The news that Senior Sister Xiaoyun was going to participate in the Four-way War spread throughout the sect overnight, and the entire sect suddenly exploded... and became lively.
After all, before her, many sword cultivators had little interest in major battles.
The reason is very simple. It is definitely not because they are worried about getting hurt in the fighting. If they are not labeled as "Eastern Boundary Player" in the war, they will probably be very happy to go.
They were unaware of the turbulent situation unfolding, much less the current state of the Eastern Realm. They assumed it was just another, unremarkable exercise. Sword cultivators were used to solitude. Practicing alone was no different with a partner. Wouldn't it be better to practice in seclusion? In a war, their every move would impact their own side. Regardless of the pros and cons, they had to think things through, weighing this and that. This made the sword cultivators, accustomed to freedom, feel as uneasy as if fleas were crawling on them.
It’s not comfortable. I can’t do it!
Besides, no matter how indifferent Yun Xian was, she was still the only daughter of the sect leader. She could be considered a playboy in a narrow sense - the main thing was that playboys would go to the cafeteria for extra meals at night, cook chicken legs in their own kitchen, chase geese with swords, and other harmless things. Judging from the sect leader's appearance, it seemed that he had no ambitions for this daughter who was born with so much hardship. He didn't expect that Senior Sister Xiaoyun would be fine if she didn't move, but when she moved, it would be earth-shattering.
Everyone was initially skeptical of the news, until the weekly sect meeting. The Sixth Elder, finding a rare opportunity, stood up and lectured everyone: "Don't think this is easy! This is a life-or-death battle! What hardships have you young people endured? Back when I was training with my sword, I had to climb three mountains and walk ten miles to get to the sect. I'd wear out a pair of straw sandals every day!"
For the first time, everyone saw Yun Xian standing at the front of the team, yawning wider than her face. She was always this sleepy, and no one knew if she had gone out to steal chickens or touch dogs that night. But today, even if her jaw dislocated from yawning, she still stood at the front, obtrusive, making the Sixth Elder's noses smolder.
Damn, is this for real?
After looking at Yun Xian, they looked up at Yun Lang. The Sect Leader stood on the frost and snow, calm and composed, with the demeanor of a master.
Is it the Sect Master's request? Yes, he is the Sect Master after all, with foresight, and the decision he made must have his reasons, but the disciples are still young and can't understand it.
The farsighted leader coughed lightly and thought silently:
No way, is this for real?
Yun Xian looked at the Sixth Elder's white beard fluttering in the wind with boredom, her mind wandering to the sky, imagining him climbing the mountain while struggling to weave straw sandals. A thorny gaze struck her from behind her ear again, and she turned her head to see Qiao Lingshan staring at her with all her might.
I don’t know where this deep hatred comes from.
Good thing you came, I was just feeling bored!
Yun Xian smiled at her, not only was he not angry, he even made a face. She had no baggage, no matter how ugly she was.
Qiao Lingshan: “…”
The two people on the field with smoke coming out of their nostrils were father and daughter.
Of course, Yun Xian was not idle. She took advantage of the fact that Zhong Changyao had not arrived yet and asked someone to investigate his family background. The person sent her a letter yesterday and indeed got something.
Zhong Changyao was born into a declining family of cultivators, the youngest son with two older sisters. While not wealthy, he had enough to eat and wear. His motivation to embark on the path of cultivation was his childhood fiancée, arranged for him by his previous generation. Feeling a significant gap between them, she came to Zhong Chang's family, determined to break off the engagement... Hmm? Why does this plot sound so familiar?
Yun Xian looked again and again, only to realize that his fiancée hadn't come in a show of force, but had come privately, even speaking the truth politely. Cultivators and mortals have different lifespans, so this marriage would be of no benefit to her, so naturally she wanted to discuss breaking off the engagement. But this somehow touched Zhong Changyao's heart, and he was so angry that he swore on the spot:
“Thirty years in the east, thirty years in the west; don’t despise the young and poor!
I, Zhong Changyao, will one day make you come back and beg me to renew our engagement!"
After Yun Xian got the news, he hurried back to the storybook and discovered that his fiancée, who had escaped a disaster, did appear later in the story. However, her family had fallen on hard times and she had no choice but to seek help from Zhong Changyao. Jimo Shu was extremely nervous. That night, as they were making love, she finally asked the question that had been lingering in the storybook for a whole time: "...No matter what, I will always be your principal wife, right?"
Yun Xian was very healthy throughout his life and never had any minor illnesses or disasters. Whenever he had a headache or a fever, he would read this storybook to diagnose it.
The meeting finally ended. Yingluo had been waiting outside for a long time, and came over eagerly: "What did you say?"
Yun Xian held his sword and motioned her to follow him so she wouldn't get lost in the crowd. "We'll select two rounds, and the two strongest ones will go."
"Only two?" Ying Luo seemed to know everything. "But there are probably ten people in the sect with higher cultivation than you. Five of the inner disciples have gone down the mountain for hunting, so that leaves five. Maybe those disciples from the smaller sects who came down the mountain will also take up a spot. It's a close call."
"That's for sure." Yun Xian said, "I will definitely go."
Yingluo: “Wow!”
Yun Xian: "You don't believe it?"
In the final round, everyone entered the realm of swords and blades. They had to gain the approval of the gatekeeper sword spirit before they could advance. Those who could make it through were considered successful. The fastest time so far was held by Senior Brother Su Chi, who held the record at one incense stick.
Yun Xian needs an overwhelming result that will make her have no choice but to go forward.
She seemed lost in thought.
Yingluo was startled: "It's rare to see you look so serious."
"Really?" Yun Xian laughed again, the sudden solemnity disappearing without a trace, his eyes brightening: "Just wait and see."
Yingluo didn't have to wait too long. The next day, the side door of Jiange was quietly opened.
Once every ten years, the side gates were opened to welcome elite disciples from the scattered sects below the mountain. Although Jiange's strength had declined slightly in recent years, it was still the guardian sect of this small area and should take the lead.
The person in charge of opening the door was an inner sect disciple. Seeing that everyone was exhausted, he took the items they were carrying and explained, "The sect's protective formation has been reinforced this year and is connected to the sect's sword formation, making it difficult to move around. Therefore, you can only enter and exit through the side door. Sorry."
His tone was straightforward and unyielding. Messages passed on within Jiange were always concise, with the fewer words the better. To outsiders, he seemed indescribably cold and hard.
After he finished speaking, he nodded for everyone to follow him, turned around and left, his figure quickly disappearing in the wind and snow.
The disciples of the small sect looked at each other for a while, and they all felt a little unhappy.
"We've climbed the ladder for so long, and it's one thing for them not to come down the mountain to pick us up, but they won't let us go through the main entrance? Who are they looking down on?" someone grumbled softly. "And that cliff? There's no shelter at all. What if we fall? Are we supposed to climb back up? I don't believe they'd do this to their own disciples."
A gentle male voice rang out from the crowd: "Zhang Tao, be careful with your words."
The person who was speaking was dressed in white, his eyes were as dark as lacquer, and he smiled before he spoke. Although he didn't have many valuable items on his body, he already had an air of dignity lingering around him, which made people think of a line of poetry.
The beauty on the street is as beautiful as jade, and the gentleman is unparalleled in the world.
This is Zhong Changyao.
He had only been with this group of disciples for a few days, and now they were actually starting to feel like he was their leader. Zhong Changyao opened his lips slightly and said, "Perhaps there are other reasons. The Sword Pavilion has such a deep foundation that it would never do anything snobbish."
It would have been fine if he didn't help, but after hearing this, Zhang Tao started to look even more like a snob, becoming even more unhappy: "Deep background? I don't know where it has gone!"
Only the headmaster Yun Lang has some fame in the outside world, but now I guess no one knows where to find the successor.
"That's right, you think they are too naive."
"Not all sword cultivators are like you, still talking about the Purest Way. You are more cunning than anyone else."
"Look down on Xiao Zong...if we get a spot, we'll be so proud!"
"Zhong Changyao, it's up to you."
Zhong Changyao's handsome cheeks flushed slightly, and he waved his hands repeatedly: "I don't deserve it. I can only do what I can."
"Don't be so modest!" Zhang Tao even put his arm around his shoulders with a smile, "If the daughter of the Sword Pavilion leader falls in love with you, who knows who will own this territory in the future."
The people around laughed: "You can't say that. If it's too ugly, then forget it!"
Zhong Changyao also curled the corners of his lips and swept his hand away without a trace. There was a coldness in his eyes and no smile at all.
Jiange?
...That's all I can say about my vision.
Zhong Changyao was happily recruiting younger brothers, while Yun Xian and Ying Luo were squatting on the top of the mountain, looking forward to it, and were so bored that they started counting ants.
Jiange was such a frugal and stingy person that they couldn't even afford roast goose except on holidays (including the head), but today they had specially improved the food to entertain the guests. The head was talking with Mu Qing in the main hall, and almost all the other elders were present, even the elusive guest elder Jiang Xingyao.
Jiang Xingyao was the youngest guest elder in Jiange. His age and identity were unknown, but he appeared to be a handsome young man, with a smile in his eyes and a gentle breeze brushing his brows. He was well-versed in astrology, and whenever the sect had any important matters, they would ask him to perform a calculation to roughly determine the fortune.
He did not stand as straight as the other elders, but leaned against the wall. Yingluo heard the voice, looked up at him, and her face suddenly blushed inadvertently.
"Junior Sister Xiaoyun, you're here too, waiting for someone?" Jiang Xingyao was quite familiar and winked at her: "Want a fortune?"
He was always casual in addressing people. Yun Xian called him elder, and he called Yun Xian junior sister. They addressed each other by their own name and there was no conflict.
Since he was free anyway, Yun Xian moved over in a squatting position and said, "What can it count for?"
"Fate, fortune, calamity, face reading, what do you want to calculate?" Jiang Xing shook his sleeves and sat down beside her. "The higher the cultivation level, the vaguer it is, but I can still calculate some of the unimportant things."
Yun Xian: "This should be very convenient for gossiping."
"It's okay, it's okay. I just barely know a little." Jiang Xing shook his finger and said, "The leader's love tribulation has passed, and his marriage will be harmonious and smooth, and he will live a long and happy life. The Sixth Elder has a bad temper and likes to nag, so his Taoist partner is about to run away. The Fifth Elder is even worse off. It seems that no Taoist partner will be interested in him in this life..."
Yun Xian: “?”
Ying Luo: “?”
Is this just barely knowing? If I were a little more accurate, I'd even know the color of the Sixth Elder's pajama pants today, right?
"Junior Sister, if you go to the Four Directions War and see Su Chi, remember to tell him for me." Jiang Xingyao finally revealed his sinister purpose of waiting here, gloating, "Just say, 'Your boy is in great trouble, and your love life has come to you!'"
Ying Luo was horrified: "Big, big ...
No way?? That beautiful senior brother will also have a love disaster??
Jiang Xingyao just smiled and said nothing.
At that moment, a commotion erupted from the main hall; the elite disciples from the mountain had finally arrived. Amidst the dusty, tired-looking, unassuming cultivators, a young man in white, his hair neatly combed, his features elegant, his back straight and broad, his bearing imposing, stood out from the crowd, a truly remarkable figure.
"My name is Zhong Changyao." He raised his eyes and said calmly, "I came here today to meet you as promised!"
There was silence, only his clear voice echoed in the air.
The elders' hearts tightened. Just as the thought "This boy is not simple" emerged, Yun Xian finally stood up, patted his sleeves, and said in a voice that was neither too far nor too close, "Elder Jiang, I actually know a lot about physiognomy."
Daring to say that he had research in front of him, he must be very confident. Jiang Xingyao asked with interest, "How do you say it?"
"Yingluo." Yun Xian looked at Zhong Changyao and asked, "What do you think of this person?"
Yingluo stammered, "Gentle and elegant, with an extraordinary bearing, and quite handsome."
"It certainly seems so." Yun Xian pulled out a leather pot from somewhere to moisten his throat, then said, "I see that his forehead is broad and flat, and I can see everything at a glance. Combined with his ears, nose, mouth, and eyes, I can roughly conclude that this person will not only achieve great things in the future, but will be a dragon among men. His achievements will definitely not be limited to the Eastern Realm."
Jiang Xing paused, his playful gaze fixed.
He did catch a glimpse of a faint, unfamiliar dragon aura around Zhong Changyao, but it was strange. This boy's cultivation was supposedly far inferior to his, yet he could only discern a vague outline, unpredictable and unable to delve deeper. Yun Xian could actually point it out directly?
Jiang Xing shook his head: "Well, continue."
Yun Xian: "The left earlobe is round and even, lying close to the cheek. This indicates good fortune in robbery, many adventures, and extraordinary luck. It is best to reach the bottom of a cliff or the center of a lake when you are half dead... no, almost dead. This is when you are more likely to obtain natural treasures."
Jiang Xingyao couldn't sit still anymore, as it coincided with his own vague understanding. "Such detailed information, good! Keep going."
The elders pricked up their ears quietly and listened with fascination.
It would be a wonderful thing if we could accept this boy into the sect.
Under everyone's focused gaze, Yun Xian continued, "Naturally, this person's luck with love is also very good. He will face many love tribulations throughout his life, and will have entanglements with many female cultivators, but in the end, he will remain faithful to them. Having a Taoist partner may be inconsistent with his status."
Jiang Xingyao couldn't help but applaud, "That's right! You're absolutely right. But where did you learn this art of face reading?"
Yun Xian did not answer, but just let out a long sigh.
Everyone's heart was almost pulled up by her.
"What a shame, such a pity." Yun Xian's eyes were filled with regret. "This person, before he even turned thirty, was injured in an accident, causing kidney damage, yang deficiency, and physical weakness. From then on, he can no longer be a human being!"
Jiang Xingyao: "Yes, yes... eh???"
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