Chapter 204: The Sword Master's Past

"I have nothing to do with you, I and the Palace Master," the Sword Master paused, the atmosphere inside and outside the Sword-Leaning Tower Pavilion froze, everyone held their breath, all eager to hear what he would say next, "I once loved the Sword Master."

"What!" the Ximo Sword Devil was so startled he almost jumped up; even though he had braced himself for this answer, when he actually heard it, his heart gave a painful "thump."

What kind of woman is the Palace Master! Proud and lofty, cold as frost, she is an immortal from the nine heavens, rising from the mire unstained, washing in clear ripples without becoming alluring; she is pure, and no one can defile her.

It's not that the Sword Master is lacking; he is dignified and handsome, graceful and imposing. If anyone in this world could be worthy of the Palace Master, it would undoubtedly be him.

"Hahaha! What's your name? Other people's feelings are none of your business, yet you're making a big deal out of it as if it concerned you." Duan Sheng slapped the Ximo Sword Devil's shoulder and laughed.

"Did you have feelings for my mother?" the Young Palace Master stared for a long time before speaking.

"Mm." the Sword Master confirmed without further hesitation.

Shangguan Yunyi smiled at the other three; the tea was ready, he lowered his head and quietly sipped it.

"Then you have nothing to do with me?" the Young Palace Master asked again.

"Mm."

"Why?"

"Because I was with her after you were born," the Sword Master replied.

"What?!" the Young Palace Master was as if struck by lightning, stunned; to her this felt like five thunders striking the top of her head! "After I was born?"

This time even Duan Sheng couldn't stay seated; past Palace Masters were all chaste saints, but this generation's Palace Master seems to have given herself to a man—not just once!

"About a year after you were born, I came together with your mother," the Sword Master said clearly.

"Do you know who that previous person was?" the Young Palace Master, suppressing her shock, asked the Sword Master again; she had made it clear enough that any sensible person would know she was asking about her biological father.

The Sword Master shook his head; that was her past, we had promised each other not to speak of it.

Regarding that past affection that has faded, the Sword Master, like the Palace Master, feels no lingering attachment; it is like a scarred brand etched into their hearts.

The Young Palace Master's pent-up anger finally dissipated; she slumped in her chair, roses can wither too, and at this moment she exudes a withered, melancholy beauty that pervades the Sword-Leaning Tower, affecting everyone.

The Young Palace Master guessed right on one point and wrong on another. What she got right was that there truly is an unknown past between the Palace Master and the Sword Master; what she got wrong was that she and the Sword Master are not father and daughter, even though she feels they share many similarities, both outwardly and inwardly.

"Sorry to disappoint you," the Sword Master told the Young Palace Master; his state of mind influences every sword in the Sword-Leaning Tower—when his heart fluctuates, the swords move with it; when his heart is calm, the swords are calm.

I don't know if it's the wind outside picking up, but the swords in the Sword-Leaning Tower are clinking "ding-ding-dang-dang," their sword qi surging chaotically.

"Since you say that, I have nothing more to ask," the Young Palace Master said, pushing herself up from the chair's armrest; the wind blew past the windowsill, tousling her hair and swaying her skirt.

"That's all there is to it," the Sword Master said helplessly.

The Young Palace Master knew the weight of the Sword Master's words; what he said held no falsehood. In an instant she lost her sense of direction; all her life she had followed the path laid out by the Palace Master, step by step, and when she thought she had a direction she would charge forward without hesitation—but when that direction itself lost its way, she was utterly directionless!

She even fell into despair, not knowing how to take her next step!

"Where are you going?" the Ximo Sword Devil asked the Young Palace Master who was turning to leave.

"I don't even know myself," the Young Palace Master replied coldly.

"Why not come with us?"

"You? Heh, what are you?" the Young Palace Master retorted, then she leapt onto the corridor of the Sword-Leaning Tower and flew away.

Only a fiery red afterimage remained…

And a faint floral fragrance.

The Ximo Sword Devil was utterly entranced.

"Hey hey..." until Duan Sheng interrupted the Ximo Sword Devil's lovestruck daze, "Everyone's gone, you're still staring—you're old enough, surely you don't still have such thoughts?"

"A graceful lady, a gentleman's good match..." the Ximo Sword Devil dismissed.

"I see you as a toad craving swan meat!" Duan Sheng shouted.

"I, the Ximo Sword Devil, have wandered the martial world for so many years and never seen such a beauty!" the Ximo Sword Devil sighed, then said to the Sword Master, "Sword Master, was her mother also a peerless beauty?"

The Sword Master pursed his lips and nodded. Even if their past feelings were utterly wrong, the Palace Master's beauty cannot be denied.

"To die beneath a beauty's skirt, to be a flirtatious ghost—nothing excessive, nothing excessive!" the Ximo Sword Devil nodded, not hiding his jealousy, "If I ever get this chance in my lifetime, even death would be worth it."

"Don't talk nonsense like that; there are plenty of beauties under heaven, but life—you only get one," the Sword Master told the Ximo Sword Devil.

Who would have thought the Ximo Sword Devil would chuckle and say, "No wonder you and the Palace Master split up."

"I don't know if you love her, but when you were together you put your life first, so you were bound to part."

The Ximo Sword Devil hit the nail on the head.

Upon hearing that, the Sword Master's face turned pale; the hand holding his teacup trembled violently, shaking the tea out onto himself.

"Hahaha! Hahaha!" Shangguan Yunyi rarely laughed so unrestrainedly, "You two, for a woman, really would sacrifice anything."

"Right... right!" Duan Sheng echoed awkwardly.

Wind blew through the Sword-Leaning Tower; outside, the rain grew heavier, the lake flooded, and water kept spilling out.

"Why are you lying there?" Duan Sheng asked the Ximo Sword Devil sprawled in the corridor.

The Ximo Sword Devil didn't turn back, his gaze still fixed on the downpour outside, and replied, "You say it's raining this hard—could it get her sick?"

"Who?" Duan Sheng didn't react at first, "You mean the Young Palace Master?"

"Mm."

"You couldn't really have fallen for her, could you?" Duan Sheng asked seriously.

"I don't know, but I always have a premonition."

"What premonition?"

"A premonition that I will die for her."

Pencil

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