Brothers United in Heart - Part Two (Newly Revised)
There were many more people at Buwang Pavilion this time than when Kim Ji-won came last time. The two elderly people sat in the center of the main room playing chess, completely ignoring the arrival of Kim Ji-won and her companion.
There was also a graceful young woman standing in front of the screen, watching the two of them intently. When the two of them approached her, she blocked Kim Ji-won from entering the inner room without saying a word.
Without exception, all of these people wore masks with exaggerated shapes, their eyes, noses, and mouths magnified to the extreme. Among these masks were bronze-blue masks with a half-smile, like those worn by the two sitting in the center. There were also stern-looking gold masks, worn by the girl who was blocking Kim Ji-won's way.
Along the way, Kim Ji-won had already explained the rules of the Unforgettable Pavilion to Jia Dongye. Seeing Kim Ji-won being stopped, Jia Dongye didn't dwell on it too much, wrapped his cloak tighter, and went into the inner room alone.
Waiting for him inside was a man wearing an ill-fitting, oversized robe and a bronze-blue mask, whose expression was stern.
Jia Dongye sat down opposite A Yu and said coldly, "I didn't hear that there were two people in the room."
In the darkness behind A-Yu, a hand reached out and rested on his shoulder. Pei Jiangxi said, "There are some things that A-Yu can't answer yet."
"Playing tricks," Jia Dongye said dismissively, "So you know about Peach Blossom Spring too."
“Only the two of us know about this place,” Pei Jiangxi replied. “No one outside knows.”
Jia Dongye took out a palm-sized white silk scroll from his sleeve, placed it on the table and pressed it down with his hand, saying, "Give me a reason not to kill you first."
A chilling aura exploded outwards from Jia Dongye, instantly filling the entire inner room.
Ayu's hair stood on end, and she couldn't help but shiver. Pei Jiangxi tightened her grip slightly, and Ayu felt her body warm up instantly, which calmed her down considerably.
“Let me tell you a story.” Pei Jiangxi’s face emerged from the darkness, wearing a frivolous and comical bronze-blue mask.
"That was seventy years ago today." Pei Jiangxi looked at Jia Dongye and slowly began to speak: "It was twenty years after the Lord of Yanyu Tower retired. Without the leaders of the three major sword sects, the martial arts world was leaderless, but it was also a time of great flourishing."
"At that time, the martial arts world was full of talented people, and the best among them even founded their own sects. The four most outstanding sects were one each in the east, west, south, and north."
"The Lingtao Sect in the East wields a long, soft whip with unpredictable movements, often inflicting fatal wounds on their enemies in the neck; the Qingyue Cliff in the South wields a sharp, narrow-bodied knife, frequently leaving their opponents disemboweled."
"The Stone Drum Forest in the west wields a pair of short-handled double hammers with great strength, and it is common for their opponents to be crushed to pieces; finally, there is the Heart Source Valley in the north, who wield a simple wooden stick. They never kill their opponents and are considered a relatively mild faction."
Upon hearing this, Ayu completely forgot his fear, and he even subconsciously wanted to turn around and look at Pei Jiangxi.
"The four major sects have been locked in a power struggle for many years, with no clear victor. Until one day, a boy not yet twenty years old appeared before the gates of Heart Source Valley. He alone, with only a sword, nearly slaughtered the entire Heart Source Valley."
“There are three other people like the boy. They made a pact to challenge each other from their hometowns and see who could reach Mashou Mountain first.”
Pei Jiangxi released her hand from A Yu's shoulder and disappeared back into the darkness. She continued, "Perhaps it was because Heaven cherishes life, just as the young man was walking toward the last hall of Heart Source Valley, a girl who was also not yet twenty years old appeared."
"The girl didn't exert much effort and easily subdued the boy; she didn't even have to draw her sword from its sheath. The boy completely submitted to her."
"From that day on, the boy followed the girl south, conquering all the sects. Of course, this also included the three people with whom the boy had made a promise."
Jia Dongye remained silent.
"How are the other three sects doing?" A-Yu couldn't help but ask.
“Them?” Pei Jiangxi paused, then said, “They were naturally slaughtered, after all, there’s only one girl like that in the whole world. This can be considered a blessing for Xinyuan Valley’s good deeds, at least the flame of revolution was preserved.”
“There are survivors from the Lingtao Sect,” Jia Dongye suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse. “But after that, the sword became the most revered weapon in the martial world, and they also switched to using swords. They lost their original selves and became just another face in the crowd.”
Ayu turned around again, looking at the guest hidden in the shadow of the hood in surprise. If one could see Ayu's expression under the mask right now, it would be quite a sight.
*
"So, are you satisfied with this story?" Pei Jiangxi asked.
Jia Dongye released his hand from the scroll and said, "This is the 'List of Treasures of Calamity.' I think whatever the secret it may be, its value is enough to warrant an exchange."
"Is this the strange book that records the whereabouts of all the 'Calamity Swords'?" Ayu exclaimed as he stood up, reaching out to immediately unroll the scroll and find out more.
But Ayu also understood the rules of the Unforgettable Pavilion, so he suppressed his emotions and forcibly withdrew his hand that was about to touch the scroll.
Ayu glanced at the two of them. Jia Dongye seemed to be conversing with darkness, while Ayu herself became the table between them.
Ayu sat back down in the chair opposite Jia Dongye, and the light coming through the wall shone on him again.
“Tell me the location of the Xuanyuan Sword Heart,” Jia Dongye said.
"Travel north to Lubo Town in the western frontier. Fifteen days later, the sword heart will be delivered to you."
“Let us add another secret to you, one that’s not really a secret,” Pei Jiangxi patted A Yu on the shoulder and said, “Let’s exchange this ‘List of Malice Swords’ for something that is commensurate with its value.”
Ayu understood immediately and said, "Xuanyuan condensed his sword heart into a Bauhinia flower, with five petals and a stamen. What he took from Ping'an Courtyard this time was that stamen."
Ayu confidently revealed this secret that he thought would surprise everyone, but he could clearly sense that Jia Dongye was somewhat disinterested. Jia Dongye was already preparing to leave.
“Speaking of which, in the complete darkness of the night, I often dream of an exceptionally bright Bauhinia flower,” Pei Jiangxi suddenly said. “When I was a child, there was a Bauhinia tree in front of my house, and it was always very profuse in spring.”
"One spring, a particularly bright Bauhinia flower hung on the branch of the tree. It was one I had never seen before. That day, several of us close friends surrounded that Bauhinia flower, constantly touching its petals, and one by one we approached to inhale its fragrance."
"When they left, my friends each took a leaf. I felt that this was the tree in front of my house, and I didn't want to be left out, so I also took a leaf. I carefully tucked it between the pages of a book and kept it by my bedside. I even had a wonderful dream about it that day."
"From then on, every morning I would move a stool to the front door and carefully examine the Bauhinia flower that was missing its petals, hoping that it would grow petals again."
"But one day, I found that the tree branch had been broken off. I frantically searched around. My sister told me that the flower had been broken off by a child from the village and used to make a 'sword'. I was furious and immediately went to find him to get my flower back."
My sister asked me, 'But what good will it do you if you find it? It wasn't a whole flower to begin with.'"
Jia Dongye stopped in his tracks. From behind, his figure appeared somewhat hunched, unlike the domineering figure he had when sitting face-to-face.
"Did your sister say what to do?" Jia Dongye asked, looking into the darkness.
"My sister told me that the flower will always be in your heart."
Jia Dongye stared for a while, and Ayu seemed to see him squinting and staring intently.
Without saying anything more, Jia Dongye turned and left the room.
*
After leaving the Pavilion of Unforgettable Memories, the two walked silently on the stone-paved road of Wuling City.
"Senior, did you get the answer you were looking for?" Kim Ji-won broke the silence first.
Jia Dongye stopped and turned to look at the enormous statues on Mashou Mountain. From afar, the three statues each possessed a dignified air, gleaming in the sunlight. The one furthest to the left and the two on the right were far apart, appearing somewhat out of place.
"The statue of Senior Sword Demon collapsed when the incident happened at Heian-in Temple." Kim Ji-won followed his gaze and said, "It seems we can't see it from here. Shall we go up the mountain to take a look?"
Jia Dongye shook his head and said, "I saw it when I was young, nothing special."
The two walked a little further on.
Jia Dongye said, "Take me to meet your master."
*
In the seemingly desolate yellow sands of western Xinjiang, a palace built against an oasis stands out prominently.
The young scout rushed into the highest central hall in a panic.
Inside the main hall, an old man sat on a plain palanquin, resting with his eyes closed. Beside him stood a man with a sinister face, who looked very respectful.
The man frowned as he saw the scouts barging into the hall.
"Reporting to the Grand Palace Master, Lord Nangong," the scout stammered, too excited to speak, "Outside, there's a mirage."
Ling Guang scolded, "You dare to disturb Master's rest over such a trivial matter."
"Yes, it's Lord Nishimiya," the scout said.
"Senior sister is back." Ling Guang looked at the old woman with a happy expression.
The old man opened his eyes and commanded, "Continue."
"Lord Nishimiya returned alone on his camel," the scout said, his forehead pressed tightly to the ground.
Upon hearing this, Ling Guang's expression turned serious: "Where are Lord Beigong and Lord Donggong?"
The scout knelt on the ground, trembling and afraid to answer.
"Answer me!" Ling Guang pressed anxiously.
"I didn't see the two gentlemen, I could only vaguely see that Lord Xigong was carrying someone on his back," the scout said anxiously, glancing at the expressions of the two men in the hall. "There was also someone on the back of a camel."
"Anything else?" the old man asked calmly.
"And another thing," the scout thought, feeling he had said everything important, but the old man continued to press him. He thought for a moment and said, "Lord Nishimiya also has a skull tied to his arm."
The old man breathed a sigh of relief, and a single tear rolled down his cheek almost imperceptibly.
"Senior sister, I've finally brought you back." The old man looked up at the sky and closed his eyes once more.
Without waiting for the old man's command, Ling Guang strode out of the main hall. A short while later, his urgent voice came from outside:
"Everyone, go out and search! You must bring Lord Nishimiya back safe and sound."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
