Dual Cultivation God Returns

Chapter 1010: The time for words is over

Duan Feng quietly stood in the arena, his sheathed sword in his hand as per usual, waiting for his opponent.

There were a lot of murmurs, gossip, and outright loud conversations about him, ranging from the fact he was blind to his unusual origin of having come from the Fractured World of the Battle God’s Cradle.

The same was on the terrace that was reserved for dignitaries, as the 5th prince’s supporters were openly mocking the blind man who dared to hold a sword.

Wei Yuanjie, however, stood with a much smaller entourage consisting only of Wu Long and Duan Feng’s followers, along with the painter who was busy committing everything he saw into memory, anxious about potentially missing a moment of inspiration.

[Tsk, why’s that guy there? Didn’t you say he wouldn’t come out until this was all over?], the 5th prince was seemingly trying to drill a hole in Wu Long’s head with his eyes, while sending a sound transmission to one of his advisors.

[Perhaps they were worried exactly about what we were counting on - that without the blind swordsman the 9th prince would look isolated and alone]

[So annoying... he was supposed to be my support! Everything he’s now standing for should’ve been to help me! How the hell did you fumble that one?! I told you that he was someone we should get on our side. My hunch told me so! But you said I had to display ’the dignity of a future Emperor’, whatever that means! Apparently it means acting all high and mighty, and super important, so important that it turns away and antagonizes a valuable asset!!! Which reminds me again... that Chen Hui... I thought you said he was a disposable pawn?! That he had basically no prospect of reaching any higher cultivation realms! And no prospects of being promoted! That’s why he was perfect for that mission! Then, what in the Heavens is happening now that suddenly when he’s no longer under my command, his cultivation found a sudden massive breakthrough that shows no signs of stopping whatsoever!!! Do you even have brains in those heads of yours?!], the 5th prince was seething with rage.

The situation was even more unbearable since he realized that everything he was now envying and angry about was almost his to command, almost a power he had within his reach, helping him reach his hand toward the throne.

Instead it was helping someone else, and sinking his own ship in the process.

Ironically, he was the only one in the entire Imperial Court who knew perfectly well that Wu Long was no pawn of Princess Wei Zhenhui. He didn’t believe that outright lie for a second. And it was him who knew that it was likely the other way around.

But even his own advisors disagreed with him on that. They told him that he was fooled by the clever scheme of the Princess that tried to sneak her own man into his people to sabotage him.

And now, these same advisors could only offer words that completely failed to soothe his frustrations, [Your Highness, taking that man in would have been a disaster for us. Just imagine that, a mole in our midst! Gradually gaining our trust! If eventually he succeeded, and we had relied on him, to then be betrayed as he used us to simply bury the opposing princes while clearing the way for Princess Wei Zhenhui...]

[Tsk, still going on about that stupid idiotic spiel... and what about Chen Hui then? Was he also sent to us by that wench just to mess with me?! Ooh~ look at me~ I am here under your command as a useless captain~, but once I betray you~, look how high my cultivation can rise~! I’m such a ridicule toward you~! Is that it?! Is that what you are telling me?!]

[That... is an unfortunate coincidence, Your Highness. No one can predict sudden enlightenment, it is given by the Heavenly Daos themselves...]

[So now the Heavenly Daos are against me?! Is that what you’re saying?!?!]

His advisors lowered their heads, not able to offer any other explanation since in their eyes it really was a freak accident that Chen Hui experienced sudden enlightenment. Such chances are incredibly rare and precious, and cannot be foreseen. They could only admit that they were wrong about Chen Hui, or at the very least, not as careful as they could have handled it. But since admitting it was not something any of them could handle mentally and even politically, they simply stayed silent.

While that was going on, Duan Feng’s opponent, an Inner Disciple of the Seven Extreme Swords Sect who had achieved Essence Awakening Realm no more than a year ago, and thus was almost on exact equal footing, stepped onto the stage.

"Heh, nervous yet? It’s still not late to back down and stop this. Your friend could really get himself hurt there...", the 5th prince chuckled, not displaying any of his actual mood to his younger brother, while turning to him with a sneer, "They say that to step into the fighting ring is to accept one truth and thus relinquish the right to blame - in duels of any kind, even friendly spars, the sword is blind so accidents could happen... but even his eyes are blind, hahahaha, won’t this turn into a disaster then? Ahahaha!"

The entourage around the 5th prince and a large portion of members of the Imperial Court who arrived here began laughing, with a few praises heard from the nobles toward how witty the prince was. Though there was disapproval in the part of the delegation who did not laugh.

The Imperial Ambassador Wei Lufan, had an unreadable look in his eyes and a neutral expression on his face, carefully observing the situation without weighing in or reacting at all.

"How vulgar. Is making such tasteless jokes all you can do? Is that the demeanor of the man who wants to sit on the throne?", Wei Yuanjie spoke in a calm voice, looking at the fighting pit without giving his brother even a glance, "And you seem to be confused here, Master Duan is not my subject to command, he makes his own decisions and thus it is not for me to stop this"

His first remark greatly cooled the excitement and jovial mood of the nobles and court officials, as even some gasps could be heard among them. This also earned the approval of the part of them who did not laugh.

But his second one, made the 5th prince’s face which froze for a few moments liven up again, "Oho~? Are you already distancing yourself from him, preparing for the inevitable outcome?"

"You seem to be impatient, Brother. But then again, patience - or as the Imperial Father often calls it, the grace of rulers - never was your strong suit. Thankfully, we don’t have to speculate on the outcome so much, or wait. It won’t be long before everything will be revealed in front of our eyes rendering any of our banter here utterly useless", Wei Yuanjie chuckled.

The whole conversation prompted a look of deep approval in the eyes of Wu Long who stood slightly behind the 9th prince, and he couldn’t hold back from making a very subtle but very noticeable for the 5th prince, ’Oof’ expression at Wei Yuanjie’s last remark, mouthing, ’that’s got to hurt’ without sound.

The latter’s face became ashen even if he tried to control his outward look as much as he could. His supporters also couldn’t help but look at the 9th prince with deep color of shock. He may have been effective at keeping them at bay throughout the past week, but today he simply was a menace. It was also the first time throughout the whole period of a bit over a week that he invoked the Emperor in their banter, to a great effect on their audience.

Even Wei Lufan looked at his nephew with a new look this time.

"I... am just trying to express worry for your friend, Little Yuan", the 5th prince, feeling how big the shift in tide was, hurried to try and salvage the situation by switching tactics, "You might be too young to recognize this, but it isn’t a game. Spars between Sword Cultivators, even if they are careful, are very dangerous and a slight misstep could cost your friend his arm, or even his life!"

Wei Yuanjie sighed, shaking his head, "It seems it is you who does not understand what we are about to witness. It is precisely because it is not a game that this fight cannot be frivolously called off at this point. Because what is at stake is more than just a skill contest, but the pride and dignity of swordsmen"

Before the 5th prince could react to that, Wei Yuanjie continued, this time finally turning to his older brother with a look of lament, "I shouldn’t have expected you to understand it, seeing as you were the one whose careless remarks - thinking this was a game, perhaps - that led to this, but words spoken without considering the situation and ignorant of their effect, have consequences. And the consequences cannot be turned around that simply. Now the time for words is over - it is the time for swords to speak. But be not bothered, you may not know what being a swordsman means, but Master Duan is a true Sword Cultivator and won’t back down just because of a fickle fear of getting hurt, and even if he was hurt or lost he would not have any regrets, nor would he even blame you as he does not have you in his mind, only his opponent - he would praise his opponent’s skill with his last breath if he was slain, and praise him with a ragged breath of a wounded loser of a spar alike. So this fight cannot be stopped... unless of course it is the other side that is afraid"

The expression on the 5th prince’s face finally broke as he realised he had no comeback. His younger brother of today, perhaps truly angry with him for the first time during all of this, angry for dragging Duan Feng into this situation, was precise, deadly, and merciless.

"Bold words, Your Highness", it was, this time, the Inner Court Elder of the Seven Extreme Swords Sect that stepped in, barely saving the last dregs of the 5th prince’s dignity by shifting the focus of the conversation to himself, "But, sadly, ignorant - which is not a fault but a simple consequence of your youth and sheltered upbringing without guidance, that caused overreliance on books and literature to fill in your worldview. Thus causing a paradox of having knowledge, but no experience to apply it the right way"

The Elder’s words could be interpreted as an insult to the Imperial Court itself, or even his mother the Empress, but there was no entourage belonging to the Imperial Court standing firmly on Wei Yuanjie’s side to point it out, which he took advantage of. The Imperial Ambassador was strictly neutral, and the audience had to tread this situation very carefully, not completely siding with either one, in order to not accidentally stand on the side that loses.

"What you have said might have applied, if in that fighting pit were indeed two swordsmen. However, there is only one, the Disciple of our Sect", the Elder continued without a pause or chance for Wei Yuanjie to put in a word, "The other man standing there might hold a sword, and profess being a Sword Cultivator, but that does not make him one. He lacks the foundation that one has to have to be one"

The sudden intrusion of the Elder into the conversation caught Wei Yuanjie off guard, and there was a very short moment when tiny signs of being flustered appeared in his eyes. But more than that, the Elder’s words made him lose his temper, which instantly numbed his sharp mind.

However, at this moment it was the Ember Palm Pavilion’s Inner Court Elder who simply began laughing, "Hahaha, how shameless can you be, Old Yifan? To try and confuse His Highness with your sophistry. What’s a swordsman? The answer’s simple - the one which holds a sword! Does that man hold a sword? I think we all know the answer is yes!"

He stepped out to the forefront, with this, putting the final end to the confrontation of the princes and transitioning it to the staredown of the Sects, "Everyone knows that swordsmen are those who wave your sharp sticks!"

He then made a passionate speech, moving his hands in ridicule of the high-handedness, "There’s no... mystery, or higher meaning... some kind of deeper philosophy or enlightenment. You... with your constant attempts at self-importance of Sword Cultivators, trying to mystify yourselves and make you more than what you simply are... people who wave around sharp metal sticks in flashy patterns... hehehe... lacks foundation... hahaha, I haven’t heard that much baffoonery from you in a while!"

While he certainly was on Wei Yuanjie’s side and shielded him from the attack of the Seven Extreme Swords Sect, he also negated and trampled upon a lot of the 9th prince’s own words. Although it seemed to quite obviously stem from a long rivalry with the opposing Sect’s Elder, both knowing each other very well over thousands of years.