Chapter 23: Master and Disciple Talk
After the Treasure Light Temple was the Cottage Stone Sword Workshop, and then was the Qing Mountain Sword School.
The old princ.i.p.al of the Qing Mountain Sword School was Nie Yinshan. His status was very special. He had been a marshal general when the Qin fought the Han. In the views of many people, had he not lost his sword-wielding arm in the battle of the Giant Wolf Mountain against the Han and forced to retire, he would have a seat among the subsequent thirteen marquises of Qin.
Nie Yinshan’s early retirement as an army general was a thing to be pitied, but as the princ.i.p.al of Qing Mountain Sword School he had enjoyed many fortuitous years and taught a good student.
His student was Yin Xun, the once abandoned disciple of a certain sword school. But under his teachings, among the last group of Changling’s young people, his breakthrough speed of realm seven ranked in the top five.
Yin Xun was strongest in the flying sword and it was the same after realm seven. He was recognized in Changling for being the grandmaster with the strangest and most unpredictable flying sword. He cultivated the sword, and not the path of ghosts, but all the cultivators of Changling were used to calling him the Ghost Swordmaster.
When the pillar of light from Treasure Light Temple rose, Nie Yinshan summoned Yin Xun.
The army had not arrived at Qing Mountain Sword School. The grandmaster of Cottage Stone Sword School had not yet fought Mo Shoucheng. But Nie Yinshan already knew the kind of order the empress had sent out tonight, and used a few simple sentences to tell Yin Xun about what was happening in Changling right now.
Yin Xun’s first reaction was intense. Bright sword light appeared around him, the power in his body uncontrollably leaking out.
“Do not be like them.” Nie Yinshan looked calmly at him and said, “I called you here so you will not be like them.”
Yin Xun could not understand. He took a deep breath and said, “Why?”
Nie Yinshan did not answer his question and asked, “What do you feel is the best thing to do?”
Yin Xun looked at him and said, “Flee from Changling.” After a slight pause, he went on to say coldly: “As long as there are many opposing cultivation places, she naturally cannot succeed.”
Nie Yinshan shook his head. “There will not be too many cultivation places that will resist.”
Yin Xun looked at the pillar of light that had just disappeared, and felt that his beloved teacher’s words were laughable. He thought of the three years before Yuanwu’s ascension … Could the present Changling endure such a b.l.o.o.d.y storm? Did it dare endure this b.l.o.o.d.y storm?
“The present Changling is not the Changling of the past.” Nie Yinshan read his thoughts and smiled with grief and joy. “You should know the present thirteen marquises are the ones left behind after the sorting out back then. Ministers Li and Yan will not object … Spirit Void Sword Sect and Min Mountain Sword Sect have put themselves away from Changling’s matters these past few years. If Min Mountain Sword Sect and Spirit Void Sword Sect will not stand up, the dragon has no head. The more vicious her moves, the easier it is to succeed.”
“In the end, Changling will lose many cultivators, and even cultivation places. But the power will be gathered in the imperial city. This is something no other dynasty has ever done.”
Nie Yinshan looked at Yun Xin who had an increasingly bad expression. He said slowly, “Even more importantly, the gathering of power in the imperial city is what that person suggested at the beginning of the Shang Family reformation. All these years, Yuanwu and Zheng Xiu only followed his path back then of dominating the world. Both Minister Yan and Li, and those marquises … most of them agree with this view. Those people who did not agree with his view were not able to achieve high positions in the cleansing of that revolution.”
“What!” Yin Xun finally could not control his emotions and exclaimed in disbelief.
“Gather all those people together so they would win against the old aristocrats, make a reformation until they build the powerful Qin Dynasty it is now … those were that person’s ambitions and views.”
Nie Yinshan smiled emotionally. “Even in the time of the You Emperor, while the countries all submitted, once the You Emperor died, the dynasty collapsed, and the va.s.sal kingdoms fought without rest. Never has any dynasty ever united the world. What that person wanted to do was not just to unite the world, it was to gather all power to the court and have one order be carried out through the world.”
After a long pause, Nie Yinshan looked at the speechless Yin Xun and said, “He thought if all cultivation places were put into the military, they could be commanded like the people and the military. So even if some cultivation places would lose their natural replacements, the integrated power will be much stronger than now. Use schools to replace cultivation places so everyone in the world can cultivate. With full schools, choose the best when the time comes. That was that person’s thought.”
Yin Xun still could not speak.
Nie Yinshan laughed emotionally. “But this is like a reformation. Zheng Xiu did not have such courage in these years.”
Yin Xun suddenly came to a complete realization. He looked at Nie Yinshan and said heavily, “It’s the Nine Death Silkworm!”
This time, Nie Yinshan did not speak.
Yin Xun continued coldly. “Min Mountain Sword Sect and Spirit Void Sword Sect together are not enough to be the head. The Nine Death Silkworm is the head of the dragon. She fears the Nine Death Silkworm and many cultivators in Changling will be gradually used by the Nine Death Silkworm. She wants to quickly turn the Qin Dynasty into iron. So no matter how strong the Nine Death Silkworm is, it will be hard to have help. How can a person fight a dynasty.”
Nie Yinshan sighed softly. “It’s a pity-”
Yin Xun was inexplicably furious. “Since she is fated to succeed, how is it a pity?”
“But she has been slow for many years.” Nie Yinshan looked at him and shook his head. “Back then, the destruction of the Ba Mountain Sword Field was the best opportunity. The cultivation places of Changling were frightened by her killings, and the court had been cleansed. The n.o.bility that time had no other thoughts. But that person entered Changling alone with his sword and killed too many of hers and Yuanwu’s cultivators. Ba Mountain Sword Field’s Yan Xinlan chose the same method, causing her and Yuanwu to not have enough experts to use. If they forcibly continued, the Chu, Yan and Qi would have sent armies together.”
“It is many years late, and many have other thoughts. The more easily she succeeds this time, the less the people who like her will die, and the more hidden dangers there will be. This iron may not be so strong.”
“She managed to kill that person back then, but that person used his sword to kill so many of her people and left behind the Nine Death Silkworm, delaying her by many years. In my view, if this is considered as an overall situation, the two of them won a match each.”
Yin Xun knew that his master had once been a general, and his views were naturally different from ordinary grandmasters. Now, he understood that his master was telling him to accept Zheng Xiu’s orders and not resist, but he suddenly felt humiliated and confused. Nie Yinshan looked at him as he slowly hung his head and his lips trembled. He seemed to see inside.
Nie Yinshan sighed softly and looked up at the bright moon. He said softly, “Whether to stand with the greater righteousness and build an unprecedented empire that will last forever or feel injustice and fight because other people’s conduct are too despicable … Back then, many in Changling made different choices. But in reality, the final choice is only one’s own emotions and spirits.”
“You are the student I taught by myself.” Nie Yinshan turned to look at Yin Xun. “If you fight, I hope you fight for the dynasty, for your friends and relatives. You take your own measure. It is best not to partic.i.p.ate in her grievances with others. Life is like war, war is everywhere.”