Chapter 1275 - 315: Advancement (2)

Chapter 1275: Chapter 315: Advancement (2)

Lord Zheng was startled.

He knew how sharp this sword was; if he’d been the slightest bit careless earlier, his own fingers would have been neatly chopped off.

"The world is too vast; I only mind the four feet in front of me."

The Sword Saint kept repeating that sentence, while Longyuan continued to float at his side.

"So what if the world is vast? My sword is only four feet long."

The Sword Saint fell into deep thought and sat down cross-legged on the spot.

"What has the vast world to do with me? The body of my sword is but four feet."

The Sword Saint started questioning and answering himself.

"The four feet before me, that is me; beyond those four feet, that is the world."

Longyuan quivered and hummed nonstop; it seemed to have a spirit, joyfully cavorting beside its master.

"The four feet before me, that’s my world."

"Buzz!"

Longyuan dropped straight down in front of the Sword Saint, half its blade thrust into the floor tiles.

The Sword Saint slowly closed his eyes.

"Within four feet before me, I... am invincible."

From Longyuan’s blade, a faint blue barrier began to manifest, like a lampshade, enveloping the Sword Saint inside.

Off to the side,

the corner of Lord Zheng’s mouth twitched subconsciously.

Of course he knew what the Sword Saint was doing now.

He was comprehending; he’d seized an opportunity.

For an existence at the Sword Saint’s level, he was already standing at the very end of the path; trying to advance half a step further, or even just shift a tiny bit, was extremely difficult.

But the man seemed to be walking around with a protagonist’s fate, and Lord Zheng could only feel envy, jealousy, and resentment.

All he’d done was talk a little about worldview, and once it entered the Sword Saint’s ears, it turned into sword cultivation truth.

Though the saying "give someone roses and the fragrance lingers on your hands" sounded beautiful,

Lord Zheng still felt sour inside.

This time’s enlightenment, the Sword Saint most likely wouldn’t gain a promotion in rank, but his understanding of sword cultivation and his grasp of sword techniques would step into a new realm.

The Third Rank is a major realm; moreover, what people call slaughter isn’t purely divided by realm. Otherwise when people of the street met, they could just compare realms, and whoever was lower would admit defeat—there wouldn’t be so much bloody killing.

Like when Xue Three killed Prince Fu back then—Prince Fu relied on drugs, and his realm was much higher than Xue Three’s, but it still didn’t help him.

You need realm, yes, but realm also needs techniques and practical concepts to support it.

It’s like giving the same army to a brilliant commander versus a complete idiot—the difference in outcome.

Lord Zheng was not a broad-minded man.

It took him quite a long while to calm his feelings down.

He sighed.

Why couldn’t he enlighten himself, instead of others?

He shook his head,

picked up the teapot on the tea table, and fished two oranges from the fruit plate, stuffing them into his pocket. After hesitating for a moment, he still left that head where it was, walked around the Sword Saint, stepped outside, and turned back to close the door properly.

Lord Zheng sat down on the steps.

The Sword Saint was in enlightenment,

so he’d just stand guard for him.

He tilted his head back,

opened his mouth,

and drank a stream of cool tea straight from the spout, with a faintly astringent taste.

Not far away,

Xiao Yibo was waiting there.

Presumably when the Sword Saint came in, he hadn’t bothered to conceal himself, so Xiao Yibo had stayed outside waiting for orders, like if Lord Zheng wanted some late-night snacks sent in.

Now that he saw Lord Zheng come out, Xiao Yibo immediately came over.

"You, send someone to let the neighbors next door know—tell them their man’s been found, he’s fine, and he’ll be home tomorrow. Make the wording sound nice.

And then pass a message to Blindie, tell him the kids still need to study properly in the academy."

Lord Zheng wasn’t clear on the business with the child soldiers, but the one in charge of that was Blindie, and he didn’t even need to think about it—obviously Blindie had cooked something up.

"Yes, my lord, I understand. My lord, about here..."

Before he could finish, Lord Zheng waved him off.

Xiao Yibo immediately bowed and withdrew.

Lord Zheng turned and glanced behind him.

He set the teapot to one side,

patted himself down,

and realized he hadn’t brought his China-brand tin case out; but it wasn’t convenient to go back in now, so he could only let it go.

He lifted his head,

and looked at the sky.

The weather was very good tonight,

it wasn’t going to rain;

at this season, even at Snow Sea Pass, it wouldn’t snow;

if only it could hail, that’d be perfect,

so that when the Sword Saint came out, he’d see him, battered black and blue by hail, standing guard for him.

Mm,

but wouldn’t that be a bit too cruel... to himself?

...

In the courtyard where Blindie lived,

Dai Li was kneeling bowed in front of him, giving a report on everything that had happened these past days.

After the report,

Blindie nodded

and said:

"You’ve worked hard these days."

"Serving the Earl’s Mansion, this humble servant does not find it hard!"

"You’re still injured?"

"Minor injuries, minor injuries, not worth Mr. Bei worrying about."

"See to the compensation for your men properly; they died for our Snow Sea Pass. The others will all be rewarded."

"On behalf of the brothers, this humble servant thanks Mr. Bei and Lord Zheng for their great grace."

"Mm, you may go."

"Yes, this humble servant takes his leave."

Dai Li left, and Yuexin came over with a thin blanket, spreading it over Blindie’s knees.

"The damp is heavy at night, go back inside," Yuexin said softly.

Blindie shook his head and said, "A brat is coming later. Go make me a bowl of wontons for when he arrives."

"Alright."

Yuexin went to the kitchen. Blindie’s home didn’t have permanent servants; only a maidservant who came during the day to clean up and do some laundry.

On usual days, Yuexin worked by Siniang’s side. As long as Blindie was at Snow Sea Pass, he always had things to do; but if nothing unexpected happened, the two of them would have dinner and a late-night snack together, cooked by Yuexin.