The setting sun looked like an egg yolk.
The sunset glow shone on a white-clothed man who was stained with blood and unsmiling.
Jing Yue was standing on the boat with his long sword that had gone blunt. He looked back. “The Young Master will not be seeing you. You should leave.”
Tang Xiansheng’s smile froze on his face.
This man was so blunt…
Tang Xiansheng had heard about Jing Yue. He was quite famous in Sword Sect. Swordsmen were supposed to be brave. However, this weirdo would run faster than anyone when he came across danger.
Tang Xiansheng thought highly of Jing Yue because Jing Yue was just like him. They were the same kind of person. They valued their lives more than anything.
That was why among so many people in Sword Sect, Jing Yue left an impression on him.
However…
At this moment, Tang Xiansheng suddenly found Jing Yue very annoying.
Did Lu Ping’an say anything?
Why did this guy say Lu Fan didn’t want to see him?
Tang Xiansheng straightened up slowly. Narrowing his eyes, he looked at Jing Yue. “I’m here to visit Young Master Lu. Please pass on a message for me.”
He didn’t sound like he was happy.
You should never get angry with a person who is smiling.
If Jing Yue had given him face, then he would also have given Jing Yue face. After all, courtesy is a two-way street.
Jing Yue shook his head. He realized Tang Xiansheng was not happy with him.
After all, only he could hear Young Master’s voice. Tang Xiansheng could not hear it.
“Young Master did say he doesn’t want to see you… Just go,” Jing Yue said.
Then, he took the pole to slap it on the water surface. The water rippled. And the boat sailed toward Lake Island at high speed.
Jing Yue vanished from the misty lake gradually.
The wind was a little warm.
Tang Xiansheng’s luxurious clothes were blowing.
He looked back at Luo Yue. A smile appeared on Tang Xiansheng’s face again. He pointed at where Jing Yue had disappeared. With a false smile, he said, “This guy is unbelievable.”
Luo Yue was speechless.
In fact, he wanted to tell Tang Xiansheng that Jing Yue had got Young Master’s instruction indeed.
“General Luo, could you pass on a message for me? Just tell Young Master Lu that South County Mayor Tang Xiansheng is here in person,” Tang Xiansheng said.
Luo Yue opened his mouth, but he shook his head.
“That man is White Jade City’s disciple. He said that Young Master doesn’t want to see the Mayor, so the Young Master doesn’t want to see you. Mayor, please go…”
Luo Yue certainly would not disobey Lu Fan’s order for Tang Xiansheng’s sake.
Tang Xiansheng’s face was twitching.
He had never been shut out of the door before.
This Young Master Lu from Beiluo assumed such grand airs.
Even the emperor would see him in person if he went to the capital city. This Lu Ping’an…
“Well, he is truly a cultivator. He has the pride of cultivators.”
Tang Xiansheng smiled gently.
“Well, so I’ll just wait here by the lake and go to the island when Young Master Lu wants to see me.”
Carrying his knife, Luo Yue threw Tang Xiansheng a look.
This was just a trick many people would use.
However, Luo Yue looked awkward very soon.
Tang Xiansheng found a clean step on the stairs where there was no blood. He gathered up the ends of his robe and sat down after wiping the step with a handkerchief.
Looking at the setting sun and the beautiful misty Beiluo Lake, he was enjoying the breeze.
If he, Tang Xiansheng, showed Young Master Lu he genuinely wanted to see the latter, then he supposed Young Master Lu would agree to see him in the end.
Tang Xiansheng was really curious about Lu Ping’an.
There was a rumor.
It was said that whoever got Lu Ping’an’s help would get the world.
He truly believed it. If he could have Lu Ping’an as his advisor, then the world would be his.
Tang Xiansheng was confident. He believed that with his eloquence, he could even convince people a dead person was alive.
A bent sword was straight.
And fishes and shrimps in the sea would even jump out of the water.
Tang Xiansheng looked at the lake’s surface. As long as he had the chance to speak…
All of a sudden…
He felt he was suspended in midair.
He found himself lifted from the step by some people.
“Ah?”
“What are you doing?!”
Tang Xiansheng was astonished.
He hurried to struggle, but the Dragon Blood Army in Beiluo City had taken Dragon’s Blood Elixir, so they were extremely strong.
Tang Xiansheng couldn’t wrench himself from their grasp at all. So he was lifted.
Luo Yue arranged his armor. Throwing Tang Xiansheng an indifferent look, he said, “Mayor Tang, I just got the Young Master’s order. He doesn’t want to see you.”
“And he wants you to leave the dock.”
“You are in the way.”
Tang Xiansheng’s face turned pale and then darkened.
Why?
Why didn’t Lu Ping’an want to see him? He just couldn’t get it.
He knew Lu Fan had seen the Imperial Advisor Kong Xiu when the latter came here. When the emperor Yu Wenxiu came, Lu Fan also saw him.
Lu Fan even saw the Overlord when the latter came late at night.
Why didn’t he want to see him Tang Xiansheng?
“General Luo, are you kidding? Young Master Lu didn’t say anything. How could you decide on your own?”
The smile on Tang Xiansheng’s face was fading.
“Young Master could transmit his voice across thousands of miles. The order emerged in my head directly. It’s normal that, Mayor Tang, you can’t hear anything,” Luo Yue said in a plain voice.
Several soldiers of the Dragon Blood Army carried Tang Xiansheng onto his carriage.
“Absurd!”
Tang Xiansheng was pissed off.
Luo Yue frowned. He grasped the handle of the knife he was carrying at the waist as powerful Qi and blood burst.
“You didn’t need to drive me away with such an absurd excuse.”
However…
As soon as Tang Xiansheng finished speaking…
He heard a plain voice in his head.
“Oh? Absurd?”
“What is absurd?”
It was a gentle voice, but it sounded a little indifferent and aloof.
Tang Xiansheng’s face froze. He opened his eyes widely and glanced around, unable to believe it.
Who was speaking?
Why was he hearing a voice in his head?
Cultivators could do that?
His son Tang Yimo was also a cultivator, but Tang Xiansheng almost knew nothing about cultivators.
“Don’t make me repeat the same thing for the third time.”
Lu Fan’s voice came again. Then it went quiet.
Tang Xiansheng opened his mouth.
He apparently perceived Lu Fan’s unhappiness.
So he didn’t have the nerve to pose another question.
Young Master Lu from Beiluo was famous for his bad temper. Tang Xiansheng figured he might not be able to walk out of Beiluo City alive if he really irritated Young Master Lu.
A person so afraid to die like him would not have the nerve to take such a risk.
Tang Xiansheng cupped his hands at Lake Island in awe. Then he went into the carriage.
“Go back to the capital city.”
******
Lake Island, Beiluo.
Leaning on the back of the Thousand Blades Chair, Lu Fan was holding the bronze liquor cup with warm green plum wine in it.
His white robe and hair were blowing in the wind.
He certainly had his reason to refuse to see Tang Xiansheng, because it was not necessary.
Tang Xiansheng came to see him for an obvious reason. He wanted to convince Lu Fan to join South County to be his advisor. Lu Fan didn’t want to deal with this indeed.
So he simply refused to see Tang Xiansheng.
He would rather set up the Wind Rain Strategy on the chessboard or watch Nie Changqing and the others fight against the ruler in the Secret Realm than see Tang Xiansheng.
Jing Yue came back.
When his boat had appeared on the lake…
Ni Yu, Nie Shuang, and the others on the island were all relieved.
Ni Yu took out that Gathering Qi Elixir wrapped in cloth with disgust. Then she threw it back to Jing Yue.
Jing Yue grinned. He went to the second floor.
“Young Master…”
Jing Yue knelt on one knee before Lu Fan.
Lu Fan took a sip from the bronze liquor cup. “Great.”
“From now on, you are a disciple of White Jade City.”
Jing Yue raised his head in pleasant surprise.
“Thank you, Young Master!”
Lu Fan nodded, playing with the liquor cup in his hand. Then he waved with the other hand.
Suddenly, Jing Yue’s blunt sword flew out and stopped in Lu Fan’s hand.
“Well… This sword is damaged.”
“Now that you are already White Jade City’s disciple, I’ll gift you a sword,” Lu Fan said.
Then he lifted his hand. With his long delicate fingers pressed against the armrest of the wheelchair, he gently pulled it forward.
The red Phoenix Feather Sword flew out.
The sword flew around Jing Yue; its flame was burning bright.
A pile of melted iron showed up in the air.
Soon, Lu Fan turned the melted iron into a long narrow blade with his mind.
The blade was three feet long, carved with strange patterns.
Floating before Lu Fan, he flicked the tip, the middle part, and the handle of the sword. There were three flicks, and wisps of Spirit Qi burst every time to shake the blade.
The Phoenix Feather Sword returned to the armrest of the wheelchair.
He waved his hand.
The three-foot-long sword moved up to Jing Yue.
“This sword is for you, so you’ll name the sword,” Lu Fan said.
“A sword is the most frequently used weapon to attack. Sword spirit can increase a sword’s power. I hope you won’t fail this sword. Hopefully, you can work the sword spirit out and become a swordsman who really has a sword spirit,” Lu Fan continued.
Jing Yue was extremely thrilled. His lips were trembling.
Was this the gift Young Master would give him?
Looking at this beautiful sword that tugged at his heartstrings, Jing Yue reached for it. His hands were also trembling.
He grasped the sword like he was holding the hand of his lover.
This was the first gift Jing Yue had received in his life, and it would always be his favorite, one and only.
Wherever the sword was, he would be there.
Lu Fan waved his hand, so Jing Yue went downstairs.
Holding the sword, he was touching it with affection.
All of a sudden…
A shadow showed up quietly behind him. Jing Yue was almost scared to death.
“Could you let me have a look at the sword?”
His hoarse voice sounded like it had been rubbed against gravels.
Jing Yue looked back immediately. Looking around, he saw no one. Not until he had lowered his head did he see a small man.
“Senior Gongshu?!”
Jing Yue was surprised.
He found it was Gongshu Yu, the leader of Jiguan Pavilion, which was now under White Jade City’s command.
Standing with his hands behind his back, the white-haired Gongshu Yu looked pretty old and sad.
He stared fixedly at the sword in Jing Yue’s hand.
He seemed to realize Jing Yue was hesitating.
“Your sword needs a sheath. If you let me have a look at it, I’ll give you a sheath as a gift,” Gongshu Yu said.
Jing Yue smiled. He handed the sword to Gongshu Yu.
Taking the sword, Gongshu Yu was as excited as Jing Yue. He touched the sword gently as if it was a woman with stunning beauty.
He touched the pattern on the sword as well as the edge of the blade.
“It’s truly Young Master’s work… This sword is so well-made. Its creator has fully comprehended the essence of Tool Refining Manual. This is a Spirit Tool, a Spirit Tool of Earth Level High Grade!” Gongshu Yu said.
He had read Tool Refining Manual, so he knew the grading system for Spirit Tools.
He gave the sword back to Jing Yue reluctantly.
“It’s a good sword, but you still need to nurture it. A tool is lifeless, but humans are alive. If a man can inject his Spirit Qi into his tool, then the tool’s power will be further enhanced.”
“Take Nie Changqing, for example. His butcher knife is not an ordinary butcher knife anymore, thanks to the nurture of his Spirit Qi. Maybe its grade isn’t as high as your sword, but in a real fight, you won’t be able to repel its attack.”
With his hands behind his back, Gongshu Yu asked, “What is it called?”
Gently stroking the sword, Jing Yue was smiling. “My family name is Jing. This sword is like heaven for me… So I’ll call it Jing Heaven Sword.”
“Jing Heaven?”
Gongshu Yu ruminated on the name of the sword, slightly nodding.
“Give me three days. I’ll build a sword sheath for Jing Heaven Sword…” Gongshu Yu said.
Then he took out Tool Refining Manual and started to read it while walking.
If he hadn’t sensed Lu Fan had built a sword for Jing Yue, he wouldn’t have paid any attention to Jing Yue.
“Thank you, Senior Gongshu!”
Jing Yue was moved. He pressed his lips into a thin line. The sword the Young Master had given him was too precious.
Young Master thought him highly indeed!
******
South County.
Tiandang Mountain.
The cold moonlight spilled on the mountain.
The ancient stone stairs of Daoist School were full of all kinds of marks.
A black-robed shadow was walking slowly toward Daoist School’s main gate.
On the field, the Daoist disciple guarding the gate was napping while holding a broom.
When he stepped on a leaf, creating a crunching sound, the Daoist disciple woke up.
The Daoist disciple was slightly startled when he had opened his eyes and saw that black-robed shadow.
“You…”
However, the black-robed man removed his hood with a restricted smile. A ferocious face showed up, but that face had some coquetry on it.
Coquetry?
The Daoist disciple was very nervous. That damn coquetry.
“You are from Nanman?!”
The Daoist disciple was extremely startled when he had seen the face, where ferociousness and coquetry controversially coexisted, clearly in the moonlight.
The black-robed man pointed at the middle of the Daoist disciple’s forehead with his hand in the shape of orchid fingers. Then the Daoist disciple, holding the broom, semmed to go nuts.
“Daoist School… No, it’s called Daoist Pavilion now? Daoist Pavilion under White Jade City’s command?”
The black-robed man smiled.
“Internal Organs is the highest fighting power in this world? Qi Core is the realm to refine Qi. Internal Organs is similar to the Foundation Building Realm in our world. Unfortunately, all of those in the Internal Organs Realm here are just beginners. It would be a little tricky if there were cultivators in the peak of Internal Organs.”
The black-robed man stroked his own cheek with his orchid fingers and touched his rough hair. He frowned with disgust.
“This filthy disgusting body.”
“Lu Ping’an, leader of White Jade City, is said to be the number one cultivator in this world. According to the level of this world, he should be a medium-grade Foundation Building cultivator at most. As the duplicate of one wisp of Spiritual Sense, my strength should be enough to handle him. However… I can’t be too careful. Let me try him first.”
A hoarse laugh of exulting coquetry started.
The black-robed man pointed at the middle of the young Daoist disciple’s forehead. A fluctuation spread, rippling the air. The young Daoist disciple flopped onto the ground in a daze.
In the temple, Daoist School.
Candle flames were flickering.
Behind an old Eight Immortals Table, Xie Yunling was writing and drawing with a writing brush. He was wearing a Daoist robe. The hair around his temples was all white. After the loss on Lake Island, Xie Yunling started to focus on studying formations using Daoist techniques.
He found formations using Daoist techniques were very promising.
If he had had enough Spirit Qi, he would have been able to cause Lu Ping’an more troubles in the battle on Lake Island.
What a pity.
He only had little Spirit Qi.
All of a sudden…
Xie Yunling stopped writing.
There was no wind.
However, the candle flames on the Eight Immortals Table were flickering like crazy.
Lifting his head, Xie Yunling shouted in an aggressive voice.
“Who is that?!”
Then he heard a hoarse laugh of exulting coquetry.
He saw a black-robed shadow wearing a hood before the Daoist Temple.
Xie Yunling blinked.
And the black-robed man vanished from where he had been standing. He showed up behind Xie Yunling like a ghost and put his big hand in the shape of orchid fingers on the latter’s shoulder.