In the Ruen Dynasty, most people lived away from the Gobi desert and the hostile Northern Qiang border. However, Liangzhou Prefecture was always bustling with activity. This was a rare occurrence for a border city, which showed just how prosperous the Ruen Dynasty was.
At the city gate, a veiled woman reminded the man next to her, "I’m warning you, Under no circumstances should you use your qi, or else this city—"
"Can’t you be quiet for a moment?" the man snapped annoyedly. The man who wore a longsword at his waist and a straw hat that hid his snow-white hair, frowned in annoyance at the woman’s chatter.
The woman whose face was covered so that only her beautiful eyes were visible, raised an eyebrow.
"Let me be clear with you. Your meridians are like a broken pipe, full of holes, and my internal energy is only a stopper that prevents your sword qi from exploding out.
"If you forcibly use your power... I’m not worried, but I’m afraid Liangzhou will suffer a bloody disaster today."
The man’s face darkened, dripping with displeasure, but he snorted and said nothing since he knew she was right.
The veiled woman didn’t mind and cheerfully looked around the street.
"Weren’t we heading to the association branch?" Baili Gucheng subtly furrowed his brow and asked, "The branch is outside the city. Why are we going in?"
Alluring Elegy Yang Lu rolled her eyes at him and said, "Of course, I’m looking for two good horses. Do you plan to walk all the way to the capital~?"
"Ahem..." Baili Gucheng awkwardly rubbed the bridge of his nose.
Over the years, he had grown used to being surrounded by his unstoppable sword qi. Living creatures were unable to approach him, so it had been many years since he last rode a horse.
"It seems you know a lot about me," Baili Gucheng said probingly, "Who told you?"
By now, Yang Lu had already found a horse trader on the street and just finished haggling over the prices. Hearing Baili Gucheng’s question, she smiled slightly and said, "I know more than you think~"
Yang Lu’s expression hardened as she said, "It’s a long story. Do you know why I want to kill Qi Zongbi?"
Baili Gucheng raised his eyes, looking at the captivating woman before him, and gestured for her to continue.
"My master had a deep connection with the previous inheritor of your Concealed Sword Art, He Wenxian," Yang Lu said seriously, "Back in the day—"
"He Wenxian?" Baili Gucheng furrowed his brow. "Who’s that?"
"You don’t know?" Yang Lu asked in surprise. Next to them, the horse trader had brought out two horses and handed their reigns over to her.
Yang Lu mounted her horse in deep thought. "How could you not know who He Wenxian is? How did you learn the Concealed Sword Art?"
"What’s so strange about that? Naturally, my master taught me," Baili Gucheng said while mounting his horse. He looked at Yang Lu and asked, "But who exactly is this He Wenxian?"
Yang Lu pressed her lips together, organizing her thoughts.
"He Wenxian, the Sword Sovereign. He was the one who single-handedly challenged the entire Ghostbane Association—Wait, who is your master?"
"My master... his name was Guo Tianfeng." Baili Gucheng swallowed stiffly.
"Ah~ now I understand~" Yang Lu’s eyes lit up with a look of realization. "So it’s him... one of the Twin Phoenix Swords."
"The Twin Phoenix Swords? Who are they? Why have I never heard of them?" Baili Gucheng’s face grew more puzzled.
"Your master, Guo Tianfeng, had a brother named Guo Tianluan," Yang Lu recited as if reading from a mental chronicle.
"They were among the first to fight back against the Ghostbane Association and follow He Wenxian. The martial world called them the Twin Phoenix Swords.
"However... during the final battle against the Ghostbane Association, Guo Tianluan died, and Guo Tianfeng disappeared... I never expected he would end up teaching disciples at the border."
Baili Gucheng’s confusion deepened.
"He’s never told me any of this... tell me more."
"Ah..." A cold wind brushed aside the woman’s veil, revealing her stunning beauty. She seemed to smile bitterly. "Do you know who is behind the Ghostbane Association these days?"
"Behind the Ghostbane Association’s?" Baili Gucheng raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Yang Lu lowered her voice as she revealed the hidden history. "On the surface, the Ghostbane Association is still the fearsome assassin organization that has existed for centuries. But in truth, it was secretly taken over by the imperial court decades ago."
Baili Gucheng’s eyes narrowed. "And where did you learn about this?"
"My master was once the archivist of the Ghostbane Association."
Yang Lu’s face was expressionless, as if she was telling a story that had nothing to do with her.
"While she was there, the imperial court used deceit to win over hearts. Those the court couldn’t buy over, were secretly killed! That’s when the Ghostbane Association began to fracture."
Yang Lu gritted her teeth and continued.
"They targeted my master for assassination... At that time, with the Ghostbane Association at the center, the entire martial world was swept into a bloody storm.
"All the major sects, and everyone in the martial world for that matter, lived in the fear that they’d become collateral damage."
Yang Lu suddenly looked at Baili Gucheng.
"It was during this time that a figure suddenly appeared in the martial world."
"The Sword Sovereign... He Wenxian," Alluring Elegy said each word with emphasis.
"He appeared in the martial world when he was already nearly seventy years old, claiming he had spent fifty years searching for the dao of the sword, only to find nothing."
Yang Lu sighed. "Though he claimed to have found nothing in the way of the sword, he fought countless battles and never lost a single one. No one even saw him draw his sword."
She glanced at the ornate longsword at Baili Gucheng’s waist.
"His sword never left its scabbard. He always defeated his enemies with his sword qi alone."
"He carried the very sword you're using now."
Yang Lu pointed at Baili Gucheng’s waist.
"He Wenxian took this sword from the Helian Sword Sect. At the time, the sect master mustered every disciple to stop him, but none could.
"Tens of thousands of swords bent and broke, wherever He Wenxian passed, as if they were bowing before him.
"He walked straight into the Helian Sword Sect’s treasury and took their sect’s prized sword."
"From that moment... He Wenxian, the Sword Sovereign, became a legend."