Food Fairy Lord

Chapter 708: Rain
Pei Ye only saw all of this; his brain hadn't yet begun to process this illogical scene.

But no matter how his thoughts wandered, his senses remained faithfully present; the cold touch of the blade had already pressed against the skin of his neck.

He saw the face beneath the red robes and disheveled hair—eyes, lips, and nose, clear yet rough. The intense, fresh scent of blood overwhelmed his sense of taste.

When time is shortened sufficiently, a near-still world is created, where raindrops remain suspended in the air and sound ceases to travel.

No one reacted in that instant. Zhu Gaoyang had leaped from his horse a moment ago, about to rush to the river to help, his right arm reaching out as if to pull the boy beside him along. Even the black cat remained silent.

Only this smile before him, like an unrestrained shadow in time, was spreading out, and Pei Ye felt the cold and pain on his neck.

A broad, kind hand landed on his shoulder from behind.

He was gently pulled back, just three inches, avoiding the silver arc that would sever his throat; only a thin trail of blood was carried into the air.

A simple, understated warmth spread from behind. Pei Ye smelled a familiar scent, like a piece of clothing worn for two days, like fallen leaves in autumn that no one cares about, like a bowl of hot soup noodles in a street corner.

Then came a low cough.

Zhu Yi's smiling lips suddenly tightened into a thin line, and his sword tassels fluttered wildly. He abruptly raised his sword and held it to his chest. A crisp "clang" sounded as it pressed down on his chest. The moment it touched him, his chest caved in, and his robes billowed wildly in the violent movement. He was knocked back thirty feet by the sword!
"Feiguang." A simple, low voice sounded in Pei Ye's ear.

The sword flashed like a meteor, and the woman in crimson robes twisted in mid-air to dodge, but was still pierced by the sword, leaving a trail of blood several feet long.

Then, visibly, the flowing hair turned mottled gray.

But the second sword strike failed. The flying sword made a sharp turn in the air and stabbed at Zhu Yi from behind again. Zhu Yi had already reversed the sword and deflected the attack.

As if some grand curtain had been drawn back, everything suddenly returned to normal. The patter of rain in his ears and the thick fog drifting in his vision—Zhu Gaoyang, standing on horseback, had just suddenly noticed the sudden change in the scene.

On the distant river, Nie Shangheng landed on the mast tip, clutching his throat, seemingly still feeling the pain of being beheaded with a single sword strike.

Pei Ye turned her head and saw a middle-aged man.

He wore simple clothes and cloth shoes, his eyebrows were like pale ink, and his eyes were like the waters of late autumn. He looked somewhat frail, but not like a consumptive young master; rather, his robust body had endured much hardship. He exuded the air of a wandering swordsman, yet carried a deep sorrow within him.

"Already so weak, yet you still draw your sword." His hand did not leave Pei Ye's shoulder as he gazed at the river. "Walking on thin ice, fraught with danger, one day your own head will suddenly fall off."

Above the river, the figure in crimson robes stood suspended in mid-air, like a lonely soul hanging in the air.

Pei Ye then noticed that it was a mutilated body, which had not been apparent during the ghostly speed just now. Two-thirds of the right leg was missing, and the left arm had completely disappeared, leaving only a robe sleeve floating in the air.

Zhu Yi sighed, "A ten-year birthday celebration, exchanged for this one stab. A huge loss, a huge loss!"

As he spoke, his gray hair gradually turned black again. He looked towards Pei Ye from afar and chuckled, "Kid, you really are Li Jian's darling."

Pei Ye was stunned and speechless. He subconsciously looked up at the man beside him and saw his eyebrows almost connecting from bottom to top.

"The 'Sword of Affairs' of the Zhengdao School," the man replied softly, still gazing at the river. "That was the Heart Sword of that school, the 'Twelve-Inch Observation of the World'."

Pei Ye's eyes slowly widened, while Zhu Gaoyang beside him suddenly turned his head: "Then this person is—Zhao Lingjun?!"

Pei Ye had never heard of this name before, but he saw the man beside him nod slightly.

Zhu Gaoyang pursed her lips.

The boy was indeed unaware of it, because it was truly the name of the previous generation. When he was twelve or thirteen, he paid attention to the Hefu Book, but by then the name had long since disappeared from the book, and even in the capital, people rarely mentioned it anymore.

But for Zhu Gaoyang, this name is hard to erase from his childhood.

The top scholar on the Crane List twelve years ago was a true disciple of the Daoist sect who had betrayed his own teachings.

Since his passing, no disciple of the Zhengyi School has advanced to the ranks of the Crane and Duck Double Ten, and its reputation and reality have both fallen below that of the Quanzhen School.

The Shichiken is a unique treasure in the Zhengyi school of swordsmanship. Upholding the ideal of using the sword to transcend the "present," it hopes to measure the unknown future ahead with the sword and believes that the "future" is composed of the next stage of countless events.

The future is an illusion, but the events are real.

They used the length of the sword to define the length of the future that they could control, and the "Twelve Inches of Observation" is one of their most outstanding achievements.

That cannot be equated with a simple illusion. Those who wield the sword of the heart will see everything that truly happens within the next "twelve inches." The flow of events is most afraid of the unexpected, but as long as everyone believes in its occurrence, all unexpected events are eliminated, and the swordsman will make it rightfully settle into reality.

If you are skilled enough, you can create a branch at a point of your choice.

Let the branch tip stop where you want it more.

Then, as long as you successfully connect a thin line between the "original branch" and the "branched branch"—such as a glance—the truth and falsehood can be switched in an instant by your sword.

Everyone will witness the collapse of the original situation, and at the same time, the true reality will settle on the branch you pulled out.

Twelve years ago, this Taoist genius mastered this Heart Sword technique. At that time, his skill amazed the world on the Feather Scale Platform. Now, people have almost forgotten his name. This sword technique has become as profound as a god after many years of refinement. However, it appears and disappears in the cold mist of the wild water, and very few people have seen it.

Pei Ye then realized that the Heart Sword technique had already spread across the river the moment the cold mist was lifted. He had heard of this sword from Ming Qitian, but this was the first time he had experienced it firsthand.

Zhu Yi's beheading of Nie Shangheng was a settled fact, but it was not his choice. He forced Fei Guang to rescue Nie Shangheng. If the middle-aged man beside him really took action to save Nie Shangheng, then the one who would truly be in danger would be Pei Yefei's head.

This sword strike was solely intended to kill the boy.

What Pei Ye truly couldn't believe was... how could such an unpredictable sword strike fail?
Because the Heart Sword provides the reality of the future rather than a fabricated illusion, this sword is almost impossible to detect. The bystander who receives the sword will only suddenly have the illusion that they have briefly stepped into a crossroads of the world after the facts have been settled.

Miss Ming admitted to him personally that she also found it difficult to deal with such swordsmanship.

But the man beside him didn't seem too surprised, nor did Nie Shangheng on the river. He lowered his hand from his neck and flew backward.

Zhu Yi gently waved his hand, and the crimson water spirit broke through the rain and mist, meandering towards him.

He climbed up the water lord's mane and laughed, "Li He, you are ill and I am crippled, so we are evenly matched. However, I am only newly crippled, my qi and blood are weak, and I lost the initiative. Moreover, your sword is superior. Considering these three factors, I will surely lose to you today. Let's settle the score next time."

The water spirit turned and left, as if to disappear into the mist.

But the next moment his body stiffened, and what he saw was that in all the blood, beautiful lotus flowers bloomed.

Whether it's a bleeding wound, bloodstains on clothes and skin, or even the terrible wounds on the Water Lord's body and the blood spilled into the river... all of them sprout lotus flowers.

Rain and mist fall on the petals, condensing into cool water droplets. These are not lotus flowers in the height of summer; they seem to grow in the cold of spring and autumn, drawing blood to grow. The blood that they take root in has become like clear, cold water, flowing gurglingly like the tinkling of jade pendants.

Zhu Yi felt a sense of disorientation, sometimes feeling as if she were in a fairyland, and other times as if she were in a ghost realm.

He pointed his fingers like iron, tapped the sword, and sparks flew, igniting a raging inferno. With this strike, he burned away the lotus on his body, showing no further intention of lingering. He pursed his lips, pressed down on the Water Lord, and continued plunging into the water. Li He remained silent, looking up at the sky in quiet contemplation before slowly closing his eyes.

On the other side, Nie Shangheng pointed ahead and said calmly, "Tianshan troops, form a battle formation."

The thirty-two disciples of Tianshan had already taken flight like birds, landing in all directions and stepping onto the water's surface. Holding long swords and weapons, they formed a mysterious formation. Then, a divine ripple spread from beneath their feet, as if a layer of moonlight had been spread across the water's surface.

The sinful dragon is imprisoned, the pool's surface sealed, the Heavenly Mountain Mysterious Array, [Queen Mother's Old Gauze].

The formation only lasted for two breaths before it was torn apart by Zhu Yi and the Water Master. The disciples scattered and fell, but were all caught by Nie Shangheng with his True Profound Technique.

Two breaths seemed to be enough.

Zhu Yi frowned deeply, and lotus flowers grew from his body once more. A dry, metallic sound, like metal being crushed, rose in his ears. The Water Lord was falling into the water when he suddenly stopped abruptly.

Zhu Yi suddenly turned around and saw that on the five boats, above the tiger-dragon corpse, a ghostly figure was rising.

It looked up to the sky and howled in pain, and the stones and trees all grieved with it. Its blood was like a clear stream, and the rain was like blood. The old trees on the boat now sprouted new shoots and leaves under the irrigation, and long green moss grew on the cliffs, hanging down like the long hair of the stones.

Then the stones transformed into female fairies on the river, singing melodious songs... Zhu Yi suddenly bit her tongue and punched herself on the head.

He drew his sword and slashed his own arm, the spilled blood burning into a raging fire that cleared everything. He then released the water lord's mane and plunged into the water.

But the river seemed to weep and wail at him, and he stared blankly at the deep water, suddenly unable to sink any further.

He glared and gritted his teeth, bracing himself for a moment, then suddenly let out a long sigh, chuckled softly, and released all his strength. He allowed this realm of immortals and demons to engulf him, when a hawk swooped down and snatched his sword away.

Who can rival the Flying Light Sword Master in the realm of sword intent?

Li He, the "Immortal of Illness," was a man born into the realm of artistic conception. He was immersed in a dreamlike state of being among gods and ghosts. He could effortlessly capture the ultimate and unparalleled scenes that swordsmen in the world could not obtain. With a glance, a new sword of intent would be created and then vanish... Some say that he rarely even used the same sword of intent repeatedly.

In Pei Ye's view, the man beside her seemed to have never left the same spot.

He closed his eyes and gently tapped the sword in his hand. Pei Ye listened to his entire murmured chant:

"Stone crushes bronze cup, chanting of withered life. Eagles bleed, white phoenixes descend from lungs... Trees die, sand collapses, evil streams and islands, Mother attains immortality and is now young. Jumping in the pit, cutting off clear saliva, lying in the crevice, burying golden claws... Lotus leaves the country for a thousand years, after the rain, the smell of iron still lingers."

He slowly opened his eyes and muttered to himself, "How about this set of swords?"

Pei Ye was stunned: "Absolutely amazing. What kind of sword is this?"

"Let's call it 'The Fake Dragon's Roar'."

Li He sheathed his sword, for using a sword seemed to be a rather mentally taxing task for him, and his pale eyebrows drooped.

Above the river, the realm of immortals and ghosts slowly faded away, leaving only the sound of rain. Zhu Yi was suspended in the air by something, with his sword floating six feet away from him.

He raised his head and looked around at the crowd.

Suddenly, she let out a soft sigh: "I've already said I can't beat you, why bother proving it again?"

Nie Shangheng looked at him and said, "If we don't capture you, are we going to let the tiger return to the mountain?"

Zhu Yi laughed loudly: "This is what I do anyway. What does it matter whether you let me go or not?"

He paused for a moment, then laughed: "What does it matter whether you arrest or release anyone?"

Pei Ye frowned.

He suddenly reined in his horse and shouted, "Then what are you doing here?!"

Zhu Yi turned his head to look at him and sighed, "I'll feed the spirits with my own body, and buy horses and recruit soldiers."

"Why make things difficult for me? I took over the Mirage City, and you destroyed it; we've each done our part," Zhu Yi said. "Can't we, the people on the shore, stop here? My suffering and your scheming—what can we possibly change?"

Pei Ye's heart tightened suddenly. He realized something and roared, "I ask you, where is Yong Ji! How did you ascend to the throne as the Water Lord?!"

But Zhu Yi didn't answer; he just smiled at the boy.

The rain suddenly grew colder and denser. White mist drifted into the distance, as if obscuring the world.

Nie Shangheng frowned and said, "Don't say anything more to him. Escort him back to the capital."

Zhu Yi smiled and waved his hand gently. Suddenly, all the demonic spirits that had been gnawing at the Water Lord's body dispersed and disappeared into the mist.

Pei Ye was suddenly horrified. In that instant, he realized the purpose of the so-called "feast to the water lord"... He had thrown his right leg and an arm to those demon spirits!

All living beings that have his flesh and blood are under his control.

That's why he was "so weak"!
Zhu Yi's voice turned solemn: "Young man, how many mortals can scheme against a celestial position? I can't hold any ceremony to have the Mirage Lord bestow the position upon Yong Ji. Everyone is just making preparations, and when the celestial positions are opened, it's just a competition to see who can run the fastest."

"..."

"You ran quite fast, disrupting a lot of our preparations. But what needs to begin will still begin."

He chuckled again: "Sword Master Li, you surnamed Nie, I'm sorry. No matter when or where, today I, Zhao, am firmly captured by you two and have no chance of turning the tables. But at this very moment, you ignored my advice and wasted your time—may we meet again someday!"

Nie Shangheng's pupils suddenly contracted. Li He looked up at him, and in an instant, Zhu Yi froze, even sealing his mouth.

But the next moment, the crimson water spirit suddenly lowered its neck and bit off the red-clothed creature.

It didn't just swallow it; it devoured it whole. Blood dripped from between its teeth. After chewing twice, it swallowed the crimson garment whole.

Then it suddenly stretched its neck toward the sky and let out a long, drawn-out cry that lasted for a long time.

Then Pei Ye's pupils constricted as he turned his head and saw that on the five boats, the scattered remains of the tiger-dragon were also inexplicably lifted up and roared towards the sky.

The rain came down suddenly.

Beneath the river's surface, countless carp gathered like clouds, surrounding the two water deities.

The heavy rain poured down on the two long-roaring water spirits, and their hard, ancient scales began to melt.

(End of this chapter)