Ch1 - His Hair Scattered, His Eyes Closed, His Appearance Was Like Snow

It was late autumn. The cool autumn breeze chased away the last remnants of the midsummer heat. There was a slight chill in the wind.

It was currently the perfect time for an outdoor excursion. Things like appreciating the leaves and climbing were best done during the cool weather of autumn. 

The carriage rattled along. Meanwhile, the person inside the carriage closed his eyes and meditated. He could feel the wheels of the carriage as they rolled over the uneven road, squeaking as they went.

“The capital of Da Yuan is just up ahead.”

A scholar dressed in white, or Gu Ziyuan, pulled on the reins. He turned the horse around and spoke with a smile.

Not too far away stood a majestic city wall upon which armored guards were patrolling. 

High above the wall flew Da Yuan’s flag. It had black stripes along the top and bottom of the flag. In between the black stripes was a strip of red. A great dragon stood proudly in the center.

 

“This is the capital of Da Yuan! How spectacular!”

Instantly, the young students of Confucianism seemed to shed their exhaustion and began excitedly chattering with each other.

“It’s not surprising that no nation was ever able to defeat Da Yuan. Look at that moat. Da Yuan’s walls are truly invulnerable.”

 

“It really is different from the smaller nations that we’ve been to before. I can’t help but get excited.”

Within the great wilderness, there were many, many nations, hundreds of contending schools of thought, rampant witchcraft and sorcery, and countless legends of immortals.

These were troubled times, and the times made the people. Rulers competed for power. Each country was hungry for talents.

In the past, the commoners followed whoever held the Seal of Six Kingdoms. Later, peasants began leading armies and winning great victories. It was an era of heroes, of shamans, of conflict, and of chivalry. 

Da Yuan was strong and powerful. It didn’t lose at all to the Kingdom of Wei.

The Kingdom of Wei was no longer the dominant power. Rather, it was in a state of decline. Meanwhile, Da Yuan, which had undergone political reform, was currently on the rise.

Such bright prospects would naturally attract talents from all over the world.

This was exactly the case for the students of Confucianism. Although they didn’t agree with Da Yuan’s current political policy, they still hoped to introduce their own school of thought and their own governance philosophy into Da Yuan’s political sphere. The purpose of their travel abroad was to promote their ideas. 

The Confucian students got off their horse at the city gate. They held onto the reins and waited in line to enter the city.

The guard stationed by the city gate took a look at their diplomatic note. “Confucians?”

Gu Ziyuan, who had been leading from the front, hurriedly cupped his hands. “Precisely.”

Da Yuan’s governing strategy was primarily based upon the ideas of Legalism. All sorts of ideologies could be found within Da Yuan’s court. The School of Diplomacy, the School of Daoism, the School of Yin-Yang, the Mixed School of Thought, the Military School of Thought, all of them had a place within Da Yuan. The only one that wasn’t so popular was Confucianism. 

This could not be blamed on Da Yuan. In fact, within the entire region, the only countries that cared about Confucianism were the small ones that abided by the traditions of the past. Although there were many strong, powerful nations, none of them truly abided by the ideals of Confucianism when it came to political governance.

It was an era of warring states. Each nation was pursuing reform and military might. They were focused on conquest and expansion. Confucianism emphasized benevolence and propriety. This ideology was easy enough to implement but extremely difficult to maintain.

 

Gu Ziyuan knew this as well. He couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

For many years, Confucians had been wandering around within smaller nations. They rarely stepped foot in powerful countries such as Da Yuan. One reason for this was that they weren’t fond of the monarch’s tyrannical style of rule. The other reason was that Da Yuan heavily promoted Legalist ideologies. 

It wasn’t any secret that Legalists and Confucians didn’t see eye to eye. Why would they go to a place where the opponent held the upper hand? Wouldn’t that just be looking for trouble?

However, today was not the same as yesterday. It was clear to everyone that Da Yuan was the rising power. If they were to establish Confucianism as a contending school of thought, they would need support and recognition from a powerful country.

The guard looked past Gu Ziyuan. “Who’s sitting in the carriage?”

Gu Ziyuan replied, “Sir, the person sitting in the carriage is a distinguished guest of our School of Confucianism. Both of his eyes are ailing. If you could…” 

“Enough nonsense!” The garrison interrupted him. “If you want to enter the capital, you have to undergo an inspection. Tell the person in the carriage to get out and open up all of your belongings! Otherwise, don’t blame me for being impolite!”

As soon as he raised his voice, the other guards tightened their grips on their spears, and their expressions became grim.

The other people lining up to enter the city shrank back in fear, their faces full of dread.

A pigtailed little girl grabbed the hem of a woman’s clothing and burst into tears. “Mother, are they going to arrest us and chop our heads off?” 

“Don’t speak nonsense!” The woman dressed in ragged clothes quickly slapped a hand over the girl’s mouth for fear that she might stir up trouble.

Da Yuan’s troops were a million strong, and they were an army of fierce fighters. However, they had a vicious reputation within neighboring countries.

Furthermore, Da Yuan had a rather harsh criminal law. Any one of these punishments was enough to frighten a man half to death. The people of other nations had gotten used to being free and unrestrained, so they found it difficult to accept such severe consequences. As such, Da Yuan was increasingly regarded as a dangerous place.

Just as things were reaching a fever pitch, a clear and melodious voice rang out from behind the carriage’s curtain. 

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

“Sir, please don’t do anything rash. This commoner will come down.”

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It was clear from his posture alone that he was a gallant and virtuous person. His entire bearing was like that of a spring breeze. 

However, this noble and elegant person had a strip of white silk covering his eyes, smothering some of his radiance.

The onlookers all shook their heads and sighed with pity.

 

“If you’re carrying a weapon, you’ll need to go to the other side to register.”

The guard saw that the person inside the carriage really was blind. Furthermore, he was incredibly beautiful and had an outstanding temperament. He looked like the son of an aristocratic family. The guard didn’t make things difficult for them anymore. He waved them off and allowed them to go register their names. 

“Brother Luo, please come with me.”

Gu Ziyuan took a step forward. After instructing the other students to wait for a while, he led Zong Luo over to the side.

The separation between civil officers and military officials had not yet begun. It was convention for everyone to carry a sword, from the monarch to the scholar to the warrior. Most people were masters of both the pen and the sword. For example, the Mohist School of Thought’s leader and the Kingdom of Wei’s Feng Yuejun were both well-known swordsmen.

Confucians were no exception. They had many students who were knowledgeable in both civil and military matters. It was just that, in Gu Ziyuan’s case, he was a brilliant literary talent. However, his talent for martial arts was mediocre, so he didn’t really invest a lot of effort in it. 

There was a special station for registering weapons. Not only did they need to measure the weapon’s length, they also needed to record any notable features on the sword’s body. Then, this record would be stored away in case any troubles were to arise.

Zong Luo casually untied the sword on his waist and handed it to the guard.

The scabbard of his sword was unremarkable. Its entire body was silver white, and it didn’t look particularly interesting. The only thing of note was the crow-black jade hanging from the hilt of his sword. It was engraved with intricate and mysterious Kui motifs.

The guard pulled the sword out of its scabbard. 

When the sword was unsheathed, it flashed with a cold light. The blade was like autumn frost. Its sharp edge was intimidating. The sword’s cold aura could be felt just by holding it.

“What a fine sword!”

When the record-keeper saw it, he almost knocked over his inkstone. His eyes lit up. “Would this gentleman allow my humble self to take a closer look?”

A good saddle must be paired with a good horse, and a good sword must be paired with a good master. 

It was clear that such a gleaming sword must’ve been cast by a renowned master. Who would believe that its owner was just a nameless martial artist?

It was just a pity that the master turned out to be a blind man. He even carried a faint scent of medicine with him.

“Of course.” Zong Luo nodded with a smile.

The record-keeper was overjoyed. He quickly reached out with both hands to accept. 

He was a sword lover. He carefully held the sword in his hands and meticulously looked over the details.

“Good, good, good! The sword is three feet and eight inches long. It can slice through both gold and jade, and it can cut through iron like its mud! This is indeed a good sword!”

 

The record-keeper said the word “good” three times in a row. As he was testing the sword, he noticed a veined pattern on the sword’s body. Doubts started rising in his heart.

He quickly grabbed the hilt of the sword. When he looked down at the sword’s body, he felt as if he were looking down into the abyss. There was a dragon crouching down there in those unimaginable depths. It was both awe-inspiring and terrifying. 

Ordinary swords were without sword intent. This sword had only just come out of its scabbard, yet its sword intent was already this intense. It was obvious that this sword was incredibly extraordinary.

He seemed to have underestimated it. A sword like this ought to be recorded within the ranks of the best.

Or maybe it was already listed there.

The more the record-keeper looked at it, the more familiar it looked and the more alarmed he became. The description of a certain sword quickly flashed through his mind. However, the thought was far too absurd. He didn’t dare to jump to conclusions. 

His face was solemn. “Sir, if I may be so bold, does this sword have a name?”

Zong Luo shook his head. “I don’t remember.”

“You don’t remember?”

Gu Ziyuan, who was standing by his side, helped him explain. “Brother Luo is our leader’s distinguished guest. About a year ago, he fainted near one of our residences. At the time, he had been severely injured and nearly lost his life. Fortunately, there were physicians and medical saints present. Thanks to their efforts, we managed to pull Brother Luo back from the gates of hell. He finally woke up after about half a year, but he ended up losing his memory.” 

Gu Ziyuan didn’t really understand martial arts. When he noticed how much the record-keeper liked the sword, he assumed that the record-keeper wanted to take it for himself. Gu Ziyuan wanted to quickly dispel any such thoughts. “Even when he was injured, Brother Luo had never let go of this sword. It’s clear that he must’ve carried this sword with him a lot before he lost his memory.”

He tactfully hinted, “A gentleman would never rob others of their blessings. If you’ve finished your inspection, you should return the sword to the original owner as soon as possible.”

The record-keeper fell silent. He turned around and whispered to the guard. Then, he faced them once more and said, “I apologize, but this sword cannot be returned to you for the time being.”

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“I ask the two of you to please wait a moment. This matter concerns something of great importance. I have already sent someone to invite the chief commander to come and make a decision.” 

Now it was Gu Ziyuan’s turn to be surprised.

The chief commander was in charge of the capital’s defenses. He was also in charge of the nearly 100,000 imperial guards.

All this guy wanted was a sword. Was it really necessary to invite Da Yuan’s chief commander? Could it be that he wanted to rob them by force? This was simply too absurd!

“Forget it, Brother Luo. Let’s just let it go.” 

Gu Ziyuan was one of the best scholars in his generation, and he possessed excellent self-restraint. However, after hearing what the record-keeper said, his expression immediately changed. All he wanted was to pull Zong Luo away from here.

“Everyone says that Da Yuan abides by the rule of law. However, now that I look at it, I am afraid that it’s nothing but a paper tiger. We’re getting robbed of a sword in broad daylight! If this is how it’s going to be, we might as well have not come!”

 

Zong Luo didn’t make any comment. He was just about to step forward when he heard a deep, resounding voice.

“Gentlemen, what seems to be the matter here?” 

The tall and armored commander held an iron hammer in his hand. He frowned and strode forward, his eyes gliding right over the two people with their backs towards him. He didn’t pay them too much attention.

The record-keeper respectfully responded, “Commander, I was just registering a weapon when I suddenly came across this sword.”

Duan Junhao raised an eyebrow. “Bring it here. I’ll take a look.”

He was an honest and upright person. At first, he thought that this newly promoted record-keeper wanted his help in stealing this person’s sword and was just about to blow his top off. However, when he saw the sword, his eyes widened. He exclaimed in disbelief, “Longyuan?!” 

Everyone was shocked when they heard the name of the sword. Everything fell silent.

Longyuan was one of the ten most famous swords in the world. It was a joint creation between master swordsmiths Ou Yezi and Gan Jiang. The base of the sword was made with black iron from the icy mountaintops. Then, it was finished off with meteoric iron. This was a sword which had entered the annals of history. Its fame was undeniable.

There were no martial arts practitioners that did not know of this sword.

However, what was even more famous than the sword itself was its owner. 

Everyone knew that Longyuan belonged to Da Yuan’s third prince.

However, Da Yuan’s third prince had died as early as one year ago. In order to defend the country, he died on the battlefield. Not even his corpse remained.

⁂

Emperor Yuan had yet to install an empress, and he hadn’t named an heir. He did not discriminate between his children and treated them all equally. 

Da Yuan had a total of nine princes. The first prince joined Emperor Yuan in his campaigns and had unfortunately died in battle. The second prince died not long after he was born. The seventh prince accidentally fell into a pool of water and drowned when he was a child. Now, the third prince had also followed in the first prince’s footsteps.

The third prince had been a steady person. As a child, he had been sent to the Kingdom of Wei as a hostage. Fortunately, he was lucky enough to study within the Ghost Valley and acquired a high level of swordsmanship. After returning to Da Yuan, he started heading into battle. The Black Cavalry, which he commanded, made excellent use of their mobility. They were able to achieve victory after victory despite their fewer numbers. They managed to turn the tides in countless battles. They made great contributions by sweeping away the three remaining countries that opposed them. He was deeply loved by the people, and he was the most popular candidate for heir to the throne.

The third prince was usually heading military campaigns abroad. He rarely returned to the capital. Still, Duan Junhao was chief commander of the imperial guard. It was only natural that he had seen the third prince before.

He remembered when the third prince had just defeated the Kingdom of Lu. He assembled the army and returned to the capital with a brand new declaration of surrender. This scene had been the one to leave the deepest impression on him. 

On the day that news of victory had arrived, the streets had been completely flooded with people. The general rode upon his horse in a fresh set of clothes. Everyone was in high spirits, and they flooded the capital streets to greet him.

There was nothing more gratifying in life than that.

 

Duan Junhao had followed along with the children of other officials and entered a pavilion. He looked out into the distance. However, he was met with the sight of the third prince dismounting his horse and standing within the crowd. Then, he cupped his hands and bowed, his face full of apology.

Even from a distance, he could still hear that clear and sonorous voice. 

“Everyone had handed over their family members to the nation. You wished for my triumphant return. Naturally, you also hoped for your family to return safe and sound. However, I was not strong enough. Although we returned victorious, I still lost over a thousand brothers in arms… They were all citizens of my Da Yuan. They were people who had families relying on them. I am truly ashamed and deeply sorry.”

It was incredibly difficult to describe what Duan Junhao had felt at the time.

Everyone who saw this scene, from the officials down to the common folk, was completely shocked.

In all honesty, the battle against the Kingdom of Lu could not have been more brilliant. 

The Black Cavalry, led by the third prince, took advantage of the night and, like a bolt of lightning, tore through the enemy’s supply chain. A cavalry of a thousand managed to defeat an army of a million. He even managed to take down three cities in a row without losing a single soldier, forcing the enemy to open the city gates and surrender.

This expedition could be considered Da Yuan’s least deadly military campaign in recent years.

Nevertheless, the third prince still felt that he hadn’t done enough.

Even if Da Yuan’s practices were to become more open, the core system wouldn’t change. 

There were officials and nobles and aristocrats who were sympathetic to the common folk, and there were those who were concerned about the state of the nation and its people. However, very few of them actually had the courage to admit their mistakes in front of the people. The third prince was probably the only one who was able to frankly confess his faults like this.

Later, Duan Junhao learned that the third prince would open his private treasury every year to further compensate the soldiers who sacrificed so much under his command.

Duan Junhao was also a general, so he knew just how protective the third prince was over his soldiers. It was no wonder that the Black Cavalry became so famous. They had sworn to follow him to the death. Duan Junhao was truly convinced.

Towards his enemies, he was an unstoppable force. Towards his citizens, he loved them as he would his own children. When a disaster hit the north a couple years ago, he volunteered his troops and helped provide disaster relief. He even spent his own money to aid the yearly droughts. 

Even the scholars and literati would switch up their style when it came to him. They disapproved of the tyranny of Da Yuan’s imperial family, but, when it came to the third prince, they would praise him for his “talent with the pen and the sword”, his “pure and lofty temperament”, and his “noble character”.

Misfortune struck a year ago at the Battle of Hangu Pass.

While Da Yuan had been focused on conquering other countries, several nations had suddenly joined forces to attack. The attack was sudden, like a bolt out of the blue. They had formed a massive army of 500,000 troops for the sake of bringing Da Yuan down.

At that time, Da Yuan had just deployed a batch of troops elsewhere. There weren’t enough soldiers. The soldiers that were permanently stationed at Hangu Pass only numbered 50,000. 

If they lost Hangu Pass, the capital of Da Yuan would be next.

There were 100,000 imperial guards stationed within the capital. First of all, it was impossible to mobilize all of them at once. However, even if it was possible, it would still be incredibly difficult for 150,000 troops to defeat 500,000 troops.

 

Just as things were getting desperate, the third prince arrived with his cavalry of 3,000. It was as if a god of war had descended. He divided his men into three teams, and they charged into the enemy camp through a weak spot, catching the enemy by surprise. He also dispatched his retainers and advisors to undermine the enemy alliance through methods of persuasion.

Duan Junhao hadn’t taken up the position of chief commander at the time, but he remembered this event so vividly because the former chief commander was his father. His father had stepped forward to lead some imperial guards into battle and nearly died in front of the third prince. Ultimately, the third prince did a great favor for their family. 

No one expected that army of 500,000 to be broken up by a cavalry of 3,000.

However, the Black Cavalry also suffered a heavy price. The cavalry was almost entirely wiped out. The third prince’s whereabouts were unknown.

Once the enemy had retreated, Emperor Yuan ordered the army to go through the battlefield and check each and every corpse. Still, they couldn’t find even a single scrap of the third prince’s clothing, let alone his corpse.

In his grief, Emperor Yuan issued a decree to posthumously confer him the title of crown prince. His memorial tablet was placed within the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and a cenotaph was established within the mausoleum. 

The people were deep in mourning as well. They visited the Shaman’s Temple in droves to offer incense. The mourning lasted for months. They knew that the third prince loved orchids, so they started raising them in each and every house. During the Double Third Festival, they placed the orchids out on the streets. The flowerpots stretched for dozens of miles and the fragrant scent of flowers lingered for weeks on end.

Afterwards, more and more people started remembering that, right before the Battle of Hangu Pass, the imperial shaman had predicted that all nine planets would soon align.

That night, as the whole world slept, they were visited by a dream.

In the dream, black clouds pressed down upon the city. Great, bellowing thunder rolled through the clouds. 

The general dressed in white was riding atop a horse. He approached from a distance, surrounded by smoke signals and broken halberds.

His pure white robes were stained in red blood. When he looked around, his Black Cavalry had already fallen, slipping off their horses one by one.

Surrounded by enemies on all sides, the third prince weakly fell to the ground. Suddenly, he looked up at the sky and laughed.

He staggeringly picked up his sword and placed it across his neck. 

In that instant, a torrential rain poured down onto the earth.

His hair was scattered behind him. His eyes closed. His appearance was like that of snow.

The common people adored the third prince, but he still chose to take up the sword and defend the nation’s borders. In that dream, the third prince slit his throat before the city gates.

Once everyone awoke, they almost couldn’t tell whether they were still dreaming or not. 

It was only after news of the third prince’s death that people slowly started speaking of this matter. They all said that the heavens were compassionate. An immortal must’ve allowed him to visit them in their dreams.

Legend said that immortals who had descended to undergo calamities would naturally need to go back.

 

⁂

Ever since then, the third prince’s sword, Longyuan, had vanished alongside its master. 

However, it had now reappeared in front of Da Yuan’s capital.

It reappeared … in the hands of a blind swordsman.

Duan Junhao was just about to step forward and demand that they reveal the origins of this sword. However, when he looked up and saw the swordsman’s face, he almost fell to his knees.

Even if there were a few more layers of cloth before his eyes, there was no way Duan Junhao would forget this handsome face and this elegant temperament. 

His face was covered in sweat. He suddenly cupped his fist and knelt to the ground, his voice trembling.

“This general greets His Imperial Highness the Third Prince!”

Translator’s Corner:

Love this novel! There’s a lot of historical references in this novel, and you can tell that this was kind of based on the end of the Warring States era. I recommend checking out some of the history behind it. It’s super interesting. 

Also, minor spoilers, I recommend checking out the Wikipedia page for Fusu if you want to get a sneak peek into what happened to our main character. Lots of comments on JJWXC mentioned that they were reminded of this guy.

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