The six Xiong Niu battleships split into two teams – the team at the front comprised two ships, and the one at the back comprised four ships. They surrounded the three Qiuli battleships and started on their journey back. Because they left in a hurry, they did not get to see Garrison E’s general and the Hujian official that went over to see them off.

Originally, Cen Zheng predicted that the Qiuli troops would not give up on their three battleships that easily. However, when he thought about it carefully, for the Qiuli Empire to assemble a large number of battleships and head down to Hujian’s tiny harbor, it would take at least five days. During that amount of time, the Navy fleet would have already traveled far up north.

Inside the three Qiuli battleships, the artisans ate and slept in there. They would start drafting as soon as they woke up, and slept whenever they were exhausted. They had people who were specially appointed to serve them food and drinks.

Not to forget, there were the Qiuli captives – except they were not given the same treatment.

Shen Leng stood at the head of the boat and looked far ahead. He could not help but wonder why Cen Zheng had the guts to kill Bai Xiu.

It seems like the games being played in the Navy are truly not that simple.

At the top of Mount Tai Ting, which was far, far away from Shen Leng, Mr. Shen and Master Cha had already been there for half a month. Master Cha benefited over the course of half a month.

Chu Jianlian’s sword techniques made Master Cha feel as though she was a little child brandishing a wooden stick, playing house.

After seeing Master Cha training, Chu Jianlian’s lips curled slightly upwards. “She has potential. Not just an ordinary child with potential.”

He should be about the same age as Mr. Shen, however, he looked as though he was a few years older than Mr. Shen. Even though his face did not look old, his sideburns were as white as snow.

He was a man that was so perfect that it made people question whether or not he was real. When it came to his height, physique, facial features, the way he carried himself in conversations or the knowledge he possessed, as well as his martial arts skills, nobody could nitpick on him.

Furthermore, he had a grand and magnificent noble aura to him. Even if he was more amiable and approachable, others would still feel distant from him.

Mr. Shen sat there and tasted the tea. He smiled and asked, “When we first got here, you said to get her to learn sword techniques from you for half a month. If you are satisfied after that, you will give [Po Jia] to her. Right now, half a month is already up. I don’t believe you will say that you are not satisfied against your conscience.”

“Not satisfied.”

Chu Jianlian’s answer was simple and direct.

Mr. Shen almost spat out his tea. “What else do you want?”

Chu Jianlian replied, “What I am not satisfied with is not that she does not have talent, or that she does not have the willpower, and neither is it because she did not improve fast enough. It’s because of her attitude…I don’t believe you cannot tell. Over the past fifteen days, she was constantly distracted and preoccupied with thoughts, especially during the last few days. Even when she was training, she was constantly losing focus. If she’s able to fully concentrate, she will be able to improve her sword techniques a lot more.”

“I do not want to give Po Jia to a person whose heart is not focused on training sword techniques, even if she is talented.”

Mr. Shen sighed. “Forget it. In that case, we will be leaving today.”

“Why?”

“If we don’t leave, she will cut up my clothes again.”

Mr. Shen said helplessly, “Her heart is no longer here at Mount Tai Ting – it hasn’t been here for a long time. There is no point staying here, so we might as well go back and wait in silence.”

Chu Jianlian frowned slightly. “You’re giving up just like that? Doesn’t seem like something Shen Xiaosong would do.”

Mr. Shen shrugged. “I thought of stealing it, but I can’t defeat you or run faster than you.”

Chu Jianlian laughed. “At least you’re self-aware.”

Mr. Shen stood up and stretched. “Cha’er, go back and pack up your things. We will hit the road today and leave for Anyang.”

With a thud, the sword stabbed into a big tree far away from them. It pierced through the tree trunk.

Looking back, the girl was no longer there. She had already rushed into the room and started packing her things up.

Chu Jianlian walked over to the tree and took a look…The tree was a foot thick. That girl managed to pierce through the tree trunk at one go. She had never displayed an explosive power as such during the last fifteen days.

Master Cha’s face was flushed. She casually stuffed her clothes into the rattan trunk in a disorderly manner and called it a day. Thereafter, she carried it out. “Sir, why aren’t you packing up?”

Mr. Shen slowly got up and looked at Chu Jianlian. “Anyway, before we leave, why don’t you give me something? Give me half of the good tea leaves that you have been hiding. I will not ask for the sword, but can you give me the tea leaves?”

Chu Jianlian replied, “What if I don’t?”

Mr. Shen answered, “I am already this old, if I make an unreasonable scene, crying and throwing tantrums over some good tea leaves, it will not be too nice. How are we going to meet again in the future? You are a magnanimous person, I’m sure you don’t want to see me embarrass myself. If you reluctantly give them to me, you’re still giving them to me anyway. Why don’t you just give it to me directly? You will have good fortune for three lives.”

Chu Jianlian responded, “Shameless.”

Mr. Shen replied, “Thank you.”

Chu Jianlian returned to the house. Not long after, he brought out two wooden boxes. One of them was very long, the other was a box of tea leaves. When Mr. Shen saw the long sword case, he smiled, like a sly old fox.

Chu Jianlian tossed the box of tea leaves to Mr. Shen, who caught it and opened it up to take a look. There were six cans of good tea leaves. Evidently, Chu Jianlian had prepared them long ago. Six cans – it was almost all of Chu Jianlian’s hidden collection of tea leaves.

Mr. Shen took out four cans and placed them on the stone table. “I am not that greedy. I will take two with me. I will keep one for myself, and I will get that silly boy to give the other one to Zhuang Yong to return a favor.”

After pondering a little more, he took back one more can and placed it back into the box. “I better take one more.”

Chu Jianlian sighed. “I have a three and a half stone iron tire bow. If I were to fully pull the arrow back, and fire it to your face, it might not necessarily pierce through your skin.”

Mr. Shen replied, “I will not pay you back for the arrow.”

Chu Jianlian laughed. He carried the sword case with both hands and turned to Master Cha. “For half my life, till now, I have three swords in total. One of them is Po Jia, the other is Cheng Tian, and as for the last one, I can’t tell you its name…inside this case, is Po Jia, the sword that I used when I was younger. Even though you are a girl, you are young and full of vim and vigor. You acute determination is a lot stronger than that of ordinary men. I will bestow Po Jia upon you, don’t dishonor it…however, you need to answer my question. If I am not satisfied, I cannot give it to you.”

Master Cha bowed. “Mr. Chu, please go ahead and ask.”

Chu Jianlian took a breather and asked earnestly, “Who are you learning the sword techniques for?”

Master Cha did not spend any time pondering. She answered directly, “For him.”

Chu Jianlian frowned slightly. “Think carefully.”

Hence, Master Cha pondered for a while before answering, “For him.”

Disappointment could be seen on Chu Jianlian’s face. Mr. Shen’s palms were sweaty. He knew that Chu Jianlian was already disappointed – how could a swordsman practice sword techniques for another person. In the hearts of swordsmen, there should only be their swords and themselves. Both of Master Cha’s answered caused Chu Jianlian to be dissatisfied. It seemed like they were unable to bring Po Jia back with them.

However, Chu Jianlian did not give up. He looked at Master Cha in the eye. “You should understand that the first objective of every single person in the world who practices martial arts is to strengthen oneself. Next, to be the strongest in the world. If you’re learning for the sake of someone else, you are disrespecting swordsmanship, as well as yourself. If you can change your attitude and learn it for your own sake, this Po Jia is yours…who are you learning for?”

Master Cha answered, “For Leng.”

Thereafter Master Cha turned around and looked at Mr. Shen. “Are we going?”

Mr. Shen smiled and nodded. “Yes.”

The sword case flew over. Mr. Shen caught it and looked at Shen Jianlian who was already walking towards the house. “Why?”

Chu Jianlian walked and answered, “In order to master the art of using the sword, all you need is obsession. It doesn’t matter whether or not you are learning it for yourself or for someone else. I asked her three times in a row and she did not change her answer. That’s very good; that’s extremely good. Shen Xiaosong…I am thoroughly convinced. You’ve taught well.”

Mr. Shen looked at the sword case in his hands. He was silent for a moment before bowing in the direction of where the house was. “Many thanks!”

Chu Jianlian said “Quick leave. If you don’t go, I will lose another two cans of good tea leaves.”

Mr. Shen laughed. His eyes were slightly red.

Master Cha turned around and knelt down before bowing solemnly. After she got up, she took the sword and tied it to her back. “Mr. Chu, don’t worry, I will not dishonor this sword.”

Chu Jianlian’s voice was heard coming from within the house. “In the future, when you’re free, bring that fella over here to meet me. I taught you for half a month, regardless of what you think, I am still your master. If he’s not good enough for you, I will kill him personally. He must not distract you from your practice.”

Master Cha patted the sword on her back. “My Po Jia does not agree with that.”

Chu Jianlian was slightly taken aback. After that, he laughed out loud. His laughter was especially hearty.

Outside the courtyard, the donkey that they bought on their way there was eating grass. Mr. Shen attached the cart back onto the donkey and they started heading down the mountain. Master Cha sat cross-legged, hugging her sword case. She was all smiles.

“Do you think Leng will return to Anyang faster than we do?”

“No, he won’t. Snatching the Qiuli battleships depends on a lot of factors, such as the weather, geography and the people themselves. It’s not something that could be done that fast. But we will try our best to rush back as quick as we can.”

“Will Leng get injured?”

“No, he won’t. He had already suffered all the injuries he could have suffered over the past few years, it’s not that easy for him to get injured again.”

“I heard that the girls in the south are graceful and elegant – will Leng like them?”

“If Leng were to be like that, is he still Leng?”

Master Cha laughed. Her smile was bright and beautiful.

“Right, sir, earlier on, Mr. Chu said there he has three swords. When he was younger, he used Po Jia. After that, he used Cheng Tian. As for the last one, he refused to tell me its name. What is it?”

“It’s not that he’s not willing to tell you, it’s because he doesn’t want to bring it up.”

Mr. Shen sighed. He turned around and looked at the secluded area Chu Jianlian resided. He saw the swordsman decked in clothes as white as snow, standing there with his hands behind his back. He must have been seeing them off.

“Gu du. (Note: It means lonely)

Mr. Shen muttered to himself those two words.

Master Cha was slightly stunned. “The name of the sword is Gu Du?”

“No, I’m saying that Chu Jianlian is too lonely. He did not want his fate to be manipulated by his family, but he was also afraid of letting his parents and family down. Hence, he decided to live in seclusion, as a way of escaping. Hence he’s very lonely…his sword is called ‘Di Yun’ (Note: it means emperor’s fate). It was the Great Chu’s emperor’s peidao at that time.”

Master Cha was slightly overwhelmed by emotions. She muttered to herself, “Di Yun…”

Great Chu had already been vanquished for hundreds of years. Even so, the royal family of Great Chu still refused to give up daydreaming. Great Ning was very powerful – even at the peak of Great Chu’s power, they were not half as strong as Great Ning. Presently, the people had realigned their allegiance, and it was peaceful. Their dream to reinstate their empire was only but a dream that existed solely in their minds.

Chu Jianlian was a person who fought against fate. However, he could not escape its clutches.

Mr. Shen whipped the donkey, but it did not go faster or slower. He seemed to be rather helpless. Donkeys were rather obstinate – no matter how hard you whipped it, it would not care.

Master Cha opened the sword case and took the sword out. There was a ray of shiny light. The temperature in the surroundings seemed to have dropped a little.

Master Cha lightly ran her fingers along the blade of the sword and muttered to herself, “If I use Po Jia to kill the donkey, it should not count as dishonoring it, right?”

The donkey suddenly ran. Mr. Shen stared blankly.

Master Cha placed the sword back into its case. The corners of her mouth turned up. “I was even thinking of eating some grilled donkey meat. Who’d think you’d be this terrified?”

The donkey lifted its head and cried. It ran even faster.

Mr. Shen laughed and said, “This one’s good. And eat it with a bowl of donkey stew…Donkey stews are made from donkey meat. In restaurants that serve donkey meat, all the donkey stews are cooked on the day itself. It’s very fresh, they don’t serve soups that were kept overnight…”

Master Cha replied, “You are scaring it to death…”