Jun Wuwei took Xue Cuo back to Liuming Peak.
The summit was planted with many immortal pines, and there was the stretch of dark blue Mirror Lake. Around it, no flowers or plants grew, nor were there any spiritual beasts.
Xue Zhenzhen sternly said, “Good-for-nothing, shove off back to the Immortal Forest to practise your swordsmanship.”
Xue Cuo listlessly jumped down from the clouds. The Snow Sword’s sword tassel drooped behind him like a sad brow.
Passing by Huiyou Hall, Xue Cuo glanced inside. The air inside was suffused with immortal energy and beams of multi-coloured light.
His mother and father had entered but were seated at the lower end. At the top sat a Daoist wearing a purple-gold jade crown, beside whom sat the master of Lingguang Temple, a big man with a gourd on his back, a woman playing with a silver snake, and several other uncanny figures.
Xue Cuo wanted to look again, but the woman with the silver snake wrapped around her arm noticed his spying and glanced in his direction.
The sword tassel on the Snow Sword immediately transformed into a large green-black hand, lifted Xue Cuo, and flew away on the sword.
Its speed was like lightning.
Xue Cuo’s face was whipped by the wind, his young features seeming to loosen somewhat. The two of them whooshed wildly to the Immortal Forest by Mirror Lake.
Xue Cuo tumbled several times and struggled to stand, then began pulling out talisman papers. The Snow Sword rang an alarm bell, dodging left and right.
Xue Cuo used the Flowing Cloud Steps technique, his small fingers pinched together and tossed the talismans out like a a fairy scattering flower petals: “Trap!”
Thirty-two white talisman papers absorbed the spiritual energy swirling like a whirlwind and formed a constellation-covered Dao symbol, blocking the way tightly in every direction.
The green hand on the Snow Sword struggled left and right, then viciously gathered courage and destroyed the talisman papers with a burst of sword light, then charged towards Xue Cuo.
Xue Cuo gave a loud “WAH!” and turned to flee.
The Snow Sword had been “advised” by Sword Immortal Jun Wuwei. It knew this boy had some skill and was not worth provoking, but as an evil sword, it could not tolerate being bullied by a small kid like him. So it chased after Xue Cuo, violently beating him.
Xue Cuo was smacked several times on the bottom, then pulled out a summoning talisman: “You… you don’t force me! I’m known as the Junior Talisman God of Liuming Peak!”
The green-black hand on the Snow Sword bounced up and down, flicking its fingers mockingly.
Xue Cuo quickly swished out three blue talismans, and the forest resounded with the mighty sound of a raging river.
The space around the Snow Sword warped a little, revealing an endless vast loch. What the sword truly feared, however, was not the Dao symbol drawn by the boy, but a woman vaguely appearing from the loch waters.
The Great Loch Deity?
The green-black hand immediately stopped bouncing.
Xue Cuo, still unaware, saw the Snow Sword trapped and placed his hands on his hips with a smile: “Evil sword, scared,, huh? This is what I grasped from observing the Great Loch at night.”
The Snow Sword hummed, its green-black hand rode the hilt, breached the talisman obstruction, and flew straight at Xue Cuo again.
Xue Cuo: “…”
He turned and ran.
A quarter of an hour later.
The Snow Sword leisurely flew out from the Immortal Forest, carrying Xue Cuo on its hilt.
The green-black hand lazily flicked its fingers, tossed Xue Cuo onto the grass, the sword hovered in mid-air, and the hand turned back into a sword tassel to continue cultivation.
Xue Cuo admitted defeat: “Sword Uncle?”
He reached out to tug the sword tassel, but the Snow Sword retaliated by swatting his bottom.
“Ow.”
The forest fell silent.
Xue Cuo called “Sword Uncle” several times but got no response, so he slumped in dejection and practised with the sword alone for a while, gaining nothing.
Frustrated, he flung the sword onto the grass and sat by the lake, lost in thought.
Mirror Lake was as quiet as a sheet of looking glass. Bored, Xue Cuo lay by the lake and flipped through a worn-out Daoist book, which appeared to be “Introduction to Talisman Techniques”.
Oh, so the Junior Talisman God of Liuming Peak hasn’t even learned the basics.
After studying for a while, Xue Cuo lost interest and built two piles of stones as companions.
The Snow Sword wasn’t very interested in Xue Cuo, and Xue Cuo also didn’t bother with it, Xue Cuo went to the lake to fish with explosives, making quite a noise.
The third time the lake water splashed onto the Snow Sword from his fishing, it could bear no more and chased Xue Cuo, its merciless green-black iron hand leaving red marks on his little bottom.
Xue Cuo sobbed, handing over his remaining explosive talisman papers: “There’s no more.”
The Snow Sword hummed, the green-black hand tapped Xue Cuo, who widened his eyes: “Sword Uncle, there’re really no more.”
The green-black hand paused briefly, picked up stones, clenched into a fist, then waved, scattering dust everywhere.
Xue Cuo pulled a long face: “Still… a few small pieces left.”
After confiscating Xue Cuo’s explosive talismans, the Snow Sword enjoyed some peace. But being too peaceful was a bit problematic.
After so long, Xue Cuo was the only person in the Immortal Forest, and the boy talked to himself every day, playing only with stones and trees. Wouldn’t something go wrong?
“Sword Uncle!”
The Snow Sword lazily flew over.
Xue Cuo, covered in mud but confident, said: “Look, I made you a left-hand sword tassel out of immortal pine needles, so you won’t be lonely.”
The Snow Sword paused; so did the green-black hand.
Xue Cuo: “Sword Uncle?”
The sword hummed, gradually lowered altitude, the green-black hand took the pine needle tassel from Xue Cuo’s hand and placed it alongside its own, completing a left and right pair.
Immortal pines are ancient rare species bearing natural Dao patterns and spiritual energy, each comparable to a master at the Spirit Void Stage. The pine needles Xue Cuo picked contained the essence of the immortal pines, slowly nurturing spiritual intelligence. But no one knew how he managed it.
More hard to come by was the genuine kindness. The Snow Sword hadn’t felt such pure goodwill for a long time.
The lively green tassel and the decayed sinister aura of the green-black hand formed a strangely harmonious aesthetic.
The green-black hand touched the pine needle tassel’s fingers for a while, then stiffened.
Suddenly, it pinched Xue Cuo’s cheek before giving him a sharp swat to his bottom.
Xue Cuo yelped: “Sword Uncle, I don’t know if you prefer a lady’s hand or man’s hand!”
After a while, Xue Cuo, sniffling, followed the Snow Sword to the edge of the Immortal Forest.
He kept talking: “Sword Uncle, Mom punished me to swing the sword a thousand times a day, no playing allowed. Also, there’s a barrier here; I can’t get out.”
The big hand on the Snow Sword tapped the hilt, lifted Xue Cuo, and with a whoosh, passed through the barrier.
Xue Cuo’s mouth puffed wind rapidly but shouted with excitement.
The Snow Sword was infected by his spirit, got a little hyped, and flew out of Liuming Peak to head skyward.
Xue Cuo put on several wind control talismans, flapping his hands like wings with excitement: “Sword Uncle, the sky is so beautiful aaa!”
The Snow Sword hummed proudly.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
At the hour of Mao*, the inquiry bell tolled, its low echoes reverberated in the valley.
(*TN: 5-7 am)
Towering peaks stood amidst morning mist and clouds as far as the eye could see, red-crowned cranes danced in the breeze, and cloud birds soared as radiant spiritual light covered hundreds of miles.
Tianyi Sect was surrounded by peaks, towering like a sharp blade piercing the sea of clouds, eternal between heaven and earth.
Beyond the valley stretched vast lochs, enormous heavenly whales leapt, strange beasts breached the surface, and the reeds resembled clouds and mist or snowflakes fluttering. It was an enchanting sight.
Xue Cuo’s mouth formed a perfect circle, entranced, his spirit energy surged, shaping a profound and majestic Dao resonance.
The Snow Sword hummed, lazily protecting him from above his head.
Countless cultivators and spiritual beings meditated in the surrounding mountains and clouds, drawn by the rosy light. With such natural grandeur and majesty, even a fool would be somewhat inclined to seek enlightenment.
So Xue Cuo hasn’t actually attracted anyone’s attention.
The Snow Sword threw him a lazy glanced, curious what Dao resonance he had comprehended.
Ng*, the tide of rivers and seas, boundless blue waves.
(*TN: it’s pronounced like the end sound of the word ‘song’, Can be likened to “um” or “hmm” depending on the context.)
This boy was blessed by the Great Loch Deity. The clouds and mists hung like curtains; the golden crow emerged from the sea…
Golden Crow?
The Snow Sword’s blade trembled. The mysterious Dao symbol around Xue Cuo’s gradually condensed into an apparition.
The apparition was faint, kneeling within a red sun, majestic in form, wrapped in an undying blazing sun. Its aura was ancient and obscure. It did not open its eyes, but the Snow Sword, secretly observing the Dao symbol, felt as though it had stepped into a raging sea of flames.
Countless dazzling golden flames rose, stretching out giant crimson wings, like millions of newly born fledglings, spiralling and singing, impetuously flying onward.
The Snow Sword glowed a fiery red, tottering on the verge of collapse.
Fortunately, the Dao resonance flashed past, not solidifying into a proper Dao symbol.
Xue Cuo opened his eyes disappointedly: “Eh, Sword Uncle, why are you trembling so much?”
The Snow Sword paused, then hummed weakly.
This boy’s talent was not bad, just a little behind his master when he was alive.
The Snow Sword trembled, it’s entire body was frighteningly hot, carrying Xue Cuo and preparing to descend from the clouds to cool in the lake, when a white cloud drifted over.
“Fellow Daoist.”
On the cloud stood two figures, one elder and one younger.
The elder who wore purple robes was an austere old lady; the younger was eleven or twelve, with delicate features but a stiff expression like a clay statue.
The old lady looked at Xue Cuo dangling from the sword and was clearly surprised.
Xue Cuo tilted his head: “Auntie*.”
(*TN: He’s respectfully addressing her as such although she’s an elderly lady. It’s preferable to refer to someone you don’t know in a younger context lest you offend them.)
The Snow Sword, more considerate than Xue Cuo, dropped him gently, conjuring a thin veil of spiritual energy to soften the fall and make him appear less of an embarrassment.
Xue Cuo landed hard on his backside, jolting his already sore bottom and instantly grimacing.
The old lady was silent for a moment, her gaze tinged with disdain, having lost any desire to befriend him, and politely made small talk: “I noticed a strange Dao symbol here, never expected such talent in one so young. Little Daoist, you are promising for your age aaa.”
Xue Cuo, never praised before, was very happy: “Really? Wait for me, I’ll find a talisman. Can you say it again so I can record it?”
The old lady: “?”.
The Snow Sword, unable to bear it, swatted his bottom again, putting a stop to Xue Cuo’s embarrassing antics.
“That’s hot! What are you doing? You can’t hit my bottom again today, it’s already swollen!”
The sword hummed and shook angrily.
“Pfff.”
The youth behind the old lady couldn’t help but smile, dazzling as rosy clouds. But when the old lady looked at him, his smile vanished, and he returned to his clay-like expression. He cupped his hands to Xue Cuo: “Little Daoist, my apologies.”
Xue Cuo hurriedly returned the greeting: “Oh, it’s fine. I’m Xue Cuo. What’s your name?”
The youth was amused by Xue Cuo’s clumsy manners and smiled. He glanced at the old lady, who gave a slight shake of the head, then he solemnly said: “I am Ren Shu.”
The Snow Sword nudged Xue Cuo, its large hand grabbing him by the collar, signalling it was time to leave.
