Volume Two: Snow Over the Qin River, Chapter Four: The Sword Heir

When Xue Wuji reprimanded Feng Qi, many people were present. As a result, by the next day, everyone at Wuhen Peak knew one thing: the new Sword Disciple of Wuhen Peak was Feng Qi.

Although the Divine Dynasty had eased the tensions between the noble clans and the sects, Feng Qi was, without exception, the highest-ranking individual from a noble clan they had ever recruited. Regardless of whether Yanbei had been destroyed, he was, after all, the legitimate heir and the choice of the people.

To say there was no shock would be a lie, but the disciples of the Xueyun Sect did not hold much curiosity or reverence for the noble clans. What truly surprised them was something else: the new Sword Disciple was not the Senior Brother!

The Senior Brother was not only kind-hearted and virtuous, but his cultivation level was also the pride of his generation. He was currently only half a step away from the Yin-Hui Realm, and a breakthrough was likely a matter of these next few years—he surpassed the Sword Disciples of the other peaks in every way.

A person's reputation is generally composed of two parts: character and strength. The Senior Brother's reputation at Wuhen Peak was even higher than that of the Peak Master himself. For years, the fellow disciples had been eagerly awaiting the moment the Peak Master would name the Senior Brother as the Sword Disciple. Now that these hopes were dashed, it was inevitable that there would be criticism. For a time, voices of protest on behalf of Mou Linhan filled Wuhen Peak and then spread throughout the entire Xueyun.

The Sword Disciple of Tasue Peak shook his head upon hearing the news.
The Sword Disciple of Zhuyue Peak cursed twice.
The Sword Disciple of Fenglei Peak was so enraged that he nearly went to shout at the Wuhen Hall, only to be held back.

The attitudes of the Sword Disciples largely represented the attitudes of their respective peaks. Throughout all of Xueyun, there was indeed no one who favored Feng Qi, at least not when compared to Mou Linhan.

At this moment, Mou Linhan was sitting on the edge of a cliff, dangling his feet, unable to touch the clouds below, his face full of annoyance.

The Second Senior Brother, Wan Jiang, sat behind him and chuckled at the sight. "It is just a mass of gas. If you want to step on it, why not just use your sword?"

Mou Linhan turned his head to look at him. "What would be the point of using a sword?"

Wan Jiang suggested again, "If not, you could just hang off the edge of the cliff."

Mou Linhan imagined the scene and then looked at Wan Jiang askance. "That is not elegant at all. We who cultivate the Dao must, of course, carry an air of immortality."

Wan Jiang was speechless, thinking to himself, "Is the Senior Brother an idiot?" He looked at Mou Linhan's back and asked softly, "Brother, is it really all right?"

Mou Linhan hummed. "Which matter are you referring to?"

Wan Jiang sighed. "Sometimes I truly don't know if you are genuinely foolish or just pretending. The disciples in the peak are already arguing over your affairs, yet you act as if it has nothing to do with you."

Mou Linhan said, "Oh, you mean the matter regarding Feng Qi? It is just the identity of a Sword Disciple; I don't see what there is to argue about."

Wan Jiang was surprised. "You aren't the least bit discouraged?"

Mou Linhan smiled. "Why should I be? A position like Sword Disciple is a matter of fortune if gained, and destiny if lost. Since the Master has given it to Feng Qi, it only proves that Feng Qi is more suited for the role than I am. I believe in the Master's judgment."

He paused and continued, "The elders aside, as for the disciples of Wuhen Peak, I am responsible for their teaching and you for their discipline. I spent some time with Feng Qi; he is a good person with both talent and character. Keep a tight rein on the disciples below and don't let these rumors spread, or it will affect the unity of our peak."

Wan Jiang was silent for a moment, then sighed, "As expected of the Senior Brother."

Mou Linhan let out a smug hum, then suddenly slapped his forehead. "Damn it, I forgot something!"

"Wha—" Before Wan Jiang could ask, a streak of sword light flashed past him. Where was there any sign of Mou Linhan?

He looked in the direction Mou Linhan had departed, revealing a mocking smile. "Who are you putting on a show for?" He paused, a cold, sinister glint flashing in his eyes, then turned back to stare at the cliff without another word.

...

When Mou Linhan arrived at Feng Qi's cave dwelling, he realized his worries were truly superfluous.

The sun was already high in the sky, yet the new Sword Disciple of Wuhen Peak was sprawled out on his bed, limbs splayed, a trace of drool at the corner of his mouth. This junior brother clearly had no awareness of his new status!

Mou Linhan sighed and went forward to gently nudge him awake.

Feng Qi opened his sleepy eyes, looking dazed. It took him several seconds to react. "Is there something you need, Senior Brother?"

He had a very good impression of Mou Linhan, not just because of the protection he provided when they traveled south, but because, in the time they spent together, he discovered that Mou Linhan was an authentic person. To speak one's mind and do one's best—that is authenticity.

Mou Linhan's original intention had been to help Feng Qi alleviate his psychological pressure, but seeing this state of affairs, he changed his mind and feigned sternness. "Do you know you are the new Sword Disciple? With such laziness, how will you take on great responsibilities in the future?"

Feng Qi glanced at him and said lazily, "Senior Brother, stop the act. You've given yourself away."

Mou Linhan exclaimed, "Ah," and scratched his head in embarrassment. "I thought I was acting quite well..."

Feng Qi let out an exclamation of disbelief, "The Senior Brother was really acting?"

Mou Linhan said, "Ah," again. "Are you tricking me?"

Feng Qi was not tricking him; he had a very accurate grasp of Mou Linhan's personality. If you let him pretend to be foolish, he was very likely to become truly foolish.

The atmosphere in the cave was awkward. The two stared at each other.

Mou Linhan cleared his throat. "The script was wrong. Can we start over?"

Feng Qi rolled his eyes at him, thinking that even if a stage performer messed up, they just had to carry on. As practitioners of the Dao, their status was far higher than that of a performer; how could they start over? He sighed. "Senior Brother, since you rushed over so urgently, is there something you need to tell me?"

Mou Linhan said, "Nothing major. I was just worried you might be affected by the rumors." Seeing the scene he had walked in on, he added, "It seems I was overthinking it. Since you are fine, I will take my leave."

"Senior Brother," Feng Qi called out to him. "I am fine, but I want to know if you are."

Mou Linhan asked, puzzled, "What could be wrong with me?"

Feng Qi said, "From the day I met you until now, I have seen you do many things and heard many stories about you. From what I have seen and heard, I have reached a conclusion." He looked at Mou Linhan and said earnestly, "Senior Brother is a good person."

Mou Linhan felt a bit embarrassed. "Not at all... I am merely acting according to what the Master taught me."

Feng Qi smiled. "I have read many books and seen many examples of people turning dark due to their status. I do not want to see you become like that, because if the price of me becoming the Sword Disciple is to turn a good person into a bad one, then I would rather not be this Sword Disciple."

Mou Linhan was silent for a moment, then looked into Feng Qi's eyes, his own gaze filled with sincerity.

"I was an abandoned infant. The Master picked me up on a winter night. At that time, I was just three months old. I never expected that in the blink of an eye, I would already be twenty-five."

"Before I came of age, I ate and slept with the Master. It was only after I reached manhood that I had my own cave dwelling, but I still liked to stick by the Master."

"At first, I thought this was just a simple sense of dependence. After all, the Master saved me."

"Later, I realized it was not like that. The reason I liked to stick by the Master was because I had long since viewed him as my family—or, to be precise, my father."

"To a son, a father can do no wrong. Even if he really is wrong, I must treat him as being right."

Feng Qi did not expect the Senior Brother to have such thoughts and for a moment did not know what to say.

Mou Linhan patted him lightly on the shoulder. "At first, when the Master asked me to protect you, I did feel upset. But later, didn't you prove that you have the qualifications to be the Sword Disciple? Even if you hadn't, since you have entered under the Master's tutelage, you are my junior brother. I will protect you just as the Master protected me."

Feng Qi felt these words were a bit melodramatic. Mou Linhan did not think so; he just sighed. "By the way, I heard that for this Inter-Peak Sword Competition, you will be representing Wuhen Peak in the Hunyuan Realm. Perform well, and do not tarnish the prestige of our Wuhen Peak!"

Feng Qi nodded. "Don't worry, Senior Brother. The top spot is guaranteed."

Mou Linhan chuckled. "Don't put too much pressure on yourself. The top spot of the Hunyuan Realm this year is not easy to take. Not to mention that monster at Qianren Peak, even Tasue Peak and Fenglei Peak have many disciples with heaven-sent advantages."

Hearing about the "monster at Qianren Peak," Feng Qi subconsciously thought of the girl he met yesterday. He briefly recounted what happened and asked, "Senior Brother, is the monster you speak of this Innate Sword Body?"

Mou Linhan nodded. "Correct."

Feng Qi did not expect the girl to still be in the Hunyuan Realm. He frowned. "Wouldn't that be troublesome?"

Troublesome? Mou Linhan had not expected to hear such an answer. "What do you mean, Junior Brother?"

Feng Qi sighed. "If the fight is too exhausting, can I just concede?"

Mou Linhan thought for a moment and said, "It is not impossible. But if you choose to concede just because you are afraid of trouble, then you will certainly find yourself in even more trouble."

Feng Qi asked, "Why?"

Mou Linhan laughed. "Because the disciples of Wuhen Peak will surely tear you limb from limb and serve you to Master Baimei as a snack."

Baimei (White Eyebrows), Hongyan (Red Eyes), Jinzhui (Golden Beak), and Yinzhao (Silver Claws) were known as the four guardian sacred beasts of the sect. Within the Xueyun Sect, ostensibly, only Xue Qianzhang was stronger than them.

Feng Qi curled his lip, thinking to himself that everyone knew the sacred beasts were elusive, and he shouldn't be intimidated by such things.

Perhaps seeing through Feng Qi's thoughts, Mou Linhan added, "I heard you made a mistake yesterday and the Master had the fellow disciples take turns with you?"

Feng Qi felt Mou Linhan's choice of words was inappropriate and corrected him, "A rotation battle!"

Mou Linhan smiled. "If you dare to concede, you can multiply yesterday's intensity by ten. That will likely be the punishment the Master has in store for you."

Feng Qi sighed, thinking that was best avoided, and asked, "Then when does this Inter-Peak Sword Competition start?"

Mou Linhan said, "Not counting today, you have four days to prepare. My cave is not far from yours. If there is anything you don't understand, remember to come and ask me."

After saying this, he gave Feng Qi's shoulder an encouraging pat and turned to leave. Feng Qi watched his retreating figure, thinking that while this Senior Brother might be a bit foolish, he was quite a wonderful person.

"How is it? I told you he wouldn't mind, didn't I?" Xue Wuji's voice suddenly came from behind.

Feng Qi did not turn his head. "I never said he would mind. You are the one who feels guilty; don't try to blame it on me."

Xue Wuji choked. "Can't you learn a thing or two from your Senior Brother?"

Feng Qi said, "I suddenly remembered a book. I'll recommend it to the Senior Brother to read next time."

Xue Wuji had a bad feeling. "What book?"

Feng Qi said, "'Chronicles of Qinchuan.' There is a section in it involving the secret history of Xueyun. Hundreds of years ago, the Sword Saint punished a certain disciple for peeping at the senior sisters while they bathed..."

Xue Wuji hurriedly stopped him. "You brat! Do you want to try the feeling of being hung up and beaten too?"

Feng Qi said, "That must hurt a lot, right?"

Xue Wuji huffed, "Good thing you know!"

Feng Qi's eyes rolled. "Since this secret is something that can only be resolved by being hung up and beaten, doesn't that mean... if I make a mistake in the future that warrants being hung up and beaten, I can use this secret to offset it?"

Xue Wuji was furious, wondering if he had taken on a disciple or a disaster.

Feng Qi laughed. "Master, your disciple needs to cultivate and prepare for the battle. Can you... leave me some personal space?"

Xue Wuji raged, "Do you think I like staying here? Sooner or later, I will be angered to death by you!"

Feng Qi smiled. "That's an exaggeration, Master!"

Xue Wuji felt like he had strength he couldn't exert, so he changed the subject. "By the way, I haven't had a chance to ask you: during the Sword Dao session, why did you pass the Sword Technique Compendium to that little girl, Zhou Zihan? Don't try to deflect; I know your temperament better than anyone. Even as a joke, you wouldn't do something like that."

This was the first time Feng Qi had been silent since coming to Xueyun. He wanted to use silence to state his position.

But Xue Wuji had lived for many more years than him and was no fool; he naturally saw through Feng Qi's intention. He said seriously, "You saw her talent was good and thought that as she grows, she can take revenge for you?"

Feng Qi still did not speak.

Xue Wuji said, "The Sword Technique Compendium could bribe many people with higher realms than her. Why her alone?"

Feng Qi said, "It will take some time for me to grow, and she can grow during that time as well."

Xue Wuji nodded. "That is one way of looking at it... but now that Feng Changkong is leading the Northern Expedition Army, they are sweeping through everything. The evil cult has returned to Xuhai, and the barbarians have retreated to the vicinity of the Eighteen Passes. Those idiots in Bohai are delusional to think they can stop a chariot with a mantis; it is futile. By the time you grow up, they might already be dead. Those who aren't will be keeping a low profile. You alone cannot possibly storm the headquarters of the Qixue Pavilion and the Daming Palace, can you? Listen to your Master... let it go."

Feng Qi said, "If you had encountered such a thing, Master, could you let it go?"

Xue Wuji did not answer the question and sighed. "Qi'er, revenge is a price no one can afford."

Feng Qi was silent again, then said, "I only know that without my father and mother, without the soldiers and people of Yanbei, everything I possess is as illusory as a reflection in a mirror or a flower in the water."

Seeing that he could not persuade Feng Qi, Xue Wuji sighed again and disappeared.

"The focus of the Inter-Peak Sword Competition is on the word 'Sword.' Do not use the Overlord Spear, or you will become a laughingstock. Also, a message came from Yanbei... your younger brother... has gone missing."

...