Editor: Henyee Translations
âGreen Duckweed Sword?â Ling Yunpo frowned as he spoke.
âRight.â The Green Duckweed Sword responded.
âAh Jing!â Ling Yunpo didnât pay attention to her but instead asked the Kunlun Mirror, âIs what she said true?â
âOr else could it be false?â Green Duckweed Sword said, âIsnât that right, Yao Yao?â
âWhat the heck is a âYao Yaoâ!â Kunlun Mirror voiced a protest.
âIn the Western Motherâs Palace, the mirror atop Jade Pond Platform is called âYao Yaoâ. Whatâs wrong with calling you âYao Yaoâ?â Green Duckweed Sword said with a laugh.
âBy that logic, I should be calling you âJian Jianâ.â Kunlun Mirror rarely made such a retort.
âOK then, although it doesnât sound as nice as Qing Ping, no problem,â Green Duckweed Sword said, not minding at all.
Seeing that Kunlun Mirror had no rebuttal, Ling Yunpo spoke up again:
âQing Ping, what just Rank are you? Whatâs your Attribute? What Daoist Magic do you have?â
âRank?â Green Duckweed Sword sounded surprised, âAm I not an Immortal Sword?â
âThe Heavenly Stem Sword Casting Method only became popular eight thousand years ago; by that calculation, youâre currently a Tenth Rank,â Kunlun Mirror reminded her.
âThen I am a Tenth Rank Flying Sword,â Green Duckweed Sword adapted quickly, âAs for the Five Elements Attribute, itâs actually âMilky Way Waterâ.â
âThe classification by musical note attributes of the Five Elements is no longer in vogue,â Kunlun Mirror said again, âYou just need to say itâs a Water System Attribute.â
âOh oh, so a Tenth Rank Water System Flying Sword,â Green Duckweed Sword complied good-naturedly, âAs for the Sword Dao Techniques, thatâs temporarily a secret.â
âWhat do you mean by âtemporarily a secretâ?â Ling Yunpo said, dissatisfied, âYou are my Flying Sword, since when do you have secrets from me?â n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âOh, little brother,â Green Duckweed Sword reminded him, âIâm not actually your Flying Sword; Iâve just been playing with you because I was bored.â
Ling Yunpo: ?
He turned and asked Kunlun Mirror:
âAh Jing, is there still time to throw this wench back into the Sword Pool and exchange her for a proper Flying Sword?â
âOf course,â Kunlun Mirror replied, âand I strongly advise you to do so. She is not someone easy to tame.â
âAlright then.â Ling Yunpo promptly left the room.
âHey, wait a minute, just wait!â the Green Duckweed Sword quickly started to whine, âI was just joking earlier, Iâve already dedicated myself to you, how could I betray my Sword Master so easily?â
âGive you another chance, whose Flying Sword are you?â Ling Yunpo asked coldly.
âYours, yours, alright?â Green Duckweed Sword spoke softly and sweetly, âWith Yao Yao, we both belong to the Sword Master~â
âDo not drag me into this,â Kunlun Mirror, who had been enjoying the show, expressed discontent.
âContinue with the Sword Dao Techniques,â Ling Yunpo interrupted them.
âWell, most of the Sword Dao Techniques you canât use yet,â Green Duckweed Sword pretended to ponder, âHow about you take this to play with?â
âThis technique is called âGreen Mist Veil Over the Mountainsâ, and it uses Water System True Yuan to form a vast mist that spreads over miles. Enemies within it will have their senses sealed, movements slowed, and all non-Water System Spells greatly weakened.â
âTo activate it, simply recite the incantation âMists rise and disperse, like a mirage over the water,â whether aloud or silently.â
âAlright,â Ling Yunpo nodded, âI will try it out. If itâs not useful, you can roll back to the Sword Pool!â
âDonât be like that!â Green Duckweed Sword started to whimper, âYour consort does not wish to leave the Sword Master; canât you give your consort a bit of trust? As long as the Sword Master becomes stronger, your consort can provide even more useful Sword Dao Techniques!â
âGreen Duckweed.â Ling Yunpo said coldly and without sentiment, âRemember, itâs not you who chose me; itâs me who chose you.â
âItâs not that the weak trust the strong and choose to follow them; itâs because the strong are superior entities, and the weak have no choice but to follow.â
âThe followers who are too weak will only be left far behind by the strong. This is true for both you and me,â Ling Yunpo said at last, before walking out.
Green Duckweed Sword: â¦â¦â¦..
âIf you donât want to even be unable to keep up with my pace, then strive to become stronger,â Ling Yunpo said at last as he walked outside.
âYao Yao, Iâm starting to like him,â the Green Duckweed Sword spoke quietly to the Kunlun Mirror, avoiding Ling Yunpoâs divine sense, âWhat should I do? Such an interesting Sword Master, itâs my first time encountering one.â
âAre you planning to transform into a human form and fall in love with him?â asked the Kunlun Mirror.
âNo, no, no, being human is no fun. Itâs more enjoyable to be a sword,â the Green Duckweed Sword shook its head and said.
Ling Yunpo, ignoring their whispered criticism, left the Daoist temple directly and went outside to an open space, raising a sword finger with one hand.
His divine sense connected with the sword spirit, and the Green Duckweed Sword floated in the air, trembling slightly.
âA misty aura, like an illusionary mirage,â Ling Yunpo chanted aloud.
In an instant, a boundless fog appeared out of thin air, rapidly enveloping the surrounding open space.
Looking around, Ling Yunpo found that as far as the eye could see everything was a vast expanse of white, like the endless snow on the screen of an old television set that couldnât receive a signal.
With his hand extended, he couldnât see anything, and with his ear turned, he couldnât hear any sound. The thick fog seemed to have absorbed all color and noise, leaving only the purely tranquil white between heaven and earth.
His body seemed to become heavy, and upon looking down, Ling Yunpo realized that his clothes were soaked without knowing when.
Water dripped from the hem of his clothes. He tried to use his divine sense, activating his Qi Sea, but he found that his divine sense was blocked less than half a meter away from his body, and the flow of his True Qi also became sluggish.
Then he connected his Qi energy with the Green Duckweed Sword, and the weight on his body lightened instantly, his divine sense spreading unhindered through the fog.
In this thick fog, every tiny drop of water could become a part of his divine senseâs expansion.
Ling Yunpo halted the flow of True Qi, dispelled the surrounding fog, sheathed the Green Duckweed Sword, and found a shady spot to sit down to wait for Senior Sister An to return from outside.
He was also considering how to utilize this Sword Dao technique to construct a flexible battle system.
For instance, when sparring with fellow disciples from Shushan, the dense fog could rise to obscure their perception, then he could use the Green Duckweed Sword for a fair and square backstab.
Hmm, that approach still seems too conservative.
Since the fog suppresses the opponentâs divine sense, they would definitely recall their Flying Swords to their side and be on full alert.
Suppose I carry two swords, deliberately throwing one directly at the opponent, while controlling the Green Duckweed Sword to circle around for a backstab.
If the enemy is quick enough to block the frontal Throwing Sword, theyâll surely miss the backstab from behindâ¦
Just as he was thinking this, Ling Yunpo suddenly looked up and saw a strange, short and plump youth descend onto Qingluo Peak on a beam of sword light.
âLing Yunpo, Junior Brother Ling?â The otherâs gaze came over.
âThatâs me. May I ask who you are?â Ling Yunpo greeted with a hand-clasp.
âLou Zhizheng.â The short and plump youthâs eyes moved and landed on the Green Duckweed Sword behind him.
âWow! This guyâs gaze is disgusting!â the Green Duckweed Sword ranted in his mind, âHide me! I donât want him to see me!â
âIs Senior Sister An here?â Lou Zhizheng asked to confirm.
âSheâs gone out,â Ling Yunpo replied indifferently, âBrother Lou is welcome to sit inside the temple and wait for Senior Sisterâs return.â
âNo need,â said Lou Zhizheng, lifting his chin and with a certain defiant but somewhat regretful tone, he sneered and said:
âJunior Brother Ling, do you know?â
âGreat trouble is coming your way!â