The Young Swordsman of Dalu

In the imperial court, Yao Yuan was secretly interrogated by order of the emperor. Prince Zhou, who was pretending to be sick at home, was still uneasy. After having his confidant in the Ministry of Justice find out about Yao Yuan's situation, he decided to kill him. Only if Yao Yuan died could he be safe for the time being, and he couldn't be sure what would happen in the future. Therefore, Yao Yuan had to die.

On a bright, sunny morning, just after the emperor finished his morning court session, an official from the Ministry of Justice came to report that Yao Yuan had died by running into a wall in prison. Upon hearing this, the emperor was furious: "Bastard!" The ministers and eunuchs were trembling with fear.

With Yao Yuan gone, Prince Zhou was in high spirits. He had been feigning illness for several months, which had been suffocating him. He wanted to implement his plan as soon as possible to avoid any unforeseen complications.

The emperor had already sensed that his troublesome younger brother was plotting something. The emperor knew that he had to be patient and wait for an opportunity, a chance to uproot his brother completely.

One move can affect the whole situation. Wenxian Pavilion kept receiving messages from all directions. Li Chaoyang read them one by one, then paced back and forth with his hands behind his back. Finally, he stopped at the window, looked outside, and said, "The wind is picking up."

At night, the sky was dotted with stars. After finishing their stance training, Wenfei and Changsheng climbed onto the roof of the thatched house and sat there, gazing up at the starry sky.

"The nights here are so beautiful!" Wenfei exclaimed.

"What's so interesting about this? I still think our Yulu City is the most beautiful," Changsheng said.

Wenfei marveled at the beauty; before his time travel, he had never seen such a beautiful starry sky, not even in his grandmother's rural village. The starry sky here seemed so close to Earth, as if he could reach out and grab a few stars. The sky was sparkling with starlight, and the Milky Way stretched out endlessly, giving one a sense of healing.

Li Chaoyang couldn't sit still in Wenxian Pavilion any longer. Under the cover of night, he went to Xianren Valley. After making a few owl-like meows, he heard Ji Wuchang open the door and come out.

Ji Wuchang walked towards the sound and came to a lush forest, where he saw Li Chaoyang standing there waiting for him.

"This code hasn't been used for many years. Is something big about to happen?" Ji Wuchang asked.

"Turbulence is brewing in the imperial court," Li Chaoyang said.

“You’ve been out of the court for many years, so don’t worry about it. There are young people to take care of things,” Ji Wuchang said.

“We are still citizens of the Great Lu Kingdom,” Li Chaoyang said.

“It’s good to have a heart for the country, but you’re no longer suitable to step forward. The emperor is still very wary of you,” Ji Wuchang said.

“This time, I’m afraid we can’t remain unscathed. Prince Zhou is about to take action,” Li Chaoyang said.

"Is Zhou Moyao really going to rebel?" Ji Wuchang asked.

"Judging from the information coming from various places, it is absolutely true," Li Chaoyang said.

"The late emperor really had to leave Lei by His Majesty's side. Is there any news from the court?" Ji Wuchang asked.

“Our Emperor is very shrewd,” Li Chaoyang said.

"You mean His Majesty already knows what Zhou Moyao has done and wants to eliminate him completely?" Ji Wuchang said.

"Then it will depend on His Majesty's decisiveness," Li Chaoyang said.

A pair of eyes were watching Li Chaoyang and his group from the side of the secluded woods. At this moment, Wen Fei pricked up his ears. The conversation between Li Chaoyang and Ji Wuchang was a bit far away, so he could only hear it vaguely, but he should have caught up with most of the gist of it.

"You came to my place so late at night just to tell me this?" Ji Wuchang said.

“Junior brother, although we have been away from the court for many years, we still have the same concern for the country and its people. I would like to ask you to come out of seclusion again and stir up some trouble in the Northern Dynasty,” Li Chaoyang said.

“I thought I could retire peacefully here, but I didn’t expect to have to come back to the martial world. Well, I’ve been cooped up here for so many years, it’s time to stretch my muscles. But I have one condition: let’s have another match when I come back,” Ji Wuchang said.

“I promise you,” Li Chaoyang said.

"It's settled then," Ji Wuchang said.

"Make sure that kid is settled in well and nothing goes wrong," Li Chaoyang said.

“I think it’s best to let him return to your Wenxian Pavilion for now, and wait for my return,” Ji Wuchang said.

“Perhaps he himself doesn’t want to come back to my place,” Li Chaoyang said.

“I’ll try to persuade him,” Ji Wuchang said.

Li Chaoyang flew up the mountain without saying a word, and Ji Wuchang turned to the depths of the forest and said, "Come out."

"Master." Wen Fei slowly walked out of the woods.

"Did you hear everything?" Ji Wuchang asked.

"I didn't hear clearly, I just knew that Master was leaving," Wenfei said, his voice trembling with tears.

"Don't worry, I, the Flying Hero of Xizhou, keep my word. I will definitely pass on my unparalleled martial arts to you," Ji Wuchang said kindly, stroking Wenfei's head.

“Master, I can’t bear to part with you,” Wenfei said.

“Master is also reluctant to part with you, but what can I do? I am the Flying Hero of the Western Continent,” Ji Wuchang said.

"Master, please take me with you. Perhaps I can be of great help to you," Wenfei said.

“No, I’m going to the Northern Dynasty this time. Their relationship with our Great Lu is delicate. If we’re not careful, it could be very dangerous. You stay here and practice your skills well until I come back,” Ji Wuchang said.

“Master, I don’t want to go to Wenxian Pavilion. Elder Li doesn’t like me at all. I want to stay in Immortal Valley and wait for you,” Wenfei said.

“Alright, I’ll tell Li Chaoyang to send someone to deliver food to you on time. You and Changsheng can focus on your training here,” Ji Wuchang said.

"Thank you very much, Master," Wenfei said.

"Tomorrow, I will demonstrate all that I have learned in my life. Learn as much as you can. I also have a sword manual here, which is the essence of my swordsmanship. You must study it diligently. In time, you will become a legend," Ji Wuchang said.

Ji Wuchang took out a sword manual from his pocket and handed it to Wen Fei, saying, "Take this and practice it diligently. Get some rest. I will teach you martial arts tomorrow."

Wenfei spent a sleepless night, his feelings complicated. His master could finally pass on his skills to him, but the old man was about to leave.

The next day, Wenfei dragged himself out of bed, exhausted. Ji Wuchang was already waiting for them.

"You two watch carefully. What I'm about to demonstrate is all the martial arts I, Ji Wuchang, have learned in my life. I'll practice it a few times, so you two should memorize it carefully," Ji Wuchang said.

Wenfei and Changsheng stared wide-eyed as Ji Wuchang displayed his martial arts skills in front of them. Wenfei felt as if he were watching a martial arts drama. Ji Wuchang was like Hong Qigong from "The Legend of the Condor Heroes," then Ouyang Feng, then Huang Yaoshi, and then the Old Urchin.

In Wen Fei's eyes, Ji Wuchang's martial arts were like a dream, as graceful as flowing water and as powerful as traversing the Milky Way.

Ji Wuchang practiced it several times and then had Wenfei and Changsheng practice what they saw. Wenfei miraculously practiced every move perfectly, while Changsheng was far behind.

"You truly are a martial arts prodigy; I was right about you," Ji Wuchang said, patting Wen Fei on the shoulder.

"Master, you flatter me. I will certainly carry forward your martial arts skills," Wenfei said.

"I am at peace now," Ji Wuchang said.

“Master, you must come back,” Wenfei said.

"The mountains are high and the road is long, but the future is long. Take care of yourself, and farewell." Ji Wuchang leaped out of the valley.

"Master, have a safe journey! We're waiting for you to come back!" Wenfei shouted.

"The journey through the martial world may be long, but we will always meet again." Ji Wuchang's voice echoed in the air.

"Master left so quickly!" Changsheng said in a daze.

"Master, we will meet again soon," Wenfei thought to himself.