Cohabitation with Sword Spirit-Chapter 85 - 73: Politically Incorrect Views of History

Evening, August 17, 2017

With the sudden appearance of Li Tianya, the air inside the Wind and Cloud Tower seemed to freeze.

To outsiders, this atmosphere was truly incomprehensibly bizarre.

As the former leader of the Li Clan and the biological father of the current Patriarch, Li Tianya’s attendance at the family gathering should have been the most normal thing, so why make such a fuss over his presence?

However, to many of the family members present who knew the inside story, Li Tianya’s appearance was extremely strange!

The incident of Li Tianya’s mental impairment due to his inadvertent harm to his primordial spirit while practicing the Inch and Mile Sword was no longer a secret within the family. This once awe-inspiring genius Sword Cultivator was now arranged to live in seclusion deep in the Li Family Mansion, completely detached from external affairs, rarely attending family gatherings to avoid uttering any absurd words in public.

In fact, a month ago, Lu Xin attempted to invite his father-in-law from his hut, but when Li Tianya heard Lu Xin’s request, he replied like this.

"Oh, you’re asking if I can attend the current Patriarch’s fiftieth birthday banquet? Let me think, since he’s fifty this year, shouldn’t he be like a brother to me then? But why does the name Li Fengyun sound so familiar, as if it is the same as my son’s. Do I have such a brother?"

Upon hearing this response, Lu Xin certainly couldn’t let his father-in-law attend the family banquet; otherwise, if the old man really acknowledged Li Fengyun as his brother, the Li Family Mansion in Xiangzhou would become the laughingstock of the century.

Yet at this very moment, Li Tianya suddenly appeared in the Wind and Cloud Tower, causing many to hold their breath. Lu Xin, unable to help himself, set down his Qingming tea and prepared to approach with a look of surprise.

Li Tianya waved him off, signaling Lu Xin to sit down: "Don’t mind me, I’m not here to attend the banquet. My time of clarity is limited, so I won’t engage in pleasantries. Everyone should continue enjoying the food and drink."

This offhand comment left many with their mouths agape.

This demeanor, this state of mind, was precisely that of the clear-minded Li Tianya of the past!

Ever since he injured his primordial spirit practicing the Inch and Mile Sword, it had been many, many years since anyone had seen such a Li Tianya. At the moment, a few elders stood up, unable to contain their excitement.

Li Tianya shook his head: "Apologies, old friends, let’s catch up another time. I’m here to find someone."

As he spoke, he walked over to Wang Jiu. As he approached, the expression on Li Tianya’s face visibly wavered—excitement, confusion, relief... Complex emotions eventually turned into a sigh, and he nodded at Wang Jiu, then without a word, reached out to press his shoulder.

In the next moment, the two of them vanished from the Wind and Cloud Tower, out of everyone’s sight.

——

"Sorry, my clarity is limited, and those common folks always like wasting my time with endless tedious topics, so I took the liberty of bringing you here for peace."

Li Tianya’s voice was somewhat weary as he cupped his hands to Wang Jiu in salute.

The two of them were in a narrow secret chamber, with walls sealed on all sides. Only a jade talisman above their heads emitted a gentle light, illuminating the entire space.

Li Tianya explained, "Please don’t misunderstand, I mean no harm. I just want to confirm something, a question... that has troubled me my entire life. This place isn’t a prison or a dead end; it’s just the top floor of the Wind and Cloud Tower."

Wang Jiu was completely unfazed by Li Tianya’s sudden teleportation, merely nodding in agreement, "It seems that this is also the core of this replica Demon-slaying Blade, embodying the intent to press forward unhesitatingly and eradicate all demons."

Li Tianya’s gaze sharpened, "Demon-slaying Blade! You know the Demon-slaying Blade!"

As he spoke, he couldn’t contain his excitement, and began pacing back and forth rapidly in the chamber, muttering to himself as he walked.

"If that’s the case, then everything makes sense. My theory is correct; the Primordial Era is not a mere fanciful notion. That war truly existed! That ’non-human’ hero who turned the tide truly existed!"

After pacing for a while, Li Tianya suddenly realized Wang Jiu was right next to him and shook his head apologetically, "I’m sorry, I got a bit carried away. But your words just now might have confirmed a suspicion I’ve harbored for over fifty years. I never thought I’d see my dream come true in my lifetime!"

"When I failed to master the Inch and Mile technique back then, and my Primordial Spirit was damaged, I thought I was destined to become a drooling, babbling idiot, dying alone on a sickbed. But now... although my clear state of mind is only temporary and I’ll eventually become a drooling idiot, at least when I die on that sickbed, I’ll have no regrets. Besides, if there’s really an Underworld in Xiangzhou, when I meet Lin Yu, I can tell her that her husband is not a delusional madman. His theory is correct; the wrong ones are those stubborn old fools who can’t digest the truth... Of course, the premise is that in the Underworld, I can restore my Primordial Spirit to its undamaged state; otherwise, I’ll probably be so senile that I’ll call her ’Mom,’ given her pronounced maternal characteristics, which might trigger the instincts from my nursing infancy..."

After rambling on for a while, Li Tianya suddenly realized, shaking his head, "Sorry, I got too excited again."

Wang Jiu timely suggested, "You could try using the Ice Heart Sword Technique."

"Makes sense." Li Tianya took a deep breath, transforming his True Essence into a Frost Sword Intent that eradicated vitality, and, as if slashing his own neck, froze his own Primordial Spirit for an instant. Instantly, the exhilaration and joy in his mind were completely frozen and dissipated.

At the same time, two streams of blood spurted wildly from his nose.

"...Feeling much better." Li Tianya said as he wiped the nosebleed with a handkerchief, indicating he had calmed down, "I was just talking to myself earlier, so you might still be confused. But it doesn’t matter; I will explain everything to you."

"If you have patience, I think perhaps I should start from the beginning." Li Tianya pondered for a moment and said, "As is well known, the history of Xiangzhou is like water from an untraceable source—fragmentary at best. Concerning parts from over five thousand years ago, we know almost nothing, and the historical records have essentially faded away. Only some fragments are preserved in a sect, three academies, and the Seven Great Noble Families. Over these thousands of years, although these fragments have not been lost, they have gradually been forgotten and even regarded as mythological stories of past fantasies. Of course, we can’t blame the general populace for their ignorance; indeed, those Primordial Fragments are too shocking and hard to believe. For instance, on this land, there was once a cataclysmic war that annihilated a highly prosperous civilization based on the Immortal Dao. Additionally, the famed Li Family of Xiangzhou once served as logistical cultivators to a world-shaking figure, and that figure wasn’t even human, containing a vast world within them..."

At this point, Li Tianya gazed piercingly at Wang Jiu but then quickly turned his head and continued, "When I just inherited the Patriarch position and received these fragments, I was indifferent to them too. But later, when I went to Heaven-Reaching City to participate in the sect, three academies, and the Seven Families’ gathering, and communicated with other families about the historical fragments, I discovered an interesting phenomenon—although each family’s historical fragments described outrageous stories like a genius girl with a million Spirit Stones by age fourteen, an Innate Blind master of all Immortal Techniques, or the world’s most beautiful woman with no interest in humans but possessing an object fetish... however, when connecting these fragments, I couldn’t find any contradictions. These absurd stories seemed to share a coherent logic. That... is truly incredible."

Li Tianya paused and explained from a reverse perspective, "You see, generally, those baseless, purely imaginative mythic stories always have contradictions. For instance, some stories claim Xiangzhou Continent is carried on the back of a gigantic turtle, while others say it’s a floating sphere in the void. These are contradictory because the existence of that turtle determines many ways to explain natural phenomena. But those fragments from the Primordial Era, while absurd individually, seamlessly integrate with each other. If these fragments are treated as pieces of a puzzle, I can boldly piece together a strange yet grand epic outline."

Arriving at this point, Li Tianya sighed deeply, "However, at that gathering, when I proposed this bold idea, there was scant support. Of course, the rebuttals they offered also made sense. According to my puzzle, Xiangzhou once faced a completely hopeless disaster, and the power of the Demon Race was unbelievably formidable, even in mythology. An Immortal Venerable at the nearly ascendable Heaven Shattering Realm couldn’t even withstand a single face-off against the Demon Race leader. Not to mention whether such power can truly exist, if such a disaster happened, how did we survive? Unity, triumph of justice? If victory came that cheaply, why cultivate immortality at all? Wouldn’t ideals and justice be enough?"

"Of course, those historical fragments offered a vague answer to this question as well. In an absolute crisis, a ’non-human’ hero stood out, leading all sentient beings in a desperate counterattack that finally defeated the Demon Race and preserved the flame of humanity... However, this answer is even less acceptable. For us humans, humans are the spirit of all creatures; the world is a human world. This notion has long been deeply ingrained. We never considered that anything could be greater than humans, let alone that ’non-humans’ could create humanity’s future. ’Non-humans’ saving human beings, such an answer might be logically plausible, but politically incorrect."

Saying this, Li Tianya laughed self-mockingly, "It’s only natural that a politically incorrect historical view would be dismissed. They said unless I could provide irrefutable evidence, such politically incorrect history should remain within the realm of mythology, becoming part of the traditional culture of Xiangzhou with its historical limitations... To be honest, during that gathering, the Patriarchs of the noble families, the Sect Leader of the Saint Sect, and the deans of the three academies treated me kindly. Although they didn’t agree with me internally, they didn’t openly embarrass me. But after that gathering, I couldn’t help but wonder, what if these fragments are true? If I assume they are true, what would happen? Then, in the stillness of night, gazing at the bright moon, I often felt as if a voice from the void was telling me that the puzzle in my imagination is real. I just need some evidence to prove it."