Chapter 229: Chapter 21: Night, The Hum of Swords
Wei Dongliu was meditating in the room.
As for the thoughts of Jiang the Witch, he wasn’t actually unaware.
If he didn’t originally know, he couldn’t help but learn from Ah Jing’s various “live commentaries” beside his ear, much like watching a magician’s stage show while the girlfriend beside you keeps saying, “The trick is actually done like this,” “That contraption is hidden over there,” blah blah blah.
It made Wei Dongliu feel a mix of laughter and tears every time he saw Jiang the Witch’s performance, always feeling particularly taken out of the experience, even though her acting was indeed flawless…
“Let’s go back to Shushan, Ah Jing,” he said with his eyes closed, instructing.
[Checkpoint Two: Shushan Shangqing Faction, Qingluo Peak.]
[Character Identity: Ling Yunpo.]
[Mirror Flower Water Moon Template overlay in progress, time-space travel commencing.]
Ling Yunpo donned his robe and left the daoist temple to see that the trees outside had shed all their yellow leaves, leaving only bare branches.
Cultivators have a unique constitution that is indifferent to heat and cold, but it is only upon seeing the desolation of all things that they realize winter is about to arrive.
“What are you looking at?” An Zhisu asked as she gracefully approached from behind.
Today, Senior Sister An had unusually dressed as a Daoist nun, her black hair pinned up within her headdress, looking three parts less gentle than usual, but seven parts more awe-inspiring and heroic.
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This bearing, how can it be described with just the word ‘impressive’?
“I’m just looking at the scenery,” Ling Yunpo said truthfully.
“I need to take a trip to Yangzhou,” An Zhisu hesitated, “do you want to join me?”
“Yangzhou?” Ling Yunpo pondered, “If I remember correctly, isn’t Senior Sister from Guangling County of Yangzhou?”
“Right.” An Zhisu felt a warmth in her heart, thinking to herself that she had only mentioned it once, and yet her junior brother actually remembered where her hometown was, which showed he truly cared.
“Every ten years, I have to return to my hometown to pay respects to my deceased mother…” She pinned up a stray lock of hair near her ear and said softly, “I suddenly thought that since Junior Brother has been at Shushan for so long without ever leaving for experience, I wondered if you would be willing to join me for a trip out…”
“If Senior Sister wishes it, how could I dare to refuse,” Ling Yunpo saw right through her thoughts—it was nothing more than taking him to meet her parents, wasn’t it! It’s just that Senior Sister was too shy to say it directly.
“That’s settled then,” An Zhisu sighed in relief and smiled, “Pack up, and follow me.”
Ling Yunpo turned and walked back into the temple, to his own room.
Hmm, there wasn’t much to take with him.
The character of Ling Yunpo didn’t carry many Daoist Magic spells or Talisman Scripts; after all, as a Shushan Sword Immortal, he relied solely on the sword in his hand.
The Green Duckweed Sword was his life-bound sword artifact, cultivated within his body and requiring no carrying, so he simply hoisted the sword box containing the Thunderbane Sword and headed out.
Cultivators favoring long-distance flight often prefer flying artifacts to flying swords, but Qingluo Peak’s finances were limited, unable to afford a magic artifact, so the two of them flew along the Yangtze River using Sword Control.
The wind faced them head-on, so strong it nearly made it impossible to open one’s eyes, but Ling Yunpo had to maintain the persona of unwavering determination, enduring the dryness in his eyes relying on his Marrow Cleansing physique.
By the time they arrived at Guangling County, it was already dusk.
The two descended outside Jiankang City and then entered the city on foot, finding an inn to rest.
Ling Yunpo shamelessly proposed that to save money they could just get one room… and then backed down in the face of An Zhisu’s surprised gaze.
This Senior Sister of his, you’d say she’s complex-minded, and yet in many ways, she’s unexpectedly naive; you’d label her innocent and naive, yet look, she actually understands everything!
She couldn’t be provoked like Xu Yinglian, nor could she be coaxed like Shi Liuli, and definitely not seduced like Jiang Liyan—truly the most difficult one to handle among everyone.
Forget it, sleep!
Back in his own room, he sat on the bed in meditation, and Ling Yunpo suddenly recalled something.
Speaking of which, there’s a Thunder Method practiced by Qiu Changtian that I remember requires a trip to Kuaiji County of Yangzhou to find… Should I look for it on this trip as well?
He pondered the idea in his mind and gradually entered a state of meditative concentration.
After an indeterminate amount of time, he suddenly heard a sharp whistling sound above his head.
It was the hum of a sword!
Ling Yunpo had been the Shushan Sword Immortal for over a decade, how could he not recognize the sound of a Flying Sword being pushed to its limit, slicing through the air?
Someone was engaging in a magical competition in the sky!
He hurriedly jumped out of bed, rushed out the door, and saw An Zhisu also emerging from her room, with the Flying Smoke Sword in her hand.
Ling Yunpo gave her a knowing look that meant, “There’s a duel outside.”
An Zhisu pointed her sword outward as if to say, “Let’s talk outside.”
With someone battling outside, staying indoors wouldn’t give them any knowledge of the situation and if the building was affected by the residual waves of Daoist magic, they wouldn’t even be able to respond properly; therefore, they had to leave quickly!
They hurriedly left the inn, and Ling Yunpo immediately took to the skies on his sword, quickly scanning the surroundings.
“Northwest direction, thirty zhang,” An Zhisu reminded him.
Ling Yunpo concentrated and looked, just in time to see a person riding a sword, shooting up from the ground and clearing the rooftops.
Hmm? Junior Brother Guan?
He saw Guan Zhan rising into the air on his sword, not yet flying high when another sword light shot out from behind him, striking him fiercely from the back and causing him to plummet!
To be more precise, it was a slap down, as the adversary used the back of the sword.
An Zhisu sighed. Ling Yunpo frowned and continued watching as he saw Guan Shanyue rise on her sword from below, catching the off-balance Guan Zhan with one hand as he fell, then leisurely flew over.
“What a coincidence,” she said with a smile, “Senior Sister An, Junior Brother Ling, are you also here?”
“And this is?” Ling Yunpo feigned ignorance about Guan Zhan, curiously asking.
Guan Zhan’s face was ashen, his lips trembling fiercely as he struggled to break free from Guan Shanyue’s grip, summoning his own flying sword to step onto.
“This is my cousin from the Guan Family, Guan Zhan,” Guan Shanyue chuckled, “He secretly joined Kunlun without informing the Guan Family, and I happened to run into him while he was out gaining experience, so I took the opportunity to teach him a lesson.”
“Whether I join Kunlun or Shushan, what business is it of yours?” Guan Zhan spat out angrily through gritted teeth.
“As long as Guan Family blood runs through your veins, you cannot sever ties with the Guan Family,” Guan Shanyue spoke calmly, but her eyes showed a hint of disdain.
This made Guan Zhan even more infuriated and frantic, nearly hysterical as he roared:
“If the Guan Family truly cared a bit for me, how could they have allowed my mother…”
He couldn’t finish his sentence; the rest of his words were choked back as Guan Shanyue crisply slapped him across the face, stunning him completely.
Ling Yunpo, or rather Qiu Changtian, had never seen such a miserable Junior Brother Guan.
Usually, during scripture reading sessions in the cave dwelling, he was always the one sitting silently in the corner, and when he did speak, it was mostly in a sharp and sarcastic tone. Qiu Changtian thought it was just his nature, but now he suspected there might be hidden reasons.
An Zhisu, however, was surprised as she looked at Guan Shanyue.
After knowing her for many years, she had never seen this woman become so angry, her face still wore a false smile, but her muscles were almost too tense to maintain her composure, clearly she was struggling not to lose her temper on the spot.
“Sorry for making a spectacle in front of you two,” Guan Shanyue apologized as she grabbed Guan Zhan’s arm and dragged him away without another word, “We have some private family matters to take care of, so we’ll take our leave now.”
The two of them left quickly on their swords and soon disappeared into the night.
“Who would have thought someone from the Guan Family would join Kunlun,” An Zhisu said with surprise, “The Longyou Guan Family, who devote all their resources and connections to Shushan – what for did that person join Kunlun? To stand out?”
“Perhaps there are some underlying reasons,” Ling Yunpo said with a sigh.
An Zhisu nodded, not disagreeing with this notion.
She was unfamiliar with Guan Zhan to begin with, only finding it strange what could cause Guan Shanyue to reveal such a suppressed expression as if she had been betrayed.
However…
If she put herself and Junior Brother Ling in their shoes, she might be able to understand.
If Ling Yunpo suddenly decided to switch his allegiance to Kunlun, An Zhisu wasn’t sure if she, in her current state, would let him go with tears, or…
She dared not think any further.