Chapter 70: "Sword"

Cheng Yuanzhen had been struck by Yun Zelin with a palm. Though it was not meant to kill, the chasm in their cultivation levels ensured he was gravely injured.

As he fled down the mountain, his mind churned ceaselessly with calculations—how could he extricate himself from this predicament? By the time he neared the outskirts of Tai’an City, he had a rough plan in mind. Yet, from within the city, he faintly heard strange noises in the distance.

Trailing behind him were the three sect leaders and their disciples, who were all visibly disturbed. The sounds of wailing and howling—how could they not resemble what had transpired on Mount Tai?

Harnessing their lightness skills, they hurried to the city gate, only to find it tightly shut. At the entrance, trembling officials and soldiers stood guard, while from behind the doors came a constant scraping noise.

Cheng Yuanzhen strode forward and seized one of the officials by the collar, demanding harshly, “What’s going on?!”

The official, seeing Cheng’s governmental robes, thought at last the imperial reinforcements had arrived, and broke into tears.

“Sir! Oh, sir!”

He choked, unable to form a coherent sentence through his sobs.

Cheng Yuanzhen had no patience for his blubbering. With a few stinging slaps, he barked, “Why are you weeping as if at a funeral? Speak! What happened here? Why is the city sealed? What’s going on inside?”

The official, barely able to rein in his tears, finally poured out everything to Cheng Yuanzhen—what orders Li Miao had given, what the citizens within had become, all without omission.

At last, he pleaded through tears, “My aged wife and young children are still inside the city. I’ve wanted to open the gate and rush in countless times, but I’ve forced myself to hold back! At last, you’ve come, sir! I beg you, save the people of this city!”

Cheng Yuanzhen gave him a once-over, then, with a cold, unreadable glance, swept his eyes over the three sect leaders behind him. His gaze was icy, but he said nothing for the moment.

There is a saying: A sound soul dwells within a sound mind and a sound body.

A person’s nature is always, to some extent, shaped or constrained by their environment. The rarest and most precious are those who, despite their surroundings, choose a different path.

For instance, if someone is raised in luxury, surrounded by upright and kind people, and faces only honorable situations, then their goodness is natural, even commendable, but not extraordinary.

But if someone grows up wandering homeless, starving, and is surrounded by scheming and violence, yet still clings to kindness in the face of a cruel world—now that is truly precious.

For this reason, among the ranks of eunuchs, one seldom finds a good man.

With mutilated bodies, scorned by others, lives hanging by a thread, and rarely coming to a good end—their environment scarcely allows for kindness.

As for Cheng Yuanzhen, he was the quintessential eunuch.

He cared nothing for the lives of the citizens within the city. What occupied his mind now was whether he ought to silence everyone present, for the soldiers inside the city—whom he had taken to Mount Tai—had been moved without consulting Li Miao. Now, with the city left defenseless and the Ming Sect seizing the opportunity, much of the blame would fall on him.

He had no wish to risk his life in this affair, no desire to enter the city and save anyone. But all those who had seen him outside Tai’an City would be potential witnesses against his escape.

Yet… he could not do it.

Yun Zelin’s palm had landed squarely on his chest, injuring his heart meridian. It did not threaten his life, but impaired his internal energy. The three sect leaders were all seasoned masters, and their disciples were no less formidable. Even if Cheng was at his peak, wounded as he was, to fight them now would be a pyrrhic victory at best.

The three sect leaders were old hands in the martial world and sensed that faint, repressed murderous intent from Cheng Yuanzhen. Without a word, they each placed a hand on their sword hilts in silent agreement.

“Hmph!” After a long hesitation, Cheng Yuanzhen snorted coldly. He kicked away the weeping official clutching his leg and turned to leave.

The official stared blankly, and by the time he came to his senses, Cheng Yuanzhen’s silhouette had vanished. He stood there, hollow-eyed, then suddenly broke down in sobs. The other officials and soldiers did the same.

There is nothing more despairing than grasping at hope after a long wait, only to watch it shatter before your eyes. In their utter despondency, some even considered opening the gate and dying alongside their families within.

At that moment, the three sect leaders all sighed heavily.

Zhang Jingfeng, the leader of the Mount Heng sect, gave a bitter smile. “Well then, what do you both say?”

Zhou Yingxue, leader of the Songshan Sect, snorted, “What else can be said? Are you waiting for my Songshan Sect to flee, so you can hold it over us in the future?”

Deng Boxuan, leader of the Hengshan Sect, looked grim, cold sweat beading on his brow. “You two, we barely escaped with our lives from Mount Tai. Shouldn’t we think this through? I know none of us are cowards, but don’t forget we’re still accused of colluding with the Ming Sect. This is clearly the Ming Sect’s doing, and we’ve already lost Blue Yuechuan in there. Who knows what other experts might be lying in wait? If we die here, our sects will be left leaderless and defenseless against the Ming Sect and the court’s retribution.”

Zhang Jingfeng said nothing. Zhou Yingxue, ever forthright, spoke bluntly, “If I were alone right now, I might really just walk away. But look behind us—there are juniors watching! If we simply turn and leave, my Songshan Sect would be ruined!”

Deng Boxuan turned to look at his disciples and found himself at a loss for words. The Five Mountains Sword Alliance was a renowned righteous sect; whatever petty dealings they might have in private, what they taught their disciples was always the chivalrous way, to right wrongs with the sword.

At this moment, Deng Boxuan, glancing back, met with a dozen pairs of eager, fire-bright eyes. The sight made his own eyes sting.

“Damn it, damn it all, what the hell is this?!” Deng Boxuan cursed under his breath as he turned away.

What karmic debt was he paying? Was there no hero left in this world, that everything had to fall on his shoulders? He had come to the Five Mountains Alliance’s gathering with high hopes, bringing the best young talents from his sect to broaden their horizons. Yet, by some cruel twist, they’d all been swept into this chaos, losing several disciples already. Now, with the survivors, was he supposed to march them to their deaths?

This was a matter eight hundred li from his own sect. The Tai Mountain Sect wouldn’t step in, the imperial court wouldn’t interfere—was it really up to the Hengshan Sect to die for this?

Seeing Deng Boxuan grinding his teeth in silence, Zhang Jingfeng finally spoke.

“Master Deng, don’t think too much. The more you think, the harder it is to risk your life. We are not paragons of virtue, nor prodigies like Zuo Lishan, who reached the pinnacle at such a young age. We are ordinary men who have struggled hard to keep our sects afloat. In front of the court or the Ming Sect, we can humble ourselves—so long as the juniors don’t see it, it’s fine.”

Zhang Jingfeng sighed softly, his hand gently caressing the hilt at his waist.

“But no matter how different our traditions, in the end, we all wield the sword. The sword may bend, but it must not break. If we turn our backs on the people of this city today, our swords will be broken, and what right have we to call ourselves a sword sect?”

“Come, let’s not delay. Perhaps we might save a few more lives.”

He smiled, then added, “It’s quite the coincidence—among the Five Mountains Sword Alliance, all five sect leaders are named after trees. Fir, Maple, Cherry, Cypress, Willow. A tree with a broken spine can bear no heavy burden, nor bear good fruit. It cannot shelter the next generation from the sun.”

With that, Zhang Jingfeng strode toward the city gate, Zhou Yingxue right behind him.

“Damn it, damn it, as if you two are the only heroes here!” Deng Boxuan stamped his foot, gritted his teeth, and, at last, followed after them.