Wuying雾影 Mist and Shadow Mountain, Cold Pool Stream…

A piercing sword light exploded in the darkness of the mountain stream, shattering the silence of the night.

Qi Shu took a few steps back, the silver and white sword in his hand stabbed hard into the ground, barely holding his position.

Blood slid down along the sword's body.

"Shall we continue?" Qi Shu inclined his head and spat out a mouthful of blood, raising his eyes which had a little smile still in them.

In a deep pool of water in the mountain stream, a JiaolongJiaolong or jiao is a dragon in Chinese mythology, often defined as a 'scaled dragon', it is hornless according to certain scholars and said to be aquatic or river-dwelling. with blue-green scales was lying in ambush.

The Jiaolong was bathed in blood, and the gurgling water passed under it, almost completely stained with red.

Half a month ago, a Jiaolong who had cultivated the Dao came down from the Wuying Mountain to cause mischief, flooding several villages and causing unbearable suffering to the people.

When the news reached the various sects, they came to kill the evil and get rid of the demon, but they all returned with serious injuries.

Until today, when it fell at the hands of Qi Shu.

The Jiaolong's cultivation was nearly five hundred years old, and was beyond human reach. One person and one monster have fought for three days and three nights in this mountain stream. The spiritual pressure in the depths of the mountain stream had become unbearable.

Qi Shu wiped away the blood from the corner of his lips and stood up with his sword.

He was wearing dark-coloured clothing, suitable for the Jianghu, and his hair was neatly tied at the back of his head with a black hair tie. In this common outfit he looked unparalleled in his handsomeness, with quite a bit of a ‘ranger游侠 Youxia - was a type of ancient Chinese warrior folk hero celebrated in classical Chinese poetry and fictional literature. It literally means 'wandering vigilante', but is commonly translated as 'knight-errant' or less commonly as 'cavalier', 'adventurer', 'soldier of fortune' or 'underworld stalwart'.’ style.

"Your golden core has been destroyed and your physical body will soon be extinguished, you will not live more than an incense stick of timeAbout five minutes.."

His tone was calm, "Any last words?"

What responded to him was a deep, hoarse voice, "This One—I lost to you today because my skills are not as good—I am convinced of this. But you…may not be able to win in the end either."

Qi Shu raised an eyebrow slightly.

The Jiaolong lifted his head, and those bright-red vertical pupils glared at Qi Shu, almost bursting with intense hatred, "This One can see—"

"...The grievances, the begging in your heart, the desires that cannot be obtained, this one can see it all!"

"Qi Shu, you are truly pitiful."

The Jiaolong’s voice echoed in the empty valley, but Qi Shu just tilted his head indifferently, “Have you finished?”

A breeze blew over the mountain stream, and the air was filled with the sickening smell of blood. Qi Shu raised his wrist and the longsword in his hand trembled slightly with a ringing sound, while his left hand formed a sword seal.

“Then…let’s say goodbye to each other.”

Qi Shu tapped his toes and raced over the water. The Jiaolong also raised his head and rushed towards the sword light.

The mountain stream glowed with light and the collision of spiritual powers raised countless broken stones.

As the dust settled, the Jiaolong collapsed into the pool of water.

It was over.

Hundreds of years of cultivation had disappeared in an instant and the lustre on the Jiaolong’s blue-green scales dimmed as it drew its last breath.

Qi Shu didn’t bother with it any further, putting away his sword, he turned around to walk out of the valley. He took two steps, but then stopped.

Only after his mind and spirit relaxed did he feel a stinging pain coming from the side of his cheek. Qi Shu lifted his hand and touched it.

On the side of that handsome, delicate face, there was a cut from the gravel. It was deep and slender, still oozing out blood.

Qi Shu's eyelids lowered slightly as he drew his sword with his backhand and threw out a wave of sword qi.

The corpse of the Jiaolong was immediately torn apart.

“...Beast.”

* * *

Qi Shu, the eldest disciple of the Kunlun昆仑 - I'm roughly translating it as 'Sacred Mountain'. So in this case it's the Sacred Mountain Sword Sect. Sword Sect, had just entered his early twenties and under the teachings of his Master, Gu Hanjiang, was already a leading member of the younger generation in the cultivation world.

As he walked out of the Cold Pool Stream, he saw dozens of disciples waiting a short distance away.

They were all dressed in white, and equipped with swords. Their uniform robes were embroidered with light blue cloud patterns—the uniform of the disciples of the Kunlun Sword Sect.

"It's Qi-Shixiong!"

"Shixiong has come out!"

Dozens of disciples quickly surrounded him. Before Qi Shu could see who was coming, he was ​​pounced upon by a tall figure, "Shixiong it's so good that you're alright!"

Qi Shu picked up the boy buried in his arms and frowned as he identified him, "Xiao Wu?"

"It's me, Shixiong," the young man looked a little aggrieved, "You don't recognise me, do you?"

The young man's name was Wei Jing and he was a disciple of the Kunlun Sword Sect, ranked fifth in the Sect.

It had been a long time since Qi Shu had returned to his Sect. He left the mountain three years ago to travel, and if he hadn't received a message from his Master that a Jiaolong was plaguing the area, he wouldn't have shown up so easily.

After three years of not seeing him, this little fatty, who used to follow him around and call him ‘Shixiong’ had become lean and almost taller than him.

At first glance, it was not easy to recognise him.

"Xiao Wu, don't keep pestering Shixiong." Someone beside him pulled Wei Jing away and saluted Qi Shu in a courteous manner, "Qi-Shixiong, it's been a long time."

This person hadn't changed much, and Qi Shu smiled, "It's Lao SanOld Third. He Xingzhi is most likely the third eldest* disciple in the Sect. *Not necessarily by age, but when he was accepted as a disciple., it's been so long since I've seen you, why are you still so proper and serious."

"It should be like this." He Xingzhi was measured in his words as he said, "On behalf of the Sect Leader, I led the disciples down the mountain to eliminate the Jiaolong. Fortunately I had the help of my Shixiong, who was able to slay the monster. I heard that the Jiaolong was both evil and skilled in illusionary techniques, so it was difficult to deal with, Shixiong—”

"All right." Qi Shu waved his hand and interrupted him, "I brought each one of them up. What's the point of talking in front of me?"

Qi Shu was not far away from Wuying Mountain when he received the letter, and in turn arrived faster than these fellow disciples.

"Now that the Jiaolong has been eliminated, all should disperse." Qi Shu said, "I'm going to find a place to take a bath and change my clothes."

He had fought with the monster for three days and nights in the water pool, and his clothes were all stained with blood.

The smell of blood on his body made him want to vomit.

Wei Jing pulled him back, "Shixiong, are you still unwilling to return to Kunlun with us?"

“Why should I go back?" Qi Shu confidently justified himself, "Xiao Wu, you've never been down the mountain, you don't know how much fun it is down there, it's much more relaxing than cultivating on the mountain year after year. Only a fool would go back."

"But..."

Qi Shu drew his sleeves out of the younger man’s grip, wanting to leave, when He Xingzhi suddenly said, "But Immortal Sovereign LingxiaoI'll be using Lingxiao Xianzun going forward. Means the same thing, just easier to type. This is Gu Hanjiang's title - much like Hanguang-Jun is Lan Zhan's title. will be leaving seclusion soon, won't Qi-Shixiong go back to meet him?"

Qi Shu's footsteps halted.

Wei Jing hurriedly, "That's right. Earlier, the Acting Sect Master had instructed that Lingxiao Xianzun would most likely be leaving seclusion in the next few days, so we should make preparations early. Shixiong, you are the only direct disciple of the Immortal SovereignXianzun. Still referring to Gu Hanjiang., how could you not be there?"

Lingxiao Xianzun, Gu Hanjiang, was the head of the Kunlun Sword Sect and also Qi Shu's master.

It had been nearly five years since Lingxiao Xianzun had gone into seclusion to cultivate, and in those five years, even Qi Shu, who was indeed his only personalCan also be translated as 'beloved'. disciple, had never seen him.

Qi Shu reached into his sleeve and found a delicate, exquisitely carved, white jade pendant.

The jade pendant was in the form of a small fox smiling with squinted eyes, and the carving was so delicate that you can see the skill of the creator.

As he rubbed it gently with his fingertips, he could still recall his Master's careful carving under the lamp.

"You guys are right." Qi Shu started smiling and said slowly, "When the Master comes out of seclusion, I, as a disciple, must of course go to welcome him personally."

Qi Shu squeezed the jade pendant in his palm and looked towards the smoky and cloudy Wuying Mountain in the distance, as if he could see through the layers of mountain and clouds to Kunlun, which was thousands of miles away.

Master, it's been five years. There is no reason for you to hide from me this time, is there?

* * *

Qi Shu had a dream.

In the dream, a black-haired, white-robed figure stood at the top of a cliff with his back to him, his tall, upright body appearing thin in the wind and snow.

He looked over from a distance and tried to call out to the other man, but he couldn’t make a sound.

An immortal voice came from the sky.

“...The body of a furnace, in the hope of reversing the time of heaven and ascending to attain the Dao, is indeed a delusion."

Qi Shu's pupils shrank slightly as he watched the man in the distance stumble a little and kneel on one knee.

Those lean shoulders trembled slightly, as if they were in some kind of great pain.

“...will surely end up with a qi deviation and never return…"

The words dissipated in the wind, and Qi Shu struggled to raise his hand, and only his low, shaky voice could be heard in the growing wind and snow.

“—Master."

* * *

Qi Shu sat up sharply.

The sky was not quite bright yet, and the faint morning light was blocked out by the windows. The room was minimally furnished, and the air was filled with a faint, cold fragrance, which gave off a sense of loneliness.

This was Qi Shu's room in the Kunlun Sword Sect.

There was cold tea on the small table beside the bed, and Qi Shu poured a cup full and drank it and even then he was barely awake.

It had been three days since he had returned to the Sect, and in those three days, there had not been a single day when he had not had a dream.

At first it was just a blurry back and some vague, inaudible words, but now it was becoming clearer and more real.

Qi Shu closed his eyes and the words he heard in his dream echoed in his mind.

…the body of a furnace…qi deviation…

Are you kidding?

That person is Lingxiao Xianzun, who as a young man made a name for himself with his sword. He killed countless evil spirits in his life, and his cultivation was unfathomable. How could he be…

Qi Shu couldn't even say those words out loud!

No one in the world knew that the dignified Da-shixiong, grand master of the Kunlun Sword Sect had feelings for his Master that went beyond that of master and disciple.

It was a feeling he had hidden for many years, and he was prepared to keep it hidden.

What special kind of person is Lingxiao Xianzun, the head of Kunlun, the flower of the high mountains. For Qi Shu, it is already lucky enough to be his only direct disciple.

He was both reluctant and could not afford to break the relationship with his Master, just for the sake of a little selfishness.

During this long crush, it's not that Qi Shu had never dreamed of his master—he dreamed of everything he should and shouldn’t do, already. But still, these recent dreams had been too outrageous.

So outrageous that it seemed like a stain to even associate those two wordsHe means 'furnace body', which is someone who is excellent for dual cultivation (sex) as it will increase the cultivation levels of one or both partners. with his Master, the Flower of the High Mountains.

Qi Shu sulked on his bed for a while, and as the day dawned, there was a knock at the door outside. "Qi-Shixiong, are you up yet? It's time for Lingxiao Xianzun to leave seclusion today."

"Understood, go and get ready." Qi Shu answered lightly and got up to get dressed.

He changed into a brand new disciple's robe, smoothed out every fold on the robe meticulously, tying his long hair with a crown, and securing the small fox jade pendant to the matching sword at his waist.

Fully dressed, he looked at himself in the mirror.

Qi Shu is a good-looking man, with handsome features that are not at all feminine. Unfortunately, his natural peach blossom eyes made him look like a little fox while smiling and were a little less majestic.

This small blemish, that might detract from his masculinity, has not affected his popularity. In the three years since Qi Shu left his Master's school, he has remained at the top of the list of dream lovers for thousands of male and female practitioners in the cultivation world.

Of course, Qi Shu felt that he was far worse than his Master, it was just that no one dared to put Lingxiao Xianzun on the leaderboard.

And now, on that pretty face, there was a light scar.

It was left that day at Wuying Mountain, and Qi Shu had tried very hard not to let it fade completely. If Lingxiao Xianzun didn't come out of seclusion, this wound would have to heal.

Qi Shu examined himself three times, from head to toe, before he left through the door, satisfied. His footsteps were as brisk as if he was going to meet his beloved.

No, he was simply going to meet his beloved.