Desolate from another world
When A Qiu thought of this, he silently felt a deep sense of admiration.
Shangguan Jin was known as the reincarnation of Zhuge Liang. According to Shangguan Yuqi, he rarely interfered in the management of clan affairs. However, his arrangements for Sima Yao alone demonstrate his far-sightedness and painstaking efforts, which could not be compared to those of Zhang Liang of the Han Dynasty or Zhuge Liang of Shu.
Even Sima Yan, who sat high on the throne and indulged in wine and women to numb himself, sensed this painstaking effort before the autumn wind even stirred, and therefore did not object.
Thus, the wedding of the once illustrious and glorious ruler of Langya was nothing more than a yellow cloth sedan chair and a few palace servants escorting him into the Shangguan family's gate.
Without even entering the second gate, she kowtowed at the entrance to thank the Shangguan family for their hospitality. She then removed her wedding dress, leaving her floral crown and pearl ornaments inside the sedan chair. Dressed only in plain clothes and carrying a heavy sword, she walked lightly into the Shangguan cemetery.
From then on, the era of Princess Langya as the "tyrant of the capital" came to an end, and the Shangguan Forbidden Land gained a nameless swordsman who practiced asceticism.
All sword techniques can lead to enlightenment, because ultimately it is the person who is refined and the heart tempered, not the sword.
Whether Sima Yao practiced the Sima family's heavy sword or the Shangguan family's gentleman's sword technique, with her single-minded devotion to the way of the sword and her unwavering dedication to continuous improvement, it was only a matter of time before she achieved mastery of the sword. However, in terms of technique and combat, the gentleman's sword technique she later switched to, because it was completely different from her nature, made her feel constrained and less able to fully utilize her original strength compared to the expansive and powerful heavy sword technique.
But Shangguan Jin must also understand that if the ultimate goal is to achieve enlightenment through swordsmanship, then the path Sima Yao took to join the Shangguan family was not a detour.
For an extremely long time, she will not feel any progress in her swordsmanship. She will constantly temper her original intention to practice swordsmanship amidst setbacks and confusion.
Is the ultimate goal of a swordsman simply to win a fight? If so, she could have already dominated Jianzhang with the Qilin Hundred Slashes, so why would she need to enter the Shangguan Forbidden Land to cultivate this secluded gentleman's sword technique, spending her life in seclusion?
A Qiu said softly, "In terms of the path of martial arts cultivation, you haven't taken a detour. Only by forgetting the illusory can you attain the real. Over the years, you have stagnated at the level of an ordinary swordsman, but you have never been discouraged or even given up because of this. You have continued to practice as usual and have never slacked off for a single day. Your sword heart has long been perfected, but it has only been revealed at the moment you obtained a suitable sword."
From the once-prominent Princess of Langya, the foremost swordsman of the imperial family, to her determined break with her clan and becoming a concubine of the Shangguan family, and finally to the obscure, mediocre tomb keeper—each step of this journey was a tremendous test of Sima Yao's character.
But she never regretted it.
The determination, will, and courage required to embark on this path are the true reasons why she entered the path of swordsmanship and became the greatest swordsman of this generation.
In terms of martial arts achievements, Sima Yao has surpassed anyone A Qiu has ever known in her life.
Sima Yao remained silent for a moment, then said deeply, "But without him, I might have just been that arrogant and domineering Princess of Langya, leaving a ridiculous and willful mark in the history books, and ultimately perishing in the fireworks of Jianzhang Palace with the destruction of the former Huan."
Without this, there would be no such extraordinary swordsmanship master emerging into the world.
In a fleeting, brief encounter, Shangguan Jin revealed to her another way of living. It was entirely different from the fame-seeking, power-manipulating behavior of royalty and aristocratic families; it was about living each step with purpose and reflection, authentically and resolutely within the confines of a short life. Every choice made for oneself or for others revealed wisdom and resilience.
Before meeting Shangguan Jin, she might have been skilled with a sword, but she had never understood life.
Upon hearing this, A Qiu finally asked in surprise, "Two meetings? You later successfully entered the Shangguan Forbidden Land and inherited the legacy of the tomb keeper, but you never saw the former Grand Secretary again?"
Sima Yao shook her head and said, "The Tomb Keeper's swordsmanship is divided into male and female lineages. I am a woman, so I inherited the female sword Seven Stars, which was taught by the previous generation of female tomb keepers. The Grand Secretary learned the male sword Ice Bamboo, which has nothing to do with my lineage and cannot teach me. Moreover, since he broke his oath and left the tomb, he has made up his mind that he will never set foot in the forbidden area again in this life."
When A-Qiu heard this, he was stunned.
Therefore, even though Sima Yao later entered the Shangguan family genealogy, became a member of the Shangguan family, and inherited the lineage of tomb keepers, her relationship with Shangguan Jin ended with those two brief encounters during their youth.
The first encounter was in front of a bookstore in the West Market. The princess, dressed in a scarlet dress and adorned with a royal pearl in her hair, swaggered through the market. She drew her sword in a fight over a book, thus changing "A sword in a green robe, a recluse of lofty character" to "A sword in a green robe, who conquers the Jiangnan region." He had only ever drawn his sword once in his life, and it was because of her recklessness.
The second time, in the deep courtyard of the Shangguan family, in the study of the Grand Secretary. A torrential downpour, lightning flashed and thunder roared. Through the scholarly atmosphere of the room, she gazed at his back as he stood by the window. And he said to her, "I'm sorry."
Ah Qiu, who was listening to the story, thought that the story would continue for a very long time.
For example, Princess Langya of the Great Huan Dynasty refused to marry into Youzhou, but she used both soft and hard tactics to persuade her father and Emperor Wu to allow her to marry into the Shangguan family.
So even though they are Shangguan Jin's elders, they will still have moments when they meet each other.
Perhaps at Shangguan Yi's eightieth birthday banquet, Consort Sima, wearing a scarlet hairpin and gold hairpin, would, at Shangguan Yi's behest, represent the noble authority of the palace and offer a golden pot of wine to her nephew Shangguan Jin, who had come to offer birthday greetings and had made great contributions to the family, to offer him a toast.
Or, when Shangguan Jin achieved a great victory in crossing the river and the court bestowed upon him a golden edict and the title of Duke, the whole clan would come to congratulate him. Shangguan Yi would also bring the former Princess of Langya to perform the rites and rituals of the eldest son's family.
Even though Sima Yao hadn't even entered the second gate before removing her new clothes and hairpins and venturing alone into the forbidden area with only her sword, A Qiu thought they would still have many more moments together.
Her training was in his lineage, and she had once told him in person that she wanted to become his disciple. A Qiu thought that Shangguan Jin would at least find time to give her some pointers.
But all the stories ended thereafter.
It turns out that Sima Yao and Shangguan Jin's fate was only this much in a lifetime.
Even later, despite Sima Yao's arduous efforts, he eventually managed to marry into the Shangguan family.
He even lived in the place where he had once practiced meditation, facing the scenery he had once seen. The clear streams, the lush green of the bamboo groves, and the verdant green never faded.
She never saw him again.
But this was all that Sima Yao could do in his life; he could do no more.
The steps are covered with the green of bamboo, and the moon shines on the distant mountains while the wind rustles through the pines.
Sima Yao stroked the patterns engraved on the "Hundred Slashes of the Qilin." At this moment, her swordsmanship had reached its peak, surpassing all previous masters. In A Qiu's opinion, she was now unmatched in the world.
But now, her once cheerful brows clearly show a loneliness as pure as snow.
Back then, Shangguan Yijian arrived like a fleeting glimpse of a shadow, shattering the seemingly lively yet actually lonely life of the young girl. Later, she relentlessly pursued this goal, waking up in the middle of the night, unable to sleep—was it truly just for the sword?
What pained A-Qiu even more was that she thought of herself, and also of another person.
She used to think that the connection between two people could be extended indefinitely, and that once they met, it would last a lifetime.
Little did they know that each brief encounter might be like sand slipping through their fingers, or snowflakes drifting away in the wind.
But at that time, Sima Yao did not understand herself.
"After I entered the Shangguan Forbidden Land, I diligently practiced swordsmanship. Although I made little progress afterward, I attributed it to my own incorrect practice. I remained focused on following the teachings of the previous generation of tomb guardians, practicing diligently every day without ever slacking off. I also stopped paying attention to outside affairs."
"The following year, my brother’s marriage could no longer be postponed, and Yanxiu of the Shangguan family was appointed Empress. The wedding of the Emperor and Empress was a major event that shocked the entire clan and the entire dynasty at that time. However, I remained secluded in the forbidden area from beginning to end, focusing on the way of the sword, and never interfered."
A-Qiu understood that it was because being a tomb keeper was equivalent to becoming a nun, and the joys and sorrows of the human world would no longer concern her.
"After that, my only chance to see outsiders was during my brother's occasional summons. I rarely even saw my father. But even in those few summons, I could feel that the Great Huan was like a doomed world, with everyone seemingly just holding on to their last breath to support this precarious empire."
"In the fourth year of their marriage, Shangguan Yanxiu suddenly passed away. This blow completely broke my brother, and he became even more extreme and reckless. I heard that the Grand Secretary also seemed to be under considerable pressure. However, he never said anything openly within the clan, but instead devoted himself to the great battle of crossing the river to repel the million Hu horses that were marching south."
No. A Qiu cried out in his heart. He did say something; he held the Ice Bamboo Sword and stormed into the inner palace at night to seek justice for Yan Xiu's death. He even fought against the Four Constellations of Heaven and was seriously injured, which caused his irreversible destiny: he was asked by Emperor Dezong to enter the world to settle the world, and the prophecy that he would not live past fifty was about to come true.
He could only suppress all his personal emotions and concentrate on dealing with the great battle that would lay the foundation for the Southern Dynasty's twenty-year history, leaving him no energy to care about anything else.
"Later, a new dynasty was established, and he... and he..."
Suddenly, Sima Yao burst into tears.
First a large drop, then another large drop, with a slight crackling sound, rolled onto the blade of the Qilin Hundred Slash sword, creating faint splashes.
Just like that night when she, as a young girl, burst into Shangguan Jin's study, the sound of continuous rain in the courtyard.
Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
Because this is a grief she has never been able to confront in all these years.
He resolutely hanged himself on the banks of the Yangtze River, inside the Temple of the Martial Saint. His cenotaph forever gazes northward. There lie his comrades and friends whom he regrets and owes, and his homeland.
She knew he cared for the world and its people. But in all the years that followed, did he ever, even once, remember her as she remembered him?
He really didn't live to be fifty.
He died at the age of forty-nine.
He preserved the only remaining bloodline of the Sima family, the previous emperors, and that was her.
At that moment, Sima Yao suddenly felt an immense tearing and heartache.
Shangguan Jin, we have only met twice in our lives, and one of those times was only possible because I had to sneak over the wall at night.
But you changed my life.
Why did it take me until now to realize how important you are to me?
Long, long after you have been buried beneath the earth.
A Qiu could no longer bear to see Sima Yao weeping uncontrollably, so she quietly turned and left.
It turns out that many regrets are marks buried deep in the years, and also the desolation of another world.
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