Chapter 125: Chapter 99 The Ultimate in Swordsmanship, the Sword of God!_3
“Yes, that’s why I want to go and see.”
“But what if you can’t find it?”
“That’s why I want to try.”
“Countless swordsmen have pursued it in vain; it’s just a legend, unachievable. Are you willing to give up the happiness that’s currently within your grasp for such an ethereal legend?”
Li Hao looked at the girl before him, somewhat unable to comprehend; he had mastered many arts, but never with such obsession.
Bian Ruxue fell silent for a moment before saying, “If I don’t try to climb once, I might regret it for the rest of my life!”
Li Hao couldn’t help but smile and then let out a sigh.
All the infatuated men and resentful women in the world, all the gratitude and grudges, aren’t they all because of this unwillingness to let go?
But after all, flowers may bloom again, but man will never return to his youth…
Li Hao sighed and asked, “What was your original plan?”
Bian Ruxue, seeing Li Hao’s continuous sighs, showed a trace of reluctance in her eyes, but still bit her lip and said:
“In my sect, there are two choices: the mundane world and the path of the sword. Actually, it’s possible to choose both and take care of both, but by doing so, it’s still considered choosing the mundane world.”
“Because the path of the sword is pure, it’s singular.”
“Only by being singular can one reach the pinnacle!”
She said, in a distant tone, “After descending the mountain this time, I had already made my decision. I planned to come to accompany you first, and then continue to hone my swordsmanship!”
“And in the future…”
Her voice softened as she spoke, her cheeks suddenly flushed a bit as she sneaked a glance at Li Hao. Seeing that he was also looking at her, she quickly turned her head away:
“And in the future, when Brother Hao you wish to settle down and start a family, I will come back and marry you and bear children.”
When Li Hao heard this, all he felt inside was a deep sigh, because he knew that she hadn’t finished speaking.
“And then?” he asked.
“Then, I will continue to pursue my path of the sword,” said Bian Ruxue, her rosy cheeks gradually fading as she spoke earnestly.
Li Hao understood her intentions and said, “But getting married and having children will delay a year of your time. In this way, it won’t be true wholehearted dedication to the pinnacle.”
Bian Ruxue nodded; she knew this all too well.
If she truly wished to pursue the ultimate path, the best way would be to cut ties with Li Hao completely.
From then on, to be accompanied only by the sword.
However, the childhood memories made it impossible for her to sever the connection.
The debt of gratitude was too heavy, too large.
She understood that without Li Hao’s help back then, she might not even have the chance to pursue the path of the sword, nor would it have been possible to become an apprentice to the Sword Saint.
The Li Family provided her with the highest quality Foundation Establishment elixirs and the finest exotic blood to shape her sinews and bones; Li Hao even used the most extreme precious blood, derived from the three-thousand-year-old demon corpse that Li Tian Gang had slain at the border, for her Blood Melting.
Only in this way was she shaped into a supreme ninth-grade talent!
Only then did she have the opportunity to pursue that path of the sword.
How could such a favor be forgotten?
If forgotten, her heart would be incomplete, and so would her sword.
How could she then ascend to the peak, to become the ultimate swordsman?
Therefore, even with such a deficiency, even with the delay of a year, she was willing.
Giving birth to a child for Li Hao was her heart’s desire, the only way she felt she could repay him.
“Have you already decided?” Li Hao looked at her.
“I have decided,” Bian Ruxue said seriously.
Li Hao’s mouth twitched slightly, knowing that persuasion was futile.
She had already given her whole heart to the sword.
He couldn’t help but sigh again, finding it a bit amusing.
In that courtyard, four years of being accompanied by wind and snow turned out to be less compelling than her eight years with the sword.
Indeed, perhaps in terms of time, he only had half.
How could he compete with that?
But he was alive, and the sword was not.
He thought of that courtyard at night and the bright Milky Way in the dark night.
He thought of the first time he saw the little girl crying, consoling her heart, wounded by the loss of her father.
He remembered the sunny day when two small hands made a pinky promise in the courtyard:
“You must be obedient, just stay here, no matter where I go, I will always come back.”
“Pinky promise.”
“No changing, you said it, whoever changes is a puppy.”
“Alright, alright.”
Who could have predicted that the child, who casually placated with patronizing laughter that day, was actually giving her true heart?
Those letters sent from the Sword Cottage in the south were like ellipses after a vow, an ongoing story.
Yet, in the courtyard, someone was still waiting for the spring breeze to come, and the girl far away, nine thousand miles distant, had already entrusted her heart to the sword.
Li Hao had never expected that the little girl who departed with her master that day would truly go so far away.
Perhaps he was too happy that day, mistaking that farewell for a promise…
Li Hao also thought of that day years ago by the lake, fishing, when Second Master Li Muxiu, seeing the unparalleled natural talent of the youngster, couldn’t restrain himself from imparting his unique Peerless Technique.
“Half-Step Invincible Fist.”
The old man asked after teaching, “Do you know why my fist technique is only called half-step?”
The boy guessed, “Could it be that Second Master, you have only created half of it?”
The old man laughed and shook his head, “The world’s people all think so, but it’s actually not the case; this half-step is the complete version.”
The boy asked, “Then why call it half-step?”
The old man said, “Because only half-step can be invincible.”
The boy didn’t understand.
The old man continued, “Because people, if they take full steps, they tend to overdo it and cannot easily stop, once the enemy dodges, they fall into a dilemma… Life is like this too. Don’t be too serious, or else it’s hard to rein in one’s heart.”
Don’t be too serious, or else it’s hard to rein in one’s heart…
Only now did Li Hao savor the lesson; the half-step was about understanding, not a literal half-step.
The Fist is the same; so is life.
Otherwise, one is bound to expose one’s weakness…
Li Hao looked up at the afterglow of the setting sun and finally let out a long sigh.