Looking at the swordsman in front of him with a scar on his face and a longsword hanging at his waist, Xiang Rong felt as if he was in another world.

If it weren’t for the fact that the other party suddenly showed up, he would have almost forgotten that he had such a disciple here. After all, compared to the great cause of restoring the Chu Dynasty, a mere disciple was really too insignificant to mention — but looking at the familiar demeanor of the other party and the seemingly familiar sword at his waist, some dormant memories inevitably surged to the forefront of his mind.

It was during the time he was traveling the world, when he had come to Beiji, that he stumbled upon an orphan of bandits by chance. At that time, he was planning to stay in Beiji for a while, so he raised him and taught him some things casually.

As for the content he taught, it naturally wasn’t the secret treasures of the Chu royal family. Being able to teach him something from the Imperial Academy was already him showing benevolence.

For those who live in this world, there’s always a time when they feel soft-hearted—even the once-great Chu Dynasty studied this aspect while delving into the path of ascendance to immortality. After all, even those born with extraordinary talents, and even a prodigy of a generation, often fail to overcome the seven emotions and six desires, becoming disturbed in their hearts, plunged into madness, or even transformed into monsters.

So after thorough research across generations of the Chu Dynasty, the conclusion recorded in the royal family’s secret manuals was that releasing is better than blocking.

Forcing oneself to restrain is indeed remarkable—to say the least, it appears impressive—but in reality, it tightens one’s rational thinking into a taut string, ready to snap at the slightest disturbance. Therefore, to stabilize consciousness amidst the impact of sabers and evil qi, and to make the mental state smoother and more flexible, occasionally following one’s heart and doing things beyond others’ comprehension is actually relatively necessary.

After all, for him at the time, this kid really touched him somewhat nostalgically. Although he possessed the identity of a descendant of the Chu royal family, wasn’t living such a covert life no different from the orphan of bandits?

Furthermore, he had also heard about his old friend of yesteryears, who had already been sidelined by the court and had come to Yanzhou to live in seclusion, taking up teaching students.

"Then just raise one."

With a thought, the fate of this child named Cui Yuan was changed.

But for Xiang Rong, it was no different from raising cats and dogs.

And in the subsequent years, he finally confirmed that the young emperor of Southern Chen had truly gradually diminished military defenses in various provinces so that his home could rest easy. This also proved that the fate of Southern Chen was indeed running out—a stark reality at the time when he felt alone and powerless, realizing that relying solely on himself, it was unlikely he could accomplish the heroic task of restoring the dynasty. So he set off northward to find the Desert North Royal Court, becoming the State Preceptor among the prairie people.

Even though there had been war between the prairie people and the Chu people in those years, in this world, there are no eternal enemies. Just like the Taizu of Southern Chen was willing to accept remnants of the previous Great Yu in order to attack the residual forces of the Chu people, the present prairie people and him, the last person of great Chu, also shared a common enemy.

And so, both sides came to an agreement in one stroke.

Treating the world like a chessboard and all beings like pieces, such magnificent moves meant that his past leisurely pursuits were cast aside by him; these leisurely chess moves, after all, were irrelevant to him.

Just like Ruan Shantao, who thought that by taking hold of his disciple, he could make him fearful to act, but unbeknownst to him, this was the decoy placed outside to provide a target for those wishing to take him down.

Moreover, apart from being targets, these leisurely chess moves could also serve other purposes.

Just like now.

"My good disciple, you’ve grown into an adult, haven’t you?"

Facing his former disciple, Xiang Rong first went up to strongly embrace him, letting him feel the warmth of Chu people while he also gauged the physical condition of the other party.

Not bad at all. He’s worthy of being chosen by him as a disciple; just by observing this sturdy back, it seems likely that during the past years after his departure, this kid never neglected practicing swordsmanship.

Excellent, truly excellent.

With such competent swordsmanship, this disciple has some value.

"Come in, come in! Let’s talk inside!"

Outside wasn’t an ideal place to converse, so Xiang Rong took Cui Yuan into the tent—and facing his former mentor, Cui Yuan was also somewhat excited. However, along with excitement, he felt more bewildered, as the mentor in front of him felt somewhat unfamiliar.

The mentor of the past was melancholy, grim, and rarely smiled, naturally carrying a touch of scholarly air; but today’s mentor was flamboyant, enthusiastic, and spirited, exuding an aura of power and authority in every gesture.

Though it should certainly be his mentor, no mistake, and they even spoke about some past events between them, yet no matter how hard he tried to come close, it seemed as though there was a thick barrier between them.

Even though at this moment, they’re sitting closer than before.

"So, you later gained some fame in Beiji and Yanzhou," Xiang Rong sighed after a brief casual chat.

"Then you should know all the experts in these two provinces, right? How are their skills?"

"...Very strong."

Cui Yuan paused for a moment but in his mind recalled the numerous bouts of combat between himself and Du Chengfeng.

"Really strong, not to be underestimated."

"Is that how you evaluate them..."

Xiang Rong slowly nodded, then continued to ask.

"Then do you know if there are any experts in these two provinces who are skilled in using fire blades?"

"...Fire blades?"

Cui Yuan was slightly taken aback.

Recalling the so-called battles between himself and the other experts, none seemed to have used such odd and peculiar items like fire blades. Even during his numerous bouts against Du Chengfeng... The first time, Du Chengfeng fought unarmed and with short blades; the second time, he used a broadsword to cut through his sword; and the third time, he defeated him, the original victor, using Liu Qingyun’s long knife to cut down horses.

In those three bouts, Du Chengfeng never used anything resembling fire blades.

"I don’t know, disciple hasn’t heard of it."

"Haven’t heard of it?"

Xiang Rong’s brow instantly furrowed.

His disciple being straightforward in character shouldn’t fabricate lies, which implies that the expert using fire blades nearly appeared out of thin air in Beiji.

Things are becoming odd; who knows where Ruan Shantao found this disciple from; it must be handled cautiously.

"Therefore, you should return to the city first — this is also considered a help to your master."

Thinking of this, Xiang Rong spoke.

"Moreover, if you encounter an expert skilled in using fire blades, you should deliver him a strike with your sword."

"Deliver him a strike?"

Cui Yuan couldn’t help feeling puzzled.

"But disciple holds no grudge against that person, not knowing even who he is..."

"But he is stronger than you, isn’t he?"

Xiang Rong raised his hand and patted Cui Yuan’s shoulder.

"My good disciple, the way you’ve practiced all this time, your master has seen it in his eyes. Challenging the strong is itself part of the practice, isn’t it?"

"Part of the... practice?"

Cui Yuan’s heart suddenly thudded.

If it were before, he might have truly believed that challenging the strong is indeed part of the practice.

But now, after hearing this sentence, Cui Yuan instinctively felt that this respected mentor planned to trick him into dying.