Chapter 20: Stealing a Half-Day of Leisure (Part 2)...
Chang Yubai brandished his two swords, one light and one heavy, but soon put them aside again.
Nothing more than that, Xiaoyun has improved after practicing a few moves, but her confusion and doubt about life have returned.
Chang Yubai couldn't help but think that his teaching shouldn't be too bad. Xiaoyun was already able to understand the operating logic of the flying sword. Shouldn't this be a good thing?
Li Qingyun: It's a good thing...
But who would learn to use a flying sword right away when learning swordsmanship?
He was holding a sword but didn't know how to swing it to hurt anyone, so Chang Yubai directly taught him how to fly with a sword.
Please, is this something a second-stage beginner martial artist should learn?
The spiritual energy required for sword attacks is at least at the intermediate level of martial arts, with no upper limit!
Li Qingyun thought she could play the fool and try to persuade Master Chang, who had no sense of discipline in teaching his disciples, but she got an even stranger conclusion—this guy didn't know how to wield a sword at all; he could only throw swords.
"Excuse me." Li Qingyun withdrew her excitement about becoming an apprentice.
At least I know how to fly on a sword now, but whether I can actually fly it or not is another matter.
Chang Yubai: "But my master never taught me how to slash."
Moreover, Venerable Qingyun's otherworldly and dignified appearance did not seem like the type to wield a greatsword and command people.
Chang Yubai was still surprised. So his master preferred the traditional sword techniques?
But his master clearly loved watching him fly on a sword, and the sword techniques he taught were all about flying swords; he never suggested that the master wield a sword himself...
"No!" Chang Yubai suddenly realized.
He had clearly never seen his master wield a sword. Whether there were outsiders present or not, or even when life and death were at stake, he had never seen his master wielding a long sword and slashing wildly. How could his master possibly like traditional swordsmanship!
Master must also be from the Flying Sword Sect!
Chang Yu understood. It must be that his current master was too inexperienced and had not yet truly experienced the benefits of flying swords. His understanding was still based on the traditional use of swords.
What a waste! It's such a terrible thing.
Chang Yubai: "I still recommend that you learn my method. How about this, I'll teach you some simple sword control techniques. You can use them in conjunction with An Ning, which should make it easier."
The Anning Sword is merely a Yellow-Rank Treasure Artifact. It can be flexibly infused with spiritual power of any level, but its power is limited. However, it is time-saving and labor-saving.
I never expected that this sword, which was originally given to me by my master to practice basic skills, would also be used by me to give to Xiaoyun to practice basic skills.
It can be considered a continuation of the same lineage.
And Li Qingyun: !
What's going on? Has the miser finally changed his ways and stopped hiding his true nature?
Why are you suddenly being so generous!
Just like that, you're giving away this treasure to me?!
"It's a loan. This sword was a gift from my master, and I don't want to give it away."
Although giving it to Xiaoyun was just returning it to his master, this sword carries too many memories of him and his master. Xiaoyun is just a child... and cannot bear such a heavy burden of life.
Li Qingyun: "Oh, okay, Master, don't worry, I will definitely cultivate diligently and take good care of myself, and I will not let you down for lending me the sword!"
Chang Yubai nodded.
Chang Yubai emphasized, "Flying swords are cool, convenient, and can free up your hands. They are beneficial in every way."
We must bring Master back to the Flying Sword Sect's headquarters!
Otherwise, if we, master and disciple, were to fight side by side, one wielding a sword and the other flying a sword, would that be appropriate? That's hardly the way a family would behave!
We must unify!
Chang Yubai clenched his fist in his heart, determined to do it.
...
"Sister, no!"
A heart-wrenching roar echoed across the cloud-piercing peak.
"Begging for mercy is useless, Lian Wumiao. Your father is in seclusion, and there's no one who can save you now."
"ah--"
A thin sword pierced Lian Wumiao's wrist guard, and a large amount of blood gushed out from the stab hole.
Lian Wushuang was still laughing, her smile tinged with malice: "If I ruin your face again, let's see what you'll use to seduce Li Lang!"
“You wicked woman… Even if you kill me, I, Li Lang, will never be devoted to you in the slightest.”
Lian Wushuang's face darkened further, and the tip of her sword struck her younger sister's face stroke by stroke, turning her beautiful face into a bloody mess.
Lian Wushuang gritted her teeth in hatred: "Die? You wish! I won't let you die. I'll make Li Lang see your ugly face and hate you forever!"
"Lian Wumiao! What right do you have to take my things! Whether it's Father or Li Lang, why do men all like your frail body? What's so good about you!"
"Cough—" Lian Wumiao spat out the blood that had mixed in with his mouth, and tears mingled with the blood as they rolled down his cheeks.
She endured the pain, crying and laughing at the same time: "Lian Wushuang, you've really gone mad! For a man, you're willing to abandon sisterhood..."
"Sisters?" Lian Wushuang suddenly burst into laughter. "Sisters! Hahaha, you actually said sisters!"
After laughing, Lian Wushuang became even angrier: "You're nothing but a concubine's illegitimate daughter, yet you dare to call me sister! You even dare to steal my things!"
"Lian Wumiao, you shouldn't have been born into this world!"
"What... concubine... aren't we... from the same mother...?"
"Shut up!!!" Lian Wushuang roared, "I told you to shut up!"
Lian Wumiao couldn't understand why her identity was clearly stated in the dossier, and she could at least confront her father to find out the truth. Yet, her sister, in order to humiliate her, had believed the rumors for no reason and given her the title of illegitimate child.
Why, why did her older sister, who shared precious minerals with her in childhood, grow up to be such a hideous creature?
Why... must you humiliate her like this?
Lian Wushuang, do you really hate me that much?
But she still resisted. Even though her delicate body trembled with pain and weakness, she still managed to finish her protest: "Li Lang, he is not yours, he is... himself..."
Lian Wushuang suddenly released her, letting her fall heavily to the ground after losing her strength.
Lian Wushuang put away her previous ferocious expression, but her tone did not improve; in fact, it became more smug: "No, you still haven't come to terms with reality. I'm not like you, a piece of trash. The only option I've ever wanted is for it to belong to me."
“Fool, if you hadn’t let Li Lang go, I would already be bowing to heaven and earth with Li Lang on my wedding day.”
So you were planning to marry in place of someone else! Lian Wumiao's last hope was shattered, and she finally realized just how hateful her sister truly was.
Lian Wushuang loved seeing her pitiful, desperate appearance and thoughtfully decided to rub salt into her wounds.
She pulled out a clump of fragments, which looked exactly like the remains of the destroyed Sumeru Jade Ring.
"It's a pity that this Earth-grade treasure fell into the hands of a cripple. What a waste of such good materials!"
Then, she tossed the fragments into the air, summoning lightning that shattered them into dust.
With tears welling in her eyes, Lian Wumiao murmured "no" in despair, but she could not stop the Sumeru Jade Ring from disappearing from this world.
The precious gift Li Lang gave her before he left was destroyed just like that...
She was too weak and had let Li Lang down.
Lian Wumiao, driven by a desire for life and death, decided to further provoke Lian Wushuang, hoping she would actually kill him.
She smiled, and although her disfigured face was a major drawback, her beautiful figure and demeanor combined to create a captivating charm.
This made Lian Wushuang's anger soar.
Lian Wumiao seemed to have forgotten her injuries, and her speech became more natural: "Poor sister."
His first words ignited Lian Wushuang's anger.
"What you just took out was a token of love given to me by Li Lang. You destroyed an object, but you cannot destroy Li Lang's true feelings for me."
"That's true. Someone as pitiful as you can never have what you want in your whole life, so you can only destroy it."
After saying that, he gave a mocking smile.
Lian Wushuang was indeed blinded by rage, her face even more gloomy than the dark clouds in the sky. She stopped talking and instead picked up Lian Wumiao and threw her off the cliff at the summit.
"Since that's the case, then you might as well die."
This was the last sentence Lian Wumiao could hear before he closed his eyes.
Then the rolling thunder from the clouds swallowed her hearing.
She dared not, nor did she want to, open her eyes to look into her sister's cold gaze again.
Her sister, whom she had always been so tolerant of, was actually going to kill herself for a man... How ridiculous! Why did she feel there was any warmth between her and Lian Wushuang?
Sister... Father... Wu Miao misjudged you.
She fell into the churning, dragon-like thunderclouds halfway up the mountain, awaiting death's kiss.
"No--"
The intense sensation of falling startled Lian Wumiao awake from her sleep.
The woman, with her delicate and elegant appearance, looked terrified, her breathing rapid. Overwhelmed by tension, her body instinctively perceived an attack, and sparks flew from her fingertips.
The crackling sounds brought Lian Wumiao back to his senses.
It was all just a dream.
It turns out that she is no longer a useless person with a missing heart and unable to cultivate, but the new sect leader of the Liaowang Sect. Her physical constitution has also been reshaped with the recognition and fusion of the Suspended Spirit Pearl, and she has gained full cultivation.
Her older sister, having faced her father's death, was mentally unstable and imprisoned in the Thunder Prison at the bottom of the valley on the grounds of insanity. She would occasionally visit her, but all she could see was a madwoman in red who was talking nonsense and could not speak human language, making normal communication impossible.
It's different. She thought.
The Lian Wumiao in my dream is nothing like I am now; nothing in a dream should be taken as reality.
Perhaps I was too complacent, and my inner humility triggered a sense of unease.
She's a sect leader now, how could she possibly end up in such a miserable state? Even if she can't withstand the attack and gets captured, the sect-protecting dragon under her contract is no pushover.
Speaking of the Sect's Divine Dragon... where did it go?
Lian Wumiao stepped down from the soft couch, lifted the curtain, and entered the meeting hall, which was currently empty.
As soon as she entered, she saw the protagonist she was looking for. The old thunder dragon was coiled up in the very center of the hall, with a blanket spread out in front of him. On the blanket was a small mountain of candies.
Old Thunder Dragon ate several candies in one go, enjoying them immensely, almost wagging his tail and howling.
Lian Wumiao laughed at its comical appearance.
The old thunder dragon grunted twice, as if in response to its master's arrival.
Lian Wumiao couldn't help but sigh, "You old dragon, you are much happier than anyone else in the sect."
Seeing this delightful scene, Lian Wumiao's palpitations from waking up from a nightmare subsided, replaced by a sense of warmth.
Unconsciously, she also began to fantasize about her own happy life.
She remembered Chang Yubai's auspicious wish that she would have a son soon, and her face immediately turned red again.
Thinking to myself, one child is not enough. I want to have both a boy and a girl, and raise them carefully. They can't be neglected in martial arts either. I want to raise them to be like Xiaoyun, obedient, sensible, considerate, and with extraordinary strength. Yes, that's the kind of child I want!
She had already sent a letter to Li Lang, saying that as long as he returned to fulfill the unfinished wedding, her life would be complete.
Who could be happier than her?
...
Achoo!
Far away, in a noisy tavern, a man leaned against a table and sneezed loudly.
The rough-looking guy next to him laughed at him: "Old Li, could it be that some pretty girl is thinking about you?"
The young man called Old Li couldn't stand this and quickly waved his hand: "No way, I can handle anything, but I can't stand being around women. Too much perfume and powder can kill me!"
However, the sneeze did come very suddenly.
Young Li started thinking about the girls he'd recently hooked up with. After grimacing and racking his brains for a while, he finally managed to say, "It shouldn't be her."
This "she" refers to the second daughter of the Thunder Emperor of the Thunder Valley's Watchtower Sect. She is gentle and considerate, but unfortunately, she has a lot of ailments.
No, it should be said that it's fortunate I have a host of illnesses.
This made it easier for him to use the excuse of looking for a prescription to actually run away and elope.
I wonder how that girl is doing. Her sister is no easy person to deal with... Tsk, why am I thinking such nonsense again! Old Li quickly patted his face, warning himself that he shouldn't touch women.
Moreover, before he left, he gave all his valuables and protective treasures to Lian Wumiao. Even if it was an elopement, it should even things out, right?
Well, we're even! This matter is over and done with, we shouldn't bring it up again!
Young Li quickly turned his attention back to the table: "Brother, look at what you're saying, spoiling the mood! I'm holding a grudge. If you don't finish this jar with me today, you're a coward!"
The roughneck let out a loud "Yo-hoo!": "You filthy bug, you've got quite the appetite! This is spirit wine, be careful you don't drink yourself to death here!"
Old Li laughed loudly: "I won't die from drinking. Even a raging storm can't break me down, so how could a small jar of wine make me back down?"
"How many times in a lifetime can one laugh heartily? When we meet over wine, we must get drunk! My friend, this advice is good, but don't be stingy with your precious treasures!"
A note from the author:
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The second chapter is about leisure; everyone is enjoying a half-day of peace and quiet, immersed in their own enjoyment.
Quote:
How many times in a lifetime can one laugh heartily? When we meet over wine, we must drink until we're completely drunk. —Cen Shen, "Night Gathering with Various Officials at the Liangzhou Inn"
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