rescue
Lin Yun placed the snowball back into Zhou Hengyan's arms.
The morning light shone on her smiling brows, making her face look incredibly gentle, but her tone revealed an undeniable meaning: "Ultimately, sword control must be mastered by oneself. Last night, Senior Sister Bai already pointed out the key points, and I want to try it first. After I fall badly, I will ask Senior Brother for guidance."
Xie Tingshui's clear voice came from afar, and Lin Yun took the opportunity to bid farewell to Zhou Hengyan, "Junior Sister Xie has arrived, Junior Sister, I shall take my leave now."
Zhou Hengyan did not press the matter, but nodded slightly and watched her leave.
The figure gradually shrank until it disappeared into the morning mist.
"Is that Senior Brother Zhou? What were you two talking about just now?" Xie Tingshui came closer, a sword also at her waist.
"It was just a chance encounter, a simple greeting."
Lin Yun found a sword-wielding platform and began practicing. She had already learned to control the sword with her spiritual power, making it float in the air, but once she got on the sword, it wouldn't move, and she was stuck for a moment.
"Is this the sword that Venerable Yichen took you to the Sword Pavilion to choose?" Xie Tingshui stood lazily to the side, holding the sword. She had no desire to learn how to control a sword. She got up early today simply to accompany Lin Yunwang.
"Yes." He was only slightly distracted and fell off the sword, but fortunately, the sword was not high enough to cause injury.
Seeing her fall to the ground, Xie Tingshui rushed over, "Yunwang, are you alright?"
The sword hung motionless in mid-air.
Lin Yun used the momentum to get up from the ground, brushed the dust off his clothes, and smiled reassuringly at Xie Tingshui, "I'm not injured, don't be so nervous."
Xie Tingshui circled around her to check if she was injured, and said with a puzzled look, "Given your aptitude for swordsmanship, something as simple as sword control shouldn't be this difficult to learn."
Before she even started learning systematically, Lin Yun could apply spiritual power to her sword for attack. Manager Han had specifically praised her for this a few days ago, noting her awareness of using spiritual power in actual combat.
“Theoretically speaking, they are almost the same!” Xie Tingshui thought for a long time but still couldn’t come up with a result. “Maybe you are too impatient. As the saying goes, you can’t eat hot tofu in a hurry.”
Judging from Lin Yunwang's appearance, he didn't seem anxious.
"That's strange." While she was still thinking about the reason, Lin Yun stepped onto the sword again. This time the height was much better than before, but looking at the ground beneath her feet, she felt it was unbelievable that she could surpass everything with just a sword.
Another moment of distraction, and she lost her balance again.
"Watch out!" Xie Tingshui rushed forward but missed.
A pale blue sleeve, carrying the scent of wine, swept past as Bai Xiyan gently landed the person in his arms.
"Sword control requires the unity of man and sword. If you don't trust that it can take you flying, it will be difficult to do so."
"Thank you for saving me, Senior Sister."
"Greetings, Senior Sister."
Lin Yun and Xie Tingshui exchanged greetings together.
"There's no one else here, so there's no need to be so respectful." Senior Sister Bai was always known for her gentleness towards her fellow disciples.
Bai Xiyan pondered Lin Yun's sword-wielding problem carefully, "Your posture is too stiff when you wield the sword, which makes it very easy to lose your balance. But the most important point is that you must trust the sword in your hand when wielding the sword. How come you lost that composure when you were wielding the sword?"
Her tone was gentle and not at all embarrassing.
"Remember, whatever the purpose of the sword, always go with it."
"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Sister." She listened attentively to Bai Xiyan's instructions and called out to her sword in a deep voice, "Changdu."
This name was recorded in the register of the Sword Pavilion. She thought the name sounded nice and was easy to pronounce, so she did not change the sword name.
The sword responded to her call and came to her side. She held it with her fingers. Lin Yun closed her eyes to feel the resonance between her and the sword. After a while, she finally opened her eyes.
"Let me take you there first."
Bai Xiyan took Lin Yunwang's hand and said, "Close your eyes. You just need to control your sword. Leave the rest to me."
Lin Yunwang was unaware that she and her sword had been transported to various heights; he simply followed Senior Sister Bai's instructions and focused on listening to the sound of the wind passing over the blade.
"You can open your eyes now."
Bai Xiyan did not let go of their clasped hands. The warmth she felt made Lin Yun feel at ease. The sea of clouds churned beneath her feet, startling her and causing her to sway. This also pulled Bai Xiyan down several feet.
After washing up, Bai Xi lived up to her reputation as the senior sister, quickly adjusting her posture and doing her best to support Lin Yunwang's body.
"Recall the feeling when you closed your eyes."
Finally, the two managed to stabilize themselves about three zhang above the ground.
"Yunwang, you succeeded!" Xie Tingshui's joyful voice rang in my ears.
Bai Xiyan withdrew her spiritual power and landed gracefully like a butterfly. "I forgot to ask you, what are your thoughts on sword control?"
"It's a bit unbelievable. I always felt that swords were weapons of killing, so it's really strange that they could be used to carry people in flight," Lin Yun replied, based on his previous thoughts.
Upon hearing this, the person in front of him couldn't help but rub his forehead. "Now I understand why you can't control this sword. The most important thing in cultivating immortality is daring to dream, or in other words, having faith. If you believe you can do it, then you can do it."
Bai Xiyan handed her a book. "Inside are... some records of cultivators' experiences with sword flight that I've collected. Read them through. The theory is already quite extensive, but you still need to be absolutely certain that sword flight is feasible."
He then asked Xie Tingshui, "Junior Sister Xie, how is your sword control technique coming along?"
Two teacups sat on the tea table, steam rising from them.
Bai Xiyan recalled the girl's wailing appearance, and a faint smile unconsciously appeared on his lips. "It's just a pity that she managed to run away under the pretext of early morning class."
She picked up the teacup, smelled its aroma, and observed its color. "It's my favorite pre-rain Longjing tea."
“The Zhou family sent a lot of tea a few days ago.” Zhou Hengyan’s mind was not on the tea at all, but it was hard to tell from his expression. “If Senior Sister likes it, you can take it all.”
Upon hearing this, Bai Xiyan was taken aback, then laughed and said, "If it's an apology or thank-you gift for suddenly waking me up today to teach Junior Sister Yunwang how to fly a sword, I can't accept it. After all, I already promised Junior Sister, and it's not because I owe you a favor."
"Senior sister is joking."
She sighed silently in her heart, observing her junior brother Heng Yan's behavior. She guessed that something must have happened between the two of them, and hinted, "It's better to treat the wound as soon as possible, otherwise it may turn into a festering sore if it goes on for too long."
"Let's not talk about this." Seeing that Zhou Hengyan didn't show any particular emotion, she changed the subject. "You must already know about the new rules of the Immortal Alliance. Are you going back to the Zhou family during the Qingming Festival?"
The young cultivator smiled and said, "Since it is a strict rule, it must be followed."
As the teacup emptied, Zhou Hengyan made no intention of refilling it, and Bai Xiyan had no desire to linger. She tilted her head back and drank the remaining tea, the bottom of the celadon cup tapping crisply on the stone table.
"You asked me to remind Yunwang to be wary of that Xie family member, but I didn't mention it." She pushed the tea cake back to its original place. "I won't accept this gift."
The hem of her clothes swept across the stone bench, and she got up and walked towards the courtyard gate.
"Senior Sister, do you know who spread those rumors about Yun Wang and the Xie family in the sect?" Zhou Hengyan lowered his eyes, turning the teacup between his fingers, his eyes deepening.
Bai Xiyan had already reached the door when he heard this, so he stopped and turned his face to the side, saying, "What you think is not important; it depends on what Yun Wang believes and what he chooses."
The gentle voice carried an undeniable force.
The image of Xie Tingshui rubbing her hands together, her breath steaming in the morning mist, appeared before Bai Xiyan's eyes. She was smiling even more joyfully than the person in question after her success. Bai Xiyan thought that the sincerity she saw this morning didn't seem fake, and couldn't help but speak up for her: "Let's see what she does after today."
Zhou Hengyan was adept at understanding people's hearts, and Bai Xiyan, having managed affairs within the sect for many years and overseeing some of Venerable Mingqi's matters, was no less capable. However, in terms of interpersonal relationships, Bai Xiyan believed he far surpassed his junior brother.
He was born into the Zhou family, which valued rules highly, and was raised to be very particular about them. Sometimes this could make him seem a bit cold and unapproachable, but fortunately, he was of noble character and had been sent to the Jingyin Sect to cultivate Taoism, so he didn't become an old-fashioned rigid like the head of the Zhou family.
This wasn't her junior brother's fault, she couldn't help but sigh inwardly. She wanted to persuade him, but felt that today wasn't a good time and she could only look for another day.
The protagonist in the conversation is running wildly towards the cultivation building.
Xie Tingshui still had the energy to chat: "I never imagined that the gentle Senior Sister Bai could be so terrifying when talking about her studies."
Lin Yun leaned against the door frame, panting heavily, and retorted, "What...is that true?" He had spent too much energy practicing sword control earlier and then rushed to the cultivation building, so he really didn't have the energy to refute it further.
After quickly tidying themselves up, the two of them pushed open the door and entered.
The moment the door hinges turned, the clamor in the room seemed to be suddenly silenced. More than twenty pairs of eyes turned to look, but no sound was heard. When they realized that the person who came was not Manager Han, the chatter exploded again, overflowing the roof beams.
Lin Yunwang and Bai Xiyan stood at the door. The sound wave rushed towards them, unlike the usual quiet atmosphere, which startled them. They looked at each other and, after confirming that it was their classroom, they went in with peace of mind.
"Hey! Why are you two so late today? Where did you go?" asked a fellow disciple near the door.
His tone was quite impolite, bordering on accusatory, which made people uncomfortable.
Xie Tingshui turned around and said, "Neither of us is late. As for where we went, I don't want to tell you."
The man seemed insulted by these words, saying, "Who do you think you are? You're just a member of a branch of the Xie family, yet you dare to talk big."
Seeing that the two were about to start arguing, Lin Yun hurriedly said, "We went to practice sword flying. We can now fly on swords. I wonder how your sword flying skills are?"
Because of Lin Yunwang's talent, many outer disciples regarded her as a target to challenge, and the person who asked the question was the same. However, the answer was somewhat hesitant. It was despicable to fake one's cultivation, but it was even more despicable to fake one's progress in sword control.
"Hmm, it must be a slow process, otherwise you wouldn't be so angry so early in the morning." Lin Yun had already pulled Xie Tingshui a few steps forward, then looked back at him. "Inappropriate probing and attitude are just so unpleasant."
The disciple in blue hurriedly covered his flushed face with his book. A few bursts of laughter came from around him, and then the topic of the Qingming Festival holiday came up again. Lin Yunwang and Xie Tingshui already knew about this, so there was no excitement in discussing it together.
"When did you learn to be shrewd and subtle?" Xie Tingshui listened to Yun Wang with admiration. "I'm still waiting for you to scold me for being rude."
"What kind of image do I have in your heart? Besides, if you talk about 'self-discipline and propriety' to everyone, you become an accomplice to indulgence and arrogance."
“Naturally, you have a tall and imposing figure, but you’re a bit too conventional.” Xie Tingshui leaned closer to her. “But I don’t know how to fly on a sword yet. Won’t I be exposed during the sword-flying training later?”
Lin Yun opened the book and said in a low voice, "I will keep a close eye on you these next few days, as a way of thanking you for getting up early to keep me company today."
"Ah!" Xie Tingshui wailed, collapsing onto the table, "This is revenge!"
"Sword control is a mandatory part of the inner sect assessment. Have you forgotten your lofty ambitions?" She rolled up her book and gently patted the back of her seatmate's head. "You may not remember, but I do."
Xie Tingshui propped herself up on her arm and whispered in her friend's ear, "Give me some rewards. If I pass the test, you'll come with me to find the legendary Penglai Wonderland."
Lin Yun readily agreed.
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