The next day.
Tang Lici gathered the disciples of the Sword Association in the main hall. Liu Yajue, the chief disciple, was both surprised and delighted, unsure what guidance this brilliant and formidable nobleman would offer them. Dressed in gray robes with silver hair, Tang Lici walked slowly into the hall, then turned to face the sixty-odd disciples of the Central Plains Sword Association. He smiled faintly. "How is everyone's spirit today?"
Liu Yajue bowed slightly. "Most of us are still young and in good health."
Tang Lici raised a hand, his jade-white fingertip pointing at Liu Yajue. "The Sword Association excels in swordsmanship. Since you all train together day and night, I presume you must have practiced Sword Formations. Would you allow me to witness one?"
Liu Yajue hesitated for a moment. Tang Lici's gesture made his heart skip a beat, though he couldn't pinpoint why. "We practice the Seven Stars Sword Formation passed down by our predecessors—seven disciples form a group, each taking a position of the Big Dipper, shifting according to the enemy's movements."
Tang Lici tilted his chin slightly. "Take me as your opponent. Have seven disciples demonstrate the Seven Stars Sword Formation."
Liu Yajue stepped forward gracefully, standing at the center. "Peng Zhen, He Po, Zhang Sanshao—you seven, form the formation."
Tang Lici interrupted, "Wait. I will choose seven others."
Liu Yajue was taken aback. "But we are accustomed to practicing the formation with fixed members. If we switch people, it may not flow smoothly."
Tang Lici's gaze swept slowly over the disciples' faces. He stepped forward and tapped one on the shoulder. "You... you... you..." He tapped seven in total. "You seven, show me the Seven Stars Sword Formation."
The seven exchanged uneasy glances. Each originally had their own position in the formation, but Tang Lici's rearrangement left two people for the same role—how were they to proceed?
Liu Yajue hesitated. "Young Master Tang... this... may not be appropriate."
Tang Lici's expression darkened. "Are you training swordsmanship or putting on a play? When facing a real enemy, will you have the luxury of calling for Peng Zhen, He Po, or Zhang Sanshao? What if you can't find the right people in time—what then?"
Liu Yajue fell silent. The disciples exchanged glances again, realizing this was something they had never considered in their usual practice. They should have familiarized themselves with every position so that, in battle, any seven could form the formation.
Tang Lici stepped back to the table, resting a hand on its surface. "If the enemy is before you and you can only gather six, what then?"
Liu Yajue was at a loss. "Then... we can only rely on our individual skills and fight as best we can."
Tang Lici smiled faintly. "How exactly would you fight?"
Liu Yajue stammered, "That... that depends on the situation. Battle is ever-changing—there's no single answer."
Tang Lici lifted his gaze slightly, giving him a half-amused look. "Then take me as your opponent. Choose five disciples and attack me together."Liu Yajue readily agreed and immediately selected five skilled and proficient junior disciples from the Sword Association. They took their positions, and with Liu Yajue's clear shout, six gleaming swords rang out in unison as they thrust toward Tang Lici, all executing the same move—"White Rainbow Pierces the Sun"—creating a dazzling spectacle. As Liu Yajue struck, he thought to himself, Although Young Master Tang is highly skilled, if the six of us combined our strength and accidentally injured him, it would be unfortunate. Midway through this thought, he suddenly saw Tang Lici lean backward, his fingers lightly deflecting the swords as they passed harmlessly in front and behind him. Liu Yajue inwardly cursed—his sword technique had overextended, and the same "White Rainbow Pierces the Sun" now aimed straight at his junior brother opposite him. Three crisp dings rang out as the six swords clashed against each other. Fortunately, their skills were evenly matched, and no one was injured. They all leaped back, staring at Tang Lici in shock.
Tang Lici remained leaning against the table, a faint smile on his lips. "Relying solely on one's own skills to engage an opponent—isn't that an art in itself?" Liu Yajue exhaled deeply and replied sheepishly, "Yes." Tang Lici asked slowly, "Was the outcome of swarming in all at once favorable?" Liu Yajue smiled bitterly. "No." Tang Lici pressed, "What was the mistake?" Liu Yajue glanced at his junior brothers and answered truthfully, "We shouldn’t have encircled him so closely. Our sword techniques overlapped, and once we missed, we risked injuring each other." Tang Lici nodded. "The enemies the Central Plains Sword Association disciples must unite against are undoubtedly formidable. When practicing Sword Formation techniques, you must always consider two things: first, that a missed strike does not harm your comrades, and second, that it does not harm the innocent." Liu Yajue flushed with shame and said solemnly, "Young Master Tang’s lesson is well taken." The corner of Tang Lici’s lips curved slightly. "Have you thought about how to correct this?" Liu Yajue could only smile wryly. "Please enlighten us, Young Master Tang."
Tang Lici slowly reached out and pulled Peng Zhen, who stood beside Liu Yajue, forward so the two faced each other sideways. "Raise your swords." Both obeyed, their blades crossing. "When attacking aggressively, do not step into the range of your comrade’s sword." The disciples in the hall chorused their understanding. Tang Lici gave Peng Zhen a light pat on the shoulder. "Again."
The six retreated, and Liu Yajue whispered, "Six is too many. We’ll split into two groups of three, forming a pincer formation so our strikes don’t target each other. My group will attack his upper body, yours his lower." The other five nodded. With a wave of Liu Yajue’s hand, three swords thrust forward, aiming at vital points on Tang Lici’s chest and back.
A gray shadow flickered—Tang Lici leaped up, slipping through their swordplay, and in an instant, he was atop the roof beam. Then, after a few more flashes, he vanished entirely, his whereabouts unknown. The three on the ground, poised to strike, froze in place, bewildered when their target disappeared.
"Your enemy has escaped the Sword Formation and hidden in a blind spot, completely altering the situation. What will you do?" Tang Lici’s voice echoed from above, as if circling in the air, impossible to pinpoint. Liu Yajue could only smile bitterly. "This... this..." Tang Lici continued calmly, "With no direction to attack and the enemy lurking in the shadows, what will you do?" After a hushed discussion with his comrades, Liu Yajue sighed. "Then... we have no choice but to retreat."
"How will you retreat?" Tang Lici asked softly.Liu Yajue grew increasingly awkward. "Of course, we should retreat together." Tang Lici spoke slowly, "By the time you hesitate for three moments and decide to withdraw, what about your junior brothers?" Liu Yajue turned his head and was startled to realize that three of his five junior brothers behind him had already been silently immobilized by hidden weapons Tang Lici shot from the rafters, sealing their acupoints. "Heavens! I..." The hem of Tang Lici's gray robe gradually appeared from the rafters. "When circumstances change and become uncertain, as disciples of the Sword Association, one must not only know how to fight desperately but also how to retreat."
Liu Yajue exhaled deeply, his mind gradually clearing. "I understand. The moment you leaped up, I should have commanded my junior brothers to retreat. By the time you reached the rafters and prepared to strike with hidden weapons, we should have already withdrawn safely." Tang Lici leaped down from the rafters, still standing by the table, and smiled faintly. "Good. Now, those seven who took you as their opponent—let me see... how you planned your attack and how you planned your retreat."
Liu Yajue inwardly groaned but had no choice but to grip his sword and brace himself. His seven junior brothers exchanged glances, whispered among themselves for a while, then grew eager to try. Sword light flashed as the eight of them began sparring. After a fierce exchange of blades, leaving them panting and exhausted, they suddenly realized Tang Lici had already left at some point. On the table remained a cup of tea, only a single sip taken, though no one knew when he had brought it. The delicate white porcelain cup still emitted a wisp of steam, its fragrance subtle and refined.
Sheathing his sword, Liu Yajue stared at the cup of tea, recalling Tang Lici’s earlier guidance with a single pointed finger. His heart was filled with indescribable emotions. Truthfully, though this Young Master Tang from Bianjing was peerless in both wisdom and martial prowess, Liu Yajue had never held him in particularly high regard. Compared to Cheng Yunpao’s righteous hatred of evil or Meng Qinglei’s unwavering moral courage, Tang Lici lacked the kind of passion that could inspire ordinary people to follow him. His thoughts and pursuits were too distant from common understanding, making many of his actions difficult to grasp. Yet after today’s lesson, Liu Yajue suddenly felt a sense of closeness. Young Master Tang was still Young Master Tang, but he seemed different from what he had originally imagined.
Tang Lici had left without a word to anyone, taking almost nothing with him. He had set down a half-drunk cup of tea and vanished—just like that, he was gone. When Shao Yanping received the news, he could only smile wryly, just like Liu Yajue. This lord’s actions remained as unpredictable as ever; no one could guess what he would do next.
To Bianjing, into the imperial palace, to retrieve the Imperial Crown Pearl—when he took the pearl, would Tang Lici still be dressed in white brocade, leaning against a window with a smile?
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