The fifth commandment: “Progress in the day, change over the months, success will ultimately come…”
The sixth commandment…
…
There were a total of nine commandments.
All of the commandments had at least three Godfiends mentioning them. Furthermore, with what Meng Chuan knew, he found them extremely reasonable.
I’ve been practicing my saber every day for several hours to exhaustion. But no matter how tired I was, I’d just grit my teeth and endure it. In the past, I thought I was putting in the effort, but clearly, that doesn’t mean putting my mind and heart into it. I need to be enjoying and immersing myself in the saber arts while I seriously ponder over every move. Meng Chuan felt that this was the biggest problem he had. To begin with, cultivation was very tiring.
Normally, he would draw for two hours in the afternoon. This was his only guilty pleasure. It was a hobby he had since childhood. Through painting, his accumulated fatigue from cultivation would be forgotten, and his heart would also be extremely calm. This allowed him to persevere one year after another.
Now, it seemed like his take on things was wrong.
In the past, I seemed to be diligent and hardworking, but in the end, I was just a novice. Unable to hold back any longer, Meng Chuan put down the notebook and walked out of the study to the courtyard.
In the courtyard, he began to train his top-tier saber art, Falling Leaf Saber.
Unlike before—he only used the first stance of the Falling Leaf Saber, the Saber Drawing Stance. He threw everything else to the back of his mind as he completely focused on his saber art, as though the only thing in the world was the saber in his hand! Then he struck out with his saber! He could sense the silence of the saber as it was unsheathed. He could sense that the saber art was still the same old saber art, but his mentality had changed. What he 'saw” changed as well.
Since he was young, he had chosen the swift saber because he liked it sincerely from the bottom of his heart. It was solely because of the exhausting, repetitive training that ground his passion away. But when he changed his state of mind today, he once again focused on his saber arts using both body and mind.
That love was awakening.
The saber was silently unsheathed.
The saber’s trajectories were beautiful strokes in a painting. He tried his best to make the trajectory more graceful with each slash, causing the wind generated from each slash to become faster. Truly powerful saber techniques had a beauty to it, and Meng Chuan’s saber technique was approaching such a level.
He repeated the same move again and again, trying to strike faster and more silently when drawing his saber, working hard to slice through the wind at an ever-increasing speed.
He repeated it fifty times before he was satisfied.
This should be the way to cultivate! Meng Chuan was excited, and then he began to use the second stance—Whirling Moon Stance.
…
Two days after Meng Chuan compiled the cultivation notes, in an underground hall of the Yun family.
Whoosh~
In the center of the hall, purple flames rose.
COMMENT
A black-haired elder was seated in the lotus position within the flames, completely unharmed.
“Dad, you summoned me?” Yun Fu’an respectfully walked to the main hall but didn’t dare approach. Even from afar, he could feel heat—which caused the air to distort—rushing towards him.
“Fu’an.” The black-haired elder opened his eyes, his gaze calm. “I just received a piece of news. That old woman from the Meng family was heavily injured while defending against the demons at the Calm Sea Pass. She probably won’t live for long. She should be returning to Eastcalm in the next few days.”
Yun Fu’an was astonished. “Dad, are you referring to Fairy Meng?”
“Yes.”
The black-haired elder nodded slightly.
“Could it be a mistake?” Yun Fu’an was in disbelief. “Isn’t it said that Fairy Meng is the best at reconnaissance. Nothing within five kilometers can be hidden from her. She doesn’t even need to rush to the forefront, so how was she suddenly seriously injured?”
“There’s no mistake about it,” the black-haired elder said coldly. “King Calm Sea hired several highly skilled doctors for her, but that old woman’s injuries are too severe. Nothing can save her. This is no longer a secret at Calm Sea Pass! If she doesn’t continue fighting and lives an ignoble life, she will live for another eight years at most. If she fights with all her might, her lifespan will be even shorter.”
“At most eight years?” Yun Fu’an couldn’t help but say, “Without Fairy Meng, isn’t the Meng family finished?”
“The five Godfiend clans of the Eastcalm Prefecture will soon become four.” The black-haired elder nodded.
A family clan flourished because of a Godfiend.
Likewise, without Godfiends, a family clan would become ordinary.
“The Meng family will also lose the right to occupy so many important positions and interests in Eastcalm,” the black-haired elder said coldly. “Right, you should make a trip to the Meng family to get them to hand over the marriage agreement between Qingping and that fellow named Meng Chuan, and tear it apart on the spot! The current Meng family… doesn’t deserve to enter a marriage alliance with us.”
“Yes,” Yun Fu’an replied respectfully.
“However, before that old woman dies, there’s no need to lose decorum with them.” After speaking, the black-haired elder closed his eyes.
Yun Fu’an quietly departed.
…
“What? Annulling the marriage agreement?” Yun Qingping stared at her father in shock. Wasn’t he opposed to it? Why is he suddenly changing his mind?
“I’m just informing you.” Yun Fu’an smiled. “Today, I will pay the Meng family a trip to annul your engagement.”
Yun Qingping couldn’t help but ask, “Will the Meng family hand over the marriage contract obediently?”
“They will,” Yun Fu’an said confidently. His father had received the news from a good friend that the Meng family already knew about their ancestor’s impending demise. These large family clans knew themselves well. Stubbornly resisting would only invite insult upon themselves.
Yun Qingping immediately said, “Dad, I just want to annul the engagement. I don’t want to fall out with them and ruin the harmony between our families. Why don’t we invite Uncle Meng over for a discussion…”
“There’s no need to go through so much trouble.” Yun Fu’an smiled. “Alright, leave this matter to me. Just stay at home and wait for the good news.”
Chapter 4
Translator: CKtalon Editor: CKtalon
A study within Mirror Lake Meng Manor.
After practicing for an entire day, even though Meng Chuan remained energetic and excited, he still had to rest due to the exhaustion of his Quintessential Energy. He came to the study room to begin what he did every day—painting.
There was a piece of paper lying on the tabletop, and beside it, a beautiful color palette. All the paint was of high quality.
Meng Chuan put his heart into painting. He had fallen in love with painting since he was young.
Perhaps it was because his mother was good at painting and had taught him how to draw. This was what he loved the most when he was young. Imagine a three-year-old child painting for nearly eight hours straight, to the point he forewent his meals without complaining about fatigue. He would still laugh happily despite his paint-covered body. His mother had said, “My son is extremely talented. He will definitely become the number one artist in the world. Every painting will be worth its weight in gold.”
He was born in the Meng family; his parents doted on him, so he was carefree.
However, when he was six, over a hundred thousand people had died in a great catastrophe. His mother was no exception.
After his parents protected him with all their might and retreated to Eastcalm P
refecture, he focused on cultivating. However, he would still draw for two hours every day. Whenever he drew, he would forget about his fatigue from cultivation. He felt as though he had returned to a time when he was young. His mother would give him pointers, and his mind would be incomparably peaceful.
Now, he was fifteen years old.
After painting for over a decade, and being taught by several accomplished artists, he had long surpassed his teachers. His mother had been right. His talent was indeed outstanding—at least higher than his talent towards saber arts.
But what use was that? Could the best artist slay demons?
Knock. Knock. Knock.
There was an urgent knock on the door outside the study.
Huh? Meng Chuan looked outside curiously. No one disturbs me when I’m usually painting. What’s going on?
He put down the brush, then opened the door. His father, Meng Dajiang, was standing outside. His normal jovial smile was gone; his current expression was rather solemn.
“Chuan’er, quickly follow me to the ancestral mansion,” said Meng Dajiang.
“Okay.” He immediately followed his father without hesitating. “Dad, why have you been frequently visiting the ancestral mansion recently?”
“It’s nothing.” Meng Dajiang didn’t elaborate.
“Then why are we heading to the ancestral mansion now?” Meng Chuan asked again. As a junior, he paid a small handful of visits to the ancestral mansion annually.
Meng Dajiang glanced at his son and said, “It’s about your engagement with Yun Qingping. We decided to annul the engagement after a discussion between our families.”
“Annul the engagement?” Meng Chuan was shocked. “Dad, why is it suddenly being annulled?”
“You can’t bear to have it annulled?” Meng Dajiang looked at his son.
“Not at all.” Meng Chuan immediately shook his head. “I only meet Yun Qingping once every few months. Our personalities don’t match, so annulling the engagement is a good thing for me.”
He was only fifteen this year; he didn’t know anything about love. He saw Yun Qingping as a familiar and willful younger sister. Nothing more.
“It’s good that you think that way. Our families have already agreed to annul the engagement,” said Meng Dajiang. “When we reach the ancestral mansion, you just have to listen. Don’t speak too much.”
Meng Chuan nodded. “Yes.”
…
The Meng family’s ancestral mansion was situated in Eastcalm’s western district. It occupied a very large area—more than two thousand clansmen resided there. From the center of their occupied land, over half a kilometer could be traversed from south to north.
The Meng family’s foundation was in the countryside. Due to the threat of demons, people in the countryside combined forts to protect themselves. Each fort had thousands of people inside; it was very common for the same clan to gather in one fort. After a millennium of reproduction, the Meng family had three large forts and numbered over ten thousand people. There were few clans this large in Eastcalm Prefecture.
The special thing about the Meng family was that they had a Godfiend. They immediately became one of the five major Godfiend family clans with the highest status in Eastcalm Prefecture.
“Elder.”
“Elder.”
The ancestral mansion was very orderly. Some of the patrolling clan members bowed and greeted Meng Dajiang respectfully when they saw the duo.
Meng Dajiang was one of the three strongest members of the Meng family. He was still considered young and had a sliver of hope of becoming a Godfiend. He was to be the family’s next clan leader.
“Mmm?”
Meng Chuan followed his father into the guest hall.
Several people were already seated on both sides of the hall. On one side were those from the Meng family and the other—the Yun family. However, the atmosphere was clearly not quite right. At a glance, Meng Chuan could tell that the elders from his family didn’t look too good.
“Brother Dajiang is here.” Yun Fu’an stood up and smiled. “Have you brought the marriage agreement?”
“Yes.” Meng Dajiang nodded slightly.
Yun Fu’an smiled and said, “The other Elders have no objections to the annulment of the engagement. I believe it’s the same for you, am I right, Brother Dajiang?”
Meng Dajiang stood there and laughed. “If both families have the intention of building close ties through marriage, that will be nice. However, since there’s no intent, it’s better to annul the engagement early. This is the marriage agreement.”
He took out a scroll and handed it to Yun Fu’an with both hands.
After Yun Fu’an received the scroll, he unfurled it and took a closer look. He nodded slightly after seeing the names signed on it. It was indeed the marriage agreement from before. The two ancestors’ handwriting couldn’t be forged.
“Yun Fu’an, please tear the marriage agreement apart right here,” said a bald, thin elder from the Meng family.
“Haha! Are you worried that I’ll bring it back, and await a critical moment before using it to force Meng Chuan to marry my daughter?” Yun Fu’an laughed. “Don’t worry, I won’t do anything that shameless!”
As he said that, Yun Fu’an tore the marriage agreement.
“I’ve already torn the marriage agreement—everyone can bear witness. All of you can be at ease now.” Yun Fu’an smiled as his gaze swept across the Meng family Elders. “I won’t intrude any longer.”
He walked out as he spoke. The other Yun family members followed behind him.
When he passed where Meng Chuan was, Yun Fu’an stopped and smiled. “My dear nephew, take heed. You are no longer related to my daughter, Qingping, anymore.”
“Yes, zero ties,” replied Meng Chuan.
Only then did Yun Fu’an nod his head and lead everyone away.
Meng Dajiang watched as Yun Fu’an left and frowned slightly. He calmly said, “Chuan’er, the engagement has been annulled. You can return. I still have matters that need attending to.”
“Yes.” Meng Chuan glanced at the Elders and left obediently.
Thud!
The door to the hall closed. The hall remained bright through candle illumination.
“What bullies! They’re too much!” The bald, thin elder’s walking stick slammed onto the ground—producing a mildly deafening thud.
“It appeared like we were negotiating, but in reality, we had no choice at all. Could we thicken our skin and go through with the marriage alliance?” A swarthy elder sneered. “If we dared to cook up a storm at the Yun family, we will probably be slapped to death by the Yun family’s patriarch!”
“Having the engagement annulled is also good. Would it be of any use to use the engagement to force the Yun family’s hand when it’s just the marriage between two juniors? The Yun family would just bear a grudge against us. A marriage alliance is to aid one another. It’s better not to ally if we were enemies. This marriage is honestly trivial to our Meng family. Third Sis’ injuries are what has shaken our Meng family’s foundation!” An elegant elder looked at the fat elder above them. “Clan Leader, can’t we treat Third Sis’ injuries?”
The fat elder frowned. “Third Sister will return to Eastcalm in two days. We’ll talk about it when that happens.”
Meng Dajiang listened and frowned.
The Meng family’s pillar was on the verge of collapsing; the Meng family Elders were also worried.
The Meng family kept the news secret, and only the Elders knew about it. If such news spread, over ten thousand clan members would be thrown into a state of panic. It would only add to their troubles.
Now…
The upper echelons of the other four Godfiend family clans also knew, but they didn’t spread it either. They were afraid that ignorant juniors would anger the Meng family. After all, Fairy Meng wasn’t dead yet! Even if she was dead, she had many Godfiend friends. However, her Godfiend friends wouldn’t interfere as long as on
e didn’t go overboard.
Without a Godfiend, the Meng family would not be able to bear many of the heavy responsibilities. They naturally wouldn’t be able to enjoy so much power if they couldn’t bear their responsibilities.
Responsibility and power were equal.
From lowly mortals to esteemed Godfiends, presently, nobody could escape responsibility.
As long as a mortal reached the Marrow Cleansing realm, they would have to serve in the military for five years at the age of twenty—regardless of gender! Only half would return alive. However, people still wanted to reach the Marrow Cleansing realm because the rules of the Imperial Court forbade them from many occupations if they were so weak that they held little value to the military. They could only be bottom-feeders, living the most pitiful lives.
As for Godfiends, they were the backbone of humanity. Every single Godfiend had spent their entire lives fighting and protecting. Even if they returned to their hometown to rest, they had to guard their hometown’s city.
As a result, Godfiends were illustrious and exalted. Their family clans bathed in their glory. When Godfiends passed away or were unable to take on such a heavy responsibility, their family clan would retire from the important positions they occupied.
…
It was almost dark when Meng Chuan arrived home.
“Ah Chuan, quickly have dinner. I heard that you and Uncle Meng went to the ancestral mansion. I thought you weren’t coming back for dinner today.” Liu Qiyue was sitting while eating porridge and pastries. Meng Chuan sat across from her, and a maidservant brought over a bowl of porridge. He drank some porridge as his mind wandered.
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