When Fang Jie left, he only gave Marilyn a faint smile, which saddened her. Watching the perfectly matched couple leave, Marilyn's eyes were filled with sadness and inferiority. Without a doubt, Fang Jie was the most outstanding young man she had ever met; this was the second time he had saved her life. But precisely because he was outstanding, the woman beside him was someone to be looked up to, like Shen Qingshan.
That woman didn't even evoke jealousy in Marilyn; the difference between them was like the moon and a firefly. That's how she felt, and it only deepened her sorrow.
Yes…
She shook her head and gave a bitter smile. Only a woman like that was worthy of Fang Jie.
General Ma Biao of Guide, almost paralyzed with fear upon hearing the news, rushed back like a madman. Entering the courtyard, he saw his daughter still in a daze, rushed over, grabbed her shoulders, and anxiously asked her questions.
"Daughter, are you alright?"
Ma Lilian was startled, then shook her head. "Grandpa, I'm fine."
Hearing this, Ma Biao breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced at the courtyard, which looked like it had been through an earthquake, and couldn't help but gape in astonishment. "My God! Daughter, who did you offend? I was only gone for a day and a half, and our house has been ruined like this… Damn it, my salary isn't even enough to rebuild the courtyard."
Hearing this, Ma Lilian couldn't help but smile, her displeasure easing somewhat.
"You don't care about your daughter, but you're worried about money first."
She joked, but Ma Biao quickly explained, "No, no... nothing compares to my daughter. When I was on duty, that Imperial Guard in his flying fish robe who came to see me said something happened at home, and I was scared out of my wits. I've never been afraid fighting on the battlefield, but hearing that something happened to you almost made me wet my pants."
"Grandpa, can you be serious for once?"
"What's wrong with me being unserious? What's wrong with caring about my daughter?"
"It's alright, it's alright. Are you going back to your duty?"
"Of course not. The General has already given me permission to take care of things at home." "I'll go back to camp later. Looks like I won't be back for at least ten days to two weeks."
"Oh, then why don't you go rest?"
"Rest, rest...daughter, why do you seem unhappy?"
"It's nothing...I was just frightened."
"Tomorrow I'll find a Taoist priest to help you summon your spirit. Don't be afraid. Now that your father is back, no one can hurt you anymore. Back in the day, my old man wielded an unstoppable horse-slaying sword, charging through thousands of troops as if they were nothing..."
"Grandpa, if you're not sleepy, let's have a drink."
He was interrupted by Marilyn before he could finish speaking; she'd heard these words since she was a child.
"Well, it's been a while since you've had a drink with me. You've changed completely since you entered the martial arts academy; you've even picked up needlework again, which you hated the most. Your mother was most worried about you becoming a tomboy when she was alive, but now she can rest easy. I saw you embroidering mandarin ducks the other day, didn't I? They were quite beautiful..."
"Grandpa! You're peeking at my things!"
"No, no, no... I saw it by accident. My dear daughter, tell Grandpa, do you have someone you like?"
"No... Perhaps, he doesn't even look at me. The woman beside him is so outstanding..." "Beautiful, strong, prettier than me, more skilled than me, and seems gentler than me, Grandpa… I feel terrible."
"Who dares to look down on my daughter? I'll strip him naked right now and hang him up to beat him!"
Marilian frowned: "Grandpa…"
Ma Biao quickly changed his tune: "No, no, I just want to stand up for you… Daughter, if you feel you're not good enough for someone, wallowing in self-pity won't help. The simplest way to surpass someone is to be stronger than them. When you're really, really powerful, you won't be able to look down on them." "Wouldn't your people have to flatter and fawn over you?"
"I don't want them flattering or fawning over me."
Marylian took a big gulp of wine, looking at the deep night sky, and said, "I don't want to always be the one being saved by others. Grandpa, you're right, if you want people to respect you, you have to strive for it yourself. I'm going to study hard at the Martial Arts Academy, and then join the army! I want to be the first female general of our Great Sui Dynasty, no... I want to be the first female marshal of our Great Sui Dynasty!"
"Huh?"
Ma Biao was stunned for a moment, then asked with a bitter face, "Can we change our ambition?"
"No." "!"
Marilian clenched her fists tightly and said resolutely, "Why do men always think women are inferior to them? Why do they always think women can't go to the battlefield? I refuse to believe women are inherently inferior to men! I want everyone to see that a woman can also carry the crimson battle flag of the Sui Dynasty and gallop across the battlefield!"
Ma Biao sat down heavily, holding his wine cup and muttering, "My dear mother... I'm sorry... Our daughter has truly gone mad."
...
...
During the previous struggle, Daquan and Qilin hadn't intervened. Firstly, because their cultivation levels were indeed somewhat lacking; secondly, they needed to guard the outer perimeter, preventing assassins and their accomplices from infiltrating. When they returned, their gazes towards Shen Qingshan had changed; this woman had now become so powerful that they both held her in high esteem.
Qilin drove the carriage, while Daquan sat beside him, gnawing on a now-cold, hard chicken leg. This was something Fang Jie had stolen from a banquet in the palace—a very stingy thing. In Fang Jie's words, it's like stealing from your house and saving from mine—it's all the big dog's food anyway…
Inside the carriage, Shen Qingshan looked at Fang Jie, whose brows were furrowed, and asked softly, "What's wrong?"
"I'm thinking about what kind of cultivation the White Lotus of the Buddhist sect is. If one's cultivation reaches a certain level, the White Lotus can even be called absolute defense. Even if the White Lotus shatters, the person who cast the spell can escape instantly. I can't understand the reason behind this; it just doesn't make sense."
Shen Qingshan nodded and said, "This kind of spell is indeed very perplexing. It's really frustrating to watch him escape like that… But when I was in the sect, my master once said that there are no absolute benefits or absolute harms in this world. If the White Lotus can possess such power, then the person who cast it must have to sacrifice something. If such methods of the Buddhist sect are something that everyone can know and use, then there would truly be no rivals in the world."
"Perhaps."
Fang Jie shook his head.
"I know what you're thinking."
Shen Qingshan smiled. Fang Jie turned to look at her: "Then tell me what I'm thinking?"
"You're thinking, 'If only I could learn something this cool and awesome. That way, in a fight, I could fully utilize my ability to run away if I can't win. Even against a ninth-rank expert, I wouldn't have to worry about being torn to pieces, right?'"
Fang Jie rolled his eyes at her: "Am I really that spineless?"
Chen Qingshan smiled and said: "Isn't this your greatest ambition?"
Fang Jie chuckled: "It really is... If I can beat them, I'll beat them to a pulp; if I can't, I'll run away—that's always been my principle. Speaking of which, this method is indeed very useful. If I'm not mistaken, in the end..." "Was it some kind of opportunity that propelled you into the ninth rank? Even a single strike from a ninth-rank expert couldn't kill that guy, which shows that this method is absolutely essential for escaping."
Shen Qingshan shook her head: "I haven't truly entered the ninth rank yet; I've only touched the threshold. Besides, even if I did reach the ninth rank, it wouldn't be anything special. The gap between ninth-rank experts in this world is frustratingly vast. Mr. Zhuo and Daoist Heli are both ninth-rank, and among the strongest of the ninth rank, but… even if the two of them joined forces, they might not be able to defeat General Luo Yao of the Left Vanguard."
"Why aren't there rankings for ranks above the ninth rank?"
Fang Jie asked curiously. "Many, many years ago, the most powerful sect in the Central Plains martial arts world was called the Ten Thousand Swords Hall. At that time, the Sui Dynasty had not yet been established, and the Ten Thousand Swords Hall was the undisputed leader of the martial arts world. This was because the Ten Thousand Swords Hall had an unparalleled master, the Grand Master Wan Xingchen. After the Ten Thousand Swords Hall unified the martial arts world, Wan Xingchen became the leader of the Central Plains martial arts alliance. In the sect square of the Ten Thousand Swords Hall, he received congratulations from people from various sects."
"On that very day, many junior martial artists hoped to receive guidance from Wan Xingchen. Wan Xingchen, now the leader of the martial arts alliance, must have been very happy that day and actually agreed to these rising stars' requests. He watched them practice their martial arts skills in the square, and for each person, Wan Xingchen would offer a few comments. Those who were at the third rank..." "Belonging to the fifth rank, yet belonging to the eighth rank..." He used such words in his evaluation, and thus the distinction between ranks gradually emerged. Later, some high-ranking sect leaders also became interested, asking Wan Xingchen to comment on their cultivation levels.
"You know, even though Wan Xingchen is the leader of the martial arts alliance and the number one in the world, he couldn't afford to offend all the sect leaders. If he said one was eighth rank and another ninth rank, the eighth-ranked person would naturally be dissatisfied and might challenge them to a duel. So, Wan Xingchen did something shameless but clever. After reviewing the sect leaders' cultivation levels, he stood up, laughed loudly, and exclaimed, 'All sect leaders, you are all supreme ninth-rank experts!'"
"Although those sect leaders knew he was just being perfunctory, none of them lost face." "Of course, everyone was happy."
"From then on, the four words 'Ninth Rank Supreme' became the highest realm of martial arts. It has remained in use for so many years because no one with Wan Xingchen's cultivation level and greater impartiality is qualified to evaluate the various schools of martial arts. If someone could command the martial world like Wan Xingchen and establish a realm above the ninth rank, I'm afraid many reclusive old monsters in the martial world would rise up to join the fun. Martial artists… who wouldn't want an invincible title?"
After listening to Shen Qingshan's words, Fang Jie sighed and said, "Both are Ninth Rank Supreme, this old man Wan Xingchen is truly cunning. However, this matter isn't necessarily difficult to resolve. If the imperial court were willing to organize some kind of martial arts tournament and invite…" "With leaders from various sects jointly evaluating and competing, it's inevitable that some truly powerful cultivators will vie for a title of rank nine or higher. Those freaks whose cultivation has reached a certain level have few things that interest them anymore. But this title… they certainly won't give it up."
Shen Qingshan smiled and said, "You make it sound so easy. The imperial court has always treated martial artists with a cycle of killing some and praising others. Those who obey are promoted, those who disobey are killed. Even if an individual's cultivation is strong, how can they withstand the imperial army? Having the imperial court hold such a grand event… I think nine times out of ten the imperial court will use this opportunity to slaughter all the disobedient ones. A barrage of arrows, who cares about rank eight or nine?"
It must be said that Shen Qingshan's statement, though somewhat cynical, does have a point. The imperial court has always been wary of martial artists. Fortunately, there can be no true unity among martial artists, otherwise the imperial court might indeed have launched a massacre. "Actually..."
Shen Qingshan said, "There's already a title in the martial arts world, but no one wants to acknowledge it. Some say that above the ninth rank is Grandmaster, above Grandmaster is Great Grandmaster. Above Great Grandmaster... that's a god."
Fang Jie nodded, thinking that if he had the chance in the future, he definitely wanted to hold a martial arts tournament or something. But then he thought that from the emperor's perspective, perhaps holding such a tournament wouldn't be a bad thing. With the court issuing certificates of Grandmaster and Great Grandmaster, the martial arts world would surely fight tooth and nail for these titles. Disunity among the martial arts community would definitely be a good thing for the court.
Thinking this, he subconsciously shook his head. Thinking this way, whoever the court appointed to host this tournament would become the public enemy of the martial arts world.