Martial Cultivator

Bringing these three from the Myriad Heaven Palace who had come from afar, they went up the mountain. The two daoist nuns seemed to have many things on their minds, but Zhu Xia was just continuously surveying the scenery along the mountain. Finally, after catching sight of the Infatuation Daoist Temple from afar, she expressed some disdain, "Is your daoist temple so rundown?"

Yun Jianyue smiled and asked, "Is the Myriad Heaven Palace where Saintess resides quite magnificent? Can you bring me there next time?"

Zhu Xia casually replied, "No problem at all. When I return from here, just come with me. The Palace Lord is a nice guy and won't say anything."

Yun Jianyue was taken aback, not expecting the girl in front of her to be so simple. After shaking her head, he no longer paid attention to what Zhu Xia had said earlier.

Zhu Xia walked to the mountainside. Suddenly, she stopped and said solemnly, "I have a question."

Seeing the girl so serious, Yun Jianyue also said seriously, "Please ask, Saintess."

"How is the food here? Are the dumplings tastier than the shop at the foot of the mountain? If they're not good here, can I go down the mountain to eat?"

Zhu Xia looked at Yun Jianyue with anticipation, the emotions in her eyes very serious too.

Yun Jianyue was taken aback, thought for a moment, and answered seriously, "The vegetarian meals on the mountain are average. If Saintess isn't used to them, you can naturally go down the mountain to eat. Saintess is a guest, so going up and down the mountain is all allowed. During Saintess' time on the mountain, you can ask me if there's anything. This lowly daoist has some prestige on the mountain."

"How much is some?"

Zhu Xia was very curious, her two dimples appearing faintly.

Yun Jianyue replied seriously, "Quite a bit."

Zhu Xia gave an "oh" and said with a smile, "I heard you're number one on the Latent Dragon List. Are you very strong?"

Yun Jianyue shook his head earnestly, "That's just undeserved reputation. This lowly daoist doesn't care about it."

Zhu Xia hummed in agreement, "You're very similar to a friend of mine."

Yun Jianyue asked curiously, "Both very low-key?"

Zhu Xia shook her head, "Both very good at pretending."

Yun Jianyue was taken aback, and asked tentatively, "Who is that friend of Saintess?"

Zhu Xia was about to speak, but thinking of that person made her feel a little sad. She shook her head and said, "Forget it, I don't want to talk about it."

Yun Jianyue did not press further. The group of four soon arrived at the entrance of the Infatuation Daoist Temple, where disciples were already waiting. Yun Jianyue turned to one of the daoists and asked, "Is the accommodation for Saintess' party ready?"

The daoist nodded and smiled, "I will take the Saintess they all there now."

However, Zhu Xia shook her head, "My two senior sisters can go ahead first. I still want to walk around."

The daoist had a hesitant look, but Yun Jianyue waved his hand and said, "There's no harm, I'll bring the saintess around."

"But how do we explain to the Temple Master?" "Senior Brother Yun, this is the rule in the temple, you..." That daoist looked at Yun Jianyue, feeling troubled.

Yun Jianyue frowned and said, "What's the matter? Are my words not effective on the mountain?!"

The daoist dared not speak further.

But Zhu Xia was smiling and said, "There's quite a bit."[of prestige]

Yun Jianyue's face stiffened. At this moment, he just wanted to find a hole to hide in.

He gave the daoist a deep look and led Zhu Xia into the temple, wandering around.

Apart from going to the Divine Capital to participate in the Myriad Willow Convention, this was her second time venturing out. Moreover, they had arrived at the Infatuation Daoist Temple, the leading sect of the Longevity Dao lineage. Naturally, she was very curious about this daoist temple.

"My master often said that your temple master is the number one figure in Daoism. Is that true?"

Zhu Xia looked up at Yun Jianyue, who was a head taller than her.

Yun Jianyue naturally knew who Zhu Xia's master was. He shook his head and said, "The Venerable Sage was too courteous. How can Temple Master really live up to the title of the number one in Daoism?"

Zhu Xia pursed her lips, discontented. "If it's true, just admit it. Why aren't you sincere at all?"

Yun Jianyue sighed silently in his heart. Anyone listening would know that such words were being modest, but the girl in front of him seemed genuinely unaware of the ways of the world. She was straightforward, which left Yun Jianyue unsure of how to deal with it.

"So, the sunset at your temple is said to be the most beautiful in the world. Is that really true?"

Zhu Xia was relentless.

This time, Yun Jianyue nodded and smiled, "Saintess arrived a bit late today. If you're lucky, you might catch it tomorrow evening."

Zhu Xia murmured in agreement, glancing at the sky which was already turning somewhat dark. Then, Saintess said, "Let's go back."

After Yun Jianyue nodded, he became curious, "Doesn't Scripture Library want to visit the Scripture Library? Temple Master has ordered that the scriptures in the Scripture Library can be freely perused by Saintess."

Zhu Xia asked, "I can read anything?"

Yun Jianyue nodded.

Zhu Xia had a look of understanding. "Oh, so you've already hidden your own daoist techniques, right?"

Yun Jianyue was at a loss whether to cry or laugh. This was something everyone knew. After all, although they were both part of Daoism, the girl in front of him was from Myriad Heaven Palace, which was still an opposing faction. Naturally, the precious scriptures of the Infatuation Daoist Temple could not be shown to her. But now that she had asked so directly, how was he supposed to answer?

"Forget it, there's no rush. Anyway, we have plenty of time. I'm hungry. Let's eat first?"

Zhu Xia looked down at her stomach, thinking about how those dumplings had been really good and had digested so quickly.

Yun Jianyue was not aware that the saintess had already eaten before coming up the mountain. If he had known, he might have been speechless as well.

After the two had eaten the vegetarian meal on the mountain, the moon was already high in the sky, casting their shadows on the ground.

Zhu Xia nodded in satisfaction. "The vegetarian food on your mountain is quite good."

Yun Jianyue smiled without speaking. The vegetarian meals, including the vegetables, were made from spiritual herbs. This was one reason the Infatuation Daoist Temple could stand at the pinnacle of Daoism. Apart from the fact that the disciples of this temple were all exceptionally talented, another natural advantage was the abundance of spiritual herbs on the mountain. Infatuation Daoist Temple did not rely on pills to enhance their disciples' cultivation. Instead, their regular diet included supplements made from these spiritual herbs. Over time, these dietary supplements naturally provided great benefits to their cultivation.

After finally escorting Zhu Xia to the bamboo courtyard arranged for her, Yun Jianyue smiled and asked, “Saintess, what are your plans for tomorrow? Will you be studying that scripture in the Scripture Library, or would you prefer to continue exploring?”

Zhu Xia shook her head. “I haven't decided yet. Where do you live? If I want to go out, do I find you?”

Yun Jianyue thought for a moment and then nodded. “I live over there at Cloudpalm Peak. If Saintess wants to find me, just ask any disciple on the mountain to send a message.”

Zhu Xia nodded in satisfaction, turned around, and even waved to him.

Yun Jianyue waved back in farewell, but as soon as he turned around, he saw a woman standing in front of him.

"Senior Sister..."

Yun Jianyue jogged a few steps to reach Ye Zhihua's side.

Ye Zhihua looked at him and said coolly, “In a good mood, huh? How is it? Is the saintess very pretty?”

Yun Jianyue frowned and said, "Why do you say that, Senior Sister? I saw that Senior Sister, she was just ordinary; nowhere near as stunning as Senior Sister."

Ye Zhihua smiled and said, "I just heard from the disciples on the mountain that you and the saintess were getting along well, so I came to see what kind of beauty she is. I didn't expect to miss it."

Yun Jianyue cursed silently in his heart, then replied righteously, "Those guys must be spreading nonsense. This junior brother was merely fulfilling the Temple Master's orders, nothing more. Surely, Senior Sister won't think too much about it?"

Ye Zhihua shook her head. "I can't be bothered to think about it. I just came to tell you that I'm going down the mountain to travel."

Yun Jianyue said anxiously, "Why are you in such a hurry, Saintess? How about waiting until the saintess returns to Myriad Heaven Palace, and then I can go down the mountain together with Senior Sister?"

Ye Zhihua ignored him and turned to leave.

Yun Jianyue stood there, sighing heavily.

……

……

Early summer arrived quietly, and throughout the Divine Capital, one could occasionally hear the sounds of cicadas. In the courtyard by the South Lake, the cicada cries were also heard from time to time.

However, the mistress of the house paid no mind to these sounds. No matter how loud it got outside, it could not disturb this young woman from reading or practicing her sword.

But today, Xie Nandu was not reading. Instead, she picked up a calligraphy copybook that she had not touched in a long time and began practicing her handwriting. Whether was it the Xie Family or other prominent families, they were all extremely strict towards their children. From a young age, both boys and girls were taught to read and write. In fact, Xie Nandu had stopped practicing with copybooks during her teenage years. Nevertheless, she would occasionally bring them out to practice when she was bored, finding it both a pastime and a way to pass the time.

As she continued to write today, she soon grew weary. Setting aside her brush, she stood up and walked to the edge of the eaves. In the distance, dark clouds were gathering in the sky, looking like it would rain soon. After a few looks, Xie Nandu felt even more restless.

Then, she raised her eyebrows, thinking about going to the library to read. She took a few steps in that direction but then changed her mind, turning back to stand under the eaves, feeling agitated and unsettled.

Liu Ye called out in a soft voice, "Miss..."

Xie Nandu ignored her, her gaze falling on a small tiger doll hanging by the window, staring at it in a daze.

……

……

Chen Chao who did not know if he had just narrowly escaped with his life finally confirmed that the girl had ceased her pursuit. Only then, did he breathe a sigh of relief. After sheathing his saber and rubbing his wrist, he glanced back, still feeling a lingering sense of fear.

During that fight, although it appeared that they were evenly matched, Chen Chao knew that the woman must have had many tricks up her sleeve. As for himself, he also had a few secret trump cards, but based solely on their respective cultivation realms, it was the first time that Chen Chao was willing to concede defeat, feeling that he was not as strong as that girl.

But despite her youthful appearance, who knew how many years she had actually been cultivating? If she turned out to be an old demoness who had been cultivating for decades or even centuries, it would not be surprising that he could not defeat her.

However, Chen Chao quickly dismissed such thoughts from his mind. Losing a fight was simply losing a fight. It was not as if there would not be another chance.

The road ahead was long, and Chen Chao did not believe he would spend his entire life in someone else's shadow.

Exhaling a turbid breath, Chen Chao decided to stop overthinking.

The following days passed without incident. As Chen Chao traveled, he saw countless swordsmith workshops.

One morning, after passing through an area filled with swordsmith workshops, he finally saw a towering mountain ahead, with sword qi so dense it seemed almost tangible.

Chen Chao knew he had finally reached the foot of Sword Qi Mountain.

However, before he could start climbing, someone emerged from one of the nearby swordsmith workshops. The man looked at Chen Chao with a broad smile and said, "Fellow Daoist, you look impressive and must be an extraordinary sword cultivator. How about it? I just forged a flying sword that would be perfect for Fellow Daoist!"