Chapter Forty-Six: Reckless

At the break of dawn, Willowwood knocked on the door of Sansi and his companions. Too One heard the sound and hastily got up to answer, bowing as he opened the door. “Master, is there something you need?”

“You wish to learn the Willow Family's techniques, don't you? Wash up, eat something, then gather at the training grounds.”

“Very well, Sansi and I will be there shortly.”

Sansi, roused from sleep, stretched lazily, but upon hearing that they were to train, his spirits lifted. He and Too One washed quickly and stepped outside. The first room near the entrance of the eastern courtyard served as the dining hall for disciples, but it was empty; the others had already eaten. The two ate a quick meal and hurried to the training grounds, where morning practice had yet to begin and the disciples were still chatting amongst themselves.

Willowwood saw them arrive, stood atop a raised platform, and coughed to signal silence. “Today, let me introduce two new disciples. Come forward, Sansi, Too One.”

They stepped before him, and Willowwood continued, “This is Leaf Sansi, henceforth your junior brother. This is Li Too One, my apprentice, which makes him your uncle.”

The disciples murmured, “Uncle? So young—he must be exceptionally gifted, or else the Second Elder would never have accepted him as a pupil.”

Willowwood coughed several times, waiting for quiet. Then he declared, “Enough chatter. Form up as usual and begin practice. You should be familiar after half a month. If you have questions, ask each other.”

He then led Sansi and Too One aside. “You are not of the Willow Army, and once you master these techniques, you will not remain in the fortress. I will teach you practical skills, as I did with Frost, and skip the basics. With your aptitude, you should learn them in less than half a month. Frost tells me you wish to go to Inch Immortal Isle to study immortal arts. Once you master them, I will escort you there, as Lingzhou is not entirely safe these days.”

“Master, is that truly appropriate?”

“What is inappropriate, my good apprentice? Our Willow arts cannot compare to the immortal techniques of Inch Isle. I myself advanced through fortune and chance. The fortress's skills are shallow; keeping you here would waste your talents. Though I have taken you as a pupil, I cannot teach you anything greater, nor should I hinder your future.”

Too One knelt and bowed deeply. “Once a teacher, always a father. You have taken me as your student, not for service, but for my own good. You wish for your pupil to earn a fine name, so even the wicked outside will not dare act rashly. Your kindness and intentions, I will remember forever. In my travels, I shall do good and righteous deeds and never bring shame upon you.”

Willowwood quickly helped him up, laughing. “Good, good! To have such a pupil is my fortune. I will now teach you and Sansi the Willow-style Seventy-Two Sword Arts. Though Zhen did not mention it, I will decide to teach you both the orthodox inner techniques as well. You must learn them diligently.”

That day, Willowwood demonstrated the Willow-style Seventy-Two Sword Arts, which were gentler and swifter compared to the Thirteen Fiery Swords and the Three Qi Moves. Where a common person would make one strike, this technique made three. It was less powerful than the Fiery Swords or Qi Moves, but far more nimble and versatile. Every nine strikes formed a single move, and these seventy-two swords were distilled into eight moves, yielding forty-three thousand two hundred possible variations.

The Seventy-Two Sword Arts were complex, with intricate transitions. Willowwood demonstrated twice, but Too One was still puzzled. “Master, why do your two demonstrations differ? Is this technique truly so profound? I don't understand.”

“Haha, therein lies the subtlety of the Willow sword. The moves are endlessly flexible; when fighting, you must not be bound to any fixed sequence. If you can defeat your opponent, that is a good move. What I have told you, you must ponder slowly.”

Though Willowwood spoke thus, he thought inwardly: Foolish pupil, you didn’t even notice that I made mistakes while demonstrating, and keep asking. How embarrassing! I hope my words will cover it up. After decades of neglect, I am indeed rusty.

After three rounds of instruction, Sansi had fully grasped the essence of the sword technique, moving with ease and fluidity. Willowwood was astonished. “Frost long told me your comprehension was high, but I never imagined it so extraordinary. The Willow Family's century-old sword arts, and you mastered them within an hour! You are a rare talent indeed. Too One, how are you faring?”

“Not as well as Brother Sansi, but I have memorized the moves. The transitions remain elusive. My comprehension is not as high; it will take me three days to truly understand.”

Willowwood laughed with delight. “Very good! You remain humble. Three days is hardly long. Do you know how long it took me to master this art?”

“Four days?”

“Half a month! You and Sansi both surpass me. I hope you achieve even greater things in the future. We elders cannot match the young. Sansi, you have mastered this technique—teach it to Frost. She has only practiced two days and is still unsteady; you can help her understand.”

“Yes.”

With that, Sansi searched among the disciples for Ling Frost. After ten steps, amidst the noisy crowd, he heard Frost’s voice from afar. Standing on tiptoe, he saw Frost and Nian surrounded by a group of disciples. Fearing Frost might be bullied, Sansi hurried over, pushing through the crowd to stand before her.

Frost saw Sansi approach and smiled. “Sansi, what brings you here?”

Sansi, seeing she was unharmed, grinned sheepishly, scratching his head. “Haha, nothing—Grandfather asked me to teach you sword arts.”

A disciple shoved Sansi forcefully. “Insolence! Is that how you address the Second Elder? Utterly disrespectful!”

Pushed aside, Sansi was displeased, but with Frost present, he refrained from anger, scratching his head and stammering, “Oh...”

Seeing Sansi’s foolish demeanor, the disciple mocked loudly, “So this is the new recruit? I thought we’d get some elite warrior, selected like us, but he’s just a big fool! No doubt some noble paid handsomely for him to gain a reputation. Ha!” The crowd burst into laughter.

Frost was furious at this, about to rebuke him, when a voice interrupted from nearby.

“I think it’s you who are insolent!” Too One, sword slung behind him, walked over slowly.

The disciples bowed deeply. “Greetings, Uncle!”

Too One strode up to the offending disciple, placed a hand firmly on his shoulder, and said loudly, “Kneel!”

The disciple, intimidated, dropped to his knees with a thud, bowing his head and stammering, “Uncle, what have I done wrong? Please enlighten me.”

Too One sneered, turned away, and went to Sansi, pulling him close. “I call him brother, but he is in fact my uncle by blood. He and my father, Qi Fei, are sworn brothers, making him of my father’s generation. You dare insult him so—how is that not insolent and bold?”

The disciples whispered, “Qi Fei? Is that the Sword Hero Qi Fei?”

The offending disciple, now terrified, crawled to Leaf Sansi, bowing repeatedly. “It was I who was insolent! I was bold! I offended the hero—please forgive me!”

Seeing the disciple’s genuine remorse, his forehead bleeding from his bows, Sansi, though angered before, now felt pity. He quickly helped him up. “You are my senior brother, no need for this. Just call me junior brother from now on. You weren’t wrong—I am indeed a wild man from the mountain, barely half a month down. But whoever stands before you deserves respect. I won’t hold today’s matter against you—just learn from your mistake and you’ll be a good man.”

“Yes, Brother Leaf, Uncle Li, I will repent and never repeat it.”

Too One pointed to two other disciples and ordered them to accompany the injured disciple to the fortress clinic to bandage his head.

After they left, Frost approached Sansi. He grew nervous, his heart pounding, frozen in place, grinning foolishly.

Frost handed her sword to Sansi, smiled gently, and said softly, “Brother Sansi, would you teach your elder sister this sword art?”

In the clinic...

Another disciple said, “Senior brother, that Leaf Sansi is truly hateful, made you lose face. Next time, we’ll teach him a lesson, alright?”

Before he finished, the senior brother, though wounded, slapped him hard. “Insolence! Earlier I was ignorant, but now I know his status—how could I overstep again? Sword Hero Qi Fei is a renowned name, and anyone who can call him brother is no ordinary man. The one I admire most in life is a man of chivalry. If he truly is one, my respect falls short. How could I be rude?”

The disciple, slapped awake, nodded repeatedly. Another said, “But senior brother, you...”

“What about me? Speak up.”

“You admire Miss Willow, don’t you? We’ve all seen you hovering around her these days. You saw Brother Leaf with her today and publicly humiliated him.”

“You’re clever. My Xu family is among the top in Lingzhou, surely a match for Miss Willow. Today, I saw that boy disrespectful, unworthy of her, and was angry. Truthfully, I have no real feelings for her—just admiration for her status and beauty. If Brother Leaf is so outstanding, and suits her well, why should I interfere? Tell the others, none should meddle between Brother Leaf and Miss Willow. If anyone does, I, Xu Xuan, will be the first to trouble him.”

“Yes, I will tell the others, but...”

“Speak! Don’t stammer like a woman.”

“But the Willow Master once said he’d choose the most gifted among us as his adopted son and teach him the family’s inner techniques. Right now, you’re the leading candidate, but if Brother Leaf wins Miss Willow’s heart, that position...”

“Why think so much? Why do we train sword arts, if not to defend home and peace, to subdue monsters and demons? Is fame truly so important? If Brother Leaf can shoulder that responsibility, we should assist him—what’s the harm? I, Xu Xuan, live to punish evil, not for fame. Remember, wherever we go, the world comes first, ourselves last.”

The other two disciples bowed. “Yes, senior brother. We will remember your words.”