With both juniors speaking like this, Jiu Jianxian had no choice but to go along with it. He restrained his strength and fought Chu Yang using pure sword techniques.
This played right into Chu Yang's plan. He wasn't keen on revealing his true combat strength. But if it was purely a contest of swordsmanship, then victory was certain.
The Shu Mountain Sword Sect emphasized the intent behind the sword, rather than the intricacy of techniques, aiming for harmony with the Dao to maximize power.
The Qi Sect, on the other hand, integrated Sword Control Technique with spells in battle, using the sword to command magic, requiring proficiency in both.
Neither sect focused much on swordplay itself. To Jiu Jianxian, while Chu Yang was undoubtedly a promising talent, he had chosen the wrong path.
"Kid, your swordsmanship is indeed impressive, but it's too rigid, lacking in Dao essence."
Now at an absolute disadvantage, Jiu Jianxian was finally struck by Chu Yang's sword, though he repelled the attack with sword qi.
Looking at Chu Yang again, his gaze was like that of a treasure hunter—admiring yet regretful.
"Thank you for your guidance, Martial Uncle!"
Chu Yang sheathed his sword and respectfully bowed.
"Guidance, my ass! You beat me to the point I can't tell north from south!" Jiu Jianxian rolled his eyes, took a deep swig from his wine gourd, and laughed heartily, his manner carefree.
He then said, "I take back my earlier words. Your swordplay is unique—not garbage!"
"Sword intent and sword techniques are both part of the Sword Dao. Sword intent is hard to grasp but easy to master once understood, directly leading to the essence of the Dao. Sword techniques, however, are easy to start but difficult to master. The deeper you go, the narrower the path, making progress nearly impossible."
"Choose wisely!"
Jiu Jianxian sat down and began sharing his insights on swordsmanship, completely indifferent to the so-called sword qi rivalry, instead aiming to fill in the gaps in Chu Yang's understanding.
Chu Yang was deeply impressed and listened intently.
Jiu Jianxian's swordsmanship far surpassed the overall level of swordsmanship in the Feng Yun world.
Xu Changqing stepped forward and bowed. "Thank you, Martial Uncle, for guiding my junior brother. I was reckless before. I apologize."
Jiu Jianxian waved it off carelessly. "I liked you better earlier. Now you're like Qingwei—so rigid."
Xu Changqing had no response to that.
Jiu Jianxian tied his wine gourd back onto his belt and nonchalantly said, "I admit my loss this time. I won't argue with your Qi Sect. Tell me your names, and I'll be off."
"Chu Yang."
"Li Xiaoyao."
Jiu Jianxian suddenly froze and squinted at Li Xiaoyao. "What did you say your name was?"
Li Xiaoyao scratched his head and repeated it, wondering if this sloppy uncle had bad hearing.
The next instant, Jiu Jianxian flashed forward, grabbed Li Xiaoyao, and declared, "Since your name is that, I must teach you today—whether you want it or not!"
With that, Jiu Jianxian forcibly imparted the Sword Control Technique to Li Xiaoyao.
Xu Changqing was startled.
Chu Yang was taken aback.
"No wonder his surname is Mo and not Situ. This drunken Sword Immortal is a mix of everything. If that's the case, then the Sword Saint of the Xianjian Sect must be in a similar situation."
"Riding the wind with the sword, eliminating demons across the land."
"A thousand cups cannot get me drunk; I am the Drunken Sword Immortal."
Watching Jiu Jianxian fly away on his sword, Chu Yang and Xu Changqing fell silent, while Li Xiaoyao clutched his head in frustration, hopping mad.
He had explicitly refused, yet Jiu Jianxian still forcibly imparted the technique.
"This old man is nuts!" Li Xiaoyao fumed.
"Alright, quit complaining when you've gained something." Chu Yang grabbed him by the neck. "Try using Sword Control. Let's see how much you've absorbed."
Li Xiaoyao reluctantly picked up his wooden sword and began practicing. To Chu Yang, his true essence automatically flowed the moment he moved, as if it was an instinct.
Xu Changqing nodded approvingly. "My junior brother was right—Brother Li is a martial prodigy. He learned the Sword Control Technique after seeing it just once."
Chu Yang chuckled, "At this pace, by the time he walks back to Shu Mountain, he'll probably be able to participate in the Sword Qi Contest."
A moment later, Li Xiaoyao slashed a few sharp arcs of sword energy across the ground before smoothly sheathing his sword. The entire process was as fluid as flowing clouds and water—his sword control technique was already quite refined.
Only then did the three of them leave Ten Mile Slope together and return to the Yunlai Inn.
Meanwhile, in the Nanzhao Kingdom—
At the headquarters of the Lunar Sect Cult, its leader, Shi Jieren, was observing the night sky when he suddenly noticed something unusual. He let out a soft "hmm" of surprise.
"That star was barely visible a few days ago, so why has it suddenly become so bright?"
"Could fate truly be changed?"
"Interesting… I'd love to meet this person."
Watching with great interest for a while, he eventually summoned several cult members and inquired about the mission to capture Zhao Ling'er.
"We haven't received any contact for an entire day. Something must have gone wrong. Please, Cult Leader, allow us to investigate."
The cult members knelt down, speaking with utmost reverence.
Shi Jieren waved his hand dismissively. "Forget it. Using force will only backfire. I intend to use another method to accomplish this."
"Summon A'nu."
After giving the order, he left the hall and made his way to a secluded mountain area.
A short while later, a lively young girl dressed in Miao ethnic attire came skipping toward him. The moment she saw Shi Jieren, her face lit up with joy.
The two of them chatted under the moonlight for a long time.
The next morning—
Chu Yang and the others woke up early and headed to the docks of Yuhang Town, where they boarded a large ship bound for Suzhou City.
Having grown up in Yuhang Town and never traveled far, Li Xiaoyao felt somewhat uneasy leaving his familiar surroundings. However, for Zhao Ling'er's sake, he forced himself to appear calm. Yet, his frequent glances toward Chu Yang betrayed his nervousness.
Zhao Ling'er was even more anxious. She clung tightly to Li Xiaoyao's arm the entire time.
Seeing this, Xu Changqing began offering them psychological counseling.
It was unclear whether he was simply too long-winded or if his words actually had an effect, but before long, both Li Xiaoyao and Zhao Ling'er had fallen asleep.
By the time they woke up again, the ship had already arrived at the Suzhou dock.
The dock was not located near the city but in a more remote suburban area. They still had to walk some distance to reach the city.
"Ling'er, what do you think people in big cities are like?"
"Xiaoyao-gege, I don't quite understand what you mean. Aren't people the same everywhere?"
"I mean their demeanor, their way of speaking…"
"They're probably similar to Daoist Xu and the others, right?"
"I guess so."
The innocent chatter between the two young adults was amusing to hear, and Chu Yang suddenly felt like teasing them.
"In big cities, people often have strange habits. Because of the high stress of life, they struggle to find the right way to relieve it."
With a serious expression, Chu Yang continued his nonsense, "Some people even take turns hanging each other from trees and whipping each other. Today, you whip me, tomorrow, I whip you—it's their way of stress relief."
Zhao Ling'er was so spooked that she immediately tensed up and asked nervously, "Daoist Chu, can we take another route? I suddenly don't want to enter the city anymore."
Chu Yang shook his head. "No can do. The wilderness is even more dangerous—you're more likely to encounter demons and monsters."
Zhao Ling'er looked at him pleadingly. "But we can subdue demons and exorcise evil spirits. It shouldn't be that dangerous, right?"
Chu Yang rolled his eyes. "Who keeps one eye open while sleeping? If a demon drags you away at night, we wouldn't even know."
Zhao Ling'er pouted and fell silent.
Li Xiaoyao laughed, "Ling'er, Brother Chu was just messing with you. There's no way such things exist…"
Xu Changqing also chuckled in agreement.
Just as those words left his mouth, a cry for help reached Li Xiaoyao's ears. He looked into the distance, and his face instantly turned pale.
A short distance away, two people—a man and a woman—were tied to a tree. In front of them stood a young girl dressed in red, ruthlessly whipping them.
The sounds of their pained cries made the group halt in their tracks.
Li Xiaoyao pointed at the scene, his voice trembling. "People in big cities are really this twisted? I don't want to go in anymore. Let's turn back."
Xu Changqing was also stunned, murmuring, "Are local customs truly this extreme?"
Chu Yang, exasperated, snapped, "Are you two idiots? Hurry up and save them! What customs?!"
Finally snapping out of their daze, Xu Changqing and Li Xiaoyao sprang into action. Xu Changqing swiftly cut the ropes to free the captives, while Li Xiaoyao drew his sword to force back the red-clad girl.
"Who dares to interfere in my affairs?!"
The fiery-tempered girl snapped, raising her whip to strike directly at Li Xiaoyao's face.
"What a vicious witch!"
Seeing her ruthless attack, Li Xiaoyao didn't hold back either. He executed the Breaking Sword Stance from the Nine Swords of Dugu.
His sword light was swift and relentless, coiling around the girl's whip like a serpent. With a flick of his wrist, the whip flew out of her grasp.
The girl staggered from the impact, clutching her wrist as if she'd been bitten. Furious, she glared at him. "What kind of bizarre sword technique is this? Where did you learn such an unorthodox style?"
Li Xiaoyao hated when people called Chu Yang's swordsmanship unorthodox. Anger surged within him, and he lunged forward with his sword.
The red-clad girl's expression changed drastically—weaponless and unprepared, she had no way to defend herself. At that moment, death seemed inevitable.
Seeing this, Chu Yang flicked his fingers, sending out a burst of sword energy that knocked Li Xiaoyao's weapon away. With a playful smile, he walked up and chided, "You need to work on your temperament. In a duel, the calmer fighter wins. Losing your cool will get you in trouble sooner or later!"
Li Xiaoyao, his anger fading, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. If his sword had landed just now, the girl would have died on the spot.
"I-I'm sorry!" Li Xiaoyao quickly apologized, scratching his head. "I got carried away. But it's your fault for insulting my swordsmanship…"
The red-clad girl, having just brushed past death, glared at him fiercely. The next second, tears welled up in her eyes.
She had been scared out of her wits!
(Support me and read ahead on Patreøn: patreøn.com/craxxtranslation. Thanks for your support! Don't forget to send Power Stones—300 Power Stones = +1 bonus chapter!)