Chapter 100

The next few days.

Li Hao walked out of the Divine General Mansion, accompanying Bian Ruxue as they strolled around Qingzhou City.

He took her to eat delicious food, watch grand plays, and listen to storytelling.

They even went to a nearby lake outside the city to catch dragonflies and butterflies for her, using the pages of a sword manual to press the butterflies into specimens, which he then gave to her.

Neither of them were ordinary people, but doing these small things that ordinary people do, their faces were still overflowing with smiles.

While out on an excursion in the wild, Li Hao brought paper, brushes, and scrolls, painting picture after picture for Bian Ruxue, with various backgrounds and angles—there were over a hundred in total, and he had already painted her until he had almost no experience points left.

But for Li Hao, painting for her was not for the sake of experience.

On the outskirts of the city, it was not the Black Water Demon Lake that the Second Uncle, Li Muxiu, had taken Li Hao to, but another smaller demon lake.

Li Hao brought a fishing rod to fish, and Bian Ruxue sat by his side, the little white fox Xiao Rou curled up in the young lady's arms, frolicking with her.

When she grew tired of playing, the young lady would rest her chin on her two small hands, watching Li Hao fish quietly.

Watching the young man gaze with total concentration at the fishing float, that earnestness was just like in their childhood, causing a faint smile to curl at the corners of her lips.

Before Bian Ruxue's eyes, the courtyard from their childhood seemed to emerge.

In that courtyard, while she was practicing swordplay, she would hear a call from the pavilion not far away—a call that was youthful and untainted by the passage of time: "Oh dear, Lin Shu, you've placed it in the wrong spot again!"

"The chess piece doesn't go in the box, it goes on the intersection!"

"Lin Shu, you've lost again!"

Every time she grew tired from practicing swordplay, she would look up toward that pavilion, and upon seeing the figure of that boy, she would feel exceptionally at ease.

The joyful laughter felt as if it were yesterday, and at this moment, it still echoed in her ears as if it were vivid before her eyes.

The young man gazed at the fishing float on the lake, while the young lady gazed at the young man's profile; both of them seemed to have become lost in thought.

Suddenly, the fishing float moved.

The young man yanked the fishing rod hard, as if pulling back a fully drawn bow; soon, a Tongli Realm fish demon was hauled up.

For demon creatures below the Ji Hun Realm, one could fish using these fishing rods forged from tough metal and specially made fishing lines.

"Brother Hao is amazing!"

The young lady, who had been lost in thought, also came back to her senses, clapping her hands and cheering with joy.

Li Hao smiled, killed the fish demon from a distance, and tossed it behind him. Seeing that the day was late, he also put away the fishing rod and scooped the fish basket up from the bottom of the water; inside were a few ordinary fish.

He released them casually.

Afterward, he packed up the stool and chair he had been sitting on, called out to the little white fox, and said to Bian Ruxue, "Let's go, we're going home."

"Okay."

Bian Ruxue nodded with a smile. Li Hao carried all their things, while she walked with her hands behind her back, taking happy little steps, skipping and hopping behind Li Hao.

The smoke from cooking fires in the mountains and fields had already risen; the pair returned from the lakeside.

Their pace home was not fast. Passing by the crops and fields outside the village, there was a melon patch.

There was only one local dog guarding the melon patch. Li Hao smiled, let the little white fox go to attract the dog's attention, and he himself stole a watermelon from another spot.

He ran while holding the watermelon in his arms. Once he was far enough away, he casually tossed two taels of silver into the melon pit.

Upon reaching a hillside in the distance, Li Hao cracked open the large melon, revealing the bright red fruit flesh. He handed it to the young lady, half for each.

Li Hao wasn't one for formalities; he buried his head right into it and started eating, juice spilling everywhere.

Bian Ruxue, however, was much more elegant and ladylike. She lightly pressed the hilt of her sword with her finger, the blade left its sheath, and with a flash of silver light, the watermelon was sliced into several crescent-shaped pieces.

She handed a piece to Li Hao, and Li Hao took it and started eating.

"Days like this are truly comfortable..." Li Hao sat on the hillside, his palms supporting him from behind, watching the setting sun in the distance, its afterglow illuminating the human world.

Hearing Li Hao's words, Bian Ruxue's eating paused slightly, and then she smiled and said, "Yes, it is."

Li Hao smiled, held up his half and finished it, while Bian Ruxue shared two pieces with the little white fox. After they had finished everything, they went home together.

Seeing that Li Hao and Bian Ruxue had returned late, their boots and pant legs covered in mud, Li Tiangang said to Li Hao:

"You should take Xue'er to better places to play, don't go to those messy, dirty places. And this fishing rod of yours—if you go fishing, what is Xue'er supposed to do? Won't she be bored and dull? You need to think more about others."

Li Hao listened with an expressionless face, seemed to smile for a moment, nodded, gave a simple "Mhm," and turned to leave.

Bian Ruxue quickly said to Li Tiangang, "Uncle, actually, it was I who suggested watching Brother Hao fish. He is very good at fishing, and he also likes fishing very much; I can tell."

Li Tiangang doted on and liked this future daughter-in-law very much. He said with a soft gaze, "I naturally know he likes it, but you have rarely come back, and you can't always indulge him and accompany him in everything. If one day I am no longer here and your nature remains this soft, it will be very hard for you."

"Uncle, please don't say such things; you will be fine," Bian Ruxue said quickly.

Li Tiangang smiled and said, "Good Xue'er, don't worry about me; you should think more about yourself."

Bian Ruxue was slightly startled and nodded, "I will."

A few more days passed.

Li Hao accompanied Bian Ruxue to play in the city. It happened that there was a temple fair in the west of the city, and the two went to play upon hearing the news, watching the fireworks and silver trees, the mortal arts and acrobatics, and the shadow puppet plays.

The temple fair was about to end, but the two were still not quite satisfied.

Li Hao held a full load of purchased items in his hands. He had not brought attendants or personal guards to wait by his side, so as not to make him and Xue'er feel uncomfortable.

"Are you happy?"

Sitting on a stone by the street, the two sat shoulder to shoulder, watching the sunset and evening glow outside the city wall, Li Hao said with a smile.

"Happy."

Bian Ruxue's eyes were full of smiles.

Li Hao turned his head, gazing at her profile. He had to admit that there were still faint traces of her childhood contours, but they had changed somewhat; after all, she had grown up and matured.

She had also become more beautiful and radiant.

However, while radiance is beautiful, it requires a price to be paid.

Just like a shooting star—how brilliant it is, yet it vanishes in an instant, burning up its entire life.

Li Hao watched quietly, and the two sat there just as quietly.

A moment later, Li Hao said, "Do you want days like this to continue forever?"

Bian Ruxue was slightly startled and turned her head to look at Li Hao.

Their gazes met, and in each other's eyes, many things were contained.

Bian Ruxue slowly turned her head, a relaxed smile appearing on her face, and said, "Of course I do."

"Really?" Li Hao asked, though his gaze glanced at the sword in her hand.

Inseparable.

Bian Ruxue's smile faded slightly. At this moment, she seemed to understand that Li Hao had already sensed something.

She couldn't help but sigh deeply in her heart.

"Brother Hao, I might have to let you down."

Bian Ruxue turned her head and gazed at Li Hao again, but the relaxed smile on her face was gone; her eyebrows were lightly furrowed, carrying a touch of sorrow and helplessness.

Li Hao was slightly silent, and the trace of anticipation in his heart slowly sank along with these words.

Seeing Li Hao's silence, Bian Ruxue's floodgates seemed to open suddenly. After sighing, she lowered her head and said to herself, "I know, Brother Hao, you are very good to me; I have no way to repay your kindness."

"It's just that I want to go and see, to try, to see the scenery at the absolute peak of the Sword Dao, and try to see if I can reach the summit."

When the young lady spoke of the sword, her soft, low voice contained a trace of unshakable tenacity.

Li Hao's lips moved slightly, but he didn't speak.

He just watched the young lady lower her brow quietly. At this moment, besides the familiar contours of her face, Li Hao also saw another kind of familiar thing.

That is, the eyes of countless geniuses rushing toward fame, the kind of eyes that pursue it with their lives like moths to a flame.

"Actually, once you have seen that scenery, you will know that an ordinary, plain life like the one we have now is the happiest," Li Hao said softly, as if sighing.

Could the joy of these days of playing still not defeat that sword heart?

Bian Ruxue looked up at the setting sun and said, "Perhaps. However, if I don't see it, I'm afraid I will never be reconciled. I want to see the ultimate of the Sword Dao, and I also want to see the ultimate Sword Dao that my Master spoke of—the power of the God's Sword!"

"The God's Sword, is it..."

Li Hao shook his head and smiled. There are countless swordsmen in the world, and since who knows how many years ago, such a saying has been circulating.

There are thousands of sword techniques in the world, various schools, and various sword stances, which have already multiplied to the extreme.

But these are not the ultimate of the Sword Dao!

The ultimate of the Sword Dao is called the God's Sword! No one knows the drawing stance of that sword, and no one knows how that sword is slashed or thrust.

And no one knows if that sword truly exists.

But countless people spread the word that if one could comprehend such a sword.

One could slay gods, sever ghosts, execute demons, suppress devils, slash through everything in the world, split the sun and moon, and fill the vast seas! Such a sword is the ultimate pursuit and ultimate goal of swordsmen in the world.

Li Hao had flipped through many records of grandmasters and even past Sword Saints in the Listening Rain Tower, and it was recorded that they had sparred, fought, and exchanged ideas for the sake of comprehending this sword technique! The rumors about the God's Sword were most widespread and intense eight hundred years ago, which was also the time when sword cultivators were most obsessed and went crazy for it!

But later, the noise gradually grew smaller because no one had comprehended it to this day, so it was treated as a legend.

Plus, a topic hyped for hundreds of years would eventually become tiresome, and no one would argue or discuss it anymore.

He didn't expect that the young lady before him would actually have such thoughts and such a wish.

Was it instilled by that old codger? Li Hao thought of the old man who had rejected him. Originally, he had neither good nor bad feelings toward him, but at this moment, there was a trace of anger.

"Did your Master teach you all this?" Li Hao asked.

Sensing the slightly heavier tone in the young man's words, Bian Ruxue's expression changed slightly. She looked at Li Hao and then shook her head: "No, Master just mentioned it in passing. This is what Master pursues, but he never forced us. This is just a path I want to explore myself."

"Is that so."

The anger in Li Hao's heart subsided, and he said, "If you practice swordplay, I can accompany you, and I can teach you."

Bian Ruxue couldn't help but think of the events in the courtyard when she was a child.

She sighed secretly; today was no longer like the past.

"The God's Sword has no rules and no records; it is just a legend and cannot be taught. Perhaps when someone truly executes that sword, the grace of that sword will be materialized."

Bian Ruxue said softly, "I know you can also use a sword, but this sword has already entered the Dao; even my Master cannot teach it. Only by spending one's life's blood to comprehend and explore it can one have a chance to glimpse even a fraction of it."

Li Hao was silent.

Indeed, the other party had a Master Master Jian Sheng as a master, so she didn't need him to teach her swordplay.

He looked at the young lady and gazed at her: "Have you truly given your heart entirely to the sword?"

When the Sword Dao enters the heart, one will be obsessed, but there is still a distance between obsession and madness.

Only by truly falling in love with the sword can one be like this.

Bian Ruxue met Li Hao's gaze. This time she did not dodge; it seemed that when it involved the sword, she was unwilling to dodge or escape in her heart.

"Yes, so I want to go and see."

"But what if you can't see it?" "So I want to try."

"Countless swordsmen have pursued it to no avail; this is a legend to begin with, and no one can do it. Are you going to abandon the happiness you have within reach now for such an ethereal legend?"

Li Hao looked at the young lady before him, unable to understand. He had already entered the Dao in many arts, yet he had never been so obsessed.

Bian Ruxue was silent for a moment before saying, "If I don't try to climb once, I might regret it for the rest of my life!"

Li Hao couldn't help but smile and sigh again.

In the human world, aren't countless grievances and entanglements between men and women all because of this unwillingness to give up?

It's just that flowers have a day to bloom again, but people are never young again...

Li Hao sighed and said, "What were you planning to do originally?"

Seeing Li Hao sighing non-stop, Bian Ruxue felt a bit of unbearable pain in her eyes, but she still bit her lip and said:

"In my sect, there are two choices: the mortal world and the Sword Dao. Actually, the two choices can also be chosen in parallel, both taken into account, but in that case, it is actually still considered choosing the mortal world."

"Because the Sword Dao is pure; it is unique."

"Only by being unique can one reach the extreme!"

She said deeply, "I made my decision when I came down the mountain this time. I plan to accompany you first, and then continue to hone my sword technique!"

"When in the future..."

When she said this, her tone softened, and her cheeks suddenly flushed slightly. She secretly glanced at Li Hao, and seeing that Li Hao was also looking at her, she couldn't help but turn her head away: "When in the future you, Brother Hao, want to start a family and establish a career, I will come back and marry you and have children."

Hearing this, Li Hao only felt a sigh in his heart, because he knew the other party hadn't finished speaking.

"And then?" he asked.

"And then, I will continue to pursue my Sword Dao," Bian Ruxue said, the crimson on her cheeks gradually fading, and she said earnestly.

Li Hao understood her plan and said, "But by marrying and having children, you will delay a year of time. In this way, it cannot be considered the extreme of wholeheartedness."

Bian Ruxue nodded; how could she not know this?

If she truly wanted to pursue the extreme, the best way was to cut ties with Li Hao completely.

From then on, only the sword would accompany her.

But everything from her childhood made it impossible for her to cut ties just like that.

That kindness was too heavy and too great.

She understood that without Li Hao's help back then, she might not even have had the chance to pursue the Sword Dao, and it would have been impossible to even become a disciple of the Master Master Jian Sheng.

The Li family used the highest-grade Foundation Establishment medicinal liquid and the best exotic blood to mold her tendons and bones, and Li Hao even dissolved the most extreme precious blood extracted from the three-thousand-year-old demon corpse that Li Tiangang had slain at the border for her.

Only then was she molded into a supreme ninth-grade talent! Only then did she have the chance to pursue that Sword Dao.

How could she forget this kindness? If she forgot, her heart would be incomplete, and her sword would also be incomplete.

How could she climb to the peak and become the most extreme swordsman then?

Therefore, even if there was a defect, she was willing to delay a year for this.

Giving birth to Li Hao's offspring was the only way she could think of to repay Li Hao.

"Have you already decided?" Li Hao looked at her.

"Decided," Bian Ruxue said earnestly.

Li Hao's mouth moved slightly, knowing that persuasion was useless.

The other party had already given her heart entirely to the sword.

He couldn't help but sigh, feeling a trace of ridiculousness.

In that courtyard, four years of wind and snow together were not as good as her eight years of accompanying the sword.

Yes, perhaps in terms of time, he only had half.

How could he compare?

But he was alive, and the sword was not.

He thought of the dark night in that courtyard, and the bright galaxy in the dark night.

He thought of the first time he saw that little girl who was crying, soothing her heart that had lost her father and was wounded.

He thought of that day in the warm sunshine, when two small hands made a pinky promise in the courtyard: "You must be obedient. As long as you stay here, no matter where I go, I will come back."

"Pinky promise."

"You're not allowed to change. You said it; whoever changes is a puppy."

"Fine, fine, fine."

Who could have expected that the child who was dotingly smiling and casually brushing it off that day would instead give his heart?

Those letters flying from the Southern Sword Hut were like ellipses after a vow, to be continued.

It's just that the people in the courtyard were still waiting for the spring breeze to arrive, while the young lady nine thousand miles away had long since given her heart to the sword.

Li Hao didn't expect that the little girl who followed her Master that day would really go far away.

Perhaps he was too happy that day and mistook that farewell for a promise...

Li Hao thought of fishing by the lake one day several years ago, when the Second Uncle, Li Muxiu, saw that the young man's talent was unparalleled and couldn't help but pass on his unique skill.

"Half-Step Invincible Fist."

The old man asked after teaching: "Do you know why my fist technique is only called half-step?"

The young man guessed: "Could it be that you only created half of it, Second Uncle?"

The old man shook his head with a smile: "People in the world think so, but in fact, it is not. This half-step is the complete version."

The young man asked: "Then why is it called half-step?"

The old man said: "Because only a half-step can be invincible."

The young man didn't understand.

The old man continued: "Because people, if they take a full step, it's easy to lose control of their strength. Once the enemy dodges, they fall into a predicament themselves... Life is also like this; don't be too serious, otherwise it's easy to lose control of your heart."

Don't be too serious, otherwise it's easy to lose control of your heart...

Li Hao only now savored it; it turned out that half-step was a state of mind, not a real half-step.

The fist is like this, and life is also like this.

Otherwise, one will reveal a sign of defeat...

Li Hao looked up at the afterglow of the sunset and finally sighed a long sigh.

Hearing Li Hao's sigh, Bian Ruxue's heart trembled slightly, as if she felt that something was being lost.

She gripped the sword in her hand slightly, and finally let go lightly. Perhaps this was a result she had long anticipated; why be sad and upset now?

She composed herself, looked up at the young man who was like a bright star and a clear moon before her, and asked with a feigned relaxed smile: "When did you realize it?"

Li Hao slowly withdrew his gaze, looking at the young lady's smile, which was like the evening glow, beautiful enough to make one forget oneself, but his eyes were smiling, and he didn't linger on her, saying: "Perhaps from a very, very long time ago."

"A very long time ago..." Bian Ruxue was stunned, and then looked at Li Hao in confusion: "Why?"

Li Hao smiled and didn't explain.

The content of the letters and the frequency of the letters were enough to explain some things. People are emotional animals, and they are naturally sensitive to emotions.

Including the fact that the other party came down the mountain this time, she didn't go straight to the Li Mansion, but first tried to conquer the Mo River.

Since the Mo River had already infiltrated and the village had been destroyed, the civilians who fell into the Mo River were bound to die. There was no difference whether it was conquered early or late; it just depended on her mood at the time.

"This time you returned to the mansion, I took you to visit all of Qingzhou. Were you truly happy?" Li Hao asked.

Bian Ruxue nodded slightly: "Happy!"

"That's good."

Li Hao also nodded and then smiled, but this smile was missing something.

She was truly happy, but she still couldn't win back that heart that had already rushed out.

Half-step, half-step... Why did I take a few more steps...

Li Hao shook his head and smiled.

"What are you laughing at?" Bian Ruxue asked.

Li Hao's gaze fell on the sunset glow, saying: "I am laughing that this scenery is beautiful, but it's a pity that people in the world are busy, and pedestrians come and go in a hurry on the street. Who has the leisure to stop and look up?"

Bian Ruxue was silent for a moment. She knew that Li Hao was not talking about pedestrians, but about her.

So she spoke for the "pedestrians": "Perhaps they have to rush for their lives, rush for their ideals... The word 'ideal' was taught to me by you, Brother Hao."

Li Hao couldn't help but laugh out loud, and suddenly stood up as if he were full of heroic spirit: "That's right!"

But then he said: "However, if you really want to, you can still squeeze out a moment to look up; it just depends on whether you are willing."

"Then what is the meaning of that?"

"Of course it has meaning. Isn't the purpose of life for that moment of looking up?"

It seemed that both of them were a bit serious, and then they were silent.

I don't know how long passed.

All emotions had been put away on Li Hao's face, and he was slightly tired, saying: "I'm a bit tired from walking today. You go back first."

Bian Ruxue was silent for a moment, nodded lightly, and then stood up, saying: "It's getting late, dinner should be ready in the courtyard. You should also come back early; don't let Uncle wait too long."

Li Hao's mouth curled up:

"I have waited for him for fourteen years; what does it matter if he waits for me for a moment longer?"

Bian Ruxue was slightly startled, her lips parted slightly, wanting to say something, but found she had nothing to say.

She suddenly felt an inexplicable stinging pain in her heart.

This was something she had never felt when practicing swordplay.

When she practiced swordplay, she was very pure, but she was not pure now.

Bian Ruxue left first. Li Hao sat where he was, holding a full load of snacks and acrobatic toys purchased during the temple fair.

Looking at the things in his hands, the young lady hadn't taken any of them, so Li Hao couldn't help but smile.

If she really liked them, how could she not take them?

She just took that sword, plus herself, and left like a breeze.

Does the sword really have such charm? Li Hao looked up and thought to himself, if I have the chance in the future, I will also climb to the peak of this Sword Dao to take a look.

See how many sword-dao corpses are buried under that cliff.

And whether there truly is that God's Sword on that peak! The sunset glow has also been dyed red, like weeping blood; the sun today is about to set...

(End of chapter)