Chapter Thirty-Two: Waters Turn Beneath the Azure Heavens

Gu Liubai’s face was truly too easy to remember. His two large, emerald-green eyes were like gemstones.

To the Tang people, even the border troops who had guarded Yangguan for years, many might not be able to distinguish between the various Hu peoples—whether they were Persian, Sogdian, Rouran, or Tibetan. But it mattered not where they came from; anyone who clearly looked different from the people of Chang'an was, damn it, called a Hu. With eyes that color, he was undoubtedly of Hu descent. The key was that while a standard Hu might be unremarkable, this Gu Shiwu possessed a distinctly Chang'an face. This contrast was something anyone would find hard to forget.

Li Xizhi remembered the youth’s appearance at a single glance. Seeing Gu Liubai appear in his line of sight, his head began to ache instantly. He and his colleagues all felt that whenever this youth showed up, nothing good ever followed. Originally, there were only a few days a month when Pei Yunque found them displeasing, but ever since Gu Liubai appeared, she seemed to have never looked at them with favor.

Pei Yunque’s face usually read "keep away." But the moment Gu Liubai appeared, she gave a glance to Li Xizhi and the others, signaling them to just hurry up and let this scoundrel approach.

"I originally wanted to come and ask a question early this morning, but I was blocked by that man."

Following Gu Liubai’s gaze, Pei Yunque saw the middle-aged official leading the way in front of Yin Shiniang. She felt speechless for a moment. "You scoundrel, if you’re going to use me, at least do it with some class. Do you really need me to teach a person like that a lesson for you?"

Gu Liubai smiled slightly and said, "The main thing is, he used you to threaten us."

Pei Yunque was startled. "He used me to threaten you?"

"Yes," Gu Liubai said. "He told Yin Shiniang that if she didn't perform well on stage as he intended, no one in Peshawar who had any connection to us would walk out alive—especially those who had helped us."

"He certainly has a big mouth." Pei Yunque glanced at the middle-aged official from afar. "Li Xizhi, find out who that man is."

"...!" Li Xizhi was speechless. He knew perfectly well that Gu Liubai was deliberately instigating this, and she had just said she wasn't happy about teaching someone a lesson for him, yet here she was, turning around and ordering him to do exactly that. It was just a small fry; why bother investigating? He didn't even need to think to know it was just a dog raised by the Xie clan.

"You said earlier you wanted to ask me a question this morning; what question?" Pei Yunque led Gu Liubai to the terrace of a nearby clothing shop. This spot was excellent, almost directly facing the high platform, and because the terrace was at the back of the shop, sheltered by the roof, pedestrians on the street could not see them.

"For a figure like you, Xie Wan, it doesn't seem worth it to personally guard this place just to produce one Great Swordsman," Gu Liubai said. "I found out he has been staying at the Lucao Post without leaving. What is he after?"

"Military merit to exchange for a title." Pei Yunque felt that Gu Liubai’s background still imposed significant limitations on him. She said coolly, "If I were a man, I would surely want to bring back some military honors after coming beyond the pass."

Gu Liubai frowned slightly. "In this freezing weather, the border troops aren't going out to fight."

"Small-scale military merits mean less to the Xie clan than the reputation of having one more Great Swordsman. Similarly, if the Xie clan produced a 'Poet Immortal,' it would make the family name even more illustrious in Chang'an." Pei Yunque mocked, "He is staying here, likely intending to wipe out that group of Turkic exiles in one fell swoop. But it seems his plan is about to fall through."

Gu Liubai asked, "Why fall through?"

Pei Yunque sneered. "Are you testing me? Xie Wan treats the 'Black Eye Disease' as his trump card for victory. Since Yin Shiniang was able to win easily last night, it means she wasn't infected. Since you had already seen through this disease, you certainly wouldn't let those Turks get infected and gift Xie Wan such a grand present."

Gu Liubai whispered, "Could there be a greater scheme?"

"A greater scheme? Who do you think he is?" Pei Yunque snorted heavily. "A merit greater than wiping out these Turks would mean either forcing the Dashi to bow down or crushing the Uyghurs and driving them back a thousand miles. The Dashi are too far away; even if they were all infected with the Black Eye Disease, it wouldn't bring them down. As for the Uyghurs, even if the border troops from the north and here poured out in full force, they might not win in a single battle. It’s already good enough if they don't have to send a woman from an unfortunate family off for a marriage alliance."

Gu Liubai nodded. Pei Yunque’s thoughts matched his own. Still, being careful was always a good thing.

Seeing his cautious demeanor, Pei Yunque couldn't help but look at him with disdain. "If there really were a merit greater than wiping out those three thousand Turks, he would probably be a Protector-General before long."

Having said this, she stopped looking at Gu Liubai, as Yin Shiniang and Feng Shuqing had just stepped onto the platform. Yin Shiniang’s bearing as a grandmaster always exerted a powerful sense of oppression.

After last night’s battle, her figure was already incredibly towering in Pei Yunque’s eyes. Standing on the high platform, her white figure seemed to cover the entire sky. The whole of Peshawar seemed to fall silent, save for the uneasy neighing of warhorses in the stables.

"Where is that music coming from?" In the biting wind, a pleasant sound suddenly rang out, as if someone were playing music.

"It’s the ringing of swords!" But soon, everyone clearly heard the source. The pleasant, vibrating sound was not from any musical instrument, but from the long sword wrapped in cloth in Feng Shuqing’s hand!

"A bit too melodramatic!" Pei Yunque’s eyes lit up; she knew the performance had begun. Seeing the shocked and cheering reactions of the dense crowd, she glanced at Gu Liubai out of the corner of her eye and found him much more agreeable again. If she hadn't witnessed the true combat of a Great Swordsman with her own eyes last night, she would probably be just as deceived as this crowd, finding it rare, powerful, and profound, rather than melodramatic.

*Whoosh!*

The sound of breaking air rang out suddenly. Without any opening remarks, an extremely brilliant light blossomed from Yin Shiniang’s hand. Yin Shiniang’s "Void Sword"! This sword was what she usually used to disrupt her opponent’s perception while concealing her true technique and cultivation. But apart from Gu Liubai and his companions, no one else in the city knew this. To them, the sword light was like sparks flying from a forge, the sword intent pouring out in a terrifying display.

*Boom!*

The platform shook violently. Feng Shuqing tapped his toes, and the platform echoed as if a drum had been struck. He flew up like a dragonfly skimming water, and as he swung his sword, the cloth wrapping it shattered into countless fragments. The pale yellow sword light was ethereal and shifting, the tip of the sword appearing and disappearing like yellow winter plum blossoms. In just an instant, it seemed as if dozens of plum blossoms were flashing continuously in the air above the platform.

"...!" Pei Yunque’s pupils contracted violently. She would never admit she was unsophisticated. But this kind of sword duel... although it didn't make her break into a cold sweat like the strike last night, the spectacle was truly magnificent, wasn't it? Even if it were fake, she didn't think that if Li Xizhi and the others were up there, facing either of these two, they would have already been struck several times in the time it took her to say a word to Gu Liubai.

In the next moment, Pei Yunque’s face turned somewhat gloomy. Yin Shiniang’s temperament moved her deeply. Since she was young, she never lacked for master teachers; the Pei family had plenty of formidable swordsmen, blade-users, and masters of spears and staves. Perhaps because it had come too easily, and she was clever enough not to have to exert much effort, she had always been far ahead of her peers. Among the swordsmen of her age in the Chang'an and Luoyang regions, few could defeat her.

But she knew perfectly well the gap between her and Li Xizhi’s group. She believed that if she committed herself to cultivation, catching up to them wouldn't be a problem. However, looking at people like Yin Shiniang and Feng Shuqing, she felt no confidence. She regretted not training or practicing her swordplay diligently before. Whether or not one actually went into battle was one thing, but possessing that grandmaster aura that could shake people’s hearts just by standing there was quite another. Not even being able to understand the fight, and finding even the acting more impressive than last night’s display—that was truly shameful.

Suddenly, a wave of exclamations erupted. Yin Shiniang’s sword light splashed, and sparks truly flew in an instant. The sword blades clashed countless times in a single breath. Li Xizhi and the others watched, their faces turning pale. It was truly a case of a single sword turning into ten thousand in an instant.

"These scoundrels, truly hopeless! They can't understand it either!" Pei Yunque, lost in self-reproach, glanced at her confidants' expressions and felt a surge of anger again.

"The power of a Great Swordsman is truly terrifying!" The officials of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices watched with scalp-tingling awe. In the blink of an eye, the sword light shifted again, resembling two massive snowballs rolling on the platform, completely enveloping the two figures until only the light was visible. To them, if these two claimed they weren't Great Swordsmen, they wouldn't believe it. Sword qi billowed, and the platform erupted with sounds like thunder from the nine heavens. In the blink of an eye, it was unclear how many rounds they had fought or how many sword moves had been exchanged.

Just as everyone’s consciousness felt as if it were being pulled into the fray, the platform shook violently, and wooden slats began to fly off.

"Oh no! The platform can't withstand their sword qi; it’s collapsing!"

Before the words could even leave someone's lips, the platform completely disintegrated as if it had lost all support. Yet, even those around the platform seemed to forget the danger, only looking up. A dark yellow sword light, as if gathering all the fierce and malevolent energy in the world, carried an invincible killing intent, instantly shattering everything in its path and landing on Yin Shiniang.

Several logs snapped silently into two. Yin Shiniang fell backward, blood spurting from her chest and back simultaneously.

*Boom!*

She fell like a meteorite; the already disintegrated platform seemed to collapse completely under her, kicking up dust and sending countless pieces of wood crashing down. Even Pei Yunque’s expression changed. Even though she knew it was a performance, she was genuinely startled.

"Feng Shuqing wins! Feng Shuqing of the Tingtao Sword Academy wins!" The middle-aged official was overjoyed, shouting at the top of his lungs, as if the flying dust hitting his face was not dirt, but a bright future!

After the dust settled, Feng Shuqing was seen standing on a vertical beam, silent. Where he looked down, the woman in white had been crushed into a bloody mess by the scattered wood, her face no longer recognizable.

*Boom!*

"Put out the fire!" Many people subconsciously moved to extinguish the flames.

"The fire here won't spread elsewhere; this is heaven’s will. Since the Great Swordsman has passed, she would not want her body to be viewed." Feng Shuqing raised a hand slightly, stopping those who wanted to put out the fire.

"Gu Shiwu?" Pei Yunque turned to look at Gu Liubai with a blank expression. She certainly didn't think the collapse of the platform and the fire in the copper furnace were coincidences.

Gu Liubai smiled slightly and whispered, "The 'Yinshan Hive' group each have their own methods, and they are all quite interesting. Someone here is skilled in mechanism design and tampered with it beforehand."

A glimmer of light appeared in Pei Yunque’s eyes. She said slowly, "Then that platform was naturally chosen with intention?"

Gu Liubai said, "Yes, that was Xu Tuibei’s arrangement. There is a drainage channel underneath for washing; by closing the stone valve above, the channel would be completely dry, allowing for an escape."

Pei Yunque was very satisfied. She thought for a moment and said haughtily, "When I have some leisure time, I shall go and see the rest of this 'Yinshan Hive'."

Gu Liubai smiled. "They certainly wouldn't refuse."