Chapter 65: Unrememberable (V) “Last night, the Immortal Lord asked me to borrow…
That day, Lian Qiang woke up early and happened to see the two of them doing morning exercises.
She had considered watching the two sparring, but they were masters, and often several moves had already passed before she could fully process the previous one. Lian Qiang had to work hard to catch up, so she gave up the idea.
However, even she sensed something was amiss in today's situation - in the past, the two of them would usually stop at a certain point, but today, there was an aura of "fighting to the death".
Neither side waited for the other to finish their defense, pressing forward to press forward. It felt less like a sparring match and more like a life-or-death duel. Chi Xingji had the upper hand, his attacks restrained; Yue Lingjun, on the other hand, was far more ruthless and decisive. Even when temporarily at a disadvantage, he pressed forward, determined to maintain his balance and refusing to show weakness.
Lian Qiang stood behind the tree, with the tree trunk as cover, but she was still terrified.
The wind rustled, and as leaves fell, dozens more moves passed. As a player in the game, Chi Xingji naturally sensed Yue Lingjun's murderous intent earlier than Lian Qiang—no, it wasn't murderous intent, but rather a desire to win.
Chi Xingji's thoughts moved slightly, and he released a little bit of strength to test it. Yue Lingjun didn't want the scale of victory to be affected by his opponent's will, so he was unwilling to let go of this mistake. The situation suddenly became evenly matched!
At this point, it is no longer easy for Chi Xingji to maintain the balance between offense and defense, and the end of this competition cannot be decided by the will of one person!
They had no intention of disturbing the vegetation in the mountains, but Lian Qiang felt that the tree closest to her was shaking from its roots underground to its crown. She instinctively wanted to open her mouth to stop it, but before she could say anything, she stopped herself hastily.
It's too late.
From the moment Lian Qiang stepped into this place, her existence was exposed to the eyes of the two. Even though the call just now had no substance, it was enough to remind the two of her location once again.
Like every day before, Chi Xingji didn't think that Lian Qiang, as a spectator, would become a variable in the game, but when he saw Yue Lingjun suddenly turn the sword and head towards the towering tree, his heart skipped a beat!
Lian Qiang didn't understand why Yue Lingjun suddenly rushed towards where she was standing, but her body's nature of seeking benefits and avoiding harm told her to get away quickly. However, the speed of the world's number one man was too fast, so fast that she had no time to dodge. She even felt vaguely that the trees in front of her were struggling to avoid danger!
She also knew in her heart that if Yue Lingjun was deliberately targeting her, then no matter what was ahead, she would definitely have no way to avoid it...
Had their time together been so peaceful lately that her senses had dulled? Lian Qiang gathered her strength as her thoughts raced. Was Yue Lingjun's action today the product of days of planning, or was it a spur-of-the-moment impulse?
But even if he killed her, what would be the point? Seeing that this attack could not be avoided, Lian Qiang simply closed his eyes, defended with all his strength, and met it!
Because she closed her eyes, her other four senses were particularly clear. But in a moment, a buzzing sound of metal colliding seemed to ring in her ears!
Lian Qiang slowly opened her eyes and saw two long swords in front of her. One was just inches away, blocking the deadly attack; the other was a little further away, with the tip of the sword pointing directly at her.
"This was just a routine sparring match. I don't know what Yue Jianjun's intention was in doing this."
Above the sorrow, a snow-white chin stood out. Chi Xingji turned his wrist, revealing his lips that seemed to be smiling.
Yue Lingjun retracted his sword as if nothing had happened, and also suppressed his nonchalant expression. His gaze lingered several times over the two men who were waiting in full battle array before he said, "In a sparring match, there are always winners and losers. You can't just say that because the Immortal Lord has won more, I won't be allowed to come from behind and win, right?"
After saying that, she seemed to remember something and casually bowed to Lian Qiang: "Swords and knives have no eyes, please don't blame me, fellow Daoist Lian."
The fear of surviving the ordeal and the relief of being safe for the time being surged up simultaneously. Lian Qiang lowered her raised arms, unwilling to accept her insincere apology: "I've never heard that a sparring match involves not only life and death, but also the outsiders."
Unexpectedly, these words actually caused Yue Lingjun to laugh again: "Fellow Daoist Lian, do you think you are just an outsider?"
"Isn't it?" Lian Qiang retorted without thinking.
Yue Lingjun didn't give her any answer. He looked meaningfully at Chi Xingji, who was still standing with his sword across his body. "I still remember the first time I fought against the Immortal Lord. The gap between you and me was like an insurmountable chasm. And today, I almost defeated you."
Chi Xingji admitted succinctly: "Not bad."
"In fact, Immortal Lord's swordsmanship is far superior to mine. To be fair, my progress is not rapid, but the gap between us is narrowing little by little. Immortal Lord, why don't you guess why?"
She raised her chin slightly and looked at Chi Xingji without any scruples, her provocation obvious.
Chi Xingji looked at her silently without any answer.
Lian Qiang watched everything unfold from the sidelines. For some reason, she resisted the answer, not wanting Yue Lingjun to speak it out. But once again, the other party didn't live up to her expectations. Her lips, always pale, opened and closed, revealing particularly cruel words.
——That’s because you have a weak spot.
Lian Qiang later had no idea how she got back to her room. Was she a weak spot for Chi Xingji? She hadn't tried to peek at his expression, fearing she would see it herself.
It turns out that something mentioned by someone else is more profound and eye-catching than what you vaguely realize.
Yue Lingjun clearly wanted to defeat Chi Xingji and clear his name. Today's incident reminded Lian Qiang of their already volatile relationship. This was merely an "accidental injury" during their sparring session. What about the future? Their current situation was precarious...
But when she made an excuse to leave, Chi Xingji told her not to be afraid, and was sure that Yue Lingjun would not act rashly like this again.
So much time has been wasted, at least we have to wait until we borrow the Yingxin Mirror before leaving, the young man said. Although Yue Lingjun is competitive, he is not interested in this, so don't worry.
If your ambition is not here, then where else can it be?
As she was thinking, Lian Qiang fell asleep without knowing when.
In her dream, she found herself in a courtyard exactly like the one she was in. Lian Qiang had a premonition that she had entered a dream again, and she watched intently. At this moment, one person was drawing a sword in the courtyard, while another person was sitting cross-legged on the ground, holding a half-broken branch and drawing on the sand.
The one dancing with the sword is Yue Lingjun, and the one on the ground is probably Qiu Ruozhao?
Lian Qiang kept quiet and came up behind Qiu Ruozhao, looking down at his "painting". She smiled as soon as she saw it. His painting was exactly of Yue Lingjun practicing sword, but his painting skills were poor, and the dashing sword king looked like a flapping chicken.
Yue Lingjun retracted his sword, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and walked towards Qiu Ruozhao.
The young man was completely unaware of how funny his sand painting was. He excitedly stood up, patted the dusty hem of his clothes, and reached out to pull Yue Lingjun's hand: "Ah Jun, take a look, how is my painting?"
Following the direction of his fingertip, Yue Lingjun's breathing slowed down, perhaps due to Lian Qiang's illusion. She then rubbed her brows and said, "Wait a minute, let me guess what you drew."
"Is it so hard to tell?" Qiu Ruozhao was not satisfied with her answer and gestured with both hands again and again, "Why don't you take a closer look?"
"Qiu Ruozhao," Yue Lingjun read the words in a tone that was as calm as it could be, but it made her feel gnashing her teeth. "Since you can draw me as a fighting cock, then let's do the opposite—will your drawing of a fighting cock look more like me?"
Yue Lingjun's joke sounded like sound advice to Qiu Ruozhao. He clapped his hands and rushed off, "Ah Jun, I think you're right! I'll go down the mountain and ask them to borrow a few chickens!"
"Come back——" Yue Lingjun seemed to have eyes on his back. She pulled his collar and Qiu Ruozhao could only take a few steps back and stand still.
The cold-eyed woman sighed, took out a clean handkerchief, and took his hand. Gradually, she wiped the grass and dirt from his fingertips before removing her hand. She also plucked the grass leaves stuck in his hair and said, "I'm afraid if you go down the mountain like this, you'll be mistaken for a chicken thief with unknown origins."
Qiu Ruozhao chuckled, completely unconcerned with her teasing: "Then I'll just live up to my reputation. I'll steal a few more and make soup for you!"
The cozy courtyard was pulled away, and Lian Qiang heard a loud thunder. She turned her head suddenly and saw the sky outside the window suddenly brighten up, followed by another thunder, and heavy rain rolled down.
Just like that, she returned to reality. Lian Qiang's eyelids jumped, and she hurried out of bed to close the window that was shaking violently in the wind. The whole world was suddenly soaked by rain. Blocking out the wind and rain, she squinted her eyes and sat back on the bed. She didn't know whether she was scared or worried about something, but her heart was beating wildly in her chest, unable to stop.
She slept from noon till late at night. Lian Qiang rubbed her forehead like Yue Lingjun, and always felt... something was going to happen on this stormy night.
Lian Qiang tossed and turned, and finally fell asleep again when the sound of the rain became quieter and calmer.
She slept restlessly and woke up early. After waking up, Lian Qiang pondered over her dream for a while. Then, she heard the rain stop and a few birds chirping. She jumped up and wanted to discuss the dream with Chi Xingji.
The previous dream at least involved contact with objects that Qiu Ruozhao had touched, but now it is becoming increasingly uncontrollable.
Yue Lingjun and Qiu Ruozhao in the dream were both younger than in the previous dream, and their feelings seemed...deeper. She had previously suspected that the rumors about their deep love were half true and half false, but now, it was most likely true.
She pushed the door open and went out, but unexpectedly, there was a white figure waiting outside the door. When Lian Qiang saw the person clearly, she had to smile, but her ten fingers unconsciously clenched and embedded themselves in her palms.
"Good morning, Yue Jianjun."
When Yue Lingjun turned around, Lian Qiang exclaimed in surprise. She was soaked all over, probably because she had been in the rain all night.
Lian Qiang wanted to pull her into the house to change into clean clothes, and Yue Lingjun let her do whatever she wanted without resisting.
Lian Qiang found a set of clothes and handed them to Yue Lingjun. She looked at him with bright eyes and a smile: "Yesterday I couldn't wait to kill you, but today you can lend me your clothes. Should I praise you for repaying evil with kindness?"
Her words frightened Lian Qiang so much that a chill rose from the soles of her feet. She realized something: If Yue Lingjun stood in the rain all night, then did she also stand outside the door of her room all night?
"Don't worry. What happened yesterday won't happen again." Yue Lingjun took the clothes and stood up and walked out. "Although I wanted to win by surprise, I'm not that despicable."
Lian Qiang retorted softly, "But you've already done it."
"You're right, so I came here this morning to tell you something. You can take it as a gesture of goodwill or just for fun, but I think you want to know about this."
Her words were unclear. Lian Qiang looked up at her, only to be met with a pair of eyes that lacked any smile. "Last night, the Immortal Lord asked me to borrow the Yingxin Mirror. He said he wanted to use it first, just in case."
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