Chapter 124: 101. Peaceful Residence, Sword and Shadow Both Follow the Heart (3.2K words - Please subscribe)
On Red Leaf Island.
After returning, Song Yan silently grabbed the flying sword and went to Valley Profound Field to clear weeds and chase away birds and beasts.
Sword Master Kuye, as usual, was in the front yard reading books and attempting elixirs in the backyard.
As for what happened in the Library Pavilion, the old and the young, these two men, stubbornly did not mention it.
One intentionally did not speak.
The other held back from asking.
And so they both stubbornly waited.
...
Afternoon...
In front of the courtyard, three sword cultivators in silver robes came together, bowing outside Sword Master Kuye’s door.
"Disciple Zhu Sengzhi, here to bid farewell to the teacher. I must head north to patrol the Luo River."
"Disciple Qu Huayan, here to bid farewell to the teacher. I must head north to patrol the Luo River."
"Disciple Sun Rufu, here to bid farewell to the teacher. I must head north to patrol the Luo River."
The Luo River is a great river quite near the Puppet Sect, and relatively close to Konglan Mountain, indicating that this journey is extremely perilous.
Sword Master Kuye shouted, "The three of you, come in, and fetch me a sprig of Purple Crow Grass, two Iron Broom Flowers, and one dried Sweet Osmanthus Fruit from the medicine plaque at the door."
The three sword cultivators exchanged a knowing smile, retrieved the herbs, and walked into the backyard, watching the elder bustling around.
Once Sword Master Kuye finished his tasks, the three paid their respects again.
The atmosphere was strangely quiet, until it was broken by Sword Master Kuye’s hearty laugh.
"Good children, this is your opportunity."
One of the sword cultivators laughed heartily, "What the teacher said is true, this is the perfect time to wash my blade with the blood of the demon followers, to enlighten my Sword Heart."
Another sword cultivator said, "I’ve always awaited such an opportunity. A sword cultivator should hone themselves in danger, only then can the sword become sharper!"
The last sword cultivator, a female, bowed again, saying, "Teacher, take care of yourself."
Sword Master Kuye nodded slightly, gave the three some guidance, and watched as three sword rainbows flew away from the bamboo house.
He looked up, watching until the lone shadow in the distance disappeared, then lowered his head, looking somber for a long while before laughing heartily again, and continued to busy himself...
Over the past year, especially in the last two months, more and more disciples have come to bid farewell...
...
...
In the evening, a thin layer of mist from the Misty Sea once again enveloped the islands and hills.
Beyond the mist, the clouds glowed with the warm orange light of the sunset, dispersing in the mist, making everything not only hazy but also stained with a yellowish tone.
Song Yan once more approached the bamboo house’s entrance, intending to bid farewell.
Sword Master Kuye finally couldn’t resist asking, "Shu Hu... you... at the Library Pavilion... did you call that old lady?"
Song Yan replied, "I did."
Sword Master Kuye made a sound of acknowledgment, acting as if he didn’t want to ask more.
But immediately, Song Yan continued, "Teacher Meng asked me what kind of tea I brought her."
Sword Master Kuye perked up his ears, but snorted coldly, smiling indifferently, "Just some Profound Tea I grabbed casually, you should know better not to say that."
Song Yan gave a thumbs up, nodding in approval, "The teacher knows me well."
After speaking, he added, "I told her it was something Sword Master Kuye cherished for a long time, reluctant to drink it himself, and specially sent it to Teacher Meng. I also said, Sword Master Kuye thought I didn’t know, but I actually understood everything."
Sword Master Kuye: ???
"You..."
Song Yan slapped his forehead and said, "I even mimicked the way the teacher spoke to me that day."
Sword Master Kuye’s face twisted, unclear what strange syllables he was muttering.
Song Yan pretended not to notice, coughed twice, cleared his throat, then mimicked Sword Master Kuye’s tone from that day, "Nagging! Anyway, when you see her, you must say that tea was just something I casually gave, didn’t want to drink it myself!"
Sword Master Kuye’s face turned completely hideous, he jumped up in rage, shouting, "Get out! Get out!"
Song Yan nonchalantly acknowledged, "Oh," and jogged away, disappearing into the fog.
Sword Master Kuye stood in place with a complex expression, and suddenly the wind from afar carried the disciple’s voice again.
"By the way, teacher, when I was leaving, I saw Teacher Meng eagerly brewing the tea you gave her.
She looked like she enjoyed it very much, but... also seemed inexplicably lost, I don’t understand why either."
The clear voice reached Sword Master Kuye’s ears.
The old man was momentarily stunned, then gave a gentle sigh.
His back slightly arched, leaning on the bamboo fence, his eyes showing a glimpse of nostalgia for the past, muttering, "How did it pass so fast, that I’m old?
You have grown old too... in the past, you wouldn’t have been like this..."
The muttering had just ended when a cold voice suddenly echoed from mid-air.
"What will happen then?"
Swordsman Kuye suddenly raised his head, only to see a spirited old woman standing amidst the mist in mid-air, her cold gaze falling from above.
Who else could this old woman be but Meng Po?
The two elders locked eyes.
Meng Po said, "That young man said you invited me today, so I even closed the Library Pavilion early to come over."
With that, the old woman floated down, as if oblivious to the old man’s extremely shocked expression, she stretched her arms and walked towards the fence gate, and before the door, she turned back and said, "I’ve been tired all day, you invited me here, and didn’t even cook a decent meal? I’m quite disappointed."
Swordsman Kuye turned around and said, "Rong’Er, that matter was my fault, I... I shouldn’t have coveted the power of the Crimson Palace Demon Beast and recklessly made us both take that Crimson Palace Pill, claiming we could explore the path forward together. As a result... we both remained at the Early Stage of the Crimson Palace, suffering from the erysipelas."
Meng Po was silent for a moment and then smiled, "You really know how to bring up the pot that doesn’t boil. Even the young man is smarter than you. If I still cared about that, would I have come today?
We’ve grown old, those things are in the past."
Swordsman Kuye’s old eyes grew red, then he laughed and slapped his head, "Look at my memory, just mentioned you coming over and didn’t prepare any food.
Rong’Er, wait a moment, I have plenty of Profound Flower and Profound Grass in my Profound Field that I can cook up, I’ll just fetch them, you sit down, sit down."
Meng Po entered the house, looking around, "The layout here is almost unchanged from when we were together, you really are..."
Swordsman Kuye’s old face flushed, and employing Sword Control and Rainbow Transformation, he flew swiftly towards the Profound Field, though over a hundred years old, his heart began to pound once more.
...
...
Song Yan walked alone along the path, bamboo cottages on both sides hidden in the water mist.
This kind of mist was quite refreshing, vastly different than when he was at South Bamboo Peak, like heaven and earth apart.
Yet, he keenly noticed that compared to when he first arrived, the residents of the bamboo cottages on Red Leaf Island had noticeably decreased.
Some houses stood empty, their occupants gone... it was uncertain if they would return.
’I must hurry.’
Feeling slightly heavy-hearted, Song Yan returned to his bamboo cottage, shutting the doors tight, and quickly focused his attention on the "Magic" section’s "Hidden Sword Technique", while his gaze also glanced towards the "Cultivation Technique" section’s "Profound Sword Scripture".
Today, he intended to first cultivate the "Hidden Sword Technique", and then, using its hidden effect, proceed with the practice of the "Profound Sword Scripture".
Familiar information surfaced.
[Please choose to invest life span]
...
...
[In the first year, through diligent practice, you have reached an entry-level understanding of the "Hidden Sword Technique." Upon perceiving the principle of this technique, you couldn’t help but feel hopeful when you slightly compared it to the "Condensing Evil and Controlling Profound Technique" because the fundamental principles of the two techniques are entirely different]
The "Condensing Evil and Controlling Profound Technique" is a magic derived from the "Qi Concealment Technique" after two instances of perfect mutation, allowing evil qi to partially conceal and devour internal profound qi, then explode it suddenly. Mastery of this magic requires relentless practice to proficiently control the devouring of profound qi, thus achieving spontaneous command.
Yet, the "Hidden Sword Technique" is entirely different.
The primary focus of the "Hidden Sword Technique" is not "proficiency," but "mental realm".
The opening line states, "If the heart hides the sword, there’s no need to wield it, letting go and retract, and operate as desired."
The essence of this magic emphasizes "relaxation," allowing oneself to enter a state of "extreme tranquility" through letting go.
In this state, all sword qi will quiet down, just as a strong man relaxes his body and muscles while sleeping.
If the "Qi Concealment Technique" is about hiding "existing things" into a drawer by any means, then the "Hidden Sword Technique" is about temporarily reducing the number of these things.
Mental ideas act as switches.
If anger arises, sword qi will suddenly burst out; if the heart is calm, sword qi will temporarily remain quiet likewise.
If tranquility is achieved, one naturally hides the sword, making it undiscoverable.
[In the twenty-first year, you have mastered the "Hidden Sword Technique" to perfection, allowing all sword qi to rest peacefully within the body, seemingly hidden when calm, eruptive when active, controlled entirely by your thoughts]
Song Yan continued investing life span, seeking mutation.
[In the one hundred and twenty-fifth year, you leveraged the Ghost Profound Root’s uniqueness to comprehend the "Profound Evil Sword Swallowing Skill". Not only can you hide sword qi through the mental realm, but you can also devour all exposed sword qi with internal evil qi, albeit transforming it completely into evil qi after devouring]
[In the two thousand and eighty-fifth year, you deduced the secondary perfect mutation secret technique, the "Sword and Evil Dual Form Technique". One thought for enlightenment, one thought for demonic, sword qi and evil qi— the former requires clarity of mind, while the latter chaos and evil— switch at will, where sword qi can become evil qi, and vice versa]
Song Yan exhaled deeply, briefly perceiving the discovery that the "Sword and Evil Dual Form Technique" was indeed a perfect magic based on both the "Hidden Sword Technique" and the "Condensing Evil and Controlling Profound Technique".
Once employed, all internal qi can be rapidly concealed through two channels and seamlessly switch between evil qi and sword qi.
Moreover, the various clever moves from the "Condensing Evil and Controlling Profound Technique", such as "devouring others’ profound qi," "condensing qi for a sudden burst," etc., could also be utilized freely, combined with the intrinsic sharpness of sword qi, it became incredibly versatile and quite outrageous.
If the first mutation made sword qi and evil qi stiff and somewhat "self-binding," this secondary perfect mutation utterly resolved that problem.
In addition, the notion of "one thought sword qi, one thought evil qi" implicitly meant "one thought sword cultivator, one thought ghost cultivator," truly remarkable.
However, Song Yan quickly noticed a problem.
Currently, most of the qi within him was ordinary profound qi, with only a small portion being evil profound qi. If he were to cultivate "ordinary profound qi" into "sword qi," in the future... he could only switch between sword and evil, losing the ability to revert to ordinary profound qi.
Sword qi is sharp, evil qi is bizarre, but... without the option to return to ordinary profound qi, Song Yan was uncertain whether this was good or bad.
However, he had no choice.
’Since it’s not bad, I might as well go all out and cultivate the "Profound Sword Scripture".
It’s time to progress further.’