Chapter 313: You Are My Sword

Liu Xiyuan was wrapped tightly in a black cotton cloak, her body drawn in like an owl tucking its wings against a blizzard.

The wind blowing in from outside swirled around her neck, making her glossy short hair dance like a dark tide crashing against a jade-like neck. Beneath her disheveled brows, her eyes, though cold, and her attire, resembling that of a young master, still held a hint of childishness. Between her bright eyes and crimson lips, there was a delicate, exquisite charm.

She stood, looking down at the young man who sat, oblivious to any danger.

Ning Changjiu tilted his head back, looking at her. "Did you dye your hair black?" he asked.

Liu Xiyuan's eyes narrowed, her already long and thick eyelashes forming two ink-drawn lines as her beautiful eyes filled with murderous intent.

"It was always black!" Liu Xiyuan retorted indignantly.

Ning Changjiu asked, "Why don't you like white?"

"Doesn't Sisheng have white hair?" Liu Xiyuan replied. "I don't like that woman."

"I thought it was because you didn't want to be reminded of the Silver Sword," Ning Changjiu said.

"..." Liu Xiyuan's murderous intent subsided slightly. Her knuckles, clutching the cloak, turned faintly white. "This sword is something you gave me; it's mine now. You... don't even think about taking it back."

Ning Changjiu chuckled. "I wasn't asking for it back. Why are you so anxious?"

Liu Xiyuan paused, startled. She suddenly realized her words were being led by him again, and the momentum she had painstakingly built up had once more slipped away.

She composed herself. "I'm not an unreasonable person. This Silver Sword was your gift to me... hmm, whatever compensation you want, I can agree to it."

Ning Changjiu eyed her. "Anything?" he asked.

Liu Xiyuan looked at his gaze, a chill running through her. She immediately changed her words. "Unreasonable demands are not allowed."

"What counts as an unreasonable demand?" Ning Changjiu inquired.

Liu Xiyuan snapped, "Why are you feigning ignorance? Don't I know your habits? You could do such things with Sisheng, that vile woman, so I..."

Liu Xiyuan stopped short, letting out an exasperated huff.

Ning Changjiu uttered a sudden "Oh," as if enlightened, then asked curiously, "Hmm, I don't quite understand. Isn't Young Master Liu a man? You've been in my body for so long, don't you know I don't have such strange habits?"

"You..." Liu Xiyuan froze instantly, realizing she had misspoken. Her subtly arched, slender brows furrowed immediately, and she said coldly, "How would I know what habits you have? I'm not a worm in your stomach!"

As she spoke, her cherry-like lips pursed, and her icy face crumpled. "Bah, Ning Changjiu, you're disgusting!"

"..." Ning Changjiu looked at her innocently, thinking, *Aren't you just insulting yourself? What does that have to do with me being disgusting?*

"Never mind, I forgive your impoliteness." Liu Xiyuan's expression softened slightly. "Just tell me what conditions you want. I will fulfill whatever is within my power."

Ning Changjiu smiled, not answering directly. Instead, he asked, "The Silver Sword is the foundation of your body. If I wanted to buy it back, how much do you think I should offer?"

Liu Xiyuan thought for a moment, then immediately grew angry. "No matter the price, I won't sell it! I'm not a courtesan from a pleasure house; how can you speak of buying and selling?"

Ning Changjiu nodded. "Indeed, Young Master Liu... is priceless. How could you be weighed by price or conditions?"

*Priceless...* Liu Xiyuan felt an inexplicable stir in her heart upon hearing this.

She immediately shook off the thought, telling herself that it was excusable for other young girls to be naive and deceived by this scoundrel, but she knew him inside out. Such seemingly casual flirtatious words must be a trap, and she mustn't fall into it.

"I actually wanted to repay you," Liu Xiyuan said. "Since you don't want it, I won't force you."

Ning Changjiu replied, "Just now you called me ungrateful. I think Young Master Liu is no less so than I."

Liu Xiyuan's face darkened, unwilling to continue this topic.

"When I find another perfectly crafted body in the future, I'll return the Silver Sword to you," Liu Xiyuan said calmly, sounding very confident.

Despite her words, she knew it was impossible. She was no longer a true spirit. This body had become deeply rooted with her; she was slowly transforming from a spirit into a true person. How could she ever leave this body?

Ning Changjiu chuckled. "Young Master Liu is truly thoughtful."

"Of course," Liu Xiyuan said, thinking of the heroic speeches in books, imitating them in earnest. "I, Liu..."

But she stumbled on the very first word.

*What name did I just make up for myself? Anyway, it was something masculine, hmm... Liu Dali?*

"Liu Xigua," Ning Changjiu said.

"Not that!" Liu Xiyuan immediately denied, thinking there was no way she'd choose such an awful name. *Liu Xi...* She pondered for a moment, then remembered. "I am Liu Xitian!"

Her words were interrupted again. Ning Changjiu said, "Why did you think of naming yourself Xitian?"

Liu Xiyuan suppressed her anger. "Xitian has a Spirit Mountain, and Spirit Mountain, as the name implies, is the destination of all spirits. As a noble sword spirit, I naturally must go there to achieve true enlightenment."

Ning Changjiu nodded. "I see."

With her words repeatedly interrupted, Liu Xiyuan didn't know what else to say. She looked at Ning Changjiu and asked coldly in return, "So why exactly are you here? Do you have a grudge against that Xiao Qiu?"

"I'm not as bored as your second senior sister," Ning Changjiu said.

"My second senior sister is just out on the street," Liu Xiyuan reminded him kindly. "I don't care if you badmouth her behind her back now, but if you say the wrong thing when you meet her later, I won't be able to save you."

Ning Changjiu asked, "Is your senior sister very fierce?"

Because she was speaking with Ning Changjiu, Liu Xiyuan always felt that every word he uttered carried a hidden meaning. "Hmm, quite... fierce. She could beat you so badly that Lu Jiajia wouldn't even recognize you!"

Ning Changjiu gasped, asking tentatively, "Has your senior sister disciplined you before?"

Liu Xiyuan took a deep breath, reaching her limit. "Ning Changjiu, are you deliberately trying to annoy me?!"

"I was just asking," Ning Changjiu replied.

Liu Xiyuan glared at him, speaking as if sharpening a knife. "In the past, when Sisheng beat you senseless, I even felt empathy and sided with you. Now I only regret helping you; I should have let Sisheng beat you harder, and we could have perished together!"

"Of course, I am the jade," Liu Xiyuan added.

Ning Changjiu looked at her short hair and arrogant demeanor, sighed, and explained, "The reason I'm here is very complicated, and you wouldn't understand even if I told you. In short, my junior sister has a terminal illness, and I'm searching all of Central Land for a good doctor for her, so I urgently need Tianbang to find people."

Liu Xiyuan nodded. "I see."

"Then shall I go upstairs?" Ning Changjiu asked.

Saying this, he rose, intending to leave.

"Wait!" Liu Xiyuan sharply admonished. A hand emerged from her cloak, holding an ancient-looking sword, its jade-tender, slender fingers blocking Ning Changjiu's path.

"What's wrong?" Ning Changjiu asked.

Liu Xiyuan said, "I am now a disciple of the Sword Pavilion, and my second senior sister treats me... very well. Moreover, this is my first battle; how can I lose without a fight and tarnish the name of the Sword Pavilion?"

"Oh... you want to intentionally lose to me?" Ning Changjiu said.

"..." Liu Xiyuan was furious. "If you say one more word, I'll really hit you!"

"Your first battle was with me in the canyon north of Nanzhou," Ning Changjiu said. "I won against you then. Don't you remember?" With her old wounds exposed again, Liu Xiyuan's mood soured further.

"You won unfairly!" Liu Xiyuan declared. "Someone as unscrupulous as you must have used underhanded tricks to win against me back then."

Ning Changjiu smiled helplessly. "And now you're confident you can beat me?"

Liu Xiyuan gripped her sword, a hint of pride in her expression. "I am now a disciple of the Sword Pavilion, having received the true teachings of the Sword Saint. My cultivation is vastly different from before, unlike that worthless wretch you just beat."

"Is that so?" Ning Changjiu asked. "Is the Sword Pavilion truly that formidable?"

"The Sword Pavilion is naturally invincible throughout the world," Liu Xiyuan stated. "What's more, I am the fastest to break through in the Sword Pavilion's history."

Ning Changjiu said, "Three months ago, the seventh disciple of the Sword Pavilion was defeated at the Dragon Mother's Banquet."

Liu Xiyuan paused slightly. This incident was indeed a stain on the Sword Pavilion's record. Because of it, their usually cheerful seventh senior brother had been in seclusion ever since returning to the pavilion, constantly meditating on the Way of the Sword. Their senior sister, second senior sister, third senior brother, and fourth senior brother had all taken turns visiting him to offer guidance.

"Victory and defeat are common in war!" Liu Xiyuan forced herself to explain, then sarcastically added, "Besides, what does our seventh senior brother's defeat have to do with you?"

Ning Changjiu smiled faintly. "The one who defeated your esteemed seventh senior brother was none other than my Jiajia. Jiajia was personally trained by me."

Liu Xiyuan's expression stiffened, her eyes wide with undisguised astonishment.

She had heard that the white-clad woman who defeated their seventh senior brother was as beautiful and pure as a lotus, a truly stunning beauty... She had longed to meet her for a long time.

She never expected it to be Lu Jiajia...

But "trained" or not, why did his words always have ambiguous meanings, making one's thoughts run wild?

"Hmm," Liu Xiyuan responded, then said proudly, "She is indeed worthy of being a woman admired by me, Young Master... It's a pity she was ruined by a scoundrel like you!"

Ning Changjiu, facing her condemnation, smiled faintly. "So, Young Master Xitian, perhaps you should yield. It would truly harm the Sword Pavilion's reputation if two of its disciples were defeated by members of the same family."

"I think you're scared," Liu Xiyuan said.

"Where does your confidence come from?" Ning Changjiu asked.

Liu Xiyuan sighed softly. "I know your sword speed very well, and I know your techniques. I understand you intimately, so I'm confident I can be faster than you. Furthermore, my current cultivation realm is beyond your imagination. Under my hand, let alone victory, it will be hard for you to even lose gracefully."

Ning Changjiu smiled faintly. "We've only been apart for half a year, yet your personality seems to have changed quite a bit."

"Of course," Liu Xiyuan said solemnly. "After all, I am now a dignified man."

Ning Changjiu smiled.

Liu Xiyuan looked at him, suddenly recalling the bold words she had just spoken, feeling that something wasn't quite right...

In the past, she had fought alongside Ning Changjiu for several years and was very familiar with such situations.

Ning Changjiu's past enemies, even his senior brothers and sisters, couldn't compare. Standing before this young man, they were like insurmountable mountains that could collapse at any moment, or unavoidable seas that could breach their banks at any time. In terms of sheer power, Ning Changjiu should have had no chance of survival, and they had also spoken with great confidence, saying similar things to what she had just said.

But what happened in the end? The mountains disappeared, and the seas became calm. It left her dumbfounded.

Even that sea named Sisheng had been enclosed by him, turned into his private fishpond!

Liu Xiyuan calmed down and immediately realized that she seemed quite similar to his past opponents, and she was even far weaker than them...

She suddenly felt a little nervous.

She also understood something else. Ning Changjiu was saying all these annoying things to disrupt her sword heart! In the past, she had been very calm and composed... She would never have spoken such exasperated words.

Yes, it must be deliberate. He... is not truly like that.

*I understand him.*

Liu Xiyuan's bright eyes shifted, and her expression became much calmer and gentler.

"Hmm... what's your current cultivation realm? After we parted, did you learn any new sword techniques? If so, tell me about them, and I'll help you assess if they're powerful." Liu Xiyuan intended to first gain a thorough understanding.

Ning Changjiu was also a little bewildered, thinking he'd only heard of people revealing their sects before a battle, but never like this...

Ning Changjiu pondered, "Sword techniques are private matters, so..."

"You don't want to tell me?" Liu Xiyuan asked.

"Come closer, and I'll tell you secretly," Ning Changjiu said.

"?" Liu Xiyuan's anger flared again. "Brazen!"

"Hmm? Aren't you a man?" Ning Changjiu continued to tease her, clinging to that point.

Liu Xiyuan glared at him. "Enough nonsense! Anyway, I must fight you today. Either you surrender and go downstairs, or you draw your sword."

Ning Changjiu looked at her and nodded slightly. "Since Young Master Liu insists, I suppose I must offend you."

"Good, you should have been this straightforward earlier," Liu Xiyuan really wanted to beat him up.

Ning Changjiu drew his sword.

Liu Xiyuan looked at the sword in his hand. "Why are you using such a worn-out sword now? Has your family fallen on hard times?"

Ning Changjiu looked at her, smiling faintly. "I've also been looking for a sword that suits me."

In the Tianbang casino, the quiet hall stirred to life again.

"Second Elder, regardless of win or loss, we wouldn't dare touch this sword of yours," the others said in hushed, helpless tones, looking at the rare celebrity.

The Second Senior Sister said, "It's just a sword. What does it matter? The Sword Pavilion doesn't need to be constrained by such trivialities."

The others exchanged glances, not knowing what to say.

The Second Senior Sister chuckled casually, looking at the young man still standing stiffly on the second floor. "Do you want to place a bet?"

Xiao Qiu stood rooted, many gazes falling upon him.

He should have been the center of attention, but with the Sword Pavilion's Second Elder present, it was naturally not his turn.

Most importantly, he was a loser today.

"I'm not betting," Xiao Qiu replied, looking down.

Everyone looked a little disappointed.

Xiao Qiu only felt the spear on his back growing heavier.

Many people in the hall followed the Second Senior Sister and placed their bets on the junior sister called Wan'er.

Xiao Qiu didn't know much about the Sword Pavilion's fourteenth disciple. But he knew that Zhang Jiu's sword would become a near-nightmarish presence in his foreseeable future.

The God-Devouring Annihilation Pill... He was already near the eighth floor of Purple Court. After taking that pill, his cultivation almost reached the peak of Purple Court, yet he was still easily defeated by the opponent.

He clearly didn't even have the Five Paths.

Without the authority of the Five Paths, how could he so easily defeat him?

A fire ignited in Xiao Qiu's heart. He looked around, his mind suddenly stirring. With a rush of blood, he suddenly unslung his spear, walked downstairs, and in front of everyone, placed his spear on Zhang Jiu's side.

"I bet he wins," Xiao Qiu said.

Everyone looked at him with pity.

Their gazes seemed to say, *You, someone from a prominent sect, are you really so resentful, unwilling to accept your defeat?*

Xiao Qiu ignored their gazes.

He knew that three months ago, the Sword Pavilion had suffered a defeat. And now... a second defeat was probably imminent.

In the past, Xiao Qiu would not have believed such a thing could happen.

But now he believed, and it seemed he was the only one in the hall who truly believed.

He raised his head, looking at everyone present, including the Sword Pavilion's Second Senior Sister, who seemed out of place in this room.

He suddenly felt a sense of being awake while others were drunk.

This was a sliver of light he found in the darkness of his defeat.

Inside Tianbang, the battle had already begun.

"You once said you didn't like the Divine Sword Sect's fatal sword, and you wanted to draw your sword honorably. Likewise, you didn't like being held in someone's hand," Ning Changjiu said. "Now, can you fulfill your wish from back then?"

Liu Xiyuan was silent for a moment, then said earnestly, "I must thank you for giving me this opportunity."

She remained cloaked. From within the cloak, her right hand, gripping a sword, extended. Her thumb pushed the sword out of its sheath by an inch, revealing a cold gleam like snow.

Ning Changjiu glanced at the sword in her hand.

"Although this sword is hard to compare with Sisheng's black sword, it would be difficult to find a better one in the entire human realm," Liu Xiyuan said seriously.

The Sword Pavilion had indeed placed high hopes on her.

Ning Changjiu no longer looked at the sword in her hand but at her eyes. "It is indeed a peerless sword," he said.

"Frivolous!" Liu Xiyuan knew the "peerless sword" he spoke of was herself.

Ning Changjiu also slowly drew his sword.

Liu Xiyuan watched the sword in his hand.

She couldn't be sure how much he had progressed after so many days apart.

"The hand you're holding your sword with is unsteady," Liu Xiyuan said. "Is it because you just fought someone?"

"No," Ning Changjiu replied.

"Being stubborn," Liu Xiyuan said coldly. "Why don't you go to Tianbang and post what you want to say first? I can wait here for you. Otherwise, you won't have a chance later."

Ning Changjiu's expression sobered. "Just draw your sword. I also want to see your progress over the past half-year."

Liu Xiyuan looked at the young man in white robes and dark hair, his sword half-drawn, and her expression stiffened.

The moment he gripped his sword, his entire demeanor suddenly changed.

Her cherry lips pursed. *This is more like it,* she thought. *This is the young man I knew in the past, the one who dared to fight the Sin Lord.*

Sword intent surged within her heart.

From within her cloak, the girl's other hand reached out. Her thumb hooked around the cylindrical sword hilt, and her other four fingers slowly closed, gripping it.

The girl didn't hesitate, drawing her sword with clean precision.

In an instant, silver sword shadows, like shattered white clouds from a drunken god, exploded and diffused, filling the entire room like a flurry of snow butterflies, enveloping the girl's figure in the center.

Outside the door, outside the window, the real wind and snow shattered, unable to enter.

Ning Changjiu looked at the room full of snow and nodded with satisfaction.

Liu Xiyuan disliked his gaze.

His gaze was like that of a parent seeing their distant child succeed, displaying a condescending attitude that said, *I didn't raise you for nothing.*

But she was clearly capable of holding her own now...

She was going to thoroughly dampen his spirit!

Liu Xiyuan struck with extreme seriousness.

As the room filled with sword shadows, a ringing sound erupted, each vibrating like a surging torrent, like cranes returning to the mountain.

This was different from Xiao Qiu's myriad spear shadows.

The core of Xiao Qiu's spear shadows was fear, while Liu Xiyuan's was the unyielding, solitary courage of killing intent.

Before her sword shadows even fully formed, she herself had already moved.

She and Ning Changjiu were already quite close. The few steps between them were instantly compressed. In a flash, his face continuously magnified in her pupils; she could almost see his eyelashes.

At the same time, the sword behind her also followed.

As the girl drew close to his face, Ning Changjiu drew his sword. As he drew it, the accumulated sword light from the sheath also rose, shielding his cheek, perfectly sealing off her incoming sword's trajectory and precisely interrupting that unyielding sword intent.

*Clang!*

Liu Xiyuan's sword clashed with his. The sword shadows throughout the room chimed in unison.

Ning Changjiu blocked with his sword. As their steel swords pressed together, Ning Changjiu looked up, and a golden light suddenly flashed in his eyes.

Liu Xiyuan knew this was the Golden Crow.

She instinctively halted her offensive for a moment, forming a sword seal with her left hand to defend.

But Ning Changjiu's eyes quickly returned to normal. He had merely made a feint.

Others might not have defended against this feint, but the sword spirit knew him too well; she knew what techniques and abilities he possessed, even his trump cards. So, she immediately sacrificed some advantage to defend.

After all, Ning Changjiu had once used the Golden Crow to kill many enemies.

And as her sword's momentum was forcibly interrupted, Ning Changjiu ignored the myriad incoming sword shadows, shook his white robes, and advanced with his sword, cleanly cutting into the gaps of the girl's moves.

Liu Xiyuan frowned. Her figure was forced to stop by this sword.

Liu Xiyuan stared at Ning Changjiu's sword. She recognized this sword technique; it was a move from the first volume of the Divine Sword Sect, called "Sand Snow." It was a common move, but Ning Changjiu had transformed it completely.

The sword tip cut through the air, heading straight for her brow.

Liu Xiyuan's delicate hand swiftly condensed, simultaneously blocking the sword and leaning back, precisely dodging its sharp edge.

Ning Changjiu's sword passed almost grazing her face.

As a few strands of hair were cut, countless sword shadows from behind the girl also arrived, like a rolling river, pressing down on Ning Changjiu.

Ning Changjiu extended his sleeve.

His sleeve was wide and generated wind when shaken.

If the sword intent the girl unleashed was rain, then this was the wind that skewed autumn rain.

Ning Changjiu's sleeves billowed like clouds emerging from a mountain. As the sword rain fell, countless sword intents, like golden rays, also shot forth from his body.

These sword intents seemed vast and chaotic, yet each one precisely struck the girl's sword.

This scene was like a downpour falling to the ground, while another downpour rose against the sky from the ground, the raindrops of both colliding perfectly, splashing into a vast expanse of white.

This was the Great Transformation of Heaven and Earth Sword that Ning Changjiu had learned from Li He.

The two types of sword lights clashed, shattering into an aura that filled the entire room.

His body emitted sword intent, merging with it.

Liu Xiyuan was momentarily unable to capture him with her divine sense.

She was forced back onto the defensive amidst the light rain.

After three breaths, the grand tide of light faded, and Ning Changjiu's sword struck as the sword intent waned.

Waning, in a sense, also meant peaking.

A clean, decisive cut.

Even in the relatively small hall, this single sword strike seemed to carry the immense power of heaven and earth.

The sword struck her squarely.

Liu Xiyuan was forced to parry. The sword impacted her.

The girl grunted. Her sword energy was struck, her arm went numb, and under the pull of immense force, she was thrown backward. Her cloak was torn by the sword energy, soaring high, then gently drifting down.

The girl touched down with her toes, finally regaining her balance.

The cloak fell to the floor.

She was now wearing a tight, practical outfit of thin leather that clung to her body, perfectly outlining her shapely figure.

Liu Xiyuan's expression stiffened. She looked at Ning Changjiu.

Ning Changjiu, however, stood with his sword to the side, not looking at her.

"The outcome isn't decided yet. Let's continue," Ning Changjiu said. "Let me see what the Sword Pavilion has taught you these past six months."