Martial Cultivator

The Princess Consort's feelings towards the Great General, her own father, were actually quite limited. After all, since the Great General took office as the Northern Frontier Great General under the reign of Emperor Lingzong, he had hardly returned to the Divine Capital. Even on the few occasions he did, it was for a pitifully short time. Yet, despite this, with their blood ties, how could she not feel heartbroken at the prospect of parting in life and death?

Seeing the Princess Consort in tears, the Great General reached out and wiped them away. "Our father-daughter relationship was fate, but from now on, you must walk your own path."

The Princess Consort could only sob quietly, unable to say anything at this moment.

The Great General looked at her with tender affection. This Northern Frontier Great General, who had always been stern, was not entirely heartless. It was just that when facing the demons, when facing the countless soldiers of the Northern Frontier, he had to suppress his emotions. For a military leader, the greatest taboo was indecisiveness.

"As one gets older, one tends to talk more. Don't mind your old man's rambling. This will be the last time."

With a sigh, the Great General said in the end, "Go back."

The Princess Consort could not find words to respond. She suddenly bowed deeply to her father, paying her respects.

The Great General accepted it calmly.

Afterwards, the Princess Consort stood up and walked to the carriage waiting outside. The Great General watched her enter the carriage and slowly leave. Then, he turned back slowly, reclining on his chair once again. The old steward approached, and the Great General who was looking at the old locust tree in the twilight, sighed, "I've really grown old."

Suddenly, the old steward said, "This old servant wishes to return to your hometown with Great General."

The Great General did not look at him, shaking his head. "That's my hometown, not yours. What are you following for?"

The old steward's face was full of sorrow, his lips moving, but no words came out.

"Oh you, you're actually the same as me. After so many years of being powerless, if you could choose, would you have chosen to enter my manor back then?"

The Great General chuckled self-deprecatingly. "All this talk about serving the country and its people, about defending the land. If given the choice, who wouldn't want to stay home, watching over their wife and daughter, and live out their days peacefully?"

"My life is nearing its end."

Finally, the Great General lay back on his reclining chair, closing his eyes slightly, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. It seemed he was reminiscing about his eventful life - joining the military at a young age, rigorous training, and the countless battles fought, stepping over the bodies of numerous demons. In the end, he became a renowned general, guarding the Northern Frontier for decades and earning great military achievements for the human race.

But every hero would eventually grow old.

In the face of the power of time, no one could resist.

In the end, everything would turn to dust.

……

……

After the grand court session ended that day, Chen Chao returned to the small courtyard by the South Lake, living a secluded life.

After obtaining the right to bear arms, Chen Chao anticipated that he would attract the attention of many interested parties, which was much more serious than when he initially became the top scorer in the martial examination.

Fortunately, there were no issues from the Left Guards's office, and hiding in the academy provided some tranquility.

However, these days in the courtyard were not easy for him. Xie Nandu practiced the sword daily, reaching a new level. Often, while manipulating flying swords in the courtyard, Xie Nandu would sporadically launch attacks at Chen Chao. Despite being prepared, Chen Chao could still evade these attacks which were not considered overly fierce. However, he could not keep up with Xie Nandu's unpredictable timing. Occasionally, he would be pushed into a very embarrassing situation.

If it were anyone else, he would have already taken action. However, facing Xie Nandu, he had no means at all.

One afternoon, while contemplating the contents of that page, he suddenly felt a burst of sword qi approaching. Reacting instinctively, he swung his saber backward, colliding with a flying sword that swept toward him from behind. The collision caused the flying sword to draw nearer instead of being deflected away.

Returning to his senses, Chen Chao slashed with his saber again, halting the flying sword's advance. Then, he looked up at the young woman under the eaves, and said with some helplessly, "Aren't you afraid that I won't react in time and end up dead under your flying sword?"

Recalling the flying sword, Xie Nandu replied, "If you really died, I'd bury you."

Chen Chao scratched his head, feeling speechless.

But after being interrupted by Xie Nandu, Chen Chao no longer dwelt on the matter of the page. Instead, he walked over to the eaves and said with a smile, "Make way."

Xie Nandu shifted her body aside, making room for Chen Chao. Chen Chao sat down naturally next to her and easily detected the pleasant fragrance emanating from the young woman, which was somewhat intoxicating. However, he quickly regained his senses and asked, "Do you think that First Prince will panic now that the Great General has retired?"

For years, the two princes of the Great Liang Dynasty have been in constant rivalry, but most court officials favored the First Prince. Why? It was because he was the son-in-law of the Northern Frontier Great Liang Emperor, who commanded the most elite frontier army of the Great Liang. The First Prince held the advantage in the struggle for the throne. Many court officials could not understand why the Emperor, having formed an alliance with the Great General through marriage, did not promptly designate the First Prince as the heir to placate the Great General. Some speculated that the Great General and His Majesty the Emperor were not as harmonious as they seem.

However, with the Great General retiring to his hometown, there was no longer a reason to necessarily crown the First Prince as the crown prince.

Glancing at Chen Chao, Xie Nandu said calmly, "Is it important to you who becomes emperor?"

Chen Chao initially wanted to say it mattered, but after thinking about it, he decided not to speak in riddles in front of the girl. Instead, he said straightforwardly, "Indeed, regardless of which prince ascends the throne, even if they appear magnanimous, I cannot trust them. I can only make them wary."

A saber in one's own hand was better than in another's.

This was something Chen Chao had always believed in, but later, the Great Liang Emperor taught him another lesson: holding a saber was not the end goal; having the ability to kill was.

Xie Nandu said indifferently, "So don't overthink it."

Chen Chao sighed and said softly. "It's just that with the Great General retiring, the Great Liang Dynasty has one less powerhouse in the true sense. I saw him that day at the grand court session, and I feel he won't live much longer."

Xie Nandu was not surprised. Although she had never met the Great General nor attended the grand court session, she was well aware of one thing: if the Great General had any strength left, he would not return to the Divine Capital at this moment.

"This is to be expected. With the cessation of the Northern Frontier's war, it seems peaceful, but one should be more vigilant now. If the Great General didn't reach a point of no return, he wouldn't return to the Divine Capital at this moment. His Majesty is benevolent, willing to give the Great General a chance to retire peacefully, which is rare."

Chen Chao smiled. "Sometimes I wonder if I'd be willing to dedicate my whole life to the entire human race."

Xie Nandu looked at Chen Chao and asked curiously, "So what's your answer?"

Chen Chao shook his head. "I'm a little selfish."

Xie Nandu still was not surprised and said, "Selfishness is human nature. The Great General also wouldn't mind retiring early. It's just that in this world, most people are carried forward by the times, and it's hard for anyone to truly live freely."

At this point, Xie Nandu said seriously, "Those who are truly free are all selfish."

"To truly live as one wishes, one cannot concern themselves with so-called responsibilities or obligations. That's selfishness. But deciding how to choose is not easy."

Xie Nandu continued calmly, "I've never met a true free person."

Chen Chao said, "In my view, it's about attachments. Attachments make it hard for many people to let go."

Xie Nandu did not refute this.

Changing the subject, Chen Chao asked, "I'm planning to go to Sword Qi Mountain in a few days. Do you think those people can help me?"

Xie Nandu shook her head. "It's very difficult."

Chen Chao felt a headache coming on. There was only one group in the world with that capability, but unfortunately, they only forged swords.

He looked at Xie Nandu, wanting to say something but hesitating.

Understanding what he wanted to say, Xie Nandu shook her head. "I don't have any connections."

Chen Chao wanted to speak further.

Xie Nandu continued, "Teacher won't help you, and I won't plead with him either."

Chen Chao was completely speechless.

Suddenly, Xie Nandu tease, "How about this? After you step into Nepenthe and become a peerless martial artist like His Majesty, then go to Sword Qi Mountain. If they refuse, just crush their mountain with one punch?"

Chen Chao was astonished and muttered, "How many sword cultivators will be after my head then?"

The Sword Qi Mountain could establish itself in the foreign lands by relying on the favor of countless sword cultivators. It was rumored that even the Sword Sect's Sect Master had once obtained a sword from Sword Qi Mountain. If Chen Chao were to really do that, he would likely become enemies with half of the sword cultivators in the world, with no lack of sword immortals.

Xie Nandu chuckled, "Senior Brother Liu's sword was also obtained from Sword Qi Mountain. Of course, and so was mine."

Chen Chao smiled bitterly, "To be honest with you, I know another one. By the time I reach that level, he'll probably have become a sword immortal."

Thinking of Liu Banbi, Chen Chao also felt a headache. This sword immortal was not to be provoked either.

"I suppose even His Majesty would have a headache facing four sword immortals." Chen Chao let out a sigh. Moreover, there were not just four!

Xie Nandu said, "But His Majesty definitely wouldn't worry about such matters. If he wants to go, he'll go. What's there to fear?"

Chen Chao fell silent. He did not know how many more years it would take for him to become a martial artist like the Great Liang Emperor.

Suddenly, Xie Nandu said, "Before that Great General leaves the Divine Capital, I reckon he'll meet you."

Chen Chao was taken aback, feeling somewhat perplexed.

"Whether it's to rope you in on behalf of the First Prince or out of curiosity about you, you can't escape this meeting."

Chen Chao said irritatedly, "Can't I hide?"

Xie Nandu nodded, "Sure, you can. After all, you've already incurred the envy of countless military officials. If you add on the reputation of disrespecting this distinguished old general, think about your future situation."

Chen Chao cursed, "Think I'm scared?"

Xie Nandu did not speak.

Suddenly, there was a knocking on the door.

Liu Ye quickly went to open it and returned with an invitation card.

She came back under the eaves and handed the invitation to Xie Nandu.

Xie Nandu glanced at it and quipped, "Now you really can't hide."