The Affairs of the Martial World - Vol 3: Chapter 13

Hearing this voice, Zhu Que felt both surprised and delighted. The person outside, speaking unhurriedly, was none other than Murong Hanshan! Zhu Que was happy to encounter him in this remote place but was shocked that Ji Wuyou was also here; how should the two of them meet?

Before Ji Wuyou could respond, Xie Tingyu had already stepped out, with Zhu Que and Ji Wuyou following closely behind.

In the sea flowers of Wuyou Valley (1) stood a distinguished middle-aged man dressed in white, with a sword sheathed in black shark skin hanging at his waist. He was Murong Hanshan, the master of the Villa of Ten Thousand Swords.

Zhu Que rushed to the front, waving his hand in greeting. Murong Hanshan merely nodded in acknowledgment, but his eyes fixed on Ji Wuyou, who also instantly recognized him. These two top swordsmen finally met for the first time in this Qilian Mountains.

Zhu Que knew that the two of them were bound to fight, but he also understood that Ji Wuyou should not engage at this moment, as his emotions were turbulent and unsettled. If he acted now, he would not be a match for Murong Hanshan.

If he could see this, how could Xie Tingyu not notice? Xie Tingyu stepped in front of Zhu Que and said, “Master Murong, I killed the Fusang swordsman. If you have any grievances, you can come at me directly.”

Murong Hanshan snorted coldly, ignoring him, his gaze fixed on Ji Wuyou.

Ji Wuyou laughed heartily and said, “Very well, what a fine Murong Hanshan. Today, let us see who is superior.”

Murong Hanshan’s expression remained unchanged. Although Ji Wuyou had said he wanted to settle the score, he did not move either. However, Xie Tingyu could not help but draw his sword, charging towards Murong Hanshan with both himself and his sword. Zhu Que had seen Xie Tingyu’s swordsmanship; his strikes were incredibly swift, as if the outcome hinged on a single move. Yet, in Zhu Que’s eyes, Xie Tingyu’s approach to Murong Hanshan resembled a fierce storm attacking a majestic mountain, creating the illusion that the mountain could never be shaken. As Xie Tingyu approached, Murong Hanshan suddenly drew his sword. With just one strike, he sent Xie Tingyu, along with his sword, flying back. Those unaware of the situation might think Xie Tingyu had jumped back on his own, returning to his original position. Logically, Xie Tingyu should have been gravely injured or even dead after such a strike, yet he felt not even a hint of discomfort. With a clang, Murong Hanshan sheathed his sword. The strong wind swept through the valley, fluttering Murong Hanshan’s clothes, making him appear like a deity transcending the world, a sword god.

Ji Wuyou saw that Murong Hanshan’s move was extremely clever, with a force that was neither too strong nor too weak, perfectly reaching the midpoint of balance among all things. Not only was his vision sharp but without the astonishing inner strength to support it, such an almost impossible move could never have been executed. In that moment, Ji Wuyou realized that if he still had lingering thoughts, he would already be defeated without a fight, succumbing to Murong Hanshan’s momentum. As the leader of the Tianshan Sword Sect, Ji Wuyou was not someone to be taken lightly. Only a master like Murong Hanshan could draw out the deepest potential within him. As the pressure from Murong Hanshan enveloped him, Ji Wuyou forgot about Qian Yan, forgot about his son beside him, and forgot about everything in the world; his eyes were solely focused on the sword in Murong Hanshan’s hand.

Murong Hanshan was momentarily astonished, for he realized that the Ji Wuyou from earlier had been in a state of disarray, a manifestation of a sword master wounded by emotion. However, the current Ji Wuyou seemed to have suddenly vanished from sight; of course, he was still standing there. The disappearance was merely an illusion, as Ji Wuyou’s aura merged with all things, making him a part of the universe, no longer feeling out of place. It was like every snowflake falling on a snowy day, following a marvelous trajectory, yet without any sense of discord, truly embodying a line from “Zhuangzi: Knowledge the North Journey” that states, “Heaven and earth possess great beauty yet do not speak, the four seasons have clear laws yet do not discuss, all things have their principles yet do not articulate.” This was a principle that could only be understood intuitively and could not be conveyed in words.

Murong Hanshan nodded and said to Zhu Que and Xie Tingyu, “Please step aside. I do not wish for anyone to watch while I compete with Brother Ji.” Xie Tingyu knew he was far inferior to Murong Hanshan; even if he advanced with his sword, it would be useless. But how could he possibly stand by and do nothing?

At this moment, Zhu Que and Xie Tingyu understood that this battle was unavoidable. Xie Tingyu looked towards Ji Wuyou, but Ji Wuyou didn’t even glance in his direction.

Zhu Que pulled Xie Tingyu back to the wooden cabin and closed the door behind them.

Outside, the sounds of wind, rain, and howling filled the air. Yet, the sound of the two swords clashing was nowhere to be heard.

Inside the room, Zhu Que thought Xie Tingyu would be extremely nervous, but to his surprise, he sat quietly in the chair, his expression calm. Zhu Que couldn’t help but secretly admire his composure. Not to mention that one of them was his biological father; even Zhu Que, who had little connection to either of them, found himself wanting to see the scene of their duel. But he ultimately restrained himself.

After a long while, the sounds outside came to a stop.

Zhu Que opened the door, imagining that the two had fought so fiercely that the flowers in the valley had long been devastated beyond recognition. However, it seemed as if they had not fought at all; the entire flowerbed showed no signs of damage. Looking at the two after the duel, they stood facing each other just as they had when they first met, both without a single scar. Zhu Que couldn’t tell who had won or lost.

Murong Hanshan suddenly spoke, saying, “Refreshing, truly refreshing.” There was no sign of having suffered internal injuries in his voice; could it be that Ji Wuyou was the one who lost?

However, Ji Wuyou also said, “It really is exhilarating. Why didn’t this duel happen twenty years ago?” His voice showed no signs of injury.

Murong Hanshan said, “I regret not meeting you earlier. Today’s competition has made me think of many questions I had never considered before.”

Ji Wuyou nodded, indicating that he felt the same. He suddenly said aloud, “Yu’er, would you like to go back to Snow Mountain with Dad?”

Unbeknownst to him, Xie Tingyu had already walked out of the cabin. He still cared about Ji Wuyou, but upon hearing these words, he hesitated and did not respond.

Ji Wuyou turned around and gave Xie Tingyu a faint smile but then suddenly began to fall slowly. It turned out that Murong Hanshan had won this battle. After all, blood is thicker than water. Seeing this, Xie Tingyu rushed over frantically, supporting Ji Wuyou. Looking at Ji Wuyou’s face, he said, “Dad, how are you? How are you? Speak to me. I’ll accompany you back to Snow Mountain……” After calling out a few times, Ji Wuyou did not respond. Xie Tingyu turned his head and glared fiercely at Murong Hanshan, his eyes seemingly saying, I will definitely kill you to avenge my father.

Murong Hanshan said, “Don’t worry, your father is fine; he just exhausted himself after the duel and fainted due to his agitated mind.” After saying this, he took a porcelain bottle from his pocket, opened it, and poured a crimson pill, flicking it over. Xie Tingyu reached out to catch it. Murong Hanshan continued, “This is a calming and strength-replenishing pill. Give it to him, and in a few hours, he will wake up.” Xie Tingyu immediately gave the pill to Ji Wuyou, trusting Murong Hanshan’s character, believing he wouldn’t give him poison.

Murong Hanshan said to Zhu Que, “I have finished my business here and am going back. Do you want to set off together?”

Zhu Que recalled that the Wudang and Huashan Sect people were still searching for Xie Tingyu’s whereabouts; the matter was not yet resolved. He said, “You should go back first. I still have some mundane matters to attend to. If you encounter disciples from the Tianshan Sword Sect……”

Murong Hanshan said, “I know what to do.” After a pause, he continued, “The duel between me and Brother Ji Wuyou here was neither a victory for me nor a defeat for him.”

Seeing the ambiguous expression on Zhu Que’s face, Murong Hanshan didn’t want to say more and turned to leave. His departure was as sudden as his unexpected arrival.

Wuyou Valley seemed to have forgotten the conflict between the two; everything felt as if it had never happened.

(1) Wuyou Valley — The author wrote 无忧谷 (Wuyou Valley, Carefree or Without worries) instead of 忘忧谷 (Wangyou Valley, Forget one’s sorrows).