CHAPTER 68: 61. ADMITTING A MISTAKE

In the small courtyard of Taiping Medical Hall, crows hopped from branch to branch, as if they had seen something unbelievable.

Old Yao rose from his bamboo recliner, startled to the point of stuttering several "you, you, you."

Chen Ji sat cross-legged on the ground, feeling the faint Sword Qi within his body.

Old Yao bent down and twisted Chen Ji’s ear, "Wake up, what just happened!?"

"Ouch, ouch, ouch," Chen Ji grimaced.

He had been full of pride and vigor just a moment ago; however, Old Yao’s twist abruptly brought him back to reality.

Just like all children who grow up, no matter how impressive they are outside, they are still nagged by their parents once they return home.

Chen Ji quickly asked, "What’s wrong, Master?"

Old Yao released his ear and stood up straight, annoyed, "I’m asking you, were you just practicing the Sword Seed Path!?"

"Yes."

Old Yao stroked his beard, momentarily at a loss for words, tongue-tied.

It wasn’t that he was unfamiliar with it, which is why he was so shocked.

It was exactly because he knew what the Sword Seed Path meant that he was shocked.

Old Yao struggled for words, "How did you come to practice the Sword Seed Path!?"

Chen Ji innocently said, "Didn’t you say, if I practice the sword seed, I can chop down officials and princes, and the two paths complement each other...?"

Hearing this, Old Yao was startled again. He glared and said, "Don’t spout nonsense, I was just talking. Don’t mess around! I’m telling you, the best way to practice the Mountain Lord Sect’s Scripture is to wait for those officials to die on their own. That way, you won’t bring disaster upon yourself."

Continuing, he patiently explained, "The entire Cabinet combined doesn’t even have ten teeth left, they are all decaying old things who won’t live much longer. Just wait a bit longer, don’t be so rash."

Chen Ji realized his master was genuinely worried about him!

He quickly said with a smile, "I was just joking with you, I’m not someone who kills the innocent."

Old Yao corrected, "Those officials aren’t innocent...but the more you kill, the likelier you are to slip up. Which official doesn’t have a Grand Official guarding them?"

"Mm-hmm, understood," Chen Ji nodded.

Old Yao had calmed down now and, sitting in his bamboo recliner, he asked seriously, "Where did you learn the Sword Seed Path from? It’s the Jing Dynasty Martial Temple’s biggest secret; how could you possibly have learned it? Could it be that you are the person the Jing Dynasty has been looking for... No, that’s not right, you weren’t born yet."

"Could it be that your uncle or your mother taught it to you? That’s not right either; how would they have had the chance to access the Sword Seed Path..."

Chen Ji answered calmly, "Master, it was taught to me in a dream by an Immortal named ’Xuanyuan.’ I’ve been dreaming of him since I was a child, only previously I couldn’t see clearly or converse with him, but now I can converse with him properly."

Old Yao rolled his eyes, "If you don’t want to tell, no need to make up such tall tales. Go away."

However, Chen Ji said seriously, "Master, I’m not lying. The Immortal in my dreams is called Xuanyuan, and I have seen him frequently since my childhood, although in the past I couldn’t see him clearly or talk to him. Now I can communicate with him properly."

Old Yao observed Chen Ji’s expression closely, the youth was incredibly sincere.

He pulled six copper coins from his sleeve and scattered them on the ground, but this time, no matter how many times he tossed them, the divination was always different.

"The divination is in chaos. Is it really an Immortal helping you?" Old Yao smacked his lips, "Didn’t expect you to have such wide connections."

Chen Ji remained silent.

Old Yao sighed deeply, "If you could learn the Sword Seed Path, where is the sense in that? Do you know, if the world’s cultivation paths were ranked, the Sword Seed Path would be second to none."

"Do you know, Lu Yang spent his entire life engrossed in martial arts and never married or had children. Countless young talents of the Jing Dynasty entered the Martial Temple, hoping Lu Yang would pass down the Sword Seed Path when he despaired of the Great Dao. But how many waited from young until old, only to age in vain."

Speaking further, he looked at Chen Ji and said slowly, "If the Jing Dynasty knew you were practicing the Sword Seed Path, they would surely employ the entire force of the Military Intelligence Department to kill you. Are you not afraid?"

Chen Ji replied softly, "Master, I will practice quietly... Will Lu Yang personally come to kill me?"

"That won’t happen. Lu Yang spent his life in cultivation, not to attain the Dao and live forever, but to find a new opponent," Old Yao shook his head, "He might even look forward to you reaching the Divine Realm to have a battle with you. But even if he doesn’t make a move, you won’t survive. Here, let me see your lifeline. I might have read it wrong before..."

Chen Ji said, "Master, I won’t let anyone know I’m practicing the Sword Seed Path."

Old Yao stared into Chen Ji’s eyes, "But I know."

The small courtyard quieted down, even the crows stopped their hopping, as if a giant hand had enclosed the area, even the atmospheric pressure felt dense.

Old Yao slowly said, "I can tell you’re a very cautious person, cautious enough that on the way from Zhou Mansion back to Taiping Medical Hall, you kept clutching that broken porcelain piece. I asked if you had killed anyone, and you said no. But since you are cautious enough, why dare to practice in front of me? Do you know that the most unpredictable thing in this world is the human heart; how can you be sure I won’t betray you? If I were to inform the Jing Dynasty, I might get a thousand pieces of gold, maybe even a golden mansion."

Chen Ji sat cross-legged on the ground, lowering his head and contemplating for a moment, "A person who carries too many secrets is like bearing a great mountain, weighed down until breathless. I choose to trust that you won’t harm me. After all, you’ve saved me twice; if you really intend to trade me for gold, then do so."

Old Yao observed Chen Ji for a long time, then eventually spoke softly, "Don’t tell anyone else, no one at all."