Chapter 64
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
Chapter 64: The Wine Offering of Ximen Yibei
Beneath the towering ice peak, where the layers of frost converge, lies a solitary ice cave, tall enough for a man to pass through. Its passage extends deep into the heart of the colossal ice formation.
A master at the level of the Sword Emperor possesses an uncanny sensitivity to the essence of swords, able to detect the presence of any sword wielder within a radius of a thousand li without relying on divine perception.
Fengyun Wuji, with a flourish, alighted before the entrance of the cave. Inside, the cavern was illuminated, its walls smooth and polished, the meandering passage stretching on into the unknown.
Hesitating for only a brief moment, Fengyun Wuji stood at the threshold and announced in a clear voice, “Fengyun Wuji seeks an audience with the esteemed Ximen Yibei.”
“Since you have come so far, enter,” came a voice from within, echoing with a sense of solitude and desolation, unmistakably Ximen Yibei’s.
Following the winding path, his steps echoing on the icy floor, Fengyun Wuji descended hundreds of meters beneath the earth to encounter the despondent figure of Ximen Yibei.
To be precise, this was an ice cellar, repurposed as a dwelling. The floor was in disarray, strewn with wine jars lying askew. Within the spacious confines, Ximen Yibei, clad in white, leaned against the icy wall, his sword cradled in his arms. Before him, on a frost-carved wooden table, sat a jug of wine, its vapors rising into the cold air. Opposite the table, a wall-mounted scroll depicted a woman with a tender smile and a gentle countenance.
“Senior…,” Fengyun Wuji began, but Ximen Yibei raised a hand to silence him.
“Do not speak yet. Join me for a cup of wine,” Ximen Yibei said, his words slurring slightly, as if on the cusp of drunkenness.
Fengyun Wuji fell silent, approaching the frost-carved table and seating himself cross-legged. Ximen Yibei grabbed a wine jar, a swift motion across its base causing the frozen liquid within to thaw, bubbles emerging, and soon the jar was steaming with vigor.
“Here, have a jar,” Ximen Yibei placed the jar on the table, extending the invitation to Fengyun Wuji.
Gazing at the ancient wine jar before him, inhaling the familiar aroma, Fengyun Wuji’s eyes grew distant. How long had it been? A hundred years, two hundred years… over four hundred years since he had tasted the nectar of the mortal world. Ascension brought the state of transcending the need for sustenance, freeing one from worldly concerns, yet also剥夺ing many simple pleasures.
“I see, Brother Wuji, you are a man of refined tastes,” Ximen Yibei said, his vision blurred by drink, as he conjured two exquisite luminous cups from beside him and set them on the table. “These I brought with me upon my ascension. I seldom use them, but today, they shall serve us well.”
Fengyun Wuji, upon hearing this, regarded the delicate cups with a sense of awe. The ascension was a time of heavenly collapse and earthly tremors, a moment where one’s very being was at risk, yet Ximen Yibei had managed to bring these luminous cups from his days on the plane. His mastery was truly astonishing.
Fengyun Wuji lifted the translucent luminous cup, and from the wine jar on the frost-carved table, a stream of wine rose and filled his cup to the brim before ceasing.
Draining the cup in one motion, Fengyun Wuji couldn’t help but sigh, “It has been ages since I’ve tasted such fine brew. I wonder where Brother Xi Men procured this wine.”
Ascending to the Ancient Times, one becomes ancient in years, and by rights, most would be his seniors. But since Ximen Yibei was willing to address him as Brother Wuji, Fengyun Wuji was more than happy to reciprocate, calling him Brother Xi Men, thus bridging the gap between them.
“These were gifts from friends before my ascension…,” Ximen Yibei spoke indifferently, but Fengyun Wuji could detect a tremor in his voice.
“Why don’t I see them?”
Ximen Yibei did not respond, instead, he grabbed the wine jar, drank directly from it, and after a long while, set the jar down, wiped the corners of his mouth, and suddenly grabbed his sword beside him and walked out of the cave.
“They’re all dead, dead, dead… I ascended, but they all died!… Brother Lu, Brother Hua…” The roar of Ximen Yibei echoed outside the ice cellar.
Fengyun Wuji sighed, grabbed the wine jar, and drank all the wine in one breath, and after a long while, he exhaled and murmured, “You still had friends, at least you once had, but I, I have never had a friend… never had…”
After speaking, he stood up and walked out of the cave. Just as he reached the exit of the ice cellar, he saw Ximen Yibei standing proudly in the snow, looking up at the sky, his white robe fluttering in the wind. Without any apparent movement, thousands of sword energies burst from his right wrist, fanning out and blasting the surrounding snow into the air. In front of Ximen Yibei, hundreds of meters away, a majestic ice peak suddenly began to shed large chunks of snow sliding down its slopes.
Fengyun Wuji’s eyes were fixed on Ximen Yibei’s hand, but no matter how hard he tried to focus, all he saw was Ximen Yibei’s hand, quietly gripping the hilt of his sword, motionless, with occasional glimpses of an illusion.
Fengyun Wuji’s heart was in turmoil. Four hundred years ago, when he met Ximen Yibei, he knew then that this man’s sword speed was unparalleled. But after seeing him again four hundred years later, Fengyun Wuji realized he was wrong. The higher one’s martial arts skills, the more one feels the strength of Ximen Yibei, truly formidable.
If within a hundred meters, Fengyun Wuji could not guarantee that he could retreat unscathed from under Ximen Yibei’s sword.
“Brother Lu, Brother Hua…” Ximen Yibei sprinkled the wine from his luminous cup onto the snow, muttering something under his breath. Fengyun Wuji knew he was mourning his friends who had passed away in the plane.
“I’ve heard about your matter,” Ximen Yibei’s voice sounded in Fengyun Wuji’s ear, his tone plain, making it hard to associate him with the emotionally charged swordsman from moments ago.
Fengyun Wuji looked up, surprised. Ximen Yibei sighed, “A thousand years after I ascended, I was finally able to break through the barriers between planes and return to my old plane. Although I knew they might all be dead, seeing it with my own eyes is still hard to accept. The people here are cold and devoid of emotion, nothing like the world before ascension. If not for the fact that everyone I knew has left, I would never want to stay in this plane.”
Fengyun Wuji nodded, “Since you’ve already heard about the secret of my founding the Sword Domain, and understand my original purpose, I think I don’t need to say more. … I hope you can join the Sword Domain, no matter what, even if you just hold a title and become an elder, I just hope you can help me establish a paradise where all swordsmen can rely on.”
“If that’s all, then I’m afraid I can’t help you at all, you should seek someone else,” Ximen Yibei said coldly, stepping lightly past Fengyun Wuji.
“… I also hope to do something to change this world, the humans of the Ancient Times have all fallen, I hope I can bring a glimmer of hope to the human race, I hope my disciples will no longer die in vain, and I hope other warriors will not have to be separated from their loved ones.”
Ximen Yibei, with his back to Fengyun Wuji, paused his steps in mid-air, after a long while, he sighed and said, “Go find someone called ‘Sword Demon’ Du Gu Wu Shang, if you can get him to join, then with me, perhaps the Sword Domain can truly be established.”
With that, Ximen Yibei strode into the deep, cold ice cellar.
“Sword Demon, Du Gu Wu Shang! … Hmm,” Fengyun Wuji muttered to himself, then a smile appeared on his face as he walked out happily, knowing that Ximen Yibei’s response was undoubtedly an indirect acceptance…