Chapter 663
Fan Xian's eyes narrowed slightly as his pupils constricted . He then he stood up in front of the large canopy . Standing straight, he looked calmly at Yun Zhilan .
Everyone around the Sword Hut was kneeling . Even the officials of the Qing diplomatic group were kneeling sincerely in front of this Great Grandmaster's coffin . This was a minute detail in rites the Qing Emperor had personally authorized before they came . No one made a single mistake .
When Fan Xian rose, it was particularly eye-catching . Inside and out, there were over a thousand people . Only he and Yun Zhilan were standing in front of the black coffin .
Fan Xian did not like to kneel, other than to heaven, earth, and his parents . Each time he went to court and knelt before the Emperor, he was not happy about it . He was willing to kneel now because he was paying his respects to a powerful warrior and to the departed . However, the final words Yun Zhilan related stunned him and turned the faint respect in his heart toward Sigu Jian into a faint anger .
Everyone had heard clearly Sigu Jian's last words as related by Yun Zhilan . These were the words the 13 disciples of the Sword Hut had heard at the same time as they knelt in front of the bed . Yun Zhilan would not lie or dare to lie . Thus, everyone turned their gaze onto Sir Fan junior, who had already abruptly risen .
Maternal registry in Dongyi? Personally instructed in sword skill? Of great talent? Host the opening ceremony?
Countless stunned, confused, and amused gazes fell onto Fan Xian, but they didn't make his clothing flutter . He just looked at Yun Zhilan calmly as if trying to decide if the words had been an auditory hallucination or something else .
The simple words revealed four pieces of information Sigu Jian wanted to announce to the world . Fan Xian's mother was Ye Qingmei . Although she helped the Qing Kingdom rise out of the earth, in the end, she should be considered a subject of Dongyi . This could not be considered much of a secret . As for the matter of personally instructing him in sword skills, since Sigu Jian said so in his final words, then everyone believed it . A Great Grandmaster had the right to impart the truth of the Sigu Sword . As for the evaluation that Sir Fan junior was a great talent, everyone also thought that Sir Fan junior was worthy of this praise .
The problem was that these messages gave off a faint sense of closeness, of pulling Fan Xian forcibly into Dongyi .
The maternal connection pointed to matters of bloodline . Learning the sword was a relationship between teacher and student . Being of great talent was Dongyi's acknowledgment toward Fan Xian . As for having Fan Xian host the opening ceremony, this was the most crucial part of all .
The Sword Hut had been in existence for decades . But, it had only been 20 years since the first opening ceremony and accepting of disciples . Each time the opening ceremony had been hosted by Sigu Jian .
Other than the three years in which he had been heavily injured and waiting for death, Sigu Jian had taken the Sword Hut opening ceremony seriously . This had created a mutually understood fact throughout the world . Whoever hosted the opening ceremony was the Master of the Sword Hut .
Sigu Jian's final words designated Fan Xian as the host . This was also handing him the Sword Hut, countless aces, and three generations of disciples to him .
This was indeed something Fan Xian had not thought of . During these two days, he had been wondering how he could truly have the other 12 swords other than Yun Zhilan at his service . There was no need to think about Thirteenth Wang . He thoroughly understood that young man's character . But, what about the other aces in the Sword Hut?
Unexpectedly, Sigu Jian had thought of a solution for him ahead of time and resolved this problem . However, his way of resolving this issue had momentarily stumped Fan Xian .
Three messages, and one final order . The Sword Hut belonged to him . From now on, his words would have the same weight as Sigu Jian's in the past . Thus, a sect had fallen into his hands . It seemed a marvelous thing, but Fan Xian knew that Sigu Jian's ruthlessness was hidden behind the marvelousness .
This was a needle stuck between Fan Xian and the Emperor . He was a subject of the Qing Kingdom, yet he had become the Master of the Sword Hut . What would the Emperor think? No matter how much the Emperor trusted Fan Xian, could he watch as the explicit power in Fan Xian's grew larger and larger, particularly under the conditions in which Dongyi appeared to be so close and loyal to Fan Xian?
Even if the Emperor was as generous as the ocean, confident as the sun and moon, and did not care about this at all, what about his emotions? People were all emotionally driven animals . The Emperor would not like that his illegitimate son was shining so brilliantly to the point of eclipsing him . There could only ever be one sun in the sky .
Fan Xian stared at Yun Zhilan's mouth . Only now did he know that Sigu Jian had, in the end, played him before he died . He had dug a hole and made him jump in himself .
It was as if Yun Zhilan did not notice his gaze . Naturally and calmly, he finished announcing all of Sigu Jian's final wishes . He then approached Fan Xian . Respectfully, he bowed and said, "Please . "
Please what? Please take a seat? Please invite? A cold smile rose to the corners of Fan Xian's lips . He unconsciously slanted a glance toward the rest of the people . Many people had already risen but were still staring at everything happening in front of the large black coffin with a stunned expression . Fan Xian glanced at the officials of the diplomatic group, particularly the Vice Minister of the Board of Rites . The Vice Minister felt his gaze and furrowed his brows in thought for a moment . He then slowly nodded .
The silent communication between the two major persons in the Qing diplomatic group stopped there . This Vice Minister knew what Sir Fan junior was worried about . However, he saw that Dongyi was about to enter the fold and didn't want this matter affect the larger situation . The Qing people's ambition for territorial expansion was too powerful . It made the Vice Minister think that the Emperor would not be angry at Sir Fan junior accepting the position of the Master of the Sword Hut on his own initiative .
Fan Xian thought about it silently for a long time . He weighed the pros and cons in his mind, particularly the reaction the Emperor might have .
Yun Zhilan was not in a rush . He looked at him with a trace of mockery and waited for his response .
Fan Xian knew that he was mocking . Just like his father said, he was hesitating in his decision and was not very decisive . These people had no idea how cautious one must be when one wished to do great things, particularly when faced with that unfathomable Emperor .
In the end, Fan Xian took a deep breath and said with a smile, "Who would have thought that your master wouldn't let me go even in death . "
"Since we are to help you achieve great deeds, the disciples of the Sword Hut must come under your banner . " It was as if Yun Zhilan could not vitriol in his words . "It is getting late . Please accept the sword and go forward to open the Hut . "
Fan Xian didn't move . Suddenly, he asked, "After opening the Hut, the three generations of Sword Hut disciples will all listen to my orders?"
"Correct . "
"What about you?" He watched Yun Zhilan's eyes . He said with a slight smile, "If I asked you to dig out 36,000 earthworms, would you agree to do so?"
Digging for earthworms was an amusing part of another story in the other world . Yun Zhilan had not heard of it, but it did not prevent him from answering quickly . It was clear that regardless of whether it was the already dead Sigu Jian or him, he was already well-prepared for Fan Xian's question .
"Presently, I am the Master of Dongyi . Since I have taken an official post, I have left the Hut," Yun Zhilan said with a sigh . There was no sense of frustration in his words . "I am no longer a member of the Sword Hut, so you cannot control me . "
"I see . " As expected, Sigu Jian did not trust in him completely . He still placed Yun Zhilan, the thorniest problem, outside of the matter . He paused for a moment and then responded with a slightly mocking smile . "Don't forget, your position as Master of Dongyi still needs the royal seal of the Qing Emperor . If the Emperor doesn't like you, you can't have the position . "
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