Remould the Glory of Sword Art

By the time Jiang Qihu arrived at the mountain summit, the Sword Qi conflict had already ended.

The peaceful serenity had returned to Jade Screen Peak.

Ye Qinglian led the disciples of Baihua Valley to take their leave.

As Jiang Qihu passed by Ye Qinglian, he intended to say something, but the latter did not glance sideways, nor did she stop her steps, nor did she give him a chance to speak.

Yuan Yi trailed behind the Baihua Valley group.

Step by step, she looked back, seemingly reluctant to leave, her gaze lingering on Xie Zhen.

In the end, she could only depart.

Thus, on this cold and desolate mountain, only two people remained at the summit.

"Xie Zhen?"

After reaching the summit, Jiang Qihu rubbed his eyes, unable to believe what he was seeing.

This lad Xie Zhen, didn't he say he was just going out for a casual walk?

A casual walk, and he ended up on Jade Screen Peak?

He looked towards his elder sister, full of confusion, but before he could speak, he was forced to hold it back.

"Qihu, you go back first."

Jiang Miaoyin said, "I have a few words, that I would like to say to this Young Master Xie alone."

"...Alright then."

Jiang Qihu was still out of breath when he hurriedly made his way down the mountain again.

He had grown up in Qing State since he was a child; back then, his father was in charge of the Northern County, busy with numerous affairs to attend to.

At that time, it was his elder sister who took over his disciplining.

As the saying goes, compassion does not command soldiers and justice does not deal with wealth; the Jiang Family had a high reputation in the Northern County, and naturally, the family rules were exceedingly strict. This dim-witted tiger was not very bright from childhood and naturally had not been spared from beatings... After his sister entered the Sword Palace, his life became a bit easier. Still, during the winter and summer breaks, he would inevitably receive a few lessons in family discipline.

He was headstrong as a child, and no matter how patient the private tutor was, it was to no avail.

It still had to be Jiang Miaoyin who took action, with a few flogging sessions and the principles that had to be understood were all suddenly clear.

In other families, the eldest brother is like a father, but in the Jiang family, it was the elder sister who acted as the father.

Later, when the Sword Palace was sealed for ten full years without a glimpse of her, Jiang Qihu surprisingly found himself missing those days of his sister's discipline.

Looking at this scene, where Jiang Qihu obediently complied with his elder sister's commands and shouts,

Xie Xuanyi's expression hidden beneath his bamboo hat couldn't help but reveal a suppressed smile.

He shook his head smilingly.

If it came down to it... within the entirety of Da Chu, the person Jiang Qihu listened to most was likely three people.

The old master, his elder sister, and his teacher.

"Young Master Xie, I ask for your understanding."

Jiang Miaoyin slowly rose up from in front of the jade platform, she came to the waterfall and softly said, "Today was meant to be a cordial occasion, having tea and discussing the Tao, alas, Miss Ye insisted on exercising her Sword Qi."

"Being able to witness a contest between the two of you is also a fortunate event."

Xie Xuanyi thought for a moment and smiled lightly, "I have had the chance to meet the Young Valley Master of Baihua Valley in Lichao City. It seems she has a certain fixation on this battle."

He remembered many years ago.

Back then, Ye Qinglian would often request a match.

But at that time, Jiang Miaoyin would not be as hesitant as she is now.

"Every person's heart holds an obsession."

Underneath her hood, Jiang Miaoyin's eyes grew distant. Standing before the waterfall, her voice nearly drowned by the torrent, she said, "Ye Qinglian has a clear Sword Heart, and with such an obsession... sooner or later, she will become the 'Great Sword Immortal' that surpasses everything in the world."

These words were sincere and without a shred of falsehood.

It was evident that Jiang Miaoyin truly believed it in her heart. Comparing clarity of Sword Intent, she thought Ye Qinglian surpassed her own.

Xie Xuanyi was slightly moved.

He reached to adjust his bamboo hat and quietly sighed, "I've heard that Da Sui has sealed the mountain for ten years. Mountain Master Jiang personally locked herself on Jade Screen Peak... completely severing connections with the outside world. May I ask why?"

Jiang Miaoyin did not respond to the question but calmly said, "Young Master Xie, please follow me."

She walked towards the summit's battle stage. Jade Screen Peak was extremely vast, and once ascended, the view would open up immensely. Behind the waterfall, there was a Sword Qi battle stage. Further ahead, there were several houses suspended in the sky, supported by array patterns.

Not far away,

stood a towering stone stele, black in color with chains wrapped around it. The top of the stele was sharpened, resembling a long sword with its tip piercing into the sky.

Even standing a hundred paces away, one could feel the sharp Sword Intent and invisible pressure.

At the base of the stele,

there lay a dark pool.

"Young Master Xie, you mentioned earlier that you wanted to see the 'Sword Washing Pool'."

Jiang Miaoyin halted, "Here it is."

The two, one donning a bamboo hat, the other wearing a hood,

the wind blew by,

lifting the muslin into the air.

The shapes of countless beings flickered.

"The Sword Washing Pool is not only for cleansing swords, but also for purifying treasures and the Cultivators' Heart Lake,"

Jiang Miaoyin stated each word deliberately: "By submerging a treasure in the Sword Washing Pool, one can purify the Artifact Spirit, washing away evil spirits..."

Xie Xuanyi slowly approached the Sword Washing Pool.

At Beihai Ling.

He had met with Daoist Chi Hun and made a promise that if Dao Jiu was willing to follow him, he would bring him out of the North Sea.

At that time,

he had prepared to dip the "Tao Furnace" into the Sword Washing Pool, using the awe-inspiring Sword Qi of the pool to purge the evil spirits embedded in the Tao rules of the "Tao Furnace."

"Young Master Xie, do not be restrained."

Jiang Miaoyin's gaze fell upon the back of Xie Xuanyi and she said, "Since you've come to the Sword Washing Pool, you might as well take out your Lifebound Flying Sword and cleanse it."

"Mountain Master Jiang..."

"That isn't proper, is it?"

Xie Xuanyi shook his head quickly and smilingly said, "I merely wished to have a closer look. I never thought about using this holy object to seek personal benefits."

"Young Master Xie need not worry,"

Jiang Miao Yin continued calmly, "Now that I am the master of Jade Screen Peak, I can set the rules for the Sword Washing Pool."

"I appreciate your kind offer, but let's forget it,"

Xie Xuanyi stood in front of the Sword Washing Pool, still shaking his head: "I've heard that once a Lifebound Flying Sword falls into the Sword Washing Pool, its body will be struck by divine might, hammered thousands of times, and the Cultivator's own body will also suffer such torment... I'm wary of pain, the Flying Sword is fragile, and my own body is just as weak, it cannot withstand such an ordeal."

Sword washing is also a refinement of one's heart.

After these words were said, Xie Xuanyi's expression suddenly became rigid.

He gazed intently at the depths of the Sword Washing Pool.

Within the ink pond, beams of light crisscrossed, the radiant light pouring from the sky. When it shone on the surface of the pool, only darkness remained.

It was as if all the sunlight had been swallowed by the Sword Washing Pool.

And in this ink-black water, as thick as dye... one could vaguely see a delicate sword shadow. Under the countless faded and dim lights, it was like a dead fish—in total silence—merely reflecting a glossy black sheen as it swayed with the water.

A chronic affliction.

It turns out that during the confrontation with Ye Qinglian... she did not lie, nor did she make any excuses.

Jiang Miaoyin truly left her sword cultivator's most treasured lifebound flying sword in this ink pond of the Sword Washing Pool.

For ten whole years, she had not retrieved it.

If a lifebound flying sword falls into the Sword Washing Pool, it must constantly endure the cleansing of the heavens' might.

Then what kind of agony must Jiang Miaoyin, as the sword's master, have endured over these years?

To lock herself away on Sealing Mountain.

Was already a punishment.

Why then inflict such torment on herself?

"Young Master Xie seems different from what I imagined," she said.

Jiang Miaoyin's eyes slowly fell as she spoke, "The files regarding the upheaval in Qing State have already spread throughout Da Chu... Truly, a hero emerges from youth. To settle the Beihai Ling and ease the State Preceptor's worries is no easy feat. I believe it won't take long before Young Master Xie becomes renowned across the world. Congratulations, congratulations."

Although these words were of congratulations and good wishes,

they did not sound overly congratulatory; instead, there was a hint of sadness.

A hero from youth.

These five words, when used to describe the current Xie Zhen, indeed seemed apt.

Yet Jiang Miaoyin had once witnessed an even more astonishing youth.

She grew up alongside Xie Xuanyi; what sort of splendor hadn't she seen?

Perhaps it was because they shared the surname 'Xie' that seeing one thing made her think of another.

Or maybe it was intuition that made her feel the young man before her seemed familiar, slightly out of the ordinary.

Alternatively, all this might just be coincidence.

Layer upon layer of 'perhaps' piled upon one another, combined with fate, led to their meeting today.

Jiang Miaoyin took a deep breath.

She had hesitated for a long time and finally asked the question that was in her heart, "Young Master Xie, where have you been? How come I have never heard about you all these years?"

"..."

Xie Xuanyi's body gave a slight jolt.

He knew that this day would inevitably come.

His return to the Da Sui Sword Palace.

He was bound to meet many old acquaintances, to get to know those from the past once more, with a new identity.

After the battle in the South Border, the death of Daoist Chi Hun confirmed one thing.

That was, within the Da Sui Sword Palace, there was a "traitor."

In coming back to the Sword Palace, Xie Xuanyi intended to discover who had betrayed him that year...

Before the truth came to light, he could not reveal his true identity to anyone.

Even if that person was Jiang Miaoyin.

Taking in a light breath to steady his emotions, Xie Xuanyi withdrew his gaze from the Sword Washing Pool.

"I am but a nobody, who just happened to gain some notoriety in Qing State due to good fortune," he said.

Turning around, he gave a deep bow, "All these years, I have been serving Mr. Jingxuan... If you don't believe me, Valley Master Jiang can personally verify this with the library."

Sounds of sword vibrations started to come from within the Sword Washing Pool.

The chill at the mountaintop grew denser.

"Library... library..."

Jiang Miaoyin's face wore a forlorn expression.

She had finally gotten the answer she wished for.

This answer filled the gaps in her curiosity with no discrepancies.

Xie Zhen's records, of course, she had checked them. And it wasn't just her; all of Da Chu, and even Nanli, had people interested in investigating—

But the investigations of these individuals were doomed to be fruitless.

The word 'library' was the biggest clue within the blank files.

Chen Jingxuan needed not explain his hiring decisions to anyone.

The "dark child" from the library, who had been in place for many years, emerging amid the chaos of Qing State, made sense.

The silence on the mountaintop did not last long.

"Valley Master Jiang, you've not answered my question," said Xie Xuanyi, with a long sigh. "I know it's rather presumptuous to ask... "

"Why does Valley Master lock herself on Sealing Mountain, and why discard her lifebound flying sword?"

As he spoke, Jiang Miaoyin halted in her tracks, her snow-white garments fluttering in the damp, cold wind.

She stared at the bamboo hat of Xie Xuanyi.

Her gaze pierced through the bamboo hat,

landing on the cheeks of Xie Xuanyi.

Gazing at the clarity in the youth's eyes, her lips, hidden beneath the veil, trembled slightly. It seemed as though she wanted to say something, yet also appeared to be struggling with some painful inner conflict.

The tremors from the Sword Washing Pool grew louder.

But in the end, all the noise settled back into silence.

"It's getting late..."

In the end,

the lady clad in white shook her head, her voice hoarse, "Please go ahead, Young Master Xie."

...

...

(Another update coming tonight.)