Embers of Sword

Chapter 290 Taoist
At the foot of the Taoist Yuqingzhai Mountain, there is a carp lake, and at the bottom of the lake there are cave treasures left by several immortals.

The place is filled with vital energy and is a great place for spiritual practice.

It was just getting dark and the lakeside space was chilly.

A ray of sword light whistled across the lake, creating ripples.

The flying sword flew out dozens of feet, then returned, and then swayed and hovered in front of the woman in white.

Take a breath.

Ten breaths.

Just when the flying sword had been suspended in the air for nearly a hundred breaths, a breeze blew by, and the flying sword began to vibrate violently and could no longer hover stably.

"Buzz!"

Deng Baiyi's expression turned ugly at this moment.

She raised one arm, put two fingers together, and pointed at the location of the flying sword. With her other arm, she clenched her wrist tightly, trying to lift it up.

Unfortunately, the longer you wield the sword, the greater the pressure.

After nearly a hundred breaths, the arm responsible for guiding the sword continued to tremble along with the flying sword, as if it was bearing a thousand pounds of weight.

Even though Deng Baiyi gritted her teeth and persevered, she could only let her arms drop little by little.

As the arms fall.

The flying sword finally fell into the grass beside the lake.

"Ninety-one breaths..."

"Junior Sister Deng, your talent in swordsmanship is much higher than I thought!"

Beside Deng Baiyi, Cheng Zhi, the fairy from Yuqingzhai who was in charge of guiding the practice, said with emotion: "You have just started flying swords, but after just over a month, you can make the sword fly thirty feet and hover for a hundred breaths. This is the practice of the upper-level cultivators of Yuqingzhai who have established their foundation. They all said that you need at least three years to control your Qi, but according to this progress, at most you can control the sword with Qi in one year."

Hear this.

Deng Baiyi just shook her head, without much joy on her face. During the period of seclusion in Yuqingzhai, she practiced hard every day and made considerable progress in the art of sword-wielding.

But Deng Baiyi knew very well.

This is not because I am "gifted", it's just good luck.

The sword skills taught by Xie Zhen gradually showed their effects after he came into contact with the art of flying swords.

As for the talismans that were drawn when traveling with Master Tang, they also played a big role. The art of drawing talismans seemed to be a "side door technique", but in fact there was a lot of skills. Those array pattern masters, immersed in drawing talismans, often closed themselves off for more than ten hours, concentrating their minds, which had extremely high requirements on their spirits.

This polishing made Deng Baiyi's spiritual realm far superior to that of other cultivators at the same level.

Cultivation is like building a building.

As a clay figurine, I had average talent in swordsmanship, but by chance I met two noble people, who helped me lay a very solid foundation.

But even so, to control the Qi... it takes a lot of effort.

Deng Baiyi knew in her heart that the path that was most suitable for her was still the path of talismans.

If you practice kendo by yourself, even if you put in several times the effort, you may not be able to gain half of the gains of an ordinary genius.

"Junior Sister Deng, you seem a little unhappy?"

Cheng Zhi blinked.

"Master Tang has been in the back mountain for half a month."

Deng Baiyi spoke seriously, "Master Shu Ning said that Master Tang was going to visit the Great Master Chongkan... What kind of visit was it that took so long?"

This question left Cheng Zhi unable to answer.

"I heard that the great master Chongkan and Master Tangzhai have a deep grudge against each other."

Deng Baiyi continued, "Could it be that Master Tang was detained in the back mountain?"

"I am just an ordinary disciple of Yuqingzhai. How can I be qualified to know this?"

Cheng Zhi smiled bitterly and said helplessly: "Master asked me to accompany Junior Sister Deng to practice sword in Li Lake, and also told me not to ask too much about other things and not to think too much."

Deng Baiyi said quietly, "Master Tang has been kind to me, and now she has disappeared like this. Do you want me to pretend that I didn't see it?"

She finally understands.

Why did I always have a bad feeling in my heart before?

It turned out that Master Tang's journey back to the Taoist sect was such a dangerous one. No wonder she insisted on bringing me to Yuqingzhai. It turned out that she wanted to entrust me to Shu Ning in the name of practicing sword.

"Junior Sister Deng, the Great Master is not a bad person."

The young disciple of Yuqingzhai explained carefully, "The mountain behind the Taoist sect is a place of confinement. Master Tang has done a lot of ridiculous things in the past few years, and there has been a lot of condemnation within the Taoist sect. Perhaps the Great Immortal has confined her, and will release her after she has reflected on herself for a period of time."

Deng Baiyi looked at the mountain behind and could only remain silent.

Cheng Zhi quickly added, "Junior Sister Deng, these words are just for you and me to talk about. Don't talk nonsense outside."

“Why are there so many lights in the distance?”

Deng Baiyi suddenly looked across Li Lake.

"The Northern Hunt is over. Senior Sister Shang has returned to the Dao Sect with the disciples of Yuqingzhai."

Cheng Zhi and Deng Baiyi walked side by side, looking across Li Lake at the whistling sword lights on the distant mountains, and said with a smile: "This northern hunt is dangerous, and it is a happy thing that Senior Sister Shang is safe and sound. Yuqingzhai is hosting a banquet tonight, will you join me later?"

Although he was in seclusion in Yuqingzhai, Deng Baiyi heard about everything, big and small.

She frowned and asked curiously, "I heard that Tai Shang Zhai suffered heavy losses in this northern hunting expedition. Is it okay for Yu Qing Zhai to hold a banquet to celebrate just across a mountain?"

"There are seven fasts in Taoism, and each fast has its own way of observing it."

"The Northern Hunters were in trouble, but the survivors are still alive. We should celebrate. I heard that the people from the Supreme Master's House are still in the Imperial City, and I don't know when they will come back..."

Cheng Zhi thought for a moment and added, "Junior Sister Deng, you don't know that a few years ago, the relationship between Yuqingzhai and Taishangzhai was good, but in recent years, the two masters have not been in contact much. I don't know how Li Chen offended Master Shu... In fact, Fang Hang, the Taoist disciple of Taishangzhai, was also very good in the early years. He may have gone astray in recent years. Although his appearance has not changed much, his entire style of behavior seems to have changed."

After a sigh, Cheng Zhi said, "Master has told us not to have too much contact with Tai Shang Zhai. This banquet is only held to celebrate the safe return of Yu Qing Zhai disciples."

"I see."

Deng Baiyi raised her hand to recall the flying sword and said softly, "It is indeed a happy event to be able to return safely from the Northern Hunt. Sister Cheng, thank you for your guidance these days. I am new here, so I will not attend the banquet tonight."

Cheng Zhi was stunned.

"What are you talking about?"

She stroked her hair with a smile and said seriously, "Junior Sister Deng has excellent aptitude and has the potential to be a great array pattern master. Even if she only practices swordsmanship, her future achievements will be higher than those of ordinary disciples like me. Senior Sister Shang Yi loves talents the most. If she sees you, she will definitely be very happy..."

No matter how much he was persuaded, Deng Baiyi remained unmoved.

She insisted on staying in Lihu to practice sword.

Cheng Zhi was unable to persuade him and could only leave alone.

Li Lake returned to peace, the Taoist temple was in a long night, the distant hilltops were shining with light and the sound of immortal music was heard.

In the lake, the water ripples are shaking.

"Crash!"

The flying sword that fell into the mud staggered up and flew towards the end of the night, splashing two lines of water waves.

Deng Baiyi clenched his teeth, his eyes becoming brighter.

One breath...ten breaths.

This time, the flying sword was suspended in the air, bursting out with silver sword energy, hovering in the air for a full hundred breaths before falling down.

Deng Baiyi sat down exhausted, regardless of her manners.

After a while.

Deng Baiyi, who had recovered some of her strength, was ready to try to draw the sword again. The flying sword flew back in front of her from the lawn, trembling in the wind. She lowered her body, and it seemed that she was ready to step on the flying sword and try to control it.

Every night, Deng Baiyi would always think of the sword lights she had seen when she looked up.

He rode the sword into the air and was called the Sword Immortal.

This was her biggest wish before.

"If you want to fly with a sword, I'm afraid you are still a little short of the skills you need now."

At this moment, a childish and immature laughter sounded from the night behind him.

Deng Baiyi turned around quickly.

A child in a snow-white Taoist robe, with his sleeves hugged, sat on a big banyan tree by the Li Lake, with his feet dangling on the treetops. He looked no more than eleven or twelve years old, but his eyes were surprisingly clear, like a deep blue lake.

"who are you?"

Deng Baiyi quickly spoke cautiously.

Although her realm is not high, as a talisman painter after all, her spiritual perception is extremely sharp.

After practicing swordplay in Li Lake for so long, she didn't even sense anyone approaching...

The only explanation.

Even this child, who is only about eleven or twelve years old, has a spiritual realm that is much higher than the foundation-building realm.

"Don't worry. Do you see my robe?"

The child smiled slightly, raised his wide sleeves, and said, "In the Taoist sect, there are no bad people."

"Ah."

This was meant as a gesture of goodwill, but it was met with a sneer from Deng Baiyi.

The child was a little depressed, and said helplessly: "I heard everything you two said before... You can't be prejudiced against Taoism just because Tang Fengshu was put in solitary confinement by Chongkan, right? Chongkan has led Taoism to become the world's number one sect over the years. Even if he has no merits, he has worked hard."

"I don't know any Chongkan."

Deng Baiyi said calmly, "I only know that Master Tang was very good to me and was an out-and-out kind person. She saved the entire Lichao City, but when she returned to her own sect, she not only did not receive any praise, but she also lost her freedom."

The child fell silent.

"It's hard to explain this matter in a few words."

He pointed at Deng Baiyi's flying sword and asked curiously, "Perform the sword-controlling technique you just used again so I can take a closer look... The only person who taught you how to fly a sword these days should be the young disciple of Yuqingzhai, right? Why do I see the shadow of an old acquaintance?"

Deng Baiyi became more alert. She picked up the flying sword, wiped it with her sleeve, then held it in her arms and said coldly, "I won't."

It wasn’t just Yuqingzhai who taught her how to fly the sword.

Xie Zhen had also taught her some mantras and techniques before.

With her talent in swordsmanship, at most she could comprehend three or four points and apply one or two.

Could this little Taoist boy even be able to see this tiny trace?
Who is the other party?
"Hey, hey, hey, the pattern is too small."

The child supported himself on the tree trunk with both hands and jumped down lightly. It turned out that he was wearing a very wide Taoist robe that almost reached the ground.

The little fellow stood with his hands behind his back, looking very old-fashioned, and said unhappily, "The Taoist talisman technique has long been leaked. Let me see the sword technique of the Sword Palace. What's the big deal? You little girl, you secretly learned some inferior and superficial skills. Do you think it's a treasure?"

Deng Baiyi's eyes widened: "Pah, who are you talking about, little girl?"

"Use the flying sword again."

The little children ignored the question.

He raised his eyebrows and subconsciously raised his head to look up at the woman in front of him. He realized that he was a little "inferior" because of his height, so he quickly controlled his Qi to rise into the air and came to a position where his eyes were level with Deng Baiyi. He did not take advantage of others, but just looked at her straight ahead, with a little smugness and pride in his tone: "Let me see how powerful the Sword Palace's flying sword technique is. After you see it, I will teach you something more powerful!"

……

……

(I'm a little stuck today, thank you for waiting.)
(End of this chapter)