26: An Encounter with an Old Friend at West Lake (Part One)

Around midday, it was Fu Xin himself who brought their meal, along with a fine bottle of Huadiao wine. Judging by its fragrance, it must have been aged for ten years. Zhuge Liuyun could not stop grinning, endlessly praising him. “Old Fu, you truly are a man of loyalty! You know my fondness for wine and went out of your way to bring this ten-year-old Huadiao. You must have put in quite some effort.”

Fu Xin replied with a smile, “Junior Brother Zhuge, if you enjoy it, I have a few more jars of good wine. I’ll have someone bring them over later.”

“Why wait? No, have them sent right now, hurry!” Zhuge Liuyun’s eyes sparkled at the mention of more good wine. Seeing Fu Xin hesitate, he suddenly understood. “Ah, I remember now. The matter you entrusted to me last time—I haven’t forgotten. Rest easy, I’ll see to it for you.”

Fu Xin looked deeply grateful. “I’ll be counting on your help, Junior Brother.”

“It’s no trouble at all. As long as there’s good wine, anything can be arranged.” Zhuge Liuyun waved his hand dismissively and said no more, focusing instead on his food.

Fu Xin was not embarrassed by Zhuge Liuyun’s silence about the favor. He turned to Yi Fan and said, “Brother Yi, I’ve made all the arrangements for your sword training. You can go directly this afternoon.”

Yi Fan cupped his hands in thanks. “You’re too kind, Brother Fu.”

“Think nothing of it, Brother Yi.” After a few polite words, Fu Xin took his leave. Before departing, he cast a deep look at Yi Fan, then turned and walked away.

Yi Fan was momentarily taken aback, thoughtful. He remembered the promise he had made earlier and glanced at Zhuge Liuyun, but found it difficult to bring up.

“Brother Yi, do you owe Old Fu a favor?” Zhuge Liuyun asked casually, hugging a wine jar.

“In martial training, he has helped me a little. It’s not a great debt,” Yi Fan replied, sitting down and explaining openly.

“That Old Fu,” Zhuge Liuyun chuckled, “he wants to stay on at the Sword Lodge in Hangzhou as an internal affairs steward rather than return to the sect, so he asked me to put in a good word for him. I suppose he knew I’d come to you, so he made sure you owed him a favor in advance, so you’d help plead his case.”

Yi Fan was puzzled. “Why not return to the Shushan Sword Sect? It’s a great sect with abundant resources for cultivation. Staying at the Sword Lodge, even with some authority, would eventually lead to his skills declining.”

Zhuge Liuyun shook his head, unconcerned. “His talent is limited. He’s reached his peak in cultivation and no longer has hope of advancing. He just wants to enjoy life in the mortal world.”

Yi Fan understood at last. “No wonder he’s been so attentive—it was all for this.”

Zhuge Liuyun raised his cup. “Enough about him. Let’s drink.”

...

Two months later, on a steep mountain cliff, Yi Fan gathered his energy and leapt upward, his steps light and swift as he ascended the rock face in a few bounds.

“Incredible! You’ve only studied lightness skill for a few days, yet you’re already this capable,” Zhuge Liuyun exclaimed, wide-eyed with disbelief.

Yi Fan merely smiled. After a month of practice, he had finally raised his ‘Ninefold Leaping’ technique to the level of ‘Minor Achievement’. Further improvement would require a tremendous amount of energy, so he decided to set it aside for now.

His martial skills were already formidable—among the martial world, he would be considered a strong hand. Though not on par with the top masters, he could now protect himself and no longer relied solely on spells to prevail.

His only regret was that, despite the system’s assistance, his swordsmanship remained at the level of ‘Proficiency’ and refused to advance further. He’d had to accept this; after all, he never aspired to martial mastery—it was merely for self-defense.

“Come, let’s have a bout. Let’s see how many moves you can withstand against my sword,” Zhuge Liuyun declared.

Unable to make sense of it, Zhuge Liuyun simply attributed Yi Fan’s rapid progress to natural talent. Fortunately, while Yi Fan’s aptitude in swordplay was excellent, it was not so monstrous as to defy belief.

Accepting the challenge, Yi Fan laughed, picked up a sword, and with a flourish attacked. In an instant, sword shadows danced as the two clashed.

After a short exchange, Yi Fan’s blade forced Zhuge Liuyun back. “I concede,” he said.

After all, Zhuge Liuyun had trained for more than ten years. Yi Fan felt no shame in defeat, but rather rejoiced—for two months earlier, apart from his ‘Thunder Palm’, he had no hope of resisting in close quarters.

Now, not only could he hold his own, he was no longer at a disadvantage—a remarkable improvement.

Zhuge Liuyun sheathed his sword. “You’ve improved since yesterday—lasted one move longer against me.”

“All thanks to your sparring and guidance these past days,” Yi Fan replied with a smile. “The three-month period is almost up; in a few days, I’ll be heading down the mountain.”

Zhuge Liuyun’s eyes lit up. “Perfect timing! I’m tired of mountain life—let’s go together.”

Yi Fan smiled. “Are you planning to seek out Elder Yan Chixia?”

“Of course! I traveled all the way to Hangzhou just to roam the world by his side,” Zhuge Liuyun replied. “You have no idea—Elder Yan’s life is a true legend.”

“Oh?” Yi Fan was intrigued, having no knowledge of Yan Chixia’s past.

Zhuge Liuyun’s face grew animated as he began to recount the tale.

It turned out that before entering the Shushan Sword Sect, Yan Chixia was a scholar who traveled to the capital to take the imperial examinations, but failed to obtain a position. Later, he saved a high official and became a constable, earning a reputation as a stern and just judge. However, the world was rife with corrupt officials, and he eventually offended powerful men, forcing him to become a wandering swordsman.

Years later, owing to his formidable martial skills and exceptional swordsmanship, he won the admiration of a general and, after saving his life by chance, was taken in as a personal guard. Unfortunately, turmoil plagued the court, and traitors rose to power. The general was falsely accused of treason; his clan was exterminated, and Yan Chixia barely escaped the authorities.

Disheartened, Yan Chixia withdrew from the mortal world, becoming a Taoist priest in the mountains, where he was discovered by a second-generation master of the Shushan Sword Sect and taken as a disciple. He cultivated the Tao and honed his sword for over twenty years, his abilities soaring far beyond his peers.

Yet, having endured many hardships before entering the Tao, his character became somewhat eccentric and unorthodox, which displeased certain second-generation disciples of the sect. He eventually left the mountain to wander the human realm.

At this point, Zhuge Liuyun sneered. “Three years ago, Elder Yan discovered a powerful demon wreaking havoc among the people. He mobilized the Shushan Sword Sect’s influence to hunt it down, but the demon was too strong and repeatedly escaped, resulting in the loss of many disciples. Some elders were displeased, and our own Sword Lodge’s abbot is a disciple of one such elder.”

Yi Fan sighed inwardly. No wonder the abbot had looked so displeased upon seeing the token from Elder Yan—the reason was now clear.