Food Fairy Lord

Chapter 731 Routine
Pei Ye accurately caught the man's movements. He quickly deduced the situation on the field. Although he was not the same as before, there was no reason for him to use his trump card first on a blood feud and then on a fellow student. As for swordsmanship, these two would fight without mercy... Thinking of this, he quickly pressed down on the man's shoulder: "Brother Yan, Brother Yan, why did it have to come to this?"

Yan Feiqing calmly said, "I killed him."

Pei Ye placed both hands on his shoulders, speaking earnestly and patiently. Yang Zhenbing walked over from behind and carefully picked up the kitten on his shoulder.

He poked his head out and said coldly, "It's alright, don't be afraid. He's just taking advantage of being a few years older; he can't actually beat the two of us."

Pei Ye turned around, annoyed: "You go back first."

Yang Zhenbing picked up the kitten and turned to leave.

"Leave the cat with me!"

Yan Feiqing calmly raised her sword: "I'll kill him and get it back for you."

"Brother Yan, Brother Yan, it's really not a big deal to let him take it away."

"Pei Ye, you hold off me for a couple of moves, I'm going back to get my sword." Yang Zhenbing said without turning her head, still holding the cat.

Pei Ye held Yan Feiqing down tightly and locked Yang Zhenbing inside the house, even sealing the windows. There was really no need to rank the Tang Three Swordsmen's strength here, especially since it might lead to a bloodbath in the courtyard.

Having worked so hard to smooth over the conflict, Pei Ye once again deeply appreciated his importance in this courtyard, wondering how the two of them had managed to spend several months without him.

Of course, he didn't think about why a fight broke out in the courtyard as soon as he returned.

For the sake of harmony among the three Tang swords, Pei Ye didn't even bring the cat back. He left it in Yang Zhenbing's room overnight. The next morning, when Pei Ye brushed his teeth and pushed open the door, he silently saw the kitten lazily stretching its neck on the bed, while Yang Zhenbing sat cross-legged on the floor, quietly watching it.

"...Didn't sleep all night?"

"Ah."

"Even a cat like it can't sleep in a bed this big."

"I'm afraid of disturbing it."

Pei Ye rolled his eyes, picked up the kitten by the neck, and the kitten looked at him thoughtfully with its blue eyes.

"...What kind of look is that?"

"Compare."

Pei Ye pulled it into his arms and said, "If you dare to run off with someone else, I'll shave all your hair off."

Fortunately, Yan Feiqing was not in the same grade as them, so only Pei Ye and Yang Zhenbing went to the training school together. As dawn broke and the air was fresh, the two sat down for a meal, enjoying the seemingly unchanging breakfast of the Sword Cultivation Academy after a long time. Yang Zhenbing was always early, so Pei Ye followed his pace. When they finished eating and headed to the training school, there were hardly any people on the road yet.

Pei Ye had been absent from class for a long time. According to Yang Zhenbing, the current discussion on swordsmanship has reached the Taoist section.

Pei Ye remembered that it was mentioned in "An Outline of Swordsmanship in the Six Dynasties," and Miss Ming had also told him about it. Taoist swordsmanship has several branches, but in general, they all use swordsmanship to cultivate Tao. Unlike other sword schools that want to reach the pinnacle of "swordsmanship," they hope to stand at the pinnacle of swordsmanship and touch the heavens. For thousands of years, ascending to immortality has been the eternal ideal of Taoism.

In many situations, Taoist swordsmanship appears strange or even flawed in both offense and defense. When practitioners first learn Taoist swordsmanship, they are not as sharp as those of other sword styles in combat, which often leads to criticisms that it is superficial and detached from reality.

However, if viewed from this perspective, one can understand the unique characteristics of Taoist swordsmanship. It is indeed one of the world's top sword techniques for self-cultivation and aiming for great heights, but it is not a weapon for attack, but a method of cultivation.

Of course, in terms of swordsmanship alone, once a Taoist swordsman has achieved a high level of skill, their advantages in the swordsmanship of intention and mind will also become apparent. In terms of understanding the world, Taoism is clearly ahead of the curve.

Pei Ye sat down next to Yang Zhenbing in the classroom. He then realized why the young sword demon had come so early. He first reviewed everything that had been taught last time, and then read the content of this lesson in advance.

Perhaps because he had received a bribe from the kitten that night, he was not annoyed by Pei Ye's endless questions.

Around 5:30 a.m., the sword instructor entered the classroom, and the students followed one after another. Most of them were familiar faces. Some looked like they had just practiced their swordsmanship in the morning, while others had obviously just gotten up, and some still had oil on their lips.

"I'm talking about you, Zhu Shishi!"

The girl, who was walking past the seat without looking to the side, suddenly stopped, stared at him blankly, and was still holding a chicken claw in her hand.

Pei Ye squinted at her, and after a moment, the girl hesitated and reluctantly offered the chicken claw to his mouth.

"Class is about to start, and you're still eating!"

Pei Ye took a bite of chicken skin, but Zhu Shishi stuffed it into his mouth and then refused to eat it. As if she hadn't heard him, she took out a new chicken from the bag and continued to eat it by herself.

At this moment, Ning Shuhong walked over from behind and was pleasantly surprised to see the boy with a chicken claw in his mouth: "Young Master Pei, it's been a long time!"

“Master Ning, it’s been a long time. I miss you all very much.”

"That's just flattery." Ning Shuhong laughed, then looked at the young man with some complicated feelings. "Young Master Pei, I haven't seen you since the sword duel at the Vermilion Bird Gate last year. My brother said that if we don't hear from you again, he'll break off our friendship."

"Just bluffing."

"Haha." Ning Shuhong was about to go to the back row, but now she took Zhu Shishi and sat down next to Pei Ye. "I can't even see Young Master Pei practicing his sword, but he's getting better and better... Do you know how shocked I was when I saw you defeat Li Zhi with one sword? It's a pity that I haven't seen you for several months after that. I've almost gotten used to not seeing you in the courtyard."

“I will be here from now until the Feather Scale Trial.” Pei Ye said somewhat embarrassedly, then explained earnestly, “I just haven’t been practicing swordsmanship at the Sword Cultivation Academy, it doesn’t mean I don’t practice swordsmanship.”

"Yes Yes."

After a while, Wang Shousi entered the school and was pleasantly surprised to see Pei Ye. He affectionately put his arm around Pei Ye's shoulder, showing no intention of breaking off their friendship. During their conversation, he seemed to want Pei Ye to attend the sword competition with him.

“If the two of us go together, my value will definitely increase many times over, Brother Pei.”

“But I feel ashamed.” Pei Ye didn’t want to pay attention to his sycophantic behavior.

As the classroom gradually filled up, quite a few people noticed the new figure beside Yang Zhenbing.

Pei Ye was both familiar and unfamiliar to everyone in the Sword Academy. Everyone knew his name and face. He was personally recommended by Ming Qitian when he entered the academy, which made many people remember him at that time.

But after that, there was no follow-up. After that, he was never present when the two swords were tested. I only heard that he and Yan Feiqing killed a grandmaster in Xichi. Then I heard from outside that they had made a bet on the Vermilion Bird Sword. Now that all the swords in Shenjing City are gathered, it is the time for heroes to test their skills. But he disappeared for several months without showing his face. It seems that he was making some moves on the Eight Rivers outside Shenjing.

But unexpectedly, he suddenly appeared in the school today.

What major event has he accomplished this time? And why is the Sword Cultivation Academy the last to know?

Or is it that the most famous swordsman in Shenjing last fall and winter is finally about to enter the arena?
Pei Ye naturally didn't think that much. These past few days, his mind and body were completely focused on Li Xizhou. He was either in the deep palace or in the wilderness, and he only had sporadic information about the situation in the capital. He was completely clueless, not to mention the situation, he didn't even know how many sword sects were in the capital.

"Brother Pei, it's such a pity you haven't been in the capital these past few days. You've missed so many wonderful things. If you could have used that sword strike outside the Vermilion Bird Gate a few more times in the last two months, you would have gained so much fame." "Is that so? I have indeed been very busy these days, attending to several important matters," Pei Ye sighed softly.

“What important matter in the capital can compare to the Feather Scale Trial? Do you think you can take care of the Scale Blood Test?” Wang Shousi cupped his hands toward the north.

"..." Since the matter was confidential, Pei Ye remained silent, only inquiring, "Brother Wang, since you have been in Shenjing these past few days, have you heard whether the Sword Master has arrived in Shenjing or not?"

Wang Shousi paused for a moment, then remembered the background of the person in front of him: "The Master of the Glazed Sword arrived at Mount Hua a few days ago. As you know, there are many sword sects in the capital area now, and many people went up the mountain to pay their respects. Then I heard that after asking about the sword, the Master left on his own and his whereabouts have been unknown ever since."

"Ah, okay." Pei Ye received news of the woman in early March and thought she had already arrived in the capital.

The atmosphere during the sword-wielding class remained comfortable. Pei Ye listened attentively for the entire lesson. At the end of class, he looked around and asked Ning Shuhong, "Master Ning, where is Yin'er?"

"Will Young Master Pei still be practicing his swordplay this afternoon? If he is, we'll see him." Ning Shuhong was tidying up the sword manual, but then fell silent for a moment.

"Yes, I'm here. What's up?"

"Sister Yin'er has been practicing her sword diligently these past few days, all for this afternoon's sword demonstration."

Isn't diligence a good thing?

Ning Shuhong snorted coldly: "Young Master Pei is not in the courtyard, so he may not know. Since there have been more and more sword sects in the capital, many have come to the Sword Cultivation Academy to learn about swordsmanship. Some are fine if they want to exchange sword skills, but some are arrogant and domineering. They have their eyes on the fact that the Chang'an Sword Cultivation Academy has always been the brand of the capital's sword world, and they want to put on a show of a powerful dragon suppressing a local snake in order to gain fame."

Pei Yeqi: "With so many sword students in our Sword Academy, are you saying we can't beat them?"

He thought to himself that a sword sect like Yunlang Dongting wouldn't do this.

Ning Shuhong was even more annoyed: "The point is that we should fight a real battle, who's afraid of who? If we lose, we're just not as good as the other. But firstly, the sword students in the Sword Academy are naturally undisciplined. Apart from the current students, those from previous years don't participate, and some aren't even in the academy."

Pei Ye shifted his body.

“Oh, Young Master Pei, I wasn’t talking about you—besides, the sword students of this class aren’t a monolithic group either. Lu Xiu, Han Xiuben, and others are unwilling to confront the powerful factions head-on. That’s fine, we and Senior Brother Chu aren’t afraid of them either… but they just happen to be targeting us in a clever way.”

How to target it?

"They've already figured out the situation at the Sword Academy. They clearly know that Yan Feiqing isn't making a move, and that Yang Zhenchuan already fought a round two months ago and won't be making a move again. They're also keeping an eye on Senior Brother Chu's movements and only coming at the right time... What's even more infuriating is that they always come up with strange excuses to restrict us!"

Ning Shuhong leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, while Wang Shousi laughed beside her.

Pei Ye asked curiously, "What kind of category?"

"What 'Northwest Swordsman,' what 'Spirit and Clumsiness Realm,' what 'under twenty'?" Ning Shuhong's bright eyes narrowed and his eyebrows furrowed. "Young Master Pei, what's wrong with being over twenty? Does that mean you're not a young generation swordsman?"

Pei Ye couldn't help but laugh and quickly joined in the cursing, "Truly shameless!"

He then asked, "What does this have to do with Yin'er?"

“Because of Sister Yin’er’s pride and chivalry.” Ning Shuhong’s eyes turned cold again. “These past two days, it’s been Kunlun Yanri Palace, which is one of the top sword sects in the twelfth rank, yet they are so shameless. They are not afraid of Senior Brother Chu, and they only took advantage of Yan and Yang’s reluctance to make a move. A few arrogant fools even said that they would ‘sweep away the Divine Capital Sword Academy’… A few days ago, they came to demonstrate their swordsmanship and injured Zhang Chao. Sister Yin’er argued with them and arranged a sword test today.”

Pei Ye frowned: "How shameless!"

"Hmph, they just arrived in the capital recently and want to make a name for themselves in one fell swoop. Last time Yan Ri Palace held its ranking competition, one person was in the top fifty and one person was in the top twenty. They obviously want to spare no effort to promote them." Ning Shuhong said, "This sect has always been domineering. I used to hear scattered rumors about them because we were far away. I only saw them after coming to the capital."

Pei Ye pondered for a moment, then turned to look at Yang Zhenbing beside him and questioned, "Why didn't you make a move?"

Yang Zhenbing, engrossed in her research, looked up and glanced at him: "Weak."

"From now on, if Yin'er needs anything while I'm away, you should lend a hand. Each time you help, let the kitten stay in your room for one night, understand?"

Yang Zhenbing thought for a moment: "Does this still count?"

"I don't need you this time."

Yang Zhenbing was somewhat disappointed.

After having lunch together, Wang Shousi kept talking about trivial matters concerning Shenjing and the Sword Academy, which gave Pei Ye a little understanding; Zhu Shishi also kept talking, and half of the food on the table ended up in her stomach.

The afternoon sword practice class was still held in the sword arena. However, now that there were sword masters from outside the capital visiting each other, it saved the swordsmen from practicing with each other. The Sword Cultivation Academy itself was obviously very willing to see the sword students spar with swordsmen from all over the world, and even if the other party had some ulterior motives, it did not give up because of this.

But Pei Ye didn't rush over. He parted ways with the others at the fork in the road and went to the sword training ground alone to find Jiang Yin'er.

The sword arena at noon was quieter than at night. Pei Ye listened to the sound of swords passing by one by one, and finally caught a familiar rhythm outside the "C6" sword arena.

Before the Vermilion Bird Sword duel, in order to learn the sword's essence, Jiang Yin'er accompanied him to practice swordsmanship many times in the Sword Cultivation Academy, and Pei Ye was very clear about the girl's style of swordsmanship.

But he didn't disturb them. He just leaned against the door and waited. Sure enough, after a quarter of an hour, the sound of swords clapping stopped inside, and the sound of packing came from inside. A moment later, the door was opened from the inside, and a clean-looking girl, like a young crane, came out carrying a small bundle and holding a sword.

Upon seeing the boy, she froze in place.

"...Brother!!"

Pei Ye smiled: "So diligent!"

The girl still had a light sheen of sweat on her forehead and looked somewhat embarrassed. She quickly checked her clothes and posture and gave a proper bow: "Yin'er greets her elder brother."

"No need to bow to me, it's been a long time."

Jiang Yin'er smiled: "Brother, it's been so long since we've heard from you... Is everything going well?"

She remembered that the last time they parted, the boy looked preoccupied.

Pei Ye turned and headed towards the sword arena. Jiang Yin'er followed with quick steps. He smiled and said, "Successfully, thank you for comforting me back then."

Jiang Yin'er said, "Brother, you can tell me anything that's bothering you."

Pei Ye remained silent, but quietly took out a small, beautiful pendant from his sleeve. It was engraved with the shape of a little white cat, and handed it to her.

"..."

"I brought this for you. I remember you like to hang small jade pendants on your masks." Pei Ye smiled. "You can't find this kind of jade in the human world. Isn't it pretty?"

(End of this chapter)