Food Fairy Lord

Chapter 754 Lone Sword in the Silence
This was the first time Yun Lang had spoken up today.

The entire garden went from bustling to utter silence. Even when Pei Yechi was breaking the sword, there wasn't such a still atmosphere.

Yun Lang rarely takes a stance on worldly affairs, but when they do, it is often unassailable.

At this moment, many people thought that the biggest news of the day might not be that I cannot defeat my own sword, nor that Pei Ye has reappeared in Shenjing.

Regardless of the outcome of the young swordsmen's duels, it's a safe game. Even if the younger generation gets into a real fight, it won't affect the friendly relations between the two factions. Kunlun Yanri Palace is also present today, but there's no apparent discord between them and Shenjing Sword Cultivation Academy.

When you care, it becomes an emotionally charged matter; when you don't care, it's as if it doesn't exist. The wins and losses of a few young people can't affect the overall structure of the martial arts world.

But clashes between sects are as cold and harsh as iron.

It wasn't at the grand sword tournament in the capital, but in the darkest corner of the martial world. No one cheered, and no one spoke. In those years before the Immortal Platform intervened, countless severed limbs and blood were spilled in the riverside inns.

Especially within the Thirty-Three Swords Sect, any conflict between two sects can stir up huge waves in the martial arts world.

Yun Lang and Kongtong are certainly not at that level yet, and Kongtong is far from being worthy to stand opposite Yun Lang now, but it is, after all, one of the twelve lower sword sects, and this is, after all, the attitude expressed by Yun Lang himself.

Many people are not entirely unaware of this.

Last autumn, a riot broke out in the Kongtong Mountains. It is said that many people died, the forbidden Jianfu Mountain was broken into, the "Mountain Jiazi" was activated, and finally the Shaolong Immortal Terrace was established, and the seventeen peaks were under martial law for the entire winter.

Few people truly know what happened, but there aren't many sects that know nothing either.

The Great Kongtong Mountains stretch for hundreds of miles, and with so many people and eyes on its seventeen peaks, it is no easy task to keep the news under wraps.

In October, it is said that the city of Shaolong issued a letter regarding this matter, although it was quickly withdrawn and erased, but some news still circulated.

That was a thought-provoking time. After asking the sword master Ming Qitian about swordsmanship at Tianshan, he headed south and passed through Kongtong in September.

Of course, no one knows what her connection is to the Kongtong Uprising, or what she experienced in the Great Kongtong, but everyone who follows her path of seeking the sword will notice that after that, this young swordsman's journey to seek the sword across the world was suspended for a full month, only resuming in the winter. And this time, she set off from Yunlang.

After Kongtong, the Master of the Glazed Sword returned to Yunlang and stayed for a month.

After that, news of Kongtong almost disappeared. Although it was said that they participated in the Shaolong Jade Sword Society and that the Feather Scale Trial had now arrived in the capital, it was rumored that people from the Immortal Platform and the Dao Qi Society had moved into the Lotus Heart Pavilion, and their communication with many familiar sects had been cut off and controlled.

The implication of Wu Yunlang is self-evident.

The phrase "Yunlang is currently unable to associate with Kongtong" is clearly an extension of this situation.

Many people did not expect Yun Lang's attitude to be so cold and hard. Even at the Tianshan Sword Banquet, Kongtong only sent a young disciple to stand up at the end, and was once again subjected to such a ban.

Yun Lang will remain in the capital until the Feather Scale Trial ends, meaning Kongtong will be unable to participate in any sword competitions.

To be honest, this won't cause any real harm, but it will make many people realize that this thing, which was originally kept in the shadows and tacitly avoided, is not something that Yun Lang avoids talking about.

Before Kongtong entered the capital, they were clearly unaware of this item. Whatever their expectations were, they would all come to nothing.

It's hard to say what Yun Lang's purpose was or what situation he wanted to put Kongtong in—it probably didn't care at all.

This statement reflects an attitude, which Yun Lang expressed upon meeting Kongtong, clearly showing he didn't care about the occasion.

The garden was silent. Tianshan probably hadn't expected this to happen either. The voices of the central seats were also cut off. The disciples were slightly taken aback, and then their smiles faded.

This was a sudden event, a hundred times more serious than the Sword Banquet or even the Feather Scale Trial, and no one wanted their words or actions to cause misjudgment.

Only Zhang Jingbi remained standing by the pond, sword in hand, his body stiff as a wooden sculpture, his face as white as flour.

He thought he should go back, but he didn't know how to take the first step. He also thought he should say something to uphold the dignity of his sect, but he couldn't think of anything to say, and he couldn't even open his mouth.

He subconsciously glanced at the deer tail in his field of vision. When he had just entered the pond, this true disciple had been looking at him with a warm smile, but now that face was flat and emotionless. The only expression in his eyes was probably a hint of curiosity. Dongting had long been in the south and knew little about this matter in the northwest.

He then looked at the group of girls beside him. Tianshan was the host of this sword banquet, and in the past few hours, several maidens had handled any unexpected incidents, big or small, properly. But at this moment, this "young master" pursed his lips and lowered his handsome eyebrows and beautiful eyes. Clearly, Tianshan had strict rules about what matters should be handled by the Eight Steeds and Seven Jades and what matters should not be interfered with.

However, the person who was qualified to speak did not show up.

Who would dare stand before Yun Lang?
"Senior, I have two words to say." A clear, startling voice rang out among the seven seats.

Many people felt a jolt of electricity run down their spines and to the back of their heads, and countless gazes instantly converged on them—no one could have imagined that someone would dare to speak to Yun Lang at this moment.

Pei Ye stood up.

The young man's face no longer held that gentle smile. His expression was upright and calm as he clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Pei Ye, if I may be so bold, the events at Kongtong last year were a private conspiracy by a few individuals, not a conspiracy by Kongtong as a whole. Many loyal and righteous men from the Seventeen Peaks were also harmed. This young hero Zhang from Chishang is a descendant of such a chivalrous hero who died for justice. Now that the chief villain of Kongtong has been executed, the many remaining disciples are not all criminals or mediocre talents."

The garden was completely silent. Qunfei turned his head and stared at him. The other guests did not turn their gazes away, but they all slightly opened their eyes.

The group that had just been discussing putting the boy back at number one in the Jade Sword Register fell silent, all staring at the figure without exchanging glances.

The atmosphere on the pavilion was quiet. The girls didn't really understand the seriousness of the conflict between the sects, but they could certainly tell that the atmosphere was tense. They also didn't expect that Young Hero Pei Ye would stand up.

For a long time, Yunlang has been a sacred mountain standing atop the martial world, a unique peak of swordsmanship, hidden in the clouds of the high heavens. It has no conflict of interest with most sects; everyone hopes to get closer to it, and no one has ever thought that anyone would dare to offend Yunlang.

More importantly, Yun Lang and Kongtong clashed because of the involvement of the Young Sword Master. The Glazed Sword Master is still a sensitive topic because of what happened to him in the Great Kongtong. How dare you speak up for Kongtong at this time and offend Yun Lang?

But the boy just stood there, gazing at the high rock, and all five seats of Yunlang turned their gazes to him.

After a moment, he asked in a low voice, "I know, and then what?"

The atmosphere in the garden seemed to tense up. Li Piaoqing pursed her lips, as if she wanted to go down. Cui Zhaoye stopped her.

Pei Ye clasped his hands in a fist salute again, his voice steady: "I do not recognize Ji Zhuowu's true disciples. But Zhang Jingbi, Guan Qianyan, and Kong Lanting, who are present here, are all victims of last year's events. They are of excellent character, unafraid of the enemy, and are all worthy of their master's true disciples of Kongtong."

"Whether it's good or evil, Yun Lang doesn't care." Unexpectedly, Wen Suoqu actually answered the young man, calmly lowering his eyes, "Whether Kongtong is clean or not right now is also unimportant. What you said may be true, but the negligence of the ruling faction, allowing Huan to infiltrate the Death Tower, is Kongtong's crime; being blinded by greed, Ji Changyun colluding with criminals, is also Kongtong's crime. Crimes should be punished, and Kongtong should share the burden, there is no reason for it to be divided."

Pei Ye nodded: "I understand."

Wen Suoqu silently watched him, the garden utterly silent.

“I understand,” Pei Ye repeated, bowing to the four directions of the garden. “Since Kongtong has committed this crime, it should bear this responsibility. As Senior Wen said—Yun Lang must not associate with Kongtong at present. Once outside the Tianshan Villa, Pei Ye is also willing to convey this decree to Yun Lang.”

"..."

“I just feel that someone needs to say these things.” Pei Ye put down the gift in his hand, bent down and picked up the sword on the table. “I’m not only saying this to Senior Wen, but also hoping that everyone here can listen to it.”

Then he looked at the boy standing frozen on the pond and said gently, "Jingbi, I will practice swordsmanship with you."

"..."

All was silent. Pei Ye, sword in hand, stepped down into the pond. Wen Suoqu nodded and said calmly, "In that case, before I die, Pei Ye shall not enter the area within three hundred li of Yunlang Mountain. All Yunlang swords within the Daoqi Society shall not be practiced."

Pei Ye didn't speak or look back. He stood by the pond, just as he had when instructing the disciples of Xiaoyun Mountain, casually giving a sword salute and slinging the sword behind his arm.

"Please. It's been several months since we last met. I'm honored to have the opportunity to experience the swordsmanship of Rainbow Mist Peak." Pei Ye smiled slightly.

The moment the boy stepped onto the surface of the pool, Zhang Jingbi suddenly felt his own body go cold and stiff again, as if the boy were a source of heat.

He gripped his sword, thinking he should leave as soon as possible and not drag Pei Ye into this mess. But the young man looked at him with calm, smiling eyes, and he suddenly felt that all the polite formalities were meaningless. He pursed his lips and raised his sword.

"...Zhang Jingbi of Kongtong is clumsy in both appearance and skill in swordsmanship. Please, young hero Pei Ye, give me your guidance."

Zhang Jingbi is a successor of Caiwufeng, and he studies the "Fengshan Ming" (凤山鸣).

Pei Ye had seen this sword before when he was at Kongtong Mountain. At that time, Pei Ye could tell that Zhang Jingbi had practiced very hard, but he did not use it very well. Now, in just a few months, his mastery of this sword has improved by leaps and bounds. More importantly, Pei Ye can now understand this sword.

Its structure became very clear in Pei Ye's eyes. After a few rounds, Pei Ye roughly figured out Zhang Jingbi's location, pointed out the flaws he had noticed one by one, and helped him analyze how to learn it well.

This was the quietest sparring match since the start of the sword banquet today; the clear sound of the blades clashing could be heard all the way to the corner of the garden.

“…Young Master Pei Ye, you…you really don’t need to speak up for me. From today onwards, we probably won’t participate in the Sword Gathering anymore…and you’ve even offended Yun Lang because of this,” Zhang Jingbi said in a low voice.

"What offense or not, it's nothing, just trivial matters." Pei Ye smiled and said in a low voice, "If your father Zhang Meiqing hadn't been unafraid to offend the sect leader or the Lotus Heart Pavilion, I probably wouldn't be standing here today, and Sword Master Ming might have really met with disaster."

He paused, his smile fading: "There's something Zhang Peak Master said that I've always kept in mind. If you're grateful, I hope that one day when you take charge of Rainbow Mist, you'll always remember it."

"what?"

"It was not an act of chivalry."

“…” Zhang Jingbi was stunned.

“To protect oneself and to fear power and profit… is not the way of chivalry.” Pei Ye patted his shoulder.

Zhang Jingbi hadn't actually heeded Pei Ye's teachings on swordsmanship, but those words provided a different kind of support, straightening the young man's neck. Even as he left the pool and returned to his seat, his posture remained upright.

Pei Ye also returned to the seven seats by the pool with his sword.

No one greeted them when they sat down. After a moment, He Yaoyao, who was sitting next to them, finally managed to say, "Young Master Pei Ye, you are wrong."

Pei Ye was stunned and looked at the woman in the yellow dress: "True disciple of Crane, how is this wrong?"

He Yaoyao hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, "The last move of 'Fengshan Ming', which is Zhang Jingbi's true transmission, is actually not wrong, because it requires following up with another sword technique. You... you must not have read the Kongtong Sword Principles to say that his use was redundant..."

Her voice trailed off, then she quickly added, "Of course, Young Master Pei, your skill is very high; everything else you said was very insightful."

Pei Ye remained silent for a moment, then said, "The true teachings of Crane."

"what?"

Let's be friends.

“…Huh?” He Yaoyao was stunned, somewhat saddened. “So we weren’t friends after all?”

……

The pavilion remained quiet for a long time.

After a while, someone whispered, "If Yun Lang doesn't like Young Hero Pei Ye, then I won't like Yun Lang either."

"That's right, he doesn't even allow Young Hero Pei Ye to go to Yunlang... Young Hero Pei Ye wouldn't want to go anyway."

"Young Master Pei Ye is so kind."

"Yun Lang... what's so great about Yun Lang..."

Although everyone was attracted by Pei Ye's brilliant personality, they weren't very aggressive in making threats.

After all, Yun Lang's reputation was too great... especially that Glazed Sword Master. They only learned about Pei Ye through Cui Zhaoye's introduction, but they had already heard of the name "Ming Qitian" long before they cared about martial arts.

Extremely young, extremely beautiful, extremely capable, and with a clear and insightful mind... She has millions of fans in the capital.

It was President Li who straightened up from the railing. She looked to be in good spirits and said with a smile, "See? I told you long ago that Young Hero Pei Ye is neither lustful nor obsessed with fame and fortune. He is neither from a high-ranking family nor a beauty. Young Hero Pei Ye simply has a chivalrous heart."

Qu Xin suddenly said, "Exactly, it's much better than Ming Qitian's so-called 'clear mirror and ice-like heart,' isn't that just a wooden doll?"

Everyone immediately chimed in, "Exactly!"

Li Piaoqing quickly interrupted. She actually liked Ming Jianzhu very much, but she couldn't lead the way in defecting to the enemy at this time, so she changed the subject: "I think the sword banquet is about to end. For the rest of the afternoon, the swordsmen will be free to come and go in the garden. I'm going to help Tianshan with some organization. Everyone can go down and talk to whoever they want to see—of course, don't bother them."

"We want to see Young Master Pei Ye!"

"Could I possibly see Young Master Pei Ye?"

"President Li~~"

This is obviously the issue that everyone is most concerned about.

Li Piaoqing smiled: "Of course. There's no need for everyone to go looking for him; we'll go and invite Young Hero Pei Ye over—if he has the time."

The stage erupted in cheers of surprise, a cacophony of chatter filling the air.

Li Piaoqing gave a few instructions and then left, promising to return later. Cui Zhaoye gave everyone a few instructions and was about to go downstairs when he felt someone nudge him from behind.

She turned around and saw Qu Xin standing quietly behind her, calmly raising one hand: "President Cui, you should take a rest. I'll go and invite Pei Ye."

"..."

Cui Zhaoye narrowed her eyes. These words were quite appropriate, but she always felt that as soon as Li Piaoqing left, the presence of this little herbalist from Mount Tai suddenly became stronger.

“I can find him. I know what he smells like.” Qu Xin thought for a moment. “I can also invite He Yaoyao over. We’re very familiar with each other.”

"You and Huang Yunxian are very familiar?" Cui Zhaoye was slightly taken aback, but after thinking for a moment, he realized that the two sects were indeed not too far apart, so he nodded, "That would be best. If it is successful, I will credit you."

"Do not worry."

(End of this chapter)