During their conversation, the three of them arrived at the top floor of the Jade City.
The place was quiet and open, a place of sudden enlightenment; this was Yun Wei's initial impression of this floor.
In stark contrast to the bustling activity below the city, this place was desolate and bleak, with even the guards patrolling with halberds being at least level three in skill.
Qin Lushu pointed to the square on one side of the waterwheel. Yun Wei looked closely and saw craftsmen carrying planks and tools, under the direction of the supervisor, assembling and repairing the arena.
The young man then introduced, "Look, in five days, in that square, we will compete against the guests from the sea."
Yun Wei had heard Xie Mulang mention it before; the mysterious visitor from the sea was more skilled and had injured many people in Bili City.
He had long believed that some abyssal power was secretly at work.
He couldn't help but ask with concern, "Brother Qin, let's talk privately... how confident do you think Bili is?"
“I don’t know either. Actually, I’m not optimistic.” Qin Lushu spread his hands and sighed. “Perhaps your grandmaster mentioned to you before that the so-called Four Swords Battle Pact is about wielding four different sword intents.”
Yun Wei immediately showed a puzzled expression.
All he knew was that Xie Mulang went to Moonflower City to find the sword manual, but it was the Tao Te Ching.
"Alright, it seems he didn't tell you." Seeing Yun Wei's confused look, Qin Lushu immediately understood and stopped, tapping his forehead.
Xie Mulang, that blockhead, really doesn't know how to say a word more than necessary.
Yun Wei: "..."
"It's alright, he certainly won't explain it as clearly as I have. Let me explain." Qin Lushu pointed to the ornamental columns at the four corners of the square and slowly said, "When our ancestors came to the Zhuyuan Continent, they witnessed wondrous magical power for the first time..."
It turns out that the opening of trade routes by the Bili people was not always so peaceful and smooth.
Especially after Bili City established itself firmly in the East, its products, due to their luxurious and durable characteristics, often fetched extremely high prices and were widely sought after by the nobles of the various continents.
Naturally, caravans would also be targeted by criminals.
However, magic is a secret knowledge, and the first generation of Azure People were not even fluent in the common language, so they had no way to master the mysteries of magic.
In order to protect themselves, they combined the essence of the surviving ancient texts with swordsmanship, creating a new set of rules for power.
The surviving texts originated from the four schools of thought: Confucianism, Mohism, Taoism, and Legalism.
“Indeed, rules from outside the Continent of Elements will also be recognized by the World Will and manifested through the form of the Branch of Time.” Hearing this, Yun Wei finally nodded in understanding.
Just like necromancy, mental magic, and contract magic, they were not originally products of the Continent of Elements.
He couldn't help but recall that night outside Moonflower City, when he perceived with his spiritual power the four sword intents that Xie Mulang seemed to appear like a fleeting shadow.
A sword is upright and honest, straightforward and forgiving, which is exactly what the Confucian ideal of achieving benevolence and righteousness, and being a sage in the heart and a king in the outside.
The sword moves freely and ethereally, seemingly unreal yet tangible, originating from the Taoist principles of non-action leading to emptiness, seeking truth and maintaining stillness.
With a single sword, authority is awe-inspiring, and the world is at peace. This is precisely the Legalist school's advocacy of governing the world through law and order.
The sword's great skill lies in its simplicity and methodical approach, embodying the Mohist philosophy of exhausting all ingenuity, non-aggression, universal love, and the ruthless punishment of evil.
Qin Lushu shook his head and said with a sigh, "But that's precisely where the problem lies. There is actually a certain discrepancy between the 'intention' we understand and the 'intention' recognized by the world's will."
Yun Wei was puzzled by this and asked, "Brother Qin, what is the meaning of this?"
He deliberately emphasized the word "意" (meaning/intention), which gave it a touch of Zen-like mystery.
"Times are different, positions are different, experiences are all different. How can one truly understand something by blindly following a map? In this matter... well, well, it can only be understood intuitively, not explained in words." The young man was unusually excited, but he quickly calmed down and returned to his composure.
Yun Wei frowned.
He felt he understood, yet he still felt completely confused.
Just then, Qin Lushu's lips curled into a smile, and he swaggered forward, saying, "Whatever, things will work themselves out. I hope I'm just overthinking it."
He was still a young man at heart, and had been spoiled by his father, brothers, and teachers since childhood. Even if the sky were to fall, someone would always be there to hold it up for him.
Therefore, Qin Lushu quickly put his worries behind him.
But Yun Wei was trapped.
He was already feeling uneasy, and after listening to Qin Lushu's impassioned speech, his unease intensified.
However, he remained calm and composed, showing no sign of anxiety.
But his mind had already wandered far away.
"Alright, you can rest here for now." It wasn't until Qin Lushu spoke that Yun Wei came back to his senses.
They were led to a series of interconnected rooms, with a hall in the center and bedrooms on the east and west sides.
The interior furnishings were elegant and refined, with an antique charm, featuring beaded curtains and jade screens, as well as cinnabar bottles and incense burners. Not to mention Isaac, even Yun Wei found it hard to suppress his curiosity.
"It's still early before the yamen opens, so I'll go back to the front hall and pretend to be in charge for a while. The inspections in the prefecture have been quite strict lately." Qin Lushu winked playfully, then bid farewell to Yun and Wei, saying, "You two are free to wander around the city. I'll come to visit you later."
The Taichang Temple was originally quite leisurely. After everyone had finished their morning duties, it was common for them to fish or walk their birds.
However, with foreign enemies at hand in recent years, Tianji Prefecture is on high alert and the atmosphere is tense, which has led to stricter attendance checks on the three temples and twelve halls.
Although receiving Yun and Wei was a proper task, it should have been the responsibility of the Court of State Ceremonial, not his.
However, if the grandmaster strictly followed the procedures to report to Tianji Prefecture, and then, in the already extremely tense situation, held a grand welcome banquet for Yun and Wei...
Firstly, our distinguished guests might feel quite uncomfortable, and secondly, we might not be able to provide adequate hospitality.
It would be better to listen to our grandmaster and do him a favor, treating it as a private matter.
Moreover...
As Bili City enjoyed peace for a long time, some bad habits gradually became prevalent.
If the four swordsmen win the duel, that would be fine. But if they lose, they might blame Yun and Wei for their sudden visit.
Thinking of this, a mocking coldness appeared in Qin Lushu's eyes.
Despite his taciturn and unassuming grandmaster, he was actually quite meticulous and thoughtful, with many of his ideas being watertight and extremely thorough.
Yun Wei quickly returned the greeting, bowing again to express his gratitude: "Yes, that's very kind. We've already troubled Brother Qin by coming uninvited. Brother Qin, please go and attend to your own business."
The two then went back and forth politely deferring to each other.
After Qin Lushu had walked a distance, Yun Wei glanced into the courtyard and turned to Isaac, saying:
"Isa, quick, let's discuss this immediately."
This young man, introduced by Brother Xie, was not only knowledgeable but also eloquent. In just half a day, Yun Wei's mind was filled with a massive amount of information.
His scalp was so itchy that he wanted to scratch his head until he got an answer.
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