410 Borrowing the Sword I (2/2)
Ning Que nodded and said, ”I can attest to that.”
Chen VII raised his head slowly and a flickering light shone in his slightly small eyes, ”Liu Bai is the world's strongest powerhouse, so he is not an idiot. He sent his own younger brother to shame the Academy, it would work if he wins. And if he loses, he could use the Academy to diminish his brother's cultivation State. That works too. He wanted to teach Second Brother Chao and Ning Que a lesson because the two of you killed his disciple at the Spring Breeze Pavilion two years ago, and that might also be a reason. But, sending Second Brother Chao's sword to make you think that he had died, and also causing his brother to go blind wouldn't be the reason for his action.”
Ning Que did not speak. He thought about the battle by the Academy's side doors and realized that there was truth in Chen VII's words. If he had not seen Chao Xiaoshu's sword in Liu Yiqing's hands, he would not have chosen to strike so heavily and made the Sage of Sword, Liu Bai's younger brother blind. It did not benefit him at all.
”If I were Liu Bai, I would have gotten justice for the incident at Spring Breeze Pavilion after beating Second Brother Chao who had entered the Knowing Destiny State and sending my brother to defeat Ning Que. I have no reason to form a grudge against the Academy and the Tang Empire.”
Chen VII continued softly, ”According to reports from the Bodyguard Office, after you entered the Second floor of the Academy, your name began to spread in the cultivation world. Even though we were not cultivators, we all knew that your name was on the Tomes of Arcane. Many details of the incident at Spring Breeze Pavilion also spread.”
”The news would not have traveled so fast naturally. Someone was already fanning the flames then. They wanted the Sword Garret of South Jin Kingdom to focus on Chao Xiaoshu and you. That is why I believe that someone is pulling the strings behind these two incidents. Liu Yiqing bringing Second Brother Chao's sword is one of those strings.”
Chen Seven looked at everyone calmly. He said, ”There is only one place in the world that has the ability and guts to stir-up the Tang Academy against the Sword Garret of South Jin Kingdom. And there is only one place that would benefit from this. That is the West-Hill Divine Palace.”
...
Outside the capital of South Jin Kingdom.
There was a two colored pavilion by the cliff. It was the Sword Garret.
The Sword Garret was built into the cliff. There was a large quiet cave and the top of the cave led directly to the cliff peak where light streamed in. There was a pool at the bottom of the hole and a straw hut. It looked like an independent world.
Liu Bai sat in his little piece of heaven and looked at the fish blowing bubbles in the pond. He slowly reached out to push his long hair behind his shoulders. He asked blandly, ”Can anyone give me an explanation?”
Liu Yiqing's humiliating defeat at the Academy and news of his blindness had traveled to the South Jin Kingdom together with two letters from the Tang Empire.
One of the letters was personally written by the Emperor of Tang.The letter was currently in the bedroom of the South Jin Kingdom's king. It angered him greatly, but he also felt that there was nothing he could do about it.
The other letter was written by an old woman from the Academy. It laid quietly by Liu Bai's legs. It had already been opened, and probably read.
Over twenty second-generation disciple of the Sword Garret knelt by the pond. They lowered their heads, not knowing how to answer to their teacher.
How could they explain Liu Yiqing's defeat in the challenge?
Liu Bai looked at the pond, his face devoid of emotions, and said, ”My younger brother is now blind. Who can give me an explanation for this?”
A disciple of the Sword Garret said angrily, ”The Academy was too vicious. We have to...”
”We have to what? Get revenge? Why do we have to get revenge?”
Liu Bai said coldly, ”The spirit of sword Taoism is one that is fearless. Since I wanted him to defeat and kill Ning Que, it is also logical that he could be defeated and killed by Ning Que. Furthermore, I sent him to the Academy just so he could be defeated and to polish his Sword Heart.”
The disciples were shocked speechless. They had only understood then that their teacher had expected Liu Yiqing to fail.
Liu Bai glanced at the letter by his side, and said frostily, ”I just do not understand, I sent Yiqing there to polish his own sword, so why did he bring Chao Xiaoshu's sword?”
Everything on the Sage of Sword, Liu Bai, was a sword. No matter his loose black hair, the belt on his waist, his fluttering robes or his gaze, his shadow or his voice.
When his voice was frosty, the disciples by the lake seemed to see a sword rising from ice that was millennia old. Their eyes were pierced by the sharp sword style and began to tear.
The disciples were frightened and laid prostrate on the ground, not daring to say anything.
Liu Bai turned around slowly and looked at the disciples coldly. He said, ”My brother is an idiot in all other aspects other than sword Taoism. And because he is an idiot, he would not have thought of using Chao Xiaoshu's sword to anger Ning Que. So who thought it up for him?”
The cliff cave behind the Sword Garret fell into silence.
After some time, a disciple lying prostrate on the ground slowly got up. Then, he took two steps towards the pond and bowed deeply without saying anything.
Liu Bai looked at the disciple and said with a frigid expression, ”So is the Judicial Department definitely better than the Sword Garret?”
...
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