Chapter 45 Casual Chat in the Car, Wen Gu Ruthless…
On the 21st day of the eighth month of the sixteenth year of Tianchen, on the official road of Jizhou.
The world is divided into nine provinces: Qingzhou and Xuzhou in the east; Liangzhou and Yizhou in the west; Danzhou, Jiaozhou, and Jingzhou in the south; and Jizhou and Youzhou in the north.
Although Shengjing is located at the border of Jingzhou and Jizhou, it is actually further south. After five days of travel, Qingyu and his companions finally entered the territory of Jizhou.
"Ding-dong—"
The sound of wind chimes echoed from the depths of the space, and Qingyu walked out listlessly.
Standing beside the medicine cabinet, Lin Fanxiang looked at her with some surprise, "You're awake."
The girl was dressed in plain clothes, her hair was simply tied up with a ribbon without any hairpins, and she stood there with a dazed expression.
Upon hearing Fan Xiang's voice, she pursed her lips, then turned to look at Fan Xiang and gave her a forced smile with her eyes—"Hehehe, umm, I'm awake."
Lin Fanxiang chuckled at Qingyu's words and quickly went to support her.
Qingyu hadn't come out for five whole days, and when she finally came out, she seemed like she hadn't woken up yet.
Qingyu leaned against Fanxiang, slowly and unsteadily making her way to the long couch. Cai Cai was walking along the ground, swinging her chicken feet and making a "tap tap tap" sound. The chicks saw her and excitedly clucked a few times, then followed Qingyu with wobbly steps.
Cai Cai nestled against the long couch, while the girl smiled faintly before sitting cross-legged, leisurely tilting her head back against the carriage wall, looking like a lifeless, almost dead person.
Seeing this, Qin Tianshu, who was sitting opposite her, asked, "Are you alright?"
Qingyu didn't move her head, but her eyes twitched slightly from side to side—she was fine.
Qin Tianshu chuckled and shook his head. The scholar put the book in his hand into the bookshelf, then walked to the car door and switched places with Wen Chuan.
"Qingyu is awake, but still dazed."
Wen Chuan brushed past him, saying, "I understand, thank you."
The boy went inside and saw Qingyu leaning against the carriage wall, looking up as if contemplating the existence of a demon.
Footsteps approached, and Qingyu gave him a look before looking away and continuing to stare at the roof of the car.
Wen Chuan smiled unconsciously. He walked over and sat down next to Qing Yu, his voice gentle and smiling. "Awake?"
Qingyu closed her eyes, silently opened her mouth wide and yawned, then opened her eyes again, and there seemed to be some tears in the girl's eyes—she was asleep.
Suddenly, she bumped her head on Wen Chuan's shoulder, her voice still a little hoarse, "I'm so hungry, where do we go now?"
Wen Chuan paused at her movement, then the young man raised his hand, his movements lazy yet gentle, and casually brushed aside the hair that was covering Qing Yu's eyes.
"After leaving Shengjing, we headed north, thinking we'd discuss where to go after you and Zhang Xuan woke up."
"What about Zhang Xuan?"
Qingyu raised her head, tears still glistening in her eyes, "I didn't see him."
As soon as he arrived, the wind chimes rang, and Zhang Xuan walked out from the depths of the space—the boy was dressed neatly, but his hands were still wrapped in gauze, and his face looked even weaker than Qing Yu's, with a bitter feeling emanating from his whole body.
Qingyu wanted to laugh, thinking that Zhang Xuan looked like he was having a really tough time. She was just tired from sleeping too long, but Zhang Xuan looked like he was seriously ill.
"You woke up earlier today than yesterday. How did you sleep?"
Lin Fanxiang asked Zhang Xuan by the medicine table, and Zhang Xuan smiled and said he felt much better.
However, given his pale face and listless eyes, he looked extremely weak. Qingyu couldn't help but lean her head against Wen Chuan's shoulder and hummed softly twice.
Wen Chuan placed his hand on Qing Yu's back and asked her with a smile in a low voice, "Weren't you hungry? What do you want to eat?"
"Hmm... soups and liquids, or something like that—"
Before Qingyu could finish speaking, Qin Tianshu called out from the driver's seat, "We're almost at Jizhou City. Once we get there, we need to decide where to go next."
"I know, they're all awake," Wen Chuan replied.
Just then, Zhang Xuan also looked over, and Qing Yu waved to him casually as a greeting.
Zhang Xuan nodded, coughed a few times, and sat down on the daybed to rest.
His recovery was secondary; the main issue was that he had developed a high fever that day and only regained some energy in the last two days. However, Fan Xiang said that once the fever subsided, Zhang Xuan would be fine, and after taking a few more doses of medicine, he would recover in a couple of days.
Qingyu leaned back on the long couch, watching Fanxiang brew medicine over the medicine cabinet. She sniffed – it tasted bitter.
The girl looked up at Wen Chuan and said, "I want to drink fish soup."
She wanted a milky white fish soup, bubbling away, with a hint of sesame oil, topped with two or three handfuls of scallions, and with the aroma of fried eggs, not poached eggs.
Wen Chuan knew what Qing Yu was talking about. He smiled and poured Qing Yu a cup of hot water.
"Let's eat when we get to town."
Qingyu nodded, the steam rising from the cup as she drank the water with both hands.
Suddenly, she asked, "Is it very cold up north?"
Wen Chuan looked down at her. "The climate in the North is indeed cold. The far north is covered in snow all year round. It's almost September now. If we keep going north, we might run into the coldest time of the year."
Zhang Xuan chimed in, "Speaking of which, Shengjing is located in Jingzhou, which is also in the south... I've never seen the northernmost part of Youzhou as described in the books."
Qingyu leaned against the car wall, pretending to doze off. She sighed inwardly, then found it somewhat amusing.
"Then let's go take a look. The far north, to Snow City... I happen to be going there to take care of some business."
She said it so naturally, as if it were just something she mentioned casually.
Upon hearing this, Lin Fanxiang pondered and said, "Snow in the North... The Ruthless Sword Cultivator, the best in the world."
The Snow City in the far north is also known as Sword Snow City.
Legend has it that in ancient times, there were still gods and immortals in the human world. Gods were born from heaven and earth, while immortals were created by humans or demons through cultivation. The first sword immortal of the human race in that time ascended to heaven in Jianxue City.
Ancient texts record that the swordsman's surname was Wen Gu. He was ruthless in his path. When he was undergoing tribulation and ascending to immortality, a thunderbolt struck from the sky. Senior Wen Gu used his body as a sword, and his cold sword intent drew snow from the heavens and earth. Everything in sight turned white.
After that, the Sword Immortal was born, and the Dao of Ruthlessness was achieved.
For this reason, the northernmost city of Youzhou was renamed Jianxue City. For thousands of years, the descendants of Wen Gu have lived here. They are somewhat similar to the Lin family of Yan Ling, both being rare clans that inherit the Dao. Furthermore, each generation of Wen Gu cultivates the Ruthless Sword Intent and comprehends the Great Dao amidst the heavy snow.
The Wen Gu Sword Dao has been passed down through generations. Most of them have cultivated the Ruthless Dao to its extreme, and some junior sword cultivators have also comprehended their own Dao intent. However, no matter what Dao it is, when it comes to sword cultivators, the thought that Wen Gu should be the number one will appear in the minds of cultivators.
Upon hearing Fan Xiang's words, Qing Yu smiled unconsciously but remained silent. Wen Gu Jian said, "Ah."
Zhang Xuan: "Do you think that the descendants of Wen Gu of Jianxue City in this generation can be considered the number one sword cultivator in the world?"
With a whoosh, Qin Tianshu opened the car door, and the scholar replied, "That's not necessarily true. Nowadays, the world is at peace, there are no gods or immortals, and very few profound cultivators enter the mortal world to discuss the Dao..."
In times of chaos, cultivators and demons, nobles and commoners alike, as long as they have the ability and ideas, who wouldn't leave the mountains and enter the world, plunging headlong into the turmoil of this world?
Whether for fame and fortune, for ideals, for the common people, or for righteousness, in the end, kings and generals, heroes and heroines, their names are recorded in history books, and their merits are remembered by all under heaven. In the end, everything will be judged in terms of merit and worth.
In this peaceful and prosperous era, ordinary people are living their lives earnestly. Why do powerful people fight for no reason? What if they accidentally disrupt the karma of others?
For this reason, the name Wen Gu has not been heard in the land of Kyushu for a hundred years. Now, who can say for sure who is the number one swordsman in the world?
Zhang Xuan was still a little weak. He coughed twice and, after recovering, immediately said, "Wen Gu Sword Dao is so famous. Even if he is not the best in the world, he must be very powerful."
Qingyu looked at Zhang Xuan's expression and smiled, "I think you want to personally witness Wen Gu's ruthless sword intent."
Lin Fanxiang was still fiddling with Zhang Xuan's medicine when she heard this, she said to Zhang Xuan, "You should focus on getting better first."
Zhang Xuan frowned with a pained expression, then felt another tickle in his throat. He closed his eyes helplessly. "But the Path of Ruthlessness sounds really powerful—cough cough—cough cough—"
Wen Chuan smiled upon seeing this: "Wen Gu is just a surname. The path of the predecessors may not be suitable for the successors. No matter what kind of cultivator, if they can truly be called the number one in the world, they must have already walked their own path."
As the wind whistled, Qin Tianshu said, "In the end, this 'ruthless path' is nothing more than a great path that Senior Wen Gu explored back then."
"Besides, ruthlessness is something that everyone understands differently. In my opinion, this path is just utterly boring."
Wen Chuan poured himself a cup of tea. The young man lowered his eyes to watch the wind ripple across the water, reflecting the world. He smiled inexplicably and murmured a few words casually.
"The extreme north is desolate, and the sword intent is ruthless."
Speaking of the South China Sea and the far north, where snow falls, he had not seen the Frost Sword amidst the heavy snow for a long time.
Qingyu opened her eyes and looked at the star patterns carved by Wen Chuan on the ceiling of the carriage. The girl sighed and said, "In the end, we'll understand if we go to see Xuecheng."
A gentleman seeks revenge with utmost urgency. This grudge has been brewing for two years; she was simply a little too late.
At this moment, the car windows and doors were half open, the sunlight was half shining through, the autumn wind was rustling, and the air was filled with the bitter smell of Fan Xiang's medicine.
It is the golden autumn season, with leaves falling and the autumn chill in the air, but the young people are full of enthusiasm, discussing the scenery ahead.
Lin Fanxiang: "If we really have to go, we'll probably need to buy some winter warmers."
Qin Tianshu smiled and said, "I went to the Extraordinary City on the border of Jizhou a few years ago. The cold there is unbearable for most cultivators. If we are going, we must bring enough supplies."
Zhang Xuan: "Jizhou is cold? Then when we get to Youzhou and reach Xuecheng, we won't be freezing... right?"
Under the imposing gaze of Doctor Lin, the young man withdrew the "si" sound, his tone somewhat embarrassed. Qin Tianshu chuckled upon hearing this, and the scholar spoke loudly,
“Exquisite scenery can sometimes be a good thing for cultivators… Come to think of it, it’s a regret that I didn’t go to Youzhou back then.”
Qingyu tidied her hair, which was a little messy from leaning against Wen Chuan.
Listening to Zhang Xuan and Qin Tianshu talking, she couldn't help but nod. She hadn't dressed warmly when she came out today, and now that the autumn wind was blowing, she actually felt a bit cold.
"Oh dear, didn't we say we were going to Jizhou City? I want to eat something, drink fish soup, and then go shopping!"
She spoke with great interest, while Wen Chuan got up and closed the window, leaving Qin Tianshu's car door half-open to let in the smell of medicine—actually, the smell of medicine wasn't unpleasant after a while, and after it dissipated, it had a faint, bitter smell, which Qing Yu and the others found refreshing and invigorating.
Of course, we don't know what it would be like for Zhang Xuan to drink it.
Nestled at Wen Chuan's feet, Cai Cai stretched her neck and played by herself, clucking and clucking.
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Author's note: Ding ding ding, we have arrived at Shengjing. Passengers who need to get off or transfer, please take note. Thank you for your support and cooperation. We wish you a safe journey.
Flowers bloom in late autumn, butterflies flutter about.
New passengers and passengers who have not yet reached their destination, please prepare to check in.
Next stop, Jizhou City.
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