Chapter 1664: then title translation, then ===GLOSSARY=== with list of named entities appearing in these lines

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This boulder isn't very thick; a single sword thrust pierced it through. Hu Xiaotian, wanting to show off the power of his light sword, turned around on the boulder, carving out a large hole as much as three chi in diameter.

Qin Yutong had never seen such a powerful weapon before; compared to Hu Xiaotian's light sword, her dagger that could cut iron like mud was simply child's play.

The two emerged one after another from the hole and came to the opposite side. Hu Xiaotian retracted his light blade; the crystal on the sword hilt flashed ever more frequently. He took a few steps forward, and his feet already touched the water flow. Bending down to look, he saw the water flow heading toward the right front.

He said to Qin Yutong, 'Following the water flow should lead us to the exit.'

Qin Yutong nodded, her beautiful eyes falling on the sword hilt of Hu Xiaotian's light sword in his hand, and she whispered, 'It seems we are getting closer to the outside.'

Ji Feihua stood silently beside the stream; the surrounding mountains, rivers, and valleys had been whitened by the flying snow. The light on the sword hilt flickered ever more frequently. Ji Feihua's gaze fixed on that stream, where wispy water vapor floated above the water, mist permeating the air. Finally, she saw two figures emerge from the stream one after another. The one in front was well-built and stalwart; the one behind had a graceful figure, with scale light shimmering on his/her body, like a mermaid, yet wearing form-fitting armor.

Hu Xiaotian almost simultaneously saw Ji Feihua's figure; their eyes met. Hu Xiaotian showed a knowing smile, and Ji Feihua's lips curled with a faint smile. She neither spoke nor stepped forward to meet Hu Xiaotian, but turned and drifted away.

Qin Yutong only saw a blurry figure and couldn't make out who it was. She lifted her head to catch the smile still on Hu Xiaotian's face and whispered, 'Who is it?'

'A friend!' Hu Xiaotian's reply was brief and to the point.

Qin Yutong asked, 'Why did you leave so suddenly?'

Hu Xiaotian stared deeply at Qin Yutong for a moment, then said, 'Perhaps I was afraid you'd be embarrassed!'

Only then did Qin Yutong realize she was wearing only a form-fitting inner armor, her body's curves fully revealed; such attire was indeed unsuitable for appearing before others. Thinking that Hu Xiaotian had seen her like this, she felt embarrassed and snapped softly, 'What are you looking at? What's there to see?'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Looks good!' He had wanted to joke a few more times, but then he heard voices from afar; after all, this was still within the Sword Palace's territory, and given the situation he didn't want to invite trouble. Together with Qin Yutong, he hid in the pine forest. Sure enough, not long after, he saw dozens of Sword Palace disciples walk past the spot they had just occupied. Those disciples neither lingered nor searched nearby; many carried packs, apparently intending to leave the Sword Palace forever.

Qiu Xian Guang gazed dimly at the broken skybridge between the east and west sword pavilions. While lamenting the fierce battle just fought, he also couldn't help feeling disheartened. He had always taken revitalizing the Sword Palace as his mission, painstakingly cultivating the sword way, while vigorously promoting drills of the sword formations. Although the peerless sword art of the Seven Slaughter Heaven Swords has been lost, the Sword Palace has always maintained a lofty status in the martial world of Da Yong; indeed, one could say its influence on the court surpasses that of Lin Bai Tao in his time.

Qiu Xian Guang had always believed the Sword Palace was very important to the Da Yong court, but several recent events have consecutively overturned his fixed notion. The kidnapping of his son and today's great battle have begun to let him clearly realize that he is merely a tool used by others.

A Sword Palace disciple came up behind him and reported respectfully, 'Sir Sect Master, the Grand Commander has arrived!'

Qiu Xian Guang felt somewhat surprised; Li Chen Zhou came at this time—could he have heard some news? Thinking it over, the Sword Palace has thousands of disciples, among whom Li Chen Zhou must have planted his spies; given his shrewdness, he would surely not miss the chance to monitor his every move.

Li Chen Zhou did not come alone; accompanying him was the commander of the Golden Scale Guard, Shi Kuan. Upon entering the Sword Palace, from afar they could see the skybridge spanning the east and west sword pavilions already collapsed and damaged, the situation worse than they had imagined.

Although the Sword Palace has many disciples, only a few truly know the inside story. Li Chen Zhou went straight to Qiu Xian Guang's face; his handsome visage showed no trace of a smile. Although he doesn't know the full details, he can be certain that Qiu Xian Guang has done something behind his back, and that is precisely what caused today's calamity befalling the Sword Palace.

Qiu Xian Guang's complexion was unusually grim; today he not only failed to achieve his goal, but also implicated hundreds of Sword Palace disciples dead or wounded, and even half of the Sword Palace's decades-long foundation was destroyed. Compared to the damage before his eyes to the east and west sword pavilions, the collapse of Wanren Mountain pained him even more, for that place is the Sword Palace's forbidden ground, where lie the remains of many elders and undisclosed secrets—yet today it actually collapsed.

From Li Chen Zhou's indifferent expression, one could not tell whether he was pleased or angry now. As the Grand Commander of Da Yong, he had long cultivated an unshakable mindset like Mount Tai collapsing before him without changing countenance. He gazed into the distance and immediately spotted the collapsed Wanren Mountain; his heart was shaken. Who could have inflicted such massive loss on the Sword Palace? What enemy has Qiu Xian Guang provoked?

The commander of the Golden Scale Guard, Shi Kuan, coldly said, 'Sect Master Qiu, what exactly happened?'

Qiu Xian Guang said, 'Someone impersonated Meng Zizai of Xuantian Guan and came here to demand people.'

Li Chen Zhou's brow twitched; he had heard the name Meng Zizai of Xuantian Guan before, but he didn't know what connection there was between Xuantian Guan and the Sword Palace.

Qiu Xian Guang said, 'Ren Tianqing of Xuantian Guan saved my life; he promised to help me rescue Mu Bai…' He paused here, glancing intentionally or unintentionally at Li Chen Zhou.

Li Chen Zhou immediately understood his meaning; Qiu Xian Guang was blaming him, blaming him for not giving full assistance after Mu Bai went missing. Li Chen Zhou inwardly sighed, indeed he had neglected this, for this period he had been busy quelling internal court turmoil, stabilizing the Da Yong situation, and also the matter of Weichi Chong—each of utmost importance—so how could he find time to attend to such a minor affair of the Sword Palace?

But to him it was a trifle, whereas to Qiu Xian Guang it was a matter of great importance. Li Chen Zhou refused to exert himself to help; thus Qiu Xian Guang had to find his own way.

Shi Kuan reminded Qiu Xian Guang, 'Ren Tianqing is a Kang person; how could he wholeheartedly help you?'

The hitherto silent Li Chen Zhou then said, 'Just how did he gain your trust, and who is it that turned this place into this state?'

Qiu Xian Guang sighed and said, 'He produced Mu Bai's token, claiming he knew Mu Bai's whereabouts, so he proposed a scheme to lure Hu Xiaotian into the Sword Palace; as long as I cooperate with him to jointly eliminate Hu Xiaotian, he would guarantee Mu Bai's safety.'

Shi Kuan angrily said, 'How treacherous the Kang people are! Why are you so foolish as to believe his words? When encountering such a matter, why didn't you first report to the commander?'

Many Sword Palace disciples were around; Shi Kuan loudly berated Qiu Xian Guang, severely blaming him, completely disregarding Qiu Xian Guang's dignity. Although Qiu Xian Guang had been enduring patiently, he could no longer hold back, and coldly said, 'Sword Palace affairs we Sword Palace will settle ourselves; there's no need for Commander Sir to worry.'

Shi Kuan never expected him to dare talk back, and angrily said, 'You…'

At this moment Li Chen Zhou interrupted him, sighing softly, 'Sect Master Qiu is right; this was originally the Sword Palace's own affair, and martial world matters are not suitable for court intervention. However…' He shifted his tone and continued, 'I have always regarded Sect Master Qiu as a friend; as a friend, we cannot stand by idly regarding Sword Palace affairs.' He stepped forward to Qiu Xian Guang's side and said in a low voice, 'The Sword Palace has rendered countless great services to Da Yong; the Sword Palace's calamity today is tantamount to disrespect toward Da Yong. All losses of the Sword Palace I will bear myself; I will immediately petition the Emperor to swiftly restore the Sword Palace, with no expense to the Sect Master. As for the Young Sect Master's matter, we will surely investigate to the end, striving to bring the Young Sect Master back safe and sound in the shortest possible time.'

Qiu Xian Guang was not truly intending to oppose them, after all the Sword Palace is rooted in Da Yong's land; offending the court would make future steps difficult. Hearing Li Chen Zhou declare his stance, these words amounted to a public concession, and Qiu Xian Guang's inner resentment eased a little; he said softly, 'Thank you, Grand Commander.'

Li Chen Zhou asked, 'What exactly happened?'

Only then did Qiu Xian Guang recount today's events from beginning to end; Li Chen Zhou listened, his face growing graver, and he intuitively sensed that perhaps the matter was not as simple as Qiu Xian Guang had said.

Xue Daoming had already left the Red Mountain Guildhall; regardless of whether today's affairs succeed or fail, he had prepared himself to leave. His heart was not at ease, and Hu Xiaotian was not so easy to deal with; if not compelled, he would not have chosen to be Hu Xiaotian's enemy.

Snow fell in abundance; Xue Daoming, wearing a brown fur coat and a fur hat, had already appeared within the Qiu Shan Villa on Beijing Mountain of Yongdu. He held out his belly, trudging with difficulty through the snow, stepped through the villa's gate, and found Ma Qing Yun already waiting there for him.

A strange, inscrutable smile flickered at the corner of Xue Daoming's mouth; he said nothing, and together with Ma Qing Yun entered the Bo Ju Lou, ascending the stairs one after another. With each step Xue Daoming took, the wooden stairs creaked under his weight, and the whole small building swayed, as if it might collapse at any moment.

The top of Bo Ju Lou, however, was a level terrace; aside from a wind and rain pavilion, everywhere else was piled thick with snow.

Inside the wind and rain pavilion, Xue Daoming's small eyes, tinged with a hint of awe, carefully sized up Ma Qing Yun opposite him.

Ma Qing Yun sighed softly, 'So Ji Feihua is still alive!'

A flash of light appeared in Xue Daoming's small eyes; although Ji Feihua's reputation was like thunder in his ears, he had little interaction with her in his life. Her remark, not mentioning today's topic but speaking of Ji Feihua, suggests that things have likely changed, and the plan is probably doomed to fail.

The next sentence from Ma Qing Yun made Xue Daoming's blood run cold.

'He has mastered the power of Heaven's Way!'

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