Chapter Twenty-One: The Girl Ming Xue Er

  Everyone help out a bit, strive to rush to the home page, just short of ten names!

  Duan Qingyun and the two of them left, leaving only Lu Qing alone at Mingyue Lake. Every day, he practiced his sword skills, cultivating the Xuanyi Heart Sutra along with the Lianhun Jue. He went to the bi-weekly discussion on time without fail. At this time, more than 50 inner sect disciples of Chaoyang Peak, except for some who had gone out on a mission from the sect, were left with only over 30 people. Perhaps it was because there were fewer inner sect disciples on Chaoyang Peak that some rules were quite relaxed. In addition to the inner sect disciples who could enter and sit, outer sect disciples were also allowed to listen in on the side.

  This was a relatively calm month for Lu Qing, although it was calm, it allowed him to have a more peaceful state of mind to comprehend the sword path. The sword energy in his dantian and qihai accumulated rapidly and steadily, and his sword techniques became increasingly mature. As he practiced the Lianhun Jue, his shentinglei and shihai became clearer and more transparent day by day. According to Lu Qing's estimation, with about two more months of accumulation and refinement, he could try to establish his foundation.

  As Duan Qingyun left, Lu Qing gradually learned to roast snow fish. Although it wasn't as delicious and refreshing as Duan Qingyun's cooking, he found a different kind of enjoyment in it. It wasn't that he was greedy or had a big appetite, but the snow fish really helped with his Xianyuan Qi cultivation. So, Lu Qing persisted in eating a few every day. Strangely, now that autumn had gradually arrived, the snow fish in Mingyue Lake didn't seem to decrease at all. In fact, Lu Qing recently noticed that large batches of crystal-clear fish eggs had appeared in the lake again, as if the change in seasons held no significance for them.

  He was satisfied with eating a foot-long snow fish, and while the warmth was still there, he sat down by the pond for a while to relieve the fatigue of his day's practice. Lu Qing stood up and weighed the Heart Refining Sword in his hand, which was now much lighter. It wasn't that the weight of the Heart Refining Sword had decreased, but rather that Lu Qing's physical strength and bones had become even stronger through his training.

  Walking along the winding path, I have to say that Mingyue Pond is hidden. Although it's said that the hundred-meter-high waterfall falls down and deafens people, after passing through several small paths, it strangely disappears from view. Moreover, the waterfall is almost suspended in a crevice on the half-mountain waist of Chaoyang Peak, which is truly another world. If not for Duan Qingyun accidentally falling down when he encountered danger earlier, ordinary people would really be unable to find it.

  As Lu Qing was about to return to the mountain road at the waist of the mountain, his mind suddenly tightened and he dodged behind a tall maple tree that two people could hug.

  "It's them," Lu Qing muttered to himself, and two people slowly walked down the mountain path. They were none other than Taiyun, with whom he had a past encounter, and Gong Yangyu, who had given him his first great humiliation in life. The two strolled down together, their voices carrying from afar.

  "Tai Shixiong, I heard from the brothers who returned from Wai Shi Tang that a Thunder Python about to cross its tribulation has appeared in Beast Ruins."

  "Lei Mang! Are you talking about the fourth-order spiritual beast, Lei Mang?" Tai Yun's eyes revealed a hint of surprise, and his originally crossed hands tightened slightly.

  Gong Yangyu hastily explained: "It's indeed the Lei Mang, but since the discovered disciple's cultivation is not high, I didn't dare to get too close. I just rushed back to report to the sect. I heard that the sect will take action in about a month, so as not to leak the news and let Qing Yu and Fu Yun two sects know, which would lead to changes again."

  "Is that so," Taiyun's eyes sparkled, and his index finger habitually rubbed against the cuff of his cyan-gray martial robe. "Among the five main peaks of our Purple Mist Sect, only my Chaoyang Peak and Master Ming's Xuanxuan Peak have third-grade Guardian Beasts. It seems that this time, there will be some consideration."

  Gong Yangyu's heart skipped a beat as he heard this, and he carefully said: "What Shifu means is..."

  "Hehe, I didn't mean anything, did you?" Taiyun asked with an inexplicable smile in his eyes.

  Gong Yangyu was taken aback at first, and then the two of them burst out laughing together. After the two walked away, Lu Qing emerged from behind the tree, deep in thought for a moment. Lu Qing's eyes sparkled with ripples, but soon calmed down again, shaking his head as he headed towards the Chao Yang Palace on the mountain.

  By the time the sun was setting in the west, they had almost arrived at Chao Yang Palace. Along the way, Lu Qing saw few disciples returning from their cultivation, which made him somewhat perplexed. However, he did see many outer sect disciples moving about outside, seemingly preparing for something.

  "What's going on?" Lu Qing asked, grabbing a disciple who was holding a basket of fresh honey oranges outside the door.

  Upon seeing the large sword with a plaque-like design on its back, this sixteen or seventeen-year-old youth immediately realized that Lu Qing was almost a household name throughout Chaoyang Peak. After the incident involving Ninth Brother Taiyun, few people in Chaoyang Palace didn't recognize Lu Qing. Moreover, his nearly clumsy and unrefined large sword had become even more well-known by now, making him the subject of private discussions among the outer disciples of Chaoyang Palace during their leisure time. Although it wasn't exactly ridicule, Lu Qing's identity was still there, and despite his low cultivation level, he couldn't be compared to just any ordinary outer disciple.

  He didn't dare to be slow, and the young man hastily replied: "The top has ordered that a few important guests will come to Lianyun Peak, and we are asked to go to the tea garden to pick some new tea, and to the fruit garden to pick some newly ripe fruits. It is said that tonight, the peak master will personally entertain them."

  "Mount Lingyun?" Lu Qing's face showed a hint of surprise, recalling the conversation between Tai Yun and his companion just now. Could it be because of that Thunder Python?

  "What's wrong?" The young man looked at the new inner sect disciple in front of him with some caution, who was actually only twelve years old but as tall as himself. Even the honey orange in his arms was slightly shaking. Among the major peaks, if an outer sect disciple offended an inner sect disciple, they would almost have no future prospects.

  "It's all right, you can go now." His expression returned to calmness, Lu Qing waved his hand and let the anxious young man leave.

  "Am I that scary?" Lu Qing muttered to himself, watching the young monk quickly leave. He didn't know about the difficulties of these outer sect disciples, and he had only been on the mountain for a short time. Some things just needed time to be revealed.

  "Hey, your sword is really big, it's so interesting!" Just as Lu Qing was puzzled, a clear and melodious female voice came from behind him.

  Turning back, Lu Qing was stunned. What a girl! The lingering sunset made Lu Qing's eyes dazed. "White jade as bones, winter snow as skin, empty and clever, empty valley orchid mysterious" Lu Qing muttered to himself.

  The girl was apparently annoyed at Lu Qing's silly expression, and she put her hands on her waist and scolded: "Silly boy, what are you staring at!"

  "Ah, you're talking about me," the girl's words startled him, and Lu Qing quickly came to his senses. Almost at the same time, the Soul Refining Technique started to circulate, and his eyes rapidly regained their clarity, calming down the turmoil that had suddenly surged up in his heart.

  "Don't you think your expression just now was silly?" The girl's rosy mouth corners slightly raised, a pair of watery eyes showing a hint of slyness.

  "Heh," he chuckled lightly, and Lu Qing didn't mind the girl's teasing. In his eyes, the girl's emerald green waistcoat, with a blue scabbard hanging behind her back, and a white silk fragrance bag hanging from the hilt of the sword, gave off a soft and delicate aura that mixed with the sharpness of the sword, making her look about the same age as him. However, Lu Qing faintly sensed a sharp and fierce aura emanating from the girl, which subtly gave him a slight sense of pressure.

  Sword aura! Lu Qing believed his feelings, that sharp aura was indeed sword aura. Having seen many disciples of Chaoyang Peak, he was naturally familiar with this sharpness. It was the sword aura that only a swordsman who had completed his foundation could possess when his temperament became one with the sword. Looking at the girl's body, which still couldn't fully contain her sharp aura, Lu Qing guessed that she must have recently established her foundation.

  "Your sword is really interesting, I've never seen one so big before. Can I take a look?" The girl said as she stretched out her hand to grab the Lian Xin on Lu Qing's back, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

  The girl's boldness and naivety caused Lu Qing to put down his hand, which had been slightly raised. Just as the girl grabbed the hilt of the sword, wanting to pull out the Heart Refining Sword, a voice like a gentle spring breeze with a hint of majesty came from afar: "Ming Xue'er, if you continue to be so mischievous, your Shifu won't bring you out next time." The words were as clear as if they had been spoken right beside Lu Qing's ear, causing him to feel a great shock in his heart. The newcomer's cultivation was extremely deep, and from the sound of her voice, it could be seen that she had already mastered her cultivation to an extremely high level.

  "Not good, it's Yi Shijie!" Hearing the voice, the young girl sprang up like a startled rabbit, not even bothering to take Lu Qing's Lian Xin, and flashed towards the gate of Chaoyang Palace.

  What made Lu Qing strange was that the two outer disciples guarding the gate did not block him at all, and their expressions seemed to have known each other for a long time. Was it? With some guesses in his heart, combined with the understanding just now, the girl's identity was about to come out.

  As Lu Qing watched the girl's departing figure, she seemed to sense something and suddenly stopped, her long black hair fluttering with half of it tied up by a yellow ribbon. She turned her head towards Lu Qing, stuck out her tongue and said loudly: "My name is Ming Xue'er, remember it, I will definitely take your sword——"

  Some people couldn't help but rub their noses, and it seemed that this person didn't intend to ask for his opinion at all. However, in the blink of an eye, Lu Qing turned his gaze back, and two elegant blue-clad women were walking towards him with slow steps. The two women were about twenty years old, one with skin as white as snow, a clear and beautiful face, although not as stunning as Ming Xue'er just now, but also not far off, and the space between her eyebrows seemed to exude a unique heroic spirit, compared to the ordinary-looking woman beside her, giving off a sense of standing out from the crowd.

  "Jiashi's misty peak and green water sword are still here. Please, this junior brother, lead us to see Master Xuanqing, we have important matters to discuss."

  Lu Qing's eyes shifted, and he saw the white waist card held up by the woman's jade hand. The waist card was pure white, smooth and round, with two black characters "Xian Yun" engraved on it, which was the identity card of Xianyun Peak's inner sect disciples. Lu Qing also had this kind of white waist card, so he recognized it. In contrast, outer sect disciples also had waist cards, but they were made of black iron, and there were many other differences in terms of attire, residence, and more between outer sect disciples and inner sect disciples.

  This was the master who had just spoken, Lu Qing thought to himself. The inner sect indeed has hidden dragons and crouching tigers. This young woman already has such cultivation at such a young age, it's clear that she will have a great future ahead of her. Thinking this in his mind, Lu Qing spoke up: "Both of you please follow me." After finishing speaking, he took the lead and headed towards the Chao Yang Palace.

  Yi Ru looked thoughtfully at Lu Qing's back, put away her waist card, and the two followed Lu Qing into Chaoyang Palace, walking in the direction of Chaoyang Hall. Lu Qing knew that was where Xuan Qing usually practiced, if not for closed cultivation, he would not normally leave.