Chapter Twelve: Submit
“Welcome Consort Zhao Xiang.”
The steward’s breathing was similarly difficult. He held a small sword token like it was as heavy as a mountain.
“Welcome Consort Zhao Xiang” Were simple words but carried extraordinary meaning because welcoming and letting Consort Zhao Xiang pass through the borders were two completely different concepts.
Hearing these four words, Zhou Chenyun’s eyes contracted, and seemed to sprout fire. His harsh laughter sounded in the heavy air of the meeting room, and moved in waves. “Disregarding that Ba Mountain Sword Field cannot compare to the past, even with the Ba Mountain Sword Field of the past… they are Qin. Can the Qin order about the Chu and control Chu affairs?”
No one responded for a while. Many people felt cold within.
People started to think, if this was the Ba Mountain Sword Field of the past, if they really came to take charge of matters of their family, they really could. Back then, when the Ba Mountain Sword Field had been at its strongest, the First Sword Of The World Token was like the command of the leader of the cultivation world back then. If back then, Ba Mountain Sword Field wanted a family of Nanquan to die, they had hundreds of ways to accomplish this.
The power of the present Nanquan Families could not compare to the Jiuhua Sword Sect back then. The Jiuhua Sword Sect of the Han had been destroyed before the three dynasties were conquered because they refused the First Sword of The World Token in a night.
“Do not lose your composure.”
An old voice sounded. The speaker was an old person next to Zhou Chenyun. He was the leader of one of the three families of Nanquan, Gongyang Ji. This old person in purple and gold robes had been one of the previous emperor’s generals, and also been one of the pillars of the Nanquan families. He narrowed his eyes, and through the slits, the light that had once burned on battlefields was shown.
In reality, he was dissatisfied with the attitude of the Zhou Family. Even in the actions taken during Zhou Sheng’s case back then, he felt that the Zhou family had done too much to the point that it could not be cleaned up. But from another point of view, the benefits of the Nanquan families were the same. The families had to be tied together. Otherwise, they had no power.
“First determine the authenticity,” he stared at the sword token, his eyes narrowed as he said coldly.
Other than him, everyone in the meeting room seemed to wake up from the dream.
This was the key.
When objecting to Consort Zhao Xiang passing through, everyone had considered standing on the side opposite the Ba Mountain Sword Field. But the First Sword Of The World Token gave them a great mental blow, because this token represented Wang Jingmeng.
Ba Mountain Sword Field was only the symbol of invincibility when it possessed Wang Jingmeng. The reason the token was special and puzzling was because there were analyses of the other’s secret moves on the token, pointing out the shortcoming and methods to defeat, and also changes that would make the move stronger. Pointing out the opponent’s shortcoming and changes to make the moves stronger was a great gift in greeting. But at the same time, it was naturally a naked threat and intimidation, telling the enemy it was very easy to defeat their moves.
The sword manuals of the sects and families were produced through many generations with the experiences of cultivators. Powerful sword moves not taught outside. It was hard for outside cultivators to even see, much less understand the concepts involved.
Only Wang Jingmeng had been the person in the Ba Mountain Sword Field known to have seen the sword moves of all sword sects in the world.
**
Zhou Chenyun took a deep breath. He calmed his mind. Just then, he had lost his composure. Now, it was most important to determine the authenticity of the token.
He reached out a hand and grabbed the thin sword token. Then, he was immediately discomposed, and his hand trembled violently. His teeth were pressed together tightly, and people could even hear the sound of them rubbing together. Without any pause, he handed the token to Gongyang Ji next to him.
The other only took a look. His hand did not tremble, but his eyes were so narrowed even the slits had disappeared.
“Good, very good,” he said, without any emotion. Then he looked up at the people below, and said the names of three sword moves.
“Flying Chaotic Clouds.”
“Instant Elegance.”
“Thousand Stone Collapse.”
Three moves, belonging to three families. They were the strongest and secret sword moves of the three biggest families. With the Zhou Family’s “Flying Chaotic Clouds” as the example, at this time, only three members of the family were able to comprehend and use it. But on this sword token, there were a few words which were able to point out the holes and the ways to change the move.
**
The meeting room sank into a deathly silence. Even they themselves had never thought that Ba Mountain Sword Field which had Wang Jingmeng and Ba Mountain Sword Field which did not have Wang Jingmeng would give them such different pressure.
“A good move.” Gongyang Ji’s voice sounded again.
At this, many people looked in confusion at the old person.
“I mean that Nine Death Silkworm, or maybe, it really is Wang Jingmeng.”
Gongyang Ji smiled in scorn at himself. “Yuanwu, in order to kill him, concluded that he was not the heir to the Nine Death Silkworm, but the Nine Death Silkworm reborn. Now, he is going along and gave this First Sword Of The World Token. Yuanwu’s conclusion and this token. In the world after today, who would doubt he is the Nine Death Silkworm reborn? The heir to the Nine Death Silkworm and the Nine Death Silkworm reborn, Wang Jingmeng himself, have different weight.”
Different…
Different…
Gongyang Ji’s last words echoed in the dim room and hit these people’s hearts like giant hammers.
“Then what should we do?”
One person finally could not tolerate such a burden and said, “Should we just send our armies to welcome Consort Zhao Xiang?”
“This is not something that we can completely decide?”
Gongyang Ji smiled with faint scorn. He turned to look at Zhou Chenyun and a middle-aged man in an inconspicuous corner.
That was the leader of the Xia Family. Among the families of Nanquan, the Xia were middling.
Facing Gongyang Ji’s scornful gaze, the middle-aged man bowed his head and was silent.
Gongyang Ji tiredly shrank back and said softly, “Even if I agree to welcome Consort Zhao Xiang, it will depend on the opinions of these two people.”
Hearing his words, some of the people present understood while others were confused. But regardless of whether they understood or not, even the Gongyang Family was stating they were submitting to the First Sword Of The World Token.
“Compared to life and death, face is secondary. Also, it is not embarrassing to bow your head to Wang Jingmeng.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Gongyang Ji saw Zhou Chenyun’s still furious expression and thought scornfully in his mind.
