Firmament Sword

Yuwen Ji was utterly enraged by Zuo Mingyu's blatant provocation, wishing he could just slap the hypocrite to death!

But in the end, his thoughts were on Xu Luo. Though he had only recently accepted this disciple, he was immensely pleased with him.

Setting aside Xu Luo's mysterious and shocking origins, the mere fact that he had earned the recognition of the Medicine King Ring was enough to make Yuwen Ji swell with pride!

From ancient times to the present, countless people over the years had tried and failed to gain the Medicine King Ring's acknowledgment.

Just when nearly everyone had lost faith in the Medicine King Ring, believing no one could ever wear it, his own disciple had appeared out of nowhere, earned its recognition, and become the Second Generation Medicine King!

What an honor this was!

In the future annals of Celestial Brilliance, the story of the Second Generation Medicine King would surely be recorded, and so too would the story of the man who discovered and nurtured him!

Faced with Zuo Mingyu's provocation, the old man just smiled faintly. "Then many thanks for your reminder!" he said, then glanced at Xu Luo. "Go on and begin your comprehension. This old man will stand guard for you!"

Zuo Mingyu was filled with suspicion. 'Based on my understanding of Yuwen Ji, he should have flown into a rage at my goading. Isn't that what happened all those years ago? Why the change of heart today? This isn't like him at all!'

Xu Luo, however, just smiled faintly. He was perhaps the only one who could somewhat understand his master's mood. He nodded, and without wasting another word, walked directly toward the great doors of the Scripture Pavilion.

The Scripture Pavilion guards had seen everything unfold. How could they dare to block him now? They immediately stepped aside.

Yuwen Ji glanced at Zuo Mingyu, a smug look on his face. "Well? Open the door and lead the way!"

"..." Zuo Mingyu was speechless with frustration. With a dark expression, he had no choice but to order his subordinates to open the Scripture Pavilion's main doors and lead the way for Xu Luo.

Yuwen Ji followed alongside, a wide, self-satisfied grin on his face.

After passing through checkpoint after checkpoint, Xu Luo noticed the shelves lining the path were filled with vast quantities of ancient texts. Many of them looked incredibly old, not written in books but carved onto Beast Bones or stone tablets.

Some of the inscriptions were exposed to the open air. Xu Luo casually scanned a few and was deeply shaken. The carvings were all extraordinary scriptures!

Just from reading a few words, he felt a sense of profound clarity. If he had time to study them in their entirety, his gains would surely be immense!

'No wonder... the entry requirements for this place are so strict. All the texts in here are priceless treasures!' Xu Luo thought to himself, resolving that after he comprehended the Soul Scripture and awakened Su Qianqian, he would have to find time to read every single volume in the Scripture Pavilion.

'This... this is the true foundation of Celestial Brilliance!' Xu Luo mused.

Zuo Mingyu, however, remained expressionless. It was true that the scriptures in the Scripture Pavilion were all priceless treasures, but one's ability to comprehend them was another matter entirely. Aside from a few truly peerless prodigies, who would dare claim they could understand every text?

Biting off more than one can chew!

This was a major taboo for Cultivators. The more of a genius one was, the more self-aware they tended to be; they wouldn't rashly attempt to grasp things beyond their capabilities.

So, seeing the delighted look on Xu Luo's face, Zuo Mingyu sneered inwardly, though his tone was enthusiastic. "Luo Tian, you see, this… this is the very foundation of our Celestial Brilliance. Every text stored here… is a priceless, peerless treasure! When the time is right… you can study them one by one and choose the one that suits you best!"

Xu Luo nodded and was about to speak when Yuwen Ji cut in coldly from the side, "Don't bite off more than you can chew. Just choose the one that suits you best."

Zuo Mingyu's smile stiffened, but he didn't look at Yuwen Ji. He just nodded and smiled. "Of course. I'm sure that with Luo Tian's talent... he naturally understands that principle!"

They soon arrived at the final checkpoint. A serious expression appeared on Zuo Mingyu's handsome face as he said, "Beyond this door is the room where the Soul Scripture is kept. Since you have the Sect Leader's permission, it won't be a problem no matter how many days you stay inside."

Yuwen Ji shot another fierce glare at Zuo Mingyu before saying to Xu Luo, "The Soul Scripture isn't easy to comprehend. Don't force it."

Xu Luo understood his master's meaning and nodded.

Then, Yuwen Ji watched Xu Luo enter the room. After the incredibly heavy stone door closed on its own, Yuwen Ji took a meditation cushion from his storage space and sat down before the entrance.

Zuo Mingyu asked in surprise, "What are you doing?"

"Standing guard for my disciple, lest he be disturbed by any riffraff!" Yuwen Ji said irritably.

"Elder Yuwen… there are no outsiders here now. Can we please stop with the snide remarks and speak normally for once?" Zuo Mingyu said, an eyebrow raised as he frowned.

"Zuo Mingyu, you know there are no outsiders here too, so why don't you act normally? Stop being so hypocritical. It's disgusting to watch!" Yuwen Ji said coldly.

"Yuwen Ji, what happened between you and… and Qiaoqiao back then had nothing to do with me! What do I have to say to make you believe me?" Zuo Mingyu demanded, his face flushing with anger as he stared at Yuwen Ji.

"Don't you dare say her name! You're not worthy!" Yuwen Ji roared.

"And why can't I? Are you the only one allowed to? Yuwen Ji… you bastard, don't you forget, I was the one who met Qiaoqiao first! Why don't you admit that it was you… who stole her from me?" Zuo Mingyu was now red in the face, furious.

"Bullshit! When did Qiaoqiao ever like you?" Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Yuwen Ji glared furiously at Zuo Mingyu and cursed, "If a villain like you hadn't been making trouble behind the scenes, why would Qiaoqiao have ever left?"

"I knew it… you've pinned this on me. You, Yuwen… you listen to me! I did know about it, and I know the inside story, but I'll die before I tell you the real reason!" Zuo Mingyu, beside himself with rage, glared at Yuwen Ji. "I can't stand the sight of you, and yes, I've plotted against you behind your back a few times. But I respected Qiaoqiao immensely! Do you understand?!"

Yuwen Ji was taken aback by the outburst and mumbled, "Then why didn't you say anything back then?"

"Pah! You were like a rabid dog back then. If I had said anything, would you have believed me?" A vein throbbed on Zuo Mingyu's forehead as he glared at Yuwen Ji.

"Then tell me… who was it?" Yuwen Ji's tone softened.

Zuo Mingyu snorted. "I said, I'll die before I tell you!"

"Heh, you're not dying right now. Just tell me," Yuwen Ji said, actually starting to laugh.

Zuo Mingyu stared at Yuwen Ji in astonishment. "This isn't like you at all, Yuwen Ji… you weren't like this back then!"

"Who doesn't change?" Yuwen Ji sighed softly, a flicker of sorrow in his eyes.

Seeing Yuwen Ji's expression, Zuo Mingyu felt his own eyes redden for some reason. He sighed as well. "In the blink of an eye… we've both gotten old."

"Yeah… we're old." Yuwen Ji plopped down on his meditation cushion. After a moment's thought, he took out another one and tossed it to Zuo Mingyu. Then, he pulled out a jug of wine. "Ah, some fine wine from my disciple. It's good to have a filial apprentice!"

"Don't you wave that in my face!" Zuo Mingyu snatched the jug from Yuwen Ji's hand, took a large gulp, and exclaimed, "Good wine!"

Then he, too, plopped down on the cushion.

"You bastard, what right do you have to steal my wine?" Yuwen Ji fumed.

"I just felt like it. What are you going to do about it?" Zuo Mingyu said with a smug look.

Yuwen Ji pursed his lips, pulled out another jug, and began to drink by himself.

And so, the two powerful Grand Elders of Celestial Brilliance sat in the depths of the Scripture Pavilion. In a tacit understanding, they ignored each other, taking turns drinking from their jugs.

More importantly, neither of them used their skills to dispel the alcohol's effects. Before long, Zuo Mingyu's fair face was flushed bright red, and Yuwen Ji wasn't faring much better.

This wine was indeed a gift from Xu Luo, a fine vintage from the Vast Mountains. It was the same mellow, fragrant wine that Monkey had brought out that day. A single sip would have an ordinary person drunk for hours. The fact that these two had been drinking for so long already spoke to their incredible tolerance.

"Hey… you old coot," Zuo Mingyu finally said, looking up at Yuwen Ji. "After all these years, is there still no news at all?"

"None." Yuwen Ji took another swig, his expression pained. "Perhaps… I'll never see her again in this life."

"It really wasn't me back then." Zuo Mingyu took a hard swallow of wine, then let out a long breath and murmured, "I did like Qiaoqiao back then, and I was jealous of you. I met her first, so why did she choose you? I couldn't accept it. So… behind your back… I did set you up a few times. But honestly… I never wanted to truly harm you! I just… I just wanted to scheme against you, make Qiaoqiao grow tired of you, and leave you…"

"I always knew you were a sinister, cunning bastard, always hiding in the shadows and hatching plots!" Yuwen Ji cursed.

"You're right… I admit, I'm sinister and cunning. But in my eyes… you were my brother. Back then, after every scheme I pulled on you, I'd have sleepless nights, unable to eat or rest, my conscience tormenting me." Zuo Mingyu said, wiping the corner of his eye. "But you're no saint either. You were always on your guard against me back then."

"Bullshit! Maybe I wouldn't notice you scheming against me once or twice, but after a while, you think I wouldn't have a clue? If I didn't guard against you, I'd be helping you count the money you sold me for!" Yuwen Ji sneered.

"Remember when we roamed the Jianghu together? The glory of being Heavenly Brilliance Disciples, the high spirits of youth… how happy we were," Zuo Mingyu mumbled. "I came up with the plans, you used your trigrams for divination, and Qiaoqiao… she handled the fighting. That was the happiest time of my life!"

"Mine too…" Yuwen Ji said, leaning back against the wall as two lines of tears streamed from his old eyes.

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