Life and death, victory and defeat
"He couldn't possibly practice the sword techniques of ordinary swordsmen, because that would be putting himself on the same track as an ordinary swordsman. After all, not all emperors are sword geniuses, and it would be absurd to ask them to compete with ordinary swordsmen. The sword techniques they need are those that no one else can challenge them with, and that guarantee a one-hit victory."
A-Qiu was stunned by what he heard.
Influenced by the martial arts philosophy of Lanling Hall, her school has always prioritized practicality. They never considered that it was better to prevent an opponent from ever even coveting the weapon than to easily eliminate them. The Emperor's Heavy Sword was born from this philosophy.
After a long pause, A Qiu suddenly said in a lonely tone, "However, the First Emperor still misunderstood."
Sima Yao didn't hear clearly and asked in surprise, "What?"
Ah Qiu said quietly, "In fact, no matter how skilled an emperor is in the heavy sword technique, he can never be a match for a top assassin."
Sima Yao opened her eyes wide in surprise, but suddenly understood what she meant.
Sima Yao herself was already a master of heavy swordsmanship, a level of skill that was probably unprecedented in history, but she had just been defeated by A Qiu's "assassination of Qin".
A Qiu continued, "The First Emperor's defeat of Jing Ke had nothing to do with the quality of his swordsmanship. Assassins are not comparing their swordsmanship skills with their targets; we simply need to find the vital point and kill the target. And the First Emperor's eventual ability to draw his sword and severely injure Jing Ke was not because his swordsmanship was particularly superior."
A rare hint of sadness flickered across her brow. For the heroes of her ancestors, for the pioneers who had fought before her.
She said softly, "That's only because Jing Ke didn't want to kill him. What Jing Ke wanted was to capture him alive so that he could force him to sign a peace treaty that would temporarily spare the Yan state."
Sima Yao looked at the Qilin Hundred Slashes in her hand and could no longer speak.
Ultimately, the life-or-death struggles and victories of swordsmen have nothing to do with the sword.
No emperor, when it comes to countering assassination, can compare to a meticulously trained assassin who has spent his life thinking about how to successfully kill people in various environments.
This is what is meant by specialization.
But the First Emperor probably never understood this point. He dominated the world and established unparalleled achievements, yet he found it hard to face the fact that he was almost easily subdued by a country bumpkin wielding a weapon.
He was naturally furious.
Immediately afterward, he launched a military campaign to retaliate against the State of Yan, conquering several cities and forcing the King of Yan to have Prince Dan, the mastermind behind the assassination attempt on the King of Qin, strangled and offer his head as a peace offering. Several years later, he ultimately destroyed Yan as well.
This is what is meant by "when the emperor is angry, millions will die and blood will flow for miles."
Not only that, he also left behind this greatsword technique for his future successor.
In his imagination, this would prevent the future recurrence of the wrath of commoners, and the situation where "two corpses lie on the ground and blood flows for five steps" as a form of coercion.
A king should not be coerced.
But was the opponent he imagined merely a reckless assassin who dared to defy the heavens?
No, it was actually just a shadow fighting back against the ruthless killing machine that he had unleashed with his iron-fisted and ruthless methods, which swept across the land of China.
Leaving behind the influence of the empire and the machinery of power, facing life and death with only one's own flesh and blood, a monarch cannot possibly defeat a well-trained assassin with his sword.
An assassin's entire life is dedicated to assassination.
After listening to A Qiu's calm explanation, Sima Yao said after a long while, "According to you, this sword technique is completely useless."
A Qiu said, "No. You can use this to defeat almost all the swordsmen in the martial arts world, and even Miss Shangguan. As a martial arts tradition, it has its own significance. But it cannot fulfill the function it was originally created for."
It cannot defeat a true top assassin, nor can it defeat today's "Jing Ke"—A Qiu himself.
After listening, Sima Yao sighed deeply, and then said decisively, "I understand what you mean. This sword technique doesn't need to be passed down anymore."
Ah Qiu had painstakingly persuaded her for a long time, but she never expected that Ah Qiu would suddenly change her mind and give up so easily. The speed at which Ah Qiu changed her mind left Ah Qiu speechless.
She said tactfully, "There's no need to be so resolute. It is still a sword technique that can dominate the martial arts world. You can leave it in the deep mountains and wait for someone with the right destiny. But there's no need to rush and insist on finding a successor."
Sima Yao said dejectedly, "Now I understand that this heavy sword technique is more symbolic than practical. Dealing with assassins is secondary; it represents the emperor's majesty, royal power, and hegemonic rule over the world. If it is passed down to just anyone, and it degenerates into a trick used by outlaws to rob and plunder, I will truly be ashamed before my ancestors and all the emperors and sages of the past."
A-Qiu was taken aback by this outcome and was momentarily speechless.
Sima Yao looked at her again and said quietly, "Actually, what you said makes sense. Not only has the Sima family withdrawn from the stage of history, but the imperial lineage of the Southern Dynasty is also about to collapse. Even if the Emperor's Sword Technique is passed down, to whom should it be passed? Am I supposed to pass it on to that wicked ruler of the Northern Qiang? Even if he tries to kill me with his sword, I cannot pass it on to him."
Sima Yao's words pulled A Qiu back to the rapidly changing political situation.
A Qiu now understood. Sima Yao insisted on passing on the sword technique to her not only because she could learn it, but also because she feared the wrong person would inherit it. In her heart, she still hoped the technique would be passed on to an emperor or monarch, not just an ordinary martial artist. But as she said, if one broadened their perspective, no longer focusing on the lineage of a single sword technique, but rather on the current state of the world, who else but Hulu Jin of the Northern Qiang would become the next emperor?
Even if Huli Jin and Sima Yao were complete strangers, and even if Huli Jin were willing to learn, Sima Yao, as a member of the Southern Dynasty's royal family, would never pass on this sword technique to him.
Sima Yao continued, "Even the Han dynasty is doomed, so why should I still cling to my so-called imperial descendant sword technique? So be it. Fame and fortune are nothing but dust at a hundred years old. The Southern Dynasty is doomed, and the Central Plains imperial lineage is about to cease to exist. This is not something I can change by myself. My ancestors in the afterlife will surely not blame me."
She sheathed the "Qilin Hundred Slashes" sword, sat down cross-legged opposite A Qiu, her expression lonely, and closed her eyes.
A Qiu felt that Sima Yao seemed to have aged considerably overnight.
In just one night, she experienced a lifetime's worth of events once again, and all these vicissitudes of life could only be borne by herself.
The two remained silent, not uttering another word.
Sima Yao was exhausted because he had talked too much.
For A Qiu, it was because of Sima Yao's words that a sudden flash of inspiration struck her.
This was when Sima Yao mentioned that there were no more imperial descendants to pass on this sword technique.
A person's image flashed through her mind in an instant.
Crown Prince Xie Tiao.
She couldn't think of anyone else more suitable than Xie Tiao to inherit the Emperor's Sword Technique.
But another thought immediately arose, instantly suppressing the previous one: she was no longer Jianzhang's person, and now Gu Yi was in charge of everything. Even if she learned the Emperor's Sword Technique and wanted to pass it on to Xie Tiao, she would probably be overstepping her bounds.
But the thought of Xie Tiao also instantly triggered another ominous alarm in his mind.
When Mo Yimingyue negotiated with her in prison, his condition was that she go out and kill Xie Tiao in order to facilitate the peace talks. She did not agree at the time, and Mo Yimingyue said he would give her three more days to consider.
Furthermore, Mo Yimingyue also said that even if she refused to go, someone else would go.
The thought set her ablaze, and she could hardly sit still any longer. She immediately wanted to get up and return to Jianzhang Palace.
Although she has now been rescued by Gu Yi and completely left Lanling Hall, all her previous agreements with Mo Yimingyue are naturally null and void. However, this does not mean that Wan Qiqing and Mo Yimingyue will not continue to send people to assassinate Xie Tiao. Because this is something that benefits them in every way.
She knew Xie Lang's condition; he wouldn't last much longer. If Xie Tiao were to meet with misfortune at this juncture, the Southern Dynasty would have no choice but to surrender. Although Gu Yi was still alive, he couldn't possibly declare himself emperor. Moreover, even if he did, it would only provoke the powerful clans of the Southern Dynasty to rise up against him, further fragmenting the dynasty.
Mo Yimingyue gave her three days to consider. That meant that regardless of whether she was involved or not, the plan would be implemented in three days.
A day and a night have now passed.
But what would be most embarrassing for her was that if she rushed back to Jianzhang Palace to report the news, only to find that Lanling Hall hadn't taken any action, would Gu Yi think she was just using an excuse to deliberately come back?
What's even more awkward is that even if Gu Yi doesn't think that way, Xie Lang will definitely think that way. Because once people are in their own position, it's very difficult for them to change their minds.
She couldn't even stay outside the palace for a single day. Gu Yi had just saved her, and she immediately found various excuses to try and sneak back into the palace. She herself felt ashamed.
Even worse, even if Mo Yimingyue still had the plan to assassinate Xie Tiao, she would naturally guess that Xie Tiao wouldn't stand idly by since Mo Yimingyue had returned to the palace, and thus abandon the plan temporarily. This would make her completely guilty of giving false information.
However, if she doesn't return, Mo Yimingyue has a very high chance of succeeding in targeting Xie Tiao. This is because the court is currently in chaos, and no one has time to attend to Xie Tiao.
The more she thought about it, the more anxious and conflicted she became. Suddenly, Sima Yao opened her eyes and asked, "I've figured it out, but why is your breathing becoming more and more disordered and heavy?"
A-Qiu jumped up and said, "Aunt Yao, I suddenly remembered something. I can't stay here any longer and must take my leave."
Sima Yao stared intently at her and said, "Alright. Actually, from the first time I saw you, I knew you weren't the type to live a secluded life in the mountains. But you've only stayed for such a short time and you're leaving already. I'm afraid I won't be able to answer Yuqi's questions."
Ah Qiu had figured it out, so he smiled and said, "I've thought of a suitable successor for your Emperor's Sword, Aunt Yao, and now I'm going to find him. Is that enough to answer Miss Shangguan?"
Sima Yao was initially incredulous, but seeing A Qiu's confident expression, she jumped up and said with a hint of doubt, "Who is that? Don't lie to me. You can just leave if you want, there's no need to go through all this trouble to find an excuse." She couldn't help but finally let out a smile, but said, "This isn't some shady business that cheats people, why do I need to make up an excuse to leave?"
Having clashed with A-Qiu twice, she knew his character very well. Someone who couldn't be swayed by threats or inducements wouldn't fabricate lies to escape.
Since she said that, there's a 70-80% chance she has already thought of a suitable candidate.
A-Qiu smiled and said, "The one sitting on the throne now is Xie Lang, the General Xie Zhonglang, who made things difficult for you in front of the Grand Secretary back then. Aunt Yao should already know about this. And the person I have in mind is Xie Lang's son, the Crown Prince Xie Tiao. Isn't he the rightful heir of the dragon?"
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