Bai Qianjun sneered, but didn't say anything. He leaped down from the tree.
He was covered in blood at the moment. If he were to stand on the treetop, he would be in a sorry state.
Zhuo Rusui landed by the stream as well, but he didn't retrieve the gray flying sword. It hovered by his side, ready to strike at any moment.
The flying sword stopped moving and revealed its true appearance. The sword had a light gray body and looked rather plain, but there were countless cracks on its surface, looking like the scales of a fish.
The name of this sword was the Swallowing Boat, and it was quite famous in the Cultivation circle. It was the flying sword of the highest state in Tianguang Peak, even higher than the Blue Ocean, and it had an extraordinary origin.
Back when Zhuo Rusui had just entered Aoyama, he was brought to Tianguang Peak by the Immortal Liu Ci to stay behind closed doors, so he didn't have a chance to go to Yunxing Peak to find the sword. It was the Immortal Liu Ci who went to fetch the sword and then gave it to him. It was against the rules of Shanghai Peak that the Immortal Liu Ci raised a serious objection. But the Immortal Liu Ci not only had a high Cultivation state, but he was also good at pretending to be deaf and dumb. It was evident that the Immortal Liu Ci loved this personal disciple the most.
It was the first time for those disciples of Kunlun to see the rumored Swallowing Boat Sword. They found this sword was not as lethal as rumored; it looked like a listless, salted fish.
Yet, who dared look down on this flying sword? Who dared look down on Zhuo Rusui, who had drooping eyelids all day long and looked as if he would never wake up?
As the most legendary young genius of the Aoyama Sect, Zhuo Rusui stayed behind closed doors after he entered Aoyama for twenty years. As soon as he came out from behind closed doors, he defeated Zhao Layue, shocking the whole Cultivation circle. However, his reputation had weakened after he lost to Jing Jiu in the Dao Competition of the Cloud-Dream Mountain. And he had kept a low profile in the last few years. The impression of him in the Cultivation circle was still the man in black in the Illusionary Realm of the Green Sky Mirror, who was as bloodthirsty as a madman. It was only now that the Kunlun disciples remembered that he had always been the strongest among the younger generation.
Bai Qianjun was not an ordinary cultivator, but a genius disciple of the next generation that Zhongzhou School had focused on training. Yet, he had been defeated so miserably by his sword again and again without any chance of winning. Just how strong was he?
However, the current cultivation world was still ruled by the cultivators of the previous generation.
The stream suddenly became absolutely still, no longer flowing. Accompanied by the whistling wind, the leaves rustled and fell, followed by a few figures.
Yue Qianmen, the elder of Zhongzhou School, arrived at the scene with several disciples, releasing an extremely powerful pressure.
The disciples of the Kunlun Sect felt very uncomfortable. They hurriedly bowed and saluted before moving further away.
Yue Qianmen glanced at Zhuo Rusui expressionlessly, then turned to look at Liu Shisui. After that, his line of sight fell on Xiao He, who was standing beside the forest. His killing intent disappeared in a flash.
Zhao Layue stood under the tree by Xiao He's side. It was unclear when she had arrived.
Yue Qianmen was a swordsman in the Lianxu State. Among the peak masters of Aoyama, only Fang Jingtian and Guangyuan Zhenren could defeat him. No matter how talented the young generation of Aoyama were, they couldn't pose any threat to him. However, he still felt pressured when he saw the scene in front of him, and he felt sentimental.
The pressure didn't come from the present, but from the future. The sentimental feeling came from the regret and the disappointment toward his own sect.
Three people with natural Dao quality were standing there.
They were all from Aoyama.
The next generation of Aoyama Sect was extremely powerful. In another one hundred years, there would be three more people in the upper limit of the Broken Sea State in Aoyama.
To say nothing of Liu Shisui, Zhuo Rusui had been the focus of many Cultivation sects since he was born, and Zhao Layue was a resident of Zhaoge City; why hadn't they snatched her back then?
What about their own sects? Lo Huainan had died so early; Bai Qianjun had a bad temperament, so it was hard for him to achieve the Dao; and Tong Yan … could they count on Zao 'er alone?
Yue Qianmen dismissed all these thoughts. "What is going on here?" he asked while pointing to the rocks by the stream.
The water in the stream had stopped flowing, but the blood stains on the rocks didn't grow lighter, as if they had solidified.
Zhuo Rusui chimed in, "Yeah, what is going on here?"
Yue Qianmen didn't want to pay attention to him. He looked at Zhao Layue under the tree and said, "This has something to do with Liu Shisui. Do you admit it, or do you want me to go to the House Master Bu? "
If the Aoyama Sect admitted that Liu Shisui was a disciple of Aoyama, then the Aoyama Sect had to take responsibility for this matter. Otherwise, it would be Yimaozhai's problem.
Zhao Layue said, "It's okay if you ask us."
Liu Shisui wanted to explain what had happened, but Yue Qianmen ignored him. He still looked at Zhao Layue and said, "I'm going to take him away for questioning."
Yue Qianmen's cultivation was far higher than Zhao Layue's, but his status and seniority in the sect were the same as Zhao Layue's. In his opinion, this kind of thing could only be discussed with her.
Zhao Layue said, "Don't even think about it."
The more concise her words were, the tougher she was.
Yue Qianmen raised his eyebrows slightly. Those disciples of the Kunlun Sect, who were still in shock and fear, were even more confused.
Even though Zhao Layue and her two companions had natural Taoist quality, their realms were still not high enough. Powerful practitioners in the Lianxu Realm could kill them with a flick of their fingers. Why was she so tough?
Yue Qianmen's eyes fell on Zhao Layue's arms.
The shadow of the treetop fell on her. It was not until then that people saw that she had been holding a white cat.
The white cat yawned and woke up slowly.
Many disciples of the Aoyama Sect didn't know who the Four Great Guards were, but the elders of the Zhongzhou School knew them very well.
"It turns out that Master White Ghost is also here."
Yue Qianmen's face became more serious, but he still showed no fear. He said, "But this is Bai Zhenren's order."
At this moment, Bai Zhenren was in the sky, on the Cloud Boat.
Zhao Layue was not worried, because Ada didn't continue to pretend to be asleep, which meant that he knew what was going on.
As expected, a melodious bell rang in the distance.
The sudden battle and assassination by the stream finally alerted the Guocheng Temple.
Then, an extremely clear bell rang in the sky.
Compared with the bell in the Guocheng Temple, this one was much softer, but it was more penetrating. It was unclear whether it was a Nanping Bell or some other magic weapon.
It was the signal for them to return.
Yue Qianmen didn't say anything more. He led the Kunlun disciples and left decisively.
Yet, everybody knew that the Zhongzhou School wouldn't let it go so easily, and there would be another incident at the Plum Meeting a few days later.
The stream water came back to life, flowing downstream again, making a gurgling sound.
Xiao He walked to the side of Liu Shisui. Seeing the blood stains on the rocks being washed away by the water, she suddenly felt the wind on the stream was a bit chilly, her face turning pale.
What had happened that day was too eerie, and she was quite familiar with it, which made her feel terrified.
"Senior Master Zhao." Liu Shisui bowed to Zhao Layue earnestly.
In the current Aoyama Sect, his Young Master was the one he admired the most, followed by Zhao Layue.
Zhao Layue was his idol at the South Pine Pavilion, and she was also his companion in Guiyun City later.
"Big Brother …"
After bowing to Zhuo Rusui, Liu Shisui didn't know what to say. It had been a few years since they parted ways in the Illusionary Realm of the Green Sky Mirror. Though they had met many times in the Royal Palace of the Chu Kingdom in the Illusionary Realm and were familiar with each other, it was a different place after all.
"This sword looks really good."
Looking at the Swallowing Boat Sword, he remarked, "It looks like that porcelain. What kiln is it from? I forgot …"
Xiao He reminded him in a low voice, "The Zi Kiln."
"Yes, it's the Zi Kiln."
Liu Shisui spoke and did things sincerely, and it was easy for him to convince others and make them feel like getting close to him. Hearing this, Zhuo Rusui felt a bit annoyed, as he thought that many cracks on the sword were caused by the Peak of the Universe back then, and what was the sword bracelet on his wrist? Why didn't he exchange it with him?
In Chaotian, the Lone Sword and the First Child Sword were the two flying swords of the highest state. Nobody would be willing to exchange for them. Even if Liu Shisui was willing … he wouldn't give them up.
The name of the Swallowing Boat sounded better, and it suited his temperament better.
"Why are you here?" asked Zhuo Rusui.
"I'm here to help, of course," said Liu Shisui.
One of them asked the question inexplicably.
The other answered it matter-of-factly.
The Plum Meeting of the Guocheng Temple was different from the Plum Meetings where the young Cultivation practitioners competed with each other in Zhaoge City; it was more like the Plum Meeting six hundred years ago.
During the Plum Meeting six hundred years ago, the human race was facing a great danger. Though the Plum Meeting this time was not as important as that time, it was still very important.
If the Zhongzhou School and the Aoyama Sect, the two leaders of the orthodox Cultivation sects, had a falling out with each other, Chaotian would be in a precarious situation.
At such a critical moment, Liu Shisui had to come over, not to mention that his Young Master was the Sect Master of Aoyama.
"It's not a gang fight, so it's useless to have more people. And you can't use the precious treasure of Yimaozhai to help Aoyama when the time comes."
Thinking of the pressure the Aoyama Sect was facing, Zhuo Rusui didn't feel sleepy anymore, sighing, "It all depends on what the Sect Master thinks of it."
At the Plum Meeting in spring, the attitude of the Zhongzhou School was very clear and resolute: they had to reduce the share of the Aoyama Sect, even if it was only a symbolic one.
"I'm afraid that my Young Master is too lazy to think about it," said Liu Shisui.
An honest man usually told the truth.
Zhao Layue knew that Jing Jiu had such a temperament, but he must have been prepared since he sent Tong Yan to the Underworld. "Let's talk about it when we get back," said Jing Jiu.
…
…
As they were about to arrive at the Guocheng Temple, Xiao He saw the deserted vegetable garden. She couldn't help but feel sad when she thought of her peaceful life here.
She couldn't stay in the vegetable garden, because it was not safe outside the temple. Nobody knew what the Zhongzhou School and those orthodox Cultivation sects would do. Liu Shisui couldn't bring her to Yimaozhai either. Running an Inn outside the Windy Corridor and staying with them were two different concepts. As such, he had no choice but to bring her to Jing Jiu's place.
The Tranquil Garden was still as quiet as before. Gu Qing was woken up by the bell of the Guocheng Temple.
Over the years, the Shenmo Peak had kept in touch with Liu Shisui, which was the correspondence between Jing Jiu and Xiao He. The vegetable garden and the Inn were all arranged by Jing Jiu himself. But Jing Jiu didn't exchange pleasantries with Xiao He. He said to Liu Shisui, "My Master is still inside. Wait a moment."
It was not until now that Liu Shisui learned that Jing Jiu was discussing the Dao with Zen Master, thinking that his Young Master was truly remarkable.
Gu Qing noticed Xiao He's pale face. Thinking of the bell, he asked, "What happened?"
Liu Shisui told him what had happened by the stream.
After a moment of silence, Gu Qing said, "The remnants of Bulao Lin have been quiet for so many years; why did they suddenly jump out this time?"
After Xiwang Sun's Cloud Platform was destroyed, Bulao Lin seemed to have been wiped out; but in fact, its foundation was not shaken. The battle at the Guocheng Temple was proof of that.
Before that, who would have thought that Monk Duhai, the Principal Justice of the Guocheng Temple, was the villain of Bulao Lin?
There must be many figures like Monk Duhai in the various sects and the Imperial court.
For example, that Master Huiyuan, who suddenly killed Elder Chen Wen of the Kunlun Sect today.
"He must have followed us all the way from the Windy Corridor to here and finally found an opportunity."
Liu Shisui had lived in Bulao Lin for many years and had sorted out countless files, so he was quite familiar with the way that Master Huiyuan acted.
Of course, that Master Huiyuan didn't want to kill Liu Shisui; otherwise, Liu Shisui and Xiao He would have been dead a long time ago. What kind of opportunity did he want?
Thinking of the man who went to pick the lotus flowers, Xiao He's face turned paler.
It became extremely quiet in the Tranquil Garden, because everybody was thinking of that man.
What did Taiping Zhenren want to do?
Did he want to provoke the Aoyama Sect to fight against the Center Sect, Kunlun, and all the sects in the north?
Nobody could answer his question. The autumn wind blew the fallen leaves in the courtyard, piling them up around the stone pagoda.
Ada walked to the pile of fallen leaves and crouched down, curling up into a ball.
A huge shadow appeared in the distant sky. It was the Cloud Ship of the Zhongzhou School, which brought a great deal of pressure to this world and these young people.
Looking in that direction, Zhuo Rusui suddenly said, "Let's fight then."
The red sun cast a beautiful glow over the ocean, gradually covering the shadow of the Cloud Ship, as if it had been swallowed up.
(End of this chapter)
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