Food Fairy Lord

Chapter 772 Where There is a Sword, There is Fragrance
Pei Ye waited two breaths, and a message came back: "What is it?"

"I'm looking for a clean place to live, just for a month, do you have any ideas?"

"Where does Ming Qitian live?"

"Yes. I just brought Miss Ming to where she was staying, but Yun Lang's villa is completely abandoned."

“They don’t come to Shenjing for many years, and houses aren’t like willow trees that renovate themselves every year.”

"Then where do you think Yun Lang and the others who arrived earlier will stay?"

"That's it too. I just tidied myself up and settled in."

Two breaths later, another message came: "In Guangde Ward, directly north along a tributary of the West Pond, there is a fine house. It is the private residence of Li Du that was confiscated and was intended to be given to Yuanzhao in the middle of the year. It was just finished a few days ago and can be lived in until June."

"Thank you for your grace, Your Highness."

"You are exempt from the formalities."

"Where are the keys to this house?"

"Where are you?"

“West of Huaiyuanfang, South Third Alley”

"Just wait, I'll send Xianfang to deliver it to you."

"it is good."

"You'll stay there these days too. Isn't Ming Qitian a good teacher? Sharpen your sword properly. There are thirteen days left in the Lin Blood Test. In thirteen days, I want to see an incomparably sharp sword that will shake the capital for me."

"Easy as a piece of cake."

The bluebird folded its wings, and Pei Ye's mind left [Knowledge], opening his eyes to find Ming Qitian looking at him.

“I have found a place, Miss Ming,” Pei Ye said. “There is a residence south of the West Pond where you can stay until June.”

"The place you just borrowed? Is that a method of telepathic communication?"

"Yes, I asked His Highness Jinyang for it. It's a mental artifact." Not in a hurry to catch the carriage, Pei Ye sat cross-legged on the carriage shaft and turned back with a smile, "Her family is very wealthy, Miss Ming, you don't need to be so polite."

Ming Qitian smiled and said, "Thank you. I'll write you a letter of thanks."

She unfolded her brush and ink and pondered, "Is this princess the eldest daughter of that saint?"

"Yes, her name is Li Xizhou, and she is also the owner of Xiuwen Hall, Xu Chuo."

“I remember her life story was very difficult.”

“…Yes. She is the only daughter of the late Empress. After the late Empress passed away, the political situation changed drastically, and she grew up during that time, which was very difficult.” Pei Ye sighed softly, then smiled, “But things are much better now. Things have taken a turn for the better, and she is very capable in the capital now.”

Ming Qitian nodded: "I remember Senior Qiu Jizi said that she protected you in Shenjing. However, I didn't receive a reply when I wrote to her last time."

“Ah…she’s very busy, maybe she didn’t notice,” Pei Ye said. “I was rescued by her when I escaped from prison in the capital, and I’ve been working under her ever since, so I’ve definitely benefited a lot.”

Ming Qitian nodded: "What are we waiting for now?"

"Wait for the palace maids to bring the keys to the residence."

"Well."

The palace maids arrived quite quickly.

Li Xianfang rode a fine horse here, her hair tied up, wearing a crown, brocade clothes and jade boots. She was tall and dressed like a handsome and dashing young man.

Pei Ye dismounted from the carriage. She had already dismounted, but still performed a palace-style salute, presenting a wooden box with both hands: "Young Master Pei, Xianfang is here to deliver this item on orders."

"Thank you for your hard work." Pei Ye took it and smiled, "I didn't expect you could ride a horse."

Li Xianfang smiled brightly, her excitement and the Mercedes-Benz making her cheeks flush: "His Highness said that I have a balanced posture and a flexible body, so I must learn riding quickly—I mastered it in less than half a month."

"You rode very well."

Li Xianfang smiled sheepishly, then looked at the carriage. Although curious, she didn't ask any further questions, only bowing and saying, "His Highness's instructions have been delivered. If I may ask—will Young Master Pei stay in this residence from now on, or will he return to the palace?"

Pei Ye nodded: "I'll stay here for a while. The palace... I had a job there before, so I can't stay overnight indefinitely."

He smiled.

Li Xianfang was somewhat disappointed, but smiled and said, "Then I'll serve Young Master Pei again when I leave the palace and enter his residence. Farewell, Xianfang."

Just then, the carriage curtain was lifted, revealing a clean-looking face.

Li Xianfang was stunned, but the woman had already handed her a sealed letter, her voice as calm as water: "Thank you very much, Your Highness Jinyang. This is a hastily written letter from Qitian. Please ask me to convey my gratitude."

Li Xianfang had probably never seen such an immaculate person before; their aura completely overshadowed their stunningly beautiful face, leaving no trace of worldly air about them.

Since spending so much time with His Highness, Li Xianfang never imagined that she would be so captivated by someone's appearance.

She took it instinctively, and then bowed instinctively, saying, "Xianfang understands."

Pei Ye turned around and introduced, "This is Ming Qitian from Yunlang Mountain. He has just arrived in the capital and is my most respected mentor and friend."

"……Oh."

"Okay. Miss Li, please go back then, and take care on your journey."

Li Xianfang rode away, and Pei Ye restarted the carriage. The wheels rumbled, the willow shadows swayed, and Pei Ye drove the carriage to the riverbank the woman had mentioned.

It is indeed an elegant house.

The courtyard has two sections, a three-story building, ancient walls and bluestone, and is decorated with flowers and trees. Once the heavy gate is closed, tranquility envelops the courtyard.

This place is indeed not in a bustling area; there are few houses around. It borders the Qinghe River to the east and overlooks the Xichi Pond to the north. While ninety-five percent of the capital city is filled with pavilions and towers, standing atop this small building and looking northeast, all one sees are lush lakes and rivers, like being in the countryside, almost evoking a sense of seclusion. Below the courtyard, there is even a small, flat open space, perfect for practicing swordsmanship.

“In that case, Miss Ming, you will have a house to live in.” Pei Ye said with a smile. “Yun Lang’s house is too old and dilapidated. I think it’s a bit gloomy here. If it rains, I don’t know how much water will leak in.”

"Well, it's beautiful."

The woman had little luggage, so Pei Ye took her on a tour of the house, pointing out the bedroom, study, dining table, etc., and busily arranging and preparing everything, counting the missing items.

The woman stood quietly to the side, watching him walk back and forth.

In about three quarters of an hour, the boy had roughly transformed the house into a place suitable for a woman to live in. He sat on the steps, sweating profusely, looking up at the woman as if waiting for praise.

Ming Qitian smiled faintly at him. A breeze blew through the hall as she said, "You mentioned in your letter that you haven't had much time to practice swordsmanship. I wonder what sword techniques you've learned and what books you've read in the past six months?"

Pei Ye's smile faded, and she subconsciously straightened her back.

This was indeed a broad question, but Pei Ye answered carefully. With Chun Shou as his assistant, Pei Ye recounted all the swords he had repaired, sword manuals he had read, and lectures he had heard since entering the Sword Cultivation Academy.

The woman listened quietly, occasionally asking him a few questions, some inquiries and some tests. Pei Ye was no longer as stumbling as he had been in Bowang. He had become the most outstanding sword student in this year's Sword Academy. In the past six months, he had made up for most of his knowledge of sword theory, and could be described as making rapid progress by analogy.

After this exchange, Ming Qitian nodded: "You have established yourself quite firmly in the way of the sword and have your own foundation. Continue to practice swordsmanship according to the sword ladder. If you want to study, you can read a large book like the 'Jin Tang Sword Canon' or try to study a profound book like 'Guan Tian Li Sword'."

Pei Ye noted down the two names: "Yes, Miss Ming."

"Have you encountered any difficulties with the two sword techniques you're learning, 'Youxian' and 'Leiqin'?"

Pei Ye recalled: "Miss Ming, I have already read through 'Lei Qin' once according to your instructions, and I am now reading it carefully. I am about halfway through, but I am waiting to learn how to play the zither. I have read 'You Xian' eight times, but the artistic conception is a bit hard to find... I haven't found it yet."

He lowered his head, took out the sword manual he always carried from the dragon ring, and handed it to the woman: "Miss Ming, look... this book contains my own annotations."

Both "Leiqin" and "Youxian" are original works; he used a different book to make annotations.

The young man was quick-witted but not good at writing. When he gave his annotations to his fellow sword students, most of them could hardly understand them; when he gave them to a few Dao Qi, they inevitably criticized them for being lazy.

However, Ming Qitian took it, opened it properly, and read it smoothly. She carefully read through the part about "Youxian" and thought for a moment before saying, "The meaning of 'Youxian Sword' is secluded and unique, unparalleled in the world. It is difficult to find any assistance from other sword intents. And ordinary people never have this experience in their entire lives. Your interpretation of the sword is profound and accurate, beyond reproach; you have also found 90% of the meaning correctly. The remaining 10% that you 'didn't find correctly' is due to this matter."

"I later heard that Shang Huaitong had been searching for fungi in the forest since he was a child, and for more than ten years, he had been cultivating a lot of mycelium in his residence."

“If one’s senses are insufficient, what is hidden and unseen will easily lead to madness,” Ming Qitian said. “Your senses are sharp, so you don’t need to go to such lengths, but you still lack a genuine experience.”

Pei Ye couldn't help but smile wryly: "Miss Ming once advised me that I could try to search in the mountains and forests, but firstly, it's hard to find mountains and forests in Shenjing, and secondly, I can't think of how to sense the state of the underground mycelium—the mind of the sword maker must be extraordinary."

“Only extraordinary people can wield extraordinary swords.” Ming Qitian pondered quietly for a moment and then said, “It’s alright, we’ll go looking for them together these next few days. Tomorrow we’ll go to the Taishan Medicinal Herb House to ask them to help us select a few kinds of mushrooms.”

"Ah, it's going to rain today."

"Yes, the weather is perfect." Ming Qitian closed the book and picked up "Lei Qin" to open it. "Have you grasped the meaning of this sword technique?"

"Thick collar".

“I read about this sword technique five years ago, but I didn’t practice it myself. When used, it’s like a celestial phenomenon descending to earth, with thunderous roars and continuous strikes. From the perspective of the sword ladder, it matches your fierce nature; from the perspective of swordsmanship, you are used to seizing opportunities and maneuvering, and you lack a sword technique as fierce and unparalleled as this,” Ming Qitian said. “Therefore, I wrote it in for you.”

“Miss Ming, I have a realization right now,” Pei Ye said. “It is to say that although the clumsy sword is easy to obtain and the intentional sword is profound, the intentional sword is not entirely in the clumsy sword. They are just two directions. I had not seen many powerful clumsy swords before, but after learning the Jade Jade Sword, the First Moon North Rain, and so on, I really feel that the exquisiteness of some clumsy swords far surpasses that of some intentional swords.”

"Your ability to perceive this means that your swordsmanship has indeed crossed some thresholds." Ming Qitian nodded. "Disciples of major sects have actually studied these sword principles since childhood, but many never personally experience them in their entire lives. The sword of intent is far rarer than the sword of clumsy swordsmanship, in terms of aptitude and learning. Because most swordsmen find it difficult to touch the sword of intent, and also difficult to defend against it, the sword of intent is often a killing weapon."

"But as for the two types of swords themselves, the clumsy sword is solid, while the intentional sword is ethereal, and there is no inherent superiority or inferiority between them. It's just that the simple clumsy sword is easy to obtain, while the simple intentional sword is not. For a few swordsmen whose talent far surpasses that of the intentional sword, these two types of swords are only different, and there is no superiority or inferiority between them."

“That’s right. Sometimes when I play swordsmanship with Jiang Yin’er, the true disciple of Shenxiao, I feel that it’s not easy to win with the intention sword, but it’s better with the clumsy sword; it’s the opposite when I play swordsmanship with Ning Shuhong, the true disciple of Emei.” Pei Ye thought for a moment, “So, when we reach a certain higher level, the heart sword will be no different.”

“That’s true in theory, and the mind is just a deeper level of emptiness,” Ming Qitian said seriously. “However, the difference is that there are only a handful of swordsmen who stand at a position far above the mind sword. Therefore, the mind sword is often invincible, and it is not written in the principles of swordsmanship.”

"Where is that sword, Miss Ming?"

“The Dao and the Sword are fundamentally different,” Ming Qitian said. “Because the heart and will reside in the human, while the Dao extends to heaven and earth.”

Pei Ye nodded in realization: "I see."

Ming Qitian lowered his head and flipped through the book: "The sword intent of 'Lei Qin' is not that rare. It is just a wonderful piece of music, and the wonder of music is all in the music. Dean Qiu is right. Learning the zither is a matter of getting twice the result with half the effort - unless you get half the result with twice the effort in the way of the zither."

Pei Ye touched his head: "I think I do have some talent for playing musical instruments."

Ming Qitian looked up at him.

“I was deeply moved when I heard Miss Ming play the flute before,” Pei Ye said. “I wonder if those who don’t have talent wouldn’t feel anything when they hear it.”

"No."

"Oh."

Ming Qitian thought for a moment: "When you sparred with Jiang Zhenchuan, Ning Zhenchuan, and others, did you sometimes feel that your clumsy sword and intent sword were not up to par?"

"Yes. Yin'er has excellent talent and her sword learning path is correct. In terms of Yi Jian, I lose nine out of ten battles. I can always beat Ning Zhenchuan, but her clumsy sword is based on fate. Sometimes I clearly have the upper hand, but I will suddenly feel that she has overturned the situation... Including Yang Zhenbing of Bailu Palace, I can never beat him in the competition."

Ming Qitian nodded: "Then it's the same as before, I can only see your full strength when facing life and death. You have outstanding talent and potential, but your foundation is insufficient. At that time, you didn't practice swordsmanship much and didn't understand the principles of swordsmanship, so I had you come to the Sword Cultivation Academy to build your foundation. Now that you have the skills, you should actually be able to compete with Yang Zhenbing. A thousand words are not as good as one action, let's test our swordsmanship. You can use all the swords you know, and I'll take a look at the sword ladder world you've built."

Pei Ye jumped to his feet. Nothing could be more reassuring than these words. Pei Ye himself had always been a swordsman without a teacher. The Sword Cultivation Academy provided sword techniques, but not mentors who could guide him. Qiu Jizi could offer general guidance, but he couldn't provide specific instruction on each sword move.

Pei Ye has always practiced swordsmanship based on his own understanding. If he thinks something is wrong, he will change it; if he thinks something is right, he will keep it. This is how he has shaped his swordsmanship. Back then, Miss Ming guided him on the right and wrong of his path. Now, after half a year, he has accumulated countless flaws and shortcomings.

Ming Qitian handed him the glass: "Let's exchange it for a sword. The glass is connected to my heart, so it will better understand how you use a sword."

Pei Ye handed over the jade tiger, took the glass, and said with a mix of anticipation and embarrassment, "Miss Ming, please don't laugh at my clumsy swordsmanship."

For a long time, he was quite confident, a confidence that reached its peak after he gambled with his sword and learned the Unfettered skill. Until Zhu Gaoyang lifted him up by the hand.

Ming Qitian nodded: "Come on."

(End of this chapter)