Fusang Sword Heart Diagram

Chapter 27 Ji Qingyuan, Master Ji

Time passes quietly.

Ning Fusang's face was flushed, and he was covered in sweat as if it were raining.

The stray hairs at her temples clung to her face, feeling sticky and uncomfortable.

He walked up to Yang Ruo, calmed his breathing, and then said, "Senior Brother Yang Ruo, I have finished running 150 laps. Could you please note the time?"

Yang Ruo looked up at Ning Fusang suspiciously for a few moments, then hesitantly picked up her pen and wrote a line of delicate handwriting: "Ning Fusang, completed one hundred and fifty laps by 3:45 PM..."

"Junior Sister Ning, are you sure it's one hundred and fifty laps, right?"

Ning Fusang was amused by his words and twitched the corners of her mouth: "Does Senior Brother Yang Ru suspect that I lied about the number of laps?"

Yang Ruo's face immediately turned red with embarrassment. He waved his hands and stammered, "Junior Sister Ning, you misunderstood. I didn't mean to doubt you. I just wanted to confirm."

Ning Fusang's lips curled slightly, her eyes sparkling like stars: "Senior Brother Yang Ruo, you don't need to take it seriously. I was just joking with you. One hundred and fifty laps, not a single one missing. Senior Brother, feel free to write it down."

Yang Ruo breathed a sigh of relief, no longer holding Ning Fusang's teasing against him, but then he heard Ning Fusang say:

"By the way, senior brother, after these records are submitted, Master Gu will examine them carefully and compare them with our previous records to see if everyone has improved or regressed. Senior brother, are you aware of this?"

Master, do you still need to analyze these records?
Isn't it obvious that everyone's completion time has been delayed by 45 minutes?
Furthermore, he has no idea how many laps everyone ran! When they come to him to register their times, should he actually record them?
Yang Ruo's round eyes widened in surprise as he forced a smile and said, "I... I know, thank you for reminding me, Junior Sister Ning."

Ning Fusang smiled and said, "As a fellow disciple, it's only right that I remind my senior brother of such a small matter."

Yang Ruo was on the verge of tears, but she was too young and naive to have thought things through beforehand. Her little face was filled with melancholy, and she finally decided to go along with the mistake.

As the sun begins to set, it will soon be past noon.

The crowd dispersed from Chaoyang Peak Square, and Yang Ru tidied up her things and left the square as well.

*
Mingtang (bright hall).

Because Ning Fusang was a little late after finishing her run today, there were already quite a few disciples in the hall when she arrived.

However, most people prefer to spend their time on cultivation, so the Mingtang was not full. Looking around, Ning Fusang sat down on a futon in the corner.

The man giving the lecture was about twenty years old, dressed in a blue robe, tall as a bamboo, holding a scroll of bamboo slips in his hand, and speaking eloquently.

"As everyone knows, the two states of East and West, and the two states of North and South, are separated by the state of Miaoxing in the middle. Today, we will talk about this state of Miaoxing."

“Zhongmiao Xingzhou is imbued with the spirit of heaven and earth, and has produced many talented people throughout history. Due to its special geographical location, it controls the north and south, and the east and west, and facilitates the exchange of goods and resources, thus implying that it is superior to the other four states.”

“Miaoxing Prefecture has blocked the main road between our Yuling Prefecture and Nanchunhe Prefecture. Therefore, our Northern Yuling Prefecture and Southern Chunhe Prefecture are far apart and rarely interact, and we are unaware of each other’s situation.”

"When I was traveling through the mountains and rivers, I heard a poem that said, 'In the south, there is no snow, and in the cold north, spring is unknown.' It describes the different customs of Nanchunhezhou and our Yulingzhou."

The man's voice was gentle and clear, speaking calmly and slowly, about Miaoxing Prefecture, a place none of them had ever set foot in before, and everyone listened with rapt attention.

"Miaoxing Prefecture, located at the heart of the entire Zhongling World, borders the four prefectures, facilitating trade and making it the most prosperous and bustling place. Among its inhabitants, the oldest can live to be over two hundred years old." "The name Miaoxing Prefecture is also intriguing. Controlling the vital points of the four prefectures, gathering the essence of heaven and earth's creation, is such a place of outstanding people and abundant resources truly wonderful?"

"Step means to walk; haste means to walk. One is slow and the other is fast, both are called walking."

“行 (xíng) refers to the steps a person takes, and is composed of 彳 (chī) and 亍 (chù). 彳 (chī) means taking small steps; 亍 (chù) means stopping one’s steps.”

"Whether it's from our Northern Yuling Prefecture to Southern Chunhe Prefecture, or from Yangchi Prefecture in the west to Yaoming Prefecture in the east, if we don't take a detour, we can only travel to Miaoxing Prefecture and stop there."

As the smoke in the hall rose and the incense gradually died down, the man closed the bamboo scroll and said calmly, "Today's lesson at Mingtang is over. If you have no questions, you may leave."

A disciple raised his hand and asked, "Master Ji, when will you next give a lecture in the Mingtang Hall?"

Ji Qingyuan paused slightly as he sorted through the books, then looked up and said, "I will not be teaching any more classes for the next three years."

The disciples who were walking out stopped and looked back into the hall, wondering why Ji Qingyuan had suddenly stopped teaching.

This Master Ji, though young, was very knowledgeable and approachable. His lectures on the local history of Yuling Prefecture were interesting and not boring at all, and everyone was very willing to come and listen to Master Ji's lectures.

Someone voiced what everyone was thinking: "Master Ji, your lectures were excellent, so why did you stop offering them later?"

Ji Qingyuan raised his eyebrows slightly, his eyes smiling, and said gently, "It's not that I won't be teaching anymore. It's just that I plan to travel around Nanchun and Hezhou for the next three years. When I return to my clan, I will teach in the Mingtang Hall and give lectures on the local history of Nanchun and Hezhou."

Ning Fusang, who was in the corner, lifted her eyelids, seemingly lost in thought.

The disciples then smiled and bowed respectfully, saying, "May Master Ji have a safe journey and enjoy the spring scenery of Hezhou."

Ji Qingyuan looked at the group of students and smiled knowingly, also filled with anticipation for Nan Chun and the trip to Hezhou.

*
The stars twinkle in the sky, and candlelight shines brightly on earth.

At seven quarters past the hour of You (5:45 PM), soft whispers could be heard coming from inside the preaching house.

"After finishing my run today, I went to the Sword Inquiry Platform to watch the outer sect competition. Among the freshmen from last year, there were quite a few who were good at swordsmanship. The ones I watched all won!"

"I heard that their instructor is Elder Yu Wanwu. Elder Yu is very strict and unapproachable, but his swordsmanship is also top-notch. The students he teaches will definitely not be bad."

"Hey, speaking of which, Senior Sister Ning used to be Elder Yu's student, right? How did she end up studying with us and becoming Master Gu's student?"

"Haven't you heard about this?" At first glance, the words sound like a question about why no one knows about this, but upon closer listening, one can find an element of pride and boasting mixed in.

The person next to him nudged him with their elbow, and the others gathered around, surrounding the man who was speaking, much like a star being surrounded by the moon.

The man, slightly smug, stopped keeping him in suspense, but lowered his voice: "Three years ago, Ning Fusang and his classmate Chen Ming had a sword duel. Chen Ming had already conceded defeat, but Ning Fusang disregarded their friendship—"

He paused slightly, a hint of hesitation in his voice. Hearing this, the crowd's hearts were pounding. They couldn't wait any longer for him to keep them in suspense, and amidst their clamor, the man finally finished speaking:

"She killed Chen Ming."

(End of this chapter)