That evening, Qin Liehu returned home.
“Liehu, Liehu.” Madam Changlan hurriedly came forward. Waving her hand to shoo her maidservants away, she whispered, “Do you know of a lady named Yi Xiao?”
“Yi Xiao?” Qin Liehu was puzzled as he shook his head. “Dear, where did you hear this name from?”
Changlan said, “She’s the one that went to Green Tooth Mountain with Yun’er.”
“That I know. I heard of a Miss Yi. She’s currently staying in County Governor Manor.” Qin Liehu said.
“Miss Yi came to our place today, alone. She wanted to meet Yun’er.” Changlan said, “She apparently has a good relationship with our son but she left shortly. And seriously, Yun’er didn’t even walk her out. Sigh, ever since Yun’er stepped onto the path of cultivation, I began fearing, fearing that he would ignore the matters of the heart.”
There were many cultivators that did not marry and have children.
“You shouldn’t meddle with Yun’er’s matters.” Qin Liehu said with a smile.
“He’s my son. How can I not be anxious? He’s already twenty-one!” Changlan said.
“Haha…” Qin Liehu laughed.
At that moment, a person appeared across the winding corridors. He was none other than Qin Yun.
“Father, Mother.” Qin Yun shouted from afar. “I won’t be eating at home today. I’ll be out.”
“Alright.” Qin Liehu and Changlan responded.
They watched as their son left the manor.
Qin Liehu whispered, “Dear, Yun’er seems to be troubled. Say, he didn’t send Miss Yi back to County Governor Manor today. Did they have a quarrel?”
“Didn’t you tell me not to meddle in their affairs?” Changlan said with an ambiguous smile.
Qin Liehu was taken aback as he deliberately coughed twice. “Call me when dinner is ready. I had a tough day at work. I need some rest.”
…
Qin Yun walked out the manor alone. He walked aimlessly down the streets and when he saw a crowded restaurant, he went to the second floor to get a window seat. He ordered some dishes and wine before eating and drinking alone.
“I saw Lord County Governor from afar today. He has transformed! He’s a lot younger. He doesn’t even look much older than his son, Young Master Wen Chong.”
“How is it possible!?”
“An elderly can turn young?”
“I heard too. The county governor has turned a lot younger.”
“What’s the fuss? I heard that some immortal experts can refine spiritual pills and miraculous medicine that can raise the dead and extend one’s life. Lord County Governor must have eaten some immortal pill.”
At another table on the second floor, there were customers engaging in idle banter. However, Qin Yun heard them clearly.
Cultivators would occasionally show their skills in the mortal world. As for ordinary people, most of them would actually not make any contact with cultivators; therefore, the stories only turned ridiculous as it spread. Raising the dead? Extending one’s life? Nothing that defied the heavens was easy. Some would even trigger heavenly tribulations as punishment.
He imbibed the wine alone, one cup after another…
He looked at the people walking the streets outside the restaurant.
“Thirteen years.”
“It has been thirteen years.” Qin Yun drank his wine and muttered softly to himself.
He could never forget everything that happened when he was eight.
Water God had been seeking ten young boys that were born on a certain date of pure Yang, and ten girls that were born on a date of pure Yin. They were especially for Water God himself! Typically, many of the children that were delivered by the villages were given to the demons under Water God.
That day…
His father was originally in charge of the Village Defense Corp. With him being at the seventh level of Qi Refinement, he would lead a pretty good life even if he entered the city. He had fought bloody battles for the village, leading the Village Defense Corp to defend against the nuisances of the lesser demons. Due to the great service he rendered, there was no need for him to participate in the draw. However, when his youngest daughter was determined to be born on a date of pure Yin, the villagers persuaded Qin Liehu to hand over his daughter to prevent the slaughter of the village.
While facing the demons outside the village who wanted his daughter, and facing the betrayal of the villagers, Qin Liehu went insane. But what else could he do? Eventually, he lost an arm! The entire family was temporarily imprisoned while his daughter was delivered to the demons.
“Sister! Sister!!!” The eight-year-old Qin Yun cried in tears. His mother was struggling while being taken down. His father had blood bleeding out of his severed arm stump. As his younger sister was being taken away, she kept shouting, “Father, Mother, Big Brother, Second Brother, save me! Save me…” His sister’s cries haunted Qin Yun’s dreams for a long period of time.
Eventually, Qin Liehu and his entire family left the village and entered the city.
They barely managed to survive in the city. The days were tough and after Qin Liehu’s recovered from his injuries, the setback he suffered made his strength improve. He finally became a constable of Six Fans Gate! Only then did the Qin family manage to settle down in the city. From that day on, they began having better lives. And the eight-year-old Qin Yun turned crazier when it came to Qi Refinement and the practice of swordplay.
He fervently practiced the way of the sword and was given the nickname of Lunatic Yun at Western Mountain Sword Garden.
“Thirteen years.”
“I have never forgotten to seek revenge for my sister!” Qin Yun downed a cup of wine. He looked composed but deep in his heart, there was a fury erupting like a volcano, yet it did not blow because he had repressed everything
On the day he erupted would be naturally the day he was craziest.
“I left home at the age of fifteen, ambitioning to knock open the gate of immortality and become a sword immortal.”
“Even after all sorts of dangers, I failed to knock open the gate of immortality! I failed! I did not have a master to guide me or any magical item to aid me. I had to rely on myself. Trying to knock open the gate of immortality with top heritage was just too difficult.”
“At the northern borders, I kept pushing myself to the edge of death.”
“Either I die! Or I knock open the gate of immortality!”
“I finally succeeded.”
“After searching all information regarding Water God… I realized how cunning Water God is and how difficult it is killing him.” Qin Yun thought to himself. “As long as a Connate realm cultivator approaches, Water God would immediately enter the river. Furthermore, Water God’s residence is beside the river and nothing can tempt him!”
“How can one kill Water God with a Postnatal cultivation realm?”
“According to my original plan, I had to first, grasp Misty Rain Sword Intent, second, master my Intrinsic Flying Sword, and third, cultivate my psyche to formally reach the state of Heaven Man Unity so as to master sword kinesis. Having the three means at one’s disposal is a legend according to the Sword Immortal Legacy. But only then can one kill Water God with a Postnatal cultivation realm.” Qin Yun thought to himself.
All three were very difficult.
Intrinsic Flying Sword? That was relatively easy. However, typical sword immortals would take decades to nurture one. They had to rely on all sorts of rare treasures to shorten the time! As for Qin Yun, he had the Misty Rain Sword Intent that allowed the nurturing time to be reduced by ten times. Now, he could guarantee success in half a month.
As for attaining Heaven Man Unity to master sword kinesis? Typical Connate False Core sword immortals could not attain Heaven Man Unity. They had to forcefully use even purer Connate False Core powers to perform sword kinesis. As for Quintessential Essence, he was ultimately a Postnatal cultivator. His Quintessential Essence was not pure enough. Only by attaining Heaven Man Unity was he able to use the worldly powers to perform sword kinesis. His psyche had long reached the peak of the Seamless realm. He could even spread his psyche to a fifty-foot radius. He was about a year away from attaining Heaven Man Unity.
In fact, Misty Rain Sword Intent was the most difficult. That was because even Connate True Core sword immortals could only grasp an inkling of sword intent.
Having successfully grasped that inkling of sword intent was the basis that gave Qin Yun hope in slaying Water God!
…
“A year.”
“According to my original plan, which is in a year’s time, I will definitely reach the legendary state of a sword immortal. I’ll be a cultivator at the Postnatal realm, having refined my Intrinsic Flying Sword, possessing sword intent, and attaining Heaven Man Unity.” Qin Yun thought to himself. “However, according to Yi Xiao’s intelligence, Water God has accumulated so much that he can break through to the Connate True Core realm at any time? If he were to make a breakthrough, how am I to kill him?”
In order to kill Water God, he had honed his sword for thirteen years. All for that one strike.
For that one strike, he did not mind if he lost his life!
Therefore, he had not agreed to Yi Xiao’s request.
If he agreed, he would eventually fail to kill Water God. Even if Water God was heavily injured, it would only lead to frightening him. Then, even if he had the confidence the next time, Water God would be serious when facing him again. He would definitely think: “You nearly killed me the last time. For you to dare come again, you must have made sufficient preparations.” Water God would definitely not give me another chance.
“I only have one chance. If I fail, Water God will not risk it the next time.”
“I believed that I would definitely succeed a year later.”
“However, the Divine Firmament Chapter, which is a Daoist sacred land, has determined that Water God can make a breakthrough at any time. There is no question of its authenticity.”
“Once he breaks through within a year, how am I to kill him?”
Qin Yun held the wine cup as he could not help but tighten his grip, smashing it to smithereens in the process.
If he missed the opportunity and failed to kill Water God, allowing it to continue wreaking havoc, Qin Yun would die with regrets.