Nine Star Hegemon Body Art

Wu Yuewei said that there were very few smart women who actually didn’t have a dark side. Still, this girl who was probably the smartest in the eyes of the citizens of Libei had already been foolish over him for a lifetime plus eight years.

Only today did Xu Tingsheng get to witness her other side for once.

She even said that she could be Bai Yueguang and Zhu Shazhi in Zhang Ailing’s works. It was actually already the second time she was expressing something like this. The first time had been after Xu Qiuyi’s university entrance examinations. The two had met at the station in Jiannan and taken a train back to Libei together.

That day, Wu Yuewei had helped Xu Tingsheng to pluck off a white hair and tied a knot. That day, she had said, “I’m silly, right? Actually, when I was upset in the past, I also fumed like a child and told myself that if I continued to like you, my surname wouldn’t be Wu anymore.”

“Senior.”

““Actually, I made such vows many times. Once in ninth grade, once in tenth grade, once after graduating from senior high, everyday in university…so, I actually stopped being surnamed Wu long ago, just that nobody knows. What is my surname then? I probably want it to be Xu, but…it doesn’t seem the country would allow it.”

The country wouldn’t allow it…

Two of these expressions-if Xu Tingsheng still could not understand, he would really be dense. Still, he could only pretend not to understand, just as he could not get why it was like that but was not able to ask about it.

……

Two days after Wu Yuewei’s departure, Xu Tingsheng left the archaeological team too.

Leaving with him was Professor Yan Zhengyu.

The old man had been working under immense pressure previously and had been barely holding on. Afterwards, stimulated by Xu Tingsheng’s ‘death’ that night, the fatigue in his mind and body had erupted completely as he would really collapse if he did not take a break.

Xu Tingsheng changed his flight destination to Jianan to send his teacher back to his university.

Yan Zhengyu said, “No need. I’m still not that old yet.”

Xu Tingsheng could only say, “I made a few friends the last time I went to Jianan University. I want to make use of this chance to see them…if I don’t go now, it’ll be difficult to meet again after graduation.”

He was not lying. Xu Tingsheng still had some things left unfinished in Jianan University. Or rather, there were still some people’s fates that he sought to change.

On the plane, Xu Tingsheng closed his eyes for a while. Because he was not in a deep sleep, he soon vaguely heard Yan Zhengyu singing an opera part that he had never heard before in rather high spirits beside him.

“What opera is this from, teacher?” Xu Tingsheng opened his eyes and asked.

“<>.” Yan Zhengyu said.

“This isn’t so good, teacher…” Xu Tingsheng joked, “Digging Cao Cao’s mausoleum while also singing a part where he lost face.”

“What do you know?” Yan Zhengyu faked a rebuking expression, “The Cao Mengde seen on Changban Slope was benevolent, loving talent. Just how much did it surpass Liu Xuande’s hypocrisy? Surveying all of the three kingdoms, speaking of loving talent, no one can surpass Cao Cao.”

Xu Tingsheng thought about it, “That makes sense. Had it been anyone else, Guan Yu would probably have died eight hundred times over.”

Yan Zhengyu nodded, narrating in a lecturing tone after a while, “Cao Cao had two treasured swords. One was Yitian, the other Qinggang. He wielded the Yitian Sword with the Qinggang wielded by Xiahou En.

The Qinggang sword cut through iron as if it was mud, being sharp beyond compare. At the time, drunk on his might, Xiaohou En focused only on wresting and looting behind Cao Cao’s back. Who would have thought that he would run into Zhao Yun, stabbing him dead with but a single spear and wresting that sword from him. Seeing the golden characters ‘Qinggang’ on the scabbard, only then did he know it to be a treasured sword.”

With spear and sword in hand, Zhao Yun killed his way into the encirclement. As the Cao army surged, Zhao Yun brandished the Qinggang Sword and hacked wildly around. Where his hand waved, blood gushed like a spring over clothes and armour.

It was rumoured amongst the public that when Guan Yu’s daughter, Guan Yinping, later married the son of Li Hui, Li Weicheng, this sword was gifted by Zhao Yun to her. It was then buried with Miss Guan after her death.

“Also, it is written in the Records of the Three Kingdoms that Cao Cao used the Yitian Sword to inspire and the Qinggang Sword to kill. Of the two, he equipped the ‘Yitian Sword’.”

The old professor was suddenly speaking of tales and legends. Logically speaking, it should not be coming from him.

Unable to understand, Xu Tingsheng asked despondently, “What do you mean, teacher?”

“The Qinggang Sword was wrested away by Zhao Yun. The Yitian Sword’s location is unknown…” Yan Zhengyu smiled, “We unearthed two iron swords previously in this time’s excavation. One had virtually lost its form. The other, while slightly better, with some carvings visible on it, was sadly corroded beyond recognition.”

“Yes. So?”

“Then, the ancient sword that you and Student Wu got back that night was extremely well preserved…” Yan Zhengyu said in a hushed tone, “Professor Ma and the others are in the midst of trying to appraise it. They say that it’s Yitian…”

Xu Tingsheng was dazed, only responding after a while, “Weren’t those two swords fictional? Or the stuff of legends.”

“Didn’t you study history in senior high? Don’t you know that even legends have historical value? Of the history in the era of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, at least half of them were sorted out from legends…”

“That’s true. It’s gonna be crazy then!” Xu Tingsheng exclaimed.

“We’ll see when the appraisal result is out. Even if it isn’t Yitian or anything, as long as the dating is accurate, that will already be enough to show many things. Also, it will be a national treasure,” Yan Zhengyu reached out and patted Xu Tingsheng’s shoulder.

After a while, Xu Tingsheng fell asleep again. In his dream, Wu Yuewei’s clothes billowed in the wind as she stood there valiantly, wielding the Heavenly Sword Yitian, unsheathing it and pointing it at him, “Senior, it’s been two lifetimes…two lifetimes of bending and acquiescing…after all that, aren’t you going to account for things to me?”

It seemed like Zhou Zhiruo had stabbed Zhang Wuji with the Heavenly Sword before, right?

Xu Tingsheng did not know whether to laugh or cry when he woke up. While that had been a dream, whatever the case, Wu Yuewei was someone who had truly wielded a divine weapon before, right…It was no wonder that all of a sudden, her entire aura and poise had changed.

……

Xu Tingsheng returned to Jianan University.

After sending Professor Yan home, knowing that he ate at the cafeteria much of the time, Xu Tingsheng went to town to buy some groceries and cooked dinner for his teacher.

Teacher and student drank a bit of wine. Yan Zhengyu was rather astonished by how familiar Xu Tingsheng was with the situation around the academy city and his cooking proficiency. Unable to explain the former, Xu Tingsheng could only boast mightily of the latter.

After a while, Yan Zhengyu asked, “Right, do you want me to think of a way to fix that copper mirror for you?”

There was a dent in Xu Tingsheng’s warring states copper mirror due to the bullet as it was no longer level. Yan Zhengyu seemed to have a way to fix it. Still, Xu Tingsheng thought about it and refused. He wanted to keep that dent where the bullet had struck, to remind himself…at some point in time, he had been a mere few centimetres from having his heart penetrated, from once again leaving his parents and Xiang Ning.

It was precisely because of this that Xu Tingsheng had chosen to make a trip back to Jianan University before he went all out against Zhou Yuandai. He sought to change the fate of a roommate of his previous life.

He was afraid that he might not have another chance to do so.

After dinner, Xu Tingsheng gave Yu Yue a call, asking him if his roommates were all there.

Clearly rather taken aback upon receiving Xu Tingsheng’s call, Yu Yue said after a while, “Three of them went out for the night…”

Indeed, they were the same as ever!

“In that case, when they get back tomorrow, tell them this,” Xu Tingsheng smiled, “I’m inviting everyone to dinner tomorrow night…as for the programme afterwards, choose whatever you like…”