The Path Toward Heaven

Chapter 13 How Is Liu Shisui

“We killed those people,” said Zhao Layue, taking off her conical hat.

Jing Jiu took off his conical hat as well.

Looking at that incredibly beautiful face, which he hadn’t seen for a long time, Lin Yinglang realized… he was his Senior Master.

As Peak Master of Shenmo, Yao Songshan treated Zhao Layue with respect. But when he heard her say it, he couldn’t help but force a bitter smile. “When you travel outside the mountains, Senior Master, killing a few evildoers is understandable… but you have killed too many.”

“Too many of them deserve death, so we had no choice but to kill them.”

Zhao Layue glanced at Jing Jiu. In Shangzhou, he said that it was impossible to purge all the evildoers, that they were too many to kill off.

Yao Songshan paused for a moment in thought. “Senior Master is right,” he said sincerely. “Those evildoers should be killed.”

This remark was not flattery or ridicule, but his genuine belief.

Zhao Layue suddenly felt Liangwang Peak was alright, at least in this aspect.

“What is your name?”

“Yao Songshan, from Shangde Peak. Ranked eleventh on Liangwang Peak.”

“How is Green Mountain?”

Having traveled through the world for two years, she and Jing Jiu didn’t have any contact with the sect, so they didn’t know about the current situation on Green Mountain.

Yao Songshan told them briefly about the happenings on Green Mountain, but there was not much to tell.

Most of the swordsmen of the second generation were behind closed doors, and the disciples practiced sword work diligently on their own; it was the same for hundreds or even thousands of years.

For the Cultivation practitioners, two years were indeed too short for any obvious changes to happen.

“How is Liu Shisui lately?”

Zhao Layue knew this was what Jing Jiu wanted to learn, though he hadn’t mentioned the name of Liu Shisui in the past two years.

Yao Songshan hesitated, and Lin Yinglang was somewhat agitated.

Zhao Layue was certain something had happened to Liu Shisui. “Tell us,” she demanded.

…

…

From what Yao Songshan described, Zhao Layue learned that Liu Shisui had experienced a lot in the past two years.

Two years ago, when he was carried back to Green Mountain, Liu Shisui remained unconscious with a high temperature. He was locked in the Sword Jail of Shangde Peak right after he recovered.

Shangde Peak suspected he had secretly eaten the Devil Pill of the Dace Devil.

After series of harsh interrogations, they couldn’t obtain any direct evidence and finally let him out.

Yet he didn’t resume his normal Cultivation practice.

The reason was that everybody on the nine peaks believed he had indeed secretly eaten the Devil Pill.

Even his own master Elder Bai Rujing thought so as well.

Bai Rujing was extremely disappointed in him. Though he didn’t expel Liu, Bai Rujing didn’t advise Liu on his Cultivation from that point on.

Maybe because he didn’t want to hear the gossip and see everyone’s uncomfortable expressions, Liu Shisui locked himself in his manor cave all day long, seldom emerging from his cave, becoming even quieter.

It was said that he was seen going up to Liangwang Peak one night, but came down soon after.

It was apparent that Liangwang Peak, which had high expectations for him, didn’t want to have him there.

…

…

“If the situation remained the same, Liu Shisui would be totally forgotten by everybody. But one year ago…”

After a pause, Yao Songshan continued. “Shangde Peak suddenly resumed the investigation into the death of Zhuo Yi of Bihu Peak. It was said that Liu Shisui was a suspect, though he couldn’t do it himself. I’m not sure about the specifics, I only know that Senior Master Duan personally interrogated him, but for unknown reasons, Liu didn’t get locked up in the Sword Jail.”

Zhao Layue glanced at Jing Jiu, wondering how he could be so calm.

“Do you think he secretly ate the Devil Pill?” she asked Yao Songshan.

“Yes.”

Thinking of the rumors, Yao Songshan glanced at Jing Jiu. “I’m sure the masters can’t make mistakes,” he said. “It was indeed hard for Liu, a fast improving disciple, to resist the temptation. It was not just me, everybody on the nine peaks thinks so.”

Lin Yinglang couldn’t help but chime in. “But someone didn’t think Shisui could commit this act. Gu Qing returned to Liangwang Peak for it and had a heated argument with his brother, Gu Han.”

Gu Qing was willing to go back to Liangwang Peak, where he had been expelled, and argue with his brother, so he must have thought that Liangwang Peak was being too unsympathetic.

“Ah, Gu Qing…how is he?”

Jing Jiu spoke up at last.

“I’m not sure. He spends all his time on Shenmo Peak, so nobody knows what he is up to,” said Lin Yinglang, looking at Jing Jiu. Now Gu Qing acts like you did by the Stream of Sword Washing, he thought..

Yao Songshan didn’t want to continue this topic, so he asked Zhao Layue, “Senior Master, did you come here to participate in the Four-Seas Banquet?”

“We came here to see someone,” Zhao Layue said.

Haizhou was the territory of Western Ocean Sword Sect, and the most famous person in the area was the Godly Swordsman.

He was as famous as the Sect Master of Green Mountain, and was in the State of Heavenly Arrival.

Yao Songshan thought that as a peak master, the person Zhao Layue had come to visit had to be this person.

Yao shook his head. “The host of the Four-Seas Banquet isn’t the Godly Swordsman of Western Ocean,” he said, “but Xiwang Sun.”

Four years ago, a mysterious figure had emerged in Haizhou City. His Cultivation state was too high to discern, and he called himself Xiwang Sun. He held a powerful status in the Western Ocean Sword Sect.

It was said that he was the bastard son of the Godly Swordsman, or his personal disciple. Another opinion was that he was the younger brother of the Godly Swordsman.

The Godly Swordsman didn’t confirm or deny any of these speculations.

Haizhou City had started hosting the Four-Seas Banquet since the emergence of Xiwang Sun.

Those informed individuals sensed that hosting the Four-Seas Banquet was a way for the Western Ocean to challenge the Imperial Court, using this big event to match the Plum Meeting of Zhaoge City.

The Four-Seas Banquet had just started not long ago, so it was nowhere near as famous as the Plum Meeting. In order to attract more participants, the Western Ocean Sword Sect would prepare four rare treasures every time to award four winners. Even in so doing, the Four-Seas Banquet still couldn’t attract the swordsmen of earlier generations and other famous talents.

It was impossible for a talent like Tong Yan to take part in this event. Zhuo Rushui would have no interest in it even if he wasn’t behind closed doors on Tianguang Peak.

This time the Green Mountain Sect sent only two disciples of the third generation, Yao Songshan and Lin Yinglang. The Great Marsh and the Fruit Formation Temple sent in those who happened to be around the area as their representatives.

Yet it was rumored that two disciples from the Middle State Sect and the Water-Moon Nunnery were quite outstanding. Getting them here might cost the Western Ocean a fortune.

If the Green Mountain Sect was the number one orthodox sect of the Sword Way, the Middle State Sect was probably the number one orthodox sect of Mystics in the minds of most Cultivation practitioners. The Middle State Sect was located near Zhaoge City, so it had many disciples with excellent qualities, and more great talents in every generation. Its reputation in the last twenty or thirty years was even better than the Green Mountain Sect.

Zhao Layue was concerned with other issues. For example, what kind of contests would be held in the Four-Seas Banquet?

She believed she could beat any of her peers if the contest was about the strength of their Cultivation states.

She also believed she could win if the contest was about killing.

A few days ago, she had killed the Head Master of Black Dragon Temple by sending her sword over the mountain, so she thought she could even defeat Tong Yan back when he was her age, seven years ago.

“The four tournaments are zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting,” said Yao Songshan.

“Let’s talk more about Xiwang Sun,” said Zhao Layue after a moment of silence.