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Chapter 312: The Soul of a Swordsman!

...

"I’m sorry."

Next to the coffee table, Liuli knelt on the ground, her knees together, body bowed low and parallel to the floor, with her long sword placed to one side. It was as if an ancient swordsman was apologizing to their lord with the utmost formality. "You said that in the dream I was enchanted by wine, and out of disdain, I wanted to try the taste. I didn’t expect to commit the sin of greed, violating the property of someone who has shown me kindness. It truly is the shame of a swordsman. I’ll definitely make up for these wine expenses in the future."

Xu Xuanling looked at her in bewilderment and then at Chen Xuan, completely confused about the situation.

Chen Xuan also felt a bit awkward.

It wasn’t that he intentionally posed that way; he simply couldn’t stop Liuli. He’d tried several times to pull her back onto the sofa, but she remained immovable, as their sheer strength wasn’t on the same level.

The cost of a few bottles of wine didn’t amount to more than two hundred bucks, but her demeanor was as if she were about to commit seppuku.

However, Chen Xuan vaguely understood her—Liuli wasn’t human but rather an imitation of a swordsman by the peculiar entity N21, a conceptual embodiment. In a way, she was a "drama queen." Regardless of what a true swordsman might be like, what mattered was if this matched the stereotype.

So he had to play along.

Chen Xuan whispered to Xu Xuanling, "She’s a special kind of person, fond of fantasy and acting. This isn’t something I forced her to do..."

"Huh..." The disciple was half-believing.

"If you don’t believe me, watch." He coughed twice and nodded to Liuli, "Just make it up, and this time I won’t hold your mistake against you. Stand up."

Liuli didn’t move, "Then what about the punishment?"

"Mop the floor for a week?"

"A swordsman’s mistake must be paid for with blood!"

"Then I’ll arrange for you to donate blood."

Only then did Liuli stand up, still with a faint blush on her face.

"Actually... there are many types of swordsmen." Chen Xuan tried to guide her, "Some are loyal and dutiful, while others are wild and unrestrained..."

"Like this?" Liuli suddenly leaned over, almost nose to nose with him, "N21 who cuts down enemies like grass, everyone has to be courteous when they see us. What does it matter if I drink a few bottles of your wine! Besides, what swordsman doesn’t drink? Drinking your wine is giving you face!"

"Uh..." Chen Xuan was speechless, "Then let’s stick with the first type."

"As you wish." Liuli smiled broadly.

"I believe it now." Xu Xuanling sighed in admiration.

"Now I understand... why the me in the dream was so fond of drinking." Liuli sat down smoothly next to Chen Xuan, "She must have been using wine to dissolve her unease and loneliness, even though Elorie was always with her, but a life too peaceful doesn’t suit a swordsman. She fears one day losing complete control, eventually harming the friends she cares about."

Really? I think Dream Liuli seemed quite happy, Chen Xuan thought.

"By the way, who is this lady?" Liuli donned her bamboo hat again, returning to her mysterious expert mode—just a second ago her hands were empty, and in the next second, a hat suddenly appeared in her hands.

This trick left Xu Xuanling wide-eyed and speechless.

"As expected of... someone from the Immortal Realm."

"Her name is Xu Xuanling; she’s my disciple and a new guest here." Chen Xuan finally had the opportunity to introduce both sides formally, "This is Liuli, as you can see, a swordsman."

"Pleased to meet you." Liuli tipped her hat brim with the sword hilt, showing Xu Xuanling slightly smiling eyes.

"Hello... I’ve been a bit of a bother lately." Xu Xuanling also clasped her hands in return.

"There are also two other people who stay here often, one is Lin Qing, whom you might have met in Chang’an City; the other is your master Liu Shuyue, but she’s been quite busy lately, so you might not encounter her often. However, given some time, you’ll surely meet her..."

"Ah, Master." Xu Xuanling suddenly said.

"What’s the matter?" Chen Xuan looked at her and noticed that her gaze was over his shoulder, directed toward the stairs. He immediately turned and saw a familiar figure descending slowly from the second floor.

"Liu Shuyue?"

"Xuanling?" Liu Shuyue seemed surprised as she examined Xu Xuanling, "Did you bring her here?"

...

Chen Xuan arranged the disciple in Room 205.

Xu Xuanling’s room was unexpectedly... girlish. The bed was a soft round bed, surrounded by pink gauze drapes; several large plush toys were piled beside the bed, along with display cabinets for various fancy hats and jewelry. Despite the fact that nothing in there was made from modern industrial materials, the overall feeling was quite modern.

Xu Xuanling hadn’t expected the room to suit her taste so well, and she immediately explored her surroundings with excitement.

"Master... was this specially prepared for me? Your taste is quite impressive."

"As long as you’re happy."

Chen Xuan found a wicker rocking chair and invited Liu Shuyue to sit together.

"Did something happen over there?"

"Actually, nothing too serious," Liu Shuyue replied with a tinge of melancholy, "a disciple of the Lotus Cloud Sect died by my hand."

"Ah?" Chen Xuan was stunned, wasn’t that a big deal? "How did it happen, tell me in detail."

She sighed lightly and recounted the visit of the Xia Kingdom’s Immortal Master in detail, "However, I’m not sure if he truly died, maybe he just returned to the Sect in spirit. Liu Zhidong was right, our relationship with the Lotus Cloud Sect is indeed more complicated than it seems."

A battle between Immortal Masters, huh...

This wasn’t unexpected for Chen Xuan, given that the current Six Kingdoms emerged through annexations or divisions, with each generation of disciples stepping into the world, promoting this cycle’s endless recurrence.

He knew although Liu Shuyue spoke with calmness, her mind must be in turmoil; otherwise, she wouldn’t have sought him immediately.

"There might be a way to answer your doubts."

"What way?"

Chen Xuan took out the jade token Xu Xuanling passed him, "This is the pass token personally made by Ji Yun. Hold onto this and return to Kunlun Mountain, maybe you can open the mountain gate and demand an answer from the Lotus Cloud Sect Leader."

Liu Shuyue took the token with surprise, "Do you really think the two Lotus Cloud Sects are the same sect?"

"Honestly, I don’t know." This question had been a topic of discussion between them many times—a part given meaning by the Wanderer to Jiu and Hua as titles, and another that existed for hundreds of years as the Sect in the world. Besides the name being the same, their essences were almost entirely different, but an inexplicable coincidence made Chen Xuan unable to ignore the possibility. "That’s why it needs to be tested... you should remember how to ascend Kunlun Peak."

"I remember, but I find the possibility very slim." Liu Shuyue put away the token, "I’ve lived at the Lotus Cloud Sect for over a decade and never heard of a disciple returning, let alone anything about a token. If things were as you described, with all Lotus Cloud Sect cultivators treating the token as if they saw the patriarch and obeying its commands unconditionally, wouldn’t we have been aware of such a rule?"

Chen Xuan was speechless, realizing that this logic actually made sense.

Liu Shuyue was essentially also a member of the Lotus Cloud Sect.

"Didn’t your master teach you?"

"No, the sect’s rules are quite specific, and there’s no such vague requirement. Moreover..." She paused, "I discovered another piece of evidence proving that the two Lotus Cloud Sects have little connection."

"What evidence?" Chen Xuan asked.

"Spell. Ji Yun is indeed a rare genius, probably the most talented cultivator I’ve ever met. Didn’t he give me many secret technique scrolls for study? I haven’t finished reading them all, but the portions I’ve cultivated so far show that his revised spells have completely surpassed those I taught him." Liu Shuyue’s voice carried a sense of awe surpassing her teacher, "If Ji Yun truly founded the Lotus Cloud Sect, its taught secret techniques and knowledge should advance further, rather than regressing!"

"On this point... it happens that a certain disciple also has doubts." Chen Xuan shrugged.

"Doubt about what?"

"Doubt that you taught with some reservations." He beckoned to Xu Xuanling, signaling her to come over, "While I’ve already criticized her for it, it’s probably best for you to personally clear her doubts."