Remould the Glory of Sword Art

Si Qi suddenly fell silent, staring blankly at the young woman before him.

"You..."

The sword qi and the fierce winds in the courtyard gradually dissipated.

The immortal crane that had taken refuge from the disturbance also stopped trembling under the banyan tree, cautiously poking out its head to observe the two figures confronting each other in silent sit.

"That year, I was in seclusion, unaware of many details,"

Huang Su spoke slowly, "When my seclusion ended, the Da Sui Sword Palace had already begun Sealing Mountain... Now that I am in charge of Lotus Peak, I should know the 'truth' of what happened then."

She raised a jar of wine, opened the seal, and drank it down, letting the liquid flow along her snow-white neck, dampening her open black robe.

After a long while,

Huang Su put down the jar, her voice revealing fatigue, "Brother Si Qi... I know, the events of that year, everyone was keeping them from me. They could do this to me, but you... should not have."

Si Qi's expression was somewhat moved.

He clenched his teeth and also picked up a jar of wine.

Unfortunately,

His alcohol tolerance was really poor.

After just one gulp, Si Qi began to cough violently.

Cultivators can use their Primordial Energy to easily dispel the effects of alcohol—but Si Qi did not do so, and as the strong wine burned his throat, his tone changed markedly.

Si Qi held his forehead with his hand and murmured, "Junior sister, my little junior sister... I didn't want it to be this way either."

"They say, with Da Sui Sealing Mountain, the Sword Palace withdrawing from the world, it's better to do less than more."

"They also say that Brother Xuanyi has perished in the North Sea... Death is like the snuffing out of a lamp..."

After saying these few sentences,

Si Qi's voice had become somewhat choked up.

He knew his junior sister's character as well as "their" intentions; Xie Xuanyi's death could be made much of or little.

For the Sword Palace, choosing Sealing Mountain and withdrawing from the world was already a choice made.

If the disciples were allowed to stir up this matter...

The already waning fortunes of the Sword Palace would suffer a second blow.

"I am not trying to delve into past matters, I just want to investigate the truth of what happened then."

Huang Su watched her senior brother silently, reaching out to gently pat Si Qi's thin shoulder, "When did you last meet Brother Xuanyi, and what happened then?"

Si Qi took a long time to steady his breathing.

After a while, he raised his head, his eyes dim with recollection.

"I met Brother... before fleeing to Qing State. He gave me a letter."

"A letter, what kind of letter?"

"It was a letter of plea for help."

Si Qi spoke in a low voice, "Brother told me to take this letter to the Sword Palace, not to open or read it before getting back to the Sword Palace... if trouble arose, to burn the letter and pretend nothing happened."

This statement made Huang Su's expression tense.

She knew the reason for this.

Some magic artifacts can probe one's heart, and if Si Qi had opened the envelope and read the contents ahead of time,

The unexpected troubles on the road...

The contents of the letter would likely be lost.

Thus, the letter was of utmost importance.

"What happened afterward?"

Huang Su's tone was grim, she continued slowly, "Did you deliver the letter safely to the Sword Palace?"

"Naturally..."

Si Qi paused, not understanding why his junior sister would ask this, and spoke seriously, "Although there were some bumps on the road, the immortal cranes of True Hidden Peak can travel thousands of miles a day, and I returned to Da Sui that very night..."

"Where did the letter go?"

"Brother instructed that the letter was only to be opened by the disciples of Lotus Peak."

Si Qi stated solemnly, "At that time, junior sister was in seclusion, so I brought the envelope back to Lotus Peak... Big Brother Qi Lie, Brother Qi Lie, and Sister Miao Yin, they were all there."

"And then?"

"Then naturally, the letter was opened."

Si Qi's voice was hoarse, "Brother Xuanyi did not mention much in the letter, only telling us that he had encountered trouble in Jiangning, and if any 'disaster' followed, he hoped that Da Sui Sword Palace would stay out of it and not get involved... But Brother's actions were always so cautious; such a message surely meant he was in great trouble."

"Big Brother went to inform our master, but the master did not respond."

"Brother Qi Lie... shared the contents of the letter with Golden Turtle Peak."

Hearing this, Huang Su became agitated, her eyebrows raised as she spoke coldly, "Who did Qi Lie tell? Zhao Tongtian?"

Si Qi's complexion was somewhat pale, and it took all his strength to utter a single word.

"...Yes."

The Golden Turtle Peak Master commands the internal punishments and laws within the Da Sui Sword Palace.

Each generation's Peak Master is a Law Enforcement figure for the Sword Palace and assists the Sect Leader. In the absence of the Sect Leader, the Law Enforcement acts in their stead.

In these ten years of Sealing Mountain,

The Pure Yang Sect Leader was absent, and it was Tongtian, the Law Enforcement, who took over the administration of the Sword Palace!

This Golden Turtle Peak Master is known for his stern character, seldom speaking or smiling, and his style of conduct is like a straight sword – direct and unwavering, without any detours... Such a person is naturally the perfect candidate for Law Enforcement, and indeed, Zhao Tongtian has sat solidly in this position for sixty years, always clear in his rewards and punishments, never bending the rules to show favor.

That was until the emergence of Xie Xuanyi.

Because of his exceptional talent, Xie Xuanyi was greatly favored by the Sect Leader, and the Da Sui Sword Palace broke many "rules" to cultivate him.

First, they made an exception to allow Xie Xuanyi to go daily to the Sword Washing Pool to refine his Divine Soul.

Then they allowed him to visit the Thirty-three Cave Heavens to listen to the sounds of sword qi from past sages.

The resources for Xie Xuanyi's cultivation were ten times, or even more, that of ordinary disciples...

According to the sect's rules, these "privileges" should not have existed.

At least, they should not have appeared for Xie Xuanyi.

As the Law Enforcement, Zhao Tongtian opposed this more than once...

He believed that Xie Xuanyi should not enjoy these special privileges and that Lotus Peak, as the leader of all peaks, should set an example by stopping the provision of these resources, to let Xie Xuanyi "stand on his own."

Of course,

The vast majority of opposition dissipated after Xie Xuanyi reached the top of the Heavenly Pride List, becoming the leader of the Sword Dao.