Twin Dimension Yin-Yang Mirror: Attaining immortality through the martial path
Chapter 389 - 349

Chapter 389: 349

"But..."

Xiao Ju was utterly perplexed.

At the same time, she was also extremely worried about her young mistress’s condition.

Although she was not very old, having been picked up by the Green Lady three or four years ago, perhaps because of their similar past experiences, the Green Lady treated this girl particularly well.

Moreover, she taught her some of the martial arts she had learned and occasionally shared stories from the Jianghu.

Officially, it was a master-servant relationship, but in actuality, it was not much different from that of mentor and disciple.

For this reason, not only did Xiao Ju feel particularly close and reverent toward the Green Lady, but she was also fiercely loyal.

Even when the Scattered Flower Celestial Maiden, Bai He, tortured her so, she did not reveal a single secret about the Green Lady, and she said not a word about the affairs of Qingyang City.

Undergoing torture, she wished only for a swift death, unwilling to let her young mistress’s efforts be wasted.

"Actually, this servant thinks that Magistrate Zhou’s martial arts are unmatched, and he may not be afraid of the schemes within the sect."

Xiao Ju was no fool.

Contrarily, she understood her young mistress’s heart even better than her mistress understood herself.

Sometimes, she would see her mistress holding a painting and laughing foolishly, or sitting in front of the dressing table with no interest in applying makeup, instead reading a piece of poetry with an unconscious sweet smile on her face, looking blissfully happy.

Other times, she would sit quietly by the window, playing the zither.

A hint of melancholy lingered between her brows.

The music sounded plaintive and yearning, as if she missed something.

Those who didn’t know any better might think that the Green Lady’s varying moods were not unusual.

But as someone who served her day in and day out,

Xiao Ju knew some secrets.

Love and the art of forgetting are two sides of the same coin.

How can one forget the past without having experienced something unforgettable?

The mistress dared not fall in love or have feelings, wishing only to grow quietly like a wild chrysanthemum in the mountains and forests; if so, her cultivation technique would be misguided.

It is precisely because she is unwilling to forget those precious, memorable people and events,

that she simply refrains from becoming emotionally involved.

Yet human emotions often elude self-control; sometimes, when one believes they have become detached and no longer entangled,

they are actually deeply lovesick and emotionally rooted.

"Young Master Zhou has finally stabilized the situation there, dispatching troops and solidifying Qingyang City’s defenses, requiring his presence to remain central, and must not act recklessly.

At such a time, if he knew I was risking danger, wouldn’t that put him in an unjust position, putting the common people in peril?"

Indeed, Qingyang City was well-armed and well provisioned; in fact, if one overlooked the factor of skilled fighters, in normal battle conditions, it was nearly impregnable.

A mere county had nearly a hundred thousand able-bodied individuals, and everyone practiced martial arts.

Though they were only beginners, thanks to the ample food supply and the practice of martial arts that were easy to start and showed quick results, they quickly formed a combat force.

Apart from being unseasoned in the face of life-or-death battles, these people were mostly green; even to the critical eyes of the Green Lady, these eighty thousand or so young men could be considered decent soldiers.

What’s more, Tang Lin’er, who was in charge of leading the troops, had a talent for command and training.

She managed to make the Three Talents Formation fairly proficient in just half a month, and her troops had already developed an air of being an elite force.

A city like this.

Facing the Red Lotus Army’s ragtag bunch, without two or three times its forces, it would be very difficult to take over in a short time.

However, gaining momentum in the battlefield is complex, and if victory could be determined solely by the number or quality of soldiers, that would be simple.

But this world has sects and factions, and also martial heroes from the Jianghu.

True powerhouses can change the course of a war.

Qingyang City is indeed formidable and seems a tough nut to crack, but it has one significant vulnerability that has been difficult to solve.

This power has risen too quickly, and the generals leading the troops are yet to mature.

There’s only one linchpin: the leader, Zhou Ping’an.

If something were to happen to Zhou Ping’an,

The seemingly formidable force would quickly dissipate, scattered to the wind by the rain.

Become powerless to resist.

The Green Lady knew better than anyone that Qingyang City with Zhou Ping’an in charge was an entirely different proposition not having him there.

Especially after experiencing the defeats of Fang Buping, Granny Yan, and the death of the Scattered Flower Celestial Maiden, anyone who wanted to covertly target Qingyang City would have to think twice.

In such circumstances, if she were to provoke a battle to rescue her sister, was Zhou Ping’an to go or not to go?

No doubt, this was presenting him with an enormous dilemma.

Not going would seem somewhat callous, lacking in righteousness.

Going, on the other hand, could put Qingyang City in jeopardy.

The key issue was that the trap was clearly set for fishing, yet to blindly bite the bait seemed foolish.

One careless move, and she herself might be broken by it.

After all, heading to East Mountain, that was the enemy’s home ground, making it easy to fall under the siege of rival experts.

By then, with few if any allies by her side, escape would be difficult.

With these thoughts,

The Green Lady looked at the evening sky and let out a long sigh, her expression becoming serene.

She wrote a letter and handed it to Xiao Ju.

"Wait until dawn tomorrow before you ask to see Brother Zhou. Going too early won’t do; I fear he’ll be unable to hold back and will want to help me, following me into danger.

Going too late also won’t do...

The fifteen thousand of the Green Scale Army, personally selected and trained by me, have been with me for a while and could be put to good use. Arranging a replacement to take over command sooner rather than later will ensure no delay in important matters."

This was preparing for her possible demise.

The more nonchalant the Green Lady spoke,

The more pained Xiao Ju felt inside.

She pouted, her voice barely concealing a sobbing tone, "Miss, can’t you just not go?"

"Silly child, if one day I were trapped and tortured, would you come to rescue me?"

"I definitely would rescue you, even if it cost me my life."

Xiao Ju declared loudly, patting her chest.

Green Lady smiled, gently touched Xiao Ju’s hair, and whispered, "I would do the same."

...

The night had grown deep.

Zhou Ping’an hadn’t rested.

With his physique and spirit, he only needed to sleep for two shichen a day to be refreshed and vigorous, maintaining his peak condition all day long.

Of course, if there was an emergency, he could also go several days and nights without rest, contending with enemies.

And his mind wouldn’t be muddled.

Of course, there was no need for that now.

He just wanted to seize the time to refine a few pieces of "Starry Bone."

After experiencing the powerful force of Lady Feng Jiu’s Starlight Infusion in the Trial Illusion Realm, he regarded the "Starlight Body Refining Technique" with great importance.

In the depths of his soul, he had an inkling that this technique for Body Refinement might very well be his best path for overtaking others on the road to power.

The path of Qi Refinement required gradual accumulation, breaking through barriers, taking pills to boost Qi, then refining the mind to open orifices, each step being a checkpoint, each more difficult than the last.

Even with his abundance of resources, speeding up this process wasn’t that simple.

Others had been cultivating for decades or even a century.

There were even some old fogies hidden within Sects and families, not dying for hundreds of years.

No one knew how many trump cards each power had up their sleeves.

Once these people appeared, how could he possibly compete with them?

His master Su Lianxue had once mentioned that over the past hundred years, there had been a decline in spiritual mechanism, and she had not heard of anyone breaking through to the True Martial Realm.

Back then, Zhou Ping’an hadn’t fully grasped the additional implications of her words.

He merely felt a great increase in his sense of security.

He thought that if the world were competing for dominance, and the process of Gaining Momentum involved fighting, the strongest were only at the Mortal Rank Ninth Refinement stage, it wouldn’t be too dangerous.

With his many cards to play and rapid cultivation progress, he only needed to lay low for a while before he could test his skills against the heroes of the world.

However, after entering the Trial Illusion Realm twice, Zhou Ping’an had gained quite a few benefits, and he also started to wonder.

"If it’s true that there are no more powerful experts left in the world, then how does the Nine Sons Subduing Demon Trial Secret Realm come into existence?

What’s more, who is overseeing its operation? Who is issuing the Heavenly Wisdom Divine Light?"

Choosing an heir should follow a basic principle.

That is, who is choosing?

Why choose?

Is it to defeat a formidable enemy, or to ensure the continuation of one’s lineage?

This is all an unknown.

But regardless, Zhou Ping’an understood one thing.

The reclusive expert behind this miraculous Trial Secret Realm certainly exists...

This person is not only real but also shrouded in secrecy, covertly selecting and picking candidates. What the reasons are, becomes clear with a little thought.

They are certainly not keen on revealing themselves in public, to avoid drawing the attention of powerful enemies that might disrupt their plans.

With that being said,

Zhou Ping’an now knew of at least two unfathomably profound beings.

One is the master of the Nine Sons Subduing Demon Trial Secret Realm.

The other, or perhaps several others, are the enemies they wish to confront or elude.

If these two forces exist, then in this vast world, under the vast starry sky, could there be even more indeterminable experts hidden away?

It was at this moment that he once again recalled what his master Su Lianxue had said, those words of warning.

"Within a hundred years, no one has ascended to the True Martial Realm..."

Could it imply that a hundred years ago, there were people who broke through to the True Martial Realm, and not just a few?

Then what about two hundred years ago?

Three hundred years ago...

Bear in mind that ancient texts record True Martial Realm experts living up to four hundred years.

What are these old fogies doing; just waiting for death in seclusion?

That’s definitely not the case.

Perhaps they are enjoying life or quietly waiting for the right time.

These individuals, each dominant in their own way, typically do not have any cause to act.

They surely would not fight over trivial gains to the death.

But now is different.

A resurgence of spiritual mechanisms heralds the coming of a grand age, opportunities have begun to appear once more.

Gaining Momentum and accumulating fortune is related to advancing further and reaching beyond.

Will these individuals continue to hide?

Definitely not.

Therefore, guided by the principle of "expecting peace but preparing for danger,"

Zhou Ping’an felt that his current abilities, in reality, were far from worth boasting about.

He needed to prepare some life-saving trump cards.

And this "Starlight Body Refining Technique" might just be the asset he could rely on to protect and save his life.

..........