Food Fairy Lord

Chapter 781 Heart and Soul (Part 1)

Pei Ye slowly withdrew the dragon fire without disturbing anything.

The true meaning of "Youxian" had never been so clear to him. Pei Ye was no longer trying to imagine the sword intent of this sword from the words or from Shang Huaitong's sword. At this moment, he seemed to stand with the sword maker and see everything that the sword maker had seen eight hundred years ago.

Pei Ye gently stroked the jade tiger, returned the sword to its sheath, and the wind still rustled through the trees and the birds sang as usual on the mountain. But Pei Ye seemed to have suddenly gained a different perspective. He could see the deeper essence of them when he raised his sword, and control all the living beings he wanted to control.

This was, of course, an illusion; the intent sword only works on people. But Pei Ye did confirm from this that he had learned the first part of "The Immortal in the Hidden Earth," titled "The Hidden Life."

If one doesn't stay on the mountain for a day, one will never be able to perceive the mountain's breath. Pei Ye still doesn't know whether Miss Ming did it unintentionally or if she already knew what was going on, which is why she brought him up the mountain.

He turned his head and saw the woman standing on the stone, bending down to put on her silk stockings. The curve of her back was as round as the moon. Pei Ye looked away as if his eyes were burning: "Miss Ming, I have learned this sword technique."

"Hmm." Ming Qitian raised her head and lowered her skirt. "Then our trip was worthwhile."

"Did Miss Ming know this would happen?"

Ming Qitian shook his head: "Of course not, but I think whether you learn this sword or not, you will gain a more peaceful state of mind while exploring the mysteries."

"State of mind?"

"A peaceful and profound state of mind is the prerequisite for your improvement in swordsmanship, and the sword state of 'quiet guarding' also requires such a state of mind to be achieved. The sword of 'Youxian' will help you get as close as possible to such a state of mind."

"...Shall we now acquire the second sword form?"

Ming Qitian nodded: "I'd like to give it a try, what do you think?"

“I will listen to Miss Ming.” Pei Ye sat up straighter.

“Yes. Because I also wanted to ask for your help.” Ming Qitian brushed her long hair back and said calmly, “I came up with you today because I felt that it would be easier for us to get closer on a rainy mountain.”

"What's closer?"

"Heart."

"...Miss Ming, are you referring to the 'Gushe Heart Sutra'? How can I help you, Miss Ming?"

Since their first reunion, the woman's only activity for the past seven days has been teaching the boy swordsmanship. In reality, the two rarely had time for idle chatter, and she hardly spoke about her own situation.

"No rush, move back a bit first."

Pei Ye was startled and moved back to sit. Ming Qitian got up and sat down on the blue stone in front of him, placing the Heart-Slaying Glazed Glass across his lap.

The woman's body was still damp and dusty. Even at such close range, Pei Ye could see tiny mud marks from the leaves on her cheeks. But for some reason, she still looked like a celestial being, especially with her single garment fluttering in the night wind, as if she were separated from the world.

Although she was stained with dust, she was not a mortal who had lost her beauty; she was a fairy who had temporarily descended to the mortal realm.

Pei Ye didn't know if that was the impression that was already formed in her mind.

"Let's chat for a bit. Do you remember when you took your first sword form?"

“I remember, Miss Ming,” Pei Ye said. “I had a dream back then, and it seemed that I touched the essence of the sword through it. After that, when I felt killing intent and ignited my spirit, I was able to use the [Sleeve Tiger].

“Binglu has already given you the ability to transcend heaven and earth,” Ming Qitian said. “So when you want to obtain the second sword form, all you need to do is change your heart.”

She looked at the boy: "I think that when your heart changes its state, it can manifest as a new sword form—besides killing intent, what else is in your heart?"

Pei Ye was quiet for a while, then said, "Miss Ming said the other day that I have a heart of 'quiet guarding'. I have been adjusting my state of mind these days, but I feel... I don't think I can reach that level."

"how?"

“Exactly, there are always disturbances.” Pei Ye said softly. “Living with Miss Ming has indeed calmed a lot of my worries. I have very few things to think about each day, and I can focus on practicing my sword. I’m living very comfortably. Yesterday, when I went to the Prince of Yan’s mansion, I felt that those things and those people had nothing to do with me. I just took a stroll around. In the afternoon, I’m going to climb the mountain with Miss Ming.”

“But when I saw Yong Ji and Yong Bei, I couldn’t hold back my emotions again.” Pei Ye lowered his eyes. “Suddenly, I felt my blood rushing to my head, so I left early.”

"Does hatred overwhelm you?"

"Yes."

“Actually, you’ve never met Yongbei before either.” Ming Qitian looked at him with clear eyes.

"Yes. Before coming to the capital, I didn't know he had another son. I met Yong Ji for the first time four months ago, and I met Yong Bei for the first time yesterday."

"So, do you really have that kind of deep-seated hatred for them?"

“…” Pei Ye turned his head in a daze.

“You told me about Lin Jue and Cheng Feng before.” Ming Qitian turned to look at Lin Tao. “You witnessed Wu Zaigu’s brutal killing of them, saw the bloodstains and tattered clothes of your childhood playmate, and saw him casually sever Cheng Feng’s head. You told me that it was the first time you felt a fire burning in your heart and an unbearable heat in your chest.”

"Later you killed him, stomping his face until it was a bloody mess, and only stopped when you were exhausted." The woman calmly recounted these memories, "You cut off his head and offered it as a sacrifice to the Lin Lin father and daughter."

Pei Ye was silent for a moment, then said, "I remember."

“When we were in love at Kongtong, I felt the hatred and anger in your heart,” Ming Qitian said. “It was truly fiery and intense. Before that, I had never felt such a strong emotion.”

“Because deep-seated, uncontrollable hatred is caused by direct violence and bloodshed,” she said. “Only when you see it, hear it, and smell it will that flame ignite in your heart—that is the origin of ‘Sleeve Tiger’.”

Pei Ye looked at the woman beside him and said, "Yes."

“But your connection with Yong Bei is merely the scars on Senior Yue’s body accumulated over the years.” Ming Qitian also turned to look at him. “You’ve never known Yong Bei, nor have you seen him harm Senior Yue, and Senior Yue didn’t die because of him in the end. To you, he’s just a name. Is your hatred and anger towards Yong Bei really that clear, that you really want to tear him to pieces?”

The woman's eyes were calm and serious. Perhaps only this woman would dare to doubt his hatred in this way. Pei Ye was stunned and speechless for a moment.

“I…I grew up seeing those scars on Grandpa Yue’s body. Every time I bathed him, I felt a chill in my heart,” Pei Ye said. “Every time, I was furious and wanted to know who did this…”

"Hmm. Back then, when you thought of that unfamiliar figure, you couldn't control yourself, and you couldn't sleep until you tore him to pieces?"

"..."

He did not.

Seventeen years—those were the years he now cherishes endlessly. He fished, ran through the mountains, worked to earn money, took care of Grandpa Yue, and practiced swordsmanship for two hours every day.

In a small town, in a small courtyard, he never thought about when this kind of time would end.

“Now, this unfamiliar figure only has a name called ‘Yongbei’.” Ming Qitian’s voice was as clear as water. “You listing him as an enemy and your burning hatred are two different things.”

Pei Ye's heart surged with emotion, and he blurted out, "But the hatred that Grandpa Yue entrusted to me before he died—"

He uttered this half-sentence and fell silent for a moment. A gentle breeze blew, and Ming Qitian watched him quietly.

Pei Ye fell silent. “That’s right, because that was Senior Yue’s entrustment to you before he passed away,” Ming Qitian said. “You wanted to kill Yong Bei so badly, and you listed Yong Ji as your mortal enemy, which you wouldn’t waver from. The force driving you deep down was sorrow, not hatred.”

"Senior Yue died with regrets. Someone cruelly harmed him. He lived a life of joy and revenge, but he was humiliated only in this matter. You were very sad when he died, so you cannot forgive the person who caused him this regret... Whenever you see Yong Ji and Yong Bei, the strong emotions in your heart do not come from hatred for them, but from your love for Senior Yue."

“…” Pei Ye turned his head away, his Adam's apple bobbing.

Ming Qitian gently took his hand.

After a while, Pei Ye said in a low voice, "You're right, Miss Ming. I wanted to kill them and cut off their heads to comfort Grandpa Yue's spirit in heaven... I hate them, but not that much."

"Moreover," he paused, then said softly, "Miss Ming, tell me, if it weren't for killing Yongbei and the Immortal Lord, where else should I have gone?"

"..."

He lowered his head: "I have to think about Grandpa Yue being with me, watching over me, and about the friends and fellow villagers who died in Fenghuai last August. Otherwise, what would I do if I left Fenghuai? Just to fight a few martial arts matches? I don't know a single person outside."

“So, even without hatred, your heart will still be uneasy,” Ming Qitian said softly.

"……what?"

“The unease in a person’s heart can never be eliminated. Even without hatred, there will be confusion, anger, lust, ruptures and betrayals, loneliness and bewilderment,” Ming Qitian said softly. “It is precisely because I possess a clear mind that I understand better how much turmoil a heart can face.”

"So, Miss Ming is saying..."

“I think that you have the will to remain steadfast, but you don’t necessarily have to be free from hatred,” Ming Qitian said. “ Nor do you need to be free from the disturbances of any other emotions—as long as they don’t rob you of your will.”

Ming Qitian looked at him: "And you already possessed this ability. You proved it when you refused the Immortal Lord's descent at Kongtong Sword Belly Mountain and when you killed Qu Zhu at Jade Sword Platform."

Pei Ye was stunned: "Is that so? Then what should I do..."

He recalled his state of mind when he first took off the sword form. At that time, the pressure of the entire capital was on him, just like the "Tianlin Yi" that he was about to face, which was said to be flawless. After comprehending the sleeve tiger, he got drunk.

But at this moment, in the stillness of the mountain night, with neither the immortal lord nor Qu Zhu present, he did not know how to reconnect his "mindset" from that time with his endowment.

Ming Qitian said, "Look at me."

Pei Ye subconsciously turned his head, and the woman's clear, glass-like eyes were right in front of him.

"Would you like to visit Shenren Peak again?" she asked.

Pei Ye was stunned.

“Of course I would,” he blurted out.

Ming Qitian held the glass upside down and handed it to him: "Then, just like last time, cut off my heart."

……

Although Pei Ye was always reluctant to reveal his subtle feelings to women, women were always open and honest with him.

Pei Ye gripped the hilt of Liuli's sword, and a strange joy of reunion rose within him, but before he could savor it, Liuli transported him to another world.

"Plop" sound.

"..."

"..."

Pei Ye adjusted to the chaotic light and shadow, looked up silently at the girl's stagnant legs and downcast eyes, a little over a foot above him.

"You're here! It's been a long time," she said.

"haven't seen you for a long time."

The two were quiet for a while.

“Why didn’t you choose a more suitable place to appear?” Mingyun sat on a rock by the pool, looking down earnestly.

Pei Ye sat in the water: "I don't know where any of these places are either."

Mingyun was silent for a moment, then said, "Alright then, get up, let me see if I crushed the little fish."

Mingyun climbed down from the rock and watched the small fish darting frantically in the murky water. Peiye stood up and wrung out the water from her clothes.

"Was he crushed?"

"It's alright, it's just that it was quite frightened. It's probably never been so frightened in its life, and it'll be running around for a long time." Mingyun thought for a moment, "Last time when we first met, you scared the lazy and gluttonous Little Whitey."

Pei Ye remembered that she was referring to the bird, and feeling a little embarrassed, she turned to look at the surrounding scenery.

It remains pure beauty and tranquility, with clean paths winding through the green stone forest and clear, shallow pools of water as still as mirrors—though they are not so clear now—and when you look up, the sky is clear and blue, with wispy clouds drifting by.

Everything was as aloof and beautiful as the girl in front of me.

"I've come here this time to..." Pei Ye tried to change the subject, but he realized he didn't know why Miss Ming had invited him in, so he stopped.

"I know you've come to help me again, thank you." Mingyun picked up his sword and walked towards the peak.

"How can I help you?" Pei Ye asked, bewildered.

Mingyun stopped and turned around: "Didn't you come here to help me control the Gushe Heavenly Heart? I've been waiting for you for a long time."

She spoke so matter-of-factly that Pei Ye felt somewhat gratified. He paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "If you say so, then so be it. Anyway, I'm here to listen to you."

“You didn’t listen to me last time. I told you to kill me, but you went to kill Tianxin instead.”

Pei Ye pursed her lips: "There's only one thing I won't listen to you on."

Mingyun turned around and continued upwards: "That time it was because of my conflict with Tianxin, and the first layer of Gushe, [Ice and Snow], almost collapsed as a result. This time it's a different matter."

"what's up?"

Mingyun thought for a moment: "It's a good thing, I guess. The questioning of swordsmanship across the land is over, and I should now ascend to the second level of 'Gushe,' the realm of 'nothingness.'"

Pei Ye was taken aback.

“Therefore, we must truly bring ‘Gushe Tianxin’ under our control,” she said.

(End of this chapter)