Chapter 64: A Family of Three with a Twisting Fate

"Quite overbearing. A mythical trait should surpass the seven-colored tier..."

Feeling the sword-slash trait completely merge with the Great Gan standard-issue longsword in his hand, while simultaneously sensing the pride emanating from within the trait itself, Yang Le felt a touch of emotional resonance.

After all...
This was the first time Yang Le had ever witnessed a trait that possessed a sliver of its own consciousness.

Truth be told, though, this mythical trait...
Was truly overbearing.

"Master, what's overbearing?"
"Nothing."
"Oh."

...

Li Qi'er had originally wanted to keep pestering her master to find out what he was muttering about, but seeing that Yang Le was already preparing to turn and leave, she immediately dropped the questioning. Instead, she picked up her numerous large and small bundles and skipped along closely behind Yang Le.

As for the corpses and pools of blood scattered all around...
Li Qi'er felt nothing at all.
Compared to what? On that night years ago when the Li family was exterminated, the blood shed then had been far, far more than this.

"This plaque of the Xue family is quite ugly."

Master and disciple had just reached the outer doorway when Yang Le glanced at the Xue family's ceremonial archway hanging high above the lintel.
With a single stroke, he slashed it down.

The Xue family?
After today, there would no longer be a Xue family in Linqing City.

"Let's add a fire. Master kills people, and I set the fires."

Seeing a lantern conveniently placed nearby, Li Qi'er didn't hesitate for a moment. She picked up the oil lantern and hurled it directly onto the mourning flowers piled up beside Xue Ting's funeral altar.

In an instant, flames soared into the sky at the Xue residence. On this night of the Hundred Flowers Festival, the fire of the Xue estate was exceptionally dazzling.

Killing people and setting fires...
This was the first time Li Qi'er had ever done such a thing, but it felt... rather nice.

"The path I walk is not a righteous one."

Glancing at the cheerful Li Qi'er, Yang Le spoke in a somewhat low tone. "I'm really not a good person. To be more accurate, I'm actually quite selfish."

"The path I walk isn't a righteous one either. I only know that following my master's path is the right way."
"Even if that path is a bit crooked and a bit dark?"
"No matter how dark it is, with Master in front, I am not afraid. No matter how crooked it is, I believe Master's sword can straighten it out."

...

Li Qi'er's words left Yang Le somewhat silent.

Years ago, Yang Le's worldview had resembled that of the masses—indifferent and self-interested, yet beneath a sense of greater righteousness, harboring a sliver of loyalty and a willingness to sacrifice oneself for the country.

And now, the life and death of the Great Gan had left Yang Le vaguely unable to distinguish between right and wrong.
Killing people.
Oh, wait, having killed so many demons...
Yang Le was also reflecting on whether what he had done was right or wrong.

But looking at Li Qi'er beside him, Yang Le suddenly understood one thing:
None of this mattered anymore.

Right and wrong could only be distinguished by those who were still alive. A correct worldview was something that only needed to be considered when one was standing and debating with others.
If one couldn't even survive, discussing worldviews was nothing more than a ridiculous joke.

"Tomorrow, I'll teach you how to use a sword again. This time, I will make sure you learn how it is wielded."
"Alright! But what if Master still can't teach me?"
"If you can't learn it, we'll just keep learning."

Amidst their casual banter, the figures of Yang Le and Li Qi'er vanished behind the blazing fire of the Xue estate and beneath the faint moonlight.
There was a sense of desolation, yet also an indescribable warmth.

No matter how many sparks danced across the sky under the night, or how Linqing City blossomed with flowers and lanterns, in the eyes of Yang Le and Li Qi'er, none of it could compare to the somewhat quiet Bamboo Mountain.

*Anyone who comes to Bamboo Mountain shall be killed!*

A thought flashed through Yang Le's mind, but the next second, Yang Le smiled with a sense of release.
Though Li Qi'er didn't know why Yang Le was smiling, as long as her master was happy, she was happy too.
So Li Qi'er smiled along with him.

...

"Pavilion Master, it seems we all guessed wrong. This isn't a gentle sheep at all; it's a fierce tiger..."
"Xue Tianlong and Qi Tianque died in our stead."
"Surely not, Pavilion Master? You are merely a step away from entering the Third Rank, while Xue Tianlong and Qi Tianque are nothing more than ants before you."
"His sword can slay the Third Rank."
"Then, Pavilion Master, what should we do next?"
"Bamboo Mountain..."

Gongsun Lin watched Yang Le's receding figure, her exceptionally beautiful face filled with tangled emotions. She gripped and re-gripped the White Lotus Heart in her hand, as if pondering something deeply.

"Forget it. With a monster like this around, the White Lotus Heart is no longer a treasure to defy the heavens and change one's fate; it is a fatal disaster."

Seeming to have made a major decision, Gongsun Lin gritted her teeth and said, "Deliver this White Lotus Heart to Bamboo Mountain. Tell them that the Xiufang, one of the Seven Hermits of the human race, is willing to be friends with the Mister forever, and that this White Lotus Heart is a token of greeting."

"Pavilion Master, no matter how strong he is, he is merely a rogue cultivator without any foundation, drifting like rootless duckweed. Is it worth it?"
"Although the Xiufang is one of the Seven Hermits, its survival through the calamities of the past century has not relied solely on pure power; it has relied on vision."
"Does the Pavilion Master mean..."
"Have you ever seen the proud disciples nurtured by the other six Hermits cut Linqing City in half with a single sword?"
"I understand, Pavilion Master."

Beneath the firelight of the Xue estate, Gongsun Lin gazed into the distance at Yang Le's retreating figure, her expression free and untethered.

"To think that the disciple chosen for investment by the contemporary Xiufang is actually a sword cultivator. If word gets out, the other six Hermits will probably laugh themselves to death."

A trace of a bitter smile flickered across Gongsun Lin's face, but the next second, her eyes were filled with absolute earnestness.
"However, if this is a sword cultivator who has mastered sword intent, that might not be the case..."

As her words fell, Gongsun Lin's figure instantly vanished.

...

"You came out alive?"
"Is it that strange?"
"To be honest, when I last saw you, I assumed you were already a dead man."

Yang Le and Li Qi'er had just prepared to ascend Bamboo Mountain when they unexpectedly ran into an acquaintance—Qu Zhe.

Qu Zhe was in a rather good mood at the moment, holding a small wooden hairpin carved with flowers, which seemed to be made of willow twigs. It wasn't precious, but judging by how it was whittled, it was a very thoughtful gift.
Beside him walked a rustic-looking married woman in coarse hemp clothing and a little girl.
The woman appeared somewhat timid, especially upon catching sight of the sword at Yang Le's waist, causing her to retreat behind Qu Zhe in fright.
The little girl, however, showed no fear of Yang Le; a pair of bright, intelligent eyes looked at him with curiosity.

"Aren't you going to introduce them?"
Yang Le waved and greeted the little girl. "You shouldn't be on duty right now, should you?"
"This is my daughter, Qu Liu."
"And my wife, Liu Shu."

Seeing Yang Le's attitude, Qu Zhe laughed frankly. "Indeed, I'm off duty, taking the family out to look at the moonlight over the bamboo forest."
"Coming to the bamboo forest?"
"Our home is right at the foot of Bamboo Mountain. We're strapped for cash, so we could only afford a place in this remote neighborhood."

At this, Qu Zhe cast a special glance at his wife, Liu Shu behind him, a trace of bitterness and guilt welling up in his eyes. "I've made them suffer."
"We can be considered neighbors, then."

After looking Qu Zhe over carefully, Yang Le smiled and said, "When you're off duty, feel free to drop by for a visit."
"If there's a chance, Qu will certainly come."

Hearing these words from Yang Le, Qu Zhe looked slightly surprised before readily accepting the invitation.
At that moment, Qu Zhe smiled very happily. From the Yang Le before him, he sensed a very comfortable aura.
Ah, it was the leisurely atmosphere of chatting in a teahouse back when he was still truly human.

"What if you were on duty, though..."
Yang Le's question carried a sharp edge.
"My wife hates that smelly official uniform of mine. When I'm on duty, I generally don't come home."

Qu Zhe pondered for a moment before answering with utmost seriousness, "A salary of three taels of silver in Linqing City isn't worth risking my life for."
"Yet when we first met, you seemed to be stationed right in front of the bamboo forest?"
Yang Le asked with a hint of teasing amusement. "How do you explain that?"
"Wasn't that an extraordinary circumstance?" Qu Zhe chuckled.

"As neighbors meeting for the first time, I don't have much of a gift. This cultivation manual will do nicely for an introduction."

Without continuing the interrogation, Yang Le looked the family of three over once more before handing the Qi-gathering manual he had just obtained from the Xue family to the little girl, Qu Liu. "An orthodox human cultivation manual."

In an instant, upon hearing these words, Qu Zhe froze in place, unable to recover his senses for a long time.

And Yang Le...
had already led Li Qi'er away, vanishing deep into Bamboo Mountain.