The Heavenly Wandering Sword

Chapter 23

Once there, Li Jian could take off his mask before he dropped off Prince Jing Wu Die at the Purple Pavilion first with the prisoner. The Crown Prince waved farewell as he got into the Royal Carriage, the prisoner in tow as the Imperial Guard began escorting them back to the Capitol. “Master… the vendors are out now.” Kon Wang said lethargically. “Sword spirits do not need food.” Li Jian thought back in response, but he still walked over to one of the vendors and picked up four meat buns. Ling Xin looked at him curiously but was more surprised when all four buns disappeared. Kon Wang took them and stuffed them into his pockets, the meat buns disappearing from view of outsiders. Ling Xin looked at Li Jian, unsure of what they will be doing next. Li Jian simply gestured for her to follow along as he began walking back to Sword Manor. There were many things to do, and he still had to go back to the Spiritblade Sect to pretend to be a talentless Outer Disciple.

A few weeks had gone and left, and Jing Hong was steadily regaining her strength. “Brother, why is it that I still have such a hard time gathering spiritual essence?” She asked one day as she swung her sword in the courtyard of the Sword Manor. Li Jian simply smiled. “The price you paid to relieve your bloodline of the Golden Curse is both a blessing and a curse. In order to defeat the Golden Curse, your inner dantian has become a sword dantian. Do you feel the presence of the Jade Dragon Sword?” Princess Jing nodded. Her behaviour was still just as expressionless as before. For some, this was the manner in which they were born.

“Your sword dantian requires something more than simply absorbing spiritual energy. Your soul has become the living sheath for the Jade Dragon Sword. Its powers are currently too high for you to use but it will protect you just as your soul needs to nourish it.” Jing Hong nodded before tilting her head. “Then what is required?” Li Jian just smiled again. “What you need is to learn Sword Arts. Each Sword Art you learn will infuse and expand your dantian with more sword essence. The more sword essence you have, the more powerful you become.” Li Jian reached into his storage ring and brought out the Phoenix Sword Arts. “Take this and learn from it. Read it thoroughly and understand it. Each sword swing must be infused with your spiritual energy, otherwise you will not improve it.”

Jing Hong bowed. “Thank you, Brother Li., What category of sword arts would this be?” Li Jian thought about it before shrugging and grinning at her. “I really can’t say. It is something that I found a long time ago.” Having accepted the manual, Jing Hong tried to read it but found the pages blank. “You need to infuse your vital essence into it so that it will show you its secrets.” Nodding at his words, she focused and poured her vital essence into the manual. The manual began to glow, and words would reveal themselves to her. “Seclude yourself in your room and study it. Do not rush each section, you may spend a month or a year learning the first one. Build the foundation of your sword art completely, do not rush forward.” She nodded again before taking the manual with her to her room.

“Brother Li, what do you plan for the Princess?” Ling Xin asked from the side. Li Jian chewed on his bottom lip thoughtfully at the question. “The only way to save her life out of her own merit was for her to show herself worthy to the Jade Dragon sword. She has the phoenix body and the fire element, so the Phoenix Sword Art is what is best for her right now. Beyond that, it will depend on her own talents.” In truth, she reminded him a lot of someone he used to know. The sword art manual he had given her was priceless, a true Divine grade sword art. Ling Xin nodded before looking at him shyly.

“Does Brother Li perhaps have something in mind for me as well?” Ling Xin smiled at him rather coyly, but Li Jian simply frowned a bit. “I actually have something for you, but it is not made yet. I have to figure out a way to have it made.” She giggled slightly, and Li Jian could not help but stare at her for a moment. It was such a drastic change from the expression on her face when they had first met. “Sister Ling knows how to giggle?” He turned and sighed to himself. “Please don’t devolve and sacrifice a street vendor Sister Ling, I cannot afford to offend the vendor association.”

Ling Xin simply laughed at his words. Li Jian lived the way a true bachelor does, partaking of most of his meals at either restaurants or from the street vendors. Along the southern section of Baiyang City, he was known as the Grand Patron of Street Vendors with how often he sampled the various street stalls. Li Jian had thought about a new weapon for Ling Xin but the weapon he had in mind; in truth he had no idea where it would even be. As well, he did not know if she would even be able to beat the sword in a battle of will. It would have to be something that he had to plan out and perhaps see if he could find a clue somewhere.

In the Imperial Palace

Jing Wu Die stood in the dungeon underneath the Imperial Palace, four members of the Imperial Guard standing behind him. In the cell itself was Ching Fu, still crippled from the chest down but restrained regardless inside the cell. He had been standing there for a while, contemplating the words that Li Jian had said to him. He understood that Li Jian did not wish to be involved in formally backing the Imperial family in any conflict with the sects. The only reason he was involved at all to the degree that he has been, was because of his friendship with his sister Jing Zi Hua, or as Li Jian knew her as Lady Bai.

“Announcing the Emperor!” A herald called out just before the dungeon entrance doors were opened by two members of the Imperial Guard, before everyone in the room knelt. Jing Wu Die, even as the Crown Prince, still had to kneel when the Emperor entered. “My dear son, I am surprised to find you here. This was never the kind of place that you liked to stay in for too long.” The Emperor was dressed head to toe in golden silk, treasures adorning his body in both protective treasures as well as those that would boost his spiritual force. “Father, the Crown Prince humbly greets you.” Emperor Jing Long Wang was a tall imposing man, and he walked with the confidence of someone who had been accustomed to commanding others. “Rise my son and tell me what happened here.”

Jing Wu Die retold the story, starting with how they had gone to Baiyang City to see their sister, and ending with how the Outer Elder had attacked them after they had left the tomb of the First Sword Emperor. Emperor Jing listened intently, nodding occasionally with understanding. “My son, do you think this master has ill intentions towards the Imperial family?” Jing Wu Die shook his head. “Father, if that master had ill intentions, the Imperial Palace would not be standing anymore.” Emperor Jing laughed and shook his head. “Come now, do you truly think that a hidden master appearing out of no where would be more powerful than the entire nation of Huaxia?” Jing Wu Die cringed at his fathers response. “Father, what is the power of General Jing Xue, the head of the Imperial Guard?”

“He is at Spiritual Realm of course.” Jing Wu Die then smiled. “His servant that captured the Outer Elder was in the Dao Seeking realm. I cannot begin to fathom what realm the master is at.” Emperor Jing thought about it before nodding. “Then we must find a way to bring him to our side.” Prince Jing smiled a bit sadly at his father. “Father, I truly do not believe that the master wishes to choose sides. I believe that if he was forced to make that choice, he may destroy everyone involved with forcing him to make that decision.” The Emperor stared at the capture Elder for a moment. “Son, I am proud of you. You have surprised me with the change in your thoughtfulness.” Prince Jing smiled slightly. “I am honoured by your words Father, the master had given a few words of advice to me. I have simply taken what he said to heart.”

A few weeks later, the markets of Baiyang City were a buzz with gossip. It was to be the all-sects championship taking place in a few days, and each one of the Sects had all been hosted at the Thousand Sword sect mountains. Inside Spiritblade Sect, the Elders were busy deciding who to put forward on the list. “We must of course include Xiao Hu and Hei Lei, the top of the outer and the inner sect list.” The Sect Leader said as he looked around at all the Elders gathered around.

“Of course, and what about Ling Feng? He has progressed nicely. Lan Yi Fan as well, he has stepped into the nascent soul realm.” Geng Tai the Outer Sect Elder said. “That’s four. We need one more. Does anyone have a suggestion?”

“I find that outer disciple Li Jian to be quite interesting.” Xing Meng the Inner Sect Elder said. “Li Jian?” The Sect Master asked curiously. “I’ve never heard of Li Jian.” Lian Zhi the Medicine Elder wrinkled her nose. “I know who he is, he is the outer disciple that never participates in the Sect itself or shows up to practice, but only goes to the job board to do jobs and collect spirit stones.” Fang Wu the Spiritblade Hidden Elder laughed at the description. “Junior Sister Lian is correct but I also agree with Brother Xing. This disciple is not so simple. He was the one that came to claim the reward for the king level magical beast core, as well as brought the head of the assassin guild leader. Do you know what I heard from some travelers after? The Inn the assassin guild used as a front was found trashed inside. The floor was so thoroughly covered with bodies that you could not tell the colour of the floorboard anymore.” Fang Wu was the Elder that was responsible for handing out the rewards for completed jobs. In the same way, he also kept an eye for prospective talent.

The Sect Master frowned slightly at this. “If we have such a talented disciple, why is he still an outer sect disiciple?”Fang Wu laughed again as he sipped from his teacup. “Ah brother Tang, everytime I have asked him to enter the inner sect disciple’s testing grounds, he just waves his hand and says he can’t because he has to water his garden, or that he has no time to enter the testing grounds because he has to get food for his pet cat.” Lian Zhi shook her head at the Hidden Elder’s words. “Shameless disciple, only joining our sect to have access to the job boards.”

Xing Meng chuckled slightly. “I gathered from just seeing his behaviour that he does not wish to be bothered. I think we should add him to the list, just to see how he would react. Perhaps from his reaction, we can find out more about what this disciple is capable of.”