Chapter 63 Horizontal Sword: What if I insist on fighting?

Outside Rongdu City, there is the Immortal Cave and the Ghost Market.

Luo Yichen was selected to be a member of the Eastern Palace Eagle Guard at the age of fifteen and followed Mu Chenbi for seven years. He had never seen his prince look like this before.

Today is the three-day anniversary of Mu Chenbi and Guan Ye's meeting. At the crack of dawn, Mu Chenbi left the palace and headed straight for the Immortal Cave. He instructed that there was no need to bring many Eagle Guards, just two clever, capable, and tight-lipped ones at most. Clever and capable makes sense, but why choose tight-lipped ones? Luo Yichen is from a military family and has been trained in the army since childhood. He grew up among brutes and is invincible in the military camp, but he has no discernible mind. Eagle Guards are the Crown Prince's personal guards and only obey the Crown Prince's orders. They will do whatever Mu Chenbi says. As for tight-lipped ones, well, you can sew them up with a needle.

Mu Chenbi arrived at the Ghost Market with great interest and waited from early morning until the market opened, but still couldn't find Guan Ye. Luo Yichen watched from afar as his Highness's expression changed from anticipation to slight anxiety. Two hours passed, and his usual dignified demeanor was gone. He even paced back and forth, rubbing his hands together, and occasionally looked towards the alley, his eyes even showing some confusion.

Luo Yichen recalled a night market day when a little boy, separated from his mother, looked just like this while waiting for her at the crossroads. Having gotten up too early, Luo Yichen quietly covered his mouth and yawned. He guessed that Guan Ye had probably forgotten their appointment today; it was just a casual remark. Why did His Highness take it so seriously? A gentleman keeps his word, and while he should indeed come if he promised, that woman named Guan Ye probably wouldn't be keeping her promise.

Hidden among the porters and servants outside the cave, Eagle Guard pointed to his stomach at Luo Yichen. Luo Yichen knew that everyone had left early and hadn't eaten much for breakfast. His Highness hadn't eaten or drunk anything for most of the day either. So, he found a meat pie stall and gestured that he wanted four.

The hot meat pie was just wrapped up, and Luo Yichen, starving, couldn't wait any longer. Ignoring the fact that the pie was still hot, he pinched it between two fingers and stuffed it into his mouth. The meat juices gushed into his mouth, making him shiver with pleasure. Luo Yichen chewed it up, and was about to take it to Mu Chenbi when he suddenly saw a familiar figure appear on the path. Upon closer inspection, wasn't that Guan Ye? Luo Yichen wanted to call out, but the meat pie was too full to swallow, so he could only squeeze out of the crowd and wave vigorously at Guan Ye.

Guan Ye hurried on her way, and when she saw that the Immortal Cave was not far away, she picked up the sword wrapped tightly in her old clothes, paused for a moment, and then hurried towards the entrance of the Ghost Market.

Luo Yichen froze, looking at the shape of what Guan Ye was holding... Luo Yichen's body trembled. It was a weapon, something that looked like a killing tool! Luo Yichen spat out the meat pie he was chewing dry, his eyes wide like copper bells. He threw down the meat pie, raised his arm, and shouted. Several people in the shadows had already surrounded Guan Ye.

"Go!" Luo Yichen roared, flashing to Guan Ye's side like an arrow. Before Guan Ye could react, he had already snatched the tightly wrapped item from her hand. Guan Ye tried to grab it back, but the other two held her down firmly.

"Why are you arresting me!" Guan Ye raised her head, struggling but unable to move.

The crowd scattered in panic. Mu Chenbi, who was at the cave entrance, noticed something was wrong. When he saw that the person was Guan Ye, his tense face relaxed instantly. Looking at Guan Ye's head held high and her defiant manner, she looked just like a competitive rooster. Mu Chenbi couldn't help but laugh, but his smile was followed by a great deal of pity.

"I'll have to ask you what you want to do." Luo Yichen tore off the old clothes that were wrapping the item, and when he saw that it was a clumsy sword that had just been made, he was so shocked that he took a half step back and pointed at Guan Ye, saying, "How dare you bring a sword to the appointment."

"Stop." Mu Chenbi placed his palm on Luo Yichen's arm and shook his head at him.

“But…” Luo Yichen dared not be careless and presented the sword blade wrapped in a white cloth to him. “She came with a sword. I wonder what her intentions are.”

"Pah!" Guan Ye thought she had been tricked and glared at Mu Chenbi, sparks flying from her eyes. "So you tricked me into forging the sword and then plotted to capture me, Mu... Mu..." Guan Ye was so angry that she suddenly couldn't remember the man's name. "What's your name again, Mu?"

"Mu Chenbi." Luo Yichen blurted out for her, and seeing the eagle guard holding Guan Ye staring at him in surprise, he quickly slapped himself.

"Yes, Mu Chenbi." Guan Ye struggled a few times. "Why did you ask them to take me for no reason?"

"Let go now!" Mu Chenbi said angrily. "This sword is part of a promise I made with her. Release her."

The guards exchanged glances, then obediently released her grip. Guan Ye rubbed her shoulders and wrists, wincing in pain as she tried to loosen her muscles. She pulled off her sword, glaring angrily at the guards. Seeing her wrist red from being gripped so tightly, Mu Chenbi felt a surge of pity. Ignoring the presence of others, he reached out and lifted Guan Ye's wrist, his fingertips gently stroking the swollen area. "Does it hurt?"

The voice was as gentle as a spring breeze, and Luo Yichen almost thought he had tinnitus. Looking at Mu Chenbi, his deep eyes were filled with concern, and there were deep eddies in his eyes. Even if Luo Yichen was not very perceptive, he could see through them. He quickly winked at the other two, and the group of them understood and disappeared into the crowd. They went to the meat pie stall, munching on their pie while looking in the direction of Mu Chenbi and Guan Ye.

"Does it hurt?" Mu Chenbi asked again in a low, hoarse voice when he received no response.

The sudden gentleness left Guan Ye stunned. It took her a while to come to her senses and pull her hand behind her back. "I'm not that delicate." She turned her back to him. "I came here to tell you that I don't want to test my sword anymore."

"You're already here, and the sword is forged, why not try it one more time?"

Guan Ye looked down at the persistent sword and sighed softly, "I came to keep my promise to you, but the sword... knowing that trying won't change the outcome, it's better... not to try."

Mu Chenbi walked around to Guan Ye and saw that she looked melancholy and even thinner than she had three days ago. He knew that she must have put in a lot of effort these past few days. "The truth of our guesses is right in front of us. Aren't you curious?"

Guan Ye took out the Kunwu fragments hidden in her bosom, opened her palm and handed them to Mu Chenbi. The fragments were crystal clear, just like Guan Ye's starry eyes that could see through them. The overlapping and contrasting light made Mu Chenbi dazzled.

"What good is curiosity?" Guan Ye slowly lowered her palm. "It won't change the outcome of defeat, it will only make everyone feel more frustrated. The Emperor has already allowed Xingguo Fang to stay in Rongdu for future use. The truth... it seems that no one cares except me."

"I care, I want to know." Mu Chenbi no longer concealed his desire.

"You?" Guan Ye looked at him suspiciously, then shook her head and laughed self-deprecatingly, "You know, but what can you do?"

Mu Chenbi struggled to look away from her gaze, "Although we are powerless to resist, as long as we know the truth, one day..."

"What if... I insist on fighting against them?" Guan Ye seemed to be touched by the word "fight." Looking back on the nearly twenty years she had lived, she had only ever hidden or fled. Since her father hadn't committed the bloody crossbow incident, why should she run away? Her parents said they were powerless to fight against them. What could the Lu family's powerful Tianhu Fang possibly fight against? They were just stretching out their necks, waiting to be chopped off by a large sword.

So-called justice is too illusory. What use is justice hidden in one's heart, unknown to others? It's not that no one cares about the truth. As Feng Shisan said, proving that Xingguofang's sword is not the problem, letting him have another good fight with the inner workshop to wash away his family's shame, that is the meaning of seeking the truth and finding justice.

Seeing that Mu Chenbi seemed stunned by her, Guan Ye smiled knowingly and said, "It seems... you also dare not confront him. In that case, you don't need to know the truth."

When Mu Chenbi saw Guan Ye start to leave, his mind went blank. He stretched out his arms to block Guan Ye's way, but Guan Ye suddenly turned around and strode straight towards the Ghost Market. Mu Chenbi stood there awkwardly, his heart pounding with excitement. He didn't care about anything else and hurriedly chased after her.

"Chief Luo?" Eagle Guard swallowed the last bite of meat pie. "Shall we... go in?"

Luo Yichen's eyelids drooped. Seeing that he remained silent, another person made a sword gesture. "I think that woman's sword is no joke, Chief Luo?"

Luo Yichen gnawed on the meat pie, gulped down some cold water, and swallowed it whole. Chasing after him? It was probably too late. The sword Guan Ye had forged had already pierced Mu Chenbi's heart, and could no longer be pulled out.

In the deep lake of the Ghost Market, the old woman rowing the boat clearly recognized the masked man and woman. She coughed lightly, gesturing for them to board, then turned away, ignoring them completely. The two masks were inches apart, gazing at each other for a moment before both staring directly at the large rock on the lake. Mu Chenbi's slight smile was hidden beneath his fanged face. In the silent Immortal Cave, Mu Chenbi felt hot all over. He couldn't help but glance at Guan Yan. A gentle breeze swept by, and her hair fell naturally beside her cheek, swaying gently in the wind. As if possessed, Mu Chenbi slowly reached out, held his breath, and picked up a strand of her hair, tucking it behind her ear.

Guan Ye remained motionless, seemingly deep in thought, completely unaware of Mu Chenbi's subtle movements. Mu Chenbi suddenly felt a little ashamed and swallowed hard a few times.

On the stone not far away, Wan Qixi, half asleep and half awake, seemed to have a nightmare. He suddenly sat up with a start, rubbed his eyes, and saw the wooden boat approaching him. When he saw the man and woman standing at the bow, he cursed under his breath.

"I don't owe you two anything," Wan Qixi growled at the bow of the ship. "What are you doing here now?"

Guan Ye did not answer. She nimbly jumped onto the stone surface, grabbed the hilt of the sword wrapped in a white cloth, and pointed the blade horizontally at Wan Qixi's heart.

"I'm going to kill you! I'm going to kill you!" Wan Qixi shouted wildly, taking a few steps back and pointing at Guan Ye's fox mask. "Even if a deal falls through, we can still be friends. In broad daylight, do you want my life?"

"I don't want your life." Mu Chenbi then leaped onto the stone surface. "I want you to be a witness."

The blade flashed, and Wan Qixi looked closely. He saw a Kunwu stone fragment on the blade, the very one he had sold to these two men a few days ago. Wan Qixi suppressed his panic and forced himself to remain calm, saying, "I'm just a merchant, insignificant. What kind of witness can I possibly be?"

Guan Ye took a few steps closer and said firmly, "You sold the Kunwu Stone, and you also bought the diamond sand in this sword from you. Of course, I need your testimony to prove what you sold."

Wan Qixi spread his hands, "Come on, come on, I must have had the worst luck to run into you two. Tell me, what do you want me to do?"

"You can keep an eye on it." Guan Ye said, extending her hand to Wan Qixi with certainty, "You're traveling through the Ghost Market, so you must be carrying a weapon for self-defense, right? May I borrow it?"

Wan Qixi made no attempt to hide it, lazily pulling out a horizontal sword from the sack and handing it over with a low snort. Mu Chenbi took the sword, turned it over, and said, "This sword of yours is quite old. It doesn't look like the workmanship of the Imperial Workshop these days."

"The inner workshop?" Wan Qixi scoffed. "They're afraid their stuff will get my hands dirty. It's for self-defense with a sword. Using that stuff from the inner workshop would be like throwing your head away."

Mu Chenbi stroked it with his fingertip and nodded, saying, "You're right. The ones forged in the inner workshop are not very useful. Your horizontal sword is forged from old black iron. The purity of the iron used is not low, and the craftsmanship is excellent. It wasn't rare in the past, but now it's hard to find. You'd better keep it safe."

"Wait a minute." Wan Qixi sensed something was amiss. "Why are you borrowing my sword?" Then he saw Guan Ye wiping the diamond-forged blade with an old garment, and Wan Qixi realized, "You want to use my sword to test this weapon?"

"Smart." Guan Ye raised an eyebrow at him. "I'll try it here, and then I'll return it to you."

Wanqi Xi reached out to snatch his sword, saying, "Such a good thing as diamond sand, it seems you're deliberately trying to ruin my sword."

Mu Chenbi nimbly dodged the attack and brandished his sword, saying, "If your sword is damaged, I'll compensate you with ten more."

"Pay for your grandma!" Wan Qi was furious. He moved nimbly as he snatched the sword, twisting his waist and shifting his steps, showing some skill of a trained fighter. "You can't possibly pay for my sword."

Guan Ye tossed aside her old clothes, drew her sword to block the two men, and pinched the Kunwu stone between two fingers, tracing its edge across her eyes as she said, "What if... this happens?" As she spoke, Guan Ye hid the Kunwu stone between her fingers, pretending to rub the blade, moving it back and forth a few times before putting it away in her bosom. Seeing Wan Qixi staring blankly, Guan Ye leaned closer and said, "You deal in ores, so you must know their properties. Diamond sand is tough and indestructible, and black iron is hard and strong. If it were to fight your black iron halberd head-on, your old halberd might not necessarily lose. But... after being sharpened with the Kunwu stone, this sword probably won't be able to withstand your halberd. In such a contest, I won't ask you to compensate me for my sword, so why are you worried about your old halberd?"

Wan Qixi found some merit in what he heard, so he stopped cursing, shut his mouth, and stepped aside. He sat cross-legged and waited for what would happen next. Guan Ye gripped the sword hilt wrapped in a white cloth with both hands, assumed a horse stance, and signaled to Mu Chenbi that he could begin.