Watching the old man walk closer step by step, Chen Yi slowly poured him a cup of tea, while Min Ning stood up and clasped his fists solemnly.
Li Wenhu returned the gesture and then lifted the tea, swallowing it all in one go.
On the stand nearby, the Prince of Annan waved his hand lightly. A group of soldiers stepped onto the stage and carried Hu Youxing’s corpse, along with the knife and broken spear, away. At this mont, Li Wenhu’s furrowed brows remained deeply etched.
He let out a long sigh, no longer gazing at the lifeless body, but turned his eyes toward the Prince of Annan and said:
"The Zhu family spear is unmatched in the Southern Border, renowned for its power to disrupt Tai Chi, solely because when the spear is thrust, its montum is overwhelming, capable of splitting mountains and breaking the earth. Even Tai Chi Grandmasters cannot redirect its force. I once thought the Tiger-Slaying Spear was the ultimate in rigid spear techniques, but now, looking at his stance, it seems the Tiger-Slaying Spear possesses an unexpected softness."
Chen Yi also shifted his gaze toward the Prince of Annan and casually remarked:
"Excessive rigidity leads to fragility."
"True, but how many in this world can actually break it?"
Li Wenhu’s face carried a touch of ridicule for the younger generation.
"Besides, his natural talent is extraordinary. Though his temperant is uncertain, temperants can deceive, but talent cannot."
Chen Yi remained silent.
Min Ning tilted her head to look at him, unable to help but speculate what sches might be brewing in his mind.
This ti, he escorted Li Wenhu to compete. Given his temperant, it was certain he’d do sothing with the Prince or Princess of Annan. Now, as he lowered his gaze in contemplation, who knows if he’s planning to sneak into their camp later?
Thinking of this, a tinge of bitterness swept over Min Ning’s heart. She took a deep breath for a while, then turned away, refusing to look at him.
Before long, soldiers arrived to escort the three of them, leading them to a tent to rest. Despite Hu Youxing’s death, the Prince of Annan did not take the opportunity to make things difficult but treated them with courtesy.
The soldiers also inford them that Hu Youxing’s funeral would take place in an hour.
Li Wenhu’s brow furrowed more deeply than before, struggling to relax, but eventually forcing himself to do so. Killing one’s apprentice and then attending their funeral was a bitter tornt—one that no one could truly understand or put into words.
Chen Yi didn’t stay long in the tent before stepping out slowly.
As he lifted the curtain to leave, footsteps sounded behind him.
Turning his head, he saw a pair of phoenix-like eyes following him. Min Ning t his gaze unflinchingly, letting out a light scoff and asked: "Where are you going?"
Chen Yi glanced at her and curled his lips: "To find an old fla. Got a problem with that?"
His tone was deliberately drawn out.
A mix of bitterness and anger flared in Min Ning’s heart but was quickly subdued. She muttered gloomily: "I’ll go with you."
Chen Yi was a bit surprised.
He initially intended to tease her so that she wouldn’t tag along, avoiding upsetting her further. Yet, he hadn’t expected Min Ning to be so determined.
"You really want to co? Not mad? Last ti you were quite upset."
Well-acquainted with her, Chen Yi spoke frankly, softening his tone.
Min Ning scratched her nose and said:
"You don’t need to bother."
Seeing her like this, Chen Yi didn’t reject her, instead replying gently:
"I promise I won’t intentionally upset you. Besides, as I said before, my feelings for her were never deeper than those for you. No matter what, you always have a place in my heart..."
"Chen Zunming, aren’t you being a bit cheesy?" Min Ning interrupted abruptly, raising her chin and taking a breath before saying: "You know —I have my own judgnt."
"Alright."
Despite being interrupted, Chen Yi didn’t get annoyed. Rather, he smiled and began walking toward the commanding general’s tent.
He had always liked Min Ning—not just her as a person, but also her disposition. Because of this, even when she stood him up that day, he never considered holding her accountable.
Recalling this incident, Chen Yi couldn’t help but ask:
"By the way, why did you stand up?"
Min Ning instead broke into a smile, coldly responding:
"I said tomorrow—but I never said which tomorrow."
"Oh, so you were stringing along."
"You’ve strung along so many tis. Can’t I string you along once?" Min Ning retorted with righteous indignation.
Chen Yi, seeing this, feigned anger and reached out to grab her arm, but she sidestepped swiftly and strode two steps ahead of him.
Min Ning walked forward without turning back to look at him.
Chen Yi followed behind her, taking in her silhouette.
"Hey, Chen Zunming."
After a while, Min Ning suddenly spoke up.
Chen Yi raised his head, unsure of what she was about to say, and asked: "What is it?"
"Can I be considered half your master?"
When Min Ning posed this question, her tone carried a hint of seriousness.
Chen Yi lightly pondered before answering: "Yes, and no."
Min Ning couldn’t help but turn her head, glaring at him with displeasure.
"What kind of master has a disciple whose martial arts far surpass theirs?"
Min Ning scoffed and said: "I taught you well. Isn’t it natural for the student to surpass the teacher?"
"I don’t acknowledge it." Chen Yi shook his head, solemnly declaring: "You know I’ve always only had one master, even if I betrayed them."
Min Ning grew quiet. How could she not know who he ant?
The Sword Armor of Yin Sword Mountain.
To swordsn across the world, the living sword of Sword Armor was an insurmountable peak.
What qualification did she have to fight Sword Armor for the title of master? Min Ning let out a bitter smile.
At that mont, Chen Yi suddenly stepped forward and hugged her tightly from behind.
Min Ning, distracted for a second, failed to react and let out a startled cry. anwhile, Chen Yi leaned toward her ear, his lips curling into a mischievous yet tender smile:
"You want to betray my master—just to confirm our relationship?"
Min Ning’s cheeks flushed with a mix of sha and anger as she forcefully shrugged him off, walking away quickly without looking back.
She didn’t say a word, yet Chen Yi couldn’t help but laugh to himself—because, sooner or later, the two of them would need to establish their relationship formally.
The way ahead was unimpeded.
Before long, Chen Yi and Min Ning reached the entrance to the commanding general’s tent. Chen Yi stopped in his tracks.
Min Ning turned her face toward Chen Yi, seemingly reading his thoughts or sensing sothing else entirely. For so unknown reason, she felt that Chen Yi’s intentions this ti weren’t solely about romantic desire.
But the lingering doubts in Min Ning’s heart persisted, drawing her into silent speculation.
"He has his own plans."
Min Ning steadied herself as the voice of Zhu Yu echoed in her mind.
Ever since the incident at Jinya Pavilion, Min Ning occasionally heard her voice.
She had no idea where Zhu Yu had co from, nor why she had been drawn to her.
She had asked Zhu Yu these questions before, but the latter would only say she was a residual soul, having lost most of her mories, wandering within Jinya Pavilion for ages until she accidentally attached herself to Min Ning.
Min Ning didn’t rember much of the specifics, but that’s how it went. Logically, she should have rejected Zhu Yu outright, but an instinct told her she should trust the mysterious residual soul.
Min Ning watched as Chen Yi lifted the curtain and entered, yet she didn’t move, instead gazing deeply at his figure.
That mont communicated through the sword—she knew, and he knew too. That shared sentint needed no words, and she vaguely discerned his faint sense of guilt.
She hesitated for a long mont, until suddenly, she murmured to her Heart Lake:
"Zhu Yu..."
"Say what you an."
"Do you know that... he might be the one in my heart?"
"...That has nothing to do with ."
"It does now."
Min Ning lowered her gaze, brushing away the unwillingness dwelling in her heart.
Zhu Yu didn’t reply. The residual soul, whose origins were unknown, seed to disdain the trivialities of love and passion.
"Didn’t you say I was born with a connection to swords and destined to enter the Sword Land to choose the sword, potentially possessing the talents of a Sword Immortal?" Min Ning questioned silently.
"Yes," Zhu Yu answered succinctly.
Min Ning took a deep breath and asked in a tone brimming with seriousness:
"Then after I enter Shu, will I be capable of... challenging Yin Sword Mountain’s Cangwu Peak and competing against Sword Armor?"
Zhu Yu instead responded with a question: "...Why must you compete against her?"
"You once said I didn’t need to contest her Dao. She’s a cultivator, with the universe in her heart, willing to step aside for the younger generation,"
Min Ning slowly lifted the curtain and stepped into the tent, silently concluding:
"But what I want to contest has nothing to do with the Sword Dao."
"..."
In a courtyard of the Capital City.
Yin Tingxue’s recitation paused abruptly, her neck shrinking slightly.
For so reason, a faint chill seed to rise behind her.
She was just about to turn her head for a look when an invisible Sword Intent pressed down on her head.
"Focus on your recitation."
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