Chapter 174: Empty Courtyard

Everyone had left completely. The young girl sat quietly for a while, then brought her hands back to her front; the sweat marks in her palms faded away.

She drew out the Lost Emerald Sword and found that her hand was not much warmer than the hilt.

Spitting out things that have been suppressed in the heart for a long time often makes people feel relaxed, but that kind of worry is a flood accumulated in the heart, and it is fine as long as it is vented; but this matter was a great mountain, and the process of spitting it out was the process of dumping it. Every companion who heard this news was shrouded in the shadow of the collapse.

Every bit of their pale complexion made the young girl's mood colder and more depressed.

This was the first time she had taken the initiative to make such a decision and bear such heavy pressure.

The young girl's fingers slowly slid across the cold sword body. This coolness seemed to seep into her heart along her fingers, and the heavy knot in her heart was slowly washed away a little.

"An excellent swordsman can always draw the confidence and calmness he needs from his sword."

Senior Brother said it like this.

This sword was rated as "C-Upper" by the East Sea Sword Furnace and could already be called a true precious sword in the Jianghu. It was light and heavy in moderation, thin and thick in moderation, and its edge had not changed after nine years. Unlike the thick blade in Zhang Junxue's hand, it did not need persistent day-and-night grinding; it only needed to truly pierce an enemy's throat and bathe in blood once to reveal the true sharpness of the precious sword.

Li Bijun poured a pool of clear water down the Lost Emerald Sword, then held the sword with a silk cloth and wiped it down in one go. The revealed sword body was deep green and bright, a circle thinner than the usual size, just like the young girl's light and sharp brows.

After turning her wrist to check twice, the young girl returned the sword to its scabbard, then shook out the silk cloth, picked up a corner, dipped it in some water, untied the small Heart-Slaying Glaze from her waist, and wiped it clean carefully.

The old man in green clothes was pushing the door and walking out at this time. Li Bijun heard the "creak" sound, turned her head to look, and saw the old man standing in front of the door without moving.

His gaze seemed to be stuck on the swaying branches in front of him, his head bobbing up and down.

"Uncle Master, are you awake?"

"Ah." The old man answered.

"Have you finished the food I brought in for you?"

"."

"Did you eat, Uncle Master?" Li Bijun tied the small sword back to her waist. "You can't not eat today."

"."

"Uncle Master?"

"I want to sit on this swing." The old man pointed to the tree branch and said.

"Eat first and then sit." Li Bijun smiled and stood up.

She walked into the room, and sure enough, the food hadn't been touched by a single chopstick. The young girl seemed to be used to it; she brought them out and fed the old man under the tree. The old man's eyes were still stuck on the tree branch, but he obediently opened his mouth.

This was Nie Qianyu, the Seventh Life with the deepest cultivation in Cuiyu. After suffering from dementia, he was no longer able to undertake sect affairs, leaving only his martial arts to be used. Cuiyu simply placed him beside the young girl with whom he had deep feelings, both to be taken care of and to act as protection.

Therefore, when Shen Yao left, she said to the young girl, "only you are left."

Li Bijun scooped up a spoonful and sent it into the old man's mouth. When she pulled out the spoon, she used a handkerchief to help him wipe the corners of his mouth: "Uncle Master, where did you put your sword? I didn't find it this morning."

"."

"Uncle Master?"

"Ah."

"Where did you put the sword?"

"Sword... I don't know, Yu Liang took it to play, right..."

". No, I put it by your bed yesterday."

". Oh! Then I remember! It's a leg, I put pants on it."

After feeding him, Li Bijun walked into the room, took out the long sword with the gold scabbard from a pant leg, and tied it to the old man's back.

"Uncle Master, I said hit whoever I say, remember?" Li Bijun pulled the cloth knot tight.

"."

"Uncle Master?"

"Oh, fighting... I know, I can fight." The old man's gaze finally moved away from the branch, and he said dazed, "Fighting... not sitting on the swing anymore, I want to fight!"

The young girl smiled and rubbed the old man's soft face with both hands from behind. She tilted her head and saw Zhang Dingyun passing by outside the courtyard gate. He couldn't help but look inside, and just happened to meet the young girl's eyes.

The little fatty subconsciously withdrew his gaze in a hurry, and only after a moment did he touch his head and turn to look over, performing a proper and apologetic salute.

Li Bijun smiled and beckoned: "Young Master Zhang, do you have time? I'll trouble you to convey a few idle words."

——

When Seeing Pei Ye returned, the sun was already setting in the west.

The martial arts field was still noisy. As the Wu Dou approached, training became more and more heated, but Seeing Pei Ye's heart was covered with a layer of dark clouds and a layer of mist, and he had no heart to integrate into it.

He went straight to the West Courtyard after entering the martial arts hall. He pushed the door, but it didn't move. He looked down—it was actually locked.

Seeing Pei Ye frowned and was about to climb over the wall when the little fatty was already shouting at him at the gate of the martial arts field.

Seeing Pei Ye turned to look: "Where did the Cuiyu people go? Did you see?"

"The disciples seem to have left. Miss Li and her Uncle Master went out to do something, saying they would be back later. She asked me to tell you to just wait in the martial arts field." Zhang Dingyun looked him up and down. "You kid have quite high treatment; Miss Li has to leave a message for you specially when she goes out."

"What are they doing?"

"They said the Cuiyu disciples participating in the Wu Dou will arrive tomorrow, and they went out to arrange their accommodation in advance."

"Oh." Seeing Pei Ye nodded.

The young girl had indeed said this matter long ago, and presumably, at that time, she would pretend to be negligent and leave her Uncle Master there, and then she herself would leave alone to give the Seven Serpents Cave a chance to act.

Seeing Pei Ye didn't know where that place was, so naturally, he waited for the young girl to come back as agreed. The black cat's side hadn't sent any news yet, so Seeing Pei Ye walked into the martial arts field first and drew his sword again.

Holding the sword horizontally in front, the familiar weight in his hand made his mind much calmer.

"Cuiyu's class ended today, and Seven Serpents' starts tomorrow—I thought Miss Li left because of this." Zhang Dingyun followed along and said.

"Who is coming from Seven Serpents to teach? Shang Huaitong?"

"How is that possible." Zhang Dingyun rolled his eyes. "In the past, it was all taught by the masters of the martial arts hall. It was only in the last few sessions that Seven Serpents started to buy people's hearts and sent people from the sect. But this time, it's really nothing to say; an elder is coming to guide personally, which is considered very generous—look."

The little fatty pursed his lips.

Seeing Pei Ye looked as agreed. Just now, the instructor seemed to be explaining some basic knowledge of Seven Serpents martial arts in advance. At this time, they were just taking a break, and most of the students walking over looked expectant, excitedly discussing tomorrow's teaching.

Seven Serpents was, after all, the current number one in Bowang. Their elders were naturally the top figures in the state's martial arts. Now that there was a chance for face-to-face instruction, it was considered very precious and rare.

"Miss Li won't leave." Seeing Pei Ye thought, this elder was considered to be placed on the bright side by Seven Serpents; Li Bijun would definitely not miscalculate. "Brother Zhang, let me ask you one more thing, is there any elder in the Seven Serpents Cave who is one-eyed?"

". Why do you always pay attention to the Seven Serpents Cave recently?" Zhang Dingyun frowned, his black and bright eyeballs staring at him and turning twice. "Miss Li left a message for you specially when she went out—you kid, you aren't planning to join Cuiyu, are you?"

". No, just curious and asking."

"I really advise you," Zhang Dingyun said after a silence, "this is offensive, but we have a friendship after all—Cuiyu is really not going to make it."

"."

"Last month, I sent goods to Cuiyu and Seven Serpents with the caravan. Cuiyu's side is quiet to put it nicely, and dead silent to put it bluntly. And this atmosphere is from top to bottom. Cuiyu's old Sect Master can be considered a talent, but he doesn't have many years left and is already decaying. Last year, there were still four elders in the sect as pillars, but this year, the strongest and youngest and most sharp-witted one died of illness, the old man who could hold up the sky suffered from dementia, and the remaining two Seventh Lives, one is hesitant and one is weak, and they can't handle even a sesame-sized matter."

He looked at Seeing Pei Ye: "Originally, waiting for Bai Yuliang for a few years, there was still a chance to hold it up, but now it goes without saying. Actually, Miss Li is also worthy of being called hope. My father said that as long as she is given some time, she will surely be able to revitalize Cuiyu—but Seven Serpents is not a fool."

Zhang Dingyun sighed: "This breath, Cuiyu has no place to gasp."

"Cuiyu is good, Seven Serpents is bad. If there is anything within our power, we will try our best to help," Zhang Dingyun said. "But you also have rare good talent, don't get hot-headed and throw yourself in for the sake of loyalty or beauty."

Seeing Pei Ye was silent for a while and nodded slowly: "I'm hearing about the situation in Cuiyu for the first time. In this way, the pressure Miss Li faces doesn't just come from the outside; inside her own sect, it is actually a pool of mud that entangles her feet."

"Not bad, the so-called internal and external troubles, it is indeed so."

Seeing Pei Ye originally thought that the Cuiyu sect was a fragile shell, and the young girl was well protected inside, just worrying and anxious about whether she could grow up before the shell broke.

However, now it seems that the young girl is already outside the shell. Her pressure comes directly from the terrifying wind and rain outside. When she turns back to repair the already broken shell, she still has to expose her back.

With such a heavy burden on such young shoulders, and in such a dangerous situation, it is not surprising that the young girl took risks to push this plan forward.

Seeing Pei Ye sighed lightly: "So the pressure she bears is much greater than I imagined."

". You are really hopeless."

"Hahahaha." Seeing Pei Ye laughed, only then realizing the warmth mistakenly brought into this sentence, and his face felt a bit hot. "Not that meaning—you tell me that news first, does the Seven Serpents Cave have a one-eyed person?"

"The one-eyed person of the Seven Serpents Cave, isn't it 【Three-Armed Serpent】 Meng Chuyuan." Zhang Dingyun rolled his eyes. "What kind of news is this? You can't find a second person in the whole hall who doesn't know."

"What is this person's cultivation?" Seeing Pei Ye asked humbly.

"The first cave of the Seven Serpents, the master of the Eagle Ravine Cave, a famous old-school Eighth Life, a figure who can't be ranked out of the top five in the Bowang Jianghu no matter what," Zhang Dingyun said. "He still doesn't have a satisfactory disciple. Why don't you change your thinking?"

But when Seeing Pei Ye heard this, there was no meaning of joking on his face, and his expression was slightly solemn: "I heard that the Bai Zhu Pavilion has two seniors, 【Green and Purple Huang】, how do they compare?"

". This is hard to say. Who is stronger still has to be fought to know." Zhang Dingyun frowned. "But generally speaking... everyone still thinks Meng Chuyuan is better."

". Good, I know."

"Alright, stop talking about these. I stole a pot of good tea from the Moon-Catching Tower this morning, want to taste it together?"

"No." Seeing Pei Ye moved his shoulders and elbows and stood his sword: "I want to practice sword, you go enjoy the great autumn light yourself."

". Fine."

——

It was not an excuse; Seeing Pei Ye really practiced sword.

This was his way of filling the waiting time. Of course, it was not full concentration, because the young man's mind was still thinking about the information he received today.

Relying only on the instinct of his body, 【Spreading Wings】 flowed out again and again, while Seeing Pei Ye's heart repeatedly kneaded Li Bijun's plan—without realizing the existence of the power behind it, could the preparations the young girl originally made still be used?

More importantly, if Meng Chuyuan participated in this action—he looked like he would participate most of the time—the chance of victory for Cuiyu and Bai Zhu could only be in the surprise when the Bai Zhu Pavilion acted.

When the young girl comes back tonight, he must persuade her to transfer another Seventh Life from the mountain gate.

Seeing Pei Ye thought in his heart, and the sword in his hand stabbed out again and again. When the brain is immersed in a certain matter, time always passes quickly, and so does the body.

Although Seeing Pei Ye's body and mind were not immersed in the same thing, when he suddenly woke up, the night had already shrouded the sky, and the people on the martial arts field were sparse.

What woke him up was a sense of smoothness coming from his body.

This feeling definitely didn't just appear; it had been quietly existing in Seeing Pei Ye's body for a while, but it only manifested just now.

Because when Seeing Pei Ye was using this 【Spreading Wings】 just now, a small insect flew towards his face. At that moment, the young man subconsciously flicked his sword to gently hit it down, and then still perfectly completed this accumulation of power.

This was exactly the realm Seeing Pei Ye had inadvertently stepped into when facing Zhang Junxue that day.

What had been troubling the young man about 【Spreading Wings】 was always its use in actual combat.

It required accumulation of power, and the process of accumulation could not be disturbed, so the swordsman could only keep dodging under the enemy's offensive and must never collide with the opponent's weapon—but facing an enemy of the same level or even stronger, didn't this mean binding one's own hands and feet?

Seeing Pei Ye had never found the method of using this move from the sword manual, only that day when facing Zhang Junxue, he had a flash of inspiration, and while picking away the opponent's knife, he completed this sword.

Now, this flash of inspiration was finally solidified by him.

This was not an understanding of this move 【Spreading Wings】, but a leap in the young man's entire sword path realm. After ascending to this realm, looking back at this sword move, he could already control it calmly.

——【Spreading Wings】 in the young man's hand was no longer a balloon that would break with one poke, but a deep reservoir.

Whatever comes, all is for my use.

Slashing, stabbing, receiving moves, colliding, no longer needing to bind his hands and feet when facing the enemy. The power generated by every collision would be transformed into the "reservoir."

Up to this point, it represented that the young man used 【Spreading Wings】 as a ladder to climb to the peak of the Clumsy Realm in just twenty days.

Seeing Pei Ye was slightly stunned for a while, then immediately struck while the iron was hot to practice the two moves behind the Sparrow Department, hoping to use his higher sword path vision at this time to see the problems in these two sword moves.

Sure enough, this time he used them twice and clearly felt the awkwardness in them. He was just about to make this problem clearer in his own hands when his hand suddenly paused.

A voice came from the Chi shadow in his abdomen: "Someone is coming here."

Bowang Garden, the bright moon hung high. The black cat squatted on the wooden edge outside the building, a pair of mirror-like eyes looking into the room: "I saw that person who used pills as a bet to make you fight that night."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 175 =====