Chapter 28 - 25: Why Are You Just Watching?
A wind was about to rise.
But it was forced to a halt beneath the swords of two fairies in simple white skirts.
Lu Changyuan stood at the side of the redwood training platform. Xia Lianxue was turned halfway toward him, watching.
So Lu Changyuan said, "What are you looking at me for? You don’t actually think I’m going to fight for you, do you? You have to beat her fair and square."
Xia Lianxue’s delicate brows furrowed. "How can I possibly win?"
"If you always think you can’t win, then you’ll never win. Xia Lianxue, your Senior Sister Yuehan is much tougher than you. At least she doesn’t cry when she loses."
An inexplicable anger flared up inside her.
’How can he be like this?’
’The way he talks is so nasty!’
This was a nightmare, where all her emotions were easily inflamed. And so, the White Skirt Fairy glared viciously at Qiu Yuehan before her.
"If I lose, I’ll get you back for this *and* for spying on me!"
The Fairy raised her sword, opening with a cunning technique.
The third of Miao Yu’s Thirteen Swords—Fish Swimming in Lotus Dew.
This sword style emphasized an impenetrable offense, systematically shrinking the opponent’s defensive space until they were like a fish on a lotus leaf, simply waiting for death.
In the grand tournament a year ago, Xia Lianxue had used this same move to open against Qiu Yuehan.
The Fairy held her sword aloft, and it quickly formed a lotus. The flower then scattered into individual petals, transforming into sharp Sword Qi that shot straight for Qiu Yuehan’s face. But as a fellow Miao Yu True Inheritor, how could Qiu Yuehan not know this move’s weakness?
In an instant, Qiu Yuehan also transformed into a streak of white light. Meeting Xia Lianxue’s attack head-on, she neither dodged nor evaded, but raised her sword to meet the Lotus Sword’s Qi.
The move Fish Swimming in Lotus Dew was not without a counter. Within the relentless barrage of Sword Qi was a single weak point: the heart of the lotus. With an indomitable will, one could raise their sword and strike true at this spot, shattering the attack.
The three-foot sword pierced the heart of the lotus, just as a small fish, ignorant of its fate, might still take a leap, only to land in a pond and find a world vast and wide.
"Senior Sister, you didn’t hesitate at all?"
As Xia Lianxue’s voice faded, she reversed her grip on her sword, and a blast of Sword Qi erupted from the lotus’s center.
’This spot was indeed the weakest, but it could also be the launching point for my next attack.’
"Junior Sister, your swordsmanship has reached a masterful level."
Qiu Yuehan’s sword arm ached from the impact. With her Glazed Feather Robe draped over her, she put another thirty percent of her power into her attack, forcing Xia Lianxue back on the defensive.
Lu Changyuan watched the scene, utterly amazed.
This was the Qiu Yuehan of Xia Lianxue’s memories.
The swordsmanship of this Miao Yu Chief True Inheritor could be summarized in a single word.
Fierce.
’The Fairy’s body was delicate, her face beautiful as an immortal’s, yet every one of her strikes was lethal. Back when he saw the Heart-Eating Monk’s injuries, Lu Changyuan had guessed this Qiu Yuehan was a tigress—formidable and prone to explosive ferocity. He just hadn’t expected her to be this vicious.’
Xia Lianxue bit her lip. Planting her left foot firmly, she twisted at the waist and glided past her opponent. Her sword thrust upward from under Qiu Yuehan’s arm, as if to run her straight through.
CLANG!
A tremendous force struck her. Qiu Yuehan had raised a slender leg and kicked mercilessly at her junior sister. In her haste, Xia Lianxue barely managed to block Qiu Yuehan’s Lotus Slippers with her sword, but she was still sent flying by the impact.
Qiu Yuehan paused for only a moment before her chilling Sword Qi began to circulate, and she once again shot forward, breaking the wind.
The sound of her approach preceded her, followed by the clear ring of a sword.
The two swords met.
The ground beneath Xia Lianxue’s feet cracked as she blocked the blow. She twisted her head to look at Lu Changyuan. "Do you have a plan? Hurry up and tell me!"
"Try attacking her center."
’Attack her center? What center?’
’Senior Sister’s sword style is all forward momentum. Her whole body is an opening, yet at the same time, she has no openings at all. To land a hit on Qiu Yuehan, I’d have to lose a pound of my own flesh.’
Hopelessly, Xia Lianxue glanced over, only to be surprised to find an opening right down Qiu Yuehan’s center. She used her sword to deflect the force, sliding it upward in a flicking motion, and aimed straight for Qiu Yuehan’s core.
"Junior Sister, your swordsmanship has improved."
Sure enough, Qiu Yuehan withdrew her sword, forced to retreat several steps by Xia Lianxue’s attack.
A flicker of light appeared in Xia Lianxue’s eyes. She looked at Lu Changyuan. "Quick, keep going."
’If Lu Changyuan kept telling her Qiu Yuehan’s weaknesses, she could win this match.’
But at some point, Lu Changyuan had picked up a bowl of noodles and was now sitting on the edge of the platform, eating.
Xia Lianxue was furious.
"Lady Xia, I was actually lying. I have no way to help you beat Qiu Yuehan. You know how it is. She’s unbelievably strong. Even in a hopeless situation, she can carve out a path to victory."
And so, a thought formed in her mind.
’The young man before me... he supports Senior Sister Yuehan more.’
The thought had barely formed when Qiu Yuehan’s attacks resumed, as relentless as a fine drizzle. Xia Lianxue could no longer clearly see Qiu Yuehan’s sword; she could only rely on instinct, parrying one strike after another.
A round of Moonlight formed behind Qiu Yuehan.
Xia Lianxue was dazed for an instant. A sword grazed her cheek, leaving a frightening, bloody gash on her delicate face.
She looked over at Lu Changyuan again.
Only to find him eating candied hawthorn on a stick.
’Where in Miao Yu Palace would he have gotten candied hawthorn?’
’Lu Changyuan wanted to ask the same thing. Why was there candied hawthorn in this Fairy’s nightmare?’
’But since it was here, it’d be a waste not to eat it.’
"Help me, quick!"
Lu Changyuan acted as if he hadn’t heard. He bit a piece of the candied fruit off the stick and popped it into his mouth. The expected sweet and sour flavor never came.
’This candied hawthorn is completely tasteless.’
’It seems the high and mighty Lady Xia has never tried candied hawthorn before.’
Xia Lianxue felt a strange sense of grievance. This man had promised to help her, and he had, for a moment. But why did he stop halfway? You don’t start a job just to quit midway through.
’He might as well have not helped at all.’
’Giving her a glimmer of hope that she could win, only to fall silent... wasn’t this just torturing her?’
"Junior Sister, you can’t be distracted during a match."
Qiu Yuehan brandished her sword, and in the next instant, it was at Xia Lianxue’s face.
Miao Yu’s Azure Lotus exploded. The Sword Qi scraped against Xia Lianxue, causing a sharp pain as Qiu Yuehan leaped down from above.
There was no finesse to this strike. All it had was speed—a speed so great it was difficult for the eye to follow.
’So heavy!’
Xia Lianxue stumbled back several steps. She steadied the blade with her left hand while her right gripped the hilt tightly, just barely managing to resist Qiu Yuehan’s strike.
But Qiu Yuehan kept increasing the pressure.
Xia Lianxue bit her lip hard. As if in a fit of stubbornness against Qiu Yuehan, she abandoned all pretense of refined swordsmanship. The two began a pure contest of the Thought behind this single clash of blades.
Lu Changyuan sighed.
’At this rate, Xia Lianxue is sure to lose.’
’Even if this was just a recurring memory and the Qiu Yuehan before her wasn’t real, Xia Lianxue still couldn’t defeat her.’
’Because Xia Lianxue didn’t believe she could win. She had never won.’
’She had entered Miao Yu Palace at the age of three and learned all manner of exquisite swordsmanship, yet she could never surpass Qiu Yuehan. This was especially true now, in a memory of a time she had already lost.’
On the platform, Qiu Yuehan’s sword felt as heavy as a mountain. Xia Lianxue supported her own blade with her left hand, trying to stop Qiu Yuehan’s sword from pressing down further. But the blade cut through her robes and into her shoulder. Drops of scarlet blood, carrying a stinging pain, were drawn out and absorbed by Qiu Yuehan’s sword.
’I’m going to lose.’
’I was always going to lose.’
’There’s no way I can win.’
As Xia Lianxue thought this, her strength waned, and the momentum of her defense weakened along with it.