Chapter 22 - Impending Sword, Alluring Elegy
Far to the north, under the same moonlight.
In a small oasis within a desolate desert, a man sat on a giant stone outside a house, playing a tune on his flute toward the moonlight. His silver hair danced in the wind.
The man was dressed in a dark blue robe with wide sleeves, adorned only with white wave-like patterns on the cuffs and the breast. He wore black boots, and a crown held his waist-length white hair in place.
A strange sword slung across his waist.
The sword was sheathed and was hung diagonally on his left hip. The scabbard featured intricate carvings of myriad birds and beasts. From top to bottom, there were hollowed-out patterns of dragons, phoenixes, tigers, leopards, sparrows, insects, and fish.
Peculiarly, a chain the thickness of a finger tightly bound the hilt of the sword to the scabbard. It looped over and over the hilt and guard and was secured with a small lock. The lock had no keyhole either; the sword could not be drawn.
The flute's song diffused across the vast desert.
The melody carried like the wind as a figure appeared at the edge of the oasis. The figure looked up at the night sky and followed the direction from which the sound of the flute came.
Without further ado, that figure appeared not far behind the man playing the flute but did not approach. Instead, they quietly listened.
The piece continued long into the night before it slowly ended. The man lowered the flute, still looking at the lake before him, and asked, "What do you want?"
"Hehe~" The figure covered her mouth and laughed softly, her voice as melodious as an oriole. It turned out to be a woman.
The woman was about to step forward when the flute-playing man spoke again, "Miss, if I were you, I wouldn't come any closer."
The woman stopped, looked at the man in front of her who was facing away, and said, "Everyone has heard that sword qi swallows all within three zhang of Baili Gucheng. Any living thing that enters this range dies instantly. People whisper, 'Within three zhang, all the world is an enemy,' hehe~" She covered her mouth and laughed again.
"But how many people know the truth? How many know that this isn't something Baili Gucheng does intentionally? How many know that the famed 'within three zhang, all the world is an enemy' reputation came from losing control of sword qi after experiencing a cultivation deviation? Even that snow-white hair is a side effect of this deviation."
After listening to the woman reveal his secret, the man on the rock, or rather, Baili Gucheng, stood up and said, "If there is nothing else, please leave."
With that, he walked towards the house, never once looking at the woman.
The woman wasn't angered and stepped out of the shadows. For a moment, it seemed as if the entire night sky had lost its brilliance, and not even the moon dared to compete with her.
She wore a pale pink and white dress, the ribbons at her waist and the hem of her skirt fluttering in the wind. Her eyelashes fluttered, and her large, bright eyes seemed to hint at an ever-present smile. Her nose was delicately sculpted, and cherry lips formed an entrancing curve. Long, dark hair cascaded like a waterfall to her waist.
It was midnight and not a cloud was in sight in the vast desert, yet this stunningly beautiful woman held an umbrella adorned with a few blooming peach blossoms. Her outfit and demeanor naturally left an elegant and pure impression.
The woman didn't let Baili Gucheng leave, quickly taking a few steps forward and entering within three zhang of him!
Baili Gucheng frowned and turned to see the woman approaching him, her hand reaching out as if studying something in the air.
Turning her gaze to the man in front of her, she remarked, "Such chaotic sword qi~ It must be uncomfortable to have such uncontrollable sword qi rampaging within you every day, hmm? Impending Sword~ Baili Gucheng."
Baili Gucheng stared at the incredibly beautiful woman who tracked him into the desert, his gaze growing sharp. "Who exactly are you?"
The woman lowered her head slightly as she curtsied.
"I am Yang Lu~ Heaven-ranker of the Yangzhou Prefecture branch, Alluring Elegy, Yang Lu."
Baili Gucheng simply nodded, then turned and went inside, leaving Yang Lu outside the door.
"Baili Gucheng, don't you want to get better?" Yang Lu slowly said from outside the door.
There was a long silence inside the house before Baili Gucheng opened the door with a somber expression.
"What exactly do you want to do?"
Yang Lu chuckled softly as she turned and walked to the lake.
"Only I can fix you."
Baili Gucheng followed behind her and asked, "Why should I believe you?"
Yang Lu eyed the strange chained up sword at the man's waist.
"If your cultivation deviation isn't resolved, your Concealed Sword Art will never reach its peak. The more you practice, the more the sword qi within you will harm you."
Baili Gucheng's fixated on Yang Lu without saying a word.
"Do you believe me now?" Yang Lu asked as she put her umbrella behind her, folded her hands behind her back, and smiled at Baili Gucheng.
Baili Gucheng looked deeply at Yang Lu and asked, "How are you able to get close to me and why are you not afraid of my sword qi?"
"Hehe~" Yang Lu giggled as she stepped forward, nearly pressing into Baili Gucheng, and the two stood face-to-face.
"Not only can I get close to you, but I can also"—she slowly twirled her finger in front of Baili Gucheng's chest—"easily mess you up!"
Rings of qi coiled around her finger as she poked his chest!
The sound of his robe ripping apart alerted Baili Gucheng. Instantly, he struck out with his palm, pushing Alluring Elegy away while retreating backward. When he steadied himself and was able to examine himself, he noticed that under the torn fabric, a drop of blood seeped out a small cut on his chest.
He saw Yang Lu standing some distance away, chuckling cheerfully like a child who had played a prank.
Baili Gucheng furrowed his brow and removed the sheathed sword from his waist. He held it straight toward Yang Lu in the distance. The chaotic sword qi around him coalesced onto the scabbard, externally forming the shape of a sword.
Seeing that Baili Gucheng was getting serious, Yang Lu quickly said, "I was just messing with you~"
Baili Gucheng seemed to not hear her as he released a burst of sword qi toward her, then swiftly lunged forward with the sword.
Yang Lu opened her umbrella to avoid the oncoming sword strike, her body floating in the air as if she were weightless. She pouted. "You're such a petty man~ Can't you take a joke?"
Baili Gucheng swung his sword horizontally at Yang Lu, but she drifted back, her laughter tinkling like silver bells through the night.
After several exchanges, Baili Gucheng still couldn't touch even the hem of Yang Lu's clothes, causing him to grow frustrated.
While still in midair, Yang Lu suddenly felt a tremendous suction force. The scattered sword qi in the surroundings crazily rushed toward Baili Gucheng. He stood on the ground, holding the sword with one hand, its tip pointing diagonally towards her. A massive sword was gradually forming in his hands!
"Are you trying to die?!" Alluring Elegy suddenly became frantic as she hurriedly rushed toward Baili Gucheng!
Sword qi billowed around Baili Gucheng, on the brink of going berserk!
Errant strands of sword qi tore through his clothing, but his focus was entirely elsewhere. Raising the stupendous sword gathered from sword qi, he brought it down fiercely on top of Yang Lu!
"Die!"
Yang Lu's clothes flapped violently, buffeted by sword qi. The massive sword slashed down from above her head, passing through her body and exploding into the lake!
Sploosh!
The lakewater surged as if a submerged giant beast was furiously thrashing about, spraying into the crisp night as water and waves soared into the sky!
Baili Gucheng hunched over and panted heavily after unleashing that attack. He took a deep breath, taking in the mist, just as he looked up—
Pa!
A pink embroidered shoe landed lightly but firmly on his face. Caught off guard, he stumbled backward.
As he fell to the ground, Baili Gucheng saw clearly that Yang Lu was glaring at him with a distorted expression.
"Are you trying to die?!" she repeated angrily.
The moonlight washed over her face that was tinged with anger. She looked so beautiful, but Baili Gucheng was astounded for a completely different reason.
Did I really lose to her?
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