"Relax, I don’t easily switch sides." Ye Ming saw how Liu Li looked at leaving Shi Xueji. He assumed that the Fallen Princess was thinking that he was planning to switch sides.
"It’s not that. I am worried about what will happen when the Alchemist Association finds out about you." The girl revealed her worries. It has reached the point that she can’t hide things from him.
"Hah. I am certain that Cloud Sword Sect will protect me." The Alchemist was not that worried.
"That’s not it." She shook her head. He doesn’t understand what she is thinking!
"Hah? You think I would leave because they would offer resources and such? I thought we already talked about it." He snorted at her comments.
"I like this place." He replied with both of his hands behind his head.
"I have no reason to leave. It would take me ages to adjust to a new city and whatever is there." Ye Ming shook his head.
"I am an alchemist, not some travelling warrior." He said that with a frown. He hated them quite a bit. Though his hate came from stories he read in his previous life.
"...I see..."
The girl slowly nodded as he turned to face her. His hands went to her cheeks as he cupped her face and brought her closer to him.
"Besides, I do have you, Mengxue and very naughty Lingxi; there is no need for me to go anywhere. I can make alchemy here."
"...O-Okay..." The girl blushed; she didn’t expect him to say it like that. It would seem her efforts are paying off... or how he is holding her!
With that said, he moved in and kissed her on the lips, causing the girl to kiss back swiftly.
After a short kiss, he pulled back. Liu Li looked a bit annoyed.
"You didn’t allow me to wrap my hands around you!" She declared with frustration. The Alchemist was holding her cheeks while kissing her. That didn’t allow her to do what she liked most!
"Hah, is that so?"
Instead of saying anything, he pulled her to where his tree was.
He sat down under it and pulled her onto his lap, making her face him.
"Is this better?"
Instead of saying anything, she sharply nodded as she got comfortable in his lap. The girl wrapped her hands around his neck, pushed herself forward and began to kiss him.
This time around, neither Ye Ming nor Liu Li were thinking of stopping. Nope, he just had a breakthrough, and the Fallen Princess was thinking that she should just stay there after his declaration that she, from now on, is living with him.
It made her extremely flustered!
~~~
Late afternoon, Ye Ming summoned the carcass of the Foundation Realm Beast. The Thunder Horn Beast was the size of a truck. It was a rhino-like creature that, even after its death, still causes the Alchemist to experience goosebumps.
’Let’s see if I have enough power to start rending you according to the book.’
Thankfully, this beast is well recorded in the Cloud Sword Sect. It’s a much-needed creature for the sect.
So he pulled out his rendering knife and tried to cut the skin.
At first, he tried purely with Qi infusion. But the skin was ignoring the blade! He even tried to stab...
"...fuck..."
"It’s not that easy. Once one passes the Qi Gathering stage, whether human or beast, one develops a layer of natural protection.
If you want to render it, you will need to reach Foundation Realm yourself." Liu Li said to him as she saw him try to cut it.
"Is that so? Well, this is fine." He shook his head as he placed his hand on the carcass and pulled it back into the storage.
"In that case, I will simply cultivate until that time comes."
"...It would be for the best. Though Mistress Mengxue asked if you could make a weapon for her from one of those bones from the beast." Liu Li reminded him of that.
"Hmm, I am not a miracle maker, but I could try. But I believe that teaching the Cloud Sword Style in person would be a better and faster choice."
The girl perked up when she heard that!
"You are right! You grasped the true meaning just from me practising!" The Fallen Princess got excited just from him mentioning that.
"We can do that once she comes to visit me." He said with a smile, enjoying that happy smile on her face.
"Okay! Until then... You can train me for a bit~." Liu Li said, looking flustered.
"Of course." He motioned for her to follow him.
They went to their usual training spot, which is just away from the house and not far from their favourite tree.
He pulled out his practising sword.
"T-The blade... it doesn’t feel like a training sword anymore!"
"That’s because I’ve been refining it in the most literal sense. The Qi that is flowing through it has been bit by bit changing the weapon into a deadlier version of it." As he explained it, the cloud shimmered into existence around him.
"...you can wield the meaning behind the art so easily," Liu Li commented after seeing him manifest the clouds.
"That’s because you must understand why this art is like that.
Don’t paint the art in your own image. Instead, try to grasp what the founder and the creator of this art tried to say through its swordsmanship."
As Ye Ming said, he began to weave with the training sword in hand as more clouds gathered around him, then rushed forward and burst, causing a ripple-like explosion all over the place.
’So much power... he could easily beat someone above his cultivation. I doubt I would survive it, and I am a small realm above him.’ Liu Li thought with a sweaty forehead as she watched the shockwaves around him.
"Now let’s see if I can teach you to a level of Houtian." He sheathed his blade as he looked at her with a small smile. That smile caused her heart to skip a beat.
"O-Okay, though... I am not that talented." The girl sighed as she walked over, pulling out her sword.
Her family’s loss has permanently traumatised her. She was born with such a pathetic talent that even the enemy thought she was pretending to be a Liu.
"Hah, that is to be decided; most of the time it depends on the teacher." He winked at her, making a slow nod and trying to ignore her emotions.
Even though they DID it twice today already, she shouldn’t be like this! But the longer she is around Ye Ming, the harder it is for her to focus; it’s like she is sticking to every single word he says!
Still, she tried to play along, and somehow it did work. A couple of minutes later, her focus sharpened as she trained with his help.
The Alchemist explained simply and to the point.
They continued from the previous training session, and the explanation of the wind, along with the sword movements, played a key part.
"Well, look at that, you can manifest the clouds already to some extent."
Ye Ming’s comment caused her to stop, as she realised that small ghostly clouds were around her. These clouds were a manifestation of her will and the Qi in the air.
But then she lost focus, and the clouds were gone. They were so fragile that they simply ceased to exist without any shockwaves or bursts of energy.
"A-Amazing, it worked! Let’s try again!" Liu Li immediately tried again.
Going through the motions, they eventually did manifest as she continued to follow the flow of wind.
Soon enough, they grew a bit more solid, rushed forward, and created several bursts of energy.
’That’s where she is wrong. The technique I learned from the sword indicates that the clouds should rush upwards and conjure a blade.
The meaning behind it is that immortals are above the heavens; they can summon blades from the skies and break the sky itself.
That is the arrogance of the Founder, Jian Xuan.
But I guess that this art is just a lesser art of something even greater.’
Ye Ming pondered as he watched Liu Li, excited, almost dancing at achieving this!
"...Umm... I am close to a breakthrough! I can become a Core Member after my breakthrough to Stage Eight of Gathering Qi!" The girl declared to him.
"Congratulations, then you should take a Gathering Qi pill and continue."
"A-Are you sure? It is getting dark..." She looked at the sun in the west as it began to sink on the horizon.
The Alchemist simply shrugged at her.
"Why not? Just continue to practise. Improve your swordsmanship, and I will do the same. It’s not like we have to wake up early tomorrow or something like that." He commented that he realised his Fallen Princess was quite rigid with her rules.
" O-Okay, after the breakthrough..." She fiddled for a bit with her robes as she was imagining something naughty.
"I want to reward you for all the help." The girl said with a blush.
"As you wish. You do know that we share a bed and naughty stuff happens naturally." Ye Ming shook his head as if it was a natural thing, making her roll her eyes at his ’obvious’ behaviour.
"Anyway, we should visit the Contribution Hall and order new furniture and some building materials." The Alchemist said, with a pensive look, as he looked at his house and imagined the extension.
"...And we should get some clean bed sheets." Liu Li casually mentioned that.
"Oh, we do run through clean quite quickly." He smirked as he hinted at something amusing.
"Y-Yes..." She nodded while looking away.
After chatting for a bit, the Alchemist returned to his training as he summoned clouds more easily each time. He was adapting to the swordplay at record speed now that he knew the whole routine.
First was a lash forward, then a swirl, followed by a swing and then swift stabs. The more Ye Ming played, the more he was into it and the more he lost himself in the whole thing.
At some point, he forgot that he was not alone, and he casually went beyond what was Houtian and stepped into the Xiantian Realm, the Jian Heavenly Cloud Sword Style.
The clouds sharpened as they rushed into the sky, becoming literal clouds that turned golden and then shattered, revealing a descending sword.
Though it was missing the raw power, the intent and meaning were there!
’No...No way... what kind of monster are you, Master Ming! That’s not Houtian Realm Cloud Sword Style anymore!’
Liu Li, at that moment, realised that the Alchemist she was following was a literal beast and not some simple Genius talent in Alchemy, but in general!
Though she had no idea that Ye Ming had uncovered Jian Xuan’s legacy, he became its full inheritor.
Regardless, the Fallen Princess was charmed by the sword play, and she tried to follow his play.
After several tries, she felt her Qi surge and spread through her whole body. Slowly, the Qi pathways were nearing completion.
She was getting close to the Foundation Realm!
"Y-Yes! Just in a couple of days, I had another breakthrough!" Liu Li gushed as she pumped her fist.
Obviously, this wouldn’t be easy if not for watching literal Xiantian Realm Swordplay and several Qi Gathering pills!
This was almost like practising in the Holy Lands!
"Congratulations, Liu Li. You have done it." Ye Ming walked over; she could tell a sword aura was around him.
"Yes... But it’s nowhere near you. Haven’t you noticed? Your Qi has been merging with the surroundings; you had a literal Enlightenment. Surging towards Stage Seven of Gathering Qi..." The girl shook her head. She couldn’t believe someone like that was in Western Wilderness; something like that should be in one of the Immortal Sects!
"Oh wow... now that you mention it." He looked at his hand, and the Qi around him turned sharp.
"You are tapping into the Sword Art’s meaning and Intent instinctually." The girl commented on this phenomenon.
Ye Ming looked at his hand.
’So this is what it is...’