Content Preview

   Table of Contents  Color Gallery Title Page Copyrights and Credits Table of Contents Page Foreword Chapter 1: After the Duel Chapter 2: Blind Man Chapter 3: A Game Chapter 4: Getting to Know the Beauty Chapter 5: Separate Ways Chapter 6: Chen Gong Chapter 7: The Weakling Who Wasn't Weak Chapter 8: Journeying Together Chapter 9: Terror at Midnight Chapter 10: Yan Wushi Chapter 11: Each with Their Own Schemes Chapter 12: Human Nature Chapter 13: Dangerous Encounter Chapter 14: Betrayal Chapter 15: Meeting Yan Wushi Again Chapter 16: Good and Evil Chapter 17: Old Friends' Reunion Chapter 18: A Falling-Out Between Brothers Chapter 19: Inquiry Chapter 20: Enjoying the Show Chapter 21: Altercation Chapter 22: Spring Waters Finger Technique Chapter 23: Gentleness Chapter 24: The Powers of the World Chapter 25: Delivering an Invitation Chapter 26: Test Chapter 27: Shen Qiao Strikes Chapter 28: Hehuan Sect Leader Chapter 29: Embrace Chapter 30: Attending the Banquet Chapter 31: The People of the Jianghu The Story Continues Appendix: Characters & Associated Factions Appendix: Pronunciation Guide Appendix: Historical Primer Glossary: Genres Glossary: Terminology About the Author Footnotes Back Cover Newsletter           Foreword  If you were to write a story, where would you set it? In a splendid fantasy like The Lord of the Rings? Or against the essence of human nature like House of Cards, where it’s concealed beneath skyscrapers and high-rises? Would you give it the qualities of all that is wonderful in the world, or fill it with candid selfishness, cruel and brutal both? I believe that within every person’s heart lies their own answer. Even if we live plain and simple lives, we can depict beautiful scenes far grander than any landscape that can be found in the world. Thousand Autumns is the unfolding of one such story. The two leads have extreme personalities that are diametric opposites: one finds joy in helping people, while the other resolutely believes that human nature is evil. But because both are them are incredibly strong, they cannot convince each other. And so when they meet, they’re destined to clash in a blaze of intense sparks. To my dear readers, I’m grateful that we had the chance to meet. I’m grateful that you flipped open this story to enter the jianghu of ancient China, to witness the chivalry and bloodshed within, as well as the story of a man who fell from the summit down to the lowest point of his life. Who climbed out of that chasm, step by step, through his own efforts, back to the pinnacle of the world as a martial grandmaster of incredible strength. I hope that this story will open the great gates of imagination for you, adding a splendid and passionate note of music to your lives. Chapter 1:After the Duel  BANBU PEAK—Half-Step Peak. As the name implied, the summit boasted only a few square inches on which to stand: a half step forward led to a majestic cliff, thousands of meters tall. Above, jagged stones jutted skywards and bowed trees crept forth; below, great swathes of mist swirled and haunting wails echoed throughout. It was a treacherous, craggy place where heaven and earth did not meet. Facing this cliff loomed another mountain summit, called Yinghui Peak. It was no less high nor steep than Banbu—its walls also soared for thousands of meters, sheer as if pared by a knife. There seemed no likely foothold, and even its scant greenery was ungrounded in soil, its roots twining about the rocks. The sight was enough to make anyone shudder and regret their attempts to scale that peak. And so, the name Yinghui Peak was born—Certain-Regret Peak. Between these two peaks yawned a natural chasm. Seen from above, a sea of clouds drifted lazily, concealing the fathoms of its depths, and one could faintly hear the vicious roar of unceasing rapids. The common woodcutters and hunters dared not climb there; even Xiantian experts1 who stood there would find that a sigh stirred within their hearts, lamenting the insignificance of humans before nature. However, below the mist at the foot of the cliff, between the river waters and mountain walls, wound a stone path paved with uneven rubble. It was long, narrow, and rugged, yet at this moment two men walked upon it, one in front and the other behind. As the river raged and galloped, waves churned up from time to time and broke against the wet, slippery rocks. If one lacked just a little prudence while walking, they’d be soaked through by the spray even without falling into the waters. But if they tried to lean away instead, they’d meet that sheer rock face and its sharp, jutting stones. In short, the path was a dilemma liable to leave anyone in a woeful state, and yet these two men seemed to stroll leisurely along as though through a courtyard, their movements confident and graceful. “I heard that twenty years ago, Xuandu Mountain’s Perfected Master Qi defeated the Göktürks' number one martial artist Hulugu, right here on Banbu Peak. And then he forced him to swear an oath to stay out of the Central Plains for the next twenty years. A pity this disciple was still too young to watch that duel. The battle must have been incomparably splendid.” The young man who spoke walked behind the other. Their pace was neither slow nor quick, yet he always kept three steps behind. The man in front sauntered in small steps, his demeanor as languid as if he truly trod on level ground. The steps of the young man behind him stretched a little longer. Taken alone, the young man in back also bore an immortal’s weightless grace, but seen together it was easy to find the subtle differences between the two. Yan Wushi gave a derisive laugh. “Qi Fengge was indeed worthy of being called number one in all the world. Hulugu was