Food Fairy Lord

Chapter 752 Seven Seats Arranged
The young man in the pond twirled his sword, sheathed it, and walked onto the bank. Many people still hadn't learned his name and kept peering at each other, asking him questions.

But after all, they knew it wasn't one of the names at the top of the rankings, because most of them had already become famous at the sword competition in recent months. Even if they hadn't shown their faces, everyone already knew what each of them looked like. This was the most popular topic in Shenjing in recent months. The background, appearance, age, strength, and so on of those dozens of people were already the most basic information before watching the Feather Scale Trial.

There is definitely no boy like that among them.

First of all, he is too young. It may be hard to tell between people in their twenties, but the eyes and brows of a seventeen or eighteen-year-old are like tender cicada wings that have just grown and not yet solidified.

There are only two people in the top twenty of this age group: Yun Langmei Jianxi and Bai Lu Yang Zhenbing.

Further down, within the first fifty miles, a few more emerged, but their physiques and appearances were no secret, and their backgrounds and lineages were all clear; none of them had ever been heard of being from the Sword Cultivation Academy.

As for going any further... if one can solve this kind of sword puzzle, will one really still be beyond fifty?

No one expected that such a fresh and unfamiliar figure would emerge in Shenjing today. No one had ever seen him before. He immediately solved the sword problem that Yun Lang had set out and that the six true disciples had found difficult. He was just like a young lad in a storybook who had great skills but was new to the world.

However, despite the small size of the garden, news flowed smoothly, and soon the name "Pei Ye" was being repeated by everyone.

"So it was the same person who gambled with the Vermilion Bird Sword last year..." People seemed to realize something, yet were also slightly bewildered.

For most people, even knowing the name doesn't help erase the feeling of unfamiliarity.

Because the two syllables "Pei Ye" appeared out of nowhere, they only heard the name after entering the capital, and at that time they could not understand it, and it had only existed in their ears all this time.

No one knows who he is, his background, his lineage—it's all shrouded in mystery or a blank slate. All that's known is that he came from some rural area, came to the capital alone, and was a wandering countryman.

The only known facts are about his deeds, concerning the West Pond and the area outside the Vermilion Bird Gate, but these are merely rumors circulating among the people. His name was mentioned again in the national newspaper a few days ago, which was quite surprising, but still no one has seen him in person.

This is the first time that the various factions have seen this young man, and everyone is actually observing and scrutinizing him with a newfound sense of familiarity.

He seemed genuinely unaffiliated with any sect or faction, and no one appeared to be close to him. Everyone was surprised when He Yaoyao led him out, and when he chatted and laughed with the disciples, they all felt a strange unease—who are you? Why are you so naturally placed among these people?

But once he stepped into the pond, the whole garden fell silent.

After that, it only grew quieter and quieter, until now.

At this moment, Luwei raised his hand and grabbed a cup of wine, then smiled at the young man who came ashore and said, "Young hero He Peiye's solution to this sword problem is truly amazing."

Pei Ye didn't know what he had seen, but the young man's swordsmanship was indeed something that both experts and laymen could handle. He clasped his hands in a salute, accepted the cup, and drank with a smile: "Good luck. I thought I probably wouldn't make it the first time."

Then he turned and bowed respectfully to the stone platform above, saying, "Thank you for your sword, Senior Wen. I have long admired Yunlang, and it is an honor to meet you today."

When asked where he was going, he closed his eyes again, only nodding, neither looking down nor speaking.

Luwei took his empty cup and asked curiously, "Young Master Pei, I didn't quite see it clearly just now. You defeated me by fully understanding your own sword technique. I thought the same thing when I went into the pool. However, since you could do it but I couldn't, I'm not as good as you, so I won't say more. Now that this matter is accomplished, you should be able to understand my sword technique clearly and defeat me with it. But I saw that in your last sword strike, you didn't let us see how you broke the sword."

"Yes, because everything that was broken has been reshaped into a new sense of destiny. I have triumphed over the old sword of destiny with the new sword of destiny."

So in the end, it's still about fate?

“I think so. Because I feel that Ning Tongxiu is not actually able to abandon the sense of destiny and instead use his own judgment to transcend it. That kind of ability is actually unique to people like Lu Zhenchuan.” Pei Ye said seriously, turning his head to see Ning Shuhong walking over, “Ning Tongxiu, I was just about to tell you this.”

Ning Shuhong looked at him.

“I just tried it. Lu Zhenchuan just said ‘I’d rather die than choose,’ which was quite inspiring to me. Since I’m stuck in the bottleneck of destiny, I’ll turn to my own will for help instead of relying entirely on my sword. I’ll incorporate my own judgment to break through.” Pei Ye said, “However, I think it would be even better if we swordsmen who are used to relying on destiny could make a small adjustment here—that is, ‘I’d rather die than choose’.”

Luwei raised his hand to stop him, and laughed: "This is no small compromise. What I said is wrong. Young Master Pei is too kind."

Pei Ye smiled and continued to Ning Shuhong, who was listening attentively, "The reason is that 'willing to die for a cause' is simple. Ning Tongxiu only needs to force himself to correct this in the next sword game, and make his sword moves entirely based on his five senses and rational judgment. But Ning Tongxiu doesn't actually know how to use a sword like that. The consequence of 'no choice' is defeat. So the only way is to start from scratch and hone this other path, reading a great deal of sword manuals and sitting idly studying sword techniques. How Ning Tongxiu used to improve his skills through combat must now be completely abandoned."

"Even so, it may take many years, and in the end, it is not certain that one can truly transcend the line drawn by fate."

Ning Shuhong lowered her eyes and nodded: "Even if I have to sit here for the rest of my life, I will still pursue this glimmer of hope."

“That’s obviously a last resort, but I think there’s a more open road that you should try first,” Pei Ye said. “I believe that one’s sense of destiny can be reshaped and elevated.”

Ning Shuhong was stunned: "...What do you mean?"

“Fellow practitioner Ning, you have honed your sense of destiny through life-and-death struggles, just like polishing jade from stone. But you have not yet sculpted it, so what is its current shape?”

Ning Shuhong remained silent, stunned.

“I think this shape is called ‘Life and Death’,” Pei Ye answered for her. “Because you were forged in blood, and because it is the instinct of destiny. Its standard for judging whether to draw the sword and how to draw it is whether the incoming sword will endanger its own life, and how the sword can take the life of the other party. This is the primal instinct of destiny, Ning Tongxiu.”

Pei Ye did not lower his voice. Lu Wei leaned against the high rock behind him, tapping the rim of his cup and listening quietly. Shang Yun Ning stroked the hilt of his sword in deep thought. Ning Shu Hong stared blankly into the empty space. He Yao Yao stood very close to Pei Ye, shielding himself behind him.

The garden quieted down, and the people at the table all looked at the boy.

“What I mean is that this ‘sense of destiny’ can be sculpted,” Pei Ye said. “There’s no need to set it aside and wait to surpass it later. You can change the shape of your sense of destiny. When it no longer takes ‘life and death’ as the highest and only standard, it actually means that your own will in the way of the sword has surpassed it. Then it is the sword in your hand that you can command.”

Ning Shuhong was stunned for a long time: "Is this what 'preferring death to choice' means?"

"That's right. As human beings, there are always some things we would rather die than do. If your sense of destiny is no longer measured by life and death, but by the goals you want to achieve, then it means you have completed the sculpting of it."

Ning Shuhong nodded slowly, then looked at the young man with her eyes: "Fellow Cultivator Pei, I finally understand why I can never beat you."

Pei Ye laughed: "I quite enjoy sparring with you. You're not too strong, and you're not boring either. It's fun to play against you, and you can win with just a little effort. It's very interesting."

Ning Shuhong wasn't annoyed: "Then I'll be Young Hero Pei's warm-up punching bag."

Pei Ye felt embarrassed by her words and continued, "As for how to sculpt one's destiny, I have just found a way. I think you should spend a considerable amount of time dismantling your swordsmanship self. The fragments will accumulate little by little, and when the time is right, they will burn together to create a brand new 'complete self'."

Ning Shuhong nodded: "I understand."

She paused for a moment: "Actually, I haven't reached this bottleneck yet, I've only seen it. Today I originally intended to ask Chen Quan for some simple advice, but I didn't expect you all to be so kind and go to such lengths... Many thanks to Master Luwei, many thanks to the Yunlang family, many thanks to Tianshan for this banquet... and also to fellow cultivator Pei, especially you. Your cultivation time is precious, yet you have repeatedly gone to such lengths for this."

"Today, everyone has contributed to solving this sword problem, which is truly a wonderful thing. There's no need for such formalities," Luwei laughed, pouring another cup of wine. "I've noticed that there have been many sword gatherings in Shenjing recently, but most of them amount to nothing more than a few rounds of fighting. Today, at the Tianshan Pavilion, we've truly gained something beneficial in the way of the sword, which is a fine story to tell. This is something all of you in this garden can enjoy together." After speaking, he bowed respectfully to all four sides and drank it all in one gulp.

People in the garden also raised their glasses in return, and the atmosphere became lively again. Pei Ye smiled, picked up his sword, turned around, and found He Yaoyao.

He smiled at her, picked up the kitten from her arms, then silently lowered his head, only to see her tug at his sleeve again.

He put the cat back, and she let go; he picked the cat up, and she put the leash back on.

"..."

"I'm going back," he said in a low voice.

“I have a seat over there too,” He Yaoyao pleaded enthusiastically.

The woman was afraid of being seen by people, but she also had an inexplicable thick skin; Pei Ye was at ease in front of everyone, so he was very concerned about his image.

He absolutely did not want to be seen arguing with her in front of everyone, so he smiled and said, "Okay."

At this moment, Luwei also took his forearm: "Let's sit down together, Young Master Pei. Let's discuss the sword principles we just talked about again."

The ripples in the pool ceased, and the disciples who had emerged returned to their seats. Pei Ye sat down at He Yaoyao's table, with Lu Wei's broad back in front of him, the disciple of the Three Mountains Floating Raft to his left, and the Jade Beauty of the Young Master Qunfei slightly ahead to his right.

"Young Master Pei Ye, it's been a while since we last met, and you've become even more dashing." After holding back for a moment, He Yaoyao whispered.

"So you're only remembering to say hello now?"

He Yaoyao lowered her head even further.

She was actually very grateful to the young man for helping her out of the predicament, and she greatly admired his ability to speak so eloquently in front of so many people, but she didn't know how to start a conversation with him.

In reality, she didn't know how to talk to anyone, so she missed the atmosphere when she talked at the inn a few days ago. Back then, the surroundings were chaotic, and the air was filled with the heat of spices. The two of them huddled together discussing sword theory. It was the first time since she came down the mountain that she had chatted so naturally and happily with a stranger.

“True disciple He Yaoyao, I haven’t seen you since then. I didn’t expect you to be so elegant.” Pei Ye didn’t realize what she was thinking. He was just joking. He then clasped his hands in a fist and smiled, “This is our first meeting, True disciple He.”

He Yaoyao had never received such a direct compliment before. She was taken aback for a moment, then realized that it was just a polite remark in social situations. So she replied, "Yes, Young Master Pei. Your swordsmanship is also very elegant."

Qunfei turned around at this moment and said with a smile, "Young hero Pei Ye, if you have the chance, you must play a game of swordsmanship."

"Then we'll have to ask you gentlemen to show mercy."

Qunfei smiled and said, "No one addresses people like that."

"...Is that so? I thought they were similar in rank, like Minister Li or Physician Liu."

"How should Young Hero Pei address Senior Sister Shi?"

"Stone hairpin snow?"

"Ah."

"I'll call her Miss Shi."

Qun Fei smiled and said, "Then Young Master Pei can also call me Miss Qun."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, ladies. Are all of you 'Seven Jade' here this time?"

"No, Junior Sister Feiqiong was already in the Sword Academy. This time, besides me and Shi Anxiang, only Senior Sister Shuangcheng came."

Pei Ye laughed: "'Using hidden fragrance' doesn't sound like a very honorable method."

Qunfei also laughed: "I am learning from Young Master Pei."

He Yaoyao sipped her tea with her head down, thinking to herself how strange it was that they had so many things to say.

It takes me ages to dig up a single sentence.

There was a long silence at the Shaolong Jade Sword banquet.

They had just discussed for a long time who would solve this sword puzzle, but they never expected it to be this name.

Even though I had heard about his deeds for a month, seeing that figure appear so real in front of me again was a completely different matter.

He looked taller and his face was no longer so youthful and immature.

He was all smiles and relaxed in the garden just now, a stark contrast to the indifferent and cold eyes he had when he took the stage with his sword that day.

The sword they had just witnessed was wondrous and beautiful. They heard many small gasps of surprise around them, but they knew that this sword was not for admiring. When that unforgettable, glass-like silhouette appeared, everyone felt a chill run down their spines.

"How about we go back and revise the sword manual again?" Nan Guannu said with a smile. "Actually, Young Master Pei Ye is the number one in our Shaolong Jade Sword Manual."

Xiang Zongyuan nodded and said calmly, "That's how it is. It's just that I temporarily filled in because Young Master Pei went missing before; now that he has reappeared, it's only right that he be returned."

Cui Zijie said, "That's right. We are listed in the Shaolong Jade Sword Register along with Pei Ye, only below him—Qi Zhenchuan. The sword affairs newspaper you contacted last time, they wrote about today's events in this way."

"……it is good."

Su Xingke, who had been motionless, could no longer bear it and blushed as if he had been deeply humiliated: "You count even one day?!"

Zuo Sheng raised his hand and pressed it against his head.

(End of this chapter)