Volume Two: The Mortal Realm - Chapter 139: Gifting a Sword and Saying Farewell

"Perhaps once firearms grow powerful in the future, some immortal cultivators will also wish to study them. However, a spiritual qi civilization divided by personal might, unless it alters its hierarchical structure, can never possess the vibrant creativity of a nation of equals."

"Yet this is so arduous. How can I possibly lead a group of people who do not even believe in equality to build an equal nation? Exactly how many years, how many lifetimes will this take?"

That usually stern and arrogant young man, when speaking of how distant his dream was, could not help but laugh as tears fell. It was a goal so despairingly far away that even someone as proud as he felt it was as distant as the stars.

Yet he continued to press forward, staking his entire life and fortune upon it.

When the great undertakings of this world begin from absolute nothingness, no one can ever be certain whether they will succeed; all one can do is keep moving forward.

Deep into the night, the three of them, including Ye Mingke, became heavily intoxicated, and amidst the unfinished jars and bowls of wine, they collapsed in heaps across the tables and the floor of the wooden cabin.

As the first ray of dawn at daybreak pierced through the darkness, Ye Mingke slowly awakened as if sensing something. He glanced out the window and heard the light patter of snowflakes striking the cabin windowpanes. Although it still seemed dark outside, a thread of morning light illuminated the thin paper of the window, casting a dim, hazy glow.

Ye Mingke turned his head to look at Liu Xi and Xu Zixian, who were still fast asleep, and let out a soft chuckle. He lowered his gaze, the smile on his face fading somewhat.

Quietly, he got up, retrieved the sword case containing his packed belongings from inside the cabin, and strapped it to his back, intending to slip away silently before they awoke.

Yet just as he took the sword case and turned around, he found that Liu Xi was already standing quietly by the doorway, watching him.

"Leaving without a word?" Liu Xi asked softly.

"When parting truly arrives, it always evokes a sense of dread." Ye Mingke looked into those gentle eyes and smiled faintly in response.

"I always thought you were someone who feared nothing at all. Just as you never seem to get drunk. You are such a powerful person." Remembering something, Liu Xi spoke slowly, her gaze dimming slightly.

If he had truly been dead drunk in the dead of night, how could he possibly have woken up so punctually at the break of dawn?

Ye Mingke did not answer. After a moment of silence, he said softly, "Accompany me for one last stretch of the road."

The two of them gently pushed open the door and stepped out one after the other, walking side by side and slowly treading upon the rustling, accumulated snow.

At that moment, the sky was piled with craggy, dark ink-colored clouds resembling heavy mountain ranges, yet many gaps remained between the cloud layers. Across the wilderness, whipped by fierce winds and snow, slanting beams of sunlight in various shapes pierced through the clouds and shone down upon the earth.

The two of them walked a long way through the wind and snow in silence.

"The Mortal Sword—I did not bring it with me; I left it inside the wooden cabin." Once they had put some distance between themselves and the cabin, Ye Mingke turned his head and said to Liu Xi.

"You were the one who unlocked its seal, and Father intended to pass it on to you." Deeply surprised, Liu Xi stopped in her tracks and looked at Ye Mingke with utter incomprehension.

"The Mortal Sword is the sword of the mortal realm, and I am merely a passing traveler in this world. You are much better suited for it than I am," Ye Mingke said with a smile.

"That is not my sword."

"By the same token, the legacy of the Human Sovereign should also be inherited by you. That is the treasure your father spent over a dozen years seeking for the mortal world."

Ye Mingke stopped walking, turned back to look at Liu Xi—whose gentle eyes held a hint of urgency—and said, "You need not worry about the seal of the Human Sovereign Sword, either; I will leave behind that puppet with the physique of the Human Sovereign."

"From now on, it too belongs to you."

As Ye Mingke spoke, the sword case on his back trembled, and a stream of white light flowed out from its seams, dropping onto the snow to transform into the golden-eyed, white-jade youth. That white-jade youth silently stepped from Ye Mingke's side to stand behind Liu Xi.

"This is my parting gift to you." Ye Mingke looked at Liu Xi with a clear, bright smile.

With a complex expression in her eyes, Liu Xi gently shook her head and spoke slowly. Her unbound long hair fluttered wildly in the biting gale, and her smile carried a faint trace of self-mockery.

"You are the one chosen by Father and destiny."

"That is not important. You are the one who chooses to shoulder that destiny, and that is what matters above all else."

Ye Mingke looked earnestly into her eyes and said, "In this world, no one can determine your qualifications except yourself, and you have already proven yourself."

Ye Mingke's gaze seemed to pierce through the surrounding wind and snow, fixing upon somewhere very far away.

"The firearm army that Zixian wishes to build will inevitably be targeted and sabotaged by the masters of the Vigilance Directorate before it truly matures. To safeguard this new civilization, a Martial God capable of suppressing the mortal realm is required."

Ye Mingke lowered his head to look at that delicate yet weather-worn face, and said softly, "I believe in you. I believe you will be the finest master of the Mortal Sword and the hidden treasury of the Human Sovereign. I believe that one day, you can become the very first female Martial God of the mortal realm!"

"You are the one who has always been truly powerful, my friend."

Seeing the glint of tears flickering in Liu Xi's eyes, Ye Mingke reached out across her shoulder, gently smoothing down her tangled hair dancing in the wind, and spoke tenderly, "I believe you can do it. My only concern is that you are such a devoted soul, you so often forget about yourself."

"You need not disguise yourself. You can be a young woman, truly yourself, and yet remain the most powerful person in this world."

"Take good care of yourself."

Ye Mingke took a step back, looked into her eyes, and said earnestly.

When the moment of parting finally arrived, he realized how impoverished his words were compared to the emotions surging in his heart. In the end, much like an uncle bidding farewell, he could only offer that most simple and earnest wish.

"Thank you, Mingke." Tears welled up in Liu Xi's eyes, and she smiled softly, saying, "I will."

Recalling something, she unstrapped a dark, ink-colored long sword from her back. The blade's luster was subdued, its design archaic, and two ancient seal-script characters were carved into its scabbard: "Jingji" (Tranquil Silence).

She handed the sword to Ye Mingke and smiled. "Allow me to give you a parting gift as well. How can a swordsman travel without a sword?"

"In his final moments, Father truly regarded you entirely as his disciple. I am certain he would be delighted to know that you are the one to inherit the master of the sword he once wielded."

"Roaming the pugilist world in absolute freedom was Father's greatest wish, but our generation of swordsmen has had to bear too much because of the immortal scourge. If you take his place to walk these rivers and mountains once more, Father would surely be very happy in spirit."

Thinking of what her father looked like as a swordsman during her childhood, Liu Xi smiled.

"Thank you."

Ye Mingke gently received the sword with both hands, smiling with sincere gratitude. "This is the first sword in my life that truly belongs to me."

The wind and snow grew fiercer across the wilderness. The two figures cupped their fists in salute and bowed deeply to one another in a formal farewell.

Then, the gale swept past. The woman stood alone amidst the swirling snow while the young man, with his sword case on his back, turned and walked step by step against the blizzard toward the distant horizon, fading away further and further.

The heaven and earth gradually grew vast and boundless.

(End of Volume Two: Volume of the Mortal Realm)