Volume One: The Monarch’s Decree Chapter Seventy-One: Nearly Starved to Death

First Page

Senior Brother Zhang Yi swam against the current to the riverbank at the source, collapsing breathlessly onto the soft grass. Having lingered here for several years, he was well aware of the changes that had taken place within Heavenly King Road. Contrary to the rumors outside, there weren’t only four checkpoints; rather, passing through this gate merely allowed one to reach the locations where those four checkpoints lay. Other areas also offered similar paths, but in all his years here, Zhang Yi had never seen another person appear. Perhaps none had yet emerged in this vast world, of which the Iron Dynasty occupied only a small corner.

The higher one’s cultivation, the broader one’s horizons. Zhang Yi was the restless sort, unable to halt his explorations; every place he could set foot upon bore his footprints.

After waiting for most of the day, Zhang Yi awoke from a nap to find that there was still no sign of Liu Xiaoyi in the water behind him. “Could that junior brother have drowned? Judging by his solid cultivation, he shouldn’t have failed to surface. Strange.”

Liu Xiaoyi’s prolonged absence left him uneasy. Having finally encountered a junior brother he felt a connection with, he had no wish to let the fellow die here. Feeling his strength had mostly recovered, he dove back into the water.

He searched back and forth in a wide circuit, but still found no trace of Liu Xiaoyi. He even risked diving deep, though he didn’t dare reach the bottom—no one had ever told him what lay in these underwater depths, and the eerie chill emanating from the darkness always unsettled him.

“I’d better go out and ask Master for help. The old man is probably getting anxious too.” Having made up his mind, Zhang Yi leapt up and rushed swiftly down the riverbank’s slope, disappearing in a flash.

It wasn’t until half a year later that Heavenly King Road dispatched anyone again. During this time, the Grand Elder refused to let anyone from Dao Ruins send people in to search, insisting that Liu Xiaoyi’s opportunity for enlightenment must not be disturbed.

Eventually, even the Elder himself grew uneasy, at which point Zhang Yi personally led his junior brothers in another attempt to pass the four checkpoints. Upon reaching the first fork in the road, Zhang Yi was dumbfounded. Before him lay more than a dozen different paths, none bearing the orchid mark.

“It’s changed! It wasn’t like this when I first came in!”

Zhang Yi’s heart sank. He was worried for Liu Xiaoyi’s safety, yet didn’t dare let his junior brothers choose blindly. For a time, they were at an impasse, blocked before the first checkpoint.

“Senior Brother, are you reliable or not? My friend is trapped in there!” Guo Shuda, upon hearing that Liu Xiaoyi hadn’t emerged, immediately followed the senior brother inside. By rights, his cultivation wasn’t sufficient to enter, but he’d shown off his blade formation disk and insisted on coming.

Muttering under his breath, Guo Shuda charged ahead, but was held back by Feng Nanjue. “Junior Brother Guo, don’t be hasty! The Four Barriers of Heavenly King Road have trapped countless people—we must proceed with caution.”

“You cowards can wait here if you like. I can’t stand it. If anything happens to my friend, his life will be in danger! Farewell!”

Accompanied by a golden-armored warrior, a blade in one hand and the formation disk in the other, Guo Shuda strode boldly into one of the paths and vanished.

The remaining disciples exchanged uneasy glances. With a sigh, Zhang Yi chose to follow.

“Stay close! Don’t split up at the junctions!” Zhang Yi repeatedly urged his brothers, worried something might go wrong. Before leaving, Dao Ruins had entrusted him with three jade slips, just in case.

Meanwhile, the true body within the stone coffin beneath the water was still standing dazedly before the stone wall, his soul trapped within the painting of the vagabond swordsman, repeating the elder’s sword practice day after day.

Though this wanderer had no true energy, the power of his blade was not to be underestimated; even a casual slash could cause the air itself to freeze for a moment. Liu Xiaoyi had tried several times to block the blade with his own magic, but three inches from the sword’s edge, his power dissipated into nothing.

To hear thunder in the silence! Each time Liu Xiaoyi tested the swordsman, he was astounded that swordsmanship could reach such a level. When the vagabond sheathed his sword and stood tall, he seemed no more than an honest farmer about to head to the fields, his edge completely hidden.

Second Page

Day after day, half a year slipped by. The Icy Sword’s swings grew ever faster; he could now hurl a vine and cleave it ten times in an instant, though still shy of the twelve strikes required.

“You may go now. There’s no need to remain here,” the wanderer said suddenly upon seeing the shredded vine.

This elder rarely spoke, preferring action to words. Passing farmers called him the ‘mute faker’, and children often came to watch him practice, but he always ignored them, lost in his sword dance.

Liu Xiaoyi, puzzled, sheathed his sword and asked, “Senior, the technique is not yet mastered—why send me away?”

“Your body is nearly dried up. If you don’t leave soon, you’ll be here with me for life.”

Awakened by these words, Liu Xiaoyi’s eyes suddenly cleared. He seemed to see Xiao Qingshu, idling in the temple, checking in every few days to see if he’d awakened, sometimes resting her head at his side.

"And another thing," the wanderer added, "that nameless sword art was my own creation, made up on a whim. Don’t treasure it too much. Twelve strikes in a breath is not the end. We swordsmen must always strive forward."

With that final admonition, the vagabond leapt off the cliff, bursting into dazzling light and sending Liu Xiaoyi’s soul back to his body.

With a shake of his head, air rushed into his lungs, making him cough violently. “Cough, cough, haah!”

“Wow! If you hadn’t come back soon, I would’ve smashed this stone wall!” Like a kitten, Xiao Qingshu leapt into his arms, her petite frame easily clinging to Liu Xiaoyi.

Over the past half year, Xiao Qingshu’s initial delight had faded to boredom. She’d even tried hacking at the chamber’s stonework. Though she knew opportunities for enlightenment were rare—many never experienced them in a lifetime—she was simply too bored!

Imprisoned here for a century, she’d finally found someone to talk to, only for him to become a stump, motionless in the stone chamber. Naturally lively, she’d already dismantled everything in the place that could be taken apart.

Liu Xiaoyi slowly clenched his fists, realizing his body was nothing but skin and bones, and his breath came weakly.

Her shaking him made his frail body ache. “Miss, get off me, will you? I haven’t eaten for half a year—I’m starving to death!”

“I just missed you so much! Did that wanderer tell you how to get out of this cursed place?” Xiao Qingshu blinked hopefully at him.

“If I said no, you wouldn’t hit me, would you?” He’d left in a rush and really hadn’t had time to ask; Liu Xiaoyi answered awkwardly.

“You—you’ll be the death of me…”

She raised her little fist to strike him, but lost her footing and toppled into his cold embrace. The temple’s ceiling opened, a warm current swept them both rapidly outward.

With two splashes, they burst from the water. Liu Xiaoyi, already dizzy from hunger, was nearly knocked out by the rushing current.

It didn’t end there. Tumbling from over ten feet up, he used his last ounce of strength to pull Xiao Qingshu into his arms and rolled to shield her with his back, hitting the ground so hard he heard bones crack. The pain made Liu Xiaoyi grimace, golden stars dancing before his eyes.

Third Page

Nestled in his arms, Xiao Qingshu secretly grinned, rubbing her head against his chest.

“You’re crushing my lungs… move over a bit…”

Only then did she get up, scanning her surroundings. “I see the Fire Seal—it’s just over there!”

“Cough, let’s worry about that later. Find me something to eat first…” Liu Xiaoyi’s words were ignored. Instead, a furry little head poked out from his arms and darted off, returning with some raw meat.

Catching the scent of fresh meat, Liu Xiaoyi didn’t care if it was cooked or not. He tore into it ravenously. The little tiger, unimpressed by his eating manners, bared its fangs and helped rip the meat, then dropped the pieces before him.

Lying there, Liu Xiaoyi’s tears flowed freely. “Xiao Jin, when we get out, I’ll buy you the best roast chicken!”

After half a year of starvation, no matter how much he ate, he never felt full. The little tiger tirelessly dragged over pieces of meat many times its size, some even lightly cured, quite tasty.

These were all left by Senior Brother at the camp on the riverbank, where there was still a store of food in the makeshift tent—just what Liu Xiaoyi needed.

Before he could finish eating, a sharp scream came from Xiao Qingshu: “Liu Xiaoyi… come save me… I can’t get out again…”

About thirty paces from where Liu Xiaoyi lay, Xiao Qingshu’s hands were tightly bound by fiery ropes. She hopped and stamped her feet, cheeks puffed in anger, tear tracks still visible.

“I’m so unlucky! Why do all the wards here ignore cultivation? All my millennia of skills are useless!”

She raged at the injustice, casting sidelong glances at Liu Xiaoyi as he washed up at the river, straightened his clothes, and did his best to tidy up, though his face was still covered in beard and his hair was long and wild.

“Liu Xiaoyi… please come save me… wuwuwu…”

“You can wait there a bit longer. You didn’t help me find food, so I’m under no obligation to rescue you, am I?” Liu Xiaoyi chuckled, making no move to approach.

“If my sister dies, it’ll be your fault for wasting time! Hurry up and collect the Fire Seal… wuwuwu…” The angrier Xiao Qingshu grew, the louder she cried. The high temperature of the Fire Seal evaporated her tears, shrouding her head in white steam.

Hands on his hips, Liu Xiaoyi gazed solemnly at the formation before him: jagged rocks floated on all sides, some drifting gently on the current like fish guarding treasure, blocking the fiery red seal on the central stone platform.

A rope of flame extended from the seal, binding Xiao Qingshu’s hands where she’d touched the platform, leaving a trail of broken stones in her wake.

“Wait a bit, this formation isn’t easy to break!” Liu Xiaoyi removed his two treasured swords, took off his shirt to reveal his gaunt frame, and, standing on tiptoe, drew a breath and sprang forward with all his might!