Sima Chongjian
That night, A Qiu did not return to his room, but sat alone under the trees, listening to the flow of the world's energy in the night and contemplating the changes in the landscape.
For the first time, she personally experienced that the rise and fall, the survival and destruction of this land beneath her feet, did not come out of thin air, but were developed by generations of outstanding individuals who devoted their lives to planning and passion.
Today's battle with Sima Yao left her even more terrified afterwards.
As Jing Ke, the chief assassin of Lanling and the head of the Divine Weapon Hall, who was the leader of the three halls of Lanling, she wielded the "Assassination of Qin" weapon and had never been defeated in her life.
Being bound hand and foot on the spot like this, without any chance to fight back from beginning to end, was a defeat and a crushing loss she had never experienced in her life.
This also made her realize that there are always people better than you, and there is always someone stronger than you.
Ah Qiu's lifelong martial arts philosophy was based on pragmatism. She did not blindly pursue victory, nor did she aspire to become the number one martial arts master.
Even the top martial arts master would find it difficult to guard against her meticulously planned and opportunistic assassination attempt.
She never missed a shot, which is why she earned the title of "Queen of Assassins".
Assassination is an art that combines judgment of environment, situation, and psychology, as well as seizing a fleeting opportunity. It is not close combat on the battlefield, nor is it a martial arts contest.
Create weaknesses where there are none, tear open gaps where there are no opportunities, and strike hard when the enemy is completely unprepared.
This is the assassin's mental technique.
But all of these were almost useless against Sima Yao's heavy sword.
Of course, this is related to her current state. She is not at her peak right now.
She first experienced being expelled from Jianzhang, feeling exhausted and heartbroken, and then was thrown into prison by Wanqiqing. Only after being stimulated by Mo Yimingyue and rescued by Gongyixiu did she gradually regain her will. But even now, she was still rescued from Wanqiqing's hands by Gu Yi, Shangguan Yuqi and Sima Yao.
In fact, this is completely contrary to the way of the assassin.
A skilled assassin possesses the ability to escape alone under any circumstances.
There is absolutely no need for anyone else to save them.
When encountering a powerful enemy, at most you will be unable to complete the mission because you are no match for them, but you can create opportunities to escape in any situation by seizing the weakness. It is not a pure confrontation of force.
The biggest problem that led to her continued defeats was that she became emotional and lost her former calm, clear-headed, and adaptable mindset.
At that time, she was like a cold and perfect killing machine.
But everything changed after she entered the palace, or more accurately, after she met Gu Yi—no, after they met again.
She kept recalling the imposing manner with which Sima Yao drew his sword, the effortless and unhurried demeanor that seemed to command the entire world.
It was that domineering aura of ruling the world and looking down on all living beings that instantly intimidated her.
It captivated her, and afterwards she suffered a complete defeat, unable to recover and face the situation calmly.
Previously, in her mind, Sima Yao was merely a master of the Shangguan family, similar to Sikong Zhao, not a representative masterpiece of the Shangguan sword technique, much less a sect or school.
But in just one night of conversation, Sima Yao underwent a dramatic transformation.
From the moment she grasped the hilt of the Qilin Hundred Cuts Sword, she regained the arrogant and self-satisfied demeanor of the Princess of Langya, and was no longer the quiet and indifferent tomb keeper.
A Qiu could only conclude that Sima Yao had regained her lost "sword heart".
Perhaps that heart had already been lost without its own awareness when Sima Chongjian's attack was so easily neutralized by Shangguan Yijian.
After that, Sima Yao did not stop asking herself and seeking answers. She even gave up her status as a princess and entered the Shangguan family as a tomb keeper. From then on, she used the Shangguan sword and became the ordinary "Sima family of the Shangguan clan".
But no matter how diligently she practiced or how profound her cultivation, all the deep skills she had accumulated over the years only truly shone and fully merged when she held the "Qilin Hundred Slashes" in her hands. The kingly demeanor of the Sima family's heavy sword was also vividly displayed in her.
But the most important point, which A Qiu dared not mention in front of Sima Yao, was clear in her heart.
Through his conversation with her tonight, Sima Yao finally remembered the self he had deliberately suppressed and forgotten for so many years.
And that "she" was connected to a deep affection.
It was a love that she had never been aware of, nor had she ever clearly faced, a love that spanned lifetimes for Shangguan Jin.
Perhaps she always knew, even when she first met Shangguan Jin by chance at the age of fifteen, that seemingly innocent and arrogant Princess Langya knew in her heart that there was no future for her and Shangguan Jin.
Regardless of the tomb keeper's precepts that Shangguan Jin adhered to throughout his life, there were still differences in age and temperament among them.
Neither her father nor Emperor Wu of Han, Sima Yan, could allow her to develop any real feelings for Shangguan Jin.
They could accept her marrying Shangguan Jin for power, but they would never accept her falling in love with him.
Impossible. Absolutely impossible.
The moment Sima Yao saw Shangguan Jin, she knew the outcome and her destined fate.
So she ultimately transformed all her aspirations and longings into a lifelong, unwavering devotion to the gentlemanly sword.
If the integrated self can radiate such powerful spiritual strength amidst grief, how can A-Qiu regain her lost fighting spirit?
She gradually picked up and awakened all the past events, one by one.
But even now, she still can't feel the strength and confidence within herself.
She no longer had to serve in the Lanling Hall, nor did she have to work for the Dayan Dynasty, but because of this, she felt only endless emptiness and bewilderment.
Outside the forbidden area, the Great Yan, which Gu Yi had built with his own hands, was about to perish, and the envoy who was sending a letter of surrender was probably already on its way.
At this moment, A Qiu truly felt the same way Sima Yao felt when his country was destroyed and his clan was wiped out.
Must I really live out my remaining years dependent on others?
Sima Yao's willingness to stay in Shangguan's cemetery can also be attributed to Shangguan Jin.
But what about Ah Qiu, who stays here all this time?
Should we include the officials' retainers?
Thinking this, A Qiu finally managed a bitter smile.
She gazed at the clear, blue stream flowing away under the moonlight, and an indescribable melancholy arose within her.
At this moment, I truly feel as if I am wandering aimlessly, with only sorrow and grief to behold.
She sat by the stream for an unknown amount of time. Despite the turmoil in her emotions, she eventually returned to a state of clarity and tranquility.
As the moon had already half set behind the western mountains, she suddenly sensed something and abruptly opened her eyes.
Three zhang away, on the other side of the stream, Sima Yao, carrying a heavy sword, was looking at her with a half-smile.
A Qiu wondered how much time had passed, but saw that although Sima Yao's eyes were still wet with tears, her expression had returned to its usual cheerful and bright state.
Seeing that A Qiu opened her eyes and looked at her, Sima Yao said, "I cried for a long time before I remembered that there was such a person as you. I went to the room to look for you but couldn't find you. I didn't expect to find you here."
Seeing that she didn't shy away from crying in front of her junior, A Qiu admired her frankness and said, "I just couldn't sleep, and I thought the scenery here was very nice, so I sat here for a while."
Sima Yao looked at her intently and said, "You seem to have recovered very quickly. In just half a night, I saw that your eyes were clear and your spirits were high. You are no longer the listless and exhausted person I saw in the carriage before."
A-Qiu asked in surprise, "Really?" She touched her face and looked into the water again. However, the light was extremely dim at the moment, and the water surface only reflected a faint light, making it impossible to clearly see a person's face, let alone their expression.
But when A-Qiu raised her hand to the night sky again, she was suddenly startled.
The hand was snow-white and slender, with delicate fingers like crystal orchids. There was also a hidden flow of innate true energy on it. This was a sign that the power had made another leap forward, the blood and qi were full, and after refining emptiness and uniting with the Dao, the true energy was spreading from the lungs and internal organs to the extremities, just as when the ocean is full, the rivers are self-sufficient.
Sima Yao looked her over again and said, "It seems you have a special constitution. No matter what kind of injury you suffer, whether physical or mental, you can heal naturally, and at a speed far exceeding that of ordinary people. Of course, unless you don't want to heal yourself."
Her last sentence, however, was loaded with hidden meaning and profound implications. It referred to A Qiu's disheveled and dejected appearance when she was rescued from prison by Gongyi Xiu.
A Qiu wasn't offended, and simply said, "I want to thank Aunt Yao for telling me all about her past. In Aunt Yao's story, I seem to have experienced your life through two dynasties, a life full of changes and legends, and my own discouragement has naturally dissipated a lot."
Sima Yao smiled and said, "I also want to thank you. If you hadn't been here today, allowing me to pour out all these things, I'm afraid I would have had to take these past experiences to my grave. And most importantly, I'm afraid I would never have been able to find the Sima Yao of the past again, nor would I have been able to achieve my current level of swordsmanship."
She looked at A-Qiu carefully again and said, "I don't know why. Maybe we are just destined to meet. In my eyes, Yu-Qi is a child like you, so I have never thought of talking to her about these things."
A Qiu said, "Perhaps Miss Shangguan is pure of heart and detached from worldly desires, making people forget worldly affairs at first sight, and thus find it difficult to recall the causes and consequences of human affairs, and the ties of family."
Sima Yao said casually, "Perhaps. But the reason I came to see you now is because I suddenly thought of something. And this is something that I can only accomplish with your cooperation."
A-Qiu immediately stood up and solemnly said, "Aunt Yao, please speak. A-Qiu will obey any request as long as it is within her power."
Sima Yao weighed the heavy sword in her hand and said calmly, "Don't worry, you will definitely be able to do it. Because what I want you to do is to learn this Sima Heavy Sword from me."
Ah Qiu never expected that this would be the case.
The first thought that flashed through her mind was Wan Qiqing's teaching: quality is more important than quantity in warfare.
Once someone has mastered a skill and practiced it diligently, it is extremely difficult to change their approach. For example, Sima Yao himself practiced the heavy sword technique before the age of fifteen, and after fifteen he switched to the Shangguan sword technique, and for almost half his life he made no breakthroughs, remaining at the level of an ordinary person. This is a case in point.
Rather than practicing ten or eight different martial arts techniques, it's better to master one skill to perfection. This requires sustained focus and unwavering dedication.
Therefore, although A Qiu is known as the Master of the Divine Weapon Hall, it means that she can break through the sharpness of a hundred weapons with a single "assassination of Qin", not that she can use all kinds of weapons skillfully.
Weapons are not for performing tricks or acrobatics; more tricks are not necessarily better. They should be able to defeat the enemy and take their life in one move.
Later, she studied swordsmanship under Gu Yi. However, the swordsmanship she practiced was not exactly the same as Gu Yi's. Instead, it was something she naturally developed from her original body movements and techniques. The sword itself is a light and agile weapon, similar to a dagger or other short weapon. Therefore, she did not change her original approach. Instead, she adapted the sword's properties and used its sharpness based on her original body movements.
However, Sima Chongjian's method of practice is completely contrary to all other sword techniques in the world.
Therefore, he was invincible in the world.
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