The Path Toward Heaven

Gu Han knew where Liu Shisui went.

After his own successful initial riding of the flying sword, he went up to the top of the clouds as well.

Riding the flying sword is a wonderful experience for a practitioner; who doesn’t want to see how high the sky actually is after their initial success.

Hearing the cheers from the ground below, Gu Han looked up at the top of the peak and thought, You aren’t the only one with natural Dao quality here at the Green Mountain Sect.

Seeing where he was staring, the chubby man understood what was on his mind.

“Sister Zhao doesn’t want to enter Liangwang Peak, meaning she must have her own plan, so don’t be so angry anymore, Brother,” he counseled.

Gu Han didn’t drop the topic and said, “It’s a critical period in Liu’s practice, so don’t let him see that useless person, since he might have a bad influence on him.”

The chubby man was startled a little at first, and soon realized he was talking about Jing Jiu.

…

…

Jing Jiu returned to his cave manor.

Different from the cave at the back of a small courtyard at the South Pine Pavilion, the present residence was really a minor cave.

All the cave minors were located on the cliffs along the banks of the Stream of Sword Washing, which were very quiet and undisturbed, possessing a superb scenery.

A plate of precious fruits and a kettle of water appeared in front of the minor cave every morning. Of course, the precious fruits here were much better than those at the outer sect. Those responsible for distributing them were not caretakers anymore, but rather sword boxers.

As the number one sword sect in the land, the Green Mountain Sect had so more resources and accumulation than imaginable.

Jing Jiu saw this kind of display many times over and didn’t get sentimental; he picked a nice-looking fruit and ate it, throwing the leftovers to the monkeys in the woods behind the cave and lied down on the bamboo chair again.

He took out the Scripture of Swords from his sleeve and stopped reading after a mere few lines.

It was similar to the situation at the South Pine Pavilion; his Spiritual Fountain was too deep and broad, and it needed time, a lot of time, to turn into the nutrients Sword Embryo needed to become the Sword Fruit.

The good thing was that it wouldn’t take too long this time, and if he wanted to go to the peak to get the sword, no formation of the Sword Pill was needed.

He picked a grain of white sand to place on the ceramic plate, but found out his mental state wasn’t very steady today.

This was very rare for him, so he put away the ceramic plate along with the sands, and closed his eyes to begin his meditation.

He opened his eyes after a long time.

The sun had set and the stars were rising and twinkling.

Liu Shisui was standing by the bamboo chair.

It was as if the scene by the pond three years ago in a flashback.

“Young Master.”

Liu Shisui bowed to him in courtesy happily. “Please don’t blame Brother Gu, he is a good guy, just a bit strict,” he explained while thinking about what had happened earlier in the day.

Jing Jiu heard this and discovered an issue.

“Brother?”

His eyebrows raised slightly as he asked.

Liu Shisui smiled shyly and said, “I should call him Master Gu, but he thinks I am good enough, and said he would accept me at the Inherited Sword Competition. So he lets me call him Brother in private.”

He conveyed neither pride nor arrogance, simply a happy face.

Jing Jiu smiled without saying anything.

Liu instinctively laughed and felt warmth on his cheeks, not knowing what to do, so he stood up and walked over to make Jing’s bed and tidy up Jing’s belongings.

The person with natural Dao quality, favored by the Green Mountain Sect and wanted by the Liangwang Peak to be their gifted disciple, was making bed for newly the arrived inner sect disciple and doing it with so much ease.

Anyone would be stunned beyond words upon seeing this.

But the more surprising thing was that Jing Jiu didn’t attempt to stop him at all.

After making the bed and cleaning up the floor in front of the minor cave, Liu started telling Jing all about what he had done and whom he met during the two years.

Jing Jiu listened quietly, smiling every once in a while, saying a few words here and there.

He didn’t show any impatience, close his eyes, or fall asleep, quite a contrast from the scene in the village.

Liu Shisui felt a bit boring because it was just him talking the entire time.

He actually wanted to know how Jing Jiu spent his time at the South Pine Pavilion over the year; why had he suddenly become diligent? How come he could reach the State of Spiritual Stability and enter the inner sect?

It seemed Jing Jiu didn’t have any interest in talking about that.

Did he feel that our relationship became strange after this one year?

Liu got an idea and stood up excitedly. “Young Master, let me introduce you and Brother Gu so that you can get to know each other. He will appreciate your talent for sure. Even if he isn’t willing to accept you into the peak at the Inherited Sword Competition, he is for sure going to practice sword work with you; then we’ll be together again.”

“Don’t bother,” said Jing Jiu without even giving it a thought, shaking his head.

Liu was startled a little and said, “Young Master, you probably don’t know that Liangwang Peak is the most marvelous place of our Great Green Mountain, and everyone on the peak is a young disciple of the third generation with no peak master or other elders; though masters from the other peaks go there to teach us, meaning that as long as you are a disciple of Liangwang, you can learn any sword style of the nine peaks….”

His voice got lower and lower until it became silence.

It was because Jing Jiu didn’t show any interest.

Liu Shisui felt somewhat disappointed.

Jing Jiu saw his expressions and explained a bit.

“I am truly not interested, because I don’t like the Liangwang Peak or…heh…your Brother Gu.”

Liu was quite surprised and never thought someone could dislike Liangwang Peak!

“Liangwang Peak is the sword of the Green Mountain, and the disciples are responsible for patrolling the sect to prevent the incursions from the Old Ones and the Underworld demons, and for representing the Great Green Mountain during the Plum Meeting held very ten years; you can pretty much say that the Cultivation is meant for constant fighting and bloodshed, but no one disciple ever withdrew. How can you, a disciple of the Green Mountain, dislike it?”

“Not to mention that Brother Gu is really a good guy.”

“It’s a wrong to say that you dislike it.”

“I don’t care whether he is a good person or not, and I might still dislike him even if he were a saint,” Jing Jiu said.

Liu Shisui was bewildered for a short while, and found what Jing Jiu said didn’t quite make any sense, but couldn’t find what was wrong with it.

“I simply can’t persuade you to do anything.”

Liu felt somewhat uncomfortable, since he couldn’t figure out why Jing Jiu disliked Brother Gu when he was such a nice guy.

Was it because of the punishment Liu Shisui got from Brother Gu that day on the peak?

What about Liangwang Peak?

The more Liu Shisui thought about it, the more he felt there must be one possibility, remaining silent.

…

…

Leaving the minor cave and walking along the mountain path for about a quarter mile, Liu Shisui stepped on the sword and flew away.

He didn’t want Jing Jiu to see this scene to avoid hurting his feelings.

The flying sword soared upward along the cliff walls, soon shattering a few patches of clouds and coming to a high elevation of the night sky.

The chilly wind hitting his face, Liu Shisui didn’t feel the cold, instead feeling a bit warm, even though he didn’t use the Sword Source to protect his body.

No doubt, riding on the flying sword was definitely the most exciting thing to do for him at the moment.

Looking at the clouds beneath the stars and the Stream of Sword Washing below and the group of peaks not far away, he couldn’t help but yell out, and then covered his mouth with hands when he realized what he just did.

…

…

Jing Jiu lifted his head and looked up at the night sky.

The yell came from somewhere extremely high up and far away in the night sky, though the disciples by the stream couldn’t hear it, for Jing Jiu who had a listening sense far superior to his peers the sound was heard like someone talking to you by your ears.

He could identify the voice as Liu’s and also the excitement in it.

Liu Shisui improved his states so fast and learned how to ride the flying sword within a year; Jing Jiu wasn’t surprised of the outcome at all.

The potential of someone with natural Dao quality would be developed to its fullest magnitude once in the inner sect.

The Liangwang Peak has already made the arrangement to acquire Liu at the Inherited Sword Competition. I should give them credit for their vision.

But he really disliked the current Liangwang Peak.

He fingered the bracelet on his left wrist, thinking: Well, I never liked the Liangwang Peak, and this is the proof.

“Brother? Good guy? What the…?”

…

…