

His breathing became labored, and after a few light coughs, he looked at Ding Ning hesitantly and asked.

Ding Ning smiled faintly and began carrying a basin to prepare hot water for a bath.

“This really is…”

Xue Wangxu tried to form a few words, completely unable to find the right ones to describe it, and soon burst out laughing.

 

On the outskirts of the city to the east of Changling, there was a secluded courtyard. The spacious area was surrounded by walls, but the buildings inside were small and simple.

In front of a small house with gray walls and black roof tiles, there was a natural blue spring surrounded by wild grasses.

At this time, the yellowed grass was covered in snow, but the spring in the middle was still flowing and emitting hot steam. Many goldfish even swam within it.

A cultivator of unknown age sat in the small house, facing this blue spring.

The reason his age could not be ascertained was because his hair and beard had not been trimmed for who knows how many years. His long hair reached the ground, and his beard covered half his face.

However, even though his long hair was unkempt and messy like overgrown grass, his body still exuded an aura of strength and vitality, a presence reminiscent of spring.

Two men dressed in exquisite and luxurious robes stood on the lower steps to his left. One appeared to be in his thirties, while the other appeared to be in his fifties. Both possessed the dignified yet calm presence that only high-ranking and powerful officials possess.

“Brother, perhaps we've been mistaken.”

The man in his thirties, whose hair was coiled up with a jade hairpin, looked at the loose-haired cultivator with some worry. He said, “The young man from the wine shop we've been eyeing has already reached realm three. His breakthrough speed is faster than An Baoshi and Jing Liuli.”

“He's not faster than them. I heard he used pill medicines to advance from Energy Refinement third-class to Energy Refinement first-class during the sword trial festival.” The long-haired cultivator remained motionless, staring at the blue spring before him. He continued, “Moreover, even if he uses all kinds of spirit medicines to nourish his body, he will experience premature aging once he reaches realm five. Realm five has no meaning.”

The man in his thirties asked softly, “The family wants to hear your opinion, so is your opinion still the same as before?”

The long-haired cultivator said without moving, “Same.”

The two men dressed in exquisite and luxurious robe said nothing more. They left this unique little courtyard and rode away in a copper carriage.

“What he said makes sense.” Inside the somewhat stuffy carriage, the man in his thirties mused, “An Baoshi and Jing Liuli cultivate without using any pill medicines. To be honest, this Ding Ning might not be faster than them in terms of breakthroughs. will accumulate in his body and affect his future comprehension of energy. So it really…”

“What makes sense! Fang Xiumu is stupid because he practices the sword, have you become stupid too!” However, his words were immediately interrupted by the rebuke and cold sneer of the man in his fifties.

He continued,. “How long has it been since the sword trial festival? It hasn't even been three months! This boy was at realm two second-class during the sword trial festival. Even if he was realm two first-class then, how long would it have taken An Baoshi and Jing Liuli to advance from realm two first-class to realm three? Other people might not know, but don't you? If you compare the time from realm two first-class to realm three, you'll understand! Furthermore, this boy also went with Xue Wangxu to Zhushan District. He's tired and constantly moving around, he didn't seclude himself to cultivate!”

The man in his thirties was shocked.

“Four months… of the eight months it took An Baoshi and Jing Liuli to advance from realm two to realm three, they spent four months in the final stage.”

After a while, he finally took a deep breath and said in surprise, “If that's the case, then Ding Ning is faster.”

“The name ‘Fang Xiumu’ shouldn’t mean a perfect curtain now, but rotten wood. He became like this after cultivating the sword. I don’t know what he’ll gain from sitting in front of such a blue spring for so many years. But the family values him the most.” The man in his fifties sneered, “He doesn’t have a good opinion of that boy, but I want to give it a try. Even the empress has her eyes on this boy because Xue Wangxu wants to see him perform at the Min Mountain Sword Trials. I’ll also add fuel to the fire. If this boy truly has outstanding achievements, the family’s view of him will naturally change in the future.”

 

Notes:

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

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