Chapter Eighty: A Graceful Lady — The Seven-Stringed Zither Plays Seven Emotions

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The young man’s words startled Wood, “What? You mean you stole this flying sword?”

The young man nodded calmly, replying, “The world of cultivators is a place where the strong prey on the weak.” As he spoke, he flashed the bracelet on his wrist and said indifferently, “If they want to seize my treasures, they must be prepared for me to take theirs in return!”

Wood understood the principle of not flaunting one’s wealth. Clearly, the bracelet on the young man’s wrist was some kind of magical artifact, but his own knowledge of such items was limited, and he could not recognize what it was.

Seeing that Wood did not recognize his artifact, the young man smiled faintly, “Seems you’re still a novice. Which sect are you from? Are you here for the grand competition?”

Wood replied, “I am Chen Mu of the Boundless Peak, Tai Xu Sect. And you, sir?”

The young man responded, “Oh, Boundless Peak. I’ve heard it doesn’t hold much status in Tai Xu Sect, and hasn’t produced any remarkable figures.” Then he introduced himself, “I am Bai Yijian, disciple of Lingyun Sect.”

“Lingyun Sect?” Wood recalled that this was also a major sect in the cultivation world, and asked, “I’ve heard your sect has a senior brother said to be the reincarnation of a celestial being, with profound mastery of the Dao.”

Bai Yijian smiled lightly, “Ah, why does everyone say that? I’m just an ordinary person, though I learned some techniques faster than others. Do I really look like the reincarnation of a celestial?”

Wood was astonished, realizing that this was the very person his own sect leader had warned him to avoid. He quickly said, “Brother Bai, your name is renowned throughout the land!”

Bai Yijian shook his head, “Reputation doesn’t fill your stomach. By the way, how many flying swords do you want?”

Wood picked up each flying sword and probed them with his true essence. As expected, they all emitted a green sword light. He said, “Three.”

Bai Yijian stretched out his hand, “Much obliged! That will be one hundred top-grade immortal stones in total.”

One hundred top-grade immortal stones was no small sum. Wood hesitated—not because he couldn’t afford it, but because he wasn’t sure whether the swords were worth the price. He had no wish to be taken advantage of.

Seeing his hesitation, Bai Yijian assumed he was short on stones and said, “My price is a bit high, but I need that many stones to trade for another artifact. Otherwise, I can give them to you for eighty. Or, if you can get me that artifact, we can trade directly.”

Hearing Bai Yijian’s forthrightness, Wood agreed readily, “Very well, I’ll take them!” He retrieved the required stones from his storage space and handed them over.

Bai Yijian was delighted by Wood’s decisiveness. He hurriedly stuffed the three flying swords into Wood’s arms and grinned, “Thanks, Brother Mu. Since you’re so straightforward, I’ll sell you two bits of information: First, it’s best to observe and not act for the next few days—the gathering hasn’t yet reached its peak. In three days’ time, there’ll be twice as many people, and many more treasures, pills, and flying swords. You might just find something extraordinary. Second, you look like you’re representing the Boundless Peak in the tournament. If you happen to face a woman from the Water Moon Sect holding a seven-stringed zither, either strike before she plays or retreat at once.”

Wood was stunned, thinking to himself that this fellow had surely taken advantage of him; otherwise why would he be so generous with advice? Seeing Wood’s confusion, Bai Yijian added, “Seven-stringed zither, Ninefold Melody—ordinary folk should stay well away!” With that, he departed gracefully.

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Wood understood that he was referring to a disciple of the Water Moon Sect. Their sect leader, Zheng Yi, had mentioned that besides Bai Yijian, this zither-playing disciple posed the greatest threat to him.

But this was not the time to dwell on it. Wood returned to the pavilion where the disciples of the Tai Xu Sect were gathered, sat cross-legged on the ground, and began to nurture his flying swords. The other disciples saw him meditating and were not surprised; many contestants would meditate upon arriving at Chaotian Peak, knowing that every bit of true essence increased their chances of victory. The other three competitors from Tai Xu Sect were also seated, quietly cultivating.

Three days passed in a flash. On this day, Chaoyang Peak was bustling with people. Looking out, Wood saw that nearly every sect had arrived—just as Bai Yijian had said, the gathering had more than doubled in size.

Wood was secretly puzzled. Bai Yijian had said the flying swords needed seven days of nurturing before use, yet after only three days, Wood felt he could wield them as easily as his own limbs. Unfortunately, his current true essence was insufficient to activate the Slaughter Immortal Formation Map. Otherwise, with the sword formation assembled, he would be nearly invincible among cultivators.

Lost in thought, Wood sensed someone approaching. He looked up to see Master Xiaoyaozi coming straight toward him. “Boy, your cultivation is already at the pinnacle among the younger disciples, so what are you doing still seeking last-minute improvements?”

Wood quickly stood, took out two Severance Pills, and said with a laugh, “Master, see if these might be useful to you.”

Xiaoyaozi inspected the two thumb-sized pills—dull black in appearance, but exuding a fragrant aroma. Delighted, he said, “Severance Pills? Good lad, you do have some filial piety after all. With these, I won’t need to retreat into the treasure tower to overcome the first three heavenly tribulations!”

As they spoke, Sect Leader Zheng Yi approached with a group. “Immeasurable Heavenly Venerable, these are the disciples representing our sect in the competition. I hope the Water Moon Sect’s disciples will show some leniency.”

Among the newcomers was a beautiful matron who laughed, “Sect Leader Zheng Yi, you do like to joke. Everyone knows that the Four Talents of Tai Xu are the most outstanding of the younger generation. Your sect is bound to shine in the competition!”

She looked over the Tai Xu disciples and remarked, “Strange, it seems someone is missing?”

Knowing whom she meant, Zheng Yi replied quickly, “Shu Yu of the Kongsang line is currently unable to participate, so we are sending Chen Mu of the Boundless Peak instead.”

“Boundless Peak?” The beautiful matron frowned, thinking to herself that everyone in the cultivation world knew that Boundless Peak had declined. For such an important competition, sending a disciple from there surely had special meaning.

With these thoughts, she paid extra attention to Chen Mu. Sect Leader Zheng Yi smiled, “Ah Mu, step forward and greet Senior Shui Wufeng.”

Wood stepped forward and bowed according to the customs of the cultivation world. Zheng Yi continued, “Ah Mu is the direct disciple of Xiaoyaozi from Boundless Peak. His cultivation is passable, so we have him representing us.”

Shui Wufeng returned half a bow with a gentle smile, but thought to herself: Chen Mu appears to only be at the stage of liquefying true essence, far behind the other three who are at the Core Formation stage. Why would Zheng Yi have him compete?

She kept her thoughts to herself, and called her own disciples forward to greet those from Tai Xu Sect. After a round of polite exchanges, Wood was surprised to note that the Water Moon Sect, from its name and its female sect leader, appeared to be a women’s sect, yet many of their disciples were men. Of the four to compete, two were men.

When the Water Moon Sect group had left, Wood asked curiously, “Why does Water Moon Sect have male disciples?”

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His question left Zheng Yi and Xiaoyaozi momentarily stunned. “Why wouldn’t they have male disciples?”

Wood replied, “The name ‘Water Moon’ sounds like a women’s sect, and even their leader is a woman!”

Xiaoyaozi burst out laughing, “What are you thinking? Pure yang cannot endure, pure yin cannot grow. What cultivation sect accepts only female or only male disciples?”

Zheng Yi smiled and changed the topic, “Shui Wufeng has taken on a closed-door disciple skilled in the zither, said to be making swift progress in cultivation. She may well be a formidable opponent for you, Ah Mu!”

Wood replied, “Seven-stringed zither, Ninefold Melody—ordinary folk should keep well away!”

Zheng Yi was surprised, “You already know about this?”

Wood answered, “Yes, three days ago I met Bai Yijian from Lingyun Sect. He told me himself.”

“Oh!” Both Zheng Yi and Xiaoyaozi’s eyes lit up. “How do you compare with him?”

Wood replied, “We haven’t fought, so I don’t know. Judging from his aura, he seems to have reached the Nascent Soul stage.”

Zheng Yi paused in shock, then sighed, “He truly is a once-in-a-millennium genius. No wonder people say he’s a celestial reincarnate.” He added, “I’ve also heard that the Water Moon Sect’s zither player has reached Nascent Soul as well. It seems the contest for first place will be between those two.”

A gentle breeze stirred as the sun dipped behind the sea of clouds. Suddenly, storm clouds gathered thickly around Chaotian Peak, though all below the platform. Even if it rained, it would not touch the summit; yet the thunder and lightning made for an intimidating spectacle. The proximity of the platform to the clouds made the thunder even more startling.

Amid the rolling thunder, Wood suddenly heard a few clear notes, “ding dong, ding dong”—ethereal strains of zither music. Though the thunder was deafening, it could not drown out these melodious tones.

By now, dusk had fallen, shrouding Chaotian Peak in a haze of mystery. Wood cocked his ear and traced the music to a small, dense grove on the platform. The zither’s sound was gentle and winding, like a phoenix’s song on Mount Kun or a maiden’s whispered secrets. Unconsciously, he followed the melody.

Though the grove was thick with shrubs and trees, a narrow path wound through it. Following the path, Wood came upon a broken stump, where a woman in white sat playing the zither for her own amusement. Regrettably, she wore a veil, and her face could not be seen, but her hands were as fair as snow, and her posture at the zither was full of grace and tenderness. Merely sitting there, her gentle allure could captivate the soul; she must be a peerless beauty.

Perhaps sensing Wood’s approach, the woman glanced up at him, her hands never pausing, but the zither’s gentle strains suddenly turned cold, as if keeping him at a great distance.

A moment later, seeing he remained, she pressed down on the strings, abruptly ending the music. After a pause, her slender hand plucked the strings again. This time, the music seemed to evoke the full range of human emotions—joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, hate, and longing. As the melody unfurled, Wood felt a tumult of feelings rise within him, memories long forgotten flooding back, each a moment most deeply felt in his life since childhood.