Chapter 39: Re-exploring Long Qi Sparks Controversy

The rustling sound of swords could not cover up the bickering between Lingxiang and Maidong; only after hearing two "thud" sounds did the two of them stand before the four of Long Qi.

These four were all startled, and for a moment, they actually stood frozen in place, unable to make a move.

Lingxiang also saw the bare state of the few at this moment; not to mention how Zhao Wuyang was, the clear lines and well-defined muscles on those three alone truly made her eyes light up.

And although Zhao Wuyang was wearing an undershirt and his physique was somewhat thin, the exposed parts also had some not-so-obvious edges.

Ah! Her little Wuyang had also become a fine man; it seemed these nearly two months of cultivation had not been without harvest!

Just as Lingxiang was feasting her eyes and letting her imagination run wild, she heard a "Ah!" from Maidong, who hurriedly covered her face with her hands and turned away, her movement so large that she nearly knocked over Lingxiang, who was like a "ball."

Following Maidong's "Ah," the four of Long Qi finally reacted, hurriedly throwing down the long swords in their hands and, regardless of whether they were their own clothes, picking them up to put them on; yet in their panic, how could they dress neatly? They struggled for a long time without managing to put them on.

Seeing that Lingxiang had no sense of shame and was actually still staring unblinkingly, Long Qi, regardless of whether he was dressed, picked up the clothes on the ground and held them up like a curtain to shield Liu Xia and Xinyi.

"Entering a man's courtyard as if it were an empty space, and upon seeing men bare-chested, you still stare straight at them without feeling ashamed—do you even know how to write the word 'shame'!" Long Qi scolded while urging the two beside him to dress faster.

"I can be considered half a healer, and I am an elder, so what is there to be ashamed of." Lingxiang sat down on the steps of the pavilion unhurriedly. "Besides, I have even untied your sash for you; I have already seen you in your bare state, so what are you still acting ashamed about now."

Once the words were out, Long Qi nearly bit his tongue, and Maidong was even more astonished—these two had actually been secretly practicing spiritual cultivation at Youran Abode behind her back! It was simply... simply...

It was simply too enviable!

If Xinyi were with her...

Thinking this, Maidong turned around in a daze, not knowing where her eyes were focused, just appearing to stare at Xinyi's side without even blinking.

Seeing her like this, Long Qi knew she had misunderstood. Looking at Liu Xia and Xinyi, they were both staring at him motionless, having forgotten to put on their clothes, and even Zhao Wuyang behind them had stopped his hand from tying his belt, his face full of disbelief.

"You... you all listen to me... the matter... the matter is not what you think..." Long Qi's face was difficult and obscure; he wanted to explain but did not know how to start.

Turning his head to look at Lingxiang, who was sitting there wrapped in a cotton coat with a leisurely air, he could not help but feel stifled with anger.

"Lingxiang! Give me back my innocence!!"

"I'm happy today, so speak up; is there any part of your cultivation that is blocked? While this Peak Master is here, I will give you some pointers." Lingxiang put on the airs of a Peak Master, sitting carelessly on a chair; the way she was wrapped in a thick cotton-padded jacket while holding a cup of hot tea was truly like a wealthy landlord from down the mountain.

Zhao Wuyang had never seen such a manner; thinking of when he went to the palace as a child, even his imperial uncle had never been like this, which frightened him into hurriedly shrinking behind Xinyi.

Seeing her like this, Xinyi felt it was somewhat funny. It was fortunate that they had become slightly more familiar these days, otherwise he would have really thought she was putting on some Peak Master airs. However, in this situation, it really did look a bit like a wicked landlord lecturing her servants. Looking at Zhao Wuyang shrinking behind him, he could not help but smile and reach out to pat his head.

Seeing Xinyi like this, Maidong immediately felt he was kind-hearted, just like the chivalrous heroes in storybooks, rooting out the wicked and bringing peace—the one being rooted out was Lingxiang, and the one being brought peace was Wuyang.

Seeing Maidong's eyes drifting, Lingxiang knew she was letting her imagination run wild again. She coughed lightly, but it had no effect, so she had to pull on her dress to warn her to restrain herself a little.

Long Qi was displeased upon hearing Lingxiang's words: Happy today, happy about what? Happy to see the bare bodies of several men? She really didn't understand how this girl's head was grown, always doing things that were incomprehensible to ordinary people.

By comparison, Liu Xia was completely calm. Since Lingxiang asked, he was truly eager for it, and he performed a Daoist salute with a serious face to ask about the doubts in his heart.

Seeing him like this, Long Qi was so angry that his temper flared—he was the one who had been seen, so why was he still acting like nothing had happened, even taking up Lingxiang's conversation? Thinking this, he pulled on Liu Xia's hem and whispered it into his ear.

"I just think that Peak Master Lingxiang makes sense. Since she is a healer, her looking at us is like looking at meat on a chopping block; it cannot be counted as being taken advantage of." Liu Xia said solemnly, completely devoid of the awkwardness from the courtyard just now.

Once these words were out, even Xinyi, who was usually calm, was startled after hearing them: This sounded as if Lingxiang were the knife and board just now, and they were the fish on the block; no matter how one thought about it, it felt extremely awkward.

"This explanation is quite novel," Lingxiang said, feeling very satisfied, and smiled appreciatively at Liu Xia. "The path of the Dao is inherently rugged; if it were smooth, wouldn't everyone be able to become an immortal? Encountering a bottleneck on the path of cultivation is actually a good thing. If you can break through, your cultivation might rise to a higher level. Even if you cannot, it will make your future path of cultivation smoother."

Lingxiang took a sip of hot tea as she spoke.

"As for how to break through, naturally it cannot be rushed. Look at me, I've been like this for all these years, have I ever rushed? Opportunities are not everywhere; perhaps you might figure it out after sleeping today, or perhaps you might have a flash of inspiration after eating a meal tomorrow. Do your best, and let the rest be determined by Heaven."

Hearing her say this, Maidong was a bit stunned: If Lingxiang were not in a hurry, how could Qingwei Peak have such scenery? All the events of these years were as vivid as if they had happened yesterday; a person who never accepted fate would actually say such words about Heaven's decree—it really did not look like the Lingxiang of the past.

Liu Xia, however, felt his inner restlessness inexplicably subside after hearing these words, and after pondering for a moment, he gave a solemn salute to Lingxiang.

Lingxiang smoothed her temples, waved her hand pretentiously with the appearance of profound cultivation, and raised her eyebrows at Long Qi.

Seeing her looking at him, Long Qi's heart jumped violently. As if forgetting the incident in the courtyard just now, he actually honestly asked about the Sword Formula. Once the words were out, he realized: What did he have to be afraid of?

Lingxiang pondered for a long time after hearing him say this before speaking:

"So that's how it is..."

This was puzzling, and everyone looked at Lingxiang with a look of not knowing why.

"When I first got this Sword Manual, I flipped through it and saw that it was only sword techniques, and several of the moves were not coherent. Theoretically, a set of Sword Formula wouldn't be this thick, and this Sword Formula looks as if several books were misbound together..."

Hearing Lingxiang's guess, Long Qi felt the same; several of the transitions between moves were indeed very abrupt, but why would it be like this? And some of the moves in this Sword Formula were extremely familiar, as if someone had performed them in front of him, yet he could not remember them very clearly.

"Didn't you say your martial arts weren't very good? Why do you seem like an expert now?" Maidong suddenly interrupted to break Long Qi's train of thought.

"Hey, even if I haven't eaten meat, haven't I seen a living creature? Since I was small, I've seen your masters and uncles practicing swords; even a fool could be slightly enlightened." Speaking of living creatures, she had been coveting many of the spirit beasts on Yinyu Peak for a long time, and had wanted to catch one or two to satisfy her cravings since she was small, but she was always caught red-handed by the two senior brothers Danyang and Danzhu; she really didn't know how their eyes were grown.

"Since that's the case..." Maidong looked at Xinyi eagerly, and the latter was startled in his heart by the look. "Xinyi, do you have any doubts? Say them quickly and let the Peak Master clear them up for you!"