Forging Sword · Three Pearls

  Yue Qing moved into the east wing of the Luo family, closing his doors and not going out all day. He was certain that Zhu Aigou, one of the two old men from Mount Song, was secretly watching him, even if he wasn't in Chengdu, he would definitely use divination to calculate the dynamics here at any time. The heavens are changeable and difficult to grasp, some can calculate the long-term trend, while others can only calculate small things in front of them. Zhu Mei may not really take action, but this is right in front of Mount Emei, and he's a shameless guy, it wouldn't be surprising if he found a few younger disciples from the Emei sect to come and help him, so he was Yue Qing's primary object of defense.

  Secondly, Jiang Shu has already intervened. He probably only saw from the divination that Luo Yue might be harmed by a demon, and the ominous killing intent revealed in his fate led him to send Chen Tai Zhen out with the intention of luring Luo Yue into their lair. If Zhu Mei continues to disrupt the heavenly numbers, causing Luo Yue and Chen Tai Zhen to appear together in the land of premature death, Jiang Shu might immediately take action, personally coming to take Luo Yue away.

  Apart from this, there is also Shen Wu, the disciple of Lin Rui, the Heavenly Gate God, who is now in Chengdu and has colluded with Ci Yun Temple. What seems like a small matter will soon escalate into an all-out battle between Qingxiao Gorge and Emei Sect. Both sides are currently accumulating strength, and if they start fighting now, there will only be one outcome: the complete destruction of Qingxiao Gorge and Ci Yun Temple, and the loss of vitality for Emei Sect. Emei Sect does not want to suffer any losses, and Yue Qing also does not want Qingxiao Gorge's Wanmo Demon Palace to be eliminated so quickly, so this situation will have to continue for now.

  Fighting against masters like San Xian Er Lao is a mentally exhausting task, requiring the use of divination to calculate past, present and future, while also distinguishing between fake and real omens. At the same time, one must cast spells to disrupt the heavenly numbers, preventing the opponent from calculating one's own movements. The profound and mysterious True Classic of Pervasive Mystery allows Yue Qing to entrust his primordial spirit to the void, using the Eight Scenic Splitting Spirit Technique to disrupt the heavenly numbers, making it impossible for others to find him. Even if they try to calculate his omens, they will change daily. If not for this, he wouldn't dare compete with San Xian Er Lao on this level.

  Shen Wu disguised himself as Shen Chun, claiming to be ill in his room every day. He was hit by Baiyun Dashi's Shaqing Sword and almost pierced his dantian, causing great damage to his vitality. His flying sword was also shattered, and he couldn't return to the Qingluo Palace for the time being. He could only stay here, nursing his wounds while thinking of a way to notify his fellow disciples to come and rescue him.

  Originally, Shěn Chún was the most capable among all the martial artists in the mansion. He had both internal and external skills at their peak, and he was also a man of his word. For half a year, he had been teaching Luò Yè with great care, so Luò Yè had always regarded him as a true teacher. Now that the teacher was ill, he went to his bedside every day to serve medicine personally.

  Shen Wusheng was afraid of being seen through by him, so he lay on his bed every day with his face against the wall, trying to speak as little as possible. Fortunately, he and Shen Chun were originally close brothers who grew up together since childhood. Although they were taken away by Lin Rui from a young age, they were still familiar with some of Shen Chun's habits. Moreover, he had captured Shen Chun's soul and stored it in a gourd, asking about his information every day, so he was very clear about everything. He learned to imitate him so well that Luo Die couldn't tell the difference between true and false.

  Chen Tai Zhen thought that Yue Qing was just talking nonsense, but she also secretly paid attention and followed Luo Lu to visit several times without finding anything out of the ordinary.

  Shen Wu saw that Chen Tai was indeed a cultivator, and his heart was both shocked and fearful. He secretly inquired about the news from Luo Yi, and upon hearing that Chen Tai was actually a disciple of Qingcheng Sect, he immediately broke out in cold sweat. That same day, he used the secret technique of Tiandu Sect to contact his fellow disciples nearby.

  Lu E came to ask for peace again that morning, and Shen Wu lamented on the bed: "I practiced wrongly and hurt my veins. It's like a fire entering the devil, I'm afraid this life will never be good."

  Luó Sù hastily comforted: "As the saying goes, a good person has a natural aura, and I have already sent someone to search for famous doctors in the two lakes and two Guangs. A few days ago, an apprentice from the shop came back with news that they had bought a stalk of Liaodong ginseng in Chongqing Prefecture, which will be brought back soon. You just need to calm your mind and rest, there's definitely nothing wrong. Moreover, once a teacher, always a father, even if the teacher can't recover, the disciple will take care of you like a father."

  Shen Wu brought up the story of the Sword Immortal: "The two masters you've recently found may have good skills, but they're just ordinary techniques. I have a younger brother named Shen Wu who was taken in by an immortal to cultivate on Mount Ailao when he was very young. He practiced a skill called 'Flying Swords' and even showed it to me when he returned to our hometown in Hanzhong a few years ago. With just this one gesture, the sword flew out automatically and beheaded someone."

  Luó Sùn was dazzled: "It's a pity that such a sword immortal has flown away and disappeared, and it's hard to meet one in a hundred years. I originally thought that Master Chen would know this kind of immortal method, but unfortunately, no matter how I asked him, he wouldn't say anything."

  Chen Tai really wanted to take a look at Luo Lü's moral character first, and planned to wait for three months later to see that Luo Lü was good in all aspects before entrusting everything about herself and the Qingcheng Sect. After all, when she came, Jiang Shu only said that there was a young man here with good qualifications, and now that he had difficulties, let him come to help him get through the difficulties. Wait until Jiang Shu has refined his magic treasure and comes to Chengdu in person to examine and accept him as a disciple.

  Shen Wu waved his hand: "What's this, my younger brother left me three incense sticks, as long as I light them up, no matter where I am, he will immediately fly over with his sword, and maybe even bring some of his fellow Taoists, the eight fairy maidens from all directions will also descend." He looked at Luo Hua and said seriously, "You child is well-behaved, and treats me like a close son, so naturally I should take care of you first when there's any benefit."

  Luó Jiū was overjoyed: "I... I really have the opportunity to see a true immortal too?"

  Shen Wu nodded: "Of course, I'm heavily injured now and may not be able to teach you martial arts again in the future. If you can gain the appreciation of an immortal, they might take a liking to you and accept you as their disciple, or perhaps some immortal maiden will want to marry you and take you back to the mountains to live a long life together, that would be great. However, immortals are refined and cultivated, we shouldn't disturb them without good reason. Hmm, I remember my younger brother telling me about the sword-refining techniques of the immortal family when he came home that year. If you're willing, collect 2,000 catties of fine copper for him, which can be used to refine a flying sword's copper essence, and present it to the immortal family at that time."

  Luó Jiǎo was moved by his words, and the next day when he was practicing martial arts, he was a bit distracted. Chen Tai Zhen scolded him: "Refining Qi and concentrating essence requires complete focus, you're divided in your attention, this practice is pointless!"

  Luó Sù hastily knelt on the ground to apologize, but Chen Tàizhēn refused to teach him anymore, only letting him return and calm his mind, resuming practice the next day.

  In the afternoon, Yu Huan taught Luo Yi and also discovered this situation. He patiently asked him: "What happened after all?"

  Luó Jiǎo hesitated for a moment, then recounted Shěn Wǔ's words in detail: "Of course everyone wants to see the immortal, but... recently Master Shěn has been acting strangely, his temperament and habits are different from before. Last year when he came, he mentioned that his family had a younger brother who was taken away by an enemy at the age of 13, and was never heard from again. He never said anything about his brother becoming a disciple of the immortal and returning home after mastering the Taoist arts. Now he's asking me to collect two thousand catties of good copper, but the price of copper is extremely high right now, and collecting that much would likely bankrupt us. Of course, if we could really see the true immortal, it would be worth going bankrupt for, but there are many suspicious things about this situation, which is why I'm worried. Please forgive me, Master."

  Yu Hu immediately brought him to see Yue Qing upon hearing it was about Shen Wu.

  Yue Qing said, "That Shen Wu is no longer the original Shen Chun, but a demon in disguise. You have always refused to believe it, and there's nothing I can do about it. As cultivators, we follow the natural order of heaven and earth, and have the virtue of benevolence. Although you are stubborn by nature, you also have a respectful and filial heart towards your teacher. I don't blame you for that. To let you see his true face, he wants two thousand catties of copper, so just give it to him." He took out three pearls the size of dragon eyes from his treasure pouch, "These are rare pearls from the South Sea, although not worth a whole city, they should be enough to buy two thousand catties of yellow copper. Let the steward take them to sell, exchange for silver, and then go buy the copper to send to him."

  Luò Lù hastily declined: "I absolutely dare not use......"

  Yue Qing waved his hand and said, "It's settled then! You call Huang'er a teacher, he naturally has the obligation to take care of you. Besides, these three pearls are nothing to me either. I also want to see what kind of true immortal Shen Wu can invite!"

  Luo Luan was still hesitant, You Huan took him out and said to him: "You are originally a fairy root with thick bones, beautiful jade, I am also new to the master's door, how can I have the qualifications to be your master? I see that the master has already taken you as his apprentice, why do you want to go and invite another true immortal? It is just that he wants you to see the face of a demon with a kind heart. You just take this pearl to exchange for copper to cast a sword for him, wait until you see his origin in the future, and then come to thank your master, so you will avoid one difficulty and also enter the fairy door, isn't it a win-win situation?"