Chapter 27: Seven Parts Truth, Three Parts Lies

Chapter 27: Seven Parts Truth, Three Parts Lies

Old Yue also felt a pang of self-reproach in his heart. If only he had trusted Zheng Jian a bit more, if he had told him earlier that there was something suspicious about Lao Denuo, Zheng Jian wouldn’t have lost the sword manual so easily.

He let out a long sigh, gazing up at the sky. “Fate truly toys with people…”

Then, suddenly, Old Yue turned to Zheng Jian, “Jian’er, did you ever look at the sword manual? Do you remember any of its contents?”

Zheng Jian shook his head, then nodded. “Master, I did look at the sword manual. The sword techniques written there were mediocre at best—far inferior to our Huashan sword style. That’s what I never understood… And as for the famed Fuwei Escort Agency, it turns out to be not so impressive after all. Could it be that Lin Yuantou’s descendants have truly fallen so low?”

“Oh? How much do you remember?” Hope flickered in Old Yue’s eyes. Even if the manual was lost, being able to learn a few moves from it would be some consolation.

“Not quite half, I think. Of the seventy-two strokes of the Evil-Resisting Sword Style, I only remember about thirty moves…” Zheng Jian answered honestly—this was the story he had prepared.

“Quickly, show me. Let me see for myself,” Old Yue insisted, unwilling to give up hope.

Zheng Jian nodded, drew his sword, and began to demonstrate the moves one by one under the moonlight. The longer Old Yue watched, the more perplexed he became. When Zheng Jian finished, he immediately asked, “Strange… Are you sure what you saw was the real ‘Seventy-Two Evil-Resisting Sword Style’?”

“Absolutely certain! The manual wasn’t a book of secrets—it was written on a monk’s robe. When I got it, it was covered in dust, as if it hadn’t been touched for decades.”

An effective lie must contain seven parts truth and three parts falsehood.

Sure enough, Old Yue’s brow furrowed as realization dawned on him. “Ah, that makes sense. Legend has it that Yuantou was originally a Shaolin monk. For reasons unknown, he later left the order, returned to secular life, and founded the Fuwei Escort Agency! For the sword manual to be written on a monk’s robe, that’s actually quite plausible…”

“But there’s something odd—I noticed that many of the moves you just demonstrated bear a striking resemblance to several of our own Huashan sect’s surviving techniques. Why is that?”

Zheng Jian ventured cautiously, “Could it be that the Evil-Resisting Sword Manual shares some origin with our own Huashan sword style?”

Old Yue slapped his thigh in sudden realization. “That must be it! Alas, after the internal strife over twenty years ago, our Huashan elders were all lost, and much of our history was buried with them. Even I cannot fathom all the mysteries… Lao Denuo is deeply scheming—he’s probably long gone with the manual by now… Left Senior Brother has always been ambitious. If Lao Denuo presents him with the manual, our Five Mountain Sword Alliance is likely in for trouble…”

“Master, I think I’ve figured it out! I know why the Evil-Resisting Sword Style seems so ordinary, why Lin Yuantou’s descendants never accomplished anything remarkable with it, and yet Lin Yuantou himself could dominate the martial world with this sword style!” Zheng Jian exclaimed, as if struck by sudden epiphany.

“What? Tell me!” Old Yue was equally puzzled. After all, the Lin ancestor had swept all before him with this sword style, yet his descendants seemed so mediocre—it made no sense, even if they lacked talent, decades of practice shouldn’t have left them so unimpressive.

“The very first line of the manual says: ‘To master this art, one must first castrate oneself!’” Zheng Jian intoned gravely.

Old Yue’s expression changed dramatically. “Castrate oneself? Is that true?”

Zheng Jian nodded. “No mistake! That was the very first line. Lin Yuantou must have done exactly that! And naturally, that would leave him without descendants. Likely, for this reason, Lin Yuantou never passed on the true secret of the sword manual to his heirs. They may have practiced the sword style, but without self-castration, they could never unleash its full power!”

Old Yue stood dumbstruck for a long while, then finally let out a long breath. “So that’s it! That’s the truth! All we need to do now is watch for any changes in Left Senior Brother. If he shows signs, we’ll know he’s begun practicing the Evil-Resisting Sword Style! Ha, a blessing in disguise—maybe losing the manual isn’t such a bad thing after all…”

Zheng Jian couldn’t help but laugh inwardly. It seemed he’d gambled right; Old Yue at this point in time was still salvageable, and without actually practicing the Evil-Resisting Sword Style, he couldn’t possibly reach the same extremes as in the original story.

It’s worth noting that even in the original tale, Old Yue only managed to use the sword manual after a prolonged internal conflict, before finally striking himself with his blade.

Now, with the manual gone and all hope lost, he could finally let go.

This made sense to Zheng Jian, who recalled something from his previous life: many who attempted suicide felt no fear of death at the time, but if they were saved midway, it became incredibly difficult for them to try again. It seems contradictory, but the truth is, it’s only in the process of dying that people discover their fear, and so, if asked to repeat the act, most would lack the courage.

Old Yue was the same. If the manual was right in front of him and he had struggled with it for a long time to no avail, in a fit of agitation he might actually swing that fatal blade—as he did in the original story.

But now, thanks to Zheng Jian’s little performance, the opportunity was gone. Upon learning that practicing the Evil-Resisting Sword Style required self-castration, and with the example of the Fuwei Escort Agency’s descendants before him, Old Yue had no reason to doubt Zheng Jian on this point. After all, whether it was true or not, he could simply travel to Fuzhou and probe the Fuwei Escort Agency himself to confirm.

With this, Old Yue’s mindset shifted. Though he was still disappointed, he could finally see things in a new light.

Zheng Jian, seeing the change in Old Yue’s expression, finally breathed a sigh of relief. As long as his master didn’t raise his blade against himself, he wouldn’t descend into the madness of the original tale. While Old Yue’s power might never reach the same heights, at least he wouldn’t become the infamous “Hypocrite Sword” reviled by all.

As the saying goes, a blessing may come from a loss.

“Jian’er, you may go back now. Don’t blame yourself too much over this—the sword manual is lost, and there’s no use dwelling on it. You must devote yourself all the more to your training! All I’ve ever wanted in this life is to restore the glory of our Huashan Sect! To be honest, I once pinned my hopes on the Evil-Resisting Sword Manual, but now I’ve come to my senses. You’ve already made a name for yourself as the ‘Swordmaster Who Turns the Tide’ at such a young age. I hope that in the future, you can truly shoulder the great responsibility of our sect!” Old Yue spoke deeply, after a long pause.

Zheng Jian knew these were Old Yue’s sincere words—this meant his master now pinned his hopes on him. He responded solemnly, “Master, rest assured! Even if Left Leader truly cuts himself and masters the Evil-Resisting Sword Style, I will protect Huashan Sect at all costs! This is my promise to you!”

Old Yue clapped Zheng Jian on the shoulder in approval. “Good! Ambitious! Very good—now go back and rest.”

Zheng Jian nodded, watching Old Yue return to his room, finally able to relax. It hadn’t been easy, but the act was finally over…

Master, I did everything I could to save you…

…

Thanks to “Halfway Down the Wushan Road 1” for the 100-point reward. Here’s the first update—please keep voting!

(End of Chapter)