Chapter 13

"How are you? How did you sleep last night?" Lin Yi picked up Su Lingshu, who had already woken up and was watching him silently.

Su Lingshu did not speak, only looking at him indifferently.

Lin Yi did not mind, gently putting her down. He held her small hand with one hand, while using his other hand to channel his Qi to erase the evidence of their stay—the campfire.

The world was a vast expanse of snow.

Lin Yi and his group once again set off on the journey to the capital of the Xuanyuan Dynasty.

…

"I concede," Lin Yi said with a slight bow. The young man opposite him stared blankly as his long spear was severed by Lin Yi's Sword. His face was pale, not just from the exhaustion of his Qi, but also because his life-bound Spiritual Artifact had been destroyed by Lin Yi.

"Fairy Pei, your Disciple is indeed quite ruthless…" The thin old man's tone was laced with anger, his palms hidden within his sleeves trembling slightly.

Pei Yuhan cast a light glance at this head of the Hanshan Sect. "And so what?"

And so what?

The thin old man snorted coldly. As a Late Stage Nascent Soul, how could he dare to provoke Pei Yuhan, the renowned Cold Palace Sword Master of the entire Qiongming Domain?

"Let's go, Master." Lin Yi did not look at the dejected youth again, nor did he offer any mocking words. He had not intended to make more enemies, but unfortunately…

They were too weak; his Sword had snapped the opponent's Spiritual Artifact in one strike.

He really could not be blamed for that.

Lin Yi stepped off the sparring stage, took Su Lingshu's small hand, waved at Pei Yuhan, and the group descended the mountain.

The Hanshan Sect, defeated.

Yu Xiaotang followed by Lin Yi's side, picking up a small pen to mark off a line on the cloth that listed more than half of the Sects in the Xuanyuan Dynasty.

On their way down the mountain, they occasionally saw a few Mortals trying to head up.

Going down is for living as a human, going up is to become an Immortal; in the end, there are always more people who want to become Immortals.

"Hm? Wait a moment."

Lin Yi pulled Su Lingshu to a stop.

[Task "Sword Pavilion Tiaodeng" detected]

[Using a Sword to trim the lamp, is it the Sword or the Fairy that is trimming the lamp? Or perhaps, is Li Tiaodeng that sharpest long Sword itself?]

[The young girl was originally a sharp Three-Foot Sword, but in this Qiongming Domain where the Dao of the Sword is in decline, she seeks Immortals and the Dao, perhaps only to end up with nothing.]

[No, she might yet find a union of Yin and Yang, falling into the hands of those filthy wretches, becoming their most convenient weapon—but not a cold one.]

[Would you be willing to see her fall into a muddy swamp of filth? She stands before you now; either she goes up the mountain to apprentice under the Hanshan Sect Master and is bullied amidst the green lamps, or…]

[Sword Pavilion Tiaodeng: Take Li Tiaodeng as a Disciple and teach her the Dao of the Sword.]

[Reward: Spiritual Sword Chunjun]

[Spiritual Sword Chunjun: Can be merged into a life-bound Spiritual Sword. As brilliant as the arrangement of stars, as full as water overflowing a pond, as rugged as scattered stones, as radiant as melting ice.]

Lin Yi's eyes narrowed slightly. Li Tiaodeng? Who is this?

But this did not prevent him from wanting to complete this task.

"Li Tiaodeng." Lin Yi looked at the Mortals heading up the mountain, and among the women…

It was her!

Lin Yi watched the young girl stop, look up, and turn toward him in response to his voice.

Lin Yi let go of Su Lingshu and walked slowly to her. "Li Tiaodeng."

"Yes, Immortal. My name is Li Tiaodeng." The young girl's face was covered in dark mud, and her voice was a bit hoarse; she did not at all resemble the Fairy mentioned in the System's summary.

But these were trivialities. In this country on the verge of demonic calamity, the fact that it had not fallen into complete chaos already meant the ruler had a proper way of governing.

However, there were still masses of people fleeing the Qiongming Domain, and the young girl before him was clearly one of those fleeing the chaos, hoping to go up the mountain to find a glimmer of survival.

"Come with me, and I will teach you to practice the Sword." Lin Yi reached out his hand gently.

Li Tiaodeng instinctively stepped back, then looked at Lin Yi nervously. "Immortal… I…"

Li Tiaodeng was terrified that the Immortal before her would think she was disrespectful, and because she had just stepped back, he would kill her right there!

As someone fleeing the chaos, she had seen all sorts of human tragedies.

"There is no need to be nervous." Lin Yi reached out and tapped Li Tiaodeng's face. With a surge of Qi, the dirt on her face vanished, revealing a beautiful, refined face.

"I will teach you to practice the Sword, how about it?" Lin Yi stood on the stairs and reached out his hand to Li Tiaodeng again.

Li Tiaodeng did not hesitate in the slightest. She knelt on the ground and kowtowed heavily to Lin Yi three times!

"Disciple Li Tiaodeng pays respects to Master!"

Chapter 22: So-Called Respecting the Master and the Dao

Lin Yi summoned his Sword, placing Su Lingshu and Li Tiaodeng in front and behind him, one by one.

Because of this unexpected event, Pei Yuhan did not say much, simply bringing Yu Xiaotang to follow behind Lin Yi.

Li Tiaodeng watched silently as Lin Yi pulled her to stand on the snow-colored long Sword. She instinctively moved a bit further away from Lin Yi.

She did not want the dirt on her body to stain this Master who was dressed in white like snow. Even when pulled by Lin Yi, her body stiffened, afraid that Lin Yi would find her dirty and messy self repulsive.

Although she was the daughter of a wealthy family, in these chaotic times, she was not even as well off as the daughter of a commoner.

At least they still needed to help out at home and had built up some strength.

And her?

She had seen with her own eyes a young woman with good looks surrounded by several men, dragged away into a small alley.

After that night, she never saw that woman walk out of the alley again; there were only those few men walking out comfortably, carrying cloth bags.

Li Tiaodeng had smeared mud on her face, used cloth to bind her female features, and fought for food with a ferocity far greater than others, which was how she had survived until now.

Fortunately, for some reason, her body always had endless strength, and even when using a club, she had more technique than the average bandit.

Li Tiaodeng watched silently as the Master before her took her into the sky. The snow-covered earth beneath her feet sped by before her eyes; from time to time, a few withered trees would collapse, revealing only a slight dark brown color beneath the heavy snow.

Li Tiaodeng watched as the outline of a city appeared in the distance. The once massive city walls looked like nothing to her now, not even comparable to the back of the man in front of her.

Li Tiaodeng suddenly burst into tears…

Lin Yi brought the group into the city and found an inn. Pei Yuhan followed silently behind him; even now, she had not asked Lin Yi a single question.

"Xiao Tang, you help Tiaodeng tidy up." Lin Yi let Li Tiaodeng go to change clothes and bathe. It was impossible to start teaching Li Tiaodeng Sword practice like this; if nothing else, he still had some mysophobia.

Yu Xiaotang nodded. She also did not understand why her Senior Brother had suddenly taken on a Disciple, but she had always followed her Senior Brother's lead.

Su Lingshu looked at Lin Yi coldly. She had been like this for days, as if she wanted to eat Lin Yi. Lin Yi did not care, holding her to sleep at night as usual, and sometimes when the mood struck, he would make her lean against a tree trunk.

Su Lingshu did not resist, only frowning silently, then sighing softly, pursing her lips, and breathing out a hot breath, then standing quietly before Lin Yi, who would clean the dirt off her as usual.

The way they got along seemed to have become fixed.

She remained that cold and aloof Fairy, but in front of Lin Yi, she would reveal her unique charm at night, wearing that purple dress, carrying an air of mystery and elegance.

"Xiao Yi, you…" Pei Yuhan sat down by the bed, frowning. She did not understand how Lin Yi had suddenly taken on a Disciple and even knew her name was Li Tiaodeng. She did not remember Lin Yi having gone down the mountain, let alone having any involvement with someone who was clearly a refugee.

"The Great Sun Scripture." Lin Yi pushed everything onto the Great Sun Scripture as usual.

But by now, Pei Yuhan understood clearly that this was a pretext Lin Yi did not want to explain. She sighed softly. "If you don't want to say, then fine, but… don't let yourself fall into danger."

"Does my wife not believe her husband?" Lin Yi smiled and moved close to Pei Yuhan, then wrapped his arms around her voluptuous yet slender body.

"I believe, I believe, but you must at least tell me why you suddenly took her as your Disciple?" Pei Yuhan held down Lin Yi's hands. She had experienced this before; as Lin Yi spoke, his fingers would start to become restless.

"She has a Natural Sword Body and is best suited for practicing the Sword. If you had seen her, Yuhan, you would definitely have taken her as your Disciple too." Lin Yi explained with a smile.

Pei Yuhan's brows relaxed slightly. Indeed, even if Li Tiaodeng had some grievances, as long as she was a Sword body, she would struggle to take her in and teach her the Dao of the Sword.

One must know that Ye Linyuan was a Sword body, which was why he could practice the Sword to the Transcendent stage and then enter the Dao through the Sword, pointing straight to the Dao.

The two began to put this matter aside, whispering intimate words between husband and wife. There was no need to avoid Su Lingshu; once, Lin Yi had even placed her and Su Lingshu together…

As Pei Yuhan's thoughts reached this point, a blush spread across her face. She broke free from Lin Yi's embrace; his fingers were well-behaved, but his face had pressed close, occasionally brushing against her earlobe.

Seeing Pei Yuhan break free from his embrace, Lin Yi did not force the issue. The sounds in the inner room gradually died down. Since they were all Qi practitioners, they did not need to worry about menial tasks like boiling water.

The inner room door opened, and steam poured out. Pei Yuhan moved her Divine Sense, driving all the mist away.

Yu Xiaotang walked out first, a look of resentment on her face. Seeing Lin Yi, she rushed into his arms without delay.

Lin Yi was a bit puzzled; how was it that she had gone in so cheerfully just a moment ago, and now she had become so downcast?

However…

Li Tiaodeng walked out from inside. She was dressed in white, with a faint air of coldness between her brows. Because she had just bathed and changed, there was a residual flush on her face, making her look even more delicate and pure.

It was just that the short hair on her head felt a bit awkward.

Lin Yi looked at Li Tiaodeng, then looked at Yu Xiaotang, a smile appearing on his face.

"Senior Brother! And you're still laughing!" Yu Xiaotang noticed the smile on Lin Yi's face and pounded her small fist against Lin Yi's chest.

Lin Yi could not help but laugh. Yu Xiaotang's clothes fit Li Tiaodeng quite well, except for one place.

That one place was even a bit too ill-fitting.

Yu Xiaotang silently looked down at herself, then looked at Li Tiaodeng, then at Su Lingshu and her own Master, Pei Yuhan.

She felt a bit dejected.

"It's okay, small is also cute." Lin Yi comforted.

Yu Xiaotang's mouth pouted, her face showing an expression as if she were about to cry. "Senior Brother! You're still laughing!"

"Alright, alright, I won't laugh anymore." Lin Yi patted Yu Xiaotang's head.

"Master." Li Tiaodeng immediately wanted to kneel.

Lin Yi used his Qi to lift Li Tiaodeng's delicate body.

"No need, I don't have so many rules here; just respect the Master and the Dao."

Pei Yuhan, standing nearby, glanced at Lin Yi indifferently. Respect the Master and the Dao? Is this how you respect the Master and the Dao?

"Yes, Master." Li Tiaodeng lowered her head.

Lin Yi walked to Li Tiaodeng.

Li Tiaodeng watched the man before her out of the corner of her eye.

Lin Yi reached out to touch her short hair, and then…

Li Tiaodeng felt her short hair growing rapidly until it fell to her waist.

The beautiful Fairy's long, black hair hung down, her waist straight, her figure tall and elegant.

Lin Yi examined Li Tiaodeng at this moment, then nodded.

This looks right.

Chapter 23: Su Lingshu Starts Overthinking

"Do you know about the Cold Palace Sword Sect?" Lin Yi and his group had changed locations; the inn from before could only serve as a temporary stop. Now, they had rented a residence.

Pei Yuhan and Yu Xiaotang had gone to tidy up their things. Su Lingshu sat beside Lin Yi, while Li Tiaodeng stood in front of Lin Yi.

Li Tiaodeng shook her head honestly. "I do not know."

"The Cold Palace Sword Sect is one of the six major Sects of the Xuanyuan Dynasty, considered the leader of the Dao of the Sword in the world, and once sat on the throne as the head of the six Sects. But that was a long time ago. Nowadays, the Xuanyuan Dynasty is desperately suppressing the Sword Sects."

Lin Yi introduced it to Li Tiaodeng indifferently.

Li Tiaodeng's gaze lowered slightly.

"Do you regret apprenticing under me?" Lin Yi picked up the tea on the side and took a sip.

"No, no, Master, Disciple is just…" Li Tiaodeng quickly shook her head, but as she spoke, she stammered.

"There is no need to stammer." Lin Yi scolded lightly.