Chapter Two: The Fourth Young Master of the Marquis of Wu'an's Residence

Able to block out all distractions, forever cutting off all defilements.
External forms do not enter, internal forms do not leave.
Within right mindfulness, the five viscera are cooled, the six organs are harmonized, and the three hundred and sixty joints are cleared of all obstructions.
The ten evils and the hundred and eighty afflictions, the myriad sources of suffering and sin, are all swept away.
The primordial energy of ultimate harmony is drawn in, nourishing the fields of the body; as the five viscera and six organs are observed inwardly, where true energy resides, there is pure, radiant light, clear and bright as the void.
Vast and deep, silent and still, with nothing within or without; in tranquil obscurity, one attains the true path of non-action.

In a secluded courtyard of the Shangguan household in the capital of the Great Liang Kingdom, a boy of about fourteen recited from the "Heavenly Lord's True Sutra of Ascending to Heaven and Attaining the Dao" in a room adorned with the image of the Heavenly Lord. This young man was Shangguan Chuanyun, the fourth son of the Shangguan family.

After he sensed himself fading into nothing within the primordial chaos of yin and yang in his previous life, he realized the terror of life and death, and entered a state of sudden enlightenment, silently chanting the "Heavenly Lord's True Sutra of Ascending to Heaven and Attaining the Dao." Eventually, he drifted into a trance, a state of indistinct obscurity.

When Shangguan Chuanyun regained consciousness, he found himself reborn as an infant. He thought it was a hallucination, yet after clearing his mind and returning to that trance, he found the experience unchanged.

It was not until two years ago, upon awakening, that he saw bricks and stones flying chaotically in front of him, and an older boy fiercely shielding him, his own body covered in marks and blood at his lips, refusing to let others harm him.

Observing further, Shangguan Chuanyun saw a group of boys and girls about his age hurling bricks and stones in his direction. The youth who protected him endured the beating with stubborn resolve, determined to shield him.

It was then that Shangguan Chuanyun realized this was no illusion—he had truly been reincarnated. Instinctively, he rose, grabbed a little girl, and tossed her into the water, shouting loudly and frightening the group of children into tears. Afterward, he was dragged off and unceremoniously exiled to this remote courtyard.

The Shangguan residence occupied a hundred acres in the southeast corner of Shengjing, the capital, with vast lands and countless courtyards, a gathering place for the elite. At the main gate stood a pair of red stone qilin statues each three men high, the vermilion doors studded with handsome brass nails and adorned with two gleaming brass rings. Vigorous, sharp-eyed servants stood guard, and above the door a plaque bore the inscription "Marquis of Martial Peace's Residence," revealing the distinguished status of its master.

The Marquis of Martial Peace, a figure of towering influence in the Great Liang Dynasty, bore the surname Shangguan, given name Jin.

Not only was he honored with a grand title, but he also held the highest ministerial office, serving as an advisor to the crown prince. Excelling in both civil and martial arts, he was a master of boxing and could charge into the fray on horseback, felling a hundred men as if strolling through a garden.

...

This little courtyard was remote and seldom visited.

After being sent here two years ago, Shangguan Chuanyun first felt a sense of freedom, unrestrained and carefree, as if the sky stretched endlessly before him.

He had spent fourteen years in this world. Because he neither cried nor fussed at birth, he was disliked, at first considered mute. Later, as his mother, Lady Jia—a merchant’s daughter—was looked down upon despite her father Jia Wanquan’s colossal wealth, Shangguan Chuanyun was not favored within the Marquis’s household.

Long silent and unmoving, he was deemed mentally deficient. His mother, Lady Jia, worried but after giving birth to a younger son, Shangguan Qingyun, when Chuanyun was five, she grew less attentive, leaving him in the care of maids and old servants.

Yet Lady Jia’s concern for Chuanyun never waned; every necessity was provided for, and she continued to seek doctors and remedies for him.

Despite his low standing in the household, few dared slight him openly, save for the principal wife and her children. Any disrespect from others would bring trouble swiftly upon them.

Shangguan Chuanyun, upon learning all this about his past, was somewhat satisfied with himself for maintaining such a state for over a decade, yet he also felt a sense of helplessness.

After finishing the sutra, Shangguan Chuanyun began his daily practice. He drew a three-foot Azure Peak sword, stood in the courtyard with his feet shoulder-width apart, breathing naturally, his focus settled on his dantian. Unmoving as the wind, eyes closed, ears shut to distraction, he gripped the sword with his right hand, the hilt three inches before his dantian, left hand forming a sword-finger, thumb raised, ring and little fingers curled as if holding an egg, encircling his dantian on the left. The sword point stood upright before him.

Gradually, he sensed true energy stirring in his dantian, silently guiding it to his eyes. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, a ray of light shot to the sword’s tip, and the blade flashed, seeming almost alive.

With each breath, his dantian expanded and contracted, and he felt the sword itself breathing with his vitality.

He then began to practice his forms—Serpent Exits the Cave, Plucking Grass to Startle the Snake, Fallen Bee’s Sting… This sword art was known as the Nine Swords of Mount Hua, the foundation of ten thousand sword techniques of Mount Hua, famed for swordsmanship, passed down from Patriarch Chen Tuan, and further refined by the founder Hao Datong, who combined the Sky-Escaping Sword of Lü Dongbin and the Pure Yang Sword, adapting them to the imposing terrain of Mount Hua. The art was renowned for its cunning and peril.

It was said that the Sword Immortals of Mount Hua possessed the art of the Elixir Sword, merging inner alchemy with swordsmanship, directly pointing to the great Dao.

This method, called Nourishing the Sword, was used by Sword Immortals to cultivate spiritual swords, enhancing their sentience. After long practice, one could achieve the unity of sword and self, the sword-heart shining clear.

The Tao of Swordsmanship values sincerity above all—unbiased, pure, and refined to the utmost. Heaven is inspired by unity, spirit and sword merge, heart and blade resonate, connecting with heaven and earth, acting as one wills.

Though Shangguan Chuanyun had practiced swordsmanship for less than two years, his enlightenment in his past life had imparted a sense of the heart-sword. For years, immersed in a dreamlike state, he had sensed in his mind a round object formed from mingled black and white energy—a device from his previous life, now suffused with dull mist, his spirit within transmuted into a glimmer of sword-light, never to stir again.

No matter what he did, that presence remained unmoving in his spiritual platform. Thus, he had no choice but to begin his cultivation anew. At least, in this life, his body was robust and free of illness.

Outside of sword training, he read through various strange tales and miscellaneous records—stories of gods, fox spirits, water monsters, mountain deities, and more.

There were tales of martial artists cultivating the martial path, of cultivators refining their qi, of mortals becoming gods after death, and of spirits born from mountains and rivers—a myriad of wonders.

Aside from his interest in these, he wandered the city at will. Though the Great Liang now suffered disaster after disaster, with people in misery and demons rampant, within Shengjing, all remained peaceful, the land prosperous.

As the nation’s heart, Shengjing was steeped in destiny, dragon energy suppressing all evil. Demons dared not approach.

Yet beyond the city, there were still places haunted by the supernatural. In his former life, though he’d heard such tales, he was too preoccupied seeking immortality to investigate. Now, the stories stirred his adventurous spirit—each new experience could strengthen his resolve and clarify his heart.

Yet after tossing the second young mistress, Shangguan Ling’er, into the water two years ago, he’d been banished to this place to fend for himself. So long as he didn’t leave the city, no one cared where he went.

After finishing his practice, Shangguan Chuanyun tidied himself and slung his sword over his shoulder, ready to head out.

Bang, bang, bang.

A series of knocks rattled the doorframe—it was more like kicking than knocking.

Shangguan Chuanyun felt a flicker of displeasure and went to open the door.

“Shangguan Chuanyun, what’s your game, locking the door in broad daylight?”

A girl in a lavish goose-yellow dress stood with one foot raised, poised to kick the door again. As he opened the door, she awkwardly lowered her foot.

This girl, about fifteen or sixteen, was Xiaocui, maidservant to the second young mistress—the same girl Shangguan Chuanyun had thrown into the water two years before.

Even with his mother being the Marquis’s third wife, Shangguan Chuanyun would not have been exiled to this courtyard if not for the circumstances. After all, ninety percent of the Marquis’s household expenses were provided by his mother’s family, the Jia clan. Yet the Marquis, Shangguan Jin, treated wealth as dirt, and given the low status of merchants in this scholar-revering society, and the dominance of the principal wife, Lady Jia’s protests were in vain.

Were it not for the Jia family’s fortune, he might have been flogged and exiled. His mother’s conflict with the principal wife over this matter left relations strained.

The second wife, Lady Liu, was daughter of General Liu Xian, stationed at the northern border to repel foreign invasions. Her exalted status made her arrogant and domineering, traits adopted by her servants as well.

Thus, even a servant like Xiaocui, brought from the Liu family and later assigned as the second young mistress’s personal maid, could expect to become a concubine upon her mistress’s marriage—her future was bright, and she strutted about with pride in the residence.

“What do you want with me?” Shangguan Chuanyun asked indifferently.

Xiaocui bristled at his dismissive tone. Everywhere she went, people fawned over her.

She had practiced martial arts since childhood in the Liu household, and with her inner strength, thought nothing of disciplining a banished young master. Even if the third lady inquired, nothing would come of it—everyone knew the principal wife and the third wife were at odds. And since the second young mistress had been tossed in the water by Shangguan Chuanyun, giving him a lesson might even earn her a reward.

Her expression hardened as she advanced toward him.

Shangguan Chuanyun saw at a glance that she had trained in martial arts and intended to attack.

A glint of sword-light flashed in his eyes. His left hand rested lightly on the scabbard, thumb on the guard, stroking it gently.

If she moved, he would flick the sword out with his thumb and, in a flash, strike her with flowing light—hand for hand, foot for foot.

Suddenly, Xiaocui felt a chill. Meeting his gaze, she sensed something uncanny, as if he were staring at a corpse.

She recoiled instinctively, stifled and aggrieved.

Seeing her reaction, Shangguan Chuanyun found it tedious—just another bully afraid of the strong. He glanced at Xiaocui.

“If you have something to say, say it.”

“Hmph,”

Xiaocui snorted coldly. Startled by his demeanor, her face darkened, and she said—