Yinshan Record

Chapter 434 The Source of Chaos in a Era of Eternal Order (Part 2)

The rule of eternity.

This was the idea of ​​Bailudong Academy, which the emperor once dismissed as mere ramblings of scholars.

Buddhism seeks Nirvana, and Taoism seeks Immortality, but only a very few people can achieve these; the rest are merely chasing after illusions and fleeting dreams.

The same applies to the Confucian scholars' pursuit of a lasting and prosperous reign.

However, it seems they now have the idea of ​​putting it into practice.

The emperor waved his hand.

"Your Highness, things are in turmoil on all sides now, you must work hard."

"Yes, Father."

"You should go back first. The day after tomorrow, when you welcome Wei Huaiwen back to court, you should lead all the officials to welcome him outside the city."

"Everything has been arranged."

The Crown Prince cautiously replied that Wei Huaiwen's northern expedition was not entirely successful, but it was still a victory. Since it was a victory, Father would not hesitate to give this old minister some face.

No matter how many people in the court criticized Wei Huaiwen, the Crown Prince knew that his father's trust in Commander Wei remained unchanged.

Those people believed that the repeated failures of the Northern Expedition were due to the emperor's obstruction from behind, but the Crown Prince knew exactly how weak the Great Liang was now.

"That's good. I'm tired, you can leave now."

The emperor waved his hand gently and retreated back into the layers of curtains.

Above Jiankang at night, the bright moon gently combs through the flowing clouds, and the lights of thousands of homes twinkle like stars, stretching all the way to Cizhou.

Liu Yidao slowly straightened his clothes.

He had changed into ordinary clothes and was holding a long sword in his hand.

The night was deep, the perfect time for him to practice his swordsmanship.

The original user is already a master of swordsmanship, but mastering the Wind-Swept Snow Sword Qi as quickly as possible will still require some effort.

This sword technique is the unique skill of Yuyang Mountain, and all the masters in the sect are proficient in it. Judging from Su Che's current cultivation level, this sword technique also has its own unique features.

The sword manual given by Yue Luan is very ancient, and the beginning seems to be a self-narration by the predecessor who created this style of swordsmanship.

He said that in his quest for enlightenment, he traveled across the East and West Seas. He once watched a sword cultivator ride the wind to slay the moon in the East Sea, and in the West Sea, he saw the Buddha's light shining alongside the sun.

At the summit of a snow-capped mountain, looking down into the sky, he felt a sense of desolation between heaven and earth, and that all things were destined to wither and die. Inspired by this, he created this sword technique.

This sword technique is called Sword Art, but it is different from the Sword Palace. It requires following the rules of the Xuanmen to guide the Qi into the body and cultivate the sword Qi. Only when one can unleash a sword strike and the wind swirls around the body and dry snow falls on the sword can one be considered to have achieved something.

This sword is not my own; it is the very edge of heaven and earth, capable of severing the life force of all things.

From Su Che's perspective today, many of the profound principles mentioned above still have merit.

This time, the Wind-Dried Snow Sword Qi is truly the simplest path of killing. The beginning is to cultivate the sword qi, take the power of Tai Su Yin Hua, which is the moonlight entering the body, and then evolve and disperse it into the eight meridians of the body. When wielding the sword, one must also transform the primordial energy of heaven and earth into one's own use.

Young Master Su had practiced the Taiyu Abi Sword of the Northern Mang Ghost Ancestor. Compared to that sword technique which purely emphasized killing intent, the Taiyu Abi Sword could be said to be entirely internal, relying on one's own sword intent. However, this time, the Fengkuxue Sword Qi sought help from the outside, borrowing the primordial energy of heaven and earth to enhance its power.

They may seem to be on the same path, but they are actually on different routes.

This may also be the difference between the Xuanmen (mystical sect) and the sword cultivators. Sword cultivators do not seek anything outside of the sword, while the Xuanmen incorporate all things in heaven and earth into their swords.

One does subtraction, the other does addition; they are indeed different approaches.

Su Che unleashed a set of sword techniques. His incarnation as a Ming King was already extraordinary, and immediately a chilling aura descended from the sword's edge. Su Che felt as if he were a container, absorbing the moonlight spiritual energy that fell with the moonlight into his body, and then transforming it into layers of coldness.

The chilling aura seeped into my body, transforming into streaks of cold sword energy, like a slowly flowing glacial river.

The sword energy of the Returning Wind and Withered Snow is indeed remarkable.

"Excellent swordsmanship."

A deep, resonant voice rang out from the side. "I've heard Brother Liu is renowned for his saber skills, but I didn't expect his swordsmanship to be so formidable as well. However, this swordsmanship looks somewhat familiar..."

Su Che did not reply. The place he had chosen for practicing swordsmanship was in a mountain valley not far from the main camp. It was not too far from Shanyin County, so if someone wanted to follow him, they could indeed come here.

Moreover, this is exactly the kind of person that Young Master Su has been waiting for.

Old Niu crossed his arms and stared at Su Che with his big eyes.

Does it look familiar?

Su Che extended his finger and gently flicked the longsword in his hand. This longsword was just an ordinary item that he had found in the camp. With a little force, a corner of it immediately broke off.

The old ox stared intently at the person before him.

This person is extremely dangerous.

The reason he followed him here tonight was because he heard that this man was a male favorite of Śikṣānanda, and that the Yakṣa prince was Su Gongzi's greatest enemy.

If we can control this person, it will be a great help to Young Master Su.

When he fought Liu Yidao before, Lao Niu deliberately held back some of his tricks, but he still managed to get a general idea of ​​Liu Yidao's background.

He's a formidable opponent, but as long as I go all out, I should be able to defeat him.

"Hard to say."

"It's hard to say. If it's hard to say, it's better to send it to Wei Huaiwen as military rations."

Su Che smiled slightly.

"What do you mean?"

Old Niu's voice trembled slightly.

There was something in Liu Yidao's words that gave him a sense of familiarity.

Could it be that this person...

"It doesn't mean anything. I just saw Manager Niu in Xuanshan before, and I was wondering why you would abandon a perfectly good business and start a rebellion?"

Having said that, with Lao Niu's keen intuition, he naturally guessed most of the person's identity.

"So it's an old acquaintance?"

"I had a young lady with me at the time, and the shopkeeper was busy and probably couldn't remember her right away."

Sure enough it was him.

Old Niu secretly felt a surge of relief.

Who would have thought that this guy would actually sneak into our rebel ranks at this time? Luckily, I, Old Niu, am smart and always think and act. Otherwise, if this guy found out that I wasn't doing my job properly, wouldn't that be a huge crime?
"Isn't it because the world is tough? I originally wanted to seek refuge with the Yin-Yang Dharma King, but his Yin-Yang Realm has become a Buddhist temple. Although I, Old Niu, am a vegetarian by birth, I couldn't resist the strict rules and regulations of Buddhism, so I followed Sikong Ghost Commander into this business. As for Brother Liu, after meeting you once in Xuanshan, I really don't know where you've made your fortune now?"

"It's just doing some business with no capital."

Su Che smiled and said, "Unlike Brother Niu, who has become a vanguard general, you are truly awe-inspiring."

A vanguard general?

Old Niu glanced at Su Che and thought to himself, "He's holding a grudge against me. He probably thinks I'm working too hard for the rebels."

"Sigh, it's just about making a living. I'm always the last one standing in battle, but the first one in the table when it comes to meals."

"In this day and age, life is tough for everyone."

Su Che smiled and asked, "How badly is Zhang San injured?"

"Brother Zhang's injuries weren't too serious, but his mindset has changed somewhat."

After thinking for a moment, Old Niu recounted Zhang San's recent changes in a rambling manner.

(End of this chapter)