Chapter 1419: The Sword of Law

"So-so."

Qin Mu had just offered a modest reply when the Butcher rapped him on the head. Reluctantly, he admitted, "The last time I gained insight into the path of the blade, I comprehended a move called 'Knocking on the Southern Heavenly Gate.' Since then, there's been no further progress."

The Butcher shot him a cold glance, and Qin Mu instantly felt as if he'd been cut down, his stature seemingly diminishing.

"If your path of the blade hasn't advanced, then your path of the sword hasn't either, right?" The Butcher sneered, "Your medical arts, painting, Buddhism, formation arts, the path of thievery, and the path of crafting – none of them have made any progress, have they?"

Qin Mu, genuinely impressed, praised him, "Butcher Grandpa, your discerning eye is unparalleled! You saw my predicament at a glance!"

The Butcher made a move to strike him, and Qin Mu quickly interjected, "But I've already comprehended the twenty-six Heavens in divine abilities!"

"You comprehended that from the Pre-celestial Dao, didn't you?" The Butcher suppressed the urge to hit him and said, "Countless elites throughout history have delved into the Pre-celestial Dao. The Ten Celestial Venerables of the Heavenly Court and the Dao Sect have all diligently researched the Pre-celestial Dao, analyzing the Great Dao of the ancient gods. You simply need to learn it, apply it, and then master it to achieve insight. Even in the Ancestral Court, you can comprehend numerous divine abilities and techniques. But why haven't you comprehended deeper levels of blade arts, sword arts, or painting?"

Qin Mu pondered for a moment. "Because the paths of the blade and sword are Post-celestial," he replied, "they require creation from nothing, self-comprehension, and personal exploration and refinement."

"This is precisely why, even after comprehending the Great Dao of the ancient gods, you can't advance further in blade arts, sword arts, calligraphy, or painting." The Butcher said, "Mu'er, you've been away from the mortal world for too long. The Post-celestial Dao originates from the secular realm. Since you ascended to the Heavenly Court, you've faced powerful gods in the imperial court and divine beings below it. The ones you've been contending with are the Ten Celestial Venerables. In the mortal world, you were able to comprehend your 'Three Heavens of the Sword Dao' in just a few years, but once you reached the Heavenly Court, you made no further progress. Mu'er, you've drifted far from the Post-celestial Dao. I'm no longer sure if you can still maintain the original aspiration of that young boy from the Great Ruins."

Qin Mu raised an eyebrow. "My Dao heart is firm; I couldn't possibly forget my original aspiration."

"Really?"

The Butcher drew his blade, then hesitated, deciding against tossing it to Qin Mu. Instead, he broke off a three-foot-long iron shard from the side of the pleasure boat and pressed it into his hand. "Seal all your cultivation," he instructed, "your Heavenly Palace, your divine treasures—seal them completely and revert to a mortal. I'll take you to revisit your original aspiration."

"No need for all this trouble." With a low cry, Qin Mu sealed his Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure, along with his primordial spirit, deep within his divine consciousness.

The Butcher glanced at him. "You still haven't sealed your physical body," he pointed out.

Qin Mu's fingers flew, repeatedly tapping various points on his body, sealing all his physical orifices. Immediately, he felt his body grow heavy, devoid of even a trace of vital energy.

The Butcher leaped from the pleasure boat, saying in a deep voice, "Take your blade and keep up with me."

Qin Mu leaped from the pleasure boat, sinking with a *thump* to the riverbed. A moment later, he surfaced, then began to run, finally recapturing the sensation of treading on the waves of the Surging River, just as he had in his youth.

Soon after, they reached the riverbank. Qin Mu was about to activate his vital energy to dry the river water from his clothes when he remembered he had no vital energy to use.

The Butcher continued unhurriedly. Qin Mu struggled to keep pace, gradually sensing the flow of the wind. His body felt lighter and lighter, and then he suddenly leaped into the air, walking atop the currents of the wind.

The Butcher arrived at a small city. Qin Mu looked around; this must be a new city in Jiangling, one he didn't recognize. In recent years, Yan Kang had been rapidly transforming, with new cities emerging across the land. If Qin Mu didn't return to Yan Kang's capital for three to five years, he would surely get lost.

"Mu'er, there's a local bully in this city. Go take your blade and kill him," the Butcher said abruptly.

Qin Mu frowned slightly. "Butcher Grandpa, the nation has laws. If he's a bully, then let the authorities investigate. As Yan Kang's Imperial Preceptor, how can I arbitrarily kill someone?"

The Butcher raised an eyebrow, cast a disdainful glance at him, and sneered, "Your original aspiration has changed. Where is the Qin Mu who, in Dragon-Imbuing City, furiously drew his blade and split Fu Yueting with a single strike? Laws, laws – if the laws were truly omnipotent, where would bullies come from?"

Qin Mu shook his head. "That's mere brute courage. In the Great Ruins, there are no laws, so I dealt with him by the blade. But Yan Kang has a legal system..."

"The path of the blade *is* brute courage!" The Butcher roared, "When faced with injustice, resolve it with a single blade! Last year, when Jiangling was building a new city, a powerful bully with connections everywhere seized land. This place was originally a village with 124 residents. The bully forcibly purchased the land, forcing villagers to relocate. Six who refused died, and forty-nine were injured. You speak of laws—these villagers went to Jiangling to report him to the authorities, but that bully was sitting right in the magistrate's office, slamming the table and demanding to know who dared to accuse 'this official'! Where were the laws then? Two more villagers who accused him were beaten to death with staves! Where were the laws? Your laws cannot protect them here!"

Qin Mu frowned. "Why did the Jiangling Prefectural Office condone such villainy?"

"Celestial Venerable Mu, you are too close to heaven and too far from the earth. You have already lost your original aspiration!" The Butcher sneered, "Your blood has grown cold, and your blade has dulled. You stand too high, unable to see the darkness and squalor still lurking in the shadowed corners of the mortal world. You reside in the high courts, expertly guiding the world's grand trends, but you no longer see the struggles of the common folk. If this were the old Qin Mu, what would he do?"

Qin Mu twitched the three-foot iron shard in his hand and strode into the city. His blood began to surge. In a deep voice, he asked, "Who is this bully?"

The Butcher walked behind him. "Wei Yong's son, Wei Qinghe."

Qin Mu stopped and turned his head to look.

The Butcher sneered, "What's wrong, Celestial Venerable Mu? Has Wei Yong's son made you hesitate? Your blade is already rusted, and you're no different from the Ten Celestial Venerables. You've floated in the heavens for years, out of touch with the earth's energy, out of touch with the mortal realm. You've dulled. You no longer deserve to wield a blade. Go on, return to your Heavenly Court and be their Celestial Venerable!"

Qin Mu's blood surged, and his killing intent flared. Gripping the three-foot iron shard, he strode towards the bustling city market.

"Which one is Wei Qinghe?" he asked, stopping a passerby.

"You don't even know Wei Qinghe?" The person laughed. "That's the renowned Grandfather Wei Tianzun of Jiangling New City! Go straight ahead; the young man in red robes listening to music on the Sparrow-Viewing Terrace is him."

Qin Mu walked forward, the melodious music reaching his ears. Between jade palaces and grand towers, singing girls performed, dancers twirled, and musicians played their instruments. Qin Mu looked up. On a high platform, a man in a large red robe sat, embracing women on both sides, surrounded by numerous divine ability practitioners who frolicked with him, their laughter echoing loudly.

Qin Mu walked up, stepping onto the stairs. A divine ability practitioner downstairs blocked him, saying, "Grandfather is listening to music upstairs; he's reserved the entire Sparrow-Viewing Terrace. Please turn back."

Qin Mu moved close, his shoulder muscles tensing, and with a resounding crash, the divine ability practitioner flew backward, crashing through the Sparrow-Viewing Terrace and creating a large hole.

From upstairs came shouts of rebuke. Many divine ability practitioners peered down. Qin Mu flicked his fingers repeatedly, sending each one flying upwards with his finger-wind, crashing *thump, thump* through the building.

Qin Mu stepped upstairs when he suddenly heard the clang of a sword. He casually tapped it with his iron shard. The divine ability practitioner's flying sword was incredibly sharp, yet the piece of ordinary iron in Qin Mu's hand, when it touched the sword, caused it to instantly shatter, while the iron shard remained unharmed. He hadn't used any cultivation; he had only employed the simplest of techniques.

Technique, Method, Dao. These three represent the stages of progress for a divine ability practitioner: first, learn *techniques* – sword techniques, Dao techniques, blade techniques, formation techniques, medical techniques. Once techniques are mastered, then learn *methods* – sword methods, Dao methods, blade methods, formation methods, medical methods. Only when methods are fully mastered can one then comprehend the Dao. The Dao cannot be learned; it can only be comprehended.

Qin Mu employed the simplest blade technique taught by the Crippled Elder Village, while his opponent wielded intricate sword methods—classic sword arts from Yan Kang, even showing traces of moves originally developed by Jiang Baigui and Qin Mu himself. Yet, Qin Mu had already achieved the level of "great skill appears clumsy." Though his blade technique was the simplest, it effortlessly shattered the opponent's intricate sword methods.

He ascended the terrace. Dozens of sword lights assailed him. The men accompanying Wei Qinghe erupted, cursing loudly, and attacked him with their swords, all employing Yan Kang's most exquisite sword methods. In Qin Mu's youth, these sword methods were rare in the world, even considered sect-founding level, yet now, anyone could learn them.

Qin Mu held the iron shard, lightly deflecting and tapping. He heard sharp cracking sounds. Without breaking his stride, he continued to walk forward, surrounded by exploding flying swords in front, behind, and all around him.

Suddenly, a divine light struck his face. The red-robed man, Wei Qinghe, abruptly activated a divine sword, aiming it directly at Qin Mu's face!

Qin Mu raised the iron shard and slashed into the wind. *Clink*, a crisp sound rang out.

Wei Qinghe's face lit up with joy. He jumped up and shouted, "You wretch, a down-and-out hired by some commoner, dare to assassinate me? You don't even know who my father is! My father dotes on me; he bestowed this protective divine sword upon me long ago..."

The iron shard in Qin Mu's hand showed not a single nick, while the divine sword suddenly developed countless cracks, then exploded with a *snap*, shattering into pieces on the ground!

Wei Qinghe was utterly terrified. Qin Mu walked forward and asked, "Wei Yong's son, Wei Qinghe?"

Wei Qinghe quickly said, "Brother, you're still young, don't act rashly..."

*Whoosh*—

A dazzling and astonishing blade light erupted from the iron shard in Qin Mu's hand. With a swift movement, a bloody line appeared from Wei Qinghe's left shoulder down to his right rib, and then his upper body slid diagonally off.

The terrace erupted in an uproar. Singers, dancers, and musicians scattered and fled. Wei Qinghe's attendants soared into the air, shrieking, "Go quickly and report to Grandfather Wei! The Young Master has been killed!"

Qin Mu shook the blood from the iron shard, then sat down boldly, poured himself a cup of wine, and waited silently.

The Butcher looked on with appreciation. "You're back! I can feel that young Qin Mu, who emerged from the Crippled Elder Village in the Great Ruins, has returned! Mu'er, aren't you going to leave? Wei Yong was a close friend from your youth; you two shared a deep bond. Are you not afraid to face him after killing his son?"

"Killing one Wei Qinghe is utterly pointless!" Qin Mu remained expressionless. "I will invite Wei Yong for a drink, to appreciate my 'Blade of Law and Order'."

The Butcher tilted his head. "Troublesome." He, too, sat down, pouring and drinking wine for himself. Later, finding it too troublesome to use a cup, he simply tossed aside the lid of the wine pot and drank directly from it.

In the distant Jiangling City, divine lights streaked across the sky, and immense divine power surged, rapidly speeding towards them.

*Thump*—

A large, plump god descended from the sky, landing on the Sparrow-Viewing Terrace, shaking the building violently. The imposing god roared, "Who killed my beloved son?"

Just then, three to five more divine lights descended from the sky, revealing the figures of several gods upon landing. They each stepped forward, shouting, "Where did these ruffians come from, daring to commit such a heinous murder?"

"Killing a court official requires no interrogation! Execute him on the spot!"

However, the large, plump god looked at the young man sitting behind his son's corpse, and couldn't help but tremble, the flesh on his face jiggling. As those several gods were about to advance, Wei Yong suddenly spread his arms, blocking them. Confused, the gods assumed he intended to personally avenge his son, so they stepped aside.

Wei Yong strode forward and began, "Brother Qin..."

"Brother Wei," Qin Mu interjected, "please call me Imperial Preceptor." Qin Mu raised a hand, speaking dispassionately, "Your son, I killed him. You and I have been friends for many years. When I first left the Great Ruins, you were my first friend. We sailed the Golden River together, journeyed to the capital to take the imperial examination, and on the way, we encountered the Dragon-Driving Gate rebellion. We fought through several battles; ours was a friendship forged through shared life and death. I killed your son, and I feel deeply remorseful, so I poured a cup of wine and waited for you, to apologize."

Wei Yong cried out, "You could have simply disciplined him! Why did you kill him? Your wine, I will not drink!"

"Whether you drink or not is up to you." Qin Mu stood up and said in a deep voice, "There are many injustices in this world. I could have displayed the brute courage of a common man, wielded a blade, taken your son's head, and let his blood splash five paces. As Imperial Preceptor, I possess that ability. However, the common people could only suffer oppression and deceit at your son's hands. This made me realize that brute courage and a common man's blade only provide temporary satisfaction; they cannot bring peace or governance to the world. Therefore, I have comprehended a move: the 'Blade of Law and Order,' and I ask for your guidance, Brother Wei!"

As the iron shard in his hand moved, blade light filled the entire building. The laws were strict, the national laws, like the Xuan Du Heavenly Net in the hands of the Heavenly Duke, or the You Du chains in the hands of the Earth Count, seized souls, upheld the righteous energy of heaven and earth, and extinguished the arrogance of evil.

"Yan Kang must establish its nation upon laws. Laws must be obeyed, with no room for personal favors!"

With that one move complete, Qin Mu waved his hand, throwing the iron shard to stick into the ground before Wei Yong. Qin Mu walked past him and said, "You failed to discipline your son and allowed him to bring harm to your neighbors. Report yourself to the Emperor: your rank will be reduced by three grades, and your salary will be withheld for ten years. Should such a thing happen again, I will strike you down with the Blade of Law and Order. Conduct yourself accordingly."