I'll sell my clothes and get some wine to drink with you

Chapter 14

"...Hmph, you've humiliated our entire sect, and you still have the nerve to come back."

“That’s right, Father. I think the elders are too kind. This kind of vixen who has fallen into demonic ways should just—”

"—Shut up!" Zhou Xuande shouted, and Xu Shiren was startled, taking a step back and awkwardly shutting his mouth. After all, what Li Yiyao and I did was very scandalous, and the sect had long stipulated that this matter must not be spread outside.

Xu Shiren was actually a pretty girl with delicate features, and the mole on her cheekbone made her look quite charming. Of course, compared to Li Yiyao, she wasn't even as pretty as a cabbage on the street. As for me, I was probably just a lump of mud next to the cabbage...

Actually, when we were little, Li Yiyao and I were just as good-looking. Xu Shiren was incredibly jealous, so we had a terrible relationship from childhood. As we grew up, Li Yiyao became more and more beautiful, while I happily went in the opposite direction from the Li family beauty. Gradually, I became what I am now—not bad-looking, but just plain pretty. I used to be quite depressed about this. Old Man Yu comforted me, saying that I had poured all my essence into my martial arts, so I could even use the Duijun Sword Technique. Look at Li Yiyao, she probably doesn't even know whether a sword is for stabbing or slashing. He said that for those in the martial arts world, mastering a good martial art is the most important thing; everything else is like his second aunt's clipped fingernails—unimportant! Since then, I've always had a very strange feeling when I see women's fingernails…

Li Yiyao put her hand on my shoulder, and the group continued walking forward. She whispered in my ear, "Never mind those two pigs, big and small. We should be happy now that we're back."

I smiled and nodded without saying anything.

That's natural. Ever since I met Qingjiu, my mind has broadened, my horizons have broadened, my will has strengthened, my endurance has increased, and I've become much more magnanimous. I've transcended, I've risen above, sitting high above, looking down on and continuing to despise Xu Zhu Pang and her matchmaker daughter's heads.

...

Three days later, on June 6th, in Qishan, the martial arts tournament will be held.

On a flat area of about 100 feet in Qishan, tables and chairs were arranged in layers, with people from all sects and factions gathered, creating a sea of people and a noisy atmosphere. In the center of the flat area was a granite battle platform that was 10 feet long and wide.

The Thousand Years Sect is a major sect hailed as the fourth largest sect in the martial arts world, so it rightfully occupies the position closest to the battle stage, facing the three giants of the martial arts world from afar.

The competition hadn't started yet, and some highly respected martial arts elders were on stage appealing for peace, spouting platitudes about friendship first, competition second. I didn't even bother to lift my eyelids; I just huddled in my seat eating sunflower seeds.

Yu Buzhou only arrived yesterday, and this old man naturally went on stage to speak as well. Amidst enthusiastic applause, he stepped down with a smug look on his face. After coming down, he insisted on sitting next to me and asked me again and again in a secret voice, "Have you really mastered the third move of the Duijun Sword Technique?" I nodded my head again and again, until finally Li Yiyao, who was sitting on my other side, couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong with you? Is your neck cramping?" I could only say that I was too bored and had fallen asleep.

I glanced at Old Man Yu. My master was all smiles, his face beaming. He would pat my head approvingly from time to time, but the way he looked at me was like he was looking at a salted fish that he had carefully pickled to make it exceptionally delicious, which sent chills down my spine.

"Gu Yi, I plan to keep you out of the spotlight, so I don't intend to let you fight this year. It doesn't matter if our Thousand Years Sect's results are a little worse. In two years, when you've mastered the fifth form, you can dominate this battle stage. I want to see the incredulous expressions on those old guys' faces. Hmph."

"Master is indeed getting more and more powerful, he's...rejuvenated." I can imagine him competing with those martial arts masters since childhood, from master to disciple, his entire life. It's amazing that he still enjoys it at his age. Well, I instinctively wanted to avoid those two troublemakers, especially Yin Liuchuan right now. His mention of a ninth concubine made me deeply uneasy. Thousand-Year Sect and Youlong Heavenly Palace are far apart; if I don't stay on the platform the whole time, he might forget about me and find new amusement...

Half an hour later, the martial arts tournament finally began. According to the rules, disciples competed against each other, and sect leaders and elders competed against each other. The smaller sects competed first, and the larger sects competed last. Finally, two lists of heroes would be published: one for young heroes and the other for renowned martial arts figures. In short, this was a great opportunity for young disciples to make a name for themselves, a sign of a reshuffling of power in the martial arts world, and it was fair and just, hence it was highly valued by all sects.

Since I had never participated before, I was quite enthusiastic at first, but after an hour or two, the amateurish skills of those young people from small sects couldn't hold my attention anymore. I got bored and started laughing, and together with Li Yiyao, who was feeling listless because he hadn't seen any handsome men, we went to pee and went back to the inn to sleep.

The situation was similar the next day. After my attempt to escape to pee failed, I ate a whole bucket of sunflower seeds, and my front teeth almost cracked.

By the afternoon of the third day, the situation had improved considerably, and some astonishing geniuses had emerged. Two of them left a particularly deep impression on me. One was a wandering swordsman from the Ailao Mountains, whose swordsmanship was exceptionally fast. His attacks were so fluid that unless he won in a single move, the entire match was a blur of swordplay. The other was quite unexpected; he was Lu Wen, the eldest disciple of the supposedly declining Qinghong Manor. The Qinghong Sword Technique has thirteen forms, and Lu Wen had already mastered the eighth. He seemed to be the most skilled disciple in the entire Qinghong Manor, and perhaps even its future master. Both of them won three consecutive matches and were thus forced to leave the arena, only allowed to compete again the following day.

Li Yiyao showed clear interest in the wandering swordsman from Ailao Mountain, not only because he was a skilled swordsman, but also because he was handsome and possessed a rather aloof air. As for Lu Wen, he was far too ordinary-looking, appearing honest and simple like a naive mountain boy. Li Yiyao told me with particular disdain that he was said to have extremely ordinary talent and was initially not highly regarded, but his perseverance and determination were astonishing. He trained relentlessly through the coldest and hottest winters, year after year, without interruption. In short, his achievements were entirely earned through hard work. This didn't fit Li Yiyao's preference for exceptionally gifted individuals, but I did admire such people.

Our Thousand Years Sect prides itself on being detached from worldly affairs, so we never take the initiative to participate in the arena, nor are we often challenged. This is because few disciples of the Thousand Years Sect can leave the mountain, and basically no one knows us. Our senior brother Yang Hu, who has a reputation in the martial arts world after going down the mountain for trials, has already achieved three consecutive victories. So, our Thousand Years Sect is like a spectator sitting on the sidelines, enjoying the fighting and killing on the stage. In that sense, we do have a bit of an ethereal, otherworldly air about us.

The fourth day, traditionally the final day of competition among the younger generation, was essentially dominated by the three giants of the martial arts world. The Youlong Heavenly Palace and Qinghong Manor, long-time rivals, saw Lu Wen challenge Yin Liuchuan, only to be knocked off the stage by three strikes, causing a stir among the crowd. The faces of the Qinghong Manor members turned pale and red. A wandering swordsman from Ailao Mountain also challenged, but failed to withstand three strikes from Yin Liuchuan, after which no one dared to challenge him again. The young master of the Youlong Heavenly Palace stood on the stage with the air of a legendary swordsman, Dugu Qiubai. After standing there for a while, his pursuit of defeat unsuccessful, he vanished in a flash, as graceful as a dragon in flight.

After all, they were all experts. Unless they encountered a monster like Yin Liuchuan, who was probably being considerate of his opponent and would have killed them instantly, each battle was extremely long. Insiders naturally enjoyed watching it and cheered in waves. Li Yiyao, who was just watching the show, wanted to see a quick battle. In the end, she couldn't stand it anymore and went out to pee.

Li Yiyao didn't return until almost the end of the afternoon. After sitting down, Li Meiren remained silent for a moment, then suddenly grabbed my hand and said, "I think Lu Wen is not bad." Her cheeks were flushed, and she looked extremely beautiful and charming.

I raised an eyebrow, only then realizing that she had returned right after Lu Wen, and it was clear that something had happened while she was wandering around.

There was no one left on the stage at this point. Almost all the young talents had already competed. Although I felt a little regretful, I thought that I could come back in two years, so I wasn't depressed anymore.

Just as he was about to ask Li Yiyao what had happened, he caught a glimpse of a white figure suddenly appearing on the platform out of the corner of his eye.

The crowd, which had been making a ruckus and was about to leave, quieted down in an instant.

The person standing on the stage had a sword at his waist and wore white clothes as white as snow, like a thousand-foot snow-capped peak covered with the glow of the sunset. The hem of his satin robe was covered with golden dragons flying in the air, as if they were about to take off and roar into the sky as the clothes fluttered. He was extremely elegant but also very domineering.

The exceptionally talented young man bowed to us from afar, his voice booming with energy, though his tone was distinctly languid.

"I am Yin Liuchuan, the young master of Youlongtian Palace. I would like to ask Qing Guyi, a disciple of the Thousand Years Sect, for some guidance."

Eighteen Cups of Osmanthus Wine

Osmanthus Wine – A noble spirit, like orchids and fragrant herbs, the Osmanthus stands alone, fresh and vibrant in winter. Unafraid of worldly strife, it is brewed into a pure and clear wine. Sweet to the end, it never spoils, never intoxicates, it soothes the five spirits and subdues the three Pengs. Who will pass on this tradition? Perhaps Fang Ping, who taught me to always remain sober even in my drunkenness.

...

The entire place fell silent. Everyone from the other sects looked towards the Thousand Years Sect, while everyone from the Thousand Years Sect looked towards me.

The sky is vast and boundless, a vast expanse of jade-like heaven.

Something intensely hot and solemn surged up, and his mind was filled with images of flying swords. His meridians contracted under the stimulation of a will, and his internal energy circulated rapidly as if out of control. His hand instinctively reached for his waist, only to find that he was not wearing a sword.

A sigh came from beside me, and my master, Yu Buzhou, held out a sword in front of me. "Young people these days just love to cause trouble. This is the sword I used when I was young. It can withstand the force of the first three moves of the Duijun Sword Technique."

As I gripped the sword, it felt as if a spirit was flowing from its blade, causing me to suddenly stand up straight.

Li Yiyao, who was standing next to me, grabbed my waist and screamed, "Show them the might of the Thousand Years Sect! If you beat Yin Liuchuan, you'll be famous!"

Once I came to my senses, my fellow disciples all started cheering me on. Behind me came Old Man Yu's voice, which sounded both gratified and expectant: "...Compete well, don't embarrass the Thousand Years Sect."

I suddenly turned around and asked, "...Do you have any wine?"

Old Yu was taken aback. Before he could even ask, "What do you want the wine for?", Zhou Bapi handed me a gourd and said in a deep voice, "Take it."

I gripped the wine and sword, bowed to my master, and then, fueled by youthful passion, soared toward the platform.

With my feet firmly planted on the hard granite, I looked up at the person opposite me.

Yin Liuchuan smiled at me with his eyes slightly closed, the dragon painted at the corner of his eye gleaming in the bright sunlight. "First of all, I want to congratulate you on surviving the natural disaster unscathed."

I could only agree with a "thank you." It was inconvenient to yell in public, "Go to hell, you little brat who's never even married and only knows how to daydream!" But because of this shabby attitude, my enthusiasm cooled down considerably.

The young man's long, slender fingers gripped the hilt of the sword, and he slowly drew it from its sheath, the blade gleaming like a cascading snowflake. As he took the sword, his entire aura changed instantly; all his languid air vanished, his eyes sharpened to a point that dared not meet his gaze, his robes fluttered in the wind, and his tall, upright figure was like a precious sword, its edge fully revealed.

"Now let me see... how much you can interest me."

He's got that same determined hunter look on him again.

I pursed my lips and gripped the sword tightly in my hand.

I was standing on the platform of the martial arts tournament, with millions of people watching me, including my master and fellow disciples. As Yin Liuchuan drew his sword, the entire arena stirred, and cheers erupted, mostly from people cheering for the young master of the Youlong Heavenly Palace. I forced myself not to look at the audience, but I was still tense all over, and my palms were sweaty.

I knew it would turn out like this. Starting the fight like this, I've already lost half the battle before it even begins.

I clenched my fist, then slowly relaxed it. Suddenly, I took out the flask, yanked off the cork, and began to drink deeply. The spicy liquid poured straight down my throat, like a fire being poured into my body.

Upon seeing this, Yin Liuchuan narrowed his eyes. "This is... wine?"

My whole body felt like it was being burned, and a series of booming sounds swept over my ears. All I could smell in my nose was the pungent smell of alcohol. The urge to vomit surged up, but I forced myself to drink the entire jug down and then violently threw the jug away.

Before my eyes was a crimson expanse, as if I were in the karmic fire of the Red Lotus, where all I could see were vast expanses of intense color, distorting and twisting.

Then, the fire slowly went out.

It felt as if I had turned into ashes, everything burned away—body, soul, spirit, and thoughts—all irretrievably destroyed, leaving only a handful of cold dust in my heart.

The crimson before my eyes slowly faded, and gradually I could see clearly again. All that remained was the ten-zhang battle platform and the opponent on it; there was nothing else.

Yin Liuchuan looked at me with an inscrutable expression: "Didn't you hate alcohol the most? And... I feel like you've changed a bit—"

The conversation was interrupted by the sound of a sword clashing.

I gripped the sword, arm straight, pointing it directly at the heart of the person opposite me. My face was expressionless as I coldly said, "Please."

Suddenly, countless extremely sharp sword shadows appeared on the platform!

...

I swung my sword extremely fast, and suddenly hundreds of sword shadows appeared on the platform. Amidst the illusions and the real ones, one sword shadow, like a snake spitting its tongue, stabbed straight towards Yin Liuchuan's brow.

Yin Liuchuan chuckled softly, then suddenly leaned back, his sword flashing upwards. I quickly twisted my wrist, pulling the sword aside, and took two steps back. I then began to wield my sword again, my moves flowing continuously, like clouds and water. In an instant, my whole body was enveloped in a curtain of light, which also enveloped Yin Liuchuan, who had just gotten up. However, he still managed to break through my defenses and retreat in a few moves.

After dodging my sword strike, Yin Liuchuan used the momentum of his turn to launch a backhand attack with his blade. The blade was incredibly fierce; even before it reached me, its chilling aura had already torn my clothes! I immediately retreated, but the blade pressed forward. Taking advantage of the remaining distance, I leaped into the air, lightly touching the tip of the blade to land directly above Yin Liuchuan. In mid-air, I released my grip, then gripped the sword again, and with a slight twist of my wrist, thrust the sword straight at the top of the head of the man below me!

This was none other than one of the ultimate killing techniques of the Pilu Pavilion sect—the "Thousand" character mantra. "Life is less than a hundred years, yet worries are as numerous as a thousand." The disciples of the Thousand Years Sect cultivate this very mantra!

As if he had eyes on the top of his head, Yin Liuchuan twisted his neck strangely and managed to dodge. Using the head-length distance, he successfully avoided the attack, only managing to tear the robe on his shoulder. He even took the opportunity to strike me again as I fell from mid-air, but I managed to twist my body in mid-air to dodge it.

In this way, I fought Yin Liuchuan for nearly fifty rounds without a clear winner, and we both only suffered minor injuries.

In the fifty-fourth round, Yin Liuchuan swept backward through the air, her flowing hair like ink splashed in mid-air, landing steadily two zhang away. A hint of appreciation flickered in her smiling eyes as she looked at me. "Not bad, not bad. You've mastered the Thousand Years Sect's Ten-Character Incantation with perfect ease. Even if you hadn't committed that offense, you would have been able to confidently roam the martial world. Young lady, you are the most outstanding disciple of your generation that I've ever seen." (The term "disciples of your generation" naturally did not include Qingjiu, who had already become the Palace Master.)

"Unfortunately, if I were to use the Nine Heavenly Dragon Blades, the young lady would be doomed to lose—"

Yin Liuchuan's words came to an abrupt halt, for he was once again enveloped by countless sword shadows. But this time was different; there were thousands of sword shadows, each perfectly connected without a flaw, like a celestial garment stitched together. And within these thousands of sword shadows, the phantom of a sky full of snowflakes faintly appeared.

It was as if a sudden gust of cold wind had risen, roaring and howling as it swept towards Yin Liuchuan, forcibly blowing my sword aside.

After the look of surprise faded from his face, an unprecedented light suddenly shone in Yin Liuchuan's eyes as he looked at my indifferent expression!

On the half of the battle platform where Yin Liuchuan and I were fighting, amidst the thousands of sword shadows, the sword intent slowly materialized, creating a scene resembling an illusion. The wind howled like a tiger, the snow fell like a blanket, and even the granite surface seemed to be covered with a thin layer of ice.

In the sweltering summer heat, this strange sight occurred, causing an uproar from the audience, until suddenly an incredulous voice rang out: "It's the Emperor's Sword Technique—"

...

The first move of the Sword Technique for the Emperor: The sky is cold and blue, the north wind howls through the withered mulberry trees.

It was summer, and the power of the first move of the Sovereign Sword Technique was weakened by at least 20%. I pursed my lips and continued to entangle Yin Liuchuan. Just then, a blindingly cold light suddenly appeared in front of me!

Yin Liuchuan gripped the sword with both hands, raised it above his head, and slashed straight down at me. The earth-shattering momentum that arose in an instant made the onlookers feel dejected, and the heavens and earth seemed to droop for a long time. Thousands of sword shadows were instantly shattered.

The illusion of north wind and heavy snow was like a thin scroll of paper, torn apart and slowly dissipating.

The tenth strike of the Seventeen Slashes of the Heavenly Dragon! A single strike can slay countless people and kill any martial arts master!

The entire venue was silent, then suddenly thunderous applause and cheers erupted!

Neither Yin Liuchuan nor I looked down at the audience. Yin Liuchuan stared intently at me, his narrow eyes shining unbelievably, like the blazing sun in the heavens. He licked his lips, his expression extremely excited. "Very good, Gu Yi, you certainly didn't disappoint me..."

I acted as if I hadn't heard him speak, and just kept circulating the internal energy that I couldn't immediately integrate. I gripped the sword tightly in my hand, slowly raised my head, and looked at the boy not far away. I couldn't see anything else, only the boy in white clothes opposite me in the endless darkness, like a fairy who didn't stir up dust, or like the White Impermanence who came to take souls from the underworld.

I raised my hand and drew my sword once more. Countless sharp sword shadows appeared on the platform again.

The audience fell silent once again.

The number of sword shadows that appeared this time was nearly twice that of the first move of the Sword Technique! The dazzling sword shadows were so overwhelming that the granite battle platform was overwhelmed, and more than a dozen cracks appeared out of thin air and spread outwards.

Yin Liuchuan and I were completely engulfed by countless sword shadows. Excessive exertion of energy had made my eyes completely bloodshot. I just kept thrusting out countless murderous swords, attacking the chosen one of heaven who had no choice but to fight with all his might.

Suddenly, a scream was heard.

Under a clear, cloudless sky, a thunderclap suddenly boomed from the ground!

The thunder was actually the stirring sound of swords!

Chapter Nineteen: Blue Tail Wine