Whether she felt comfortable sitting there or not, she had already taken her seat.
Chixin Sword Lord paid no mind to Jingting Dao Lord, filling her own and her wine glasses. She stated plainly, “You and I have nothing to say to each other, you know. If it weren’t for Jin’an and Huaixue’s spiritual bond ceremony, you and I would never be sitting here sharing this drink.”
Her meaning was simple: in the past, the nexus of their connection was Yinyue Monarch; now it was Li Jin’an and Xie Huaixue. Apart from these two, they should have remained strangers until death.
The usual superficial expression on Jingting Dao Lord’s face faded as she quietly observed Chixin Sword Lord, who, after speaking a single sentence, immediately reverted to being a drunkard, drinking with abandon as if money and life meant nothing to her.
The Chixin Sword Lord of old was once the foremost talent among mortals, a spirited youth, sincere and ardent, whose sword’s chill could once freeze fourteen states. She was not the lifeless, dispirited, and decadent drunkard she was today.
The past and present were vastly different.
It seemed that after Yinyue Monarch’s demise, Chixin’s spirit and vitality completely crumbled. She no longer strove for perfection in swordsmanship, no longer focused solely on the Great Dao, no longer concerned herself with worldly affairs, dedicating herself entirely to drinking. Occasionally, she still had to clean up the messes left by her disciples and grand-disciples, appearing as if she were driven to distraction by troublesome youngsters, but in truth, her heart felt no ripple of emotion.
Her joys, angers, sorrows, and pleasures, as well as her loves, hates, and passions, had all been carried away with Yinyue Monarch.
The vastness and wonder of the Lancang Continent held no meaning for her. She tightly confined herself within a cage named Yinyue Monarch, effectively building her own prison.
Long stretches of time had not sculpted Chixin Sword Lord into a different person, but she had, of her own accord, overthrown her former self, becoming someone unrecognizable to all.
As an example, now, Jingting Dao Lord always felt a sense of both blurring and unfamiliarity when she looked at her.
Recalling the past, Jingting Dao Lord couldn’t help but fall silent, abruptly taking a large gulp of strong spirits.
She didn’t speak, but Chixin Sword Lord, however, suddenly found herself in a conversational mood. She asked calmly, “Do you still remember what Yinyue’s name was?”
A seemingly unremarkable sentence was spoken by Chixin Sword Lord with an extremely sarcastic tone.
Her tone was overly flat, perhaps not inherently sarcastic, but the question itself was very unfriendly, inherently carrying a mocking undertone. A cultivator’s memory was said to be photographic; how could one possibly forget the name of a departed friend?
Or perhaps, those of their lineage possessed a natural talent for passive aggression; they weren’t very likable, but they were certainly annoying.
Jingting Dao Lord, who had been called a tyrant for her overly aggressive conduct, could meet such accusations with utter composure and indifference, even ordering the slaughter of enemies with a smile. But at this moment, she was genuinely angered to the point of laughter.
“Ming Gongyu.” Jingting Dao Lord enunciated Yinyue Monarch’s name, word by word, gazing coldly at Chixin Sword Lord. Seeing her still drinking, she called her name again, “Tan Yu, how is it that you still haven’t drunk yourself to death?”
Chixin Sword Lord shrugged indifferently, met her gaze directly, and spoke with a strange and slow tone, “What can be done? It’s simply that the cultivation world always lets those who should die live, while those who shouldn’t die perish sooner than anyone else.”
“…” Jingting Dao Lord was speechless.
Yinyue Monarch’s demise was a vast chasm separating the two of them. Chixin Sword Lord could resent Jingting Dao Lord without a shred of restraint, but that didn’t mean Jingting Dao Lord would endlessly tolerate Chixin Sword Lord’s bad temper. She was fundamentally not a patient person and would naturally retaliate at once.
Jingting Dao Lord sneered repeatedly, “Yinyue certainly trained you well. Even a wild dog has been trained into a loyal house pet, quite the loyal retainer, indeed.”
Indeed. Yinyue Monarch had perished centuries ago, yet Chixin Sword Lord remained in this moribund state. She didn’t resemble an honorable and upright sword cultivator, but rather a wild dog, utterly maddened by the loss of its master, constantly snapping and biting at enemies.
The world believed Yinyue Monarch was radiant and graceful, dignified and refined, serene and gentle—a figure of unparalleled elegance and charisma. Even Li Jin’an firmly believed this; if anyone dared to speak ill of Yinyue Monarch in front of her, she would undoubtedly explode in murderous rage.
One could only say that Yinyue Monarch’s outward appearance was incredibly deceptive, and she was also too skilled at pretense, wrapping herself in an elegant and transcendent facade, when in truth, her inner nature was quite malicious. However, this malice was only directed at specific people.
However, this particular individual, the target of such malice, felt no shame, but rather took pride in it, and particularly relished Yinyue Monarch’s malicious treatment of her.
“Daoist Sect Master, accustomed to wielding authority over all realms, and always imperious, could it be that you now also meddle in how others’ romantic entanglements interact?” Chixin Sword Lord raised her face from the wine glass, her brow arching, with a strangely wicked expression. “Or perhaps you too desire to be trained into a house pet, yet it remains beyond your grasp?”
“…”
What a fool of a dog.
Jingting Dao Lord took a deep breath. She had realized it: encountering Li Jin’an and Chixin Sword Lord, this master-disciple pair, she was destined to be utterly speechless.
When Chixin Sword Lord was being unreasonable, she was simply an enlarged version of Li Jin’an, and even more difficult to manage.
Everyone faces their retribution. Her retribution was these two master-disciple pairs: Ming Gongyu and Xie Huaixue, and Tan Yu and Li Jin’an.
“I don’t want to be anyone’s dog; I will only be superior among people.”
She truly didn’t share Chixin Sword Lord’s peculiar preferences. She enjoyed watching others’ misfortunes, but refused to become the entertainment herself.
Currently, the cultivation world had yet to produce anyone capable of making the Daoist Sect Master act like a dog. Even Yinyue Monarch couldn’t. She wasn’t as utterly shameless as Chixin Sword Lord.
Chixin Sword Lord once again let out a peculiar and inscrutable hum. “I wonder who was so eagerly vying to insert themselves between Yinyue and me… and now has suddenly washed their hands clean of it all.”
Jingting Dao Lord was choked into silence, angered to the point of laughter. She also discovered something else: Chixin Sword Lord had come today specifically to provoke her. When her mood was sour, she would relentlessly torment others. Even if Jìngtíng said nothing, she would be labeled with all sorts of unique and unrepeatable accusations.
“Don’t bring your madness to me.” A hint of cold indifference crept into Jingting Dao Lord’s brows, her tone neither warm nor cold. “You can be mad if you wish, but before you go mad, you must understand one thing: I owe you nothing, nor do I owe Yinyue anything.”
She spoke almost through gritted teeth, “Setting everything else aside, even if I did nothing, and regarded Yinyue with utter indifference, so what?”
“You clearly know I had my reasons… yet you still resent me to this degree, you…”
The rest of Jingting Dao Lord’s words were swallowed. Because she saw Chixin Sword Lord’s face was utterly placid, without the slightest change in expression, she knew this wretch understood perfectly well, but was deliberately acting this way.
Otherwise, how could she endure the long, lonely nights?
Sleepless nights filled with regret are not easily endured.
Channeling fervent love onto Yinyue Monarch and unleashing intense hatred upon Jingting Dao Lord could be considered a clear-cut way of distinguishing love from hate.
This wretch, who appeared so earnest and straightforward, actually had quite a knack for scheming.
Jingting Dao Lord sneered out loud, then raised a hand and pointed furiously at Chixin Sword Lord. “I truly underestimated you.”
Chixin Sword Lord chugged a large mouthful of wine, let out an ungraceful burp, and yawned repeatedly as she spoke, “How wonderful it is when everyone is equally miserable! No one gets left out then.”
Everyone being happy is difficult to achieve, but everyone being miserable is quite easy indeed.
Jingting Dao Lord quietly stared at this wretched being. In a flash of insight, she suddenly realized something: Chixin didn’t see herself as Yinyue’s grieving widow, but rather as a dusty relic left behind by Yinyue.
Her heart clenched violently, and she found herself unable to utter those harsh words.
Unfortunately, Chixin Sword Lord didn’t grasp her empathy. “When one goes mad, it’s best to find familiar faces, otherwise, if I go mad, others won’t understand me. One also needs a good place; that way, it can stir up more old memories. At least there’ll be something to talk about.”
It was clear that, had she not deliberately come to provoke her, Chixin Sword Lord would never have set foot in Jingting Dao Lord’s secret realm.
What was more frustrating than a mad person’s madness was that this mad person was mad with logic and reason, clearly knew what she was doing, and remained utterly unrepentant, stubbornly pursuing her path to its bitter end.
Chixin Sword Lord neither knew nor needed to know Jingting Dao Lord’s hidden difficulties; she simply needed to hate her. It was that simple.
Jingting Dao Lord felt as though all the good temper she possessed in this lifetime had been expended on Chixin Sword Lord. She said indifferently, “Today is Jin’an and Huaixue’s spiritual bond ceremony. I will not fight you.”
Chixin Sword Lord pouted, “Our disciples, mine and Yinyue’s, are forming a spiritual bond. This is our two families strengthening their ties, adding joy upon joy. You, however, seem happier than anyone.”
This wretch isn’t going to speak normally today, is she?
Without waiting for a reply, Chixin Sword Lord added a postscript by way of explanation, “Jìngtíng, you will forgive a poor, deranged sword cultivator who has lost her Dao companion, right?”
“Forgive? Why wouldn’t I forgive?”
Jingting Dao Lord drew her treasured sword and said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, “Then let this Sovereign see just how mad you truly are. This Sovereign will not only help Yinyue look after the two youngsters but can also help cure your madness.”
Since reasoning was futile, then let actions speak for themselves, resolving disputes the cultivator’s way.
If she couldn’t understand reason, then a different method of persuasion was in order.
In any case, this wretch’s original goal was to get a beating, so she would grant her wish.
After the spiritual bond ceremony of Jijin Sword Sovereign and Qingxiao Immortal Venerable, the guests who came to witness the ceremony did not immediately leave. Having traveled a thousand miles, it wouldn’t hurt to linger a while longer.
The Daoist Sect’s affiliated forces complained of their difficulties, while those without difficulties sought to strengthen ties with the Sect Master. As for other sects, big and small, they reminisced, gossiped, and discussed business. After all, under normal circumstances, it was truly rare for the righteous path of the cultivation world to gather so comprehensively.
If they left early, it would be a disservice to Jijin Sword Sovereign and Qingxiao Immortal Venerable’s tumultuous millennium and unexpected spiritual bond.
However, it was strange that after the banquet, the figures of Jijin Sword Sovereign, Qingxiao Immortal Venerable, Chixin Sword Lord, and Jingting Dao Lord were no longer seen. The former two were easy to understand—as the wives were newlyweds, being lovey-dovey was normal. But why had the latter two also disappeared, leaving Yun Liuguang and Qi Lingzi to entertain guests?
Only Sword Lord Xiaoxiang, Sword Lord Junxing, and the Daoist Sect Elders exchanged knowing glances, all speculating whether those two were perhaps continuing their own unfinished business—locked in a life-or-death battle.
Now that would be a spectacle! A pity they wouldn’t get to witness it.
It wasn’t until the Sword Sect Master and Chixin Sword Lord led the return of the Sword Sect disciples, who hadn’t been home in a long time, that Li Jin’an finally appeared, strolling gracefully, to see them off.
She already considered herself a person of Qingxiao Peak. Her reason for seeing them off was also that the dual cultivation technique given by Chixin Sword Lord was too effective. She had specifically come to give Chixin Sword Lord a thumbs-up.
“You are truly the best! Such good things can benefit generation after generation of sword cultivators. From now on, any sword cultivator in our lineage who manages to find an ice-spirit-root Dao companion will have to erect a longevity tablet in your honor, thanking you for your immense kindness and benevolence.”
Just hearing her barely contained excitement revealed how effective this dual cultivation technique truly was, to make her praise it so effusively.
Chixin Sword Lord: “…”
The resentment she had vented on Jingting Dao Lord was now being collected back from her own disciple.
This brat was the retribution no one could escape.
Li Jin’an blinked her eyes, then suddenly realized how cruel her words were to a solitary, elderly sword cultivator. She could only gaze at Chixin Sword Lord with profound apology.
“You hurry up and leave… I’ll leave, alright?!”
Qi Lingzi and the other two didn’t want to leave, mainly because their master and her new wife were both at the Daoist Sect; what sense did it make for them to return alone?
Li Jin’an didn’t want the three of them cluttering her sight. She said righteously, “Do you really have the heart to leave your master alone at the Sword Sect? Accompany your grand-master, wouldn’t it be great to break through your cultivation realms?”
“…”
Chixin Sword Lord and the three of Qi Lingzi all left without looking back.
Li Jin’an returned to Qingxiao Peak feeling completely relaxed and at ease. As soon as she entered the cave dwelling, she hugged Xie Huaixue, who was still meditating and refining the abundant fire spiritual energy within her body.
Xie Huaixue opened her eyes.
Li Jin’an leaned in and kissed the corner of her eye, “Well, now Qingxiao Peak is free of any other extraneous people besides you and me.”