By the lakeside, on a tower boat.
“Sir, come and play~”
“Master, your alcohol tolerance is really good.”
The enticing and lewd voices of the hostesses and clients rose and fell incessantly. The madam sitting at the table greedily counted the gold and silver items.
“Do you remember your identity while making money with this painted pleasure boat?”
Suddenly, a woman’s voice came from behind her. She hurriedly stood up.
She turned around and saw a beautiful and bewitching figure added to the bed.
“Holy Maiden.”
“Y-You… are injured?”
“Hmm?”
Yin Mianmian narrowed her eyes.
In an instant, the gold and silver treasures on the table disappeared.
The madam’s pupils shrank. She couldn’t see how those gold and silver items were taken away.
If she could take her money without a sound, she could easily take her life.
“Have the few Heavenly Killers arrived?”
“It’s the Straw Coat Guest, the Twin Lotus, and the bl**d Gourd Lords who came.”
The madam answered truthfully.
Yin Mianmian fell silent for a moment: “Let them come to see me tomorrow.”
“Yes.”
After the madam left.
Yin Mianmian slowly got up, her hand sweeping over the table.
Those silver coins reappeared abruptly.
She grabbed a handful of gold beads and let them fall with a clatter.
“Divine… Inspection?”
As the Holy Maiden of Misty Rain Tower and ranked on the Qianlong List,
even those ahead of her might not be certain of defeating her in the Mortal realm.
She had never suffered a loss when facing someone in the Mortal realm.
But…
What if Ying Bing was in the Observation Realm?
Recalling that icy, divine intent and the sword intent akin to heavenly punishment.
She could only recall the divine intent left in Hengyun Sword City, ending this business entirely.
And that young man.
“Northwest Hammer King, I didn’t expect we would meet like this.”
The candlelight flickered in Yin Mianmian’s eyes, smiling but not quite:
“Betraying Misty Rain Tower will lead to your destruction…”
…
Under the night sky, the bustling city of Yunzhou.
After the recent battle, Plum Blossom Pavilion had become a ruin.
“What happened just now?”
“It seems there were assassins from Misty Rain Tower hiding in Plum Blossom Pavilion.”
“I saw Young Hero Ke fight just now. With one sword, he killed eight assassins from Misty Rain Tower.”
“Eight? Eighty! I was right there!”
…
The entire street was cordoned off by Hengyun Sword City’s enforcement disciples. Spectators could only gather outside, discussing in layers.
When Elder Zeng arrived.
The discussion about Little Ke’s feat grew from killing eight to eight hundred assassins from Misty Rain Tower.
“Eight hundred?”
Elder Zeng paused.
Forget eight hundred.
Even eighty Observation Realm assassins from Misty Rain Tower could k*ll Inner Scenery cultivators as if it were child’s play.
Wu Chushu remained silent for a moment:
“Right now it’s eight hundred, maybe it’ll become eighty thousand in a few days.”
“There’s no need to exaggerate when promoting disciples within the sect.”
“It wasn’t exaggerated. When I was promoted, it was said I killed eighty bandits.”
“…”
This master and disciple pair walked past the ruins and saw the scene inside Plum Blossom Pavilion.
Zhong Zhenyue sat there, seemingly in disbelief.
“Little Lord is fine, that’s good.”
Elder Zeng sighed in relief and asked:
“What happened here just now?”
Zhong Zhenyue recounted the events that occurred.
Elder Zeng’s brows furrowed deeper.
…
The night deepened.
In the courtyard.
Early autumn had cooled the moon.
Under the moon, a person continued practicing sword moves, her sword light blending with the moonlight, as if fighting an invisible opponent.
She was reviewing the fight.
A short while later.
The girl stopped her movements, standing alone with her sword, letting the wind blow through her black hair.
Observing Taiyin did not calm her mind.
“If my sword heart were clear, Yin Mianmian wouldn’t have just been lightly injured.”
“If my sword heart were clear, I could supplement ‘Heavenly Heart Sword’ with the ‘Divine Thunder Sword’, and then I’d have confidence in the next system ranking…”
“But why do I always lack a bit of completeness in the first three sword techniques?”
Ying Bing frowned slightly, her gaze somewhat bewildered.
The sword technique was certainly correct.
So, the problem must lie within herself.
There were no flaws in her techniques anymore.
“Is it my state of mind?”
‘The Heavenly Heart Sword’ emphasizes substituting one’s heart for the heart of heaven.
Heaven does not discriminate; all things are treated as mere straw dogs.
She had once been so close to the true Dao. There should be no one more suitable for this sword technique than her.
Why can’t her heart achieve true transcendence, complete silence?
Snap—
Somewhere nearby, a window opened.
Little Li, who had been practicing, poked his head out and saw the girl in the courtyard, slightly stunned:
“Ice Chunk, you’re still not sleeping?”
“Occasionally rest, sharpening the axe doesn’t delay chopping wood… Want some midnight snacks? Soul-roasting skewers, anyone?”
The boy’s words carried a smile, carried by the breeze.
“…”
Ying Bing froze.
She seemed to have found the source of her state of mind.
But in reverse… she didn’t know what to do now.
…
PS: I’ll add another chapter, Xiao Pujie is definitely a trustworthy young gentleman!
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