Chapter 62: Unthinkable (Part 2) “I heard that a hundred years ago, the Immortal Lord was…
Chi Xingji looked down at the long sword at his neck without any expression and said, "Is this your sword?"
"Yes, this sword is called 'Reflection of the Sun,'" Yue Lingjun said, his face darkening. "What do you think, Immortal Lord?"
Lian Qiang was shocked by Yue Lingjun's unexpected attack. The conversation between the two seemed insignificant, but the sharp weapon on Chi Xingji's neck at this moment was no joke. Just as she was thinking of a countermeasure, something unexpected happened!
Lian Qiang seemed to be dazzled by the cold light, and the pain made her raise her arms to shield her eyes. When she lowered her hands, the situation had changed.
Yingri, who had just stood between them, was knocked to the ground by something. Chi Xingji, no longer in danger of losing his life, slowly put away his sorrow and said simply, "It's a good sword."
Yue Lingjun's right arm was still stretched straight, maintaining the posture of drawing the sword. Even Lian Qiang understood what had happened in the previous moment.
The sword was a fine one, but Chi Xingji had defeated it with a single blow. The implication was self-evident. Yue Lingjun might have been shaken by this blow, but her expression remained unmoved. She silently picked up the sword and wiped the dust from its edge with her clean sleeve.
After Yue Lingjun finally confirmed that Yingri was as clean as before, he looked up at Chi Xingji and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Immortal Lord. I just don't know why you, with such great magical powers and superb swordsmanship, have come here to borrow the Yingxin Mirror from a countryman like me, even though you must have a pure heart."
"...It's not that he needs help urgently, but I do." The tension between Lian Qiang and Guan grew stronger. Chi Xingji wasn't one to smooth things over, and Yue Lingjun, having tragically lost her beloved, was naturally sharp-tongued. She knew she couldn't sit idly by any longer. "My heart is tainted with Taoism, and I need something to strengthen my resolve."
As soon as she said this, Yue Lingjun's gaze fell on her, quite distant, as if he was not looking at her.
The night breeze blew by, bringing a slight chill. Silence fell for a long moment. Lian Qiang almost thought she would stop talking when Yue Lingjun spoke up. "Many years ago, I heard a story about the Xingji Immortal Monarch. I've never been able to verify its authenticity, and now I'd like to ask the Immortal Monarch to help me understand."
"I'd like to hear the details." Chi Xingji was probably worried that his previous attitude was not sincere enough, which would cause Yue Lingjun to be disgusted and unwilling to help, so he tried to soften his attitude.
Lian Qiang noticed her gaze drift from his face, back to Chi Xingji. After a moment's hesitation, Yue Lingjun opened her mouth. Her voice was calm and even, and if it were a story, it wouldn't have been very appealing.
"I heard that a hundred years ago, the Immortal King had a childhood sweetheart." Lian Qiang didn't expect that she would be involved in this story. She went to see Chi Xingji's reaction, and their eyes happened to meet, but they separated tacitly.
"It's just like my late husband and I. There's a huge gap in our talents. One has the potential to ascend to heaven, while the other has stagnated." Compared to her own affairs, Lian Qiang was more concerned that this was the first time Yue Lingjun talked about her late husband in front of them. Her expression and tone were far less sad than what the outside world said. It seemed that for her, the most difficult time had already passed.
"Because I have lost my memory, I don't know much about what happened back then," Chi Xingji explained, "but it must have happened."
Unexpectedly, Yue Lingjun's eyes became sharp. "Should it be? How could the Immortal Lord not know about this, having been in the middle of it? Has he truly lost his memory, or does he simply not want to share this past with outsiders?"
Her question was quite offensive. Firstly, Chi Xingji had no intention of arguing with her; secondly, Yue Lingjun herself hadn't been obsessed with the answer to the question. She just kept talking, "Everyone says that the Immortal King never left his wife and was deeply devoted to her. He was willing to win the championship in one fell swoop, but gave up a rare treasure for just a small herb..."
At this point, Yue Lingjun suddenly changed the subject: "I just want to know, when you ascended to heaven, did you care about the wife you left behind? Now that you have descended to the mortal world again, instead of looking for your wife to see if she is still alive and well, you have brought a woman of unknown origin to me to test your heart? I really want to know, do you need to abandon all love in your heart in order to achieve the great way and ascend to immortality?"
She asked questions one after another, and in the end, it was hard to tell whether they were meant to be difficult or not. However, the person she was questioning - Chi Xingji, remained silent and said nothing.
The way he stood with his hands hanging down reminded Lian Qiang of Chi Xingji when he was a child. At that time, he faced the biased treatment of his parents and the disregard and competition from his brothers and sisters, just like he does now.
The only difference is that Chi Xingji was unable to resist injustice back then, and although he is unable to answer these questions now, he clearly has the strength to leave with a flick of his sleeves or even pierce Yue Lingjun with a sword, but he still endures all the humiliation.
As someone who knew the answer, Lian Qiang took a deep breath, slowly walked up to Yue Lingjun, and asked with a smile, "Since Yue Jianjun has heard the whole story, have you ever heard the name of his wife?"
"I've never heard of it, so what does it matter..." "His wife's surname is Lian, and her given name is Qiang," Lian Qiang interrupted her in a stern manner, "Have you heard of it now, Sword Master?"
A hint of surprise crossed Yue Lingjun's eyes, which had remained silent for a long time. Lian Qiang, taking in his reaction, spoke slowly but firmly, "Does this suffice to clear up Sword Master's confusion? I, too, have a question I'd like to ask. If Sword Master's words just now were simply a vindication for me, there's nothing wrong with that. It's a shame that Sword Master doesn't even know my name."
"Stop talking!" Chi Xingji whispered from behind, wanting to step forward and pull Lian Qiang back, perhaps unwilling to let her continue provoking Yue Lingjun. But Lian Qiang glanced at her out of the corner of her eye and dodged lightly. She didn't want to do anything, but felt that constantly appeasing Yue Lingjun was pointless.
So, ignoring Chi Xingji's wishes, she took another step forward, her lips opening and closing as she uttered words that were both gentle and sharp: "If you just want to listen to the experience of the predecessors and learn from them, then the Sword Master's attitude is too aggressive and can easily lead people to misunderstand your intentions, isn't it?"
If anyone else heard these words, they would probably be furious, but Yue Lingjun's mentality was so strong that after his expression did not change at first, he was able to remain calm and stare at Lian Qiang for a long time.
"...I had no intention of causing trouble, and I know that asking for help should be done in the proper manner. However, facing Sword Lord's repeated embarrassment, I truly do not understand his intention. Whether to lend or not is entirely up to you. If Sword Lord is willing to help, we will do our best to satisfy your request. If you do not want to, you can simply say so. Why waste our time and words on each other?"
After saying this, Lian Qiang felt her mouth dry, but also relieved. She wasn't one to drag her feet; a day's trek and a round of socializing were enough to leave her exhausted. Chi Xingji's concession only made her feel even more uncomfortable.
Because of her, Chi Xingji had been running around. Lian Qiang thought inappropriately that in just a few days, Chi Xingji's lifeline had been pointed at twice. If Xi Wenji knew about this, he would probably curse her with anger and anger, calling her a traitor who had repeatedly put Chi Xingji in danger, right?
Thinking of this, Lian Qiang looked at Chi Xingji, and he was also looking at her. There was some confusion in his eyes, but he didn't say anything, nor did he stop her.
Lian Qiang breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Let's go, let's go down the mountain."
"Okay." Chi Xingji said softly, and the two smiled at each other. Lian Qiang thought, "Let it be the Yingxin Mirror." It doesn't matter. It's just the icing on the cake.
"I never said I wouldn't lend you the Yingxin Mirror." These words drifted to their ears on the night wind. Lian Qiang didn't turn back or stop. But Chi Xingji heard it. He turned and stood still: "So, Sword Master, are you willing to lend it to us? Is that true?"
"Of course. A promise is worth a thousand gold and I won't go back on my word. I don't have any other requests. I just need you to stay and stay with me for a month."
Yue Lingjun suddenly changed her mind. Lian Qiang didn't think that it was what she said that touched her. There must be some other reason.
Lian Qiang turned around. The woman was standing on a high place, staring at her intently. The cool night breeze blew her hair, making her look even thinner and more pitiful, like the weak grass in the wind. But they all knew that she would not break because of this.
"Can I know why Sword Master changed his mind?" Lian Qiang was quite calm. This request was not excessive, and it was even very easy. She was not so naive as to think that Yue Lingjun wanted to establish a good relationship with them.
Upon hearing this, Yue Lingjun nodded unexpectedly: "I want to keep you here to learn sword skills. I have been away from the world for too long, and there has been no one who can spar with me for a long time, let alone such a powerful opponent..."
She approached them from the foot of the mountain, her eyes never leaving Lian Qiang until she stopped in front of her. She was half a head taller than Lian Qiang, and perhaps realizing this, a slight smile suddenly appeared in Yue Lingjun's calm eyes, and she continued what she had just unfinished.
"...I'm also really curious. What kind of person is this who made the Immortal Lord love her so much before and after he lost his memory? What kind of heart does he have?"
She leaned too close, her long eyelashes trembling before Lian Qiang's eyes. Under normal circumstances, Lian Qiang might have pondered the meaning of the words, feeling a little secretly delighted, but now, combined with Yue Lingjun's almost eerie tone, she felt only a chill down her spine.
When Yue Lingjun said this, it was as if she wanted to cut her open and take a closer look... Lian Qiang was still in a daze when a force freed her. Chi Xingji stood in front of her, isolating herself from Yue Lingjun's suppression.
"Too close." Chi Xingji frowned and looked down at her. The barrier he created made Lian Qiang feel more secure. Yue Lingjun stepped back as if awakening from a dream and said, "Sorry, Fellow Daoist Lian, I was lost in thought and didn't notice."
"...It's okay." Lian Qiang waved her hand pretending to be indifferent, but doubts grew in her heart.
Is Yue Lingjun really as peaceful as everyone says...? Or is there something else going on?
No matter what... Lian Qiang lowered her eyes and looked at Chi Xingji's back. It would be good if she could get through this month safely.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
