Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 175 - 168 Exchange Part 2

Chapter 175: Chapter 168 Exchange Part 2

"Big Brother, I am not a magnanimous woman like Sister Lingling," Lin Xinyuan said softly, "I like you; I’m not open-minded, but I admire Sister Lingling. So, I just wait without competing with her for you. It’s not that I can’t; it’s that I don’t want to."

As she spoke these words, her expression was faintly resolute.

Lin Xin looked up at her, not understanding why she would say this.

"But I look down upon An Ying. What does it matter if she has talent? If she truly loved you, Big Brother, how could she not endure sharing your company with Sister Lingling?" Lin Xinyuan’s expression grew colder as she spoke of An Ying. "Sister Lingling sacrificed everything for you, Big Brother, and died without regret. What has An Ying done? Merely causing a scene at the wedding banquet? Just because she is your first love, does she think she can be willful, expecting everything to revolve around her without considering the feelings of others?"

"Stop talking. She’s not like that."

Lin Xin closed his eyes and spoke in a low voice.

"Why shouldn’t I speak? Even though Sister Lingling has left us, she hoped for your happiness and wanted you to reconcile with her, so you wouldn’t be lonely. But what about her? Has she shown herself again all these years?" Lin Xinyuan’s voice was tinged with coldness. "And yet, you still can’t forget her!"

Lin Xin had nothing to say in response.

"Granted, in the beginning, Big Brother, you were the one who broke your promise, but her reaction was too much, wasn’t it? If she truly loved you, wouldn’t she understand your difficulties? Sister Lingling’s injuries were severe; she couldn’t hold on for long. But An Ying was different; her cultivation was growing stronger by the day; she could have been with you for a long time, yet she couldn’t even wait a bit longer..." Lin Xinyuan’s tone became increasingly icy.

"Enough."

Lin Xin stood up.

"Yuanyuan, you are tired. Go rest first."

Lin Xinyuan also stood up, looking unwaveringly at him for a while, but all she saw were Lin Xin’s closed eyes.

"Big Brother, when I like someone, I don’t let go easily."

She strode to the doorway, and just before leaving, she paused in her steps.

"I am not like my sister."

The sound of her footsteps receded.

Lin Xin stood there in the same spot, motionless for a long time.

He never expected that over the years, Yuanyuan would develop such a character...

******************************

"Hahaha! Wang Dongxie, haven’t seen you for days, and you’ve put on weight again!"

In a snowy region belonging to the Four Sects, where snowflakes swirled and an endless icy plain spread out. Gaping fissures and canyons snaked through the land like scars on the earth, stretching wide.

A massive wooden ship glided slowly across the snow-covered ground, as if swimming through water. Volumes of white steam were expelled from both sides to serve as propulsion, pushing the vessel forward. Silvery formation patterns shimmered and flowed continuously along the hull.

From a distance high in the sky, it looked like a little black fish swimming leisurely through the white snowy canvas.

A large yellow sail was hoisted on the ship, emblazoned with the character for "wind."

A hearty laugh came from aboard the ship.

"Zhao Yunfeng, long time no see. Has your daughter grown up? My son has been waiting so long that the flowers are about to wilt!"

"Pah! My daughter is as beautiful as a flower and will stay young forever. Your son, with his ghastly looks, would have to be lucky for even a ghost bride to consider being his partner!" The previous voice suddenly became irritated.

"Nonsense, my son ugly? So what if his nostrils are a bit large? Does that make him ugly?" A group of people from the ship gathered at the edge. Speaking was the leader, a white-cloaked elder with a full head of silver hair and a ruddy complexion. The distinctive feature was his huge nostrils, each as big as an egg and dominating nearly the entire middle of his face, taking up the space where others have a nose bridge.

"Has the old fart from the Wind-Riding Sect arrived yet?" In the distant sky, a massive white cloth, several hundred meters wide, was slowly gliding towards them—dozens of white-robed qi cultivators seated neatly on top, each with a plum blossom emblem on their chest.

"Is it the Plum Blossom Sect’s Daoist comrades? Could it be the Plum Blossom Fairy herself who graces us with her presence?" The elder on the ship looked up and asked.

"The Honored Master is still immersed in the Taoist arts, this inspection can be conducted by me," a woman in a white dress on the flying carpet said indifferently.

"The sister also came?" The elder’s expression lightened immediately, and he hurriedly put on a smile, while the disciples around him looked embarrassed.

The Supreme Elder of the Wind-Riding Sect had a well-known fondness for the Plum Blossom Sect Master Ruofeng, which wasn’t a secret in the Four Sects’ territories. It was just that the sight of the elder warmly approaching the cold-hearted caused some loss of face.

"Why isn’t the Flying Locust Needle coming? Scared to see me?" On another side, a dazzling sword light shot from the distance and touched down, turning into a figure. Immediately behind her, with hissing sounds, a series of colossal swords appeared, their blades emerging from the void before flipping to reveal more figures dressed in white.

The blades then shrank and slipped into their sleeves. All were at the Foundation Establishment Stage or higher.

The one who spoke first was the woman who landed. Her skin was as white as snow, her hair cascaded over her shoulders, and around her forehead, she wore a circlet of white gold. The hem of her white dress billowed with the faint sound of wind chimes.

"So, it’s the Pine Forest Sword Sect’s Fairy Yuzhu who has arrived. My preceptor had an unexpected matter and went to the Tilted Space to analyze a formation," replied the Sect Master Ruofeng of the Plum Blossom Sect with a hint of respect.

Fairy Yuzhu snorted coldly, closed her eyes, and began to meditate, not bothering to engage with the other two sects.

The elder on the ship, noticing that some of his companions were showing displeasure with Fairy Yuzhu’s attitude, quickly explained,

"Fairy Yuzhu’s cultivation is on par with our three Great Elders, and her Jade Bamboo Sword Formation that she has sacrificed to refine is one of the strongest among us Daoist Masters in this region. Among us here, even if the other three joined forces, we might not be able to defeat her. She is known to be cold on the outside but warm on the inside; if anyone from the Four Sects is in trouble, she will strive to help them. Many Daoist Masters from my Wind-Riding Sect have been saved by her. So, you should not judge a person by their appearance alone."

"We naturally know of the Fairy’s reputation, it’s just that..." a man whispered, his words trailing off as a sudden, violent explosion ripped through the distance.

The people of the Four Sects all looked up, their eyes turning towards the direction of the sound.

They saw the sky and clouds burst open, creating a massive hole. Clumps of cloud fell from the sky, condensing into a cloud formation that was quite large and rolling rapidly towards them.

Before long, the clouds settled on the snowy ground, slowly dissipating to reveal a strong black horse with eagle wings on its back.

The horse was pulling an open carriage, on which stood several people, all dressed as scholarly white-haired men, with no visible weapons on their persons.

"A flying horse carriage, could it be that the Daoists from the Heavenly Cloud Way have arrived?" Fairy Yuzhu was the first to speak.

"Fairy Yuzhu, it’s been a hundred years, have you been well?" the middle-aged scholar at the forefront of the flying horse carriage said with a smile.

"You flatter me, Daoist Wei."

"Now why would I flatter anyone? Fairy, you still exude an extraordinary aura, and your Immortal Melody remains elegant. It seems your cultivation has greatly improved," said Daoist Wei with a smile.

"And to the friends of the other three sects, my respects to you all," he said, giving the crowd a slight bow as a form of courtesy.

The crowd hurriedly returned the gesture, laughing to themselves—the fact that this man could speak as an equal to Fairy Yuzhu, who had achieved Golden Core Perfection, was a testament to his own strength. Paying respects to such a revered figure was a matter of cultivation manners; to not respond would be a breach of courtesy.

"Gathering everyone here serves to set the tone for our investigation into the Cleanse," Daoist Wei stated plainly. "The Insect Queen’s monster forces are numerous, and they’ve caught a gap in the weakened Yang membrane. I will lead the forces of the Four Sects here, and for this assembly, I ask for everyone’s combined effort!"

The Wind-Riding Sect’s big-nosed old man, Wang Dongxie, nodded.

"With Daoist Wei and Fairy Yuzhu leading the way, this inspection is bound to go smoothly."

"You are too kind, Brother Wang," said Daoist Wei with a humble smile. "And what of the friends from the Golden Jade Sect?"

He looked around but did not see anyone from the Golden Jade Sect.

"Even Daoist Wei cannot see them?" Suddenly, a sheet of fabric that seemed to blend into the snow was thrown aside, revealing a group of people underneath. They were all clad in white robes with golden embroidery, clearly Qi Cultivators from the Golden Jade Sect.

The man at the forefront had a long goat’s beard and his features were lean and noble.

"Is that a new stealth garment your sect has developed?" Daoist Wei’s eyes lit up.

"Indeed," replied Zhao Yunfeng of the Golden Jade Sect with a smile. "We’ve finally completed the stealth garments modeled after those from the Void Sword Cave, not failing our mission!"

"Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!" exclaimed Daoist Wei, his voice reverberating through the snowfield and causing the clouds overhead to seem to disperse slightly. The expressions of the two people beside him also displayed a hint of joy. They were all deeply moved.

**********************

In July of the Underworld’s 5358th year, the Southern Estate’s Insect Queen emerged. Cultivators from various sects converged under the summons of the Heavenly Cloud Way to encircle and suppress her, while also reallocating high-level combat forces from around the region.

In the Two-Faced Kingdom of the Dark Estate.

A meandering stream flowed gently like a snake through the grassland, its clarity reflecting the faint moonlight.

Lin Xin stood by the water’s edge, quietly waiting for someone who might come.

The constant chirping of insects rose and fell, and occasionally, a grassland mouse could be seen darting through the grass.

Woo~~~

The howling of grassland wolves came from afar.

Lin Xin raised his head, looking in the direction of the howls.

"You’ve been waiting a while."

Suddenly, a voice rose slowly from behind him.

Lin Xin turned sharply, looking over his shoulder, only to see a man with a ghost-faced white mask standing behind him – a figure who had appeared out of nowhere.

"Are you Pudu Sheng?"

"It’s me," the man nodded. "Shall we proceed with the transaction now?"

"Where are the texts I requested?" Lin Xin remained unmoved.

"Right here." Pudu Sheng took out several red Jade Slips and waved them. "The ’Nine Morning Melody,’ ’Iron Wall Torrent,’ ’Giant Manta’s Vast Sands Technique,’ ’Banquet Art,’ all meant for Body Refinement, and one for Qi Cultivation, though I cannot guarantee success. The ’Giant Manta’s Vast Sands Technique’ is rumored to be a Demon Race technique, extremely lethal, focusing on the Dharma Body."

Lin Xin narrowed his eyes. "Are all these techniques complete, from the lowest to the highest level? What about the success rates and talent requirements?"

"We didn’t agree on that in advance," said Pudu Sheng, displeased.

"Fair enough. Do you have any complete swordsmanship techniques from the major sects?" Lin Xin asked, nodding nonchalantly.

"There are indeed, but it depends on whether you dare to take them," Pudu Sheng said with a slight smile. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)