Chapter Thirty-Eight: You Know What to Do
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Mu Qi’s voice was as calm as still water, utterly composed. This attitude was most likely at the behest of Feng Ning, the senior disciple of West Ridge Mountain.
Yet it was precisely this calmness that made the entire scene seem even more discourteous, carrying with it a hint of brute arrogance.
Behind that composure lay the conceit that said, “I am strong and you are weak, so naturally you should obey.”
Lin Fei finally gave Mu Qi a proper look, surveying him from head to toe. The sight of him dressed in blue robes only deepened Lin Fei’s distaste for the people of West Ridge Mountain.
Yanqiu rose to his feet, as though weary from reading. He stretched, yawned, and turned back toward the wooden cottage to rest.
Mu Qi continued in a measured, almost conversational tone. “Junior Brother Lin, what do you think of this proposal?”
Lin Fei did not answer. He merely gazed silently at the distant sky, seemingly lost in thought.
A trace of displeasure entered Mu Qi’s voice, and he emphasized his words. “Junior Brother Lin?”
“You’re really noisy.” Lin Fei finally spoke, impatience coloring his tone. “Something like this is obviously impossible to accept.”
The atmosphere between them abruptly turned cold, like the smile that gradually vanished from Mu Qi’s face.
“It seems Junior Brother Lin has made up his mind to become an enemy of West Ridge Mountain,” he said flatly. “In that case, the upcoming Sword Trial Tournament may not be very pleasant for you.”
“Why do you assume I’ll go?”
“I never intended to participate in the first place, so this is nothing more than a childish threat.”
The youth shook his head, apparently having lost his patience. He turned and walked straight back into the cottage, leaving the cliffside utterly empty.
Mu Qi watched the scene without expression, but his fists tightened.
After a while, he exhaled slowly and murmured to himself, “You’ll go in the end.”
With that, Mu Qi turned and left as well.
…
West Ridge Mountain, true to its name, lay to the west of the Sword Sect. It was an imposing complex of solemn and majestic buildings.
Mu Qi passed through one forbidding hall after another, leaping over the violent sword qi stirred up by the disciples as they sparred. At last, he arrived before a magnificent grand hall.
Two stone lions, each as tall as three men, stood proudly before the entrance, guarding this solemn domain and radiating an awe-inspiring presence.
Without hesitation, Mu Qi entered the hall and walked directly to its center. His gaze fell upon the man standing ahead with his back to him, and he respectfully reported, “Lin Fei truly did refuse.”
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At West Ridge Mountain, the number of people capable of making Mu Qi so humble could be counted on one hand. Within the Star Punishment Hall, there was only one such person at present.
At the center of the hall, a long-haired man in red slowly turned around, revealing a stern, gaunt face. The fire-shaped mark on his forehead was striking, like a flame burning there.
Feng Ning of West Ridge Mountain, ranked twelfth on the Hidden Dragon List.
“I told you long ago that going this time would be futile.”
The red-robed man’s voice was deep and powerful, yet cold as the wind of midwinter.
“From the stories I’ve heard about him, he is an exceedingly proud person. How could he possibly accept such a demand?”
Mu Qi sighed softly, a trace of helplessness in his voice. “After all, he is the Sect Master’s disciple. We have to show him some consideration. Besides, Senior Brother Feng specifically instructed us not to interfere from behind the scenes.”
Feng Ning’s voice carried an unmistakable firmness. “Although Junior Brother Feng is proud at heart, he now represents the dignity of West Ridge Mountain. For him to be publicly humiliated is for everyone from West Ridge Mountain to be publicly humiliated.”
Mu Qi bowed slightly and ventured, “From what I observed, he does not seem to intend to participate in the upcoming Sword Trial Tournament.”
Feng Ning was silent for a moment before slowly saying, “You should know what to do next.”
Mu Qi understood the implication in his words and nodded. “I understand.”
…
Time passed quietly. Lin Fei gathered some wood from the forest and carefully fashioned a wooden sword.
It was not that Mu Qi’s words had affected him in the slightest. Nearly a month had passed since that incident, and he had already forgotten it. He simply wanted to practice swordsmanship.
The invitation still lay forgotten on the stone table, covered by a thin layer of dust.
Lin Fei came up from beneath the waterfall and began to wield his wooden sword among the sea of flowers.
His swordsmanship was astonishingly slow, as though an old Taoist from Mount Kunlun were practicing tai chi, tracing circles again and again.
Yet this style, which might ordinarily have lulled anyone into drowsiness, revealed a unique smoothness and fullness in Lin Fei’s hands.
Fazhao had appeared at some point. He asked in surprise, “What sword technique is this?”
Yanqiu also appeared before the waterfall. After pondering for a moment, he said, “It is not recorded in the sword manuals, nor have I seen it in any other manual. It seems our junior brother created this sword technique himself.”
If no one had ever seen it before, then naturally it could not exist in any sword manual.
There was an air of arrogance in Yanqiu’s words, but coming from him, it sounded perfectly natural and self-evident.
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Even Fazhao, a powerhouse of the Void-Breaking Realm, nodded in agreement without displaying the slightest surprise.
Half an hour later, Lin Fei sheathed his sword and casually wiped the sweat from his brow before looking toward Fazhao.
Over the past year, Fazhao had rarely come up the mountain unless the matter concerned him.
“Some things have happened in the Sword Sect recently. I thought you might be interested.”
Lin Fei looked at him without speaking.
Fazhao clearly knew what sort of news interested him. When one thought about it, there were only a few matters that could arouse the youth’s curiosity.
He continued, “There is a disciple named Qin Qianqian from Tianya Peak. When she entered Sword Tomb Mountain, she obtained the ancient sword Linglong on her very first attempt. Although its quality is not exceptional, the fact that someone of her aptitude could gain the sword spirit’s recognition surprised everyone. In the end, the master of Azure Wing Peak accepted her as a disciple.”
Lin Fei’s expression remained calm. He showed no surprise, for to him, this was only natural.
When he had been at Tianya Peak, he had placed his hands on the heads of two people and infused them with sword qi. The former now lived a carefree life at Nanmi Mountain and had become everyone’s junior grand-uncle; and the latter, although somewhat slow-witted, would not amount to anything less.
Fazhao watched Lin Fei and saw that his face remained completely unmoved. After weighing his words, he slowly continued, “However, a few days ago, she got into a dispute with disciples from Azure Wing Peak. As a result, not only was the ancient sword taken from her, but she also suffered severe injuries and has remained unconscious ever since.”
As he spoke, Fazhao fixed his gaze on Lin Fei’s eyes. Yanqiu looked at him in exactly the same way.
Faced with their stares, Lin Fei appeared somewhat puzzled. “What is it?”
Fazhao continued, “As far as I know, you had some acquaintance with Qin Qianqian when you were at Tianya Peak. I thought you might feel something about this, or perhaps have some opinion.”
Lin Fei nodded and answered seriously, “I do.”
Yanqiu immediately pressed him. “What opinion?”
Lin Fei’s expression turned solemn. He enunciated every word. “That girl is too stupid, too weak, and too foolish.”
Fazhao was stunned by his answer. “That’s all?”
Lin Fei shook his head, his tone calm. “That’s all.”
…
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