Food Fairy Lord

Chapter 742 Like-minded
The sky was high and the wind was cool. Looking out over the Five Mausoleums, the sun hung high over Leyou Plain. Cui Zhaoye held Li Piaoqing's hand tightly, as if he were a king who had entrusted her with a great responsibility.

Changsun Jue stood silently to one side, holding several scrolls of paper, feeling like a eunuch awaiting imperial orders.

Li Piaoqing laughed: "How can I steal someone else's beauty?"

Cui Zhaoye looked at her tenderly, as if she had met her destined one, and pleaded, "Then you must come and be a vice president."

Li Piaoqing laughed again: "Alright then, just don't kick me out in the future."

"how come!"

"If I return to the west after the Feather Scale Trial, I will be unable to attend the meeting for a long time. Wouldn't that be like holding a position without doing any work?"

Cui Zhaoye then remembered: "Oh right, are you also here to participate in the Feather Scale Trial? Which family are you from? Let's go to the Heavenly Mountain Sword Banquet together tomorrow."

Li Piaoqing smiled and said, "I came here with Tianshan."

"what?"

“I was just about to say that everyone seems very willing to go, but we don’t have enough invitations.” The girl spoke slowly and with a smile. “As a return gift for Chairman Cui’s invitation, I will write eleven more invitations for everyone. One of them will be for that friend.”

She gestured to the young lady from the official family who had led her in.

Cui Zhaoye was taken aback: "So you are a disciple of the Heavenly Mountain Sect... May I ask which Master Chi you are?"

"No, I'm just an unknown nobody, merely passing by and spreading rumors." Li Piaoqing smiled. "Miss Cui, do you have paper and pen?"

Although she said that, Cui Zhaoye couldn't understand it. He had never heard of any nameless minor sect under the protection of a major sect, or an outsider who came along the way, being able to interfere in the internal affairs of a major sect.

Besides, you casually accepted ten or so invitations—in whose name did you send them?

The Tianshan Sword Banquet was definitely one of the most important events of Tianshan's trip. Almost seven or eight of the top ten on the Fu Ranking were invited. Cui Zhaoye herself requested more than a dozen invitations, because most of the people she intended to send invitations to were children of noble families in Shenjing.

So at this moment, the part of Cui Zhaoye's mind, that of the eldest daughter of the noble family, woke up. She looked at the smiling face in front of her and thought that she might really be from a minor sect, but either she just happened to be the one in charge of organizing the sword banquet in Tianshan, or her identity was still being concealed.

Changsun Jue was curious, but he had already handed over a small stack of notes.

Li Piaoqing thanked him, bent down, picked up a fine brush, and wrote a few short lines. Cui Zhaoye, who had been curious, smiled and peeked over to take a look.

"Don't push," Li Piaoqing said with a smile.

"Look who this sister is." Cui Zhaoye leaned closer to her again—to be honest, the girl really had a fresh scent, and the purse she was wearing was completely different from the exquisite perfumes usually used in Shenjing, which made her sniff it.

Cui Zhaoye peeked over her shoulder and saw three lines of elegant handwriting.

"Invited (Cui Zhaoye's name is left blank)"
On March 16th, I had the honor of attending a sword banquet at Yu Lin Tianshan Villa.

Written by Cheng of Jianmen, Tianshan, on the fifteenth day of the third month of the Renwu year.

Cui Zhaoye narrowed his eyes, thinking that since the invitation was still using the Tianshan Sword Sect's signature, it meant the people from Tianshan were using it. How could an outsider use this name without prior authorization? Besides, there was no official seal. He began to doubt the true validity of the invitation.

But then the girl started a new line of smaller characters and continued writing:

"This letter was written hastily on a different sheet of paper; please verify its authenticity."

Cui Zhaoye and Changsun Jue huddled together, watching as the girl's beautiful hands steadily wrote the last six characters:

"Jade-emerald plum blossoms with blue hair."

"..."

"..."

Li Piaoqing's pen moved swiftly, and she quickly finished writing eleven invitations. Then, she took out two small seals from her clothes, dragged the written paper over, and "slap," "slap," two red seals appeared.

One is "Western Heavenly Mountain Sword Sect", and the other is "Jade Jade Mountain Sect Master Li Piaoqing".

The girl's hands moved quickly and skillfully, preparing all eleven invitations in a few breaths. She gathered them together, smiled at the quiet Cui Zhaoye beside her, and handed them over: "Please distribute them again, President. I will also be at the Tianshan Villa to welcome you all tomorrow."

Cui Zhaoye accepted it without saying a word.

Li Piaoqing paused, glancing at their expressions: "You recognize me?"

Cui Zhaoye remained silent, but Changsun Jue's eyes widened and his mouth opened as he stared blankly at the table, his face turning pale.

Heavens have mercy, Miss Changsun had never imagined such a situation in her seventeen years of life; it was as embarrassing as being caught cheating. And it was something she hadn't wanted to do in the first place, but was forced into it by Cui Zhaoye.

Li Piaoqing of Jade Jade Mountain—who doesn't recognize him? A name that is both distant and resounding.

Even before Pei Ye came to Shenjing, they were already very good... very good friends.

Qu Xin said personally that day: "The sender of the letter is Li Piaoqing, the head of Yufei Mountain in Bowang Prefecture. This woman is seventeen years old. She kissed Pei Ye, but they didn't have sex. They are still entangled..."

Changsun Jue blushed to his ears, his breath coming in short gasps: "Sect Leader Li... I'm sorry, we had no improper thoughts about Young Hero Pei Ye."

Cui Zhaoye grabbed her wrist under the table, glared at this idiot who was disrupting morale, and forced a calm tone: "I don't really recognize her."

Li Piaoqing put away the seal and smiled slightly: "We're friends now, why are you looking at me like that? Is there anything wrong with my reputation?"

That gentle smile immediately captivated Changsun Jue, who quickly replied, "No, no, Sect Leader Li, I've been wanting to see you for a long time."

Li Piaoqing laughed: "I just hope you won't ask any embarrassing questions."

Cui Zhaoye watched her calmly from the side, his mind racing. Finally, he slowly reached out and grasped her forearm, saying sincerely, "Sect Leader Li, I never expected to meet you here. I've long admired your name. It's a great honor to have you in our association. We will definitely trust each other in the future."

Li Piaoqing smiled: "Is that so? Then I'd like to ask first, how come you've 'long admired' my name?"

Cui Zhaoye and Changsun Jue replied without hesitation: "Qu Xin said it!"

"She betrayed you with just three steamed buns," Changsun Jue added indignantly.

……

……

As spring drew to a close, dawn broke earlier and earlier. For the first time, Pei Ye and Yang Zhenbing got up at the same time. Ignoring the surprised look in the eyes of the boy in black, Pei Ye washed up, changed his clothes, picked up his cat and sword, and proudly walked out of the courtyard gate.

Today I will meet with the Master of Flying Light Sword.

Scholars aspire to be the top scholar in the imperial examinations, generals desire to command a powerful army, but for a swordsman, the highest pursuit of "external things" will never have a second answer.

A famous sword.

These mysterious, slender, and sharp objects are born with a spirit, and are rare and unattainable. News of them is scarce in the mortal realm, and countless swordsmen who have sought them have failed to find a single trace, as if those legends exist only in legend.

Therefore, the title of "Master of Famous Swords" has always been a title that distinguishes a person from other swordsmen.

The top spot on the Crane Ranking may change, but as long as the Sword Master lives, he will always be the Sword Master.

Surprisingly, most of them were solitary individuals, or at least not purely members of a sword sect. This represented a vast world of swordsmanship outside the control of any sect.

Pei Ye was naturally filled with longing for this.

The first sword master he encountered was Ming Qitian, whose beauty was beyond words, but he hadn't seen the woman for several months, and he hadn't seen Liuli for even longer.

【Feiguang】was the second famous sword he encountered.

Pei Ye was deeply impressed by the scene in the rain. The rain and mist made the landscape seem like ghosts and spirits. A sword light, interwoven with brightness and darkness, sliced ​​through Zhao Lingjun's red robe, turning his long hair white and instantly causing wrinkles to appear on his face.

Can this sword cut through time?
Pei Ye certainly wouldn't miss such a rare and serendipitous encounter. Although the Flying Light Sword Master didn't seem particularly interested in him, he wasn't exactly averse to him either, and had even saved his life. This sword master was currently still in Shenjing, but had mysteriously disappeared without a trace, so Pei Ye was determined to seize this opportunity.

Moreover, he wasn't just interested in [Flying Light]; he also longed for the sword master himself.

He has made ample preparations for this.

When I arrived at Xiuwen Hall, the morning sun had already risen, and there were faint sounds of people in the courtyard.

Pei Ye inquired about Li He's residence and arrived at this secluded little courtyard.

Far to the north of Xiuwen Hall, you can see Xu Chuo's small building when you look up, with a maple tree peeking out from the corner of the wall in the courtyard.

The door was already half open, and as Pei Ye approached, a voice came from inside the courtyard: "Come in."

Pei Ye stepped across the threshold and saw the man drawing water from the well with his head down.

"Have you eaten? There's porridge in the pot."

"Good morning, senior. Have you eaten?" Pei Ye bowed respectfully.

Li He brought up a bucket of clean water and poured it into a basin to wash the dishes and chopsticks: "Good morning, Young Hero Pei Ye. His Highness said you wanted to see me, is there something you need?"

He asked the question but received no reply, so he turned his head to look at the boy, who stood in front of the door, looking at him with sincere eyes. His attire was slightly surprising—not sword-wielding clothes, nor tight-fitting attire, but a long robe, his hair tied in a scholar's bun, and two books tucked under his arm.

It has a refreshing feel to it.

Pei Ye bowed deeply once more: "I saw your heroic figure on the river that day, and I have kept it in my heart ever since. I admire you day and night, so I came to pay my respects."

Li He was slightly taken aback and said, "What heroic bearing do I possess... In truth, I may not be able to offer you any guidance; perhaps I am not as skilled with a sword as you are..."

"Senior has misunderstood," Pei Ye interrupted softly.

"……Um?"

"I've heard of E'luohua at Changmen Gate; in bygone years, we gazed at each other from afar, seemingly separated by the ends of the earth."

"..."

"Who would have thought that a guest in a brothel would steal a glance at the flowers in the King of Wu's garden?" Pei Ye murmured softly, then handed two poetry collections from under his arms to the man washing dishes in front of him.

“Senior, Pei Ye has loved poetry since childhood. After reading your works these past few days, I am truly captivated and cannot help but come to meet you and ask for your guidance on the art of poetry.”

"..."

"..."

Li He looked at him in silence.

Pei Ye's eyes shone with admiration.

After a few moments, Li He shook the dishwater off his hands, silently took the two poetry collections, and looked down at them. One was "Li Changji's Poems," and the other was "Ten Selections of Suo Lin Poets."

I opened it and took a look. I don't know which bookstore engraved it. Anyway, I didn't tell him or pay him.

"What...would you like to ask?" Li He asked.

“I think this poem by the senior is really good. I wonder how it was written.” Pei Ye quickly moved a small stool and sat down by the sink. He turned the page and pointed to the poem, “It’s this one, ‘Wu silk and Shu tung trees in the high autumn.’ I felt a deep connection to it after reading it.”

"Is that so? How do you feel?"

“These past few days I have been trying to learn the zither, and after reading this poem, I was truly moved. It was like hearing celestial music. Although I haven’t touched the zither yet, I feel as if I have already acquired three-tenths of the skill.” Pei Ye recited the sentences he had polished many times. “This is all thanks to your superb poetic skills, senior.”

"This piece is about the konghou, not the qin."

“…Oh?” Pei Ye frowned. “Is that so?”

"Hmm. This bookstore made a printing error; the title is missing from the page."

"I see. What's the difference between the konghou and the qin?"

“This is how you play the konghou; this is how you play the qin.” Li He made two gestures on the sink.

Pei Ye frowned and nodded: "Oh."

"Ah."

"..."

"If you want to learn poetry... was the poem you just recited your own?"

"Yeah, almost."

"almost?"

“Hmm…it was my idea, but I asked a friend to polish the sentence structure—do you have any advice for me, senior?” Pei Ye clasped his hands together, his expression calm.

“This poem is very well written. The words are elegant and the sentiment is subtle. I could never write a poem like this,” Li He said. “You should learn more from your friend. If you want to adopt some of my style, I won’t hold back—you just need to inject your own perspective and emotions into your sentences.”

Pei Ye nodded thoughtfully.

"To be specific, first use your emotions to create your perspective, don't suppress them, and then use sentences to describe it," Li He said earnestly after finally finishing washing the dishes. "Take color as an example—look at this flower that's about to wither, what color is it?"

"Red...right?"

“I think it is ‘rust red’. This flower has a cold and hard shape, bloomed for a long time in a damp corner, and now it has withered, and no one has seen it. Isn’t this ‘rust red’?” Li He said, “When you finish writing a sentence, put the color at the end of the sentence, and it will appear more vivid and strange. For all scenery, don’t be stingy with your intuition. One is to penetrate the secluded, and the other is to enter the obscure. In the end, when you write a sentence, it will be just like this.”

Pei Ye frowned and nodded slowly, then sighed softly: "If I had received your guidance earlier, this poem dedicated to you would have been even better. It still seems rather rough now."

"Your poem is not crude—wait a minute, is this a poem dedicated to me?"

"Yes, what's wrong with that?" Pei Ye thought to himself that he had specifically said that it was to be dedicated to someone he had long admired and that Li Yuxi should express his feelings more intensely. He had even confirmed with him several times. How could he have written it wrong?
Li He paused for a moment: "This poem... did you write it specifically for me?"

"About the same."

"It's not really appropriate to offer it to me."

"why."

“That’s a bit too cheesy.” Li He looked up at him seriously. “This sounds like we’re either close friends or homosexuals. I don’t think that’s quite right.”

“…Oh.” Pei Ye tucked his sleeves in and remained motionless.

"Ah."

"..."

"..."

"Why don't you continue with the next paragraph?" Li He suggested after a moment of silence.

“Very well. Now that we’ve finished discussing poetry, we can say that we share similar interests and have had a pleasant time,” Pei Ye said calmly. “Before we part, I would like to ask you for some pointers on swordsmanship.”

Li He breathed a sigh of relief.

(End of this chapter)