Food Fairy Lord

Chapter 736 A Promise on Mount Tian
"You're not listening to your elder brother anymore, are you?" Pei Ye narrowed his eyes.

Jiang Yin'er said earnestly, "Brother, 'If one does not keep one's word, how can one be respected as a teacher?' You cannot always think about deceiving your elders."

“…Yin’er, I gave you this idea for your own good, but you’re betraying me,” Pei Ye said in a low voice.

“…But,” Jiang Yin’er twisted her hands and whispered, “Brother Shi is wrong.”

Pei Ye remained silent for a moment, then said, "Yin'er, actually I was testing you just now. I never lie."

He pursed his lips and looked sincerely at the girl, while Jiang Yin'er looked up at him.

“Then, brother, remove the quail head,” she said.

"..." Pei Ye turned his head. "Let's practice swordsmanship. Yin'er, did you think my sword strike today was unusually powerful?"

"Hmm, is that Senior Yue's sword?" Jiang Yin'er smiled and looked at the night sky outside the sword arena wall. "This is the first time I've seen it."

“I couldn’t defeat Yan Rigong with this sword before,” Pei Ye said. “But these past two days I’ve suddenly gained this confidence—I’ve become more skilled with the sword, Yin’er. Much more skilled.”

Jiang Yin'er was slightly taken aback: "Brother Shi has always been very capable."

Pei Ye shook his head: "It's even more powerful now."

Jiang Yin'er stared blankly at him, unable to understand just how much more powerful this elder brother beside her could be.

“When I watch other people’s swordsmanship, I always feel that it is very clear. The sword posture, structure, intention, and sword principle are all clear at a glance. Moreover, I can see their flaws more easily, even those of swordsmen at the level of Xu Wensang.” Pei Ye looked up and said, “Today, when I played swordsmanship with many sword students, I had the same feeling. It’s as if that intuition that came from ‘inspiration’ before, which was separated by a layer, has now settled into a clear understanding.”

"That's...why?"

Pei Ye gazed at the night sky, remained silent for a moment, then turned his head and whispered something in the girl's ear.

Jiang Yin'er looked at the boy in astonishment: "Nine Life?"

"Hmm." Pei Ye stretched and yawned. "It's a secret, don't tell anyone, okay?"

“…Okay.” Jiang Yin’er paused for a moment, then looked up at the young man beside her. “Then, then you didn’t have to tell me, brother.”

Pei Ye smiled down at her and said gently, "I just wanted to show you how amazing I really am. That way you won't make mistakes when you're making plans in the future."

"..."

Jiang Yin'er looked at him for a while, then turned her head to look at the wall, and stretched her arms like him, saying in a sweet voice, "I know, Brother Shi."

……

……

Jiang Yin'er was the most satisfactory sparring partner Pei Ye had ever met. She had a solid foundation in sword theory, a broad and open sword style, and an outstanding intuition for swordsmanship. She could think of almost everything Pei Ye could think of, making it feel like they had met their match.

Wang Shousi, Ning Shuhong, and others were very skilled, but most of the time they couldn't catch his sharpest sword strikes, failing to get to the point where it hurt. Yang Zhenbing's swordplay was unparalleled, as refined and clear as his name suggested. Pei Ye found it novel to play swordsmanship with him, but the matches weren't very enjoyable, like two sword blades gliding past each other. Yan Feiqing didn't practice swordsmanship with him.

Aside from the sword stances and intentions behind the swordplay, in terms of pure offensive and defensive techniques, Pei Ye was actually not as solid as Jiang Yin'er in some aspects. Most of the time, the young girl would solemnly demonstrate some well-known swordplay routines from major sects to him, or explain the sword principles and thought processes of Shenxiao to him.

Pei Ye's so-called ability to clearly see the flaws in sword moves did not fully work on the girl. Perhaps that was a line with a high degree of accuracy, and there are many swordsmen in the world who are above that line.

But he did feel that he was making faster progress.

After spending the last two hours of the day at the sword arena, Pei Ye and the girl strolled back. The cool spring night was bathed in moonlight, which felt like a thin veil beneath their feet.

The next day, the Sword Cultivation Academy remained quiet and orderly. Apart from the towering buildings visible when looking out the walls, one could hardly sense any trace of the bustling city outside the academy.

Having cast aside all worldly affairs and chores, Pei Ye quickly rediscovered the joy of focusing on sword cultivation here.

After finishing his morning classes, Pei Ye went up to the Hidden Sword Pavilion to look for Qiu Jizi again, ignoring the old man's cold and indifferent attitude. He handed his sword ladder book to Qiu Jizi and asked for advice on how to learn swordsmanship.

Before the New Year, the dean had prepared a study plan for him, but after Chunjian, Pei Ye disappeared without a trace, and no matter how much the old man looked forward to seeing him, he could not find him.

"Dean, what sword style should I learn next?"

"who are you?"

"The student is Pei Ye."

Who is Pei Ye?

"Pei Ye is the third on the list of successful candidates, personally recommended by you."

Qiu Jizi glanced at him and said, "I heard you were quite impressive yesterday."

"I wouldn't dare. It's all because of the prestige of the Sword Academy; they're just taking advantage of the situation," Pei Ye said earnestly.

Qiu Jizi took the sword ladder book: "How long will it take to learn this time?"

"At least one month!"

This statement is somewhat strange. A month of sword training is usually not something that can be planned. You just continue to train whichever sword style you are currently practicing. At most, you might be assigned two or three auxiliary sword styles for reference.

Only this boy in the courtyard truly made the most of the month, and Qiu Jizi agreed with him.

"Of the six types of Spring Swords, you have already learned 'First Moon North Rain,' 'Wind Jade,' 'Yellow Jadeite,' 'Willow Catkins,' and 'Peach Blossom.' You are still missing one sword for the beginning of spring: 'Winter Willow' or 'Seeing Swallow.' Choose one to learn." Qiu Jizi stood up, took a huge and intricate ancient scroll, and spread it out on the table. It was covered with densely packed sword names.

“Your Spring Sword is excellent, even excessively so. The three swords, ‘First Moon North Rain,’ ‘Wind Jade,’ and ‘Jadeite,’ are all pillars of the swords, so that the following three seasons must be trained to the same standard. Summer is the most intense season, and it cannot be weaker than the Spring Sword.” Qiu Jizi said, “Like the Spring Sword, you should also learn the most core Summer Solstice Sword first.”

Qiu Jizi flipped through the ancient scroll. Although he said he didn't recognize the boy, he had clearly been thinking about it for months. He skillfully found the position and pushed it in front of the boy's eyes: "Thunder Qin, the sword of the Dragon Lord of Dongting. When it does not involve the realm of intention and mind, it is the leader of the 'Lord of the Clouds' sword series."

Pei Ye lowered her eyes to look.

"The sword is on the seventh floor. Like 'First Moon and North Rain,' it is a sword that can be used as a concept, but the swordsman who wrote it did not intend it. It can only be learned with the permission of Dongting alone, but you have Yunlang's 'Permission for All Swords,' which is already included in it." Qiu Jizi handed him a small token to retrieve the sword. "This sword is relatively short, with only three short chapters, but the way to learn it is a little roundabout."

Pei Ye looked up: "What's so convoluted about it?"

"The Leiqin is played with three pieces: Guangling, Yu Hui Tushan, and Shuiyun Zhijun. If you want to learn this sword technique, you'd better learn to play the qin first."

“…” Pei Ye was stunned.

"I don't think you can play the piano."

"I've never even touched a zither." "Hmm, go and touch it." Qiu Jizi finally showed a hint of a smile, as if looking down on someone who wasted his talents. "Learn this sword technique before the Feather Scale Trial. If you have some free time, learn a few auxiliary sword techniques, and the Summer Sword will have a basic framework."

Pei Ye sighed softly, "I understand."

He looked down again, noted the swords the old man had touched, bowed in gratitude, and left.

While pondering the various swords in his mind, Pei Ye actually thought about them more deeply than the old man.

Qiu Jizi's training schedule was set for one month. Learning the "Thunder Qin" and then two or three more skills like "Summer Solstice" and "Grain Buds" was already quite remarkable. But besides that, Pei Ye had another skill he really wanted to learn: the "Intent Sword" skill that had been in his bag for a long time.

"The Immortal in the Hidden Land," this sword technique brought by Bo Wang, is foreseeably powerful once it is completed. Pei Ye has been working on it constantly, but ultimately hasn't had a large block of time to truly master it.

Now, this month, the opportunity has finally arrived, and Piao Qing is also in Shenjing at this time. After learning the skills, she can return them to the girl.

There's also the "Four Qi Jade Candle Sword" that Zhu Zhezi handed over. According to the sword ladder, it should be learned at the next level, but Pei Ye also plans to look through it, both for the convenience of learning swordsmanship in the future and to guide the sword practice of the current [Cicada Fish Temple].

Pei Ye stood outside the door for a while, then finally went upstairs and took out the "Thunder Qin".

I spent two quiet days practicing swordsmanship at the Sword Academy, seemingly keeping the hustle and bustle of Shenjing (the capital) at bay. The Immortal Terrace didn't bother me, and no news came from the Daming Palace. I only heard some recent rumors about the sword world while attending lessons and practicing.

Pei Ye had almost finished learning "Winter Willow" in the past two days. The Sword Ladder World was now full of spring, with bright peach blossoms and chirping cicadas.

Many sword students will leave the academy to socialize, whether it's at large or small sword gatherings, or interactions between different sects or new friends, just like when Huashan Wenzheng invited Pei Ye a few days ago.

Pei Ye didn't go. Firstly, he had been quite relaxed these past two days practicing swordsmanship—for him, practicing the "Winter Willow" sword technique was indeed a form of rest—and secondly, no one had actually invited him. News of Pei Ye's return to the capital hadn't spread much yet; people didn't know his personality, and few sword sects were familiar with him.

The only ones he was familiar with were Yunlang and Dongting, but neither of them held sword tournaments.

As dusk approached, Pei Ye, covered in a light sweat, sheathed his sword, sat down on the bluestone, and began to peruse the sword manual cross-legged.

It was still Jiang Yin'er's "Bing Liu" sword arena, and Pei Ye had decided to share one with her. However, since there was neither the Zhi Swordplay nor the Yi Swordplay today, the girl left the courtyard and was not there. He practiced alone with the cat for two or three hours.

As the new moon hung in the corner of the wall, the door to the sword arena creaked open and was gently pushed open, and Jiang Yin'er peeked her head in from outside.

Pei Ye tilted her head and looked over, smiling: "Why are you sneaking around?"

"Let me see if my brother is still here." Jiang Yin'er walked in, not wearing a sword robe, but a light white dress with a light crane pattern, and she was not carrying a small bundle.

She came in and closed the door: "Brother, are you still practicing your sword? I'll practice with you for a while."

"No, your dress is so pretty, it wouldn't be good to get it dirty." Pei Ye looked at her with a smile. The girl was as clean and tidy as when they first met, without any makeup on her face, but a jade hairpin with an orchid pendant was tucked into her hair. "Where did you go to play?"

Today was the day Cui Zhaoye and Changsun Jue had arranged to meet the girls. Originally, Jiang Yin'er wanted to invite Pei Ye to go with them, but Pei Ye thought that there were only three girls, and he wouldn't have much to do with them. In particular, he was still bothered by Zhang Piaoxu's words during the New Year, "Why are all your good friends girls?" Therefore, he refused outright and stayed at the sword field to practice his sword.

"I watched two swordplay matches with them. They were Qunfei and Shang Yunning from Tianshan, and He Yaoyao from Xudaoshan and Ji Zhuowu from Kongtong respectively." Jiang Yin'er exclaimed, "They are all so amazing. It's a pity you didn't go, Brother. Not many people saw these two matches. Sister Cui from Tianshan was specially invited."

"Oh? Then who wins and who loses?"

“Qunfei lost, Shang Yunning won.” Jiang Yin’er laughed, and then said, “Tianshan is really getting more and more powerful now, but many people are jealous and unwilling to accept it. On the way back, Changsun and Sister Cui were still indignant.”

“…Oh.” Pei Ye seemed to remember something, paused for a moment, and remained silent.

Jiang Yin'er, standing beside him, smiled and said, "Brother, I also brought you an invitation."

"……what?"

“Tianshan is going to hold a sword banquet at the villa, inviting swordsmen from the capital. It’s probably the most noteworthy event in the past half month. Today’s visit is the prelude to this.” Jiang Yin’er smiled. “They know you are my brother. As soon as I mentioned that you are at the Sword Academy, they specially wrote an invitation and asked me to bring it.”

The girl handed over a carved wooden tablet inlaid with jade. It felt cool to the touch and was indeed in the style of the Jade Mountain Range.

Pei Ye opened it; the handwriting was fine and straight, unlike anything she had seen before, but the tone was very intimate:
"I respectfully inquire after Young Master Pei's well-being."

With the matter settled and our old friendship still intact, I eagerly await our meeting. I plan to hold a sword banquet at my villa in Tianshan on March 16th, and cordially invite Young Master Pei to grace our humble abode with his presence, so that we may gather sword enthusiasts from all over the world.

Also, Tianshan has already checked into the capital, and hopes to be able to visit anytime, anywhere.

Respectfully presented by Tianshan Jianmen on the twelfth day of the third month of the Renwu year.

Jiang Yin'er tilted her head, looking quite interested: "The Tianshan swordsmen have really been out of the martial world for a long time. They live far away in the west and have always been mysterious and aloof. Now they've actually taken the initiative to hold a sword tournament. I'm sure many people will go."

Pei Ye looked at it for a while, then folded it up: "Are you going?"

"We'll all go."

Pei Ye was stunned: "Go to everything?"

“It’s Sister Cui and Changsun, and... and Sister Cui’s many friends.” Jiang Yin’er lowered her voice for some reason and quickly skipped over the details. “We met at the West Pond Terrace today, and we haven’t been to the Tianshan Villa yet.”

Pei Ye didn't think too much about it: "...So that means a lot of people will be going."

"Yeah, so it's a Claymore Feast."

"Oh. That's four days from now, that'll be soon."

"Brother Shi won't refuse to go, will he?"

“…Go ahead. I’ve had connections with the Tianshan Mountains before, back when I was in Bowang.”

"That's good." Jiang Yin'er smiled. "Today, Sister Cui and Changsun were so happy to hear that Brother Shi had returned to the Sword Academy. I even told them about how you defeated that True Disciple Xu with one sword."

Pei Ye laughed: "Then have you learned my harsh words from them?"

"...I don't swear."

Pei Ye sighed softly, "That truly misses the essence."

As the bright moon rose high, the two sat together and chatted for about half an hour. When Pei Ye's sweat dried, they returned to their dormitory together.

Today was a very happy day for the girl. She witnessed the skills of a top swordsman she had never seen before, and in the spring season, new grand sword banquets were held from time to time, which was a luxury for swordsmen.

For Pei Ye, besides focusing on sword cultivation, there was another matter to attend to today.

The first meeting of the "Destiny Dogs" that Li Jian spoke of that day will take place tonight at midnight.

(End of this chapter)