Chapter 128: Late-Night Visit from Jiajia

Yan Zhou's sword stance was peculiar. He stood on his left foot, his other foot resting on that knee, his body exaggeratedly leaning back. His snowy white beard and hair hung down, making him appear to be drinking, though he held no wine flask—only a long sword. The sword passed close to his face, its blade slightly bent to touch the ground, making his entire form resemble an arch bridge.

This posture did not last long. Yan Zhou's body suddenly straightened, like an Arhat changing stance in a dream. He twisted and spun, his robes cutting through the air with a swish. He then fully prostrated himself, embracing the long sword after it traced an unusual arc. Although his body was low, his robe remained a hair's breadth from the ground.

Ning Changjiu found the sword stance familiar but could not recall where he had seen it.

Then Yan Zhou's body touched the ground, and his hands relaxed.

Ning Changjiu thought it was a new sword move, but after some pondering, he realized the old man had truly fallen asleep. The killing intent emanating from him, which had seemed connected to Ning Changjiu's heart, dissipated like alcohol fumes, as if it had never existed.

Ning Changjiu contemplated for a while, then imitated the stance the old man had just performed. However, he could not grasp the essentials of the mental cultivation technique or the flow of spiritual energy. Although his movements were somewhat similar, the essence and spirit of the sword qi were entirely different.

He tried a few more times, then gave up, deciding to casually inquire about it when Yan Zhou woke up.

He looked around, confirmed there was nothing else unusual, and walked out of the library.

It was late at night. Lights hung from the four walls of the inner peak, and occasional lights glowed from the disciples' rooms, but overall, it was quiet.

Ning Changjiu returned to his room and lit a lamp.

Manuscripts from a month ago, when he taught Ning Xiaoling to read, were still scattered on the desk. He tidied them up, flipping through the pages filled with characters. Memories of those days brought a smile to his face.

Without having to teach Ning Xiaoling, he had more time for cultivation, and his life was much quieter, but this quietude felt lonely.

He recalled his twenty-four years of solitary cultivation in his previous life and laughed mockingly to himself. He thought that indeed, cultivators should not delve into mortal affairs. After only half a year since his reincarnation, he had become so impatient with solitude, completely unlike his past self, who was free from desires.

Or perhaps, this current self was the true one?

He did not want to think too deeply about it.

Ning Changjiu looked up. The moon in the sky was veiled by layers of clouds, its faint glow outlining the edges of the evening clouds.

Suddenly, the evening clouds were torn apart by a sudden gust of wind, revealing the bright moon, which cast a square of moonlight onto his desk.

On a whim, he took out the withered, black iron-like branch from the pile of miscellaneous items and laid it on the table, examining it. A sudden conjecture came to mind, and he muttered, "Plucking the osmanthus from the Toad Palace?"

Outside the Peak Master's Hall, the winter snow had not yet melted. A slender, elegant woman walked out of the dark hall. She held a sword, her long hair unpinned, flowing softly in the night breeze. Unusually, she wore a black robe, which made her gentle yet serene face appear even more tranquil.

At the summit of Sky Abyss Peak, Lu Jiajia stood beneath the myriad sword stars. She gazed at the dormant sword stars, and suddenly, a stream of sword light, like a clear spring, flowed from her waist.

The clouds obscuring the moon vanished instantly, and moonlight poured down unobstructed, clearing the world.

In the soft moonlight, shadows danced at the peak. Hundreds, thousands of sword lights seemed to be wielded simultaneously, like a king feasting in his court with graceful dancers moving in unison.

Thousands of crisscrossing lights appeared and vanished in the moonlight. Sword qi transformed into clear water and flowed back into its scabbard. The release and retraction of all the sword qi happened almost instantaneously, incredibly fast. Along the edge of her sword-robe, a glowing luminescence seemed almost tangible. Each pure sword qi, akin to moonlight, was a naturally emanating sword intent.

What she held was a sword; her body and mind were also a sword.

The flow of spiritual energy when she struck with her sword even bypassed the meridians that should have been essential pathways. Every strike originated from her heart, precise and clean. Her sword speed and the purity of her sword intent were even greater than when she was merely half a step into the Purple Court realm.

She looked at the white snow and bright moon in the night, and at the distant peaks and wilderness. Her vibrant sword-heart, brimming with spiritual energy, seemed capable of resonating with all things.

After a long time, all sword lights at the peak extinguished. She stood amidst the snow and moonlight, but her figure, like a celestial fairy from the Toad Palace, could not be captured by sight, because she was no longer merely body and sword spirit united, but rather, she was a sword, one with all things.

She maintained this state as she walked towards the inner peak. Her lips occasionally pressed together, and her eyes, beneath her lowered lashes, flickered with struggle, as if she were making a difficult decision.

She knew that her body-and-sword-spirit fusion had not yet reached true unity.

Last night's body forging into a sword was, in a sense, just the beginning.

Her physique and sword spirit had unknowingly entered a new world, and the glimpse of it already astonished her. If she were to fully refine the body-and-sword-spirit fusion, truly transforming into an unparalleled weapon, how astonishing would her sword intent be then?

This was something she had never dared to imagine on her cultivation path before.

She painstakingly suppressed her emotions, yet this temptation surfaced occasionally, unsettling her Dao heart.

"Ning Changjiu... just who are you?"

She stopped abruptly outside one of the inner peak entrances. Her state of oneness with all things naturally dissolved, and the moonlight fell upon her again. Her sword-robe swayed, her jade-like face resembled snow. She sighed softly, finally turned and left, returning to the Peak Master's Hall. She lay quietly on the cold jade bed, allowing her slightly warm body to gradually lose its temperature.

In the morning, sword class resumed. Ning Changjiu, as usual, sat beside Ning Xiaoling.

He closed his eyes to rest for a while, then looked at the dark desk and ruler at the front of the sword hall, and the ancient, long-screened bookshelf behind them. His gaze fell upon the paintings on the black gauze screen. The first time he came to the sword hall, he felt these three screen paintings concealed something. Looking at them again today, his feeling was even stronger.

All the paintings were by the same hand, and a certain sword intent was hidden within the inkwork.

This sword intent was not deliberately manifested but was a natural emanation from the painter due to their extremely high cultivation. Especially the first painting, "Barbarian Riding an Elephant to Slay a Serpent Demon," and the third, "Myriad Swords Ascending to Slay the Nine-Headed Great Demon," exuded a particularly sharp sword qi.

He also recognized that this sword intent shared the same origin as the sword intent contained within the sword stars.

Lu Jiajia entered from outside the door, her footsteps silent, like snow blowing into the hall.

Ning Changjiu averted his gaze from the screen and turned to her.

Due to her years of solitary cultivation, Lu Jiajia possessed a cold, serene, ethereal demeanor. Now at a higher realm, her graceful figure appeared even more otherworldly.

The moment the young boys and girls in the sword hall saw her, they unconsciously held their breath. This was not fear, but an unconscious submission of their sword-hearts.

Lu Jiajia, as always, tapped the ruler. The eaves bells at the four corners outside the hall chimed. No one was late today, and morning class began as usual.

Everyone first recited sword scriptures. Ning Changjiu sat beside Ning Xiaoling, watched his junior sister earnestly read with her head held high and chest out, feeling quite pleased. He also casually picked up a book and pretended to read it.

Many of these sword scriptures and treatises began with broad, abstract concepts, and the authors likely had not reached beyond the Five Paths, so their theories on higher sword intent realms were mostly speculative. Many of their deductions, which seemed logical to ordinary cultivators, were glaring errors in his eyes.

For example, theories in this sword scripture like "sword emerging from sixteen apertures" and "sword qi hidden in darkness, manifested in light," he found completely without merit.

After the recitation of the sword scriptures, Lu Jiajia happened to explain to the disciples the origin of "sword emerging from sixteen apertures."

There are a total of seventy-two spiritual apertures available for cultivation, sixteen of which are the most potent and intense. The spiritual energy pathways for almost all sword moves in the Yu Jian Heavenly Sect circulate and are derived from these sixteen sword moves. Only sword qi that passes through these sixteen spiritual apertures is sharp and fast enough to kill demons across ten, a hundred, or even a thousand li.

Once Lu Jiajia finished explaining this theory, morning class concluded. The disciples stood up, bowed to thank their master for the lesson, and then dispersed, heading towards the training grounds.

Lu Jiajia also started walking out of the sword hall, and Ning Changjiu followed her.

Lu Jiajia paused slightly, her voice displeased: "Is there something you need?"

Ning Changjiu softly asked, "Why didn't you come last night?"

Lu Jiajia's brows quivered. Her gaze flickered as she looked around. Although some disciples cast curious glances their way, no one seemed to have clearly heard what he said.

Lu Jiajia immediately set up a sword domain, creating an invisible barrier. She said, "I am the Peak Master. How would it look for me to visit a disciple's room late at night?"

Ning Changjiu thought he understood and tentatively asked, "Should I come to the Peak Master's Hall?"

Lu Jiajia's expression showed a hint of annoyance and embarrassment. "You don't need to worry so much about me."

Ning Changjiu nodded and said, "Then, as you wish, Miss Lu, I won't worry."

With that, Ning Changjiu walked towards the inner peak.

In Lu Jiajia's mind, that "Miss Lu" lingered strangely... Miss Lu? What did he mean by that? Was the master-disciple bond so fragile?

A white figure vanished around the eaves. Lu Jiajia gave a soft hum and walked towards the sword practice grounds.

Inside the sword hall, Le Rou tried her best to ignore the annoying junior disciple who was bothering her master, her gaze fixed on her master's beautiful figure, chin in hand, her expression one of utter adoration.

Ning Xiaoling packed her books and sword, passing by her.

"Oh, wait," Le Rou suddenly called out.

Ning Xiaoling was a little surprised and asked, "What's wrong?"

Le Rou asked secretively, "Junior Sister Xiaoling, I heard you came from Linhu City?"

Ning Xiaoling nodded.

Le Rou asked, "I heard that city is a ghost town now. What exactly happened there, and how did you get out?"

Ning Xiaoling thought for a moment and said, "Well, there was a skeleton demoness who wanted to destroy the whole city, and then my senior brother, the empress sister from Zhao Kingdom, and I all worked together and defeated the great demon."

Ning Xiaoling's concise words filled Le Rou with excitement. Since she began cultivating, she had killed some minor spirits, but those phantom ghosts, not even reaching the Profound Realm, shattered at a touch, offering no challenge. Although legends of great demons were everywhere, she had never seen one in reality.

Although Linhu City was remote, the fact that the entire city was enveloped in darkness for a month caused a huge stir, with many rumors spreading rapidly and becoming incredibly bizarre. As a participant from Linhu City, Ning Xiaoling attracted a lot of interest.

As soon as Le Rou asked, many disciples who had not left the room gathered around, wanting to hear Ning Xiaoling's story.

Ning Xiaoling, surrounded by everyone, felt a bit nervous. She looked at Le Rou's eager, pretty face, cleared her throat, and said, "That bone demon was supposedly a monster that split off from the remains of the Southern Abyss. She was a female demon, and she looked..."

"Fierce and terrifying?"

"She was incredibly beautiful, very enchanting, like a courtesan from a pavilion," Ning Xiaoling said.

"Is that so... Oh, and was the Empress of Zhao Kingdom with you too? I heard she's a beauty capable of overthrowing kingdoms, a rare beauty in the world. Is that just an empty rumor or..." Yun Ze interjected, asking.

"Princess Xiang'er should be even more beautiful than the rumors say," Ning Xiaoling confirmed.

"Truly so captivating as to bring ruin to a nation? How does she compare to Master?"

"..." Ning Xiaoling hesitated, then stammered, "Master is, of course, the most beautiful in the world."

Yun Ze was very satisfied with this answer and said, "What's so great about that Zhao Xiang'er? She's obsessed with power, and they say she even has a fiancé. She's nothing like our Master, who devotes herself entirely to the Dao, unstained by mortal dust. That's a true immortal!"

"..." Ning Xiaoling did not know if she should tell them that her senior brother was Zhao Xiang'er's fiancé.

Le Rou waved her hand and said, "Stop arguing, everyone. Let Junior Sister Xiaoling tell her story. I can't believe we've been cultivating for so many years and still haven't seen as much as Junior Sister Xiaoling has in just one month."

Ning Xiaoling hesitated, "Let's go to Cloud Platform Sword Field first, or Master will be angry if we're late."

Le Rou had been slack with her sword practice after acting like a tyrant at home for a month. She suddenly realized, "Oh!" and exclaimed, "To the sword field first! We can talk on the way."

"Ah... mm." Ning Xiaoling was pulled up by her and, surrounded by the disciples, walked out the door, clearly already a prominent figure on the peak.

Le Rou asked as they walked, "Junior Sister, your cultivation must have increased a lot this past month, right?"

Ning Xiaoling, afraid of disheartening her too much, said, "It increased a bit."

Normally, Le Rou would have felt uncomfortable, but the events of Linhu City were widely known. It was natural for Ning Xiaoling to gain some blessings after surviving such a great catastrophe, so Le Rou did not take it to heart and continued pressing for details about what exactly happened in Linhu City.

Ning Xiaoling was surrounded by everyone, their gazes focused on her face. She was nervous at first, but the experience of being the center of attention gradually gave her confidence. Her breathing calmed, and she succinctly explained what happened in Linhu City. Afraid of scaring everyone, she downplayed the strength of Lady Bai. Still, many found it hard to believe such a powerful demon existed in the world.

"Constructing a divine realm? How could something that only exists in myths be constructed by a mere demon?"

Le Rou, however, had some admiration for Lady Bai, thinking that if she had not been a villain, she would have been a formidable figure.

"By the way, Ning Changjiu... what did he do in the city?" Le Rou suddenly asked.

Ning Xiaoling immediately stammered. She was not sure what her senior brother was thinking—was he hiding his true abilities or...?

Seeing her expression, Le Rou preemptively concluded: "We all know that Junior Disciple Ning's cultivation is ordinary, but given how dangerous the situation was, it's already impressive that he survived. Of course, we won't mock him for that."

Ning Xiaoling thought of something and softly assented, "Yes, Senior Brother is the most useless."

Ning Changjiu went to the inner peak to cultivate as usual. He consumed and refined all the spiritual fruits and pills he had taken out yesterday. Driven by curiosity, he also cast a distant glance near the abyss of the Hidden Peak. Afterward, he went to guide Nan Cheng's cultivation. Nan Cheng had good talent and perseverance, and Ning Changjiu was quite pleased with this disciple he had unintentionally taken on.

He felt he should continue guiding Nan Cheng until the spiritual fruits in Nan Cheng's "C" jade tablet were all used up.

After the guidance session, Nan Cheng thanked him sincerely. Ning Changjiu remembered something, demonstrated the strange sword stance he had seen Yan Zhou adopt in his sleep last night, and asked, "Have you seen a sword move like this?"

Nan Cheng watched for a while, then shook his head. "Never seen it. Is this... a sect technique?"

Ning Changjiu shook his head and said nothing more.

That night, he returned to the library again and found Yan Zhou striking a completely different stance from the night before, yet it, too, emanated a peculiar aura.

However, when he adopted these stances, he no longer appeared as the aged man nearing the end of his years, but exuded a decisive, kill-or-be-killed resolve.

After striking several stances, Yan Zhou once again embraced his sword and lay down to sleep.

Ning Changjiu memorized these stances, left the library, and returned to his room.

He opened the door, and his eyes blurred as a black shadow flashed before him and vanished.

"Who's there?" Ning Changjiu quietly demanded.

A black-robed figure, about his height, stood before him and made a shushing gesture. Ning Changjiu recognized her and smiled, "Disciple Ning Changjiu greets Master."

Lu Jiajia removed the hood covering her head, her dark hair falling loose. Her unadorned face was serene and clear in the night. She looked at Ning Changjiu, her soft, red lips pressed together, seemingly troubled, her expression still showing some struggle.

She wondered what this behavior of hers counted as now—a secret meeting with a disciple in the dead of night?

She remained expressionless, gently hummed in acknowledgment, and asked, "Where were you earlier?"

Ning Changjiu replied, "Just walking around the peak... I didn't know you'd come so early, otherwise I would have returned sooner."

Lu Jiajia did not press the matter. She uncomfortably removed her black outer robe and said in a low voice, "Let's begin."

Ning Changjiu said, "Master, please get on the bed."

Lu Jiajia was not sure if he said that intentionally or not. She bit her lip lightly and walked to the bed.

Ning Changjiu wanted to light a lamp, but Lu Jiajia stopped him. She pursed her lips and silently removed her shoes and socks. Her firm, slender legs crossed on the bed, and she pulled the covers up, concealing her delicate, pearl-like feet. She softly said, "Thank you for your trouble."

Ning Changjiu sat cross-legged behind her, his fingers caressing her elegant back, searching for the locations of the "cloud qi" and "white palace" points.

Lu Jiajia said, "No need to search."

"Hmm?"

"Since it's forging the body into a sword, it should be the same no matter where," Lu Jiajia said.

Ning Changjiu found this reasonable, so he placed his finger on the center of her back.

With a thought, the Golden Crow flew out from his Purple Mansion, leaped onto his finger, transforming into golden flames. It adhered to her finger, channeling its brilliant golden power into her back. Lu Jiajia's body instantly tensed, her bow-like feet tautened, and her pearl-like toes clenched. She gave a soft hum, steadying her mind.

Her skin rapidly changed from cool to scorching. She felt as if her body was a furnace, and all her sword intent and sword techniques were being cast into it, repeatedly hammered to remove impurities.

Soon, fine beads of sweat appeared on her body, and stray strands of her dark hair clung to her flushed cheeks, like clouds at the edge of the sky after a spring rain.

Her long, slightly upturned eyelashes trembled constantly. She felt that the spot where Ning Changjiu's finger rested on her back was like an opened hole, through which countless waves of flames poured in. Upon entering her body, they instantly transformed into a scorching temperature that enveloped her entire being. This temperature was not extremely hot, but it made her sword-heart itch, and her breathing involuntarily quickened.

This unusual sensation was also one of the reasons for her inner resistance to body forging.

Fortunately, Ning Changjiu was fully focused, unaware of her unusual state, concentrating solely on controlling the Golden Crow and tempering her body with the golden flames.

Ning Changjiu closed his eyes, his spiritual sense spreading out. He saw a sword embryo-like object in her Purple Mansion above her Qi Sea—that was her sword spirit.

A sword spirit is not a true innate spirit; rather, it is a rare physique. Those with this physique possess an inherent control over all things made of steel.

Ning Changjiu tentatively extended the golden flames there. The moment he touched the edge of her Purple Mansion, Lu Jiajia trembled uncontrollably, her ears turning so red they seemed to burn. She immediately let out a sharp cry, "Don't touch there!"

Ning Changjiu retracted the golden flames that had touched the Purple Mansion, confirming that the sword embryo was much more delicate and soft than he had imagined.

Lu Jiajia's heart, just startled, had not yet calmed when her body suddenly tensed again.

Although her mind was somewhat hazy at the moment, she vaguely sensed someone standing outside the door.

Outside the room, Ning Xiaoling, who had used a Daoist concealment technique, pressed her hand against the door. She thought that if she could not use "learning to read" as an excuse to visit her senior brother, their time together would become less and less. Feeling a bit uncomfortable, and thinking her concealment technique was quite proficient, she wondered if she should secretly visit her senior brother late at night. Uncle Master Yazhu should not be able to detect her...

Most importantly, her senior brother had given her the room key earlier and had not asked for it back yet. This was clearly a blatant hint!

Ning Xiaoling became even more convinced that she understood her senior brother's thoughts.

She giggled inwardly at these thoughts, inserted the key, and quietly pushed the door open.