"I… am I going to die?"
Feeling his attack completely shattered by the opponent's sword intent, Yanqing's mind was flooded with a rapid-fire montage of memories.
He remembered the first time he ever held a sword.
He remembered the brilliance of his youth, when he claimed the title of the Luofu's Number One Swordsman at such a young age.
A bitter taste welled up in Yanqing's heart.
"Only those who are alive can be called geniuses."
"The dead are nothing at all."
Those were the words the general once said to him, echoing clearly in his mind.
Yes. Only the living could be called geniuses.
And now, he no longer qualified… because—
He was about to die at the hands of another swordsman.
"General… I understand everything you said now…"
"But Yanqing… won't be able to thank you anymore…"
Bitterness surged through him as he closed his eyes, quietly waiting for death to arrive.
"Yanqing, even if you're about to die, you must still strike with presence."
"Strike so fiercely that your opponent feels they only won by luck."
Once again, the general's voice resurfaced in his mind.
Jingliu: Just how exactly did you raise this kid?
Yanqing opened his eyes.
He gripped his sword once more and poured every last bit of strength into it, swinging his "final strike."
"You… are the challenger!"
He shouted at the top of his lungs.
But his attack was still crushed by the sword aura.
In the end, the sword energy came crashing down, carving a massive gash into the ground. Around that gash, biting frost spread in all directions.
…
"I… didn't die?"
Feeling no pain at all, Yanqing voiced his confusion.
"That's right. You didn't die."
Jingliu sheathed her greatsword and covered her eyes once more with black cloth. Hearing Yanqing's words, she gave a calm nod.
"Why… didn't you kill me?" Yanqing asked, staring at her in confusion.
"Why would I kill you?"
With a casual wave of her hand, Jingliu cleared away the frost covering the field. She glanced at Yanqing and countered his question.
"I…"
"Of course, if you want me to kill you myself."
"I can do so right now."
Black mist seeped out around Jingliu as killing intent instantly locked onto Yanqing.
"!"
The moment he felt that murderous pressure, Yanqing felt as though his entire body had plunged into absolute zero.
Just how many people would someone have to kill to possess killing intent like this?
Sweat broke out across his forehead, his back, his hands, all at once.
Seeing Yanqing's reaction, Jingliu withdrew her killing intent. Her tone softened slightly as she explained.
"You have developed an awareness known as 'swordsman.' It's still weak, but at your age, it's already quite good."
Jingliu rarely praised anyone, and this was one of those rare moments. Of course, if Yanqing could rein in his temperament a bit, that would be even better.
She did not say that part out loud. That was Jing Yuan's responsibility, not hers.
"Thank you…" Yanqing lowered his head and spoke quietly. The sharp edge he once had was completely gone.
No matter how one looked at it, the woman before him was leagues beyond him in swordsmanship.
The arrogance he once carried vanished in an instant. Yanqing went from acting like the big boss to looking like a meek junior.
But… someone this powerful, a swordsman of the Luofu…
Why had he never heard of her?
When Yanqing first stepped onto the path of the sword, he admired every swordsman whose name was recorded in books.
Yet he had never heard the name Jingliu. Never once seen it written anywhere.
"Huh?"
Wait. Jingliu…
Something suddenly clicked in Yanqing's mind. Shock spread across his face.
The shock quickly turned into excitement and reverence.
"You… you you you… you're the Grandmaster!"
"The Luofu's Sword Champion, Lady Jingliu!!!"
"Sword Champion…" Hearing that title, Jingliu fell into a brief reverie.
"What a distant term," she murmured.
Recalling her experiences after becoming Sword Champion, even her heart, now as still as dead water, rippled faintly.
"So you really are the Grandmaster!!!" Yanqing exclaimed, her words confirming his suspicions.
This was his idol.
Yanqing had heard Jing Yuan tell countless stories about Jingliu.
Every single one was the kind of legendary tale every swordsman dreamed of.
His eyes sparkled as he stared at her, wishing he could examine every detail of her from head to toe.
Please, let me be the one!
"Uh…"
But soon, Yanqing remembered how he had acted toward Jingliu earlier. The excitement and admiration drained from his face, replaced by deep regret.
If this person was the former Sword Champion…
His own grandmaster…
Then just now… just now he had…
What exactly had he done?!
The memory of his mocking, arrogant behavior moments ago made regret flood his heart.
"My image in Grandmaster's eyes is probably completely ruined…"
"I am Jingliu, but not the Jingliu you know," Jingliu said calmly, sensing his gaze and seeing straight through his thoughts.
She was long used to this kind of look.
Or rather, she no longer cared for it.
As for Yanqing's earlier mockery, Jingliu did not take it to heart. Youthful arrogance was not necessarily a bad thing.
…
2 Chapters Per Day. For more chapters/fics, goto ErbiumTL on Patreon.