Let’s not even get started on how buggy the Freewind Sect’s martial arts are—everyone’s got their own take. Since Jill hasn’t tried them herself, she can’t really judge. But there’s one thing she’s learned for sure: these folks live forever. Like, seriously, they live super long lives. Thanks to the Second Generation Empress Tianshan’s endless explanations, Jill finally got the whole story.
Xuzhu took over as head of the Freewind Sect and married the Western Xia princess, but they never had any kids. The princess didn’t outlast Xuzhu—she passed away first. Xuzhu was so heartbroken, he finally left his mountain hermitage and went out for a walk, and just like Guo Jing bumping into Huang Rong, he ran into a little beggar girl.
Xuzhu saw this little girl had amazing talent, was super smart for her age, and—get this—even looked a bit like the Western Xia princess. So his heart skipped a beat and he… well, let’s call it ‘adopted’ her, took her in as his disciple. By then, Xuzhu was already pretty old, but according to the Second Generation Empress Tianshan, he still looked like he was just thirty.
And then began the—uh, ‘education’—of the little girl! Man, my phrasing’s getting kinda sketchy lately… Anyway, under Xuzhu’s careful guidance, his one and only disciple finally became a top-tier martial artist. About fifty years ago, even Xuzhu couldn’t outlast time itself, and he finally passed away. Jill did some quick math and her eyes went wide: “Wait, are you saying your master lived for over 140 years?”
“One hundred and forty-three winters and summers,” the Second Generation Empress Tianshan replied with a hint of melancholy, still mourning Xuzhu’s passing. “Though my master’s skills were nearly divine, he still couldn’t take that last step—he stopped just short of the 150-Year Limit.”
“That’s insane!” Jill immediately gave a big thumbs-up. “All the emperors of the Northern Song dynasty combined only lasted about 160 years, and your master almost outlived an entire dynasty!”
“Northern Song?” The Second Generation Empress Tianshan looked puzzled. “You mean the Zhao dynasty before the Southern Crossing?”
“Uh, yeah, haha!” Right, it’s still the Song dynasty now, so technically there’s no Northern or Southern Song yet—otherwise the whole Southern Song leadership would look super lame! “Don’t worry about that. So, what exactly is the 150-Year Limit?”
The Second Generation Empress Tianshan didn’t mind, but looked Jill up and down in surprise again. “You know so much about my Freewind Sect’s history, but you don’t know about the 150-Year Limit?”
No wonder the Empress was getting suspicious. In a world where internal energy is king, Jill really did seem like an alien—well, she pretty much was, but it’s better not to let that slip. So Jill scratched her head and said, “I come from really, really far away. Just got here not long ago. As for the Freewind Sect stuff… that’s all from an old-timer back home.” Totally legit, so she said it with confidence, not a hint of guilt.