Chapter 32

Sword-Drawing Stance, Sword-Sweeping Stance, Sword-Stumbling Stance, Sword-Breaking Stance, Sword-Rippling Stance, Sword-Falling Stance, Sword-Flicking Stance…

Each stance was breezy and dashing, worthy of being called one of the most handsome sword techniques in the entire history of Wu Xia dramas.

Besides, although it was not as comprehensive as the original, its offensive intent was stronger — it did not wait for the opponent to strike first before responding move for move.

Therefore, in the eyes of some people, that version of "Dugu Nine Swords" was even more orthodox than the one in the original work!

So Jiang Sishui got an idea — could he comprehend those few stances from the movie version?

If he succeeded, setting everything else aside, in terms of sheer aesthetics alone, even Ye Gucheng's "Flying Immortal Beyond the Heavens" might not compare.

Absolutely a divine tool for showing off and flirting with girls!.

While Jiang Sishui was studying "Dugu Nine Swords," Yao Yue, who had been on the road for four long days, finally arrived at Wuliang Mountain.

Gazing at the rolling mountain range before her, Yao Yue could not help but turn back to glance at the maids of Moving Flower Palace behind her, her brows furrowing.

With so few people, entering Wuliang Mountain was no different from a drop of water merging into a river — finding a place that hid a secret manual was easier said than done.

Thinking of this, Yao Yue wished she could bite Jiang Sishui — he had not even bothered to explain things clearly!

"Mm? Wu Wu Ya Zi… Northern Nether Divine Art… judging from the contents of the diary, the two should be connected."

"It's possible that 'Northern Nether Divine Art' was Wu Wu Ya Zi's signature skill, and he left it behind at Wuliang Mountain."

"The Zhenlong Chess Formation has been set up for twenty years, which means when he stayed at Wuliang Mountain, it was at least twenty years ago!"

"That makes it even harder to find."

"But a figure like that staying at Wuliang Mountain couldn't have gone unnoticed — perhaps the local sects know some old secrets."

At this thought, Yao Yue felt a sudden sense of clarity and said lightly: "Yue Nu."

Hua Yue Nu hurriedly stepped forward and said respectfully: "Great Palace Master, this maid is here."

"What sects are there at Wuliang Mountain?"

She only asked what sects there were, not how strong those sects were.

Because, on the surface, within Yunzhou, the only two she had to be wary of were the Dali Imperial Family and the Cang Sect.

"Wuliang Mountain has two sects — one is the Wuliangjian Sect, the other is the Wu Du Sect."

"The Wuliangjian Sect is closer to here, divided into the East and West Branches. The East Branch's head is Zuo Zuo Zimu, the West Branch's head is Xin Shuangqing — both are merely at the Innate Realm."

"The Wu Du Sect is on the other side of Wuliang Mountain. Its head is Dugu Ba, who is said to have high martial arts and once killed a Houqi Sect master in a single strike. No one knows his true strength."

"Of course, Dugu Ba is certainly no match for the Great Palace Master."

Hua Yue Nu casually tossed out a flattery.

Yao Yue did not pay any attention to Hua Yue Nu's flattery and murmured: "Wu Du Sect? The founding patriarch back then, the Five Poisons Divine Lord, was indeed formidable, but sadly the sect has fallen on hard times now."

Back when the Five Poisons Divine Lord was around, the Wu Du Sect had been at the peak of its glory, so powerful that even the Moving Flower Palace of that time had to avoid its sharp edge.

Now the wheel of fortune had turned. The current Moving Flower Palace had entered the era of "Lone Moon and Solitary Star," and its strength had already surpassed the other side.

As for that Dugu Ba, Yao Yue did not take him seriously at all.

No matter how deeply the other party hid, as long as they had not entered the Heaven and Human realm, she feared them not in the slightest.

"Since the Wuliangjian Sect is closer, let's go find them first."

"Yes, Great Palace Master."

"The Wuliangjian Sect is so weak, yet instead of banding together against outsiders, it split into East and West Branches — why is that?"

"I heard it was to fight over the right to reside in Sword Lake Palace."

"Oh? What's so special about that Sword Lake Palace?"

"Opposite Sword Lake Palace there's a He Shi Bi, and it's said that 'Immortals Dancing with Swords' often appears on it."

"Immortals Dancing with Swords?" Yao Yue's phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, catching a whiff of something unusual within.

Without further inquiry, she led the maids straight toward the Wuliangjian Sect.

Hua Yue Nu, following behind, looked at Yao Yue's back, a trace of worry surfacing in her eyes.

In just five days, she had gained nearly half a year's worth of true qi and was on the verge of breaking through.

At this rate, the fact that she also possessed a copy of the diary would be impossible to keep hidden.

As Yao Yue's personal maid, she knew all too well the other's domineering, supremacist temperament.

If Yao Yue found out she had something identical to her own, there was no guarantee Yao Yue would not do something to her.

Precisely because of this, Hua Yue Nu had never dared tell Yao Yue the truth.

Including this trip to Wuliang Mountain—she understood Yao Yue's purpose, yet had no choice but to pretend not to.

"Diary copy, oh diary copy—are you my fortune, or my tribulation?"

Hua Yue Nu sighed inwardly.

The group did not bother concealing their tracks and headed straight for Wuliang Palace.

However, upon arrival, the building complex before them had long been abandoned.

There were no signs of a fight at the scene, but the tables and chairs were overturned everywhere, all sorts of furniture askew — the original inhabitants seemed to have fled in panicked haste.

"This… could it be that the Wu Du Sect came to attack the Wuliangjian Sect, and the latter got wind of it and fled in advance?"

Hua Yue Nu carefully offered her guess.

The moment her words fell, she felt a gust of wind sweep past her side, and the spot where she stood was empty.

Hua Yue Nu was stunned. She turned her head and saw that Yao Yue, from head to toe, had never moved a muscle, yet her body had already shot forth at tremendous speed.

The entire process seemed as though she were riding the wind!

By the time Hua Yue Nu recovered from the shock of Yao Yue's astonishing Lightness Skill, the latter was already fifty zhang away.

Yao Yue swept out a long sleeve, sending a gust of fierce wind — a middle-aged man hiding behind the bushes was instantly blasted out.

The middle-aged man spat blood, his pale face unable to conceal his shock as he stared in disbelief at the breathtakingly beautiful young woman before him.

He had never imagined that, with such a great distance between them, the slightest sound he had made would already have been heard by the other party.

Is this even human?!

He had no idea of the marvels of the "Ming Yu Gong" — one of its effects was a tremendous boost to hearing.

At Yao Yue's current realm, so long as she focused her spirit, her range of hearing could extend as far as a hundred zhang!

Yao Yue naturally could not be bothered to explain any of this to him. Looking down at the middle-aged man from above, she said coolly, "Speak. Who are you?"

Her voice was clear and cold, ethereal and elusive, impossible to pin down; the indifferent tone carried a ruthless edge that sent a chill through the middle-aged man's heart.

He did not dare put on a brave front, and hurriedly said, "Responding to the heroine, this lowly one is Gong Guangjie, a disciple of this Wuliangjian Sect."

A disciple of the Wuliangjian Sect?

Yao Yue was secretly pleased, and asked again, "Why is the Wuliangjian Sect completely empty? Tell me the whole story from beginning to end."

"Yes, yes!" Gong Guangjie did not dare disobey, and at once poured it all out like beans from a bamboo tube, recounting everything that had happened over the past few days exactly as it had occurred.

Three days ago, two young girls arrived at Wuliang Palace and asked for the Sect Master Zuo Zimu by name.

After Zuo Zimu received them, the other party actually had him lead the way, wanting to go to the Wuliangjian Sect's forbidden ground.

Zuo Zimu naturally refused. Seeing that the other side's attitude was unyielding, he made a move to gauge the two girls' strength.

Unexpectedly, the two sides had only exchanged a single palm-strike before Zuo Zimu succumbed to poison and died.

Within Yunzhou, the largest sect that used poisons was none other than the Wu Du Sect, and the Wu Du Sect happened to be the Wuliangjian Sect's neighbor.

Over the years, perhaps out of fear of arousing the suspicions of the Dali imperial household, the Wu Du Sect had kept a low profile, almost never taking the initiative to stir up trouble or carry out the annihilation of sects; thus they had coexisted peacefully with the Wuliangjian Sect.

But who could guarantee that the Wu Du Sect would always remain so?

Seeing the Sect Master dead, all the disciples assumed the Wu Du Sect was about to make a move on the Wuliangjian Sect, and so scattered in a rush.

Gong Guangjie was naturally no exception.

However, before leaving, he saw those two girls seize his martial uncle Rong Ziju and force him to lead the way to the forbidden ground at the back of the mountain.

Yet in the days that followed, disciples still lingering around the outer perimeter of the Wuliangjian Sect never detected any aggressive moves from the Wu Du Sect.

It seemed they had all just been scaring themselves.

So one by one people crept back to Wuliang Palace to investigate the situation, and Gong Guangjie was one of them.

But he was rather unlucky — he had only just reached the edge of Wuliang Palace when a commotion came from down the mountain.

Gong Guangjie did not dare make a sound, lying flat on the spot without moving a muscle.

It was only when Yao Yue's group had moved some distance away that he figured he would not be exposed, and tried to slip down the mountain.

Who could have known that the moment he moved, he was spotted by Yao Yue.

And so came the present scene.

"Two girls… the forbidden ground at the back of the mountain…"