The next day.

Tang Lici gathered the sword association disciples in the great hall. The lead disciple of the sword association, Liu Yajue, was both shocked and delighted, not knowing what this supremely intelligent and highly skilled young master intended to teach everyone. Tang Lici, in gray robes with silver hair, walked slowly into the great hall, turned to face the sixty-odd disciples of the Central Plains Sword Association, and smiled slightly: “How are everyone’s spirits?”

Liu Yajue bowed and replied: “Most of us are still young and in good health.”

Tang Lici raised his hand, his jade-like fingertip pointing at Liu Yajue: “The sword association excels in swordsmanship. Since you all practice swords together day and night, you must have practiced sword formation techniques. Could you let Tang see one or two?”

Liu Yajue was slightly startled. Tang Lici’s pointing gesture made his heart skip slightly, though he couldn’t say exactly what was strange about it: “We practice the Seven Star Sword Formation technique passed down by our predecessors. Seven people form a group, each standing at a Big Dipper position, turning according to the enemy’s movements.”

Tang Lici raised his chin slightly: “Using you as the enemy, have seven disciples come out and demonstrate the Seven Star Sword Formation.”

Liu Yajue gracefully stepped into the center: “Peng Zhen, He Po, Zhang Sanshao – you seven form the sword formation.”

Tang Lici said: “Wait, I want to select seven others.”

Liu Yajue was surprised: “But we’re all accustomed to practicing the sword formation together. If we change people, I’m afraid it won’t deploy properly.”

Tang Lici’s gaze slowly swept over the faces of the disciples. He stepped forward and patted one person on the shoulder: “You… you… you…” He patted seven people in succession. “You seven form the Seven Star Sword Formation for me to see.”

The seven looked at each other in confusion. These seven originally each had positions in the sword formation, but Tang Lici’s reshuffling meant there were now two people for some positions. How could they form the array?

Liu Yajue hesitated: “Young Master Tang… this… I’m afraid it’s inappropriate.”

Tang Lici’s expression darkened: “Are you practicing swords or performing a play? With a great enemy before you, can you afford to call for junior brothers Peng Zhen, He Po, and Zhang Sanshao? If you can’t find the right people at the moment, what would you do?”

Liu Yajue was speechless. Everyone looked at each other, thinking privately that this hadn’t occurred to them in daily practice. They should have had everyone familiar with all positions, so when facing enemies they would only need to gather seven people.

Tang Lici slowly stepped back to the table, placing one hand on it: “If enemies are present and you can’t find seven people, only six, what do you do?”

Liu Yajue was at a loss: “This… this we can only rely on each person’s individual learning to fight the enemy.”

Tang Lici smiled lightly: “How do you fight?”

Liu Yajue said: “This… this… when facing enemies there are myriad changes, it can’t be generalized.”

Tang Lici’s eyelashes lifted slightly, looking at him with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile: “Then with me as the enemy, you select five disciples and attack me together.”

Liu Yajue gladly agreed, immediately selecting five junior brothers with deeper cultivation and excellent swordsmanship from the sword association disciples. They took their stances, and following Liu Yajue’s clear shout, six long swords flashed with cold light, bringing up a chorus of sword songs as they all stabbed toward Tang Lici’s body. Their moves were identical – all using “White Rainbow Piercing the Sun” – quite spectacular. While Liu Yajue drew his sword, he thought that although Young Master Tang’s martial arts were formidable, with six of them combining forces, it wouldn’t be good if they injured him. Halfway through this thought, he suddenly saw Tang Lici lean backward, gently pushing with his fingers, and several long swords passed before and behind his body. Liu Yajue silently cried out in alarm. His sword momentum was spent, and that identical “White Rainbow Piercing the Sun” move immediately went toward the junior brother opposite him. With three crisp clangs, the six swords clashed against each other. Fortunately the six had similar skill levels, so no one was injured. They each leaped back, looking at Tang Lici with shock in their hearts.

Tang Lici still leaned against the table, smiling: “Each relying on individual learning to fight – isn’t how to fight a field of study?”

Liu Yajue let out a long breath, saying shamefully: “Yes.”

Tang Lici slowly asked: “Was the result of rushing forward together good?”

Liu Yajue smiled bitterly: “No.”

Tang Lici asked: “Where was the error?”

Liu Yajue glanced at the junior brother opposite, having no choice but to answer truthfully: “We shouldn’t have surrounded him completely, standing too close. When sword movements crisscross, once they miss they’ll accidentally injure people.”

Tang Lici said: “Enemies that require Central Plains Sword Association disciples to join forces must be formidable foes. When you all practice sword formation techniques, you must consider that once the sword in your hand misses, first it won’t injure your own people, second it won’t injure innocents.”

Liu Yajue immediately felt ashamed, saying solemnly: “Young Master Tang’s instruction is correct.”

Tang Lici’s lips curved slightly: “So have you thought through how to proceed?”

Liu Yajue smiled bitterly: “Please instruct us, Young Master Tang.”

Tang Lici slowly extended his hand, pulling Peng Zhen from beside Liu Yajue over. The two faced each other sideways: “Raise swords.” The two raised their swords in response, blades crossing. “When attacking, don’t enter the area that your comrade’s sword can cover.” Everyone in the great hall responded in unison. Tang Lici patted Peng Zhen’s shoulder: “Again.”

The six stepped back together. Liu Yajue said in a low voice: “Six people are too many. Attack in two waves. Three people in a triangular formation so sword movements won’t go toward our own people. We three attack his upper body, you three attack his lower body.” The other five nodded. Liu Yajue waved his hand, and three long swords thrust out, each attacking vital points on Tang Lici’s chest and back.

A gray shadow fluttered as Tang Lici leaped up, passing through the three’s sword momentum, instantly reaching the roof beam. Then his figure flashed several times and suddenly vanished without a trace, hiding somewhere unknown. The three on the ground had their sword momentum ready to attack, but suddenly losing sight of their enemy, they stood there dumbfounded with bewildered expressions.

“The enemy has escaped the sword formation and hidden in a blind spot. The situation has become completely different from your plan. What do you do?” Tang Lici’s voice came from overhead, seeming to circle in the air, with no way to tell which part of the roof beam it came from.

Liu Yajue could only smile bitterly: “This… this…”

Tang Lici said slowly: “Having lost the direction of attack, with the enemy lurking in the shadows, what do you do?”

Liu Yajue consulted in low voices with the five beside him for a while, then sighed: “Then… then we can only retreat.”

“How do you retreat?” Tang Lici asked softly.

Liu Yajue became even more embarrassed: “Naturally we retreat together.”

Tang Lici said slowly: “By the time you hesitate for three moments and decide to retreat, what of your junior brothers?”

Liu Yajue turned around, only to discover in shock that three of the five junior brothers behind him had been silently sealed at pressure points by hidden weapons Tang Lici had shot from the roof beam: “Heavens! I…”

Tang Lici’s gray robe hem slowly appeared on the roof beam: “When circumstances change and are difficult to determine, as sword association disciples, you must not only know how to fight desperately, but also know how to retreat.”

Liu Yajue let out a long breath, his mind gradually becoming more flexible: “I understand. When you leaped up, I should have commanded the junior brothers to retreat. When you jumped onto the roof beam preparing to launch hidden weapons, we should have safely withdrawn.”

Tang Lici leaped down from the roof beam, still standing before the table, smiling lightly: “Very good. Now let those seven use you as the enemy. Everyone, let me see… how you’ve planned your attack and how you’ve planned your retreat.”

Liu Yajue groaned inwardly but had no choice but to grip his long sword and prepare for battle. The seven junior brothers beside him looked at each other, consulted in low voices for a while, all eager to try. Sword light danced as the eight began to fight. After a flurry of clashing blades and fighting until they were all gasping for breath, they suddenly discovered that Tang Lici had left at some unknown time, leaving a cup of tea on the table with only one sip taken. They didn’t know when he had brought the tea either. The white porcelain was exquisite and beautiful, still with wisps of steam rising, giving off an elegant, subtle fragrance.

Liu Yajue sheathed his long sword, looking at that cup of clear tea, thinking of Tang Lici’s earlier pointing gesture and instruction, not knowing what to feel in his heart. Actually, regarding this Young Master Tang from Bianjing, though his intelligence and martial arts were superb, Liu Yajue didn’t particularly admire him. Compared to Cheng Yunpao’s hatred of evil, compared to Meng Qinglei’s righteousness and awe-inspiring presence, Tang Lici lacked a kind of passion that could make ordinary people follow him. What he thought about and pursued was too distant from common people, many things difficult to understand. But today’s instruction suddenly aroused a sense of closeness. Young Master Tang was still Young Master Tang, but seemed different from what he had originally thought.

Tang Lici left without saying anything to anyone, and took almost nothing with him. Leaving behind a cup of clear tea with one sip taken, the person disappeared – he was simply gone. When Shao Yanping received the news, like Liu Yajue he could only smile bitterly. This master’s actions remained beyond expectation; no one could predict what he would do next.

Going to Bianjing, entering the imperial palace, taking the pearls from the emperor’s crown – when taking the pearls, would Tang Lici also be in white robes and fine silk, leaning by a window and smiling?