Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Morning sunlight was perfect. Calm settled over the great river without much wind; only faint murmurs of water trickled beneath the hull occasionally.

Yun Shen gazed at Chen Shu. Traces of the earlier reprimand still lingered as amusement on his face, but it didn’t reach his eyes now. He remained quiet for a long time—until she retreated casually from his embrace, gazing curiously at him with her tilted head.

Then he answered, “And how exactly would I know why the lady hasn’t heard it? Care to… Take off my clothes for a closer listen?”

No matter how slow-witted she was, Chen Shu could still hear the sarcasm in his tone. She faintly hummed before using a reconciliatory tone: “It’s just words. Do you get this grumpy every time you wake up? – We brought you some food.”

Just then, He Yu emerged from Chen Shu’s room. Hearing her words, he raised the flatbread in his hand as a gesture.

Yun Shen raised his eyebrows, glancing at He Yu before looking back at Chen Shu. Seeing the genuine sincerity on her face that didn’t seem faked, he finally stepped to the side, clearing the way. In an instant, Chen Shu slipped nimbly through the gap he made. He Yu and Yun Shen then followed leisurely into the room and closed the wooden door.

The cabin inside was even quieter than outside. Unlike Chen Shu’s warm, cozy room, Yun Shen’s space had the window shut. Dim light flowed in, and aside from a teacup on the small table, there was barely a trace suggesting someone had stayed the night.

Once inside, Yun Shen took the food from He Yu, offering thanks. His first inquiry, however, was identical to Chen Shu’s question earlier: “Brother He, were you conversing with that Biyang Valley disciple outside just now? Has some new trouble arisen?”

This question piqued the interest of Chen Shu, who had already settled herself in a corner of the room. She leaned her body forward in curiosity, her wide, round eyes fixed intently on He Yu.

“No trouble,” said He Yu. He offered Chen Shu a quick smile, emphasizing his words firmly, “Truly no trouble.”

“He just told me that hot-headed one came to apologize,” Chen Shu offered in a tattling manner, turning to Yun Shen. “He mentioned some long-standing feud between Cold Pine Glen and Biyang Valley? So those short-tempered fellows coming to pick fights happens often.”

“Not… really often…” answered He Yu, looking awkward. An embarrassed flush seemed to creep onto his fierce features. “Unlike Biyang Valley, we at Cold Pine Glen seldom leave our sect. It’s only major events for community members like the Sword Discussion Tournament that give us the chance to see the wider world. So, even if every encounter with them follows this pattern… it doesn’t happen frequently enough to call it common.”

“Yet even if the encounters are not frequent, facing such constant bullying each time remains quite a thorny issue,” Yun Shen observed. He wasn’t in a hurry to eat the warm flatbread, holding it idly as he asked He Yu with concern, “Perhaps it’s improper to ask… but might your sect share some profound grudge of blood and vengeance with Biyang Valley?”

In that humid, cramped little cabin, the question landed like a boulder plunging into deep water – a heavy, muffled sound rippled through the silence before settling back. Yet, beneath the apparent calm, like watching the boulder continue its descent through the murky depths until it reached the bottom, tension lingered.

Even Chen Shu fell utterly silent, her eyes fixed quietly on He Yu.

Leaning against the wooden wall by the door, He Yu sighed and responded, “There’s no deep secret about it; it’s merely complex. To explain properly, I need to trace it back several generations…”

The Yushui River flowed steadily ahead. Though this journey was considerably faster than traveling by land, it still meant many long, tedious days confined to the boat with no other diversions. It truly offered her and Yun Shen the perfect chance to listen to He Yu recount his tale.

Originally, Cold Pine Glen had languished in decline for a considerable period. It was said that a century ago, its situation was even more pitiable. Fortunately, lesser sects within its circle floundered without substantial progress. More crucially, in its time, Master He’s mentor managed to cultivate a small cadre of formidable new talent, thereby narrowly sustaining the sect at the very pinnacle of the nine smaller sects until the present era.

Meanwhile, Biyang Valley contrasted sharply. Already from the previous generation, its trajectory had been stable and ascending solidly. Having advanced from its average standing among the nine smaller sects to a position near the top, it had securely occupied the foremost rank among them for several decades – that is, until the Sword Discussion Tournament took place.

Indeed, ultimately, these old enmities initially took root precisely at the Sword Discussion Tournaments.

The biennial Sword Discussion Tournament gradually became standardized over a century. Now, members of the wulin community have totally forgotten whether the prefect or high commander who originally proposed the biannual tournament resided at Diancang Pass. However, due to the implementation of this new tournament structure, a formal division between the six major sects and the nine smaller sects became necessary.

As a tournament, to differentiate participating sects for the Sword Discussion, distinctions were made – those demonstrating exceptional strength in contrast to those seeming relatively minor participants. Consequently, the structure was simply defined as the “six major sects” and “the nine smaller sects.” The Six Majors naturally received more participant slots. The “nine smaller sects” had simply been an assortment of minor groups hastily included to meet a quota – a varied mix comprising numerous traditions. Therefore, even an outstanding candidate from these minor sects might struggle to receive more than two slots. Thus, through this straightforward split, the tournament schedule could remain clear.

The tournament contained three broad stages: The first preliminary round involved combatants representing either minor sects unaffiliated with the core membership groups or truly independent martial artists in the broader wulin community. Stage two featured exclusively members of the nine smaller sects contesting against one another. Following that contest, the prevailing group would enter the third stage to confront champions sent by the prestigious six major sects – culminating in the final matches to determine the ultimate victor.

Across the generations, more and more importance was attached to its results by dedicated martial artists. Therefore, for Biyang Valley – now the leader among the nine smaller sects – to advance into the ranks of the six major sects and gain substantial standing within their community, performing well specifically at this biennial Sword Discussion Tournament became critical.

Since it consistently ranked as the foremost among the nine smaller sects, Biyang Valley, logically, frequently encountered the very lowest-ranked within that category during second-stage matchups: Cold Pine Glen.

Now, too much time has passed. Regarding the earliest tournaments, the precise reason eludes historical certainty. Regardless, the outcome remains: Biyang Valley, occupying the top position among the nine smaller sects, consistently found Cold Pine Glen impossible to overcome.

Various rumors circulated: Some insisted that Biyang Valley desperately offered yearly tribute to Cold Pine Glen, only to have their gifts repeatedly rejected. Others contended that Cold Pine Glen maintained covert ties with the lowest-ranked among the six major sects — namely, the Carefree Palace. Still others blamed endemic factionalism and chaos within Biyang Valley itself as the cause, thereby exonerating any fault elsewhere. Whatever the truth, for over two decades, the ambitious Biyang Valley never once progressed even to the third stage of the tournament.

Thus was enmity first firmly planted.

Generation gave way to generation. Eventually, when disciples like Master He emerged as a senior brother, Cold Pine Glen truly produced one or two extraordinary individuals. Consequently, given that the tournament relied primarily on the performance of merely two or three representatives per sect, Cold Pine Glen, bolstered by its one or two prodigies, persistently suppressed Biyang Valley, preventing advancement stage after stage. Moreover, Master He’s own mentor possessed not only extraordinarily fierce pride but also an equally intense drive to triumph. During a certain tournament, in his pursuit of victory, he gravely injured a highly talented prospect belonging to Biyang Valley.

Naturally, conflicting accounts emerged regarding the incident. Master He’s mentor stubbornly maintained his opponent had initiated the attack with murderous intent. However, the injured Biyang Valley disciple suffered permanent damage; his swordsmanship skills were permanently lost. Enraged at seeing his favored disciple crippled, the Head of Biyang Valley nearly mobilized the Valley’s forces against Cold Pine Glen itself, demanding an explanation. Yet, the Sword Discussion Tournaments explicitly declared no liability existed for life-or-death outcomes. Furthermore, the influential League Master intervened personally to broker reconciliation. Consequently, open warfare was avoided, yet a grudge of vengeance deepened profoundly thereafter.

Among members of the wulin community, it became whispered knowledge: Upon joining Biyang Valley, the very first admonition senior brothers and sisters would impart to new disciples was this stark imperative— “With Cold Pine Glen, never interact, regardless of life or death circumstances!”

This marked He Yu’s third participation in the Sword Discussion Tournament. During his two prior participations, Master He Yu’s own mentor accompanied the team. Consequently, the disputes between the two sects became notoriously tense – frequent accusations would flare, tempers flaring to extremes both visible and dramatic.

Under guidance from Master He Yu’s mentor, those Cold Pine Glen representatives at the tournaments reflected uncompromising stubbornness in their attitude, equally intense as their opponents. Consequently, although rarely erupting openly into significant conflict during the tournaments themselves, secret clashes between contingents occurred constantly. Consequently, disciples sent by either sect who initially embarked on the journey physically intact would inevitably appear later: Multiple participants invariably arrived bearing blackened bruises around swollen eyes or stumbled unevenly onto the staging area – their obvious injuries conspicuously overlooked by the elderly sect elders seated above overseeing proceedings.

Yet, even during those occasions, He Yu traveled accompanied by a group of fellow disciples.

He finds himself entirely without companions on this journey. Consequently, He Yu felt he had neither the desire nor conceivable capacity to deliberately initiate fresh rivalrous confrontations against Biyang Valley; thus, suppressing his impulses became essential.

“Were my guesses accurate, Miss Chen? Have you also set your journey toward Diancang Pass, meaning to participate in the Sword Discussion Tournament?” He Yu shifted his conversation’s direction. “Since the subject arises, permit this humble brother a potentially unwelcome piece of counsel: Undoubtedly, Miss Chen possesses truly remarkable martial abilities. Nevertheless, please recognize: The Sword Discussion Tournament assembles warriors of every conceivable background throughout our martial realm, all fiercely competing every fifth year for exceptionally valuable prizes. Consequently, I observe that Miss, hailing as you likely do from some established noble lineage, appears to embody a bright simplicity and untainted spirit – one perhaps entirely unfamiliar with such treacherous brutality common among certain competitors. Therefore, if your ultimate participation proceeds, gaining comprehensive awareness beforehand seems essential to your wellbeing.”

While eating the half piece of flatbread she had snatched from Yun Shen, Chen Shu tilted her head and mumbled, “What… brutal methods? Brother He, tell me about them?”

“Breaking legs, breaking arms, those are small matters,” He Yu replied after a pause. “Over the years, I’ve seen people blinded by poison, seen half their skin burned off alive, and I’ve even seen someone on the stage stabbed a thousand times and still refusing to admit defeat, bleeding to death.”

“Oh, is that all—cough!”

In the middle of her sentence, Chen Shu felt Yun Shen squeeze her arm hard, causing her to suddenly choke, almost bringing tears to her eyes. She looked at Yun Shen, and after a moment of staring at each other in surprise, she realized and reluctantly conceded, puffing her cheeks as she said, “…That’s pretty scary, thanks for the reminder, Brother He.”

He Yu didn’t pay attention to their little exchange. He gazed out of the window and said in a deep voice, “…Little Chen, you know the stakes. I’m just offering a few pointers; I’m sure you don’t need further persuasion.”

“I know Brother He is looking out for me,” Chen Shu said. Even though she couldn’t fully grasp what was troubling He Yu, she sensed his bad mood and raised her voice, saying, “Why are you calling me so formally? No one at the sect calls me Little Chen. When you say it like that, I can hardly tell you’re calling for me!”

“Then how do they call you at the sect?” He Yu finally showed a smile on his face and turned to ask.

“Senior brothers and sisters call me ‘Shu Shu’,” Chen Shu counted on her fingers, then suddenly blushed as she realized what she was saying. “But that’s something from when I was a child… I’ve grown up now, so don’t call me that anymore! Just call me ‘Little Shu’!”

He Yu was taken aback, then laughed heartily, repeating, “Alright, then I’ll call you ‘Little Shu’ from now on!”

He pushed the door open and left, leaving Chen Shu behind to reluctantly give up her place on Yun Shen’s bed. It was only after He Yu left that Chen Shu noticed Yun Shen had been silent ever since that squeeze, quietly watching without a hint of what he was thinking.

She looked up at Yun Shen, about to say goodbye, only to see his deep eyes gently curve as he mimicked her tone, saying, “‘Little Shu’?”

This time, Chen Shu was stunned. She couldn’t identify the emotions that surged through her; they left her feeling a bit choked. She stared at Yun Shen for a long moment, and it wasn’t until he retracted his lighthearted smile that she snapped back to reality and, feeling a bit shy, replied, “…Oh, since Brother He is calling me ‘Little Shu,’ he must be willing to return my sword!”