297 The Reason for Drawing Your Sword
After Song Yanhui relinquished his position as citymaster, he’d locked himself in Unrivaled City’s sword house and cultivated tirelessly to enter the realm of a sword immortal so that he could compete at the same level as consummate swordsmen like Luo Qingyang and Xie Xuan. In the beginning, after letting go of the citymaster position, he’d advanced quickly but he still felt that he was short of something.
Lu Yuzhai didn't know this. When he saw Song Yanhui come, armed with his sword and possessing a sword aura at its peak, he thought that his master had truly succeeded in entering the realm of a sword immortal.
But Lei Wujie was different. Lei Wujie cultivated the Sword Heart formula and he understood very well the sword aura a person possessed. At this moment, Song Yanhui, although very strong, was still a clear distance away from the sword immortals he’d met.
"Within the sword house lies the way of the sword, but only outside the sword house is there life and death. If I seclude myself in the sword house and never leave, I will no longer progress at all. So I left the city and came here. I will use your blood to pave my way," Song Yanhui spoke in a deep voice.
Lei Wujie thought through the words and said helplessly, "Aren’t you ashamed?"
Lu Yuzhai cursed at him loudly, "What the hell did you say?"
"What manner of Unrivaled City are you guys? You might as well change your name to Unashamed City." Lei Wujie pursed his lips. "First, you attacked me with over ten people. Let’s put aside your tactics of outnumbering your opponent. Now, here comes the old citymaster. So you’re going to use the older to bully the younger? Shameless, much? Senior Song, you’re more than ten years older than my shifu, and you want to draw your sword against me?"
"After I stop you here, I will naturally seek out your shifu again." Song Yanhui turned a blind eye to Lei Wujie's provocation, and said calmly, "I will not kill you. But you may not be able to use a sword again in your life."
"Are you trying to scare me?" Lei Wujie stretched his back. "My surname is Lei, the Lei of Lei Clan Fort. You should know those of us with the surname Lei, our might is always loud, and we’re never scared!"
Lei Wujie suddenly drew his sword, as fast as thunder!
Back then, at the foot of Cangshan, Lei Wujie fainted after receiving a sword from Song Yanhui. But, things were different now. Lei Wujie was no longer the ignorant boy who got so excited his blood boiled with passion just by meeting a famous assassin like Ming Hou. Now, he was someone who had forced himself to enter the Unfettered Heavenly Realm. He was someone who exchanged moves against Mo Yi who was ranked first on the Ultimate Experts List.
What was Song Yanhui worth?
Song Yanhui also made a sword move. His sword was very different from that of many other swordsmen. His sword was very unhurried, very slow. Since young, he loved to train his sword by the river in Unrivaled City. The river flowed slowly, but it never stopped.
He made a sword move, the sword aura surged like waves, coming in layers upon layers of waves. Just like ten thousand torrents and a thousand crags, travelling over an arduous journey!
"Good sword." Although Lei Wujie's sword was fast, it paled in comparison to such an inexhaustible sword aura. With each strike, he was forced to retreat again and again.
Lu Yuzhai picked up his spear. "My shifu's sword is naturally a good sword."
"No, I mean, it’s damn cheap." Lei Wujie leaped up, his sword pointed at the sky. "Cheap as a dick." [1]
"You want to infuriate me." Song Yanhui smiled coldly.
"No, I'm just a little sad." While they were talking, the two of them exchanged another sword move. Lei Wujie received another gash but he didn’t stop taunting, “They say that when Senior Song was younger, you once slashed a sword in the sky. That sword was so beautiful that even the migrating swallows turned their heads and flew back, circling around the lingering sword aura in the air. That’s why your name is Song Yanhui. But what I saw today was extremely disappointing.
"Extremely disappointing, ah!" Lei Wujie sighed loudly, and his Heart sword swung in a wild dance. "When a swordsman forgets the meaning of his sword, he has lost his sword heart. How can a person who has lost his sword heart become a sword immortal?
"Senior Song, do you still remember the purpose for drawing your sword?
"I draw my sword to protect. Protect the people I cherish in my heart.
"I have entered the Unfettered Heavenly Realm." Lei Wujie slowly lowered his sword. His red clothes fluttered in the wind and the light in his eyes were as bright as Polaris.
"The Unfettered Heavenly Realm!" Lu Yuzhai exclaimed in surprise. The youth in red clothes before him was no more than eighteen years old, and he managed to reach a pinnacle that most people in the martial world spent a lifetime without reaching. This person may really become an opponent who could match Wushuang’s sword in the future.
"Senior Song, you gave me a sword back then, and helped me to understand the meaning of drawing my sword. Today, I will return you a sword. If you want to become a sword immortal, you must first learn to draw your sword." Lei Wujie stabbed his sword in front of himself. "Just one sword, decide the victor."
Song Yanhui’s expression became increasingly cold. "You’re too arrogant."
"I'm still young so I can be arrogant." Lei Wujie moved, and his sword struck.
Song Yanhui suddenly closed his eyes and met it with his own sword.
The two brushed past each other.
Lei Wujie knelt on the ground, his red shirt stained with blood, making the crimson colour appear even darker. He braced his sword on the ground, spat out a mouthful of blood, and his eyes started to close. But, he forced himself to open them again, looking like he’s about to faint. But, he smiled and after that slight smile, he wiped the blood from his mouth.
Song Yanhui was still standing.
He recalled the first time he left the city. His master had asked him why he was leaving the city. He replied that he was going to train his sword. His master asked him again why he had to leave the city to train his sword. He replied that there was injustice outside the city, and he wanted to draw his sword against injustice and to draw his sword for the people who were suffering. Back then, his master had nodded with satisfaction and said, All right, it's a good sword. Later, when he was passing through a village, a flood had breached the river’s embankment. He swung his sword to block the river, and together with the world renowned Luoxia Fairy, they stopped the flooded river for a quarter of an hour and saved the lives of thousands of villagers. They could be called a legend.
He still remembered the sword he used that day. It was the pinnacle of his life. He never wielded such a peerless sword again.
He met Li Hanyi who was armed with Armored Glacier, and she broke the tip of his sword without mercy. Later, he returned to Unrivaled City, succeeded as Citymaster, and devoted all his energy into retaining the shaky status of Unrivaled City. He continued training his sword while reflecting on the reasons for his defeat. He trained his sword night after night.
He had forgotten he once said he wanted to draw his sword against injustice.
He had also forgotten that he once said he wanted to draw his sword for the sake of the people.
He only obsessed over how Unrivaled City could defeat Snow Moon City, and how his sword could defeat Armored Glacier.
"When you train your sword for the sole purpose of training your sword, you have lost the soul of the sword." Lei Wujie exhausted the last of his strength to say his final words.
Song Yanhui slowly returned his sword into its sheath.
"Shifu!" Lu Yuzhai greeted him hurriedly, because he saw a drop of blood flowing out from Song Yanhui's sleeve.
But, Song Yanhui simply waved his hand. Then, he tipped his toes and swept away towards the distance, leaving behind the group of Unrivaled City disciples where they were. Lu Yuzhai turned his head and looked at Lei Wujie, who was leaning on his sword in order not to collapse onto the ground. A slight killing intent appeared in his eyes.
Lei Wujie watched Lu Yuzhai walk towards him, step-by-step, while wielding his spear, and sighed. "I didn't expect that this would be the first time in my life I entered the Unfettered Heavenly Realm for real, and also the first time I fought a consummate expert to a draw. But, I’m going to die here."
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Note:
[1] 好剑 and 好贱 have the same sound, hao jian. The first time, Lei Wujie said “good sword” (好剑) but the second time, he said “damn cheap” (好贱) and clarified by adding, cheap as in a cheap person (贱人的贱).