Chapter 13: The Owner’s Message – Hope It Won’t Disappoint

Two swords of unparalleled skill, two individuals of unmatched excellence—how could they not admire each other? Two swordsmen of such extraordinary talent are like two meteors; when they collide, they must spark a thunderous blaze. Though that spark vanishes in an instant, it illuminates the ages! (Gu Long)
……
Liu Yi waved his folding fan and said, “What you say is very tempting, but I’m naturally not fond of fighting. That’s why I haven’t learned martial arts! Do you really want to change the way I’ve lived for twenty years?”
The Wolf King glanced at Liu Yi and shook his head. “It’s a shame, such great potential wasted like this. Do you truly want to live an ordinary life?”
Liu Yi retorted, “What’s wrong with that? A life with ‘flowers in spring, the moon in autumn, cool breezes in summer, and snow in winter’ isn’t far better than constant fighting?”
The Wolf King pondered Liu Yi’s words carefully and praised, “What a nice description—flowers in spring, the moon in autumn, cool breezes in summer, snow in winter. Do you think such a life suits you? You already carry a demonic nature within. When chaos reigns in the three realms, why not seek such a utopia?”
Liu Yi shook his head. “Evil exists in everyone’s heart. Don’t talk to me about this. There will be heroes in troubled times, but that’s not me. I just want to live an ordinary life.”
The Wolf King finally grew angry and snapped, “Useless wood! You have great potential yet waste it so foolishly. Truly useless wood!”
Liu Yi shook his head and said, “Elder, there are many good disciples in the world. If you were a Bo Le, wouldn’t you worry about not finding a worthy disciple?”
The Wolf King finally sighed. “You’re so stubborn.”
Liu Yi closed his folding fan and said, “I must take my leave, Elder. We’ll meet again someday.” Without looking back, he strode off in another direction, with the Ten Heroes closely following.
The Great Sword King rushed ahead of the Wolf King and said, “Elder, that kid is too stubborn. Look at me—how about me? I’m almost there! I’ll definitely work hard. Please take me as your disciple.”
The Wolf King was already furious, and now the Great Sword King came to disturb him. His dark green eyes scanned the Great Sword King’s face as he snapped, “If you don’t disappear, I’ll ensure you’re not even worthy of reincarnation.”
Hearing this, the Great Sword King lost all desire to become a disciple, fearing for his life. He picked up his great sword and chased after Liu Yi’s disappearing figure.
Under the moonlight, the Wolf King’s green eyes seemed especially terrifying. Watching Liu Yi vanish, he growled, “Someone dares to speak to me like this. There are countless who want to join my ranks as the Wolf King. Why does the world still have such fools? I must take you as my disciple.”
Perhaps because the Wolf King was too agitated, or perhaps because the figure on the withered tree ten zhang away was too indistinct, he didn’t realize his actions were being watched by someone else.
On the withered tree ten zhang away, there stood a nearly transparent figure, dressed in almost white, holding a blue long sword. They stood on a branch, swaying gently in the wind.

It wasn’t the Wolf King’s negligence; rather, the movement technique called “Following the Gentle Breeze” was too mysterious, leaving the Wolf King unable to detect… who this person was. Their skill level was even higher than that of the ancient guardian beast—the Wolf King? Perhaps it was a mystery, but… it would be solved.

As for Liu Yi, he quickened his pace, feeling no fatigue, only wanting to leave this damned place as soon as possible—the Wolf King’s cave. That Wolf King was truly terrifying, instilling fear. Although Liu Yi could talk to him, he couldn’t guarantee that the Wolf King wouldn’t kill him in the next moment.

Thinking he had gone far enough, Liu Yi stopped under a tree.

Shi Jie Yi also stopped, as if his injuries from earlier didn’t exist, and he even seemed more energetic. It seemed that martial arts truly had miraculous effects…

After great effort, the Great Sword King finally caught up.

Leaning against the big tree, Liu Yi gradually grew drowsy because he felt extremely tired. It had been a long time since he had walked such a long distance. In his daze, Liu Yi seemed to recite a poem: “My body is like drifting clouds and flowing water; my heart is like the bright moon and gentle breeze. I roam the world with wine in hand, smiling proudly. Though I have feelings, I appear heartless. Filled with noble integrity, I possess the courage of a swordsman and the heart of a musician. The vast land is at my disposal, and the world lies within my chest.” In his confusion, Liu Yi forgot where he had seen this poem and gradually fell asleep. In his deep sleep, he seemed to have a dream—and that dream was exactly “The vast land is at my disposal, and the world lies within my chest.”

Shi Jie Yi reflected on Liu Yi’s poem. Having followed him for a long time, he also loved poems very much. Whenever Liu Yi recited a passage, Shi Jie Yi would ponder it over. Gradually, he too fell asleep.

Seeing that both of them were asleep, the Great Sword King, feeling bored, lay down next to Shi Jie Yi and gradually fell asleep… Perhaps all three of them were truly tired. On such a steep mountain path, any ordinary person would be exhausted after just one day of travel…

The sunlight shone directly on their faces. Liu Yi opened his eyes and looked around. It was still the desolate Shu Road. He tapped Shi Jie Yi and called out. As for the Great Sword King, he was full of energy because he would soon receive the remaining 4,500 taels of silver. How could he not be energetic?

Liu Yi took out some dried food, ate a few bites, and drank some water. Then he asked, “Great Sword King, how much farther do we have to go before we reach the Shu region?”

The Great Sword King glanced at the endless distance ahead and thought for a moment before saying, “If we keep traveling at the pace of yesterday, I think we can reach the Shu region by noon today.”

Hope—can give humans the greatest encouragement. As a human, Liu Yi naturally became even more confident upon seeing hope. He stood up, stretched, and said, “Alright, I’m done eating. Are you guys ready?”

Shi Jie Yi finished eating the last piece of dried food and said, “Let’s go! I want to see Ah Jiu.” With that, he ran forward.

Neither Liu Yi nor the Great Sword King noticed that love had such a powerful effect. Shi Jie Yi, who usually loved to sleep in, suddenly rushed ahead. This was a disaster for Liu Yi and the Great Sword King. Liu Yi hadn’t practiced any mental techniques, so he had no foundation in internal energy and felt extremely tired while walking. As for the Great Sword King, although he had some basics, they were… very poor. In one word: tired.

Among the Ten Heroes, they stopped and finally, Liu Yi climbed over the last steep mountain and arrived in the Shu region—a vast expanse with no visible end. It was even more desolate here, but… ahead, he spotted a small building amidst the wasteland.

Liu Yi pointed at the building and asked the Great Sword King, “Didn’t you say… that small building is the legendary Wanjin Building?”

The Great Sword King nodded. “That’s right. There’s only one boss inside, and his subordinates gather information in the martial world that even Longyan can’t see.”

Liu Yi looked at the building and asked curiously, “But there’s no food here. No matter how much gold he has, he’ll starve to death.”

The Great Sword King glanced at Liu Yi and said, “Tch… if he has money, he can just hire a few people to get whatever he wants to eat.”

Liu Yi nodded. “That makes sense. Come, let’s go take a look. We’ve already wasted a month. If there’s no hope this time, it means heaven itself is destroying my Liu family.” Though he said this, Liu Yi still admired the boss of Wanjin Building for being able to survive in such a desolate place. Could this even be called living as a hermit?

Still puzzled, Liu Yi followed the Great Sword King and the Ten Heroes to this so-called Wanjin Building. Inside, it was quite tidy. In the three-story hall, there was an old man with white hair, dressed in strange clothes (resembling those of an ethnic minority). His massive figure made it not an exaggeration to say he might be the reincarnation of a pig. Liu Yi was even more puzzled—how could such a lifestyle give rise to such an obese man?

The Great Sword King stepped forward and said with a grin, “Boss of Wanjin Building, I’ve brought you some business.”

The obese man glanced at the Great Sword King, then at Liu Yi, and said in a shrill voice, “Business? Do you know Wanjin Building’s rules?”

Liu Yi stepped forward, waving his fan. “I’ve heard about your building’s rules from this Great Sword Brother. But as for the person I’m looking for… I’m not sure…”

The obese man glanced at Liu Yi, laughed heartily, and said, “Kid, where are you from, a country bumpkin? How dare you doubt Wanjin Building’s strength? If you go and inquire in the martial world, Wanjin Building can find anyone—whether it’s a deity or an insect—as long as you tell us their name.”

Liu Yi asked in surprise, “Is what the boss says true?”

The man known as the Boss of Wanjin Building nodded. “Of course it’s true. It depends on whether you have silver. As long as you have silver, I can find anyone for you. Besides, I also sell martial world information—provided you have the money.”

Liu Yi gave a signal to the Ten Heroes. One of them took out two banknotes worth five thousand taels each and placed them on the Boss of Wanjin Building’s table. Liu Yi said, “As for martial world information? I don’t think I need it. I just want to know where this person is now.”

Seeing the silver, the Boss of Wanjin Building immediately showed a smile and said with a grin, “Young man, just tell me, and I’ll help you find her right away.”

Liu Yi stepped up to the boss and said, “Her name is A’Jiu. She’s a girl. A few days ago, she ran away from Liu Fu in the Jiangnan region, and her whereabouts have been lost. So, I’d like you to tell me where Miss A’Jiu is.”

Lord Jin slowly removed the tablecloth from the table, revealing a fist-sized round pearl in front of the three of them. It was dark red and extremely beautiful. Lord Jin muttered something unknown, placing both hands on the pearl. Gradually, mist appeared inside it, and after the mist dissipated, Ah Jiu’s figure appeared… It was the imperial palace; in one of the bedrooms, Ah Jiu and a maid were looking at a painting—Liu Yi’s “Dragon and Phoenix Bringing Good Fortune.” Perhaps out of carelessness, she spilled tea on the painting, which was the emperor’s favorite. She would surely be reprimanded by the emperor… A young maid suggested that Ah Jiu disguise herself as a wealthy lady to ask Liu Yi to paint another one, leading to such an absurd situation… But in the end, they managed to obtain Liu Yi’s painting. However, on their way back to the palace, they encountered the demon clan’s leader from Wind Carrier Cave. Everyone in the martial world knew this demonic figure was extremely lustful. How could he let Ah Jiu escape? Thus, Ah Jiu was captured and taken to Wind Carrier Cave. Gradually, the mist inside the pearl rose again, returning to normal. The Ten Heroes were furious, shouting, “What Wind Carrier Cave? I’ll crush it to the ground!”