Chapter 264

"... Hahaha," Pei Ye gave a dry laugh. "Miss Ming, this, uh... take a look at this *Snow Collapse*; there are some places I didn't understand."

Ming Qitian reached out to take it and flipped through it: "It's the same as the one I saw in Xilong. This sword technique relies almost entirely on talent; there's nothing to be explained. As for you, as long as you seriously contemplate it a few more times, it will be in your heart."

Her clear eyes looked at the youth: "How many times have you read it?"

"... Roughly, I read it once."

Ming Qitian was silent for a moment: "If you ask about it without reading it seriously yourself first, it is a sign of a restless mind, a taboo in sword practice."

Pei Ye's heart tightened: "... Sorry, I'm sorry."

"Did you not finish reading the *General Theory* and use this to stall?"

"I'm, I'm almost done."

"It's been about a month since I left," the woman said after a silence. "Bring the book here; I'll ask you."

Pei Ye got off the bed, kicked into his boots, went to the table to pull out the *General Theory*, and handed it to the woman with some hesitation: "Miss Ming, I've been quite busy this month."

Ming Qitian flipped through it: "Are these the annotations made by Zhu Gaoyang?"

"Yes."

Ming Qitian flipped through it: "Overall, they are all very good. I'll help you repair some parts about the Yunlang sword later... 'The Sword of Four Repulsions, first Nirvana then Clarity,' how is it interpreted?"

Pei Ye was startled: "*Four Repulsions*... is the technique of the Bai Lugong. 'Nirvana' is black soil in water, meaning filth..."

"I'm not asking you to explain the words."

"..."

"Talk about the sword logic within it. There are two other places in the *General Theory* that mention similar swords, remember?"

"There's also... the *Cleansing Body Sword* of the Qingwei Daoist Sect, and, and... and..."

Pei Ye lowered his head in embarrassment: "Sorry, Miss Ming, I haven't finished reading it properly yet."

Ming Qitian was silent for a moment. She naturally wasn't angry, but she was indeed serious: "Pei Ye, I have never taught anyone to practice the sword. You are the first person I have taught. If you don't take the things I require seriously..."

The woman paused for a moment. She had always completed her lessons the fastest and best since she was a child, and she hadn't accumulated experience on how to treat bad students.

Pei Ye was the one who got nervous first, feeling a bit dizzy: "Do, do I need to call you Master?"

"... That's not necessary," Ming Qitian was slightly startled. "Even if you were to join Yunlang, you wouldn't be under my sect... I still, don't take disciples."

"... Oh."

"In short, you must complete the tasks I assign later, otherwise your progress in the sword path will inevitably be sluggish," Ming Qitian said softly. "On Yunlang Mountain, the elders often say that every bit of sword talent is precious, and those who possess it but squander it are the most despised..."

"No, no!" Pei Ye explained hurriedly, ashamed, "Miss Ming, I've really been very busy this month and haven't had time to read!"

"Alright, just work harder later," Ming Qitian nodded. "Is it that matter you asked me to inquire about at Tianshan?"

"... Partly, this matter hasn't ended yet," Pei Ye thought of the cabinet incident last night, and his mood sank again. "By the way, Miss Ming, I have to go to the State Yamen for a gathering in a while. Let's talk when I get back... I have another matter I want to ask of you."

"I'll go with you."

"... Ah?"

————————————

End of the Si hour.

State Yamen, Inner Hall.

Except for Li Weiru, the four masters from that day were all seated. Cheng Lin and Shi Zanxue were still sitting beside Wu Dong and An Zang respectively.

Beside Wu Dong sat another man. He was in a gray long gown, thin and quiet, with a fine ribbon of light black base and light silver patterns wrapped around his wrist, lowering his head and calculating something in a small booklet.

And today, besides these two, there was another person who brought a companion.

Pei Ye was still sitting in the corner, but now he was no longer inconspicuous. A divine sword as clear as ice was placed flat on his knees, held down by his hand. Tender red and ghostly blue grew within it, looking like a demon or a fairy.

Everyone was seeing it for the first time, but everyone already had its name in their hearts.

【Heart-Slaying Zhanxin Liuli】

And the sword master famous throughout the world was sitting on the side, in simple white clothes, with black hair tied in a single bundle, making annotations in a small booklet with a brush.

It was about the contrast between snow and sky. Shi Zanxue also lost her color in front of this divine beauty that was like the high clouds and pale sky. She had long known that the youth was acquainted with this sword master, but the scene of them walking in together just now still made her eyes widen slightly—the youth had said that day that it was just a casual acquaintance of a few meetings.

Yet now he was holding Zhanxin Liuli in his hand.

Except for Sui Zaihua, the others hadn't expected this scene at all.

As the initiator of the Dao-Enlightenment Society, Yunlang Mountain and the Immortal Platform had always maintained a close trust. The woman traveled the world with her sword, but whenever she saw disaster, she never hesitated to take action.

Wu Dong certainly wouldn't block such a figure from attending. In fact, when Ming Qitian walked in following the youth, in the astonished silence, everyone felt a sudden sense of relief in their hearts.

The situation seemed to stabilize and clarify all at once. The woman certainly wouldn't be driven, but as long as she was in this city, their side was already invincible.

However, from another perspective... the trap they had set seemed to have disintegrated from their own side.

"When the Ming Ming Jianzhu entered the city... did she hide her figure?" Wu Dong said hoarsely.

"No," Ming Qitian didn't answer, but Sui Zaihua smiled first. "Cloud traces cut the sky, bright feathers scatter snow. Those who looked up at the sky last night should all recognize the *Gu She Heart Scripture* now."

"Then I think this trap can be put away," Wu Dong said.

Sui Zaihua also sighed with a smile: "I can also return to the Prefecture City."

"Before that, there are some things I must ask Sui Shaoqing, but let's talk about it below. For now, I must ask everyone not to forget that we have another trap," Wu Dong said.

An Zang raised an eyebrow: "Shouldn't this trap be taken back?"

Actually, this question didn't need to be answered. Just looking at Li Weiru's empty seat, there was already an answer.

Wu Dong's wrinkles twitched: "With the arrival of the Ming Ming Jianzhu and the departure of Master Sui, we naturally abandon this trap. Thus, the bait on the other side becomes even more hidden and credible."

He said slowly: "If my certainty of Joyful Huan Si Lou taking the bait was only four parts before, now it is seven parts."

An Zang frowned: "If the person who stole from the cabinet yesterday was from Joyful Huan Si Lou, I'm afraid many messages are already in this person's ears."

"That's something that can't be helped..."

"No," An Zang said. "I mean, what if he is... right here now?"

The room was silent for a moment.

"Then he won't hear anything either," the thin man beside Wu Dong suddenly spoke. Only after saying this did he remember to bow and salute. "That, I am the Shao Long Black Ribbon, Pu Huaimeng."

"Huaimeng is a very talented sorcerer in the Platform. I handed the matter to him last night," Wu Dong reached out a hand. "You speak."

Pu Huaimeng lowered his head to look at the small booklet in his hand and recited: "Techniques of concealment and shuttle exist in all schools, but the depth of leaving the current space after casting the technique differs, and the performance differs. In general, the shallower one leaves the current space, the easier it is to be detected, and the easier it is to exert influence on the space in return; the deeper one leaves, the more hidden it is, but it is also harder to exert means on the current space—when it is deep enough, everything seen and heard will be distorted. Generally speaking, assassination techniques are mostly the former; concealment techniques are mostly the latter."

"Now that the Ming Ming Jianzhu is here, she has a clear sword heart, and the Heart-Slaying Zhanxin Liuli can see the heart. If there is really someone here, no matter how deep they have left, they should be detectable."

An Zang was silent for a moment: "What if it's deep to the extreme?"

Pu Huaimeng was startled: "Then they have completely left the current space, without any connection, entering the so-called 'Void.' However, in that case, what they see and feel will also be completely distorted, and they also won't know what we are saying."

An Zang nodded slowly.

Pu Huaimeng flipped a page: "Based on what the Crane Inspector said, I think the key to that person not being able to break through the third cabinet last night lies in the 'sealing,' because the third cabinet actually divided the inside and outside into two completely different spaces. If he cannot shuttle, it proves that his means are based on 'space'."

"However, being able to completely avoid the eyes and ears of three masters and also make other things disappear together, I really have no clue about this kind of technique."

He closed the booklet: "That... this is my report."

Everyone in the room thought silently.

Pei Ye, who had experienced last night's events, had been listening carefully and trying to understand. At this moment, he frowned, turned his head to the woman beside him, and whispered: "Miss Ming, is it rare to be able to make other things disappear together? If not, what about clothes and weapons? Could it be that those assassins were all naked and empty-handed?"

Ming Qitian stopped her pen and said softly: "'Void' can 'completely avoid the eyes and ears of three masters,' and most other concealment techniques 'can make other things disappear together.' These can all be done. The Black Ribbon Pu is saying that adding the two together makes no sense, because the 'connection' is mutual."

"Oh!" Pei Ye nodded.

The room was silent for two breaths. Sui Zaihua said: "I will also add a sentence for the Crane Inspector—the person last night should not belong to Joyful Huan Si Lou."

An Zang looked at him: "Why?"

"Joyful Huan Si Lou likely doesn't have this kind of method," Sui Zaihua said. "They do have a teleportation array called 'Other Shore Treasure Raft,' but setting it up takes a long time, and it leaves traces after use."

An Zang frowned: "So Master Sui is saying..."

"Sun-Swallowing Society," Sui Zaihua closed his eyes lightly. "Joyful Huan Si Lou arrived here, and there is no reason for the Sun-Swallowing Society not to follow. And the motivation of the Sun-Swallowing Society is predictable—they are fighting with Joyful Huan Si Lou, clearly to compete for that ancient object. Arriving in Bowang now, they are strangers to the place and urgently need to obtain sufficiently credible information."

"And it is precisely them who are not afraid of being exposed to the court," Sui Zaihua opened his eyes and said. "This time, the spearhead of the Sun-Swallowing Society is also aimed at Joyful Huan Si Lou; there is no benefit in dealing with us, so our ambush on Joyful Huan Si Lou can continue."

An Zang nodded: "Alright."

Wu Dong continued: "Then, Master Sui must really leave, and the two of us must keep a close eye on that side—Ming Ming Jianzhu."

Ming Qitian had just finished repairing the notes in the *General Theory*, closed the booklet, and looked up.

"Could I ask you to lean toward the southeast of the city at night? Joyful Huan Si Lou knows you are by Pei Ye's side, so they will definitely not take action against him. We can just happen to cross the sea in secret, let go of Pei Ye's side, and open a pocket over there."

Ming Qitian pondered for a moment: "Pei Ye is also one of their targets, right?"

"... Yes."

The woman nodded lightly: "Then I will not leave Pei Ye's side."

"..."

"..."

"That's fine. Then the Ming Ming Jianzhu can take Young Master Pei further away from the southeast. In this way, Joyful Huan Si Lou will be more at ease to take action."

Ming Qitian nodded: "I will support as soon as possible."

Wu Dong bowed and poured a cup of tea: "Then, the 'Strange' matter is like this. Everyone wait for the whistle of Sect Master Li. Regarding the 'Right' side, please let Platform Master Cheng narrate the results of the progress over the past two days."

Cheng Lin bowed to all sides: "The two lines of *Snow Collapse* and 'Heart Amber' mentioned that day have both had progress and obstacles over the past two days. I will talk about *Snow Collapse* first."

"The records of this sword technique can be traced back to the arsenal inventory fifteen years ago. At that time, this sword was already recorded in the arsenal. But the earlier storage records cannot be found," Cheng Lin said. "We don't know who put this sword in. We have checked all the storage records for ten years, and are pushing toward earlier times, but presumably, there is little hope."

"As far as the current situation is concerned, arsenal storage is mainly divided into three situations: allocation from the upper prefecture, self-purchase, and obtained from bandits. The storage records for these three situations over ten years are all recorded in the Prefecture Calendar. After comparing them one by one, no omissions were found. Therefore, I think this is a separate storage record, which made it convenient to be destroyed."

"Separate?" An Zang raised an eyebrow.

Before Cheng Lin could answer, Sui Zaihua said softly: "Twenty years ago, there was an old rule that officials serving in the State Yamen could exchange goods in the Prefecture Treasury."

"Correct!" Cheng Lin said sonorously. "Master Sui is indeed a senior. I found this old rule. This sword manual was mostly stored through this path."

"What did he exchange for it?"

"... I don't know, the record is gone."

The hall was silent for a moment. Wu Dong said: "It can still be checked further. The official in charge of the treasury, the time of destruction, etc. And since it was an official, the list can be investigated. After the list is investigated, we can continue to investigate the officials' family members and friends. Do not spare manpower."

"Yes."

"Talk about 'Heart Amber'."

"Heart Amber is not a thing of Bowang. We have only temporarily sorted out its flow in Shao Long Prefecture," Cheng Lin said. "Heart Amber is produced at the bottom of Lingtai Lake in Langshan, about two hundred catties per year. One hundred catties are used for the Sword Academy, twenty catties are supplied to the Divine Capital, twenty catties are used for the Immortal Platform, and the remaining sixty catties are sold and auctioned by the Chamber of Commerce, with destinations varying widely."

"The conclusions given by Master Sui and Black Ribbon Pu are that the beads were formed six to ten years ago. The flow of those two hundred and forty catties of Heart Amber over these four years needs the Platform to do a check in the middle."

Wu Dong said lightly: "The remaining five hundred and sixty catties are not necessarily clean either."

Cheng Lin didn't take this sentence. He took out another volume of case files: "Master Sui, while you are still here, I would like to ask you about this old case of Yu Chaocai's assassination twenty years ago."

Sui Zaihua's hand holding the tea paused. Pei Ye saw this old man lower his brows for the first time.

Thanks to the two alliance leader bosses on New Year's Day. I was too busy to update and forgot. I am very sorry!!

Thanks to the support of the Iron Armor boss, Stars Still Above! Love you!

Thanks to the Blue-Black Hurricane boss for another alliance leader! Too extravagant!

Then there are still 32 chapters owed!

PS: I took a name from the extra building today. The group suddenly said we still have an extra building, and I remembered it. Then I took a look, and everyone's settings are relatively detailed. If I take them to fill in the blanks, it's inevitable that the square and circle won't match, and many settings actually conflict with the settings not yet revealed in the book. Moreover, the summary of the first volume also mentioned it. I will try my best to add elements to each small character, which may reveal some settings, reflect some world situations, or foreshadow later things. At the same time, which force's people appear in which place is generally considered. There shouldn't be those faceless extra characters that can be changed at will without affecting the plot.

So I will try my best to remember to use them, but mostly it will just be the names. I hope for your understanding!

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 265 =====