Pei Wuji’s residence was atop Sword-Forgetting Peak, and disciples of the Sword-Forgetting Pavilion were on guard all along the way. Yan Baichuan and Jin You were stopped before they even reached the door, having no choice but to take out the Sect Master Token to let the disciples allow them to pass, which, instead of keeping a low profile, drew sidelong glances from quite a few people.
Although this Sect Master Token given by Pei Wuji was useful, it was truly eye-catching. Therefore, as soon as Yan Baichuan saw Pei Wuji, he immediately tossed this thing over, “I appreciate the intention, but if this Sect Master Token is kept in my hands again, I fear I won’t have peace even if I want to keep a low profile.”
Pei Wuji’s residence was furnished extremely simply, where a table was just a table and a bed was just a bed. Apart from the necessary furnishings in Pei Wuji’s room, there was nothing else, being so plain it didn’t look like a Sect Master’s room. Jin You tried to find something special in the room, but in the end could only conclude that the Taiji diagram on the wall was probably drawn by Pei Wuji himself.
Pei Wuji frowned and caught the Sect Master Token, yet did not insist on continuing to give the token to Yan Baichuan, looking at Jin You with some confusion instead, “Compete?”
Jin You immediately took a vigilant step back, “Sect Master Pei, please spare me, I am merely accompanying this fellow over. I heard that there are quite a few rare books in the Book Collection Pavilion of the Sword-Forgetting Pavilion. I am somewhat curious about some matters after his and my deaths, and wish to enter the Book Collection Pavilion to take a look. Could Sect Master Pei grant a convenience? Of course, I will not look through sect secrets.”
Pei Wuji did not care about these, handing a scroll of jade slip with words carved by spiritual power to Jin You. Jin You opened it to look, and inside only a single word “Permitted” was written.
Even this required carving a jade slip? How come Pei Wuji spoke even less than before, now actually omitting even writing words to this extent? Could their sect truly understand the Sect Master’s commands?
Jin You shook his head, putting away the jade slip and following the two toward Sword-Testing Peak.
“Master!” Before Sword-Testing Peak, a disciple dressed in Taiji attire with a sword without an edge bowed to Pei Wuji. Pei Wuji nodded slightly to acknowledge it, looking at Yan Baichuan and Jin You, “Pei Simiao.”
Pei Simiao cupped his hands to the two, dignified and steady when speaking, “I am Pei Simiao, the chief disciple under the Sect Master of the Sword-Forgetting Pavilion. Meeting the two of you for the first time, excuse me for not going out to meet you.”
Jin You returned the greeting politely. It seemed this disciple was highly favored by Pei Wuji. Along the way, besides Pei Wuji and several elders they had not met, only this young-faced chief disciple Pei Simiao before them was equipped with the Wufeng Sword.
Pei Wuji looked toward the drill ground on Sword-Testing Peak, asking Pei Simiao, “Full?”
Pei Simiao pondered today’s drill ground arrangements for a moment, answering, “Master, the disciples in the sect are all busy receiving cultivators today, so the drill ground is unused by anyone.”
Pei Wuji nodded slightly, leading the three onto the drill ground. Jin You and Pei Simiao consciously retreated to the side, leaving the center ground to Pei Wuji and Yan Baichuan. Holding Wuji, Pei Wuji took a faint glance at Pei Simiao, “Watch.”
Jin You guessed it roughly meant letting Pei Simiao observe on the side, yet saw Pei Simiao suddenly change his previous dignified and steady appearance, clenching his fists excitedly and looking with shining eyes at Pei Wuji in the center of the drill ground. Jin You patted his shoulder, “Brother, why are you so excited?”
Pei Simiao’s cheeks were red as if drunk, his tone even trembling slightly, “Master’s meaning is for me to watch his upcoming moves closely and comprehend them. The sword intent within. If I learn it well, he will pass this set of sword techniques to me!”
Jin You somewhat doubted himself. Just a single word, could it really be read with so many meanings? Just as he thought this, he found Pei Wuji looking over at Pei Simiao, nodding with a bit of appreciation. Cultivators had sharp ears and keen eyes; it seemed Pei Wuji heard Pei Simiao’s words just now.
Jin You let out a sigh, redirecting his gaze back to the two on the drill ground.
Pei Wuji withdrew his gaze, holding his breath and focusing his mind, his eyes half-closed, as still as an empty mountain, yet in the next instant with a stir of his mind, the silver-white sword blade faced Duanming’s crimson blade directly, a sword momentum like mountains and seas sweeping toward Yan Baichuan.
Yan Baichuan did not dodge in the slightest, the fighting spirit at the bottom of his heart ignited by this sword. No longer holding back, his right hand covered Duanming’s blade edge, injecting power into it, actually condensing a blade shape with yin evil power outside Duanming’s blade edge. The overly thick ghost power even flowed down slowly from the blade tip, burning the floor of the drill ground into waves of black smoke.
Yan Baichuan gripped the blade hilt tightly, madness revealing in his eyes, facing Pei Wuji’s sword momentum directly without dodging or avoiding to clash with him. The massive imposing aura of the blade and sword clashing made Jin You and Pei Simiao, who were watching the battle on the side, somewhat uncomfortable, yet reluctant to miss this wonderful duel.
In a flash of lightning and spark of flint, the two on the field no longer probed. Yan Baichuan’s Nirvana Slash chopped directly toward Pei Wuji. Pei Wuji was not willing to show weakness either, radiance flowing all over his body, condensing ten streams of Yin-Yang sword energy out of thin air, hanging above Yan Baichuan’s head like a Yin-Yang Bagua diagram ready to launch, slashing down instantly at the moment Yan Baichuan made a move. Jin You took Pei Simiao and immediately left their original spot. The drill ground at this moment had nearly become a piece of ruins, leaving only Yan Baichuan and Pei Wuji still standing.
Yan Baichuan took a deep breath to even his panting, taking the lead to sheathe his blade, raising his chin toward Pei Wuji, “That move just now wasn’t bad, created it yourself?”
Pei Wuji sheathed his sword and nodded, answering, “Mm.”
As soon as Pei Simiao was put down by Jin You, he immediately rushed toward the direction of the drill ground, impatiently examining the sword marks on the ground, “This is Master’s Taiji Formless Sword, not easily used against outsiders. The Taiji Formless Sword has four stages in total: Formless, Thoughtless, Selfless, and Swordless. Judging from the sword array just now, Master has at least cultivated to the Selfless stage, only one step away from great completion!”
Pei Simiao was exceptionally gifted, but too young. Being able to wear the Wufeng Sword now was proof of his strength, but compared to a natural sword cultivator like Pei Wuji, he was still somewhat lacking.
Jin You had never seen this move either, fearing it was figured out by Pei Wuji himself after establishing the Sword-Forgetting Pavilion. Speaking of this, Jin You conveniently asked about the matters of that year, “With your fine aptitude and constitution, how could Xuan Yang possibly let you leave the Shangyuan Sect?”
Pei Wuji hesitated for a moment, saying a name, “Meng Zhiyi.”
Hearing this, the fanaticism on Pei Simiao’s face was also put away, his tone carrying a faint mockery, “Back then in the Battle of Mount Huancang, Yan Baichuan perished together with the severe ghosts, and the remaining ghosts were mostly killed by Master, thus Master was able to charge into the ruined walls and debris to find the demonic blade Dichen, putting it away. But when Master brought Dichen back to the sect, Master’s second junior brother of that year, Meng Zhiyi, framed Master for attempting to secretly keep Dichen. Xuan Yang forced Master to hand over Dichen, and after being refused by Master, flew into a rage out of humiliation, so Master left with Dichen.”
Pei Simiao disliked the Shangyuan Sect, and along with it had not much respect for Sect Master Xuan Yangzi either. Jin You understood in his heart, asking Pei Simiao, “How could Xuan Yang let him leave?”
Pei Simiao let out a cold snort, “Naturally he didn’t. As soon as Master left the Shangyuan Sect, he encountered many cultivators trying to snatch Dichen, among which many martial arts routines were exactly the same, making it hard not to recognize them. Master fought to the death to bring Dichen to Mount Cangheng, surviving a narrow escape to break through the sword array, obtained this Wuji Sword of today, and built the sect on this mountain peak, only then did everything get better.”
No wonder. When Pei Wuji was still the chief disciple of the Shangyuan Sect, the sword in his hand was not this Wuji of today, but Xihua. He hadn’t expected there would actually be so many twists and turns in between.
Things remain but people have changed, no one has an easy life.
Jin You handed the jade slip given by Pei Wuji to Pei Simiao, roughly explaining the matter of wanting to enter the Book Collection Pavilion to take a look. Pei Simiao accepted the jade slip, and after bowing to Pei Wuji, brought the two near the Book Collection Pavilion, explaining to Jin You, “The Book Collection Pavilion has six floors in total. Except for the sixth floor which involves sect secrets and cannot be gone up to, you may casually browse the books on floors one to five. Recently the Divine Weapons List is about to open, and the main affairs in the sect are complicated, so I will not accompany the two of you into this Book Collection Pavilion, please forgive me.”
Jin You returned the greeting, “Many thanks to Brother Pei for leading the way, we won’t trouble you with the rest.”
Yan Baichuan followed behind Jin You, muttering softly, “I don’t recognize many words anyway, what am I doing here.”
Jin You lightened his footsteps, flipping through books that might be useful to him and answering softly without raising his head, “Didn’t I accompany you to find Pei Wuji too? Since you are here, be quiet, don’t disturb others.”
At this time, the Sword-Forgetting Pavilion was incomparably lively, while in the quiet Book Collection Pavilion, there was only the sound of pages turned occasionally by Jin You. Yan Baichuan leaned against the bookshelf, silently watching Jin You. Jin You had a slender figure and handsome appearance; the overly saturated gold and red brocade robe could not take away half a bit of his radiance, only reduced to serving as a foil. The two standing in this Book Collection Pavilion had quite a bit of a peaceful and quiet flavor.
It was a pity that Jin You closed the book with a somewhat unsightly face. Yan Baichuan did not ask much, following behind him to leave the Book Collection Pavilion, and only after returning to the room did he state his discovery, “Behind Pei Wuji’s matter, there is also Yan’e’s handiwork.”
It was Yan’e again.
Yan Baichuan acted open and aboveboard, disliking this kind of complex-minded, roundabout-method evil entity like Yan’e the most. But Pei Wuji and Yan’e should not know each other, and even if it was for Dichen it was somewhat far-fetched. The only connection between the two, besides that Dichen, was only Yan Baichuan.
Jin You guessed this as well. Yan’e did things with ten parts malice and nine parts calculation; in short, not wanting anyone to have a good time. Qingshuangzi was the best example.
“So to speak, he is coming for me again?” Yan Baichuan sat by the table, his tone as calm as asking how tomorrow’s weather would be, yet Jin You just felt he was angry, and bound to be in a violent rage.
“The reason is unknown, but the result should be correct. When we died back then, it was Pei Wuji who still had strength remaining that led people to hold Mount Huancang. Everyone present was exhausted, yet the news of Dichen returned to the Shangyuan Sect faster than Pei Wuji. As for the reason, I fear someone sent a message. And although Meng Zhiyi had ambition, he lacked strategy, making him a perfect pawn to use. Xuan Yang clearly thought of this point as well, preparing to use both soft and hard tactics on Pei Wuji to make him hand over Dichen, only unfortunately he miscalculated.”
But Pei Wuji’s luck and strength were clearly both not bad, not only surviving the pincer attack of the Shangyuan Sect and Yan’e, but also obtaining the sword technique inheritance, simply founding a sect and establishing the Sword-Forgetting Pavilion. The cultivation world judged height by strength, and Pei Wuji’s sword techniques were a golden signboard, so even if the Shangyuan Sect glared like a tiger watching its prey, it could not stop people from fighting to the death to seek a way out.
To cope with the entanglement of other sects, Pei Wuji directly sealed Dichen layer by layer in front of the sect masters, placing it in the forbidden ground of the Sword-Forgetting Pavilion, Sword-Sacrificing Peak, where none but the Sect Master and Elder Ning could enter, only then stopping the mouths of the masses.
Now, news of Yan Baichuan returning to the world spreading was only a matter of time, and he feared someone had already made a move.