Legend of Swordsman

The conversation between the two seemed completely aimless, yet it inadvertently revealed a shocking secret.

…

Mangshan Country, the Rift Sky Canyon.

Jian Wushuang, along with his group, arrived at the canyon outside Mangshan City at the first possible moment. As soon as they landed, they sensed countless auras flashing around them, indicating that powerful beings had already arrived in advance.

This surprised the group, and they exchanged glances, each harboring suspicions in their hearts.

After all, the Qianzu Saintess had just revealed the hidden secret beneath Mangshan Country, and they had rushed over immediately, only to find that others had arrived even earlier.

This inevitably made them wonder if someone had tipped them off in advance.

Yang Xiao had indeed sent a message, but he had only informed Wei Jiuxian, a disgraced eunuch. How could such a person have the ability to gather so many powerful figures?

There was clearly more to this than they knew.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Jian Wushuang began to question Yang Xiao.

He first inquired about the situation on Wei Jiuxian’s side, then brought up the matter of the Jiang Kingdom, which they had long wanted to understand.

At the mention of this, Yang Xiao’s expression turned grim.

Jiang Shang, on the other hand, eagerly awaited the answer he had dreamed of for so long.

“This matter… I shouldn’t be talking about it, but since you all come from the Jiang Kingdom, I knew I couldn’t hide it from you!” Yang Xiao forced a bitter smile.

At that moment, he finally understood why Jian Wushuang and the others had been protecting him. It was all because he had once visited the Jiang Kingdom and completed a top-secret mission.

Very few people knew about this.

As for his trip to the Jiang Kingdom, only a few within the Zhanxian Guard knew about it, and the mission’s content was known to only three people.

One was his direct superior, Wei Jiuxian, and another was the Emperor of the Tang Restoration, Li Miao.

To this day, no one else knew about it.

Because it involved a shocking secret.

“Yang Xiao, I have two ways of finding out about this. You should understand what I mean!” Jian Wushuang’s tone carried a hint of threat.

He could search his soul or have him speak.

But the former was too extreme. If Yang Xiao willingly spoke, things would be much easier.

Yang Xiao was the kind of person who responded better to gentle persuasion, but at this moment, he knew better than to resist.

Especially since this earth-shattering secret was related to the Jiang Kingdom.

He also knew that Jian Wushuang and the others came from the Jiang Kingdom.

In the end, he chose not to resist anymore. After all, revealing it wouldn’t harm Wei Jiuxian, and as for that Emperor, he had long ceased to recognize him.

Mangshan Country had been slaughtered entirely by the current Emperor. Such a rebellious act would not be unjustified, even if the Emperor himself were executed. Why would he still have any desire to protect the Emperor’s secret?

“I can tell you, but everyone else needs to step aside!” Yang Xiao glanced at the Qianzu Saintess and Chen Yuan.

Jian Wushuang raised his hand and formed a barrier.

This barrier, created by thought power, isolated sound and movement. Even those who could read lips wouldn’t be able to discern what Yang Xiao was saying.

If Jian Wushuang had more power, he could have isolated time and space directly, but he deemed such precautions unnecessary for a mundane world’s small secret.

Once everything was arranged, Jiang Shang, the most excited of the group, couldn’t help but urge, “Why did you go to the Jiang Kingdom back then? Was it because of a woman in white?”

“So you do know her!” Yang Xiao’s eyes narrowed slightly. The more he looked at the woman in front of him, the more she resembled the woman in white from the painting the Emperor of Tang had given him.

Jian Wushuang turned his head to glance at Jiang Shang, then looked at Yang Xiao, frowning as he said, “Just say it directly, no need to beat around the bush!”

He could only guess so much, and simply listening to the other person riddling wouldn’t help. Even if he had a mind as sharp as a seven-orifice exquisite heart, he wouldn’t be able to figure it out!

And it was exhausting!

“This matter… I don’t know much about it, but I do know that it’s related to Qishen Temple and the Princess’s Tomb,” Yang Xiao said, his gaze tinged with recollection. He continued, “Not long after the Tang Emperor’s restoration, he suddenly summoned me and Duke Wei. They handed me a portrait and instructed me to go to the Jiang Kingdom to find the person in the painting. However, on the day I was about to depart, Duke Wei privately found me and told me to bypass the Jiang Kingdom, take a detour over the sea, and return without conducting any investigation in Jiang.”

Yang Xiao remembered the scene clearly.

In addition to advising him not to go to the Jiang Kingdom, Duke Wei also revealed the identity of the woman in the portrait.

“A Celestial Maiden.”

The woman in the portrait was an ancient Celestial Maiden.

This title left Jiang Shang somewhat puzzled, while Xiang Yang listened as if it were just a story.

Only Jian Wushuang was left standing frozen in place.

“It really is her!”

There couldn’t be such a coincidence in the world.

A Celestial Maiden!

The Maiden of the Nine Heavens, Jiang Shang!

At that moment, he recalled the deity statue enshrined in Qishen Temple. His voice trembled as he asked, “What is the connection between the deity statue in Qishen Temple and the Celestial Maiden?”

“I’m not too sure about that, but the records in the Zhanxian Guard’s archives state that the deity statue was brought to the Tang Dynasty by an ancestor a thousand years ago. It was said to be called ‘Chanji,’” Yang Xiao replied, somewhat puzzled as to why Jian Wushuang would ask such an unrelated question.

Weren’t they talking about the Celestial Maiden just now?

Moreover, he could tell that Jiang Shang was likely the descendant left behind by the Celestial Maiden.

What intrigued him was who could have been responsible for the Celestial Maiden having a descendant.

Although Yang Xiao didn’t fully understand the identity of the Celestial Maiden, he could guess that she had the power to ascend at the time. No one in the entire world would have been worthy enough for her to leave a child behind.

It all seemed unsolvable.

But Jian Wushuang had found the answer in his heart.

The deity statue might have been the remnant left behind when Huiqing played chess with the Celestial Maiden in the Gu Yue Space-Time and later somehow fell into the Realm God Continent.

He had figured out the reason; the only mystery remaining was why it had appeared in this world.

And why he had encountered it by chance.

Glancing at Jiang Shang, Jian Wushuang couldn’t help but reach out and touch her head, a smile forming at the corner of his eyes.

Jiang Shang didn’t shy away, instead curiously asking, “Senior, do you know my mother?”

She wasn’t foolish and could tell that Jian Wushuang’s expression had drastically changed after hearing her mother’s name.

Of course, this was because Jian Wushuang hadn’t hidden his reaction.

He nodded, not denying it, and calmly said, “I knew her, a long time ago.”

Xiang Yang, standing nearby, silently complained about Jian Wushuang in his heart.

“You know everyone, huh? You’ve only been here a few days, and I’m embarrassed to expose you!”

In his view, Jian Wushuang was definitely pretending to be mysterious with no good intentions.

Whoosh!

Jian Wushuang took a deep breath and casually lifted the barrier, saying, “Everyone, the chance for ascension is right before us. It’s all up to your own abilities now!”

Everyone nodded in a daze, not knowing what he was thinking.

…

Tai’an City.

The Restored Emperor staggered out of the imperial palace, having shed his dragon robe and donned a coarse Taoist robe, with a trace of malevolence at the tip of his brow.

“Everyone in the world thinks this palace is a treasure, but they don’t realize it’s a cage. Today, I’ve escaped from this cage, and I shall no longer be the Emperor trapped inside!” Li Miao said, his figure flickering as he disappeared from the palace gate.