Chapter 135

"Excellent, excellent."

The Emiya family, Zuosong Xiaoxiaolang slowly began to clap in front of the stove, his admiration plain to see.

Six flying swords…… An ordinary person might spend a lifetime and still not be able to train a single sword to such a degree, yet this young man Yan Qing can simultaneously control six swords; calling it "astonishing talent and extraordinary beauty" is no exaggeration.

"Assassin, can't you handle his flying swords?" Emiya Shirou asked doubtfully; in his impression, the only ones who understood swords best were him and Saber.

"If it were only one or two of them, I might still have a chance……" Zuosong Xiaoxiaolang lightly shook his head, "but if there are six, I'd probably have to act together with Saber to have any hope of survival."

"Really? … This is too exaggerated." Shirou looked at Saber in disbelief, but when he turned his head, he saw that cold sweat had already slid down the girl's lovely face.

It wasn't because of Yan Qing's swordsmanship that he felt drenched in sweat, but rather the white‑haired woman in front of him, her eyes veiled by black gauze……

It was Jingliu!!

——

""Thank you for coming to my rescue, little brother." Jingliu tilted her head slightly; although she was giving thanks, her cold tone revealed little gratitude."

""Oh, that's just my duty. The port of Luofu is sealed—how are you still here alone?"

""I came here on a merchant ship. Lately, the shadows of several old friends have been turning over and over in my mind. I wanted to meet up with old friends, relive the old times…… Who would have thought Luofu would be so dangerous now?"

""You've come at a bad time—the Immortal Vessel has had an incident. But the general will take care of it; let's go, you can't stay here, we need to head to the nearest Cloud Cavalry station." Yan Qing suddenly thought of something, "Oh, right, have you seen a man in black with long hair——"

Before his words could finish, Jingliu had already turned around, and Yan Qing's words cut off abruptly—he saw the black gauze covering the woman's eyes.

""You… you can't see? Sorry, I thought……" Yan Qing felt a bit embarrassed, then hurriedly introduced himself: "I'm Yan Qing, a formally enlisted member of the Cloud Cavalry. May I ask your name, elder sister?"

"My name is Jingliu."

""Um… Jingliu sis, let me lead you part of the way. I may have to take a detour, but I'll make sure to get you safely to the Cloud Cavalry."

Along the way, Yan Qing asked Jingliu many questions—where she was from, how long it had been since she last visited the Immortal Vessel—but Miss Jingliu remained cold and aloof; aside from learning she came from Azure City, he couldn't get another word out of her.

Japan, outskirts of Shinjuku, inside a cheap capsule hotel—it was a rare chance for Kaisa, Lu Mingfei, and Chu Zihang to meet up.

"Chatting with women takes skill, especially when you want to worm information out of them—you especially need to pay attention to details." Looking at Yan Qing's clueless, almost completely undressed pickup lines, Kaisa simply shook his head.

"Asking a beautiful woman where she's from and where she's going—sigh…… I stopped asking that kind of question when I was eight." Kaisa said, "Questions that are too purpose‑driven are easily guarded against; they need to seep into the conversation subtly."

"Hey hey hey! Boss, don't bring up your elementary‑school love life on this occasion! Just look at the beauty—appreciation requires focus!"

"The principal said we should study her swordsmanship properly; maybe next semester they'll add a course called 'Jingliu Swordsmanship,' and if you fail you won't get credit." Chu Zihang said, "But right now it really is a good time to learn."

"A good time? Sorry, I can't calm down right now." Kaisa's eyes glazed a bit.

As they spoke, the view cut to Jingliu's lower body; her light‑colored, petal‑shaped skirt swayed, and her two legs, white as congealed fat, swayed enough to make anyone's eyes swim.

"Boss, staring at a girl's thighs like that isn't gentlemanly! Keep looking and the Gatuso family's reputation won't survive!"

"The Gatuso family's reputation has nothing to do with this; according to our family tradition I should just keep looking. If my father were a stud, he'd probably be holding a rose and inviting Jingliu to give late‑night swordsmanship lessons."

Kaisa raised his eyebrows, "Moreover, don't you think? This is exactly the part that needs the most appreciation."

"Yan Qing and Jingliu headed together for the dock, but the only road was blocked by a demonic shade."

"He told Jingliu to stay put and not move, while he went to deal with the monster; handling the demonic shade isn't troublesome, but their clear consciousness made Yan Qing's expression tighten."

""What's the origin of these guys? Sigh, the general said the Immortal Vessel has other internal troubles—indeed." Yan Qing sighed worriedly.

"At that moment, Jingliu beside him suddenly said, "Little brother, your swordsmanship is not bad."

""Huh? You…… can see?" Yan Qing was stunned.

""I can hear it. The whine of flying swords cleaving the air, the ring of sharp edges cutting…… these traces will invisibly reveal the quality of one's swordsmanship"

""Just as a musician listens to the zither and a poet listens to the rhyme. In the flow of changing sword moves, a master swordsman never leaves any stagnant noise. To be able to control six flying swords simultaneously in a single breath, those of the Cloud Cavalry with such strength should be few enough to count on one hand"

Yan Qing felt a bit embarrassed at the praise for a moment, he scratched his head: "Um, haha, too much praise, too much praise."

""But you focus only on fierce offense, unaware of concealing your edge……" Jingliu paused, "thus your sword melody ends up a bit messy at the finish."

""…It seems music and swordsmanship really do share something. The general has also made similar remarks, saying my sword is grand and spirited, its angles too sharp; to win the title of Sword Chief I still lack a bit of maturity"

""Sword Chief? I remember, that's the title given to the Cloud Cavalry member who has reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship. Too far off……" Jingliu's gaze drifted from the distant sea of clouds back to the sword in Yan Qing's hand, "Come to think of it, the Cloud Cavalry's martial arts each have their own lineage. Little brother, who taught you your swordsmanship?"

When it came to his own master, Yan Qing seemed a bit proud, lifting his head and smiling faintly: "Since you're someone who appreciates swords, sis, I won't keep it a secret—it's General Jingyuan of Luofu."

"This is a grand‑disciple meeting his grandmaster…… tsk tsk, if I were Jingyuan, just thinking about it would put me under pressure."

Just imagining that scene made Hu Tao break out in a sweat: "If my grandmaster were dissatisfied with the disciple I trained, would he come personally to deal with me?"

"How could that be? You're overthinking it, hall master." Zhongli chuckled, "In our sect there's a junior with extraordinary talent—perhaps Jingliu wouldn't even have time to look after them."