A Man in the Snow: Starting with a Sword Challenge to the Northern Liang Prince's Palace

The next morning.

Ye Yun sat behind the tavern counter, looking at the crumpled piece of paper that Qian Shouxin handed him. The paper was covered with numbers, and the handwriting was crooked and messy, as if the writer's hand was trembling.

Slay a powerful demon at the Immortal Realm.

The Jade Purity Realm has three heads.

There were dozens of those below the Nascent Soul stage.

Ye Yun stared at those numbers, remaining silent for a long time. Behind those numbers were countless lives—the lives of demons, and the lives of human sword cultivators.

Every time a great demon falls, a swordsman is buried with it; this is the cruelty of war.

Qian Shouxin stood in front of the counter, his face bearing an indescribable expression, and said:

"Boss Ye, you're famous now. The whole city is talking about you. They say you're a hidden master, or that you're a reincarnated sword immortal. They say all sorts of things."

Ye Yun pushed the paper back without saying a word, but instead smiled slightly.

Qian Shouxin scratched his head and said, "The eldest sword immortal sent someone to tell you to go to him."

Ye Yun nodded and stood up.

As he walked out of the tavern, people on the street were watching him. Their eyes held awe, curiosity, and a sense of uncertainty.

He lowered his head, walked quickly across the long street, and stepped onto the thatched hut atop the Great Wall of Sword Qi.

Sword Pavilion stands at the highest point of the Sword Qi Great Wall. It's an unassuming thatched hut, but everyone who passes by slows down and lowers their voice, for it is home to the oldest inhabitant of the Sword Qi Great Wall.

Chen Qingdu.

Ye Yun stopped at the door and was about to knock when an old voice came from inside:

"Come in!"

He pushed the door open and entered.

Chen Qingdu sat on a prayer mat, dressed simply in gray clothes, his hair completely white, looking exactly the same as when they first met.

In front of him was a small table with a pot of tea and two cups.

"sit."

Chen Qingdu pointed to the prayer mat opposite him.

Ye Yun sat down.

Chen Qing poured him a cup of tea and pushed it towards him. The tea was warm, light in taste, and had an indescribable herbal fragrance.

Chen Qingdu spoke up, his voice calm: "Ye Yun, your cultivation speed is impressive! But you've been hiding it very well."

Ye Yun put down his teacup and said frankly, "Please forgive me, senior, for having some reservations."

Chen Qing waved his hand, showing no sign of blaming him.

"The Great Wall of Sword Qi doesn't ask about origins, it only asks about killing demons. You killed a powerful demon at the peak of immortality, that's quite an achievement."

Ye Yun was silent for a moment: "I'm not doing this for credit."

Do you think I'm telling you that killing demons is just to become stronger?

Chen Qing looked at him, a hint of a smile flashing in his cloudy old eyes.

"I know you're not here for glory. You came to the Sword Qi Great Wall to cultivate, but have you gotten what you wanted?"

Ye Yun nodded and said, "I can say that I've gained something."

"That's good." Chen Qing didn't ask any further questions, and took out a token from his sleeve and handed it to him.

The token is about the size of a palm, completely black, with the character "sword" engraved on the front and a sword mark engraved on the back.

Unlike the previous one, the sword marks on this token are deeper and the sword intent is stronger.

"This is the Sword Qi Great Wall Guest Elder Token. Holding this token allows you to mobilize some of the city's defense resources. It's not a reward for you, but rather a convenience. In the future, when you enter or leave the Sword Qi Great Wall, if you encounter other forces, no one will make things difficult for you."

Ye Yun took the token; it felt heavy in his hand, neither gold nor jade, and he didn't know what material it was.

He put the token into his pocket and said solemnly, "Thank you for your care, senior."

Chen Qingdu picked up his teacup and took a sip. After a moment of silence, he suddenly said, "Your sword strike severed the law of 'life and death'."

Ye Yun felt a chill run down his spine.

Chen Qing looked at him, his eyes filled with both scrutiny and approval.

"This sword can sever rules; it is a rare sight in this world. I have lived for thousands of years, and this is the first time I have ever seen one. A sword of laws, a sword of cause and effect, a sword of reincarnation—your swordsmanship has transcended the realm of ordinary sword cultivators. It seems you have gained her approval."

Ye Yun bowed his head and said, "Senior, you flatter me."

Chen Qingdu shook his head: "It's not flattery, you have a long way to go, walk it well. But remember one thing."

His voice suddenly turned serious.

"The Savage Demon Ancestor has already noticed you."

Ye Yun's hand paused slightly.

Chen Qing looked at him and said, word by word, "That peak Immortal Realm demon was a general under the Demon Ancestor. You killed it, but the Demon Ancestor will not let it go. Be more careful in the future."

Ye Yun nodded and said, "I know."

Chen Qing looked at him for a while longer, then waved his hand.

"Go."

Ye Yun stood up and stopped abruptly at the door. He turned around and looked at the old man sitting in the dimly lit stone hall.

"Senior, are you aware of Zhou Mi's abilities?"

Chen Qingdu remained silent for a moment.

"Zhou Mi? I don't know. All I know is that this person betrayed the human race and went deep into the demon race."

Ye Yun's heart sank.

He nodded and pushed open the door to go out.

The sunlight felt warm on my skin. I took a deep breath and then walked towards the top of the city wall.

The wind was strong on the city wall.

Ye Yun stood by the battlements, gazing in the direction of the desolate world. Under the sunlight, a thin layer of heat rose from that wasteland, and the scattered bones and remains twisted and deformed in the heat, like a faded painting.

He recalled Chen Qingdu's words:

"The Savage Demon Ancestor has already noticed you."

careful.

This Confucian scholar is the real mastermind behind everything.

The Demon God of War, the most profound existence hidden in the desolate world, with millions of books in his mind, who says that a scholar is not strong.

Ye Yun clenched his fist and said softly, "You must have noticed that I'm different? Then let's see who's stronger."

In the distance, deep in the wilderness, something seemed to be responding to him. It wasn't a sound, nor a breath, but an intuition, an intuition that he was being watched.

Ye Yun frowned, turned around and walked down from the city wall.

Inside the tavern, Dong Bude was already sitting in his usual spot, a pot of wine in front of him. His left arm was wrapped in thick bandages, making his movements somewhat clumsy, but he still grinned when he saw Ye Yun enter.

"What does the Great Sword Immortal want with you?"

Ye Yun sat down opposite him and poured herself a glass of wine.

"They gave me a special token, warning me to be careful of the demon race."

Dong nodded without asking any further questions.

He picked up his glass, took a sip, and then looked out the window.

Outside the window stretched the long street of the Sword Qi Great Wall, where several children chased and played, their laughter ringing out. In the distance, on the city wall, sword cultivators patrolled, their shadows stretched long by the setting sun.

"Young Ye, how long do you think this war will last?"

Ye Yun remained silent for a long time.

"There will always be an end to this. As long as the demon race is not destroyed, it will probably never end."

Dong nodded and took another sip of wine.

"No matter how long the game lasts, I will hold on until I can't hold on any longer."

Ye Yun looked at him, at his full head of white hair, at the wrinkles on his face, and at the indescribable look in his eyes.

"You won't die before me," Ye Yun said with a smile.

Dong Bu was stunned for a moment, then laughed.

"I should be the one saying that."

The two clinked glasses and each drank it down.

Outside the window, the setting sun sank behind the mountains, and twilight descended. Torches were lit again atop the city walls, and the swordsmen on night watch began their changing of the guard. A distant sword cry echoed, desolate and lingering, like the ancient fortress whispering in the night.

Ye Yun sat in the tavern, gazing at the moon outside the window, and suddenly remembered what Qi Jingchun had said.

"Some things just have to be done by someone."

He picked up his wine glass and gently raised it towards the moon outside the window.

"Mr. Qi, this toast is for you."