Chapter 747: Like-minded Interests

The sky was high and the wind cool, with the Five Tombs visible in the distance. The sun hung high above Le You Plain. Cui Zhaoye gripped Li Piaoqing's hand tightly, like a monarch entrusting a heavy responsibility.

Zhangsun Jue stood silently to the side, clutching several paper scrolls, feeling like a eunuch awaiting an imperial decree.

Li Piaoqing smiled: "How could I possibly steal someone else's beauty?"

Cui Zhaoye looked at her softly, as if she had met her destined person, and pleaded: "Then you must come and be a vice-president."

Li Piaoqing smiled again: "Alright then, just don't kick me out later."

"How could I!"

"If I return to the West after the Feather Scale Trial, I won't be able to attend the meetings for a long time. Wouldn't that be holding a position without doing the work?"

Only then did Cui Zhaoye remember: "Right, are you also here to participate in the Feather Scale Trial? Which sect are you from—let's go to the Tianshan Sword Banquet together tomorrow."

Li Piaoqing smiled: "I came here precisely with Tianshan."

"Ah?"

"I was just about to say, seeing that everyone is very willing to go, but the invitations are not quite enough." The young girl spoke slowly and with a smile, "As a return gift for President Cui's invitation, I will write eleven more invitations for everyone. One is specifically for that friend."

She gestured toward the official's daughter who had led her in.

Cui Zhaoye was stunned: "So you are a high disciple of Tianshan... may I ask which Pool Master you are under?"

"No, I am from a nameless small sect, just hitching a ride on Tianshan's reputation," Li Piaoqing smiled, "Does Miss Cui have paper and a brush?"

Although she said it this way, Cui Zhaoye could not understand it; she had never heard of a nameless small sect under the shelter of a major sect, or an outsider who came along for the ride, being able to intervene in the internal affairs of a major sect.

Let alone casually agreeing to ten or so invitations—in whose name would you issue the invitations?

The Tianshan Sword Banquet was absolutely one of the most important actions of Tianshan on this trip, with almost seven or eight out of the top ten on the Fu List attending. Cui Zhaoye herself had requested a dozen invitations, also because the people she planned to distribute them to were mostly children of the nobility in the Divine Capital.

So at this moment, the part of Cui Zhaoye's brain belonging to a direct daughter of a noble family woke up. She looked at the lightly smiling face before her, thinking that she might truly be from a small sect, but either she happened to be the person in charge of Tianshan's Sword Banquet, or her identity was still being concealed.

Zhangsun Jue was just as curious, but she had already handed over a small stack of stationery.

Li Piaoqing said thank you, bent down, picked up a fine brush, and wrote a few lines of brief text. Cui Zhaoye had been curious for a while and leaned over with a smile to look.

"Don't crowd," Li Piaoqing smiled.

"Let me see what kind of sacred being this sister is." Cui Zhaoye leaned closer to her—truth be told, there was truly a fresh scent about the young girl, and the sachet she wore was completely different from the exquisite spices commonly used in the Divine Capital, making her unable to help but sniff.

Cui Zhaoye leaned over from her shoulder and saw three lines of elegant handwriting.

"Hereby invited (Cui Zhaoye, the name is left blank),

On the 16th of the third month, at the Tianshan Guest House at Yu Lin, to attend the Sword Banquet together, it would be a great honor.

The 15th day of the third month of the Renwu year, Tianshan Jianmen, sincere brush."

Cui Zhaoye narrowed her eyes, thinking that this still used the Tianshan Jianmen's signature, so wouldn't that mean she was from Tianshan? How could an outsider use this name without asking for instructions? Moreover, there was no seal, so she doubted the actual validity of this invitation for a moment.

But she saw the young girl start another line of small characters and continue writing:

"The invitation was written in haste, using other stationery, please distinguish,"

Cui Zhaoye and Zhangsun Jue put their two heads together, watching the young girl's beautiful hand steadily write the last six characters:

"Issued by Li Piaoqing of Yufei Mountain."

"..."

"..."

Li Piaoqing's small brush moved like a silkworm thread, and she quickly finished writing the eleven invitations one by one. Then she fished two small seals out of her clothes, dragged over the written stationery, and "pat-pat" went the two red marks.

One was "Western Extreme Tianshan Jianmen," and the other was "Li Piaoqing, Pool Master of Yufei Mountain."

The young girl's hands were skillful and fast. In a few breaths, she had all eleven invitations ready. She lowered her head, gathered them together, and smiled as she handed them to the quiet Cui Zhaoye beside her: "Please distribute these, President. I will also be at the Tianshan Guest House tomorrow to welcome everyone."

Cui Zhaoye took them without a word.

Li Piaoqing paused and looked at their expressions: "Do you recognize me?"

Cui Zhaoye was just silent, but Zhangsun Jue had already widened her eyes, her mouth agape, staring blankly at the tabletop, her little face even turning somewhat pale.

Heaven have mercy, in the seventeen years of Miss Zhangsun's life, she had never anticipated such a situation; it was so awkward it was practically like being caught having an affair. And it was an affair she hadn't even wanted to have in the first place, having been coerced into it by Cui Zhaoye.

Li Piaoqing of Yufei Mountain, who didn't recognize her? A distant yet thunderous name.

Long before Pei Ye came to the Divine Capital, they already had a very good... a very good relationship.

Qu Xin had said personally that day: "The sender is Li Piaoqing, Pool Master of Yufei Mountain in Bowang Prefecture. This woman is seventeen, has kissed Pei Ye, but they haven't consummated the relationship, and they are still lingeringly attached..."

Zhangsun Jue's face turned red to her ears, her breath weak: "Pool Li Li Zhangmen... I-I am sorry, we have no improper thoughts about Young Hero Pei Ye."

Cui Zhaoye grabbed her wrist under the table, glared at this idiot who was disrupting the military morale, and forced a calm tone: "Not really."

Li Piaoqing put away her seals and smiled slightly: "We are all friends now, why look at me with that kind of expression? Is there something wrong with my reputation?"

This gentle smiling face immediately captured Zhangsun Jue, who hurriedly said: "No, no, Pool Li Li Zhangmen, I have long wanted to meet you."

Li Piaoqing smiled: "I only hope you don't ask any questions that make people feel awkward."

Cui Zhaoye looked at her with a calm expression from the side, her heart having

turned who knows how many corners. Finally, she slowly reached out and held her forearm, saying sincerely: "Pool Li Li Zhangmen, I really didn't expect to meet you here. I have long admired your name. It is truly an honor to have you in our Fellowship Society. We will definitely trust each other in the future."

Li Piaoqing smiled: "Is that so? Then I would like to ask first, how did you come to 'long admire' my name?"

Cui Zhaoye and Zhangsun Jue did not hesitate: "Qu Xin said so!"

"She sold you out for three steamed buns," Zhangsun Jue added indignantly.

At the end of spring, the sky brightened earlier and earlier. For the first time, Pei Ye got up an hour earlier than Yang Zhenbing. Ignoring the black-clad youth's surprised gaze, Pei Ye finished washing, changed his clothes, hugged his cat, carried his sword, and walked out of the courtyard gate proudly.

Today he was going to meet the Flying Light Ming Ming Jianzhu.

Scholars want to win the top prize, generals want to hold strong armies, but for a swordsman, there will never be a second answer to the highest pursuit of "external objects."

A famous sword.

These mysterious, long, and sharp objects are born with spirit, and can be met but not sought. News of them is rare in the human world, and countless swordsmen who want to pursue them have never been able to find a trace, as if those legends only exist in legends.

Therefore, the master of a famous sword has always been a title sufficient to distinguish a person from other swordsmen.

The first place on the Crane List has times when it changes, but as long as the Ming Ming Jianzhu does not die, they remain the Ming Ming Jianzhu.

Contrary to intuition, most of them are loners, or at least not purely members of a sword sect. This represents another vast world of sword path outside the control of the sects.

Pei Ye was naturally full of longing for this.

The first Ming Ming Jianzhu he met was Ming Qitian, whose stunning beauty goes without saying, but he hadn't seen the woman for several months, and it had been a long time since he parted with Liuli.

【Flying Light】 was the second famous sword he encountered.

Pei Ye had a deep impression of that scene in the river rain; the river mountains in the rain and mist were all ghosts and spirits, and a sword light interwoven with brightness and darkness cut across Zhao Lingjun's red robe, her long hair turning white, and wrinkles appearing on her face instantly.

Can this sword cut through time?

Pei Ye would naturally not miss such a rare encounter, although the Flying Light Ming Ming Jianzhu didn't seem to have much interest in him, she didn't dislike him either, and she had saved his life.

Although this Ming Ming Jianzhu was still in the Divine Capital, he didn't know when she would disappear without a trace, so Pei Ye naturally had to seize this opportunity.

Moreover, he was not only interested in 【Flying Light】, he was also full of longing for the Ming Ming Jianzhu herself.

For this, he had made sufficient preparations.

When he arrived at the Xiuwen Pavilion, the morning sun had already risen, and there were faint sounds of people in the courtyard.

Pei Ye inquired about Li He's residence and came to this quiet little courtyard.

Far in the north corner of the Xiuwen Pavilion,

Looking up, he could just see that small building of Xu Chuo's, and a maple tree in the courtyard poked out from the corner of the wall.

The door was already half open. As soon as Pei Ye approached, a voice came from the courtyard: "Come in."

Pei Ye stepped over the threshold and saw the man lowering his head, drawing water by the well.

"Have you eaten? There is porridge in the pot."

"Good morning, Senior. I have eaten." Pei Ye bowed seriously.

Li He drew up a bucket of clear water, poured it into a basin, and washed the bowls and chopsticks: "Good morning, Young Hero Pei Ye. His Highness said you wanted to see me, is there something the matter?"

After he finished asking this, there was no echo, so he tilted his head and looked at the youth, seeing him standing in front of the door, a pair of sincere eyes looking over. His attire, however, was slightly surprising—not sword-training clothes, nor tight-fitting clothes, but a long robe, his hair tied in a scholar's bun, and two books tucked under his arm.

Quite a fresh air.

Pei Ye bowed seriously again: "Pei Ye saw Senior's heroic posture on the river that day, and it has been on my mind, thinking of it day and night, so I came to visit."

Li He was slightly stunned and said: "What heroic posture do I have... actually, I may not be able to give you any guidance, perhaps I am not as good at using a sword as you..."

"Senior, you misunderstand." Pei Ye said softly, interrupting him.

"...... Hm?"

"Hearing of the E Lu Hua at the Chang Gate, looking at each other from afar across the ends of the earth;"

"......"

"Who knew that overnight I would be a guest in the Qin building, stealing a glance at the flowers in the King of Wu's garden." Pei Ye recited softly, and after finishing, he handed the two poetry collections under his arm to the man washing bowls with both hands.

"Senior, Pei Ye has liked poetry since I was a child. I have read Senior's masterpieces these past few days, and I am truly fascinated, unable to help but come to see you, wanting to ask Senior for advice on the path of poetry."

"......"

"......"

Li He looked at him silently.

The admiration in Pei Ye's two eyes was shining brightly.

After a few breaths, Li He shook the dishwater off his hands, silently took the two poetry collections, and looked down. One was "Li Changji's Songs and Poems," and the other was "Ten Selections of the Suolin Poets."

He opened them and looked, not knowing which bookstore had engraved them, but they hadn't told him or paid him any silver anyway.

"What do you... want to ask about?" Li He said.

"I feel that this poem of yours is truly good, I don't know how it was written." Pei Ye hurriedly moved a small stool himself, sat down by the washbasin, flipped the page, and pointed: "It's this one, 'Wu Silk and Shu Paulownia, Spread in the High Autumn.' After reading it, I felt a resonance in my heart."

"Is that so? What do you feel in your heart?"

"This junior is just about to learn the zither these days. After reading this poem, I truly felt something in my heart, as if hearing immortal music, making me feel as if I have already gained three-tenths of the skill even though I haven't touched the zither yet." Pei Ye recited the sentences he had polished many times, "This is all Senior's superb poetic art."

"This piece is about the Konghou, not the zither."

"...... Oh?" Pei

Ye frowned, "Is that so?"

"Yes. This bookstore's printing has errors, leaving the title off the page."

"So that's how it is. What is the difference between the Konghou and the zither?"

"The Konghou is played like this; the zither is like this." Li He made two gestures for him over the washbasin.

Pei Ye frowned and nodded: "Oh."

"Hm."

"......"

"If you want to learn poetry... was the poem you recited just now written by you?"

"Yes, pretty much."

"Pretty much?"

"Yes... I came up with the idea, but I asked a friend to polish the sentences—does Senior have any advice?" Pei Ye clasped his hands together, his expression calm.

"This one is written very well, the words are elegant, and the feelings are deep and graceful. I couldn't write this kind of poem." Li He said, "You should learn more from your friend. If you want to capture some of my style, I won't be stingy—you just need to inject more of your own perspective and emotions when constructing sentences."

Pei Ye nodded thoughtfully.

"Specifically, you first use emotions to render your perspective, no need to restrain it, and then use sentences to describe it." Li He finally finished washing the bowls and said seriously, "Let's take colors as an example—what color is this flower that is about to wither?"

"Red... I suppose?"

"I see it as 'rust red.' This flower's shape is cold and hard, it has bloomed for a long time in a damp corner, and today it is withering, with no one to see it. Isn't this 'rust red'?" Li He said, "When it comes to forming sentences, putting the color at the end of the sentence makes it look even more vivid and strange. For all scenery, don't be stingy with your direct intuition. One is to pierce the secluded, one is to enter the oblique, and finally, it becomes a sentence, and that is how it is."

Pei Ye frowned and nodded slowly, sighing lightly: "If I had received Senior's guidance earlier, this poem dedicated to Senior would definitely have been even better. Looking at it now, it is still rough."

"This one of yours is not rough—wait, this is a poem dedicated to me?"

"Yes, is there something wrong with that?" Pei Ye thought to himself that he had specifically said he wanted to dedicate it to someone he had long admired, and he had asked Li Yu Xi to make the emotions intense, and he had confirmed it with him several times, so how could he have written it wrong?

Li He was silent for a moment: "This poem... did you write it specifically for me?"

"Pretty much."

"It's not very appropriate to dedicate it to me."

"Why."

"It's a bit too mushy." Li He looked up at him seriously, "Reading this, it sounds like we are either intimate friends or have a homosexual relationship. I don't think we can talk about that."

"...... Oh." Pei Ye gathered his sleeves and remained motionless.

"Hm."

"......"

"......"

"Or, you might as well continue with the next part of what you wanted to say." Li He was silent for a while, suggesting

it.

"Alright. Well, since the poetry discussion is over, it can be said that we are like-minded and the host and guest are happy." Pei Ye said calmly, "Before parting, this junior would like to take the opportunity to ask Senior for advice on the sword path."

Li He breathed a sigh of relief. ===== CHAPTER 748 =====