Remould the Glory of Sword Art

The courtyard walls could not block out the sound of firecrackers,

bursting in the sky, followed by the fall of fireworks.

When they landed in the courtyard, they instilled a sense of loneliness.

Jiang Huang, the little rascal, was sleeping soundly, and that old man from Lichao City, Deng Chicheng, heard that he was moving to the Imperial City and also slept unusually sweetly.

But Deng Baiyi just couldn't fall asleep.

Tomorrow she would go to the Taoist sect to cultivate.

Following a recluse as a disciple was her biggest wish in Yuzhu Town.

Now that her wish had come true, she couldn't feel happy at all.

"...Xie Zhen."

Deng Baiyi walked into the courtyard and called out softly when she saw that tall and thin silhouette.

However, the black-clothed young man sitting in meditation under the tree in the courtyard did not respond.

Deng Baiyi walked around to face him.

Xie Xuanyi's eyes were closed, his breathing even.

"Are you asleep too?"

Deng Baiyi felt disappointed, the courage she had finally mustered up dissipating a great deal.

Deng Baiyi stood under the tree, lost in thought for a long time before ultimately retreating back into the house.

After she closed the door, Xie Xuanyi slowly opened his eyes.

Tonight, the night sky is beautiful, full of stars.

And tomorrow, would be the time of departure.

Xie Xuanyi shook his head and stood up. He tiptoed to pluck down a lantern hanging from the tree branch—the night was deep, and the lantern had already gone out.

With a "sizzle" sound,

a faint flame flickered from the tip of his fingers, lighting the lantern.

This wisp of Primordial Fire was unlike any color he had seen in his more than twenty years of life.

It was a new fire.

Thinking back on this journey to Qing State, though it lasted only a few dozen days, it left a vivid mark in his memory.

Perhaps because the days before were a bit too monotonous, uninteresting?

Or perhaps

it was because having died once, he cherished this new life all the more.

Xie Xuanyi quietly left the mansion, deciding to see the once-in-a-lifetime tide of the North Sea alone.

After his departure, the mansion truly fell into silence.

Jiang Huang slept with loud snores.

Next door, Deng Chicheng and the servants all slept sweetly.

Only Deng Baiyi sat at her desk, propping her chin with one hand, staring through the thin paper window at the hazy tree shadow, which had flared with light and then extinguished once more, lost in a daze.

...

...

The following day, the Deng family's entourage assembled on the banks of Lichao City's river.

Deng Chicheng, who had slept soundly all night, was full of energy. To him, leaving Yuzhu Town was the most adventurous decision of his decades of life.

And it was the correct decision!

He looked around at the small group of carriages that had accompanied him on his journey east.

Nowadays, his entourage had "grown," not just with the few servants from the Deng family who had followed them east, but also people from the Jiang Family, the authorities from the Imperial City, the City Lord's mansion, as well as cultivators from the Taoist sect.

The reason was simple.

The Pavilion Master from World Pavilion wanted to take Deng Baiyi under her command.

'The daughter elevates the status of her father,' as the saying goes.

This journey to the Imperial City, with these factions providing escort, became extraordinarily safe—

"In the future, as I become a disciple of the Taoist sect, please take good care of me," she said to them.

"Taoist Priest, please accept this as a token of my appreciation, a small gesture,"

Deng Chicheng took out the silver notes he had carefully prepared, visiting each of the young Taoist priests in their Daoist robes.

Those young Taoist priests, being so youthful, were so startled that they kept backing away.

The Taoist sect was too vast.

World Pavilion was a revered place of cultivation, just like Lotus Peak!

For Deng Baiyi to become a disciple of Immortal Master Tang... it wasn't their place to look after her at all?

"Dad, what are you doing?"

Deng Baiyi, arriving a step late and seeing the scene by the river, felt a headache coming and quickly stepped forward to pull him away.

She had not slept all night.

Though for a cultivator, this was nothing.

But after the great disaster in Lichao City, she bravely stepped up, creating a Fire Formation to quell the tide, which was publicized by the Taoist sect. The City Lord of Lichao City came to visit early in the morning... saying he wanted to express his hospitality before she left.

The meaning behind it was simple.

With his status, the City Lord naturally couldn't cozy up to Immortal Master Tang, but making good relations with a disciple of Immortal Master Tang was also an act of good karma.

Deng Baiyi, still inexperienced in the ways of the world, failed to decline and ended up having morning tea at the City Lord's mansion.

She never imagined that upon her return,

the situation would already look like this.

"Didn't we agree to head south at noon? Why rush so early in the morning?" Deng Baiyi said helplessly.

"Noon or two hours past, it's all the same, isn't this to avoid delaying your important matters?"

Deng Chicheng offered a sheepish smile.

When he woke up and saw that his daughter was not there, he hurriedly called the servants to pack up.

In his view,

going to the Imperial City was to enjoy a life of ease. His daughter had already paid her utmost filial piety. When word got out to the Northern County, who knows how many people would be envious—

Baiyi became a "Immortal Master" in the Taoist sect; she surely would be busy with important tasks.

As for his group, not knowing anything, they would only be a burden.

It was better to leave early than delay her responsibilities.

"What important matters do I have?"

Deng Baiyi knew what kind of man her father was, and she quickly nodded apologetically to the frightened young Taoist priests.

"Even if you don't care about seeing me off,"

"...you should at least meet Xie Zhen."

Deng Baiyi spoke seriously, "It's not because of me that I can become a Taoist disciple, but because of him."

"Xie Zhen..."

Deng Chicheng scratched his head helplessly, "He disappeared early in the morning."

Xie Zhen was nowhere to be found.

"He said he would come to see us off a little way."

Deng Baiyi said irritably, "We decided on noon and you insisted on the morning, how could we see him?"

Thus, the group was pressed to wait by Deng Baiyi.

At noon,

sword sounds indeed echoed by the river. A common-looking long sword skimmed over the water, flying low before slowly descending.