Liu Ziyi clenched the aura in his palm, refusing to accept it, and tested it with his spiritual sense once again. However, that distinct repelling sensation told him beyond a doubt that this was demonic energy, which naturally repelled spiritual energy.
Liu Ziyi pursed his lips in silence, pulled over the other strand of energy, and repeated the action. The result he obtained, however, was entirely the opposite.
That was a clear and condensed sword qi, identical to the sharp and brilliant presence Shen Zhuoqing emitted when executing his techniques.
“How can this be? How could a single person possess two different types of energy?”
Muttering to himself, Liu Ziyi abruptly leaped down from the bed and, barefoot, sprinted over to the study at the other end of the bedchamber.
His study was not large. Seven or eight bookshelves were stacked to capacity, and books were scattered all around the floor, leaving only enough clearance for a single person to walk through.
The space where a desk should have been was cleared out to accommodate the overwhelming surplus of books that had nowhere else to go, stacked haphazardly until they formed small mounds. Though somewhat chaotic, it was clear that the room’s owner cherished books, as none of them were tossed about in a messy, helter-skelter fashion.
Liu Ziyi was exceedingly familiar with his bookshelves and possessed a near photographic memory for the books he had read. It did not take him long to locate the texts from his memory that recorded matters concerning the spiritual energy and demonic energy of cultivators.
Yet, after flipping through them for a while, he failed to find any records addressing the issue of demonic energy and spiritual energy coexisting in the same body.
The only related entries merely mentioned the possibility of two different types of spiritual energy appearing within the same person:
Either a single body housing two distinct souls, or dual cultivation within a single body.
The latter was common everywhere; for instance, alchemists often supplemented their practice with the Dao of medicine, resulting in two distinct auras within them.
Shen Zhuoqing obviously did not fall into this category. After all, demonic energy and spiritual energy repel one another; practicing both demon arts and immortal cultivation simultaneously would cause one to explode and die before even reaching the Golden Core stage.
Recalling the various anomalies surrounding Shen Zhuoqing’s return today, Liu Ziyi could not help but suspect the first possibility.
Could the current Shen Zhuoqing no longer be the original Shen Zhuoqing?
If a demon were not residing within his body, such a situation could not possibly occur.
Yet, aside from this trace of aura, Liu Ziyi had no other evidence to substantiate his guess.
Moreover, if demonic energy were truly present within him, how could it ever be his turn, as a mere Golden Core disciple, to notice it?
Shen Zhuoqing stayed constantly by Shen Qing’s side, running back and forth among all the peaks and halls when handling sect affairs. The mighty figures he had to meet in a single day were countless; it was impossible for him to expose himself solely in front of Liu Ziyi.
Just as Liu Ziyi was furrowing his brows in distress, the Xiliu sword he had previously tossed onto the bed quietly slipped out of its scabbard, its low, glowing hum instantly drawing Liu Ziyi’s attention.
In another blink of an eye, Xiliu had floated right in front of Liu Ziyi.
“Didn’t I say it is very dangerous! How dare you still lock me up!”
A naked, limp soft sword waving frantically in front of his eyes was somewhat comical. Liu Ziyi suppressed the smile at the corners of his lips and retorted:
“I told you it is very safe inside the sect! And aren’t you a sword? You are supposed to stay in your scabbard anyway.”
Saying this, Liu Ziyi stood up and grabbed the hilt suspended mid-air. “Besides, I am the sword’s master, your master! Not only did you come out of your scabbard without permission, but now you are even lecturing your master!”
Far from being submissive, Xiliu shook and whipped its body vigorously in the air. The soft sword swayed back and forth, yet it remained firmly grasped in his hand.
Liu Ziyi looked at Xiliu’s struggling form with a hint of amusement. “You have been with me for twenty years; you should know the rule that while the person lives, the sword lives.”
Even if a sword develops a sword spirit, it ultimately cannot break free from a cultivator’s control. No matter how powerful the sword spirit might be, it cannot defy the cultivator who bound it.
The reason Xiliu could sway around and leave its scabbard without permission was simply because Liu Ziyi had not paid close attention.
As he focused his mind slightly to control it now, Xiliu immediately stopped moving and steadied itself.
“Of course I know!”
Xiliu seemed utterly aggrieved. “I have no memory of why I lost my memories, nor do I understand why I came to this strange place and ended up in the hands of a fellow like you!”
“I clearly have zero recollection of the blood-binding ritual with you.”
Seeing that Xiliu genuinely seemed saddened, Liu Ziyi stopped teasing it. He simply let go of the sword, leaving it suspended in mid-air, and said:
“There is nothing to be done, you are just not competent enough.”
Xiliu grew even more despondent, looking as though it was about to retreat into its scabbard to contemplate the meaning of being a sword.
Only then did Liu Ziyi retrieve those two wisps of true qi into his palm and ask: “What was it you planned to say earlier inside the sect’s grand hall?”
Xiliu:
“I, I really do not want to talk to you anymore!”
“Demonic energy! It was that wisp in your hand; I felt a very intense sense of incongruity from it!”
Liu Ziyi frowned, bringing the normal wisp of true qi back before his eyes. He looked it over up and down and muttered in confusion: “Incongruity? What do you mean by incongruity? Is it because it appeared on Senior Brother?”
“No, not because of that. I sensed an aura from that wisp of energy that does not belong to this era.”
“Era?”
Liu Ziyi blinked. “I do not understand.”
He figured Xiliu was just talking nonsense out of boredom. He had not even managed to get any information out of it regarding that Northern Xuan Sword Manor earlier.
“In short, Shen Zhuoqing is very dangerous! Stay away from him.” Xiliu concluded, offering Liu Ziyi no deeper explanation.
“But the one right here is fine…” Liu Ziyi said, shaking the other wisp of true qi.
Unfortunately, Xiliu refused to answer further. If one could see the expression of a sword spirit, it was probably trying to figure out how to save face.
When exactly had he skimmed these two wisps of true qi from Shen Zhuoqing?
Liu Ziyi pointed at his impeccably clean bookshelf.
The wisp containing demonic energy was acquired in the sect’s grand hall, as Shen Zhuoqing’s condition really had seemed extremely abnormal at that time.
The normal wisp was obtained just now while applying medicine.
Failing to arrive at any concrete conclusion, Liu Ziyi gave up.
Let things be for now; he refused to believe that any true demon lord could slip past the oversight of the Fuajian Sect’s grand mountain array and the eyes of his master, Shen Qing.
“Right, about the Sword Manor…”
The sword that ought to have remained silent seemed heavy-minded as it once again brought up the matter of the Northern Xuan Sword Manor.
It seemed this fellow was not joking after all, given how many times it had inquired about it.
Liu Ziyi could only offer words of comfort: “Although there is no progress yet, I will look for an opportunity to ask Xiaoyi about it later.”
Not to mention that Shen Zhuoqing was keeping him cooped up for lessons, Fuai Ye was still furious with Qin Xiaoyi and him for slipping down the mountain to play.
Finally, Xiliu grew quiet on its own and obediently returned to its scabbard.
Only then did Liu Ziyi stand up, stretch lazily, and look out the window at the moonlight. Muttering that it was still early, he pulled a book from the bookshelf to read.
Come to think of it, he was not able to just run down the mountain to carouse whenever he pleased.
Ever since he entered his master’s tutelage, his regular allotment of spiritual stones had been required to be handed over to his Senior Brother for safekeeping. Whatever remained after Shen Zhuoqing doled out the necessary monthly allowance was confiscated to prevent him from running off to play.
During those three years later on, he had hardly ever asked Shen Zhuoqing for spiritual stones, and besides, he could not even find the man!
Fortunately, regarding his sole hobby that could barely be considered refined, both his master and Senior Brother were willing to spend vast sums of spiritual stones on him. Coupled with Qin Xiaoyi, a wealthy young scion of a noble clan and his childhood friend who was always ready to accompany him down the mountain and scatter spiritual stones, Liu Ziyi had never lacked funds to spend.
The various ancient texts and secret manuals on his bookshelves were rare treasures purchased at exorbitant prices.
Many of these books still bore the marginalia left by predecessors.
The book Liu Ziyi randomly pulled happened to record the witchcraft practices of the Gu tribe. When drowsiness finally began to creep up on him, he placed the book right on top of the book mountain.
Gu insects, he was still quite curious about them. After all, those creatures were more commonly found in Northern Xuan and Lingzhou, and were practically extinct here in Luozhou. He had not laid eyes on a single one in all his twenty years.
Perhaps his Senior Brother had been infected by a Gu worm?
Three days later, Shen Zhuoqing discussed the candidates for the martial tournament with Shen Qing just as he had promised, and word of this soon spread.
Up and down the Fuajian Sect, reactions ranged from puzzlement to relief. Some believed Liu Ziyi had fallen from grace, while others thought it was an expression of contempt toward the other disciples.
Overall, however, the majority were pleased.
Liu Ziyi’s abandonment of the opportunity meant that their own chances of participating in the martial assembly had vastly increased.
However, there was always someone who would be the most displeased of all.
Early that morning, Liu Ziyi was rudely awakened by a knock on the door.
Still half-asleep, he rolled over in bed while hugging the Xiliu sword, only to tumble right off the bed and crash heavily onto the floor with a muffled thud.
“Bang!”
Whoever was outside was clearly startled by the noise, calling out his name with heightened volume:
“Xiao-Liu? Xiao-Liu?”
Hearing Shen Zhuoqing’s voice, Liu Ziyi snapped completely awake. Unfortunately, he had no time to answer just yet, scrambling desperately to his feet and picking up the Xiliu sword, which had suffered the brunt of his fall and made the loudest clatter.
“Sorry about that…”
Liu Ziyi’s eyes were too heavy with sleep to open fully, but he still yawned, hugged Xiliu against his chest, patted it, and muttered an apology under his breath.
The next second, the door was abruptly pushed open.
“Are you alright?”
The person who burst in rushed straight to Liu Ziyi, gripped his shoulders to inspect him thoroughly from head to toe, and then reached out to brush away his slightly messy bangs, checking meticulously for any traces of injury.
He looked for all the world as though Liu Ziyi had just been ambushed by an assassin.
With sleep-heavy eyes, dressed only in his undergarments, and his hair hanging loose, Liu Ziyi locked eyes with Shen Zhuoqing. He blinked his blurred eyes hard before he managed to recognize the visitor:
“Senior Brother? What is it?”
Hearing his dazed and sleepy voice, and noticing the bedding that had been dragged down to the floor beside him, Shen Zhuoqing guessed the origin of the strange noise from moments before.
Shen Zhuoqing let out a breath of relief, the frantic heartbeat in his chest calming down as well.
Only then did he seem to snap back to reality, taking two steps back and shaking his head.
The past hallucinations and disordered memories had overlapped again; he had nearly lost his composure once more.
“Nothing…”
“Master was looking for you just now. Today’s morning lessons are postponed for a bit. Get changed and come with me to see Master; he is up on the cliff.”
Hearing this, Liu Ziyi let out a lazy “Oh.”
After Shen Zhuoqing departed, he cast a body-cleansing spell, changed into his robes, and remarked with lingering amusement to Xiliu:
“Senior Brother still keeps his old habits. Xiao-Liu, Xiao-Liu, it sounds like the name of a little brat.”
Besides, rushing in just because of a muffled thud was making entirely too much fuss over nothing.
Recalling that panicked look on his face, Liu Ziyi could not help clicking his tongue in wonder.
Never mind, over the past few days his tolerance level for Shen Zhuoqing, who had grown so strange ever since returning from Lingzhou, had improved immensely!
After tidying up, Liu Ziyi stepped outside and followed Shen Zhuoqing all the way up to the Wind and Snow Cliff peak.
From afar, the figure of the black-robed sword cultivator could be seen standing atop the summit. His wild, cascading white hair fluttered gently in the wind, his slender silhouette as lofty and immovable as a stone statue.
Shen Qing glanced sideways at the two of them. He possessed a face seventy percent similar to Shen Zhuoqing’s, but unlike Shen Zhuoqing’s delicate brows and eyes, Shen Qing’s features were much more open and bright. Even though he was already over three hundred years old, he still retained his youthful appearance from the time he attained the Golden Core stage.
“Lingji, Mingxiu.”
“Master, your disciple is here.” The two answered in unison, bowing with cupped hands.
Only then did Shen Qing turn around, walking down from the cliff edge: “I heard from Lingji that Mingxiu’s condition has been less than ideal lately, and he does not plan to participate in this tournament.”
A faint smile hung on his face, a far cry from the stern chill he wore before the snow. He reached out to press down their cupped hands:
“This is the first time for Master to learn that Lingji would care for Mingxiu in such a manner. I suppose a separation of half a month feels like three autumns.”
Hearing the intentionally emphasized word “care,” Liu Ziyi understood that Master was already aware of his little scheme.
There was no such thing as a poor condition; it was simply an excuse to slack off.
Fortunately, Master was much easier to talk to than Senior Brother. Realizing from these words that he would not be reprimanded, Liu Ziyi grew bolder and laughed it off:
“Ah, what are you saying, Master? Senior Brother has always been the best to me as a junior brother! We have a wonderful relationship.”
“Yes, and I wonder who it was in the past who ran to Master every single day demanding justice, claiming that Senior Brother was bullying him.”
As soon as those words left his lips, Liu Ziyi felt a burning gaze land on the side of his face.
The smile on Liu Ziyi’s face only deepened as his dimples curved. He said to Shen Qing: “Let us not dredge up the past, let us not dredge up the past! Surely Master did not summon us here just for this, right?”
If this continued, Liu Ziyi felt his good senior brother would stare a hole right through him.
Fortunately, Shen Qing stopped joking as well. Pulling back his smile, he said with a serious expression: “Of course not, but it is related to the martial tournament.”
“Once the news of Mingxiu not participating in this assembly was spread out, the mountain gates received inquiries from all sides, along with a transmission letter from Chou Zaiqi of the Vibrating Blade Sect.”
With that, Shen Qing produced an unopened, sealed letter and handed it to Liu Ziyi.
“Chou Zaiqi sent this to me?”
Liu Ziyi was somewhat surprised as he took the letter, though upon reflection, it seemed reasonable enough.
That guy was probably the most disappointed among the elites of that batch. After all, he was the kind of fellow who went around shouting that you are my only opponent.
Just thinking about it gave Liu Ziyi a headache.
He broke the seal of the transmission letter in front of the two of them, scanning through it roughly before his brows gradually knit together.
“How is it?” Shen Zhuoqing inquired.
Liu Ziyi crushed the transmission letter, turning everything into a flurry of light points that vanished into mid-air.
He pressed his lips together, turned his head, and said:
“Chou Zaiqi says he will wait for me at the mountain gate. He hopes I can meet with him.
He wants to know whether my physical indisposition is real or if I am shrinking from battle out of cowardice.”