Chapter 25: The Sword God's Wife

  Life in White Cloud City wasn't difficult, especially when treated as a "noble guest" by the city lord.

  Yao Guang returned to a life of luxury and extravagance, where everything was at her fingertips. Whether day or night, as long as she gave an order, someone would immediately attend to her needs, bringing her whatever she desired in a neat and orderly manner. Even things she hadn't thought of would be sent along with the rest.

  Perhaps it was because Ye Gu Cheng had instructed them, or perhaps there were rules within the White Cloud Castle, but in any case, Yao Guang had never been treated with even a moment's neglect or disrespect in the castle master's residence. However, there was always something that made her feel not quite right. Sometimes Yao Guang wondered if she was being overly sensitive, but every time she tried to ask the maids or guards a few more questions, they would give her brief answers and then quickly avoid her, as if speaking another word to her would shorten their lifespan. Yao Guang asked herself if she looked so unattractive that it would scare people away, or if she had an evil aura about her, but if there was no other reason, she really couldn't understand why these people were acting this way.

  Since he couldn't get an answer from these people below, Yao Guang naturally threw the question to the city master Ye Gu Cheng.

  At that time, Ye Gucheng, who was practicing sword by the sea, thought for a moment and replied slowly: "Perhaps it's because Qingxu Daozhang has an outstanding demeanor, making people admire him."

  Yao Guang heard this and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, her dark eyes reflecting the misty water vapor on the sea surface, as if they were also shrouded in the warm clouds.

  What is admiration, what is fear, what is disgust, and what is adoration, she can still tell them apart. Those people are not "admiring" her by deliberately keeping a distance from her out of "respect".

  "The master of Yecheng should not speak jokingly."

  Ye Gu Cheng's expression didn't change as he said, "I wasn't joking."

  Yao Guang silently drew out the long sword behind her back, casually brandishing a few sword flowers before calming down and walking to another place. With her right foot tapping on the ground, she lightly floated and landed on a reef in the sea. She was quietly sensing the momentum of the ocean. She had always been familiar with mountains, although she had seen the sea, but only briefly, without careful observation. Now, concentrating and sensing, she was deeply moved by the momentum of the vast ocean.

  The sea and mountains are worlds apart.

  The mountain's momentum is steep and heavy, like the earth's spine, standing between heaven and earth. Regardless of cold or heat, day or night, its shape remains unchanged.

  Mount Hua's terrain is treacherous, with snow accumulating all year round, making it even colder. Practicing swordplay on the snowy peak of this mountain will naturally infuse the sword with the coldness of ice and snow, as well as the danger of the mountain's terrain. The swordplay emphasizes speed, stiffness, directness, and treacherousness, making its momentum advantageous for attacking. By cultivating one's vital energy and storing up momentum before releasing it, it is like a lightning strike, deciding victory or defeat in an instant.

  Born in the midst of Mount Hua, where she practiced swordsmanship on Snow Peak and achieved great success with her Jade Light Sword, it is inevitable that her swordsmanship would be imbued with the majesty of the mountains. Her swordplay has the momentum of cold snow and wind thunder, but lacks the softness that belongs to water. Therefore, although she can wield the Three Talents Sword Technique with remarkable skill, she finds it difficult to achieve the same level of accomplishment with the Two Instruments Sword Technique.

  There is Taiji, which gives birth to the Two Principles. The Two Principles give birth to the Four Symbols. The Four Symbols give birth to the Eight Trigrams. The Eight Trigrams create sixty-four hexagrams. The changes and transformations are endless, and all things in the world are contained within them.

  In the yang there is yin, in the yin there is yang; this is called the two principles. Solitary yin does not give birth, solitary yang does not grow, without yang then yin has nothing to be born from, without yin then yang has nothing to transform into, yang reaches its extreme and gives birth to yin, yin is exhausted and transforms into yang, at the Tai Yang position it gives birth to Shao Yin, at the Tai Yin position it gives birth to Shao Yang, yin and yang wax and wane, they depend on each other.

  Yin and yang are opposed but also interdependent, heaven is yang then earth is yin, above is yang then below is yin, day is yang then month is yin, daytime is yang then nighttime is yin, heat is yang then cold is yin, movement is yang then stillness is yin, if there is no yang, then there is no yin.

  Lü Chunyang created the Two Principles Sword Method, incorporating the principles of the Two Principles within. The sword moves are not intended to harm people, but rather to guide them in understanding the power of yin and yang's waxing and waning, and the transformative power of the Two Principles giving birth to all things.

  The sword of Yao Guang, like taking only one extreme, moving like thunder, its power is in the firmness, like the yang extreme, but the firmness cannot last long. When the sword's momentum is exhausted, it disappears without a trace and cannot naturally transform into the soft and gentle power of the yin extreme. What she lacks is precisely the softness contained in water. Therefore, Yao Guang now faces the vast ocean, feels the endless waves and the boundless atmosphere, and suddenly becomes somewhat distracted.

  If she could gain insight into the nature of water from the ocean, perhaps her Two Forms Swordsmanship and Taoist magic would both improve.

  Yao Guang didn't rush to draw his sword, he just stood there on the reef, quietly feeling the waves crashing against the rocks. The previous wave had not yet receded when the next one arrived, and the slight tremors beneath his feet seemed endless, as if they would never stop. As he approached the shore, the waves still had such momentum, and in the middle of the vast ocean, those towering waves were even more astonishing and awe-inspiring.

  Heaven and earth create things, the power of nature is so strong and profound.

  Water and fire are ruthless, waves surge to the sky, such a scene, says it can easily swallow life, who can refute?

  Human strength is limited; in the face of nature's power, it is so insignificant.

  However, human beings have never stopped at this point.

  The mountain road is treacherous, but someone builds bridges and repairs roads; the Yellow River overflows, but someone builds dikes and drinks water; the days are short and the nights are long, but someone lights lanterns to illuminate the snow.

  She sees the fierce waves and wonders if anyone can walk on the waves as if on land, who can dance with swords in the sea as if riding the wind?

  Yao Guang gazed out at the sea in a trance, lost in thought for an entire day.

  Ye Gu Cheng finished practicing his sword and glanced at Yao Guang from afar before leaving.

  Ye Gu Cheng and Yao Guang's interactions were roughly like this.

  Both were top swordsmen of their time, with their own unique sword paths that didn't require others' interference. For days, Yao Guang had been sensing the vastness of the sea, and eventually, he stopped drawing his sword, standing by the sea as if purely to take in the view. Ye Gu Cheng felt that before he made a breakthrough in his swordsmanship, there was no need for him to engage with Yao Guang again, so they coexisted, each occupying a stretch of coastline without interfering with each other.

  The master of White Cloud City treated Yao Guang as an honored guest, so naturally the others in White Cloud City showed even more respect to Yao Guang. Since Yao Guang spent day and night on the coast, except for those who delivered food and water at regular intervals, no one else approached that place.

  "Qing Xū Dào Cháng" in White Cloud City is also increasingly close to a legendary figure, the common people say that her swordsmanship is divine, like an immortal descending into the world. In the situation where the person involved never shows their face, some rumors have become even more bizarre.

  Three months passed and White Cloud City welcomed an unexpected guest.

  Yao Guang went out as usual after washing up in the morning, but was suddenly stopped by a maid who told her that there were guests visiting and asked her to see them. The city master was already waiting in the main hall.

  Yao Guang glanced at the maid for a moment and thought to herself: Could it be that the one who has come is from the Liu Shan Men or the Jin Yi Wei?

  After a few months, she originally thought that the current emperor would let Ye Gucheng off, but it seemed that he was just a little slower? However, if what came was a wanted notice, this maid's expression shouldn't be so calm, and she should be more flustered and worried.

  Yao Guang nodded and followed the maid silently to the main hall, along the way the maid explained the ins and outs of the matter in a low voice.

  It is said that Luk Siu Fung got entangled in the troubles of the Western Evil Sect due to the "Lo Yau Pai" affair. The true and false Lo Yau Pai, the beautiful woman who was both friend and foe, the elder of the evil sect, the unexpected death of the sect leader and his son - all these things were complicated and intertwined. In short, Luk Siu Fung fell into a life-and-death crisis, and Sit Man Chui Sau drew his sword and went out to rescue him in the Western Regions.

  Yao Guang asked somewhat perplexedly: "What does this have to do with me?"

  She is neither a friend of Simen Blowsnow, nor a friend of Lu Xiaofeng, nor a person related to the Western Magic Sect. In this world, she has no relatives and no friends. How could it be thought that this matter has nothing to do with her at all?

  The usually gentle and beautiful maid frowned anxiously, answering in a low voice: "This... I don't know. Only that the visitor is the mistress of Wanmei Mountain Villa, Ximen Chuiyun's wife. Madame Ximen has come to pay her respects with a visiting card."

  Yao Guang has probably gotten used to being called "True Person" by now. She had tried to correct them several times, but these people still respectfully addressed her as True Person. Some even changed their words to "Miss", which made her feel even more uneasy. In the end, she gave up discussing with these people about the distance between a Daoist and a True Person, and simply took it as a warning for herself.

  "Does Mrs. Xi want to see me?"

  Yao Guang thought for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Isn't that Western Gate Madame the same Sun Xiuqing, one of the Three Heroes and Four Beauties of Mount Emei, who killed her master but then married Ximen Chui Xue?"

  The maid nodded repeatedly, "That's right."

  Yao Guang's footsteps paused slightly, and her expression turned strange.

  "She has no relation with me, why did she come looking for me?"

  "...The maid doesn't know. The castle owner seems to be very concerned about this matter, and kindly requests that you meet with her in person, as it's a long way to come and also very tiring."

  Yao Guang heard this and let out a cold snort, lightly laughing as she said: "I'm afraid that when she sees me, she'll be even more displeased."

  In Yao Guang's view, Sun Xiuqing's actions were simply outrageous and despicable. By marrying the person who killed her master instead of avenging him, she was no different from betraying her master and ancestors. Regardless of whether she knew Xi Men Chui Xue before or after, when she learned that her master had been killed, Sun Xiuqing still managed to form a bond with the enemy. This kind of person was truly unworthy of the teachings of their sect, and their heartlessness was astonishing. If the sect had done something wrong, and the master's actions were against heaven and harmed people, Sun Xiuqing could have been said to be upholding justice by destroying her family ties. However, at that time, Emei Sect was innocent, and the leader Du Gu Yat Chui was framed, which led to this disaster. After the truth spread throughout Jianghu, even if Sun Xiuqing didn't avenge her master, she should have returned to the sect and done her best for Emei, which had gone through great hardships!

  But what did she do?

  E'mei's leader has passed away, and three of the four outstanding disciples have already left. E'mei can be said to be on the verge of collapse, in a precarious situation. Under such circumstances, Sun Xiuzhu actually happily married into the Wanmei Mountain Villa, abandoning her sect!

  How could such a person have claimed to be a heroic woman in the past?

  What is chivalry? Such behavior is unbefitting of a human!

  Yao Guang had an extremely bad impression of Sun Xiu Qing, so her attitude wouldn't be good. When she saw the young madam in the hall looking disheveled and being accused by her with grievances, saying that Yao Guang had caused Xi Men Xue Xue to leave without emotion, as if he wanted to abandon his wife, Yao Guang smiled and retorted: "May I ask what identity does the female knight have to interrogate me?"

  The author has something to say: In Yao Guang's eyes, which are extremely loyal to her sect, Sun Xiuqing is a typical ungrateful and rebellious disciple. If such a person emerged from the Pure Yang Sect, she would definitely end their life with one sword. The concept of "love being greater than heaven and earth" does not exist in Yao Guang's eyes; for her, the sect comes before everything else, and she disregards the Confucian order of "heaven, earth, king, father, teacher". She puts the sect first.

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