Chapter 55: Phoenix Perched on the Wutong Tree (Part 2) Chi Xingji wanted to tell her...
During this time, Chi Xingji kept looking at her quietly, his expression changing from blank to ecstatic laughter.
Only after Lian Qiang stopped laughing and started to cry did he speak calmly, "This sword is called Floating Light. The previous owner died of old age. He had a gentle personality, not too calm either. I think it would suit you."
"I originally thought that it would sense the evil spirit in me and would not... would not be willing to be controlled by me." After saying this, Lian Qiang felt relieved. It turned out that it was not that difficult at all.
Chi Xingji heard this and shook his head. "It's not surprising that weapons choose their masters, but they have their own ways of discerning their masters' character. I don't quite understand what you went through before... but it's not your fault. You're fine, don't overthink it."
"...Thank you." After thinking about it, Lian Qiang could only utter this sentence.
As soon as these words fell, Chi Xingji did not get angry at her estrangement as usual. Instead, he pursed his lips and smiled vaguely: "Let's go, time is tight, don't waste it."
The Phoenix Clan is wealthy and powerful, and they have prepared guest rooms for every guest coming from afar, and even a large piece of open space for practicing martial arts.
Even with Chi Xingji's guidance, Lian Qiang's foundation was still a little thin after not practicing for many years.
The long sword felt good in her hand, but she tried a few moves in front of Chi Xingji, and the more she tried, the less confident she felt.
"How about... a different method?" Before Chi Xingji could say anything, Lian Qiang couldn't even stand. He stood properly with his sword in hand, like a student who hadn't finished his homework, not daring to move at all.
Chi Xingji had taught her before, and he had never said anything harsh to her, but in his presence, Lian Qiang was like a mouse meeting a cat, afraid to breathe. She could only blame it all on the huge gap between them.
Chi Xingji shook his head in response: "It's not time yet, come back later."
Lian Qiang had no choice but to raise the sword again - but was held down by Chi Xingji.
"No need to race so fast," Chi Xingji pointed at her arm, "take it one step at a time. Your sword hand is a little unsteady."
Lian Qiang agreed without hesitation. Every time she took a step, she would frequently look back to see Chi Xingji's expression: "Is that so?" "Did I do something wrong?" "Is there anything I need to change?" "..." As time went by, Chi Xingji was also a little helpless with her questioning. After half a set of moves, he didn't have a coherent flow, so he hurriedly stopped her: "Just do it. If there is anything wrong, I will tell you."
"Okay." Lian Qiang concentrated her mind, but what she was thinking was that she must make Chi Xingji look at her with new eyes.
Lift the elbow, extend the arm horizontally, straighten the wrist... Lian Qiang recited each move silently in his mind. Although the speed was slow, he did not dare to slack off at all, as if he was back to the time when he was a beginner, taking one step at a time.
Back then, she was clumsy and slow, completely unaware of the vast gap in talent between her and others. Her mind was preoccupied with the idea of becoming even stronger than she had been yesterday. If she could get a compliment from her teacher, she would feel that her diligent training until dawn had been meaningful.
In a trance, she had forgotten Chi Xingji's existence, and only the long sword was in her eyes. Lian Qiang was wholeheartedly trying to replicate the sword manual she had learned before.
This time, it was done in one go. Just as Lian Qiang was about to sheath her sword, a long sword suddenly struck her! Almost as if it were a newly developed instinct, she subconsciously blocked it!
But the sword only stopped a short distance in front of her, landing steadily beneath the floating light—it was Tongbei. Lian Qiang recognized it at a glance.
"You did well this time," Chi Xingji raised the tip of Tong Bei's sword slightly, forcing Lian Qiang's hand holding Fu Guang to also be raised a lot higher, "but for this last move, your arm needs to be a little higher to be perfect."
With the sun behind him, Chi Xingji's face was radiant, but his eyes were calm, melting the alienation between his brows. If Lian Qiang saw correctly, there seemed to be some approval in his eyes. Realizing this fact, Lian Qiang's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Although there was a distance of two long swords between the two of them, Lian Qiang felt that they were very close, closer than ever before.
At the same time, she realized something else: this was the Chi Xingji she had originally fallen in love with, the ordinary yet extraordinary Chi Xingji of Ninghe City. Back then, Chi Xingji wasn't as dazzling as he would later become after joining the Wuji Sword Sect, but naturally, he wasn't so unattainable either. He couldn't give her much, but he always treated her well.
What shocked Lian Qiang even more was that she seemed to be reuniting with Chi Xingji bit by bit. Every moment she spent with him seemed to remind her of why her heart was so pounding back then.
She suddenly wondered, if, if Chi Xingji would never recall the past, could they always stay like this... But Lian Qiang was immediately shocked by her own bold and selfish thoughts.
No matter what, Chi Xingji always wants to get his past back, and she can't decide for him; moreover, Chi Xingji's destination is no longer the same. In the past, she could still hold on to the hope that Chi Xingji would not ascend, and thought that they could end up in the same place, but what about now?
Lian Qiang used this familiar rhetoric to convince herself over and over again. She tried hard to control her expression so that Chi Xingji wouldn't notice anything unusual...
"What's wrong? Why do you look so bad in an instant?" Chi Xingji keenly noticed the change in her expression.
Lian Qiang quickly opened her lips and said perfunctorily, "...I just suddenly remembered that time is running out, and I feel a little uneasy."
"There's no such thing as rapid progress in cultivation. Don't be impatient." Chi Xingji said soothingly. Now he was the one who took things easy. "You've been practicing for a long time. Take a break first."
"No," Lian Qiang wanted to use the busy sword practice to wash away the strange thoughts in her mind, and she was eager to master the sword moves thoroughly. "I'll practice some more."
She was rarely stubborn, and Chi Xingji didn't want to reject her idea.
Lian Qiang practiced from day to night, but then she heard a commotion. She raised her aching arm, feeling bewildered, thinking it was an invasion.
"They arranged the fireworks at night." Lian Qiang was startled by the voice and realized that Chi Xingji had been watching her from a distance, neither too far nor too close. He would not disturb her sword practice, but he could still see her movements clearly.
He stood there for as long as she practiced.
"After one day, you have become much more proficient in your moves. Some problems with force and angle cannot be solved in one or two days..." Chi Xingji pointed out her problems one by one. Lian Qiang listened patiently and wrote them all down.
He stopped, and Lian Qiang was about to leave to practice again, but Chi Xingji called out to him, "Wait."
"What's the matter?" Lian Qiang was puzzled. In her heart, nothing was more important than what was happening right now.
"Fireworks made from phoenix fire are extremely rare. Some people may spend their entire lives trying to see one," Chi Xingji said slowly, a hint of temptation in his tone, "Don't you want to go and see it?"
Lian Qiang moved her fingertips, and after hearing what Chi Xingji said, she was also a little hesitant. Seeing her hesitation, Chi Xingji said again: "If you miss it today, I'm afraid there will be no chance later, but if you insist..."
Before he could finish, Lian Qiang conveniently sheathed her sword. "This is a once-in-a-century opportunity. What are we waiting for? Let's go!"
Chi Xingji understood what she meant and took a few steps towards her, turning around and walking side by side with her. He seemed to realize his intentions were too obvious and quickly coughed to cover it up: "...Let's go."
The two of them came out a little late, and many people had already gathered in an open area, chatting animatedly and looking up at the sky.
Led by Chi Xingji, the two found a place where there were not many people but the view was clear. The voices of the crowd became more and more lively, and suddenly, everyone heard a loud phoenix cry.
After the phoenix's cry, everyone fell silent. In the pitch-black night sky, several graceful phoenixes flew by at high speed.
Lian Qiang saw such a big monster for the first time and was so amazed by its long tail that she was speechless. There was a stream of light on its tail that seemed to illuminate the sky, and behind the tail feathers were tiny stars of fire.
They flew so fast, but the tiny sparks of fire remained behind them, lingering in their wake. Several figures streaked past like shooting stars. Just as everyone was stunned, the fire suddenly exploded, forming millions of sparks!
The entire sky was illuminated as bright as day. Wutong Mountain was incredibly close to the sky, making the view even more breathtaking. The sparks fell, not disappearing in mid-air, but landing in the hands of everyone, transforming into a warm but not scorching light.
Lian Qiang also put her hands together to catch the light, letting it fall into her palms, and immersed herself in this wonderful sight for a long time. After a long time, she turned around and wanted to share her joy with Chi Xingji, but she met his gaze.
——In his eyes, like hers, there is this dazzling existence, and most importantly, there is a complete her.
Lian Qiang was speechless for a moment under his stare. Just as she remembered her purpose of showing off, she raised her hands, but the sparks were gone in an instant, extinguished completely. When Chi Xingji saw them, only empty palms remained.
"It's out..." She said a little embarrassedly and wanted to take it back, but Chi Xingji moved quickly and put an object in her palm to replace the original light.
It was a tiny fluorite, carved into the shape of a small flower. Although its light was not as bright as that of a little light, it was more persistent.
"Okay, it's bright again." Chi Xingji stood with his hands behind his back and spoke lightly, as if it was not his work at all.
Lian Qiang stared at the fluorite for a long moment before closing her palms and holding it tightly. However, light still leaked through her fingers. She glanced at the light through the cracks and murmured, "...Hmm."
As the two of them talked, the fireworks were almost over. Chi Xingji considerately said nothing more and started walking. Lian Qiang followed closely behind him.
After a while, Chi Xingji felt his sleeve being tugged gently, followed by a whisper of thanks: "...Thank you."
Afterwards, the force loosened and Chi Xingji did not look back.
In fact, he didn't need to say anything, even Qiang could understand what he meant.
Chi Xingji wanted to tell her that as long as she wanted, she could catch the light in her hands.
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