Food Fairy Lord

Chapter 746 Garden Observations (Seeking votes at the beginning of the month!)

Coming to his senses, Cui Zhaoye glared at the girl in the gray dress on the other end. This person was practically like a ghost, appearing and disappearing at any moment, and suddenly spouting a comment.

“Those who achieve great things don’t concern themselves with trifles. Let’s all look forward to Young Hero Pei Ye’s swordplay and not pay too much attention to these trivial matters,” Cui Zhaoye said earnestly. “These days, the prevailing trend is to spread rumors and gossip. As a legitimate hobby group, we cannot follow the crowd; we must set an example!”

"Furthermore, the claim that Young Master Pei Ye drinks and dine with courtesans is utter nonsense. How can anyone not believe in Young Master Pei Ye's character?" she added.

Qu Xin: "I am truly ashamed that I doubted him."

Cui Zhaoye questioned, "Where were you when Sect Leader Li was here just now?"

Qu Xin asked, "Will she come again later?"

"you guess."

Qu Xin pondered.

Changsun Jue stood to the side, his face filled with worry.

……

……

Pei Ye could feel that he was being stared at by many people.

Among the group from the Sword Cultivation Academy, the woman beside him was the only one not wearing sword attire, inevitably attracting some attention. Pei Ye was already used to it.

Overall, he goes very little attention here, since very few people recognize his face. Among the swordsmen, there are a few eye-catching figures like Jiang Yin'er and Zuoqiu Longhua.

"Senior Brother Zhan's swordsmanship is superb! I admire him greatly!"

The two men on the pond then realized who was better. The younger one excitedly lowered his sword and clasped his hands in greeting, while the older one smiled calmly, quickly returned the greeting, and then bowed respectfully to all directions: "How dare I claim to be 'superior' here? I am merely showing my clumsiness before so many discerning eyes, and offering this humble attempt to elicit further insights."

The young swordsman, still immersed in the sword test, finally realized how many people had been watching him. His face flushed, and he awkwardly bowed, but his gaze couldn't help but drift towards the head of the table. Seeing that four or five people there hadn't reacted, he gave up any further fantasies.

“The brother sword sects under Jinwu should all be among the top in both sects,” Li Tishui said. “Their skills are all very solid.”

“The younger one seems to have better potential,” Pei Ye said.

“Indeed,” Li Tishui said. “Look now, the swords of these people should be very clear.”

Pei Ye nodded.

To use a past enemy as an analogy, these people's swordsmanship was far inferior to that of the chief of the Kongtong Sect, but roughly on par with Shang Huaitong.

Long ago, swords of this level no longer posed a threat to Pei Ye.

But understanding them is another matter entirely.

The Golden Crow's subordinate sword sect is a highly enviable place in the vast martial arts world. But now, their swordsmanship is completely exposed to Pei Ye.

Many seemingly intricate sword techniques appeared transparent to him; he clearly understood the purpose of each movement and how each layer of effect was achieved. He might not be able to articulate the names of the sword principles, but the structure of the sword stances was as simple as building blocks.

At this moment, Pei Ye suddenly remembered the apology that Ming-jie had given when they first met that night. She said, "I accidentally saw your sword style, and now I have three things that I can use to make amends."

Now he seemed to truly understand some of the woman's feelings back then—many swords could indeed be identified at a glance.

However, the woman was facing a situation where "clouds obscured her vision and feathers were lost," and she was only listening through a wall, so the situation was naturally different.

Pei Ye tried his best not to memorize other people's sword moves, only observing them to accumulate experience. At this moment, he followed the young swordsman's gaze and saw a group of three or five people occupying a mountaintop.

"Which one is that?" Pei Ye asked curiously.

It was only then that Pei Ye truly noticed them. Even among the families in the center, they stood out the most, drawing most of the attention from time to time.

These people were dressed in plain-colored sword uniforms, even simpler than those of the Sword Cultivation Academy. Some of them were even barefoot, with their swords across their knees, their expressions indifferent, seemingly not making eye contact or talking to anyone.

“Yunlang Mountain,” Li Tishui said, “its location is outside the Three Realms.”

Even though he had already scanned their faces, Pei Ye still looked up sharply after hearing the name and examined the faces of the group again.

Of course, there was no sign of Miss Ming, only an old man, four young people, three men and one woman.

The three men had different appearances. One was in his twenties with high cheekbones and an unusual face; the other was fourteen or fifteen years old and very handsome, but he also never looked to the side, his gaze fixed only on the pond; the third was seventeen or eighteen years old with very delicate features. With his indifferent expression, it was really hard to tell that he had a human face. He seemed to blend in with his clothes and the aura of his sword.

He was sitting at the very front.

The woman's appearance was not particularly unique, but her aura was immediately recognizable. She had bandages wrapped around her wrist and an old sword lying across her lap.

The old man leading the group was also dressed in a light-colored robe. He had his eyes gently closed and was tapping his sword sheath in his hand, seemingly deep in thought.

Silent as swords, aloof as the heavens. These five figures sat silently atop the garden, as if on the very top of the garden. Pei Ye understood somewhat what Li Tishui meant by "not within the Three Realms." Clearly, they were not going to participate in the swordplay, but simply sitting and watching. Tianshan naturally hoped that the name "Yun Lang" would serve as a pillar of stability, and Yun Lang would probably also be willing to observe the sword techniques of various schools.

As for the swordsmen who took to the stage, knowing that Yun Lang was watching them, it was only natural that they hoped to receive a few words of commentary.

"Who are these young people?" Li Tishui looked at them for a while, then thought for a moment. "That old man should be Wen Suoqu. In his early years, he often led the team for foreign affairs in Tianlou and Yunlang."

"It seems that you don't read the ranking list."

"Actually, I don't really look at the list of successful candidates in the imperial examinations."

"..." Pei Ye thought for a moment, "I don't recognize her either, but I can make a deduction. Yun Lang has five seats in the first twenty miles. [Tianmu] is not among them, so the only girl there is probably [Jin Gang] Zhao Jiajia, who is listed as the thirteenth."

"A good nickname, a good name."

Pei Ye laughed: "It is said that its sword is pure and unchanging, extremely sharp and strong... but I have never seen it." He added: "The youngest one must be Liang Yanni. He is ranked higher than others, below Shang Yunning of Tianshan [Baiyi], and is the youngest in the top twenty."

“The sword talents of Yunlang are often much younger than those of other schools. They will reach the peak of a lifetime in just twenty or thirty years, and then spend the rest of their lives in seclusion in Yunlang, as if they have disappeared,” Li Tishui said. “Therefore, the most otherworldly sect in the martial arts world is not any of the Buddhist or Taoist sects, but actually the Yunlang Mountain Sword Sect.”

Pei Ye nodded slowly, looking at the people above with a smile—he had never been in contact with this sect before, but it was hard not to feel affection and closeness to them.

“Let’s assign the remaining two. Mei Jianxi should be around seventeen or eighteen, and Yu Qing should be around twenty,” he said. “Yu Qing is ranked exactly twenty, and Mei Jianxi is ranked seventh.”

Yunlang never seeks fame in the world, yet it stands undeniably at the pinnacle of existence.

[Tianmu] held the top position for eighteen years.

Tianshan is currently at its zenith, boasting three seats in the top twenty of the Floating Dragon Ranking, a fact that astonishes everyone in the martial arts world. However, even the highest-ranking member, Young Master Qunfei, is only sixth.

Yunlang Mountain easily occupied five seats, yet hardly anyone discussed it. This was due to the long-standing habit formed over time.

Yu Qing and Zhao Jiajia have exhausted their talents, Liang Yanni is still young, and Mei Jianxi is clearly the one to take the lead this year. Among those ranked ahead of him, there are no more people under the age of twenty.

After the two men from the pond left, the elders of the two factions exchanged pleasantries, and the familiar Jianmen members chatted and laughed for a bit before another group of people came up.

Pei Ye poured the fine wine that Shi Zanxue had sent into the pot for the swordsmen around him, so that everyone could taste it. He then used the remaining half pot to sip slowly with Li Tishui, observing the swordsmen with different styles who kept coming onto the stage.

Pei Ye had long known about the sword sects of the world from various sword manuals and people, but this was the first time he had seen them all in person.

He meticulously analyzed each sword move of the person taking the stage and verified them against his own understanding of swordsmanship principles.

Most of the time, he would ask the seniors beside him for their opinions. Li Tishui's swordsmanship was indeed far superior to that of Li He, who had only started swordsmanship halfway through his career. However, she rarely talked to the young man about sword theory. Instead, she would always provide him with the simplest swordsmanship that could defeat or kill the person on the field.

Most of the time, it was far beyond Pei Ye's expectations. He thought that his sword strikes were already quite direct and to the point, but in the face of the sword strike methods provided by the woman, he seemed sticky and indecisive.

As she spoke these words, sipping fine wine, her tone remained unchanged, finally allowing Pei Ye to glimpse a chilling sharpness beneath her skin.

Under this new teaching and observation, Pei Ye could feel that the foundation of his being was being strengthened little by little. When you gradually realize that most of the swords of the so-called vast sword sects are actually just like that, each with its own unique skills but few profound ones, you will have a more realistic understanding of yourself and the sword world. A high-level perspective will begin to be established.

As the sword banquet continued, the atmosphere in the garden became increasingly lively. In the past two months, the various factions had been exchanging ideas in Shenjing. Now, whenever a swordsman with a little reputation took the stage, regardless of victory or defeat, he would always be greeted with a few jokes and cheers from all around.

Pei Ye also witnessed many interesting scenes. The most amusing was a young girl from the Southwest Sword Sect who confidently stepped forward, only to lose by mistake after just a few moves. She looked at the six people in the center with tears in her eyes and choked out, "Master Shang, I'm not this weak. I prepared a sword move, intending to ask you for guidance after I won... Waaah!"

Shang Yun Ning looked visibly bewildered, unsure what her weakness had to do with her. After a moment's thought, she said, "Then you can act it out for me."

The girl was stunned for a moment, then burst into tears of joy and laughter, while the man in the distance, who was both the sect leader and her father, silently covered his forehead.

Pei Ye was slightly surprised to see several familiar faces from Shaolong. He wondered how they had performed at the Dragon Lake Sword Gathering, but they all seemed to be doing quite well today.

The group came under the name of the "Shaolong Jade Sword Gathering". Pei Ye watched as Xiang Zongyuan, Nan Guannu, and Su Xingke all took to the field. Swordsmanship from the northwest frontier was relatively new in the Central Plains. The three of them won two and lost one, winning a lot of surprised praise.

Pei Ye smiled as he watched them, no longer dissecting the sword techniques of these old acquaintances. The ever-proud Su Xingke, having defeated his enemy, fell silent. He subconsciously glanced around, seemingly trying to see something, then somewhat awkwardly bowed to the six people in the center, his voice tense and stiff.

"I am neither a true disciple of the Qunfei lineage nor a true disciple of Chen Quan. I dare to inquire, the twin sword techniques I just used were my sect's [Reflecting Moon in the Water] and [Dark Pearl in the Abyss]. I have long heard of the lofty winds and jade snows of Tianshan, and the profound mysteries of Youdu. I wonder... if you could offer some guidance?"

Li Tishui tilted his head slightly again: "Qunfei and Chen Quan, are they the current faces of Tianshan and Beihai? These six all look quite extraordinary, which family do they belong to?"

Pei Ye said, "I don't recognize them either, but I think they should be those six."

Which six?

"Remove four from the top ten of the ranking."

Yun Lang and the others simply watched, and nearly a hundred people passed by without uttering a word. However, the six central seats were clearly both respected and accessible to some.

Pei Ye knew, and everyone present knew as well, that every name was extremely familiar to them—of the top ten on the Fu Ranking, apart from Tian Mu, Li Zhi, Mei Jianxi, and Yan Feiqing, the remaining six were all present.

Second in rank, Dragon Lord of Dongting, [Mountain Hero] Deer Tail.

Third in line, continuing the Daoshan line, [Huang Yunxian] crane disappears into the distance.

Fifth in rank, floating on three mountains, [White Sea] Autumn Temple.

Sixth in rank, Tianshan, [Young Master] Qunfei.

Eighth in the family, Beihai Prefecture, [You] Chenquan.

Tenth in rank, Tianshan, [Baiyi] Shang Yunning.

Shi Zanxue had previously mentioned reserving a seat for Pei Ye among them, which was clearly a special favor from Tianshan. Even though the young man was now very famous in Shenjing, he had not yet been included in the Fu Ranking.

Li Tishui nodded and noted it down. She really knew nothing about these talented people. Watching these inexperienced young people compete and vie for attention seemed to be a rare pleasure.

Qunfei was very handsome. Pei Ye had previously thought he was a refined gentleman when he heard the title "Young Master," only to later learn that he was one of the seven Jade Maidens. However, his attire did indeed resemble that of a young master, with handsome eyebrows and sharp eyes. Shi Zanxue, who wore a skirt, would occasionally come to the sixth table to serve some wine and snacks. The two of them would chat and laugh for a few words, one looking up and the other looking down, truly like a pair of celestial lovers.

At this moment, Su Xingke bowed and asked, and Qun Fei clasped his hands in a respectful gesture: "Master Su is too kind. I am grateful to all the gentlemen of Shaolong Jade Sword and Golden Book for honoring Tianshan with their presence at this banquet. If you ask about the swords, I personally believe that the two swords need not be so clearly distinguished. Yin is within Yang, not opposite to Yang—Master Su may take this as a reference."

Her words were gentle and polite, which made Su Xingke, who had dared to ask questions, feel flattered. He quickly thanked her and then turned to look at Chen Quan.

Chen Quan's attitude became much colder, and he nodded: "I feel the same way."

After someone mustered up the courage to ask for guidance, more and more people started to inquire at the central level, and there were more comments from all sides. After each sword trial, the outgoing swordsmen expressed their opinions.

To be honest, Pei Ye really liked the atmosphere; it was like being in a classroom at the Sword Cultivation Academy, which was many times larger. He felt a little regretful for not having participated in many of the previous sword tournaments.

As the rankings progressed further down the list, the atmosphere in the garden became increasingly lively.

(End of this chapter)