Fan Xian looked at Si Gu Jian, remained silent for a moment, then shuffled towards the head of the bed, reaching his hand behind the Grandmaster's head, under the pillow. The movement was extremely slow; the skin on the back of his hand and wrist could clearly feel the wheat husks stuffed inside the pillow, as well as the scattered, disordered, and weak thin strands of dried hair.

His fingertips touched a hard object. Fan Xian's fingertip gently brushed it, and he knew it was a small booklet wrapped in coarse cloth.

He withdrew his hand, taking out the booklet. Fan Xian didn't immediately open the coarse cloth, but stared blankly at the booklet, confirming it with his guess in his heart. This was a relic left by Grandmaster Ku He, solemnly handed to him by Si Gu Jian… It must be a rare treasure. This thin booklet probably held something truly precious recorded within.

Si Gu Jian didn't urge him, but calmly and indifferently looked at the corner of the wall, as if he weren't beside him, as if he hadn't reached behind his head earlier.

In the end, Fan Xian couldn't resist the strong curiosity. He opened the cloth in front of Si Gu Jian and saw the contents – different from what he imagined, different from what Si Gu Jian had said. It wasn't just one booklet inside.

But two booklets.

Fan Xian shook his head and laughed, casually opening the booklet on top. Looking at the Tianyi Dao Supreme Mind Technique, which he knew so well that he could recite it backwards, he couldn't hide the helpless smile.

Si Gu Jian personally guided him on the knowledge of Sword Intent before his death, and Ku He was preoccupied with sending the Tianyi Dao Mind Technique to him before his death. Fan Xian tasted bitterness in his mouth. It seemed that these old monsters of the older generation were truly monsters, actually entrusting the last hope of resisting the great Emperor of Qing to him.

Before leaving this world, the Grandmasters wanted to leave a powerful enough enemy for Emperor Qing, and the enemies outside Qing were no longer to be feared, so this person had to be chosen from within Qing.

Ku He forced his second disciple to prolong Chen Pingping's life and placed chess pieces on the Xiliang Road, precisely calculating that after his death, Fan Xian, this young man, would definitely have some exploitable gaps with his nominal father because of what happened in the past, and because of what was happening now, that could be used by Northern Qi.

Si Gu Jian gave Dongyi City to Fan Xian with both hands, but also burdened Fan Xian with a large package, heavy and cumbersome.

"You really think highly of me." Fan Xian shrugged, gently tapping the Supreme Mind Technique cherished by the Qingshan lineage with his fingertip, and said, "Or rather, you're too bold, actually placing your ethereal hope on me."

"Your mother was from Dongyi City, it's only natural that I place my hope on you," Si Gu Jian said in a hoarse voice. "But that dead bald head Ku He is actually willing to give you such a great gift, it really exceeds my expectations."

Fan Xian stared blankly at the Tianyi Dao Mind Technique, thinking that Ku He, at the time of his death, was probably still under the impression that what he had learned from Haitang was just an improved version of the Tianyi Dao Mind Technique, not knowing that Haitang, out of concern for his injuries, had defied her master's orders and passed the true Tianyi Dao inner sect Mind Technique to him, back in the distant past, in the distant Jiangnan.

He wondered what Haitang was doing on the grasslands now. Hu Ge had already stirred things up over there, and the Xihu civil war had begun. No matter how talented she was, being far away from the Northern Qi border, she couldn't play much of a role.

Ku He handed the true Tianyi Dao Mind Technique to Fan Xian before his death, naturally hoping to gather the strength of several people to create another Grandmaster in this world.

"Learning too many things is not necessarily a good thing," Fan Xian said.

Si Gu Jian glanced at him sideways and said, "I know you learned the Qingshan lineage's techniques long ago. It seems Ku He never met you, so he didn't know this. This booklet he sent is indeed useless."

"But this booklet is still useful to the disciples of Sword Hut." Fan Xian looked at him quietly. Among the four Grandmasters, only Ku He and Si Gu Jian widely accepted disciples. With Si Gu Jian's talent for teaching, how could he not make great use of it and pass it on to his disciples now that he had suddenly obtained the secrets of Tianyi Dao?

"This is for you, and it's the dead bald head's trust in me." Si Gu Jian said with a hint of pride, "I disdain to look at his things."

Fan Xian's lips slightly curved, and he nodded, saying, "If I hadn't told you about the Ten Families Village, would you not have given me this booklet?"

Perhaps these words hit Si Gu Jian's inner thoughts. Si Gu Jian had to judge how loyal Fan Xian was to the Emperor of Qing, and how much care he would give to Dongyi City, before he could finally make a decision, and handing over Ku He's relics was naturally one of the decisions.

But the Grandmaster didn't admit it. He just said coldly, "You've already learned this booklet. What difference does it make if I give it to you or not?"

"But there's another one below." Fan Xian's eyes gradually calmed down as he picked up the second booklet, staring at Si Gu Jian and asking, "The four Grandmasters have been known to the world for a long time. You disdain to look at the Tianyi Dao's techniques because you're very familiar with the Ku He lineage's techniques, knowing that no matter how much you practice, it's impossible for Sword Hut to have a qualitative leap. But aren't you curious, what is the booklet that Ku He solemnly handed to you, placed together with the Tianyi Dao inner sect Mind Technique?"

That booklet was thinner, only about twenty pages. Fan Xian's palm pressed on the booklet, looking at Si Gu Jian with a smile, waiting for the other's answer.

"Of course I'm interested, because I never knew that the dead bald head Ku He had any other abilities besides those rotten Zhenqi used for planting flowers and trees." Si Gu Jian said in a hoarse voice, "What's the use of learning too many things like you said earlier? Learning too many things is of course useful, even if you don't use it, you can refer to it."

"So you referred to it."

Si Gu Jian didn't deny it, saying coldly, "I have to be a postman, it's always okay to take a look."

After a long silence, Si Gu Jian slightly closed his eyes and said, "Unfortunately, I can't understand it."

As he said these words, Fan Xian had already curiously opened the booklet below. He was very interested in what was recorded inside. But when he opened these thin pages, he was disappointed.

If Si Gu Jian couldn't understand it, Fan Xian naturally understood it even less. In terms of martial arts realm and comprehension, Fan Xian was far inferior to the Grandmaster. He looked at the strange words and strange combinations of words on the pages with disappointment, staring at them intently, but without any understanding.

"Primavera..."

"Ti amo..."

"Arrivederci..."

……

……

The sky above Sword Hut had completely darkened, only the distant sea surface still reflected a deep blue light, which faded to gray when reflected on the land.

A long time had passed.

Fan Xian sighed and put down the booklet. He had thought that if he didn't understand the methods left by Ku He, he could consult with Si Gu Jian. After all, there would be one less monster like a Grandmaster with each death, and this opportunity to ask Si Gu Jian about Ku He's relics would never exist again, at least not in this world.

However, he helplessly discovered that he didn't even have the possibility of asking questions, because every word was so strange, and the combinations were so illogical.

The old and young man sat and lay in the room, actually both thinking about the last booklet left by Ku He.

Si Gu Jian suddenly opened his eyes, a trace of doubt flashing in his eyes, and slowly said, "Three years ago on the mountain top, Ku He once made a hand gesture."

The mountain top was naturally the top of Da Dong Mountain, the gathering of Grandmasters in that momentous battle. Hearing these words, Fan Xian's heart moved and he listened carefully, but after Si Gu Jian coughed twice, he fell silent again.

"What was that hand gesture?" Fan Xian asked with a frown.

"It should be… Western magic?" It was rare for Si Gu Jian to lack confidence, because in his view, in the hearts of all martial artists on this continent, Western magic and the mages who practiced this magic were dispensable. How could Ku He, with his realm and strength, spend time learning this useless thing?

Then, after hearing these words, Fan Xian suddenly understood, slowly placing his palms together in front of his chest, a satisfied smile appearing on his face, unable to restrain himself from shaking his head, sighing and smiling, "I know what's written on this."

"What is it?"

"Western writing, but it's just directly translated with our characters according to syllables." Fan Xian shrugged and said, "I probably used this method when I was seven years old. I didn't expect that a great figure like Master Ku He would actually use such a childish method."

Of course, what allowed Fan Xian to think of this was not just the strange words, which brought him a sense of familiarity with Western translated novels, nor was it just because he had once practiced "Three pieces of meat feed your mother", but more importantly because he thought of a novel he had read in his previous life.

Written by Mr. Jin, about the Nine Yin Manual, that idiot Guo Jing, and the dark and dirty human skin.

……

……

Si Gu Jian frowned and said, "Western writing? Is it really some magic stuff? What the hell is it for?"

"Who knows?" Fan Xian had a headache, looking at the two booklets in his hand, thinking for a while, he carefully put them in his arms and said, "Master Ku He left them to me, there must be some use for them."

"Don't put your energy into these useless things." Si Gu Jian said, still holding a congenital contempt for the barbarian things of the West. This was probably the natural condescension of an advanced civilization towards a backward civilization.

"Be inclusive and adopt what's useful." Fan Xian replied, "Who knows what benefits I'll get after learning it."

"You can understand these messy words?" Si Gu Jian frowned for the first time, looking at Fan Xian in slight surprise. This booklet had been in his hands for more than two years. Although he upheld the pride of a Grandmaster, he didn't peek at the Tianyi Dao Mind Technique, but he had studied this booklet of ghost drawings for a long time. He also wanted to know what deep meaning Ku He had left behind with this thing, but no matter how he studied it, he made no progress. If it was Western writing, Si Gu Jian was in charge of Dongyi City, and the officials and people in the city had a lot of dealings with foreigners, but he had never heard of any foreigners who spoke this language.

Fan Xian smiled and said, "I have to guess slowly. I learned some before, but I've forgotten almost all of it."

Yes, the words on the booklet left by Ku He were Italian, while the foreigners who dealt with the Qing Kingdom and Dongyi City basically used a deformed Spanish or English. Fan Xian hadn't studied it carefully anyway, it was roughly the same thing.

And Fan Xian had studied Italian, he had taken it as an elective in his sophomore year in his previous life.

Was this coincidence or fate?

……

……

Everything had been said, and the things that Si Gu Jian needed to explain and hand over had been discussed between them. Fan Xian stood up from the side of the bed, preparing to leave the room. Suddenly, he lowered his eyes and asked seriously, "I still don't understand why you chose me."

Ye Qingmei was indeed half Dongyi, but obviously she had put more effort into the Qing Kingdom back then. Anyone who had seen the picture of the woman in yellow gazing at the river embankment would think so. Just because of the so-called household registration, placing the free existence of the entire Dongyi City on Fan Xian, on this young Qing Kingdom dignitary who had caused Dongyi City to suffer countless losses, didn't it need a reason?

Si Gu Jian said, "The so-called person without a vice is not worth associating with. I once judged that you have no heart for the world, so you cannot achieve great things. However, a person without a vice is nothing more than two things: one is a saint, the other is a hypocrite."

"You are a person without a vice." Si Gu Jian continued, "But after Da Dong Mountain, to me, you suddenly developed some true feelings… they have just been hidden extremely deeply. So I think you should walk on the path of the former."

"In this world, can there be someone who doesn't act for their own selfish interests, for the selfish interests of a country, but only for the peace of their own heart?"

Si Gu Jian looked at him indifferently, "There used to be one, I hope there can be one in the future. If I bet wrong, then I'm wrong, I don't care. A dying person is always the bravest gambler."

Fan Xian remained silent for a long time, then walked out of the quiet room, to the side of the sword pit, and saw Wang Shisanlang, who was sadly shedding silent tears, wiping his tears with his sleeve like a child.

Thousands of swords in the pit were cold.

Wang Shisanlang glanced at him and walked into the quiet room. A moment later, all the disciples of Sword Hut solemnly walked into the quiet room, including Yun Zhilan. No one made any noise, and no one looked at Fan Xian by the sword pit.