Chapter 132: Teaching You How to Read

“We cannot yet be certain that the Sword Saint Immortal King was the one who struck.”

“Let us wait and see.”

The others also began voicing their opinions.

The man who had been holding the long halberd swept his gaze across everyone present as he listened.

“Whether it was the Sword Saint Immortal King or not, only someone at the level of an Immortal Lord or above could unleash such terrifying sword intent.”

“Perhaps it truly was him, as you say. But it is equally possible that it was not. In any case, whoever it was has helped our Southern Immortal Realm.”

“Now, listen to my orders. Everyone, set out and find where that sword came from!”

“Our Southern Immortal Realm must have an Immortal Lord of this caliber if we are to ensure peace and security throughout the realm!”

The middle-aged man spoke in a solemn tone.

Before him stood more than a dozen immortal generals, their bodies drenched in blood.

They all nodded with grave determination.

“If we cannot find this person, we will not return!”

They spoke in unison.

…

The Tianwu Realm.

The Southern Barbarians, a small mountain village in the Southern Ridge Mountains.

At that moment, Zhu Xiaoyuan’s little courtyard was peaceful and serene.

Once home to Zhu Xiaoyuan alone, the courtyard had become lively with the arrival of his disciples.

Lu Ran was laboring over the fields, sweat covering his head and body.

Long Ruxuan stood beside the small pond, watching the fish, seemingly lost in thought.

Xianchen was studying his broom.

Changsun Puyu held a brush in hand, diligently practicing large characters on a sheet of paper.

Ruofeng played the zither while Huanyue painted.

Everything was just right.

“Xinjing, although you are only eight years old, education must begin at an early age. You absolutely cannot neglect your studies simply because you are young. There is no one else in this little mountain village, so why don’t I teach you? What do you think?”

Zhu Xiaoyuan lifted the tea before him and smiled at Xinjing.

The child was still young, but precisely because she was young, they had to seize the opportunity to teach her.

Xinjing nodded and said earnestly, “Thank you, Big Brother. I like learning from you.”

Seeing that she had agreed, Zhu Xiaoyuan nodded.

“Very good. Shall I begin by teaching you to read poetry?”

He rose and walked over to Changsun Puyu.

The moment Changsun Puyu saw his master approach, he understood and immediately stepped aside.

In an instant, all the disciples gathered around Zhu Xiaoyuan.

Whenever Zhu Xiaoyuan displayed his abilities, it was an immense lesson for them.

They could rapidly gain insight from his actions, deepening their understanding of the Way.

Zhu Xiaoyuan picked up the brush, dipped it in ink, and slowly lowered it onto the paper.

His characters were like mountains and rivers rendered in ink, surging forth as though they might leap from the page.

At once, everyone felt something drifting above their heads and beneath their feet. It was as if time itself had become tangible, something they could see with their own eyes and even reach out to touch.

Then Zhu Xiaoyuan began writing, slowly and steadily.

By the time everyone came to their senses, several lines of poetry had already appeared on the paper.

The poem was titled Quiet Night Thoughts.

A five-character quatrain.

Four lines:

Before my bed, the moonlight gleams;
I wonder if it is frost upon the ground.
I raise my head and gaze at the bright moon;
I lower it, thinking of my distant home.

Everyone felt their hearts surge.

The poem had already taken root deep within them.

“I only glanced at it once, yet I could feel the passing of the years, as though some great being were whispering sorrow softly into my ear…”

Long Ruxuan spoke in a low voice.

“It is sword intent! This sword is unlike all the others before it. This time, the sword seems filled with sorrow, like a river rushing toward the sea, never to return. It leaves one sighing with regret and fills the heart with astonishment! Is Master teaching me that sword intent is not merely meant to shake heaven and earth, but can also carry undying true emotion?”

Changsun Puyu, too, pondered the matter carefully.

“The artistic conception of this poem is simply too beautiful. I only had to read it once to imagine the entire scene. How can this be merely a poem? It is a painting!”

“Master is truly incredible. I admire him even more today!”

Huanyue’s small face was flushed with excitement.

She looked as though she had discovered an entirely new world.

Turning around, Huanyue gazed at Zhu Xiaoyuan with eyes full of admiration, seeming almost to sparkle.

“I wonder who Master really is, and what he has experienced in the past. Could it be that beneath his carefree and unrestrained manner lies a sorrow he has never revealed?”

Ruofeng murmured to herself as well.

She had clearly sensed an indescribable grief within the poem.

Ruofeng turned her head toward Zhu Xiaoyuan. In her eyes, alongside the worship she had always held for him, there now seemed to be something more.

Xinjing’s eyes were wide open too.

What were these characters?

This was the immortal path!

The supreme immortal path!

Xinjing was so astonished that she could barely close her mouth. If these words were taken outside, the Demon Realm and the Immortal Realm would surely fight over them, perhaps even plunging into war.

Xinjing remembered that, at the height of her power as a Demon Lord, if she had been able to obtain calligraphy like this, she would certainly have succeeded in advancing to become an Undying King.

How could she possibly have fallen into her present state?

And yet this young Big Brother before her had casually set brush to paper and written such a peerless treasure with effortless ease.

He had even displayed it openly before them, hiding nothing and showing no fear that anyone might see it.

Zhu Xiaoyuan did not notice their thoughts at all. He lifted the sheet of calligraphy he had finished and turned to ask Xinjing, “Xinjing, do you know how to read?”

At his question, Xinjing blinked her large, innocent eyes and shook her head.

She had once been a Demon Lord and had grown up in the Demon Realm from the very beginning. Even if she knew how to read, she would know only the written language of the Demon Realm. How could she possibly recognize the characters of the Tianwu Realm?

Besides, cultivators possessed a certain ability.

Once they reached a particular level of cultivation, they could understand the meaning of a language simply by examining it with their spiritual sense, even if they could not read it. There was therefore no need for them to study it themselves.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xiaoyuan sighed inwardly.

Fortunately, he was a man with a strong sense of responsibility. The little girl could not even recognize written characters. If he did not begin teaching her now, would he not be delaying her future?

“All right. Then I will begin by teaching you how to recognize characters.”

Zhu Xiaoyuan found a length of rope from somewhere and hung up the rice paper in his hand.

Then he found a stick, pointed to the characters on the paper, and said, “Read after me, line by line.”

“This says, ‘Before my bed, the moonlight gleams.’”

The little girl looked extremely serious and immediately repeated the words in imitation of Zhu Xiaoyuan.