Volume 2 - Chapter 2: Dragon Pass Path
Bian Ruxue raised her head slightly.
What she saw at this moment was a young man standing before the campfire, his smile warm and gentle.
Yet, she felt that despite his unchanged expression, a vast distance seemed to separate her from this youth.
This sensation was fleeting, vanishing like an illusion.
She thought of swords.
Her restless heart, like drifting duckweed, suddenly found an anchor.
She thought of the pinnacle of Sword Dao, the ultimate and legendary swordsmanship.
In a soft voice, she said, "Brother Hao, your talent surpasses mine. Perhaps you’ll reach that height faster than I will."
"That might not be the case."
Li Hao spread his hands slightly and said, "As you can see, I don’t even have a sword."
“...”
Bian Ruxue was stunned for a moment, then gave a wry smile.
A swordsman without a sword?
That’s not a swordsman.
However, the astonishing strike Li Hao had used in his earlier battle with Li Tiangang remained vivid in her mind.
Such exquisite swordsmanship and overwhelming Sword Intent—why, then, did the person before her seem so indifferent to swords?
It seemed he had always been this way.
Brother Hao... what does he truly care about?
At that moment, a figure silently descended from the treetops and landed on the ground by the campfire, interrupting Bian Ruxue's thoughts. Her previously puzzled gaze immediately cleared as she quickly looked over.
She saw an elderly man dressed in a green robe, with hair and beard as white as snow. His hair was loosely tied into a bun, secured casually with an old wooden hairpin.
The man sat boldly on a wooden stump near the campfire, sniffing at the roasted tiger meat, and exclaimed, "No seasonings, yet it smells this good? What a waste you didn’t become a chef!"
"I’d love to, but I’ve never had the chance."
Li Hao chuckled.
"Is it ready?"
"It’s edible now."
Hearing this, Feng Boping wasted no time. Grabbing a roasted tiger paw, he blew on it lightly.
The tiger paw had been scored with knife cuts, seasoned with salt and fragrant wild herbs Li Hao had gathered along the way. Ground into a paste and rubbed into the cuts, the flavor had infused deeply into the meat as it roasted.
Feng Boping devoured the paw with juices dripping everywhere, his eating habits utterly unrefined.
Li Hao smiled faintly and pulled out Ren Qianqian’s sword, using it as a meat knife.
He sliced off several pieces of meat, picked a few leaves from a nearby tree to use as a makeshift plate, and handed it to Ren Qianqian.
“Thank you, young master,” Ren Qianqian said with a gentle smile as she carefully accepted it with both hands.
Li Hao repeated the process, slicing meat from another tiger paw and placing it on a large mulberry leaf. He beckoned to Bian Ruxue.
Having spent days traveling and searching, Bian Ruxue hadn’t eaten or rested properly. The tantalizing aroma of the meat made her stomach growl, and she walked over.
Taking the mulberry leaf, she glanced at it briefly and, without hesitation, snapped off some twigs to use as chopsticks. She picked up a piece of meat and began to eat.
"This... is delicious!"
The moment the tiger meat entered her mouth, Bian Ruxue’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. The flavor was simply sublime.
In the Sword Abode, where she trained, indulgence was rare. Her master often said that succumbing to such pleasures would corrupt the heart of a swordsman. How could one’s heart hold the sword if it was preoccupied with trivial delights like food and drink?
As such, the meals in the Sword Abode were always simple.
“If it’s good, eat more,” Li Hao said with a smile.
He picked up a tiger paw for himself, slicing off a portion and tossing it to the little white fox.
The rest he cooled with a few quick breaths before taking a hearty bite.
“Who is this elder?”
Between bites, Bian Ruxue glanced curiously at Feng Boping. She wondered when Li Hao had met such a mysterious and seemingly profound senior.
"It’s better if you don’t know my name," Feng Boping chuckled, then ignored her and continued eating.
From his waist, he took out a flask of wine, drinking it by himself before passing it to Li Hao.
Li Hao accepted it without hesitation, taking a bite of meat followed by a swig of wine. The combination of fiery spice and savory richness filled him with delight.
Watching him eat and drink so casually, Bian Ruxue was momentarily lost in thought. Drinking wine seemed like something only rough men did. Most men did enjoy drinking, but Li Hao was still so young...
"Brother Hao, you should drink less..." Bian Ruxue couldn’t help but voice her concern.
Feng Boping roared with laughter. "Little Haozi, your fiancée is already nagging you before you’ve even married!"
Li Hao merely smiled faintly without responding and continued to eat and drink.
Bian Ruxue’s cheeks flushed. Seeing that Li Hao wouldn’t listen, she said no more and returned to eating her portion of meat delicately.
The dark forest sparkled with firelight.
The long night passed in silence.
Once they had eaten their fill, the group settled down to rest.
Li Hao lay comfortably by the campfire, his expression serene, as if in a pleasant dream. His lips curled into a faint smile.
Bian Ruxue sat nearby, occasionally adding a stick of firewood to the flames. From time to time, her gaze would shift toward the young man. Her eyes narrowed slightly.
Having left the Divine General Mansion, suffered such severe injuries, and even severed ties with his father... why did he look so peaceful in his sleep?
What was he dreaming about? Who was in his dreams?
The girl didn’t know. Slowly, she retracted her gaze, staring instead at the dancing embers of the fire. She appeared lost in thought...
Birds darted through the forest, startled.
Dawn’s light gradually broke over the horizon.
The campfire had long since burned out.
A new day arrived.
At the edge of the forest, along the Liang Province’s national road, Li Hao bid farewell to Bian Ruxue, urging her to return and not to worry.
Bian Ruxue had already said everything she could. Seeing that Li Hao was insistent, she didn’t persist. Lifting her sword, she turned, looking back three times before finally seeing that the youth had already moved on. She stopped looking back and headed directly down the road she had come from.
In her heart, she felt a faint sense of relief.
Since Li Hao didn’t need her company, she could now dedicate herself entirely to pursuing her Sword Dao.
"Brother Hao, I will climb to the pinnacle of Sword Dao and tell you what I see..."
She murmured to herself, her eyes gradually steadying.
...
Following the national road, the green cypresses grew sparse. Some trees along the path had been destroyed, their remains crushed or uprooted, but they hadn’t been replaced.
The road itself became increasingly damaged. Cracks marred the surface, and in some places, thick grooves left by some massive creature remained unfilled, as if a giant serpent had slithered through, crushing the road beneath it.
"Beyond here lies Dragon Pass Path," Feng Boping said, his gaze slightly heavy.
Dragon Pass Path extended from the national road near the border, like a sharp spear thrust thousands of miles into the distance. Its terminus was Tianmen Pass, where the Li Family's garrison stood in Cangya City.
Dragon Pass Path was the only route to Tianmen Pass. The long road took a day to traverse even on horseback. It had been carved step by step by the ancestors of the Li Family under the leadership of the Great Yu Emperor thousands of years ago, during his campaigns to expand the empire.
With this road, the Great Yu Dynasty’s army could march directly to Tianmen Pass and into the heart of the Northern Frost Kingdom.
The Northern Frost Kingdom, one of the six vassal states subdued by the Great Yu Dynasty, had become a tributary state. However, as the Great Yu Dynasty declined, these vassal states had begun to stir restlessly.
Li Hao’s gaze stretched into the distance, catching sight of a massive white road stretching straight ahead.
"We arrived quickly," Li Hao remarked, then continued forward.
Before long, they came across an elderly man and his grandson walking ahead of them on the national road, carrying baskets of medicinal herbs on their backs.
Though Li Hao walked leisurely with Ren Qianqian and the little white fox, his pace was still quicker than theirs. Soon, they caught up and began to pass them.
The grandfather and grandson had noticed Li Hao and Ren Qianqian from a distance, their expressions wary and nervous. Despite the road’s width and emptiness, they instinctively moved to the side.
Once they saw that Li Hao paid them no attention, they seemed to relax slightly, breathing easier.
They followed from a distance, their movements cautious and deliberate.
To Li Hao, this behavior was peculiar. The people here seemed extremely guarded and fearful of strangers.
"Young man, are you heading forward?"
Just as they approached the entrance to Dragon Pass Path, a hoarse voice called out from behind.
Li Hao stopped and turned in mild surprise toward the grandfather and grandson. He hadn’t expected them to initiate a conversation. Smiling, he asked, "Is it dangerous to proceed?"
The elderly man glanced at Li Hao and then at Ren Qianqian. He judged that they were likely young nobles from a wealthy family out on a training journey, not demons.
With a bitter smile, the old man said, "Young man, beyond here lies Dragon Pass Path."
“Hmm?”
Li Hao looked at him with slight confusion.
The old man sighed and added, "Once you enter Dragon Pass Path, you cannot go further. That place is overrun with demonic creatures!"
"Demonic creatures?"
Li Hao was startled. Sharing a glance with Ren Qianqian, he asked, "Isn’t Dragon Pass Path still within the Great Yu’s territory? The demonic creatures should only reside beyond Tianmen Pass."
"Tianmen Pass?"
The old man seemed confused for a moment, then shook his head. "There is no Tianmen Pass anymore. That place is nothing but a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, thick with the stench of death."
As he spoke, he glanced at the sky as if realizing the time. Immediately, he said, "Young man, it’s commendable to have a heart set on slaying demons and protecting the innocent, but this is no place for you to play hero. Leave quickly while it’s still light. Once night falls, even this road will be unsafe..."
With that, he grabbed his grandson’s hand and walked forward with his medicinal herbs.
The young boy carrying the basket occasionally turned back to look at them.
After they had walked about a kilometer away, the young boy suddenly said, “Grandpa, I think they went in.”
“What?”
The old man was startled. He turned back, but the road was empty. The youth and the girl were nowhere to be seen.
He sighed heavily. “It’s hard to warn a fool walking into their doom.”
...
On Dragon Pass Path, Li Hao and Ren Qianqian continued to stroll forward.
Not long after, Li Hao’s expression shifted slightly. He stopped and glanced in the direction where the grandfather and grandson had been walking.
“Young master?” Ren Qianqian asked, puzzled.
Li Hao didn’t answer immediately. His eyes darted around until they landed on a wooden stick lying nearby.
He bent down to pick it up and casually swung it, releasing a streak of Sword Qi.
The Sword Qi was as subtle as a breeze, moving silently yet rapidly across the ground.
It brushed past the grandfather and grandson still trudging along the road, ruffling their hair like a gentle gust from behind.
The breeze continued forward, traveling over twenty kilometers.
Far ahead, a demonic creature resembling a crocodile lay crouched by the roadside, poised to strike.
But as the breeze reached it, the creature’s pupils contracted sharply. Just as it prepared to move, its body froze and trembled violently.
A moment later, a clean cut split it from its forehead to its torso, spilling blood and viscera onto the ground.
...
Li Hao smiled faintly and casually tossed the stick to the side of the road.
Dusting off his hands, he resumed walking.
Ren Qianqian, though curious, didn’t press him. She had long grown accustomed to his peculiar actions along their travels.
As they ventured deeper into Dragon Pass Path, they passed scattered remains of demonic creatures. Many had decomposed, leaving only bones behind, and no one had bothered to clear them.
On the way, they even encountered a demon sprawled on the path, using the once-feared road as its resting place.
Li Hao dealt with these creatures without hesitation. There was no need for Feng Boping to intervene, as Li Hao dispatched them with ease.
With each step, Li Hao’s expression grew heavier. He began to understand why the old man had spoken those ominous words.
This path, once carved by the Great Yu Dynasty and guarded by the Li Family, had now fallen into disrepair and chaos.
Even though the Li Family had stationed people to oversee this area over the years, why had it deteriorated to such a state?
...
Walking and stopping intermittently, Li Hao, accompanied by Ren Qianqian and the little white fox, finally reached the end of Dragon Pass Path.