[Exam Keywords: Romance and Dissoluteness, chrysanthemums, “One exhale from embroidered lips.”]
Seeing the exam keywords, Xie Bing immediately recalled that uninhibited, free-spirited poet, Li Bai.
— “Wine enters the heroic gut, seventy percent brewed into moonlight. The remaining thirty percent howls into sword energy. One exhale from embroidered lips, and it’s half the glorious Tang Dynasty.” This sentence praised the High Tang poet Li Bai. 1
Li Bai had been her idol during high school. She was captivated by his unrestrained, lofty bearing. Li Bai had too many poems; what people of Huaxia were most familiar with was probably “Thoughts on a Quiet Night.” But what Xie Bing envied most was the poem “Ode to a Gallant,” which wrote of a swordsman’s superb martial arts and indifference to fame and fortune:
— “One man kills every ten steps, leaving no trace for a thousand miles. When the deed is done, he brushes off his clothes and leaves, hiding his body and name.”
How unrestrained and free!
Back then, Xie Bing deeply yearned for the life of a wandering swordsman. Yet…
Xie Bing silently touched the Frost Hair Ribbon draped down along her dark hair. She had become an Object Cultivator.
Lowering her head, she continued flipping through the collections within the Scripture Library.
Knowing it was Li Bai, Xie Bing felt things would be much easier. Li Bai’s works were countless, and his era was the High Tang. She only needed to focus on works from the High Tang period.
As for the other two keywords, “Romance and Dissoluteness” and “chrysanthemums,” she still had no clue.
A day later, she finally finished flipping through all the books on this wall of bookshelves. Not finding any book matching the criteria, Xie Bing’s arms were sore from flipping pages. She simply sat down beneath the bookshelf to rest.
She casually shelled peanuts, tossing them into her mouth as she chewed and pondered.
“For prose, it must be the Qin and Han; for poetry, it must be the High Tang.”
— This was the only sentence Xie Bing could recall after racking her brains.
The so-called “prose must be Qin and Han” referred to works originating from the Book of Songs, meaning the literature of High Antiquity that Xie Bing had been studying recently. “Poetry must be High Tang” meant that within the entire history of literature, High Tang poetry was the absolute highlight.
So, probably, the other two keywords were definitely not far from the High Tang era, just a matter of time before or after.
Day and night cycled, the sun and moon turned in their rounds.
The first rays of dawn filtered through the colored glass windows, gently spilling onto her shoulders. Xie Bing rubbed her eyes. She had spent another night in the Scripture Library.
Ever since recovering her memories, she understood the reason for her many sleepless nights. Yet, for some unknown reason, even though the wound from that sword thrust had long healed, her chest still ached faintly, making it utterly impossible to fall asleep.
Luckily, after successfully establishing her foundation, not sleeping much didn’t cause major problems. It was perfect for using the nighttime to study. But doing so inevitably made her look a bit haggard, with darker eye circles. She didn’t particularly care.
Yawning, Xie Bing prepared to leave the Scripture Library and go to the Dining Hall for some hot, steaming food. Suddenly, she froze.
From a distance, she saw the vast, towering Scripture Library suddenly swarmed with a dense, dark mass of people!
Vaguely, she heard shouting: “She’s inside the Scripture Library!”
Xie Bing’s mind filled with question marks: ???
The martial brothers and sisters of Taixu Sect were all busy cultivating. The books they read were all their own master’s martial arts manuals, sword techniques coursework from the Cultivation Academy, and the like. This Scripture Library was usually sparsely visited. When she stayed there all day, she’d only seen a cat or two at most. When had she ever seen a spectacle like this?
Xie Bing felt very gratified; my Taixu Sect isn’t just about scheming and infighting. Look how rich the learning atmosphere is!
She stepped aside without much concern, intending to make way for these people who had come early in the morning to grab seats in the library. But the few people in the lead spotted Xie Bing, their eyes lit up, and they pointed at Xie Bing:
—“Xie Bing is here!”
Whoosh— The dark mass of people seemed to have taken stimulants, rushing straight toward Xie Bing!
Xie Bing: !!!
Sensing danger, she retreated a step on her toes, wanting to run, but was tightly surrounded front, back, left, and right by a group of cultivators. In her daze, she felt like a celebrity being greeted at an airport. “Um, may I ask what you martial brothers and sisters want?”
“Junior Sister Xie, my wish is very simple, just let me touch it!” The speaker looked very familiar; it was Rong Mingxu from Bright Moon Peak.
Xie Bing: ???
Seeing Rong Mingxu seize the vanguard position and get the first question out, the others lamented deeply before immediately chiming in, all talking at once:
“I beg for an exchange!”
“I beg to buy it!”
Xie Bing: “…”
She said in disbelief, “You want me to trade away my magical artifact?”
Some people were a bit embarrassed, yet they persisted, “Junior Sister, I intended to visit you at your residence personally, but I couldn’t find you for several days in a row. We nearly turned the whole sect upside down. Hearing you were in the Scripture Library, I sincerely came to discuss this. Although I didn’t expect so many people to come, you must believe in my sincerity!”
The others were immediately displeased: “Junior Sister Xie Bing, if you consider selling the artifact, you absolutely must consider me. He’s so poor he’s stingy, you definitely won’t be satisfied. I’ll offer a whole mountain of Spirit Stones, how about it?”
Someone immediately followed up: “I’ll offer three mountains of Spirit Stones!”
“I’ll offer five Spirit Stone Mines!”
The bidding was incessant. In the confusion, the quiet, lonely Scripture Library seemed to transform into an auction hall.
Surrounded in the center, Xie Bing’s eyelashes lowered slightly.
A barely perceptible, bitter smile appeared at the corner of her lips: In the last life, when Xuan Yao had obtained the Sanskrit Sound Sword, not nearly so many people had asked her for her sword.
After a Sword Cultivator obtained their Lifebound Spirit Sword, they couldn’t casually change their sword.
Asking a Sword Cultivator to trade their Lifebound Spirit Sword?
That was an insult to a Sword Cultivator.
Xie Bing inhaled deeply. She was an Object Cultivator. Although she, an Object Cultivator, had obtained an Innate Artifact, so many people had come to negotiate with her, demanding her Lifebound Spirit Sword. This was nothing more than believing she could only linger among the ranks of low-level cultivators forever, never able to reach the peak!
For them to so brazenly, nakedly demand her Lifebound Magic Weapon from her — what did they take her for?
The bitterness in her smile turned cold.
Among Xie Bing’s tied-up black hair, a frosty white gleam suddenly appeared, faint light flickering vaguely.
Just as she was about to explode, a slightly weathered voice suddenly drifted down from the dome.
“Have you people registered?
It was weathered and hoarse, like deadwood sunken beneath fallen leaves for a thousand years, sending a shiver down everyone’s spine.
Among the crowd packed so tightly around the bookshelves that not a drop of water could pass, some recognized the voice and trembled all over.
Other, more clueless ones, shouted loudly: “Who’s playing at being gods and ghosts up there?”
From the top of the dome, the daylight suddenly grew bright.
A streak of light and shadow descended from above, landing steadily in the center of the crowd, in front of Xie Bing.
Xie Bing only saw a tall, lean figure. He wore a black robe, and his right sleeve hung empty — he had actually lost an arm! He seemed to have been drinking; she could faintly smell alcohol.
“The Scripture Library. Those who do not read, may not enter.”
The sound of gulping could be heard. Xie Bing watched, stunned, as Rong Mingxu opposite her, teeth chattering, asked stammeringly: “Kong Yixian?”
“No, no, no, Martial Uncle Kong, I didn’t know you were here. We have disturbed you greatly, our deepest apologies!”
As soon as Rong Mingxu spoke Kong Yixian’s name, the older ones immediately retreated and swiftly left. The younger ones, however, were somewhat puzzled. “What’s going on? Why are you running away?”
“Kong Yixian! What did you learn in the Cultivation Academy? The one who went on a killing spree during the Righteous-Evil War thirty years ago, have you forgotten?”
“Hiss… Could it be Martial Uncle Kong Yixian, the one hailed as the ‘Pinnacle of Sword Cultivators’? Didn’t he sever his own arm and go into seclusion? Why would he appear here?”
“How would I know! Kong Yixian actually retired to the Scripture Library, this is a huge matter!”
The martial brothers and sisters in front ran away like they’d seen a ghost, vanishing instantly. The ones behind followed in confusion, and in the blink of an eye, no one was left.
The place was completely empty.
Xie Bing blinked, looking at Kong Yixian’s back, her gaze falling upon his empty right arm.
She recalled who this Kong Yixian before her was.
In the plotline of the previous life, Kong Yixian was a reclusive master who hid from the world in the Cultivation World. After the Righteous-Evil War thirty years ago, he severed his own arm and went into seclusion. Subsequently… it seemed like in the latter half of the plot, the Heavenly Dao’s female lead, Xuan Yao, suffered an accident during some incident and fell off a cliff. There, she encountered Kong Yixian, hailed as the “Pinnacle of Sword Cultivators.” Kong Yixian greatly admired her and even imparted to the female lead Xuan Yao a supreme sword art of the world.
Relying on this sword art, Xuan Yao returned to Taixu Sect and won first place in the Sect Grand Competition.
Truly, typical female lead treatment: if you fall off a cliff, you’re bound to meet a master. But Kong Yixian only appeared in the mid-game. Xie Bing never expected to run into him in the Scripture Library so soon.
Kong Yixian yawned and turned his head to look at Xie Bing.
Xie Bing looked up, meeting his eyes, and only then realized that Kong Yixian was surprisingly young-looking.
The black robe made his waist look lean and taut. His face was slightly gaunt, with a faint stubble on his chin. Only, his right arm was conspicuously empty.
Xie Bing lowered her head and performed a salute: “Martial Uncle Kong.”
No wonder the Scripture Library was in a perennial state of mess and disarray, with books scattered everywhere, yet no one managed it. If the Scripture Library was the retirement spot of a great god like Kong Yixian, then nobody in the entire Taixu Sect would dare to manage it.
Kong Yixian looked at her calmly, his voice low and husky: “You searched for a long time once again this time. Could it be that you are looking for a specific book?”
Xie Bing was startled for a moment, then understood. Kong Yixian had probably noticed her from the very first day she entered the Scripture Library.
Indeed, the entire Scripture Library was quiet and still; you couldn’t even spot a mouse. Staying there day and night, she naturally attracted Kong Yixian’s attention.
It was just that, on her first day in the Scripture Library, she hadn’t seen anyone. She’d gone to the registry herself and signed in. So many times coming and going since then, she’d never once seen Kong Yixian.
Xie Bing didn’t doubt for a second that if so many people hadn’t barged into the Scripture Library today, Kong Yixian would never have come out.
No, perhaps it was also because of the intended transaction involving her Lifebound Magic Weapon?
“Hmm?” He questioned again with a raspy nasal tone.
Xie Bing came back to her senses: “I want to find a collection of poems by a poet named Li Bai.”
Kong Yixian grunted an “Mm,” and turned his head to look at the tall bookshelves.
Xie Bing also looked over.
After a while, he rubbed his nose with his left hand: “Truth is, I also don’t know where the books are.”
Xie Bing: “…”
He truly was here to retire.
Looking at Kong Yixian, Xie Bing’s heart suddenly recalled that if a cultivator severed their own arm, it could actually be restored.
Rebuilding meridians and rebuilding the body wasn’t difficult.
He must have some heartbreak, Xie Bing thought to herself.
The Righteous-Evil War thirty years ago… who knows what exactly happened.
“You can ask me again about something else.”
He faced away from Xie Bing, frowning as he flipped through books.
Xie Bing: “Chrysanthemums.”
Xie Bing’s gaze landed near his backside.
What kind of bold and scandalous phrase was this! Kong Yixian suddenly stood stock-still.
Xie Bing crouched down.
He twisted his body, stiff: “…”
Slowly, he retreated a step, stood on his tiptoes, and raised his rear upward.
Xie Bing looked up at him with a puzzled expression: ??
“You are blocking me.”
Xie Bing’s hand reached past him to the very bottom shelf of the bookcase, finding a book titled “Chrysanthemum Appreciation.”
Opening the book, it was filled with paintings of various chrysanthemums.
“So, your hobby is appreciating chrysanthemums.” Kong Yixian’s face wore an expression of indescribable complexity.
Xie Bing shook her head. “No, it’s literature.”
Looking at the yellow chrysanthemums depicted above, a person suddenly came to her mind.
In the entire history of Huaxia, only one person represented chrysanthemums, and that was Tao Yuanming.
The integrity of a literatus, the retreat from officialdom’s path.
And he was also a poet called “great.” Those who could be called “great” in the entire history of literature were only a very few individuals.
Kong Yixian wore a thoughtful expression. He used his left hand to pull out a book.
Simultaneously, Xie Bing heard a broadcast by her ear:
[Obtained appreciation from Kong Yixian, the “Pinnacle of Sword Cultivators.” Helped find a key book. Experienced the comfort of “I pluck chrysanthemums by the eastern fence, and leisurely gaze at the southern mountains.” Acquired technique: “Chrysanthemum Withering Sword Intent”!]
What a devilish name…
Wait… Sword Intent?
Xie Bing: A sword cultivator’s technique?
She could actually cultivate a sword technique?
Her little yellow book really had become a complete hodgepodge now.