The Young Swordsman of Dalu

Shou Shangxing recounted his past with Li Chaoyang in a long and rambling manner, as if he had returned to that time. His expression was always so enraptured when he mentioned Lin Qingwei.

"So your green thumb ring just ended up with Li Chaoyang?" Wen Fei said.

“Yes!” Shou Shangxing said.

"What you've always resented about Li Chaoyang is Lin Qingwei's death, isn't it?" Wen Fei said.

“I always thought Qingwei’s death was related to Li Chaoyang’s sudden return. Little did I know, Qingwei never intended to live. She only agreed to have a wedding with me to fulfill my dream of marrying her, and then she chose to commit suicide,” Shou Shangxing said.

"How did you know?" Wenfei asked.

“I learned from a pair of scissors I found under her pillow and a letter she left for me that she was only grateful to me, and that she always loved Li Chaoyang,” Shou Shangxing said.

"Do you hate them?" Wenfei asked.

“When it first happened, I did hate it! But after I saw things clearly and understood them, I stopped hating it!” Shou Shangxing said.

"Did you see Li Chaoyang again after that?" Wen Fei asked.

"Later, I returned to the Flying Sword Sect. A few years later, my master passed away. Before he died, he entrusted the Flying Sword Sect to me and told me to protect Fengyi Mountain. But I was young and arrogant at the time and always wanted to compete with the major sects in the martial arts world. In the end, I dragged the Flying Sword Sect into the abyss." Shou Shangxing sighed and said.

"So you're going to challenge all the sects in the world, just like the number one swordsman in the northern desert?" Wen Fei asked.

“Yes! I went down Phoenix Mountain alone to challenge the entire martial arts world, and thus became the enemy of the entire martial arts world,” Shou Shangxing said.

"Where did you go wrong?" Wenfei asked.

"After I went down the mountain, I challenged many major sects and won against them all! But when I returned to Wuliang Mountain, I lost completely! Because I didn't just encounter one master, but several masters, and Master Qingyuan was a master among masters," Shou Shangxing said.

"Did you run into Li Chaoyang?" Wen Fei asked.

“At that time, the world had been settled, and Li Chaoyang was already holding an important position in the court. He only returned to Wuliang Mountain from the capital after hearing that I wanted to challenge Daoist Qingyuan,” Shou Shangxing said.

“Then, before the competition, Li Chaoyang made a treaty with you!” Wen Fei said.

“Yes! It was because of this treaty that I led the Flying Sword Sect from Phoenix Mountain away from the Great Lu Kingdom to that desolate land of the Northern Desert,” Shou Shangxing said.

"It seems you suffered a crushing defeat in this battle!" Wen Fei said.

“It was a terrible defeat! I challenged Wuyou and Wuyi one after another, both of whom were disciples of Master Qingyuan, and I lost to them both. Then Ji Wuchang came along, and he was even more powerful. He had learned almost all the unique skills of every sect in the world. In short, my vision was too narrow. I had never truly seen what the most powerful martial arts in the world looked like, and I thought that because I was invincible on Fengyi Mountain, I was invincible in the world,” Shou Shangxing said.

"Did you fight Li Chaoyang later?" Wen Fei asked.

"After I was defeated by Ji Wuchang, I became even more agitated. Li Chaoyang told me to fulfill the pre-signed treaty and leave the Great Lu Kingdom, but I was so angry that I insisted on having another match with him," Shou Shangxing said.

"Senior Shou is truly arrogant!" Wen Fei said.

"What arrogance! I just didn't want to face failure! It was truly shameful back then!" Shou Shangxing said.

"Senior Shou, what did you think of Li Chaoyang's martial arts skills after your duel with him?" Wen Fei asked.

“If Ji Wuchang has integrated the essence of all the martial arts schools in the world, then Li Chaoyang is simply a martial arts prodigy. Although he doesn’t know much about martial arts, as soon as you make a move, he will miraculously make your martial arts his own, quickly find your weaknesses, and defeat you,” Shou Shangxing said.

"That's amazing! What kind of kung fu is that?" Wenfei asked curiously.

"I only learned about that skill later. It's called the Boundless Divine Skill. It was created by their ancestor, Daoist Wuliang. Even Li Chaoyang's master, Daoist Qingyuan, only learned a little bit of it, while Li Chaoyang has completely grasped the essence of this skill," Shou Shangxing said.

"Is Li Chaoyang really that amazing?" Wen Fei exclaimed.

"It's a pity you didn't become his disciple, otherwise your martial arts skills would be even higher," Shou Shangxing said.

“Senior Shou is a man of his word. Your Flying Sword Sect has stayed in the Northern Desert for so many years without ever returning to the Great Lu Kingdom,” Wen Fei said.

“Actually, I secretly went back a few times. After the fall of the Great Yuan Kingdom, my sister’s three children disappeared. I came back to find out where they were,” Shou Shangxing said.

"Did you see them later?" Wenfei asked.

"Later, after making inquiries, I learned that they had been taken to the Western Regions by one of my sister's personal eunuchs. I met them there, but they had no affection for me, their uncle. Furthermore, the Western Regions wanted to use them to counterbalance the Great Lu Kingdom, which was beyond my control. I thought that as long as they grew up safely under the protection of the Western Regions, that would be enough, so I didn't bother with them anymore and returned to the Northern Desert," Shou Shangxing said.

"My mother later became a pawn in their hands!" Wenfei said bitterly.

“I am ashamed! I did not stop them, because I was in dire straits myself at the time,” Shou Shangxing said.

"What happened to you?" Wenfei asked.

“Back then, the Flying Sword Sect had a very difficult time in the Northern Desert. When we opened our doors to take on disciples, the tribes there mocked us, saying that we were a defeated sect and yet we were still taking on disciples. They said we were shameless. We also needed to eat. At first, the people in the sect secretly sought refuge with the nobles in the tribes, working as bodyguards and thugs. I turned a blind eye to it. Later, they did it openly. They were just trying to fill their stomachs, so I stopped interfering!” Shou Shangxing said.

“Senior Shou, there’s no need to blame yourself! Our priority should be resolving the immediate issue. We cannot stand by and watch our country perish,” Wen Fei said.

“I will do everything in my power to stop my disciples and their followers. The rest is up to you!” Shou Shangxing said.

"I'm relieved to hear your words, Senior! Thank you, Senior Shou!" Wenfei said.

“Speaking of which, we’re related by blood, aren’t we? You’re a descendant of the Shou family now. I won’t let you get hurt.” Shou Shangxing looked at Wenfei kindly.

"Senior! Wenfei is extremely grateful!" Wenfei just couldn't bring himself to call him "Uncle."

“Let’s split up!” Shou Shangxing said, standing up.

"Take care, senior!" Wen Fei bowed and said.

"Take care!" Shou Shangxing patted Wenfei on the shoulder and then flew away.

Wenfei watched Shou Shangxing walk away and said, "Uncle! You must come back alive!"

"Kid! You'd better come back alive too!" Shou Shangxing's voice echoed in the night sky.