78. Almost Catching Up with Me
With three more people traveling together, the return journey to Taixu Mountain will take a little longer.
On the way back with the three children, the inn room was finally not as crowded as before, with two full rooms available!
The predicament that occurred before was likely due to the increased number of people visiting Wangshan because of the "Holy Flame Assembly".
Yes, the extra room is for those three children.
Jiang Wanxi and Jiang Wanru are twin sisters and can sleep in the same bed.
Cheng Lingshuang slept in a separate bed.
Yun Ling and Jingwei... It's that damn difficult choice again.
Yun Ling didn't want to disturb Jingwei's rest; his occasional coughing at night was quite bothersome.
Jingwei, on the other hand, was concerned about Yun Ling's health. After all, his illness had become so serious that he needed to rest properly.
Neither of them could convince the other, and thus they began to secretly compete with each other.
Jingwei kept a close eye on Yun Ling, making sure he didn't leave her side for even a moment.
Yun Ling, of course, had his own methods...
"Master, rice grains are stuck to your face."
Yun Ling removed the rice grains stuck to Jingwei's lips and put them in her mouth to chew.
As expected, the next moment, Jingwei's eyes turned extremely cold, as if she wanted to tear Yun Ling to pieces.
Taking this opportunity, Yun Ling can slip away.
At this time, Jingwei wouldn't come to find him, which was also the way Yun Ling left Jingwei's side.
If you approach her with overly intimate behavior, she will actively distance herself from Yun Ling.
"So what's the relationship between the eldest brother and master?"
"I don't know, but it looks a bit complicated."
The Jiang sisters whispered among themselves, speculating about the strange behavior between Yun Ling and Jingwei.
Cheng Lingshuang sat at the table, motionless, as if she hadn't seen anything, or as if nothing could arouse her interest.
At night, Yun Ling saw Cheng Lingshuang sitting outside looking at the moon, so he went up to her and started talking to her.
"What? Are you admiring the moon?" Yun Ling asked.
"..." Cheng Lingshuang did not answer.
"Or are you thinking about your future?"
"..." Cheng Ling Shuang remained silent.
"Let me guess, is it that you feel lost? You don't know what to do or where to go, like a leaf in the ocean, drifting with the current."
This time, Cheng Ling Shuang finally made another move, glancing sideways at Yun Ling.
"Then...why don't you try this?"
Yun Ling handed the Ruoshui Sword to her.
Cheng Lingshuang looked at him, puzzled.
"Since you don't know what to do, then live in the present. As a disciple of Mount Taixu, the first thing to do is to learn the 'Taixu Sword Qi,' and then follow Mount Taixu's rule— 'Those who fall into the demonic path must be killed.' That's all."
"...Hmm." Cheng Lingshuang's eyes flickered slightly as she nodded in response.
At that moment, she seemed to have found her mission.
"So you can speak." Yun Ling looked at her in surprise.
He hadn't heard Cheng Lingshuang speak in days; he'd thought the child was mute.
"And you?" Cheng Lingshuang ignored his surprise and asked in return.
"What?" Yun Ling didn't understand what she meant.
"You are also a disciple of Taixu Mountain..." Cheng Lingshuang's voice was very soft, and she only said half of what she meant.
But Yun Ling seemed to understand what she meant.
"I might be a little different from you." Yun Ling shook his head.
"Different?" A questioning light flickered in Cheng Lingshuang's eyes.
"My only wish for the future is to be able to stay by my master's side... a little longer, so that she won't be so lonely."
Yun Ling shared his thoughts.
He was a selfish man who desperately wanted to leave his mark on Jingwei's life.
Jingwei's lifespan was extremely long, far too long compared to his short life.
But at least while he's still alive, he doesn't want to see Jingwei all alone.
He could sense that there was an invisible cage binding Jingwei.
It locked up her freedom, her thoughts, and her ability to love and be loved.
She blindly followed her "duty" even though no one ever restrained her.
Yun Ling understood that there was always a difference between immortals and mortals, and he did not believe that his charm was great enough to make Jingwei abandon the duty she had upheld for thousands of years.
Even if it's just wishful thinking on his part, he's already satisfied as long as he sees that Jingwei still retains her humanity.
"Oh." Cheng Lingshuang nodded.
At that moment, she couldn't understand the meaning behind Yun Ling's words, but she subconsciously responded with a reply.
"I'll teach you the Sword Heart Technique. Although we haven't reached Mount Taixu yet, we can still sneak away for a little while," Yun Ling suggested.
"Okay." Cheng Lingshuang blinked.
At that moment, only two things were on her mind.
First, Cultivating the Taixu Sword Qi.
Second, abide by the sect rules: "Those who fall into demonic ways will be punished."
Yun Ling recited it three times in Cheng Lingshuang's ear, and she had already memorized it all. As for the form, intention, soul, and spirit, that would have to be discussed after they arrived at Mount Tai Xu.
"Alright, kids, don't stay up late. Go to bed early." Yun Ling sent Cheng Lingshuang back to her room, then poured a pot of wine, found a tree, and lay down.
The next morning, when Yun Ling returned to the inn, Jingwei was using her true energy to examine Cheng Lingshuang's body.
"Did you teach her the Sword Heart Technique last night?"
"Yes, she's quite talented; she memorized it after only three repetitions," Yun Ling nodded in agreement.
"...She has already forged a sword heart and entered the state of 'Still Water'," Jingwei explained.
"Hey? Your talent is almost catching up with mine. Keep up the good work!" Yun Ling gently patted Cheng Lingshuang's head.
"How long did it take you to do it?" Cheng Lingshuang asked curiously.
"Probably in less than fifteen minutes," Yun Ling answered with a smile.
"..." For the first time, Cheng Lingshuang felt a sense of displeasure and wanted to punch Yun Ling in the face.
Is this what you call catching up quickly?
It's impossible to even keep up with a horse!
Yun Ling suddenly noticed three pairs of eyes staring at him.
"What's wrong?" Yun Ling looked at Jingwei and the twin sisters curiously.
"Why...why is she talking to you?" Jiang Wanxi asked, her eyes filled with doubt.
"Perhaps this is what they call personal charisma. I just gave her a direction to move forward," Yun Ling said, shrugging.
"What is it?" Jingwei asked, afraid that Yun Ling would instill some strange things in her.
"Cultivating the Taixu Sword Qi and the principle of 'those who fall into demonic possession must be killed, '" Yun Ling did not hide anything.
Jingwei nodded, expressing her approval of Yun Ling's "brainwashing".
This is precisely the idea she wants to instill in all her disciples and all people in the martial arts world.
Currently, only Yun Ling can uphold this principle; he will show absolutely no mercy to those who have fallen into demonic possession.
Lin Chaoyu still had some reservations when dealing with people who had fallen into demonic possession. Su Mei's cultivation time was still short, and she hadn't even left the mountain yet.
But Yun Ling's personality is really...
Jingwei recalled the intimate gesture from yesterday, and her fists clenched unconsciously.
...