Chapter 261: 253 The Unpolished Stone Has No Luster

Walking lightly on the wooden boardwalk, the planks beneath his feet emitted a creaking sound; the more he tried to be quiet, the more obvious the sound of the wood swaying became. By the end, every step felt like a thunderclap.

Reaching the end, Tang Zhao realized that Xue Xianyun was not sitting on the boardwalk, but on a large Blue Stone.

This Blue Stone was right at the entrance of Gongyu Hall; most of the time it was submerged under the marsh water, but now the water had receded a bit, revealing the stone body. The clear marsh water lapped against the stone wall, taking away or leaving behind some moss, polishing the large stone to be even smoother.

Tang Zhao stopped behind Xue Xianyun, gathered his Qi, and prepared to shout out the words he had readied.

"Azhao? Come over."

At this moment, Xue Xianyun, who had his back to him, spoke first.

Tang Zhao's breath leaked out all at once, and he only said, "Mm."

Walking to Xue Xianyun's side, Tang Zhao found a place to sit. This was not difficult; the Blue Stone had been washed for many years, its edges and corners worn away, leaving slightly concave flat surfaces everywhere. It was very smooth to sit on, though one had to be careful not to slide into the water.

"When I first came to the edge of the marsh, this stone was already here."

Tang Zhao was startled, then saw Xue Xianyun stroking the stone, his movements and expression very gentle. Since he first met Xue Xianyun, he had never seen this old man with a big temper show such a gentle look.

"The day we arrived, it was still early morning. The Sunlight was not blinding, and the water surface had no shimmering light; it was that kind of green, the same color as the horizon, and one couldn't see the shadow of the stone at all. We watched the water there, and only when the tide fell did this large stone appear."

Listening, Tang Zhao knew that this "we," besides Xue Xianyun, must have included another person.

"At the time, I pointed at the large stone and said to Shi Chunqing: 'Stone, look at the color of this stone; it's truly beautiful. It must have stood here for thousands, tens of thousands of years. It feels even more lustrous than jade.'"

"Mm, he was there too at the time, still a child of seven or eight. His personality was sullen and he didn't like to talk, so I called him 'Stone'. He was treading water and touching the stone, feeling how slippery and comfortable it was, so he touched it for a long time, then suddenly said: 'It's a pity, no matter how smooth it feels, it's just a stone, not jade.'"

"I picked him up then, sat him on the stone, and said to him: 'Is being a stone not good? Look at this stone, no matter how the water washes over it, it stands here forever, never moving for thousands of years; when the water recedes, the stone emerges. As for those jades, they are washed about, stumbling and drifting with the waves, not knowing where they end up. How can they compare to a pillar that holds up the middle of the stream?'"

"I always knew that the child Stone had a heavy heart. From the time he started learning the Rune Formula from me, his progress was slow. Although he was very earnest and hardworking, he always lagged behind. Although I hid it, I actually have a bad temper; sometimes I couldn't keep my patience and let it show, and he would always take it to heart. In fact, although I like jade, what I cherish most is a stone."

"At the time, I pointed at this Blue Stone and said: 'Look at the color of this stone, it is as pure as the deep blue sky, so I will name you 'Chunqing' (Pure Blue). In the future, your heart will be as vast as the blue sky, your temperament as firm as a boulder, and your Rune Formula skills will be as pure as a furnace fire. Let the wind, frost, thunder, and lightning, the hardships and sufferings come; they are but passing smoke that will temper you. Sooner or later, the rock will have more luster than jade and achieve greater things.'"

Tang Zhao said softly: "By the side of the river, the unpolished stone has no luster; after a thousand years of grinding, it becomes warm and refined."

Xue Xianyun nodded slightly and said: "Are these words from a book again? Well said; it shows that the principles of the past and present are always connected."

"The two of us established Zhuoyu Villa right beside the large stone. I named my workshop 'Gongyu Hall', taken from 'the stones of other hills can be used to polish jade'. No matter how many jade artifacts I carve in the future, I myself am just a stubborn stone that polishes jade. And the one who inherits my craft must also be another stubborn stone."

"Later, I took in another Disciple, that little bastard Zhongnan. He was truly mischievous, and I spent a lot of effort disciplining him; Chunqing didn't make me worry that much. After that, I took in other Disciples one after another. I also had a wife, and had Yeyu. Later still, my wife left me, leaving the two of us, father and daughter. I tried my best to take care of my daughter, but I was inevitably clumsy, and it was the child Chunqing who helped me. He was careful and patient; he could take care of the little girl and play with her. In Yeyu's heart, he was probably even closer than me. People say 'both father and mother', but actually, I was at most half a father; the remaining responsibilities were borne by Chunqing for me."

"The more Disciples I took in, the more he did for me; this Zhuoyu Villa, if you say it's mine, it's better to say it's both of ours. I often thought, when I become a Sword Smith, perhaps I could be a hands-off manager and focus on research; wouldn't that be wonderful? I would be at ease handing over the great estate of Zhuoyu Villa to Chunqing."

"It's a pity..."

Tang Zhao listened quietly. On the vast marsh, only Xue Xianyun was sighing; the words he had prepared seemed to have no chance of ever being spoken.

"These past few days I've been thinking, why did it turn out like this? Where did it go wrong? Did I take in too many Disciples? Too many Disciples, too many things, he was too busy, to the point of being weary? Or did I put all my thoughts on the young ones and neglect and alienate him? Or were my two little apprentices too outstanding, surpassing his decades of accumulation in just a few years, and he finally lost his mental balance?"

Tang Zhao moved his lips, but in the end, he didn't speak. After all, Xue Xianyun had mentioned him, so it was not easy for him to speak up.

He couldn't just say, "It seems like all of them," could he?

Before he could speak, Xue Xianyun had already said: "I thought for days and nights without finding an answer, but suddenly I understood a little. Even I can think of several reasons for him to be disheartened; how could he not be sad in his heart? But these reasons are things I reflected on after the fact; before, I had never realized it, never paid attention to it, let alone changed or adjusted. It shows I really did have many things I didn't do well. The ridiculous thing is, apart from me, no one else up or down the ranks thought of his grievances; it was actually only you, who was the most estranged from him, who saw it."

This was the reason why Tang Zhao told Xue Xianyun about Shi Chunqing's suspicion before leaving, which instead caused a conflict between them—you say Shi Chunqing might betray, but what is the motive?

Tang Zhao came late and was estranged from Shi Chunqing, which was precisely why he could see the reason for Shi Chunqing's lingering resentment. Because he was half an onlooker, by the time he arrived, Shi Chunqing's dissatisfaction had actually accumulated very deeply, and when he looked with cold eyes, it was very intuitive. But others couldn't understand; the closer they were, the more inconceivable it was. That was because they had spent a long time with Shi Chunqing and only felt the hard work and dedication of this eldest brother, unable to see his heart sinking bit by bit.

Just as Xue Xianyun roared at Tang Zhao at the time—Shi Chunqing would betray Zhuoyu Villa? Even if you, kid, betrayed it, he wouldn't!

There is no reason; he is my mantle-inheriting Disciple. Why would he betray? Wait a few years, won't all these family assets be his in the future?

Of course, after calming down later, he didn't do nothing. To be on the safe side, Xue Xianyun had probed and investigated Shi Chunqing.

As for the result of the investigation... it seemed there was a problem, and it seemed there was no problem.

There was no help for it; you can't say that just because Xue Xianyun lived a long time and had profound knowledge, he was calculating. In fact, most of his life was spent in seclusion and research. After becoming a top-tier Talisman Sword Master and a prospective Sword Smith, there were no struggles around him. Inside were his own Disciples who were in awe of him, and outside were all people who begged for his help or flattered him. He heard only good words and was praised for everything he did. Having been raised like this for so many years, what kind of schemes or means could he have?

As for "not using those you suspect, and abandoning or even eliminating those who are suspicious," that is something only an ambitious hero would do; this term was further away from Xue Xianyun than "refined and easy-going." Shi Chunqing was closer to him than his own son; Xue Xianyun found it difficult to make any disposition for a time.

So in the end, Xue Xianyun only thought of the method of taking away and hiding his own Sword Casting materials; those were the things he cherished most besides his eldest apprentice and daughter.

Facts proved that this move was of no use; it was all turned over and taken away by Shi Chunqing anyway.

"If he had left the Sword Casting materials behind, I wouldn't have been so heartbroken. Materials are all external things. I would have just treated it as splitting the family with him. His skills are not refined, the Art Tools he makes might not sell, and he wouldn't earn much money making a living on his own; it would be reasonable for him to take a little more." Xue Xianyun sighed.

"But, he actually took away even my Sword Casting materials. He truly hates me; he hates me so much he wants me dead."

Xue Xianyun stared at the water surface, his eyes already bloodshot: "Even now, I can't figure out how he reached the point of hating me so much he wanted me dead?"

Tang Zhao said softly: "Perhaps it is not hate."

Xue Xianyun turned his head and glared at him.

Tang Zhao did not continue this topic. In fact, he could have stated this judgment, but he hesitated and did not. Before, he was the person in the villa who understood Shi Chunqing best, and now he still was.

Moreover, before it was because he was meticulous and saw the stifled air in Shi Chunqing's heart, but now, it was because Shi Chunqing had bared his heart to him.

Yes, Shi Chunqing finally returned the owl that Xue Yeyu had given him to Tang Zhao, and at the same time, directly confessed his thoughts. This might be a recognition and reward for Tang Zhao's various understandings and attempts to persuade him to stay.

The two of them exchanged a fourteen-character couplet, both old sayings, but it had already said enough.

"The sharp edge of a Treasure Sword comes from grinding; the fragrance of plum blossoms comes from the bitter cold."

—Master has always valued you the most; his dedication to you is the greatest. What you can get in the future will also be the most; after the bitterness ends, sweetness must come.

"Ten years of hard work with no one to ask; once famous, the whole world knows."

—The life before was not what I wished for, and I don't care about the gains in the future; Master's sincerity is even more meaningless. What I am doing now is what I want to do.

This was not some impulsive escape, but a rational choice. It was a carefully considered decision based on personal prospects and an analysis of pros and cons, so he inevitably had to maximize his benefits. The grievances of "being worthy or unworthy" that Xue Xianyun was tangled in might not have been that important to Shi Chunqing.

Or perhaps they were important before, but after a certain point, they were no longer important. Shi Chunqing was no longer considering these things.

This was the reason why Tang Zhao was furious; the things he cherished were completely abandoned by Shi Chunqing from the start, and the efforts he made were meaningless to Shi Chunqing.

It is the so-called "those with different paths do not conspire together."

He had no way to explain it to his Master, and he did not want to deal another heavy blow to his mentor who was already Lost Soul.

He spoke big words to Jiang Shenyi, saying he had something important to say to make his Master happy; he was not here to analyze Shi Chunqing's thoughts.

At this moment, he straightened his expression again, took hold of Xue Xianyun's hand, and said loudly: "Master, let us continue to cast swords!"