Chapter 225: March

The rain poured down.

Earlier, all the sword energy Lu Jiajia and Jing Yangxia had left in the clouds erupted simultaneously. Every falling raindrop was imbued with a faint sword intent, pattering down and covering the entire sword arena. Above, the thick clouds resembled a massive leak, slowly pressing down.

Jing Yangxia's clothes were soaked by the rain, his pristine white linen robes completely drenched. Under his grizzled eyebrows, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes crinkled together, no longer able to conceal his advanced age.

Lu Jiajia also stood in the rain, yet not a single drop had wet her collar.

As the roaring sound of the rain filled her ears, Lu Jiajia suddenly raised her sword-holding right hand slightly, pushing the sword with her thumb.

The moment her sword left its scabbard, the sword-imbued raindrops suddenly froze. The next moment, they astonishingly shot back towards the sky, propelled by her drawing motion. This scene was like tens of thousands of soldiers simultaneously drawing their bows and firing arrows. All the raindrops collectively hurled themselves towards the sky. The ascending raindrops stretched into slender lines, colliding with the falling ones and producing sounds like clashing steel beads. The curtain of rain reversed, and sword energy soared skyward. The arrow-like rain lines converged into a white water curtain, resembling a reversed waterfall, and slammed into the clouds with a roaring sound.

The moment the loud sound erupted, the clouds were shattered by the sword energy.

Beams of light fell, illuminating Lu Jiajia's sword robes. Her clothes and hair swayed in the wind, the jade pendant at her waist jingled, and the scene instantly became mild and pleasant.

This scene was bound to be widely spread once the other disciples returned to the sect. Some would say it was a celestial maiden descending to the mortal realm, others a divine son ascending to heaven.

Ning Changjiu turned and looked, his eyes fixed for a long time on the woman bathed in sunlight.

No one else present could look away. The beauty of the mountain mists paled in comparison, and the autumn evening sun lost its brilliance. The clouds in the sky were dispersed by the sword energy, the rain stopped falling, and wisps of sword energy drifted like scattered dandelion seeds.

An after-rain rainbow arched across the sky above the sword arena. Lu Jiajia stood beneath the bridge-like rainbow, as if stepping onto a small boat.

Many people felt that a sword immortal should not exist in the mortal realm, and that no one in the world was worthy of her.

Ning Changjiu felt an impulse to push through the crowd and embrace her.

But if he did, his return to the peak would likely soon reach Zhao Xiang'er's ears.

Yet, he still walked forward.

Lu Jiajia was still returning Jing Yangxia's salute.

Her etiquette was impeccable, without a single flaw.

"How much sword intent did you use earlier?" Jing Yangxia asked, looking up at the now clear sky where the clouds had completely dispersed.

Lu Jiajia calmly replied, "All ten."

Jing Yangxia sighed, knowing she was trying to comfort him. He recalled how she had pursued the Nine Infants with her sword shortly after first entering the Purple Court, and sighed with emotion: "Han Chi is not as good as you, nor was the previous sect leader. In the future, your achievements might even surpass our grand-master."

"The younger generation is truly admirable," Jing Yangxia sighed, returning her salute.

Behind them, ten thousand swords hummed in unison, as all the disciples struck their swords and sang in chorus. Their voices converged into a stirring sword melody that resonated deeply within everyone's hearts.

Lu Jiajia turned around.

She instantly spotted Ning Changjiu's figure on the cliffside plateau.

She had originally intended to give him a subtle smile, but her jade-pink lips froze the moment they curved slightly, and her pupils reflected a look that asked: *What are you trying to do?*

Ning Changjiu was actually walking towards her.

As Lu Jiajia watched him approach, she felt like a celestial maiden suddenly cast down to the mortal realm, becoming incredibly nervous.

"Brother Zhang, where are you going?" He Guang asked, watching Ning Changjiu's unusual actions with confusion. He tried to grab him, but his hand closed on empty air.

Ning Changjiu's figure transformed into a sword, and he instantly appeared in the center of the arena.

He embraced Lu Jiajia tightly, their bodies pressed close together.

Lu Jiajia's body trembled. She tried to push him away, but it was as if she had been struck by an electric current, rendering her powerless.

Ning Changjiu smiled, adopting the tone of storytellers: "My disciple wields a truly magnificent sword."

"What are you doing here?" Lu Jiajia asked, full of embarrassment and anger.

Ning Changjiu leaned close to her earlobe, gently breathed on it, and whispered something. Lu Jiajia's heart immediately became utterly flustered, and she stammered, unable to speak a word.

The shouts in the arena ceased, everyone stunned by the sight. The white-robed female sword immortal, whose beauty belonged only to the heavens, was being held by an unknown youth. Their chests were practically pressed together. Why wasn't Immortal Lu resisting? Had she been given some kind of love potion?

He Guang was speechless. He recalled Ning Changjiu's earlier words: "topsy-turvy phoenix and dragon last night." Could that person be...? He Guang's Dao Heart trembled, and lightning seemed to flash in his eyes. When he looked at Lu Jiajia again, applying the specialized knowledge of the Joyous Union Sect, he actually faintly discerned a mature, womanly charm. Could it be... could even celestial maidens from heaven be "plucked"?

This thought did not last long.

In the blink of an eye, the shock in his eyes turned into a brief blankness.

Everyone else present was the same.

Ning Changjiu suddenly appeared beside him, patted his shoulder, and smiled, "Brother He, what are you thinking about?"

"I don't remember," He Guang scratched his head, sounding guilty. "Perhaps Immortal Lu is too perfect; I must have been momentarily captivated."

Ning Changjiu smiled. He looked up and caught Lu Jiajia giving him a subtle, almost unintentional glare.

She subconsciously wiped her face with the back of her hand. Before Ning Changjiu used his time authority to reverse events, he had pecked her cheek in front of everyone.

Although, after the use of his time authority, only the two of them would remember this incident.

But in front of so many people, Lu Jiajia still felt utterly ashamed. She could only forcefully suppress her distracting thoughts with her sword heart, walk across the rainbow spanning the sword arena, and head towards the Peak Master's main hall.

The inauguration ceremony for the new sect leader was exceptionally grand.

The surging tide formed by the immense crowd almost engulfed the summit of Heavenly Cavern Peak.

The crowd parted to make way as Lu Jiajia approached. She walked into the thoroughly cleaned Peak Master's Hall, followed closely by the peak masters of the other three peaks on their swords, who bowed to the sword alongside her, praying for their ancestors' blessings.

Ning Changjiu withdrew his gaze and looked at He Guang, playfully asking, "Do you have a girl you fancy in your sect?"

He Guang, being able to accompany the sect, was certainly outstanding among the disciples, but he replied in a resigned tone, "How could I dare? If I finally found a girl I liked, and then she was randomly assigned to another family, wouldn't that be heartbreaking?"

Ning Changjiu agreed wholeheartedly, "Your random wife allocation system truly has... pros and cons."

He Guang sighed, "Actually, they're not wives, but Dao companions for cultivation. Later, if we return to the mortal world, we can still marry. Alas, I suppose the Ancestral Master established this rule so that we could peacefully cultivate before adulthood, without casually pining for other senior or junior sisters. After all, most of the time, the outcome is always sorrowful."

Ning Changjiu exclaimed, "Your Ancestral Master is truly a peerless genius!"

"Don't be so sarcastic," He Guang said, annoyed. "We've known each other for two days now; you could say we're like brothers. Tell me, who exactly is your little Dao companion on the peak? I'll give you some pointers."

Ning Changjiu replied, feigning difficulty, "That's hard to say. My little Dao companion is very shy. Why don't you teach me more of your secret techniques? I'll exchange them for my profound scriptures."

He Guang hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "That Nine Heavens Sword Control Art from last time... does it have a second half?"

Ning Changjiu smiled and nodded, "Of course it does."

Thus, He Guang began his path of cultivating orthodox Daoist techniques, while Ning Changjiu briefly stepped into the realm of unorthodox practices...

Inside the Peak Master's Hall, the sect leader's inauguration ceremony had already begun.

The portraits and ceremonial robes of the various ancestors were displayed in the hall. All the lamps were lit, illuminating the dim hall brightly.

All disciples could only observe from a distance outside the hall; only representatives from other sects were permitted inside.

Ning Changjiu could easily draw a small aerial formation at any time to connect with the one inside the hall, but today was Lu Jiajia's big day, so he thought it best not to startle her too much.

He sat by the cliff, comprehending the secret techniques of the Joyous Union Sect that He Guang had taught him. His gaze drifted to the distant clouds, unfurling and rolling. For some reason, he kept feeling that beyond those myriad white clouds, a large, silvery moon would rise high, as if leaping from the sea.

At this moment, inside the grand hall, Lu Jiajia knelt before the ancestral statues. Holding her sword in both hands, she slowly and clearly read aloud the oath of the Sect Leader of the Heaven-Decreeing Sword Sect.

Her clear voice was like the ringing of a sword.

After she finished reading the oath, she slowly straightened her upright body. Though there was no wind in the hall, her robes fluttered as if stirred by an unseen breeze.

The peak masters of the other three peaks bowed with their hands folded over their swords, all other sword sect disciples knelt simultaneously, and the invited representatives from other sects also bowed in reverence.

"Greetings to the Fourth Generation Sect Leader of the Heaven-Decreeing Sword Sect!"

Lu Jiajia looked at the kneeling crowd, her expression serene and composed.

Yet, inwardly, she was very nervous, her peripheral vision occasionally darting towards the small aerial formation, fearing that someone might suddenly emerge from it again. If he dared to appear again, she would certainly have to give him a taste of her sword.

Fortunately, all remained calm.

From then on, Lu Jiajia became the Fourth Generation Sect Leader of the Heaven-Decreeing Sword Sect.

And Heavenly Cavern Peak also became the foremost of the four peaks.

This grand ceremony in Nanzhou gradually came to a close.

Afterwards, the Peak Master's Hall became the Sect Leader's Hall. Lu Yuanbai remained the Peak Master of Heavenly Cavern Peak, while Lu Jiajia became the supreme Sect Leader of all four peaks.

That night, the Sect Leader's door was knocked open again.

Lu Jiajia opened the door with a cold expression.

Ning Changjiu stood outside, bowing respectfully. "Your disciple Ning Changjiu greets the Sect Leader."

Lu Jiajia's faint anger turned into a slight pout. "Master, you don't need to give your disciple such a grand salute."

Ning Changjiu followed Lu Jiajia into the serene hall.

Lu Jiajia accused him, "Weren't you a bit too audacious during the day?"

Ning Changjiu, however, sought praise. "At least I didn't disrupt your inauguration ceremony. How should you thank your master?"

Lu Jiajia replied coldly, "How about I reward Master with a sword strike?"

Ning Changjiu retorted, "Or how about I reward my disciple with a sword strike?"

The two stared at each other for a moment before Lu Jiajia was the first to relent. She gracefully walked around a screen and sat on a cold jade bed. The rising chill made her skin appear like snow, like a figure carved from jade, and her fanned-out skirt resembled a large lotus leaf.

Ning Changjiu sat beside her. "Does being a sect leader come with many trivial matters?"

Lu Jiajia said, "Not at all. It's actually much quieter than when I was Peak Master. Anyway, my two years of secluded cultivation in the straw hut proved that whether I'm here or not, it really doesn't seem to make much difference to these four peaks."

Ning Changjiu chuckled, "I'm an unofficial disciple, and you're an unofficial sect leader; we're quite a match."

Lu Jiajia scoffed coldly, "What makes us a match?"

Ning Changjiu raised an eyebrow. "We have a wager, you know. Only three days have passed, Jiajia; don't forget."

Lu Jiajia was silent for a moment, then said, "What do you want now?"

Ning Changjiu said, "Let me check first to see how well you completed the task I gave you."

A fish slid beneath a lotus leaf.

On the cold jade bed, several spiritual fruits rolled from Ning Changjiu's palm. Ning Changjiu roughly counted them; not a single one was missing.

Lu Jiajia's expression was unreadable. She merely said faintly, "Satisfied?"

"Hmm, let Master properly reward his disciple," Ning Changjiu said, leaning closer.

The precious spiritual fruits rolled onto the ground one by one, making crisp sounds as they hit the floor. On the cold jade bed, the lotus had already bloomed open.

Ning Changjiu began to expound on the profound principles of Yin and Yang: how Yang bestows upon Yin, how male and female complement each other, how Kan and Li (water and fire trigrams) lead, and how light illuminates and spreads.

As Lu Jiajia listened to Ning Changjiu's discourse, she couldn't help but sigh and hum in accord when he reached profound points. All concepts of Yin and Yang seemed to invert at that moment. The surging cold air around them instantly transformed as if flickering with flames. Not only that, the reflections in the mirror, the paintings on the wall, and the phoenix and dragon motifs amidst ice and fire, all constantly inverted.

What is Joyous Union? It is not merely the close embrace of bodies, but the milky blending of spirits and souls. Like a dragon's roar heard through a humble gate, which opens with a gentle tap. This joy is not ordinary laughter and play. It is like the cold of deep winter and the sun of midsummer, rising from the center, reaching the crown of the head and the soles of the feet. This continues until the currents flow back and forth, spiritual energies intertwine, all acupoints resonate, and vitality bursts forth freely.

Ning Changjiu lectured with utmost dedication, and Lu Jiajia listened with complete devotion. The Dao spoken transformed instantly into physical and mental action.

Yet, there was a sense of constraint within the grand hall.

"I heard that when the former Dao Lord of the Central Plains lectured," Ning Changjiu suddenly said, "he was like a sun suspended in the heavens, speaking in an eloquent cascade of words, with lotuses blooming from his tongue, describing the vastness of the sky and the breadth of the earth, drawing all hearts to him."

Lu Jiajia asked, "What do you mean?"

Ning Changjiu carried her out of the hall.

Without the confines of the hall, the circulating Yin and Yang energies became even clearer. By the hot spring cliff, night clouds unfurled and rolled. Although Lu Jiajia was eight years older than him, when she was held like this, she clung to him like a small daughter.

They stood at the edge of the cliff.

Ning Changjiu felt that many previously uncultivated areas within his Dao Heart began to bloom with color.

Indeed, all the myriad methods in the world were interconnected, just as every scene of the Grand Dao was beautiful.

He could clearly feel his blood vessels, bones, tendons, and acupoints pulsating vigorously like hearts. The blood flowing within them was like a surging river, roaring loudly. The Dao techniques that his Senior Sister had helped him integrate with a single playful tap were now completely integrated into his flesh and blood in a more refined form.

This was something he had never experienced before.

Lu Jiajia also felt this, but she had not yet fully grasped the true secrets within, so her understanding was inferior to Ning Changjiu's.

Ning Changjiu suddenly felt as if he was holding a zither in his arms. He could clearly see each string, which seemed both ethereal and real, formed by the blending of Yin and Yang. The profound essence of encompassing the heavens and earth itself seemed to be the finishing touch; every plucked string sound had no barrier, instantly flowing for thousands of miles. They seemed to be the center of this world.

Ning Changjiu savored this unprecedented Yin-Yang enlightenment, attempting to integrate it into his sword techniques.

However, Lu Jiajia's sounds of pleasure instantly pulled his thoughts back.

Ning Changjiu gently inhaled, pressed down on the zither strings in his arms, and pulled all the strings to their extreme in an instant.

Then, Ning Changjiu, holding her, suddenly leaped off the high cliff of Heavenly Cavern Peak.

They fell rapidly, the wind whistling in their ears.

At this instant, the Yin component soared high, reaching an unprecedented peak. The sound of the strings was like tearing and hissing. Like a ghost encountering overwhelming Buddhist light, it lost all reason, its spirit and body trembling like a candle flame in a gale.

This was truly their closest moment.

As they neared the base of the peak, Ning Changjiu activated his spiritual energy, and the two landed softly.

Lu Jiajia slipped to the ground, collapsing like mud.

Ning Changjiu stood, leaning against a tree. He extended a finger, touched his brow as if dipping it in ink, and extracted the Yin and Yang energies, gently brushing them over a flowering vine beside the tree.

He executed a sword technique, yet not a single bit of the tender vine was harmed. Instead, the flower buds that had closed at night bloomed fully, as if bathed in sweet dew.

Lu Jiajia watched the changes, recalling Ning Changjiu's earlier words. After her breathing gradually calmed, she knelt on the ground and asked, bewildered, "What kind of unorthodox practice is this?"

Ning Changjiu looked at the small, exquisite Yin-Yang sword formed between his fingers. He half-jokingly said, "I think I could be the sect leader of the Joyous Union Sect now."

Lu Jiajia tilted her head back, gazing at the peak that seemed to stretch endlessly upwards, and silently pursed her lips.

Since Lu Jiajia became the sect leader, the four peaks entered a period of unprecedented liveliness and peace.

After Lu Jiajia returned to the peak, she didn't put on any airs as the sect leader. Instead, she would sometimes lecture and teach as usual, offering guidance on sword techniques.

While she guided disciples during the day, Ning Changjiu guided her at night. In just half a month, Ning Changjiu had cultivated the Dao techniques of the Joyous Union Sect to a groundbreaking new realm, one that would seem world-shattering to outsiders. He re-refined all his spiritual energy, making it more harmonious and transparent. He also suspended two illusory suns and moons above his Qi Sea, and the golden lotus born from the Asura Divine Record floated in the center of his Qi Sea, nourished by Yin and Yang, shining even brighter.

All the accumulated hidden injuries from Boundary City also healed completely at an astonishing speed.

Of course, Lu Jiajia's contribution to these changes was immense. She was the best "Yin" in Dao harmony, countless times better than all women of the Joyous Union Sect combined since its founding. After receiving Ning Changjiu's guidance, she also immersed herself wholeheartedly, comprehending the inversions, flows, and profound principles of Yin and Yang. Similarly, she also perceived a musical instrument in Ning Changjiu, but unlike her zither, Ning Changjiu's "Yang" manifested as a vertical white jade flute.

Heavenly Cavern Peak itself was also an immense vertical flute.

When Ning Changjiu sat high on the cliff, he would often embody the mountain peak, becoming one with Heavenly Cavern Peak as if a stubborn rock meditating into oblivion.

Time flowed like water, its passage unheard.

This was a period of time that Ning Changjiu and Lu Jiajia would find most difficult to forget; the continuous night-long playing of zither and flute brought their hearts into near unity. Sometimes, Lu Jiajia would suddenly embrace him from behind while he meditated, rubbing against him intimately and interrupting his profound enlightenment. In his annoyance and helplessness, Ning Changjiu would then use sword forging as a form of "household discipline."

On the cliff behind the Peak Master's Hall, only the two of them were ever present.

When Ning Changjiu gazed at the moon, he often worried: if Master could precisely guide Senior Sister to him, then was she perhaps secretly observing him from somewhere else?

But he didn't want to dwell on these thoughts.

Even though Master had prompted Senior Sister to show goodwill, he still couldn't fully let go of that unforgettable sword strike, even with the explanation that it was "part of a plan." That lingering resentment and distrust couldn't be erased overnight.

As for the nearly omniscient "evil" that Senior Sister had spoken of, he didn't want to be distracted by searching for it now.

He wanted to be the last decadent monarch for one more month.

Gradually, the wind on the cliff no longer carried the dry heat of late summer and early autumn, but instead a cool crispness.

Autumn was deepening.

Before long, the first snow would fall, and the four peaks would once again be capped in white.

On the snowy cliff by the hot spring pool, Ning Changjiu sat in meditation, feeling the surging spiritual energy within him, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon.

He had reached the fifth floor of the Purple Court.

After finishing her lectures and teaching, Lu Jiajia returned to the hall and sat beside Ning Changjiu. Mottled shadows danced across her canvas-like skirt, and light filtered through the gaps, illuminating her dark, lustrous hair. Her snowy-white, pretty face was no longer as cold as before, but instead carried a faint rosy flush. It was as if she was transitioning from an unparalleled immortal sword back into a beautiful immortal fairy.

This was a sign of returning to one's true, unadorned self.

As Senior Sister had previously mentioned, Lu Jiajia's sword physique was still lacking something. Ning Changjiu knew that what she lacked most, compared to Fourth Senior Sister, was combat experience.

Fourth Senior Sister's sword physique path was one of battle and proving the Dao through conflict; the demons and monsters who died by her weapon could pile up into small mountains. Lu Jiajia could also leave the peak to slay demons and refine her sword physique through repeated life-and-death trials.

But now, by a twist of fate, Lu Jiajia had embarked on a completely opposite path for her sword physique—cultivating the person first, then the sword.

He couldn't say for sure which path was better, but he felt that this was how Lu Jiajia was meant to be.

"Only ten days left. Are you confident?" Lu Jiajia asked.

Ning Changjiu smiled faintly, "Are you doubting your husband?"

Lu Jiajia was somewhat accustomed to this address, though she never directly responded to it. She said, "I'm just afraid that while you're full of tricks when you're bullying me, you'll be like you've met your nemesis when you encounter Zhao Xiang'er, beaten to the ground and begging for mercy. Don't blame me for laughing at you then."

Ning Changjiu joked, "Just wait until you two call each other sisters, and then you can have her serve you tea and water."

Lu Jiajia smiled faintly, naturally not taking him seriously. She looked at the changing clouds in the sky and suddenly said, "After you fulfill your three-year promise, whether you win or lose, come back to the peak. We'll live together openly from now on, meditating and comprehending the Dao, planting flowers and gathering herbs, experiencing the wonders of the mortal world, and becoming a pair of immortal companions detached from the world..."

Her words were calm and gentle. As she spoke, she looked at Ning Changjiu, her bright, long eyes slightly narrowed, with reflections of soaring wild geese.

Ning Changjiu gazed at her quietly, lost in thought for a long time. He said softly, "These three months have been the happiest three months of my life."

Lu Jiajia's eyes narrowed slightly. She was no longer as naive as before, and retorted, "So, was Linhe City the happiest month of your life?"

Ning Changjiu saw the cunning gleam in her eyes, thinking to himself, *This foolish disciple is getting harder and harder to trick.*

So he teased, "Give your husband a kiss, and your husband will tell you."

Lu Jiajia blinked at him, somewhat reluctant, but still pecked him.

It was a quick touch and go.

Ning Changjiu chuckled, "How dare you cut corners? Do you want a taste of the household discipline again?"

After another round of playful teasing, Lu Jiajia tidied her disheveled, delicate hair. She looked at him seriously and asked, "Are you really leaving?"

Ning Changjiu's smile gradually faded. He said, "If I could, I would stay here for a lifetime. No matter how vast the sky or wide the sea outside, I would never leave."

Lu Jiajia said softly, "But you still have to go."

Ning Changjiu remained silent.

Lu Jiajia asked, "Are you hiding something from me?"

Ning Changjiu looked into her eyes. Her eyes were like the softest swords, yet they always pierced the pain in his heart.

Many things had been suppressed in his heart for a long time, with no one to confide in.

Those were enormous secrets, and he had hesitated whether to tell the beautiful woman by his side.

At this moment, he suddenly smiled with relief.

What if they were enormous secrets? Lu Jiajia was his heaven.

Bearing it alone, believing it to be a silent form of protection, had instead made it impossible for her to erase that faint trace of worry.

"Jiajia," Ning Changjiu suddenly called her name.

"Hmm?" Lu Jiajia looked serious.

Ning Changjiu said, "Today, I'll tell you another story."

Lu Jiajia lowered her head slightly in embarrassment. She looked at the mist-shrouded peak and softly said, "Don't... it's still daytime. It's not good in broad daylight. You should tell me tonight."

Ning Changjiu extended a finger and lightly tapped her smooth forehead. He chuckled, annoyed, "What nonsense are you thinking about all day, my foolish disciple?"

Lu Jiajia rubbed her forehead. Her long, taut legs swayed slightly at the cliff edge, and she also felt embarrassed by the thoughts that had just crossed her mind.

"Then what story will you tell?" Lu Jiajia asked.

Ning Changjiu looked up and sighed, "I'm going to tell you... about the monotonous life of a young Daoist priest."