Remould the Glory of Sword Art

It was inside where Chen Jingxuan spoke.

"What are you standing outside for? Come in!"

Those last two words,

struck like a thunderclap.

Jiang Qihu gritted his teeth, pushed the door open, and what caught his eyes was the charcoal brazier that, though not large, warmed the entire library.

Chen Jingxuan sat before the jade case, reviewing documents.

"Sir..."

Jiang Qihu sighed heavily, his face downcast. It had been a month since the incident in Qing State, and only now had he dared to return to the Imperial City.

The first thing upon returning to the Imperial City,

naturally, was to confess his errors to his mentor.

"Sit."

Chen Jingxuan did not look up, his tone as calm as ever.

But Jiang Qihu sensed something amiss. He obediently sat down below the jade case, not in his usual spot, but quite consciously shifted backwards.

"Why only come now?"

Chen Jingxuan glanced at the clumsy tiger.

"Something at home..."

Jiang Qihu's voice faltered, unable to finish his sentence, "My father has aged, and Qihu had been attending to him for a while. Da Sui had just unsealed the mountain, and my sister had issued the Ruyi Order, assigning me some arduous tasks..."

Chen Jingxuan merely glanced, then looked away.

He shook his head.

Some people are just not cut out for lying.

Jiang Qihu's acting was indeed unconvincing.

"Jiang's father sent me a message a while ago."

Chen Jingxuan said indifferently, "He mentioned that you were lingering in Qing State, likely due to some big trouble, and asked me not to be too harsh. The old gentleman is quite well, where does he need your care?"

Jiang Qihu paused for a moment.

"As for Miss Miao Yin, if I'm not mistaken, she just sent a family letter, right?"

Chen Jingxuan said helplessly, "After all, Da Sui Sword Palace has already lifted the mountain seal, and now the news of reopening the mountain has spread far and wide. Where does Jiang Family come in to assist?"

Jiang Qihu laughed sheepishly, "You truly can't be deceived, sir."

Chen Jingxuan put down the document, frowned and said, "Qihu, how have I taught you all this time? To act with integrity and sit upright. This cowering attitude of yours, what does it amount to?"

Jiang Qihu opened his mouth but hesitated to speak.

After a long while, he honestly said, "Sir, I have come specifically to confess my wrongdoing."

"Why confess?"

This question made Jiang Qihu stunned.

Why confess?

Previously in Lichao City, he had intentionally reserved a whole floor of the Wave Watching Pavilion, but the rare visitor from the Imperial City, instead of showing up, had Ye Qinglian relay a message confining him for a whole day and night.

Since then,

Chen Jingxuan had not sent Jiang Qihu a single command.

Clearly, it was his own fault... that had led to this situation.

"Because Qihu was incompetent in handling the disturbances in Qing State?"

Jiang Qihu carefully started, "If Qihu had held on longer on the destroyer, perhaps the situation back then would not have been so dire."

"..."

Chen Jingxuan remained silent.

Jiang Qihu scratched his head, then added, "Or was it that Qihu mishandled the connection with the Demon Country, accidentally severing the link with Erosion Sun Swamp?"

The disturbances in Qing State ended.

The Demon Country had not contacted him since.

Obviously.

The Dragon Wood Venerable already understood the "truth" of the Lichao City situation; with the failure of the tidal ritual and the passing of the You Hai King, Erosion Sun Swamp temporarily abandoned their plans for the Northern County of Qing State.

In any case, this was regrettable news.

"In the fight at sea, you had already done your best; how could I blame you?"

"As for Erosion Sun Swamp... I never expected you to persuade the Demon Country to take the bait."

Chen Jingxuan shook his head, sighed softly, and said, "Jiang Qihu, do you really not understand why I am angry?"

"What exactly did Qihu do wrong? Please enlighten me, sir."

Jiang Qihu's face was earnest.

He faintly recalled that night in the Wave Watching Pavilion, where he and Ye Qinglian had drunk a lot.

At the time, Ms. Ye had analyzed the situation with him.

But...

That night was too troubling, he drank too much, and without using his primordial energy, he had fallen into a heavy sleep.

When he woke up, both Ms. Ye and the mentor had left.

Afterward, everything turned into this situation.

Chen Jingxuan picked up his pen and wrote down a character.

"Tang."

Upon seeing this, Jiang Qihu's expression changed drastically.

He quickly pleaded, "Sir, it's a misunderstanding! Those rumors about Pavilion Master Tang weren't spread by me! It's all Qin Baihuang; I'm going to flay that scoundrel right away!"

Chen Jingxuan slowly put down his pen.

His expression complex, he sighed and said, "Miss Tang is a Taoist Pavilion Master, and World Pavilion carries a prestigious name... How should this mess be settled?"

Jiang Qihu looked up, resolutely said, "Sir, how about I propose to the Taoist on your behalf?"

"???"

Chen Jingxuan looked bewildered.

"The old gentleman mentioned this to me, saying that scholars are thin-skinned, and for a woman to pursue a man, it's like separation by a veil; it's likely that there are mutual feelings between you two, hard to point out."

Jiang Qihu patted his chest, dead serious, "My old man has spoken; Jiang Family owes you a great debt, sir. We would not hesitate to go through fire and water; just give the command, and Qihu will lead men to the Taoist temple, and will even carry Pavilion Master Tang in a palanquin back to the Imperial City!"

"You..."

Chen Jingxuan was utterly at a loss for words.

He rubbed his brow, the more he thought about this matter, the more his head ached, and quickly waved his hand, signaling Jiang Qihu to get out: "Go... attend to your affairs."

Seeing his mentor like this, Jiang Qihu felt as if he had received a great pardon.

It seemed that his mentor did not blame him.

"Then Qihu will take his leave first..."

He sighed in relief, turned, and was just about to push open the grand doors of the library when the smile on Jiang Qihu's face suddenly vanished.

His entire demeanor abruptly changed—