Food Fairy Lord

Chapter 804 Feather Scales (Part 7)

"Was that a friend you met in Bowang?" Ming Qitian asked as the carriage drove away.

“Hmm.” Pei Ye paused, “Zhang Junxue. In Bowang, I, Piao Qing, Yang Yan, Junxue, Qi Jushi…were all old friends. I wonder how Yang Yan is doing now.”

He paused for a moment: "Jun Xue was born at five months ago. Now, eight months have passed, so she could only be born six or seven times at most. How could she possibly be able to participate in the Feather Scale Trial?"

Ming Qitian said, "I observe that she has naturally gifted strength and should have a lot of hidden power. But if she meets a master, she should have a period of rapid progress."

"Hmm." Pei Ye nodded slowly. In any case, it was indeed reassuring to have a woman by the side of such a legendary figure in the martial arts world.

He watched the carriage disappear down the street, and then he and the woman started walking again.

After finding a small restaurant for dinner, and without a carriage, Pei Ye and the woman strolled slowly to the south of the West Pond.

As the stars rose and the moon shone, the spring night was peaceful and serene. The crowds on Zhuque Avenue were slowly dispersing. Hundreds of thousands of people, still feeling unsatisfied after the Feather Scale Trial, were spreading towards the East and West Pools.

One can imagine that such a grand event would bring several days of jubilation.

The West Pond was also bustling with activity, brightly lit than ever before, with disciples from various sects and wandering swordsmen from all over the country mingling in the crowd, enjoying the night view of the capital.

Pei Ye and Ming Qitian walked by the pool, talking about the opponents they had met in the past two days. They joked that they were like villains in a storybook because it seemed that every opponent was burdened with the glory and expectations of their sect and relatives, while they had no sect to bring glory to. They were just one person who went up and knocked all their glory and expectations off the stage with one move.

Ming Qitian looked at him quietly.

As the two walked, they were inevitably drawn to the lakeside stalls. As they passed one, they heard a crisp sound of striking wood. The vendor called out, "Handsome young man, beautiful lady, are you here to see the Feather Scale Trial? If there are any chivalrous people who would like to support you, why not buy a 'Clapping Slave'?"

Pei Ye stopped—perhaps the term "handsome young man" suited his taste—and smiled, "What is this?"

The vendor held up his object, a wooden pole wrapped with rope and several wooden pieces attached to it. When he shook it, it made a crackling sound, quite like applause.

"Look," the vendor said, pointing to the wooden piece that was indeed engraved with the names of great heroes. "Dongting, [Snow Box Hidden Sword] wishes Gaoyang a thousand victories."

“Zhu Gaoyang has been eliminated,” Pei Ye said.

"Sigh." The vendor's face fell. "Who would have thought? Everyone says he's amazing. I've done so much, thinking I could at least make it to tomorrow—but we have something else too, look, the Master of the Glazed Sword!"

He picked up another one.

Pei Ye smiled.

"If you have any other support, I can provide it for you immediately."

"No need, this will do. How much?"

"A gift of sixty cash."

"Here."

Pei Ye took it, shook it twice, and looked at the woman beside him. Ming Qitian smiled.

As night deepened, the two returned to the courtyard.

It was very quiet, with only the sound of their footsteps. As they entered the building, Pei Ye lit the lamps one by one.

“I won’t help you practice swordsmanship tonight. You need to think about tomorrow’s Feather Trial.” Ming Qitian took off her gauze hat, straightened it, and hung it on the rack. “Actually, it would be more suitable for you to go to the Sword Cultivation Academy.”

"I'm not in a hurry to practice. If Miss Ming wants to do her own hair and makeup, I'll go downstairs."

“I need to think about it, but you don’t need to avoid me,” Ming Qitian said. “Thank you for your concern.”

The woman stood on the terrace, her hand resting on the heart-slaying glass in front of her.

Pei Ye walked over and smiled, "Miss Ming herself is not worried. It is I who am worried for Miss Ming. Actually, it is just that I feel more at ease."

"How is your scale test?"

"Tomorrow is the last day of the Sixteen Arena, after which the New Ranking of Ducks will be determined," Pei Ye said. "After Miss Ming's match is decided tomorrow, my main competition will begin."

"That's perfect, I can help you analyze your opponent."

"Miss Ming, do you think Hongzhu has a chance to beat you?" Pei Ye hesitated for a moment, then tilted her head.

"I haven't fought He Hongzhu for three years, so I don't know her level of skill."

“I think she came to face Miss Ming with great determination,” Pei Ye said after a moment of silence.

……

"Before the previous Yu Lin competition, He Hongzhu was always considered a rising star with a chance to compete for the top spot on the Crane Ranking," Shi Zanxue said as she sat there today.

"Her rise was incredibly strong. Zhu Gaoyang was second on the previous Duck Ranking, just like Hongzhu. When the [Sword Demon] had been without a successor for a long time, the [Knife Demon], in second place, upheld the glory of the White Deer Palace in this generation. That year, she was nineteen years old." Shi Zanxue preached, "Later, she entered the Xuanmen at twenty and was listed on the Crane Ranking at twenty-four. At twenty-six, she participated in the Feather Trial for the first time and achieved seventh place. At twenty-nine, in the previous year, the cheers for her appearance were somewhat similar to those for Ming Qitian today; people said she had a chance to enter the top three, or even take first place."

"Huh?" Pei Ye exclaimed in surprise.

"Hmm. The Crane List is a lake that has remained undisturbed for a long time, and the red-clad figure with a sword was the most dazzling wave at the time." Shi Zanxue said, "But you know which year it was, the invincible Sword Demon met the eighteen-year-old Ming Qitian."

'...'

Shi Zanxue said, "The martial world is never short of legends. Hongzhu's sword should be unstoppable, either advancing relentlessly to the top or encountering a formidable obstacle that, unable to be severed, will only break. Therefore, after losing to Ming Qitian in the last competition, she also narrowly lost to Li Shenyi, whom she had a good chance of winning, thus falling to fourth place. There has been little news of her in the martial world for the past three years."

'So this year'...'

"Then I wonder what this Sword Demon's state of mind is now," Shi Zanxue said. "I think this is her all-out effort after regaining her sword spirit. If she loses to the Sword Master again... she might encounter some serious problems in her cultivation."

……

Ming Qitian nodded: "Yes, I only competed with He Hongzhu once, and I won."

"Can Miss Ming withstand the blow that defeated Zhao Wu'e today?"

Ming Qitian thought for a moment: "I don't know where that slash came from. The White Deer Palace doesn't seem to have that kind of swordsmanship... but if you're standing on it, you should be able to catch it."

“I believe in Miss Ming.” Pei Ye smiled. “When we first met at the Illusion Tower, this senior asked me about Miss Ming, which I found quite strange at the time.”

Ming Qitian smiled slightly.

“The Stone Maiden of Tianshan said that Li Shenyi’s methods today are the ‘Great Body Formless Method.’ Miss Ming knows this spiritual scripture, right?”

"Hmm. In the past fifty years, Li Shenyi should be the most profound practitioner of this spiritual scripture. He has already achieved the Chun body, and I think he should be ascending to the Heavenly Tower soon."

"It can even make a person grow into a Chinese toon tree."

“The ‘Formless Body’ cannot enable one to cultivate into a tree, which is due to Li Shenyi’s own observation,” Ming Qitian said. “The ‘Formless Body’ allows Lingxuan to connect with the spiritual body behind Tuan, putting the physical characteristics of the body on a larger scale, which is equivalent to obtaining a formless body.”

“But the path to what kind of body one can cultivate is not written in the scriptures. All things and all spirits have their own laws. The formless spirit body also needs to be in harmony with heaven and earth above and blend with the physical body below. To cultivate a formless body, one must deeply and persistently observe and understand it, resonating with it and connecting seamlessly from the bones to the heart and soul.” Ming Qitian said, “In other words, you must believe from the bottom of your heart that you are it.”

Pei Ye was slightly taken aback: "Li Shenyi believes that he himself is a great cedar tree?"

Ming Qitian nodded: "At least, he's willing to entrust his heart to it." Pei Ye thought for a moment: "And today, there's Wang Jiuqiao."

He turned his head to look at the woman: "Miss Ming, today Changsun Che made two moves that I couldn't understand how he responded to. Even Miss Shi from Tianshan couldn't figure them out."

Ming Qitian paused for a moment: "The Daoist essence has been formed, and all methods are in harmony. It's normal that you can't see through Wang Jiuqiao; I can't see through him either."

"Miss Ming, do you also know how he dodged that arrow?" Pei Ye opened her eyes and tilted her head. "Then, how should Miss Ming deal with it?"

“I might know that.” Ming Qitian leaned against the railing, looking back at the West Pond at night. “It should be the Quanzhen spiritual scripture ‘The Body Beyond the Body,’ but since very few people have ever cultivated it, people don’t recognize it.”

"The Body Outside the Body? Sounds similar to the Great Body Without Form Dharma."

“Indeed, they are somewhat similar,” Ming Qitian said. “However, ‘Body Without Form’ cultivates the true body, while ‘Body Outside the Body’ cultivates the false body and does not require the observation of external objects. Quanzhen’s cultivation of body and nature is extremely demanding in its exploration and tempering of the mind. After thoroughly understanding one’s own body and mind, one reconstructs another ‘self’ using spiritual mystery and mental techniques. This is what is meant by ‘Body Outside the Body’.”

After the initial shock, Pei Ye suddenly realized: "So, when Changsun Che shot at him, it was only a fake body. In that instant, he transformed back into Lingxuan... So where is his real body?"

Ming Qitian shook her head: "Maybe they were watching from the sidelines, or maybe they didn't even go on stage."

"..." Pei Ye was stunned for a moment, "There are such methods."

“Miss Ming said she can’t see through him… so how can she possibly beat him?” He tilted his head.

“Those are two different things,” Ming Qitian said. “The competition doesn’t determine the superiority or inferiority between ‘people’.”

"……what?"

“I participated in the Feather Trial to verify the results of my Swordsmanship Challenge and the realm of ‘Nothingness.’ Wang Jiuqiao participated in the Feather Trial, perhaps also to verify his progress. I only need to draw my sword; I don’t need to fully understand everything about my opponent. Winning or losing in the trial doesn’t mean I completely crush my opponent.” Ming Qitian looked at him. “I think Wang Jiuqiao is unfathomable, but that doesn’t mean I can’t beat him. There are very few people in the world who can see through me.”

"rational."

Pei Ye thought for a moment and smiled, "It's good to know that Miss Ming is aware of this. I will definitely cheer for Miss Ming tomorrow."

"it is good."

"Tomorrow must be a very important day for Miss Ming as well."

“Yes,” Ming Qitian said, “I plan to win first place this year so I can ascend to the Heavenly Tower sooner. Otherwise, I’ll have to postpone it any longer.”

Pei Ye smiled: "I thought Miss Ming wasn't too fixated on advancing in the realm."

“Of course, we’ll try our best to achieve what we’ve planned.” Ming Qitian looked at him. “Wouldn’t that bring us one step closer to our ideals?”

"..." Pei Ye pursed his lips. "Yes. I will catch up with Miss Ming as soon as possible."

"Well, wait for you."

Pei Ye smiled and quietly leaned a few feet away.

It's raining today, so we can expect a sunny day tomorrow as well.

"How is Xizhou?"

"……what?"

"She said she was going to come and see my Yu Shi at the Illusion Tower, but I didn't see her today."

“…Maybe she’ll come tomorrow.” Pei Ye straightened his sleeves. “I parted ways with her at Xiuwen Hall three days ago. She said, she said she wouldn’t look at the Feather Scale Trial a couple of days ago.”

"Oh."

Pei Ye glanced at her, recalling her meeting with Xizhou. She hadn't actually had a chance to ask what the two women had talked about, or rather, she'd only asked the beginning. After a moment's hesitation, she asked, "Miss Ming, are you thinking of Xizhou?"

Ming Qitian nodded: "I'd say we're friends."

"...Miss Ming and Xizhou have only met once."

"Most of the time, one meeting is enough."

"That's true. Meeting more often won't change Miss Ming's feelings for someone."

Pei Ye paused for a moment, then suddenly seemed to realize something: "Xi Zhou, what's wrong with Xi Zhou 'being alright'? She's always been fine."

Ming Qitian turned her head and looked at him quietly.

"..."

“Oh, I don’t quite understand,” she said.

Pei Ye felt her face burning: "This, what's there to not understand? Miss Ming, Xizhou has always been very good..."

"Because I think you're stronger..."

"What does that have to do with anything? I... I didn't hit her..."

"Sorry, if you feel awkward, I won't bring it up."

"It's not that I'm embarrassed, it's just that I don't understand Miss Ming..."

"Okay, I was just overthinking things." Ming Qitian smiled slightly and turned back. "It was my fault, okay?"

Pei Ye seemed to read a "you understand" in her eyes, but the woman's smile remained as calm and peaceful as ever. So at this moment, he couldn't tell whether it was Mingyun, who could compose poems, teasing him, or Gu She, who was pure of heart, asking a casual question.

Pei Ye squinted at her flawless profile, and after a long while, he could only sigh sullenly and lean his head against the railing.

Most of the time, a woman is like a piece of ice jade fallen from the sky, undisturbed and still, but very occasionally she will reveal a bit of playfulness.

Pei Ye had encountered this situation about four or five times, but she could never deal with it. No matter what she said, she could never make her heart feel shy or embarrassed. She could only tease you indifferently, and you could never tease her.

"If you don't understand, then speak less," he said vaguely, mustering his courage.

"Alright." Ming Qitian smiled faintly. "I'll teach you sword carving."

"what?"

“Little Jade Sword,” Ming Qitian said. “I returned to the mountain shortly after the Feather Scale Trial. I taught you how to carve a sword, so you can send messages anytime and won’t have to rely on just that one.”

"...Alright. But shouldn't Miss Ming consider her opponent?"

"I can think about it while I'm carving."

"Row."

Two carving knives, several pieces of jade. The moon sets over the distant western pond, while the east glows with an oily, yellowish-white hue.

Pei Ye learned how to carve swords and create formations, but he wanted to carve the 'Pei Xiaoyu Sword' as thick and majestic as possible, but in the end, it all became chubby.

(End of this chapter)