Sword from the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 77 Green Apples by the River (Eighth Update!)
Judging from her attire, she was wearing a crimson palace dress.

The clothing exuded a sinister and oppressive air of nobility, as if a concubine from a former dynasty's cold palace had been resurrected from her coffin, carrying with her decaying splendor, lifeless, wandering alone in the martial world.

Zhou Yi felt a chill run down his spine.

If night falls, the feeling at this moment will be similar to that of seeing the Emperor emerge from his coffin at the mass grave.

This woman, who failed to defy the passage of time, walks with an uncanny gait.

As I walked along the ridges and hollows of the fields, my embroidered shoes remained clean and spotless.

You can't hear a sound when they walk.

The Demonic Old Monster!

They could identify the person almost instantly.

He pretended not to know and continued to hoist his hoe toward the Baihe River.

But
In that one glance he gave her, the woman in palace attire's gaze had become like a persistent, lingering affliction.

Her skirt billowed like ink, and her embroidered shoes left intricate footprints.

As a cold wind suddenly rose, the shadowy figure drifted closer and closer to Zhou Yi's side.

"Young Master~~~"

The charming sound corrodes the bones!
In an instant, several women in thin veils appeared in my mind, gracefully dancing around me.

This is precisely the ingenious method brought about by the fusion of innate subtle true qi into the spirit within the orifices.

Demonic arts and illusions!

This person's skill is no less than that of an emperor.

Zhou Yi abandoned the idea of ​​launching a surprise attack.

This charm technique is powerful, but—

It seemed to have no effect on him.

The Zen of the Mind is Immortal!

Master Sanchi's old face suddenly appeared on his mind's eye, and all the beauties instantly turned into stark white bones.

A bunch of skeletons dancing—all that's there is bone; where's the beauty in that?
Zhou Yi pretended to fall for the trap, a lewd smile spreading across his face as he gazed at the beauty in the palace dress with an obvious infatuation.

"Young master, where is the Taoist temple in this area?"

“It is on this mountain.”

"How many Taoist priests practice in the temple?"

"There was only one old Taoist priest who had traveled to Xingyang a few days ago. Before leaving, he entrusted his dilapidated temple to the local farmers, saying that he would not be able to return for three to five years."

The woman in the palace dress frowned slightly, her cold gaze sweeping across Wolonggang.

She glanced again at Zhou Yi's youthful face, her eyes sparkling with envy.

Once you fall under her unique charm spell, there's no doubt that you're susceptible to it, regardless of whether you're a martial artist or not.

He uttered two inaudible syllables, then hummed, and with a flick of his wide sleeves, he vanished into the distance.

Zhou Yi pretended to be dizzy, and the hoe fell to the ground with a clatter.

He then held his head, as if he had been squatting for a long time and suddenly stood up, staggering and falling to the ground.

The woman in palace attire glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and disappeared into the distance.

After waiting for a while, Zhou Yi got up to dust himself off, then picked up his hoe and continued towards Baihe River as if nothing had happened.

After a long while, he looked in the direction where the woman in the palace dress had disappeared.

After repeatedly reviewing the situation, he was able to respond effectively and couldn't help but nod slightly.

“His words and actions must be flawless, otherwise this old monster wouldn’t have turned around and left.”

"Many members of the Demonic Sect are skilled in bewitching arts and illusions; I wonder which branch this is."

Judging from his attire, Zhou Yi is more inclined to believe that he belongs to the Evil Extreme Sect.

Could she be Emperor Ding's junior sister?
One wore a crown reaching to the heavens, and the other wore a palace dress.

Those around the evil emperor, believing they were imbued with the emperor's aura, acted in ways that were completely different from ordinary people.

Then I thought of the strange situation in Nanyang.

It's most likely her.

He must be practicing the "Demon Seed in the Heart of the Dao" technique, which would explain why he would target people within the Daoist sect.

However, it's hard to figure out the old monster's training methods.

Moreover, the Evil Emperor's disciples should not have appeared in the world for decades.

Last time I entered the Great Emperor's grave, which can be considered as me asking for it, so it's easy to explain.

Looking at his actions now, it's clear he's not in a state of retirement.

Standing on the banks of the Baihe River, Zhou Yi had no interest in appreciating the beautiful scenery where mountains and water met.

Many things seem to have deviated from the direction he remembered.

There is only one piece of good news at this moment.

Since this old monster has already investigated Wolonggang, and he has tricked her away this time, it's unlikely he'll return anytime soon. With a heavy heart, Zhou Yi sought out Old Man Xie by the riverbank.

He wore a straw hat and sat alone on the rock, fishing.

"Master Yi, your worries are written all over your face."

"Is there any?"

Old Xie smiled and handed Zhou Yi a fishing rod.

"This is what Master Crow taught me. If you have troubles, come to this river, take a line with fragrant bait, and fish alone in the setting sun. Whenever that happens, your bad mood will flow away with this white river."

Zhou Yi thought it made sense, and suddenly remembered what the Crow Taoist had said.

He asked, "Does Master Ya really like to eat fish?"

"Yes."

Old Xie answered without thinking, then suddenly realized.

"So all my worries have been swallowed up by Master Ya."

Zhou Yi smiled and said, "This isn't a win-win situation."

That smile lifted my spirits, which had been weighing on me.

Putting aside my worries, I sat down with Old Man Xie and took up a fishing rod.

It wasn't until noon that the two of them put away their rods.

When inspecting the catch, Zhou Yi found only a few shrimp, about an inch long, while Old Xie had many fish strung on willow branches, each a foot long and as wide as his palm.

"The Celestial Master doesn't kill much."

Old Xie stroked his beard and looked at Zhou Yi with a smile.

In this situation, I felt that Zhou Yi was more suitable to be the abbot of Wuzhuang Temple than the Crow Taoist.

The Crow Taoist only knows how to eat and provide feedback on whether the fish he caught were fresh or not.

Zhou Yi, however, became his fishing buddy.

Comparing the two, my longing for the former abbot faded by a third.

Zhou Yi pondered for a moment: "Only now do we know how deep or shallow the water is when we are in unfamiliar waters."

Perhaps it was because of the women in palace attire.

After having lunch, Zhou Yi didn't want to stay at the Taoist temple, so he dragged Old Man Xie back to go fishing.

Xie Jiyou, unaware of the true situation, assumed that he was simply driven by a strong desire to win.

As evening approached, the two put away their rods again.

Old Xie stared at the fish trap full of silver scales, speechless with astonishment.

"Master, you are truly my lucky star. I have never had such a satisfying catch of fish."

Zhou Yi faced the Baihe River, remaining silent.

"Has the Celestial Master's fishing heart been shattered?"

Even with Xie Jiyou's composure, he could hardly suppress his laughter at this moment.

"No, I was just thinking that perhaps the River God in the Baihe River has taken Old Man Xie as a friend."

Zhou Yi made a joke, gazing at the tranquil Baihe River before him, feeling the gentle river breeze that made the water ripple, with the occasional small fish leaping out of the water.

At this moment, my mind was extremely calm, and I couldn't help but think of the Wind God's Shadowless Sword.

The wind arises from the earth, starting from the tip of a green apple.

The green duckweed on the river can also transform into the rippling waves of the Baihe River.

The wind rustles the green apples, and the river water ripples; the shimmering waves and the gentle movement of the apples are all of the same principle.

In that instant, an inspiration flashed through my mind.

With Zhanlu not by his side, Zhou Yi went to the riverbank and picked up a withered branch to use as a sword.

Old Master Xie watched quietly, only to feel that the Celestial Master was swinging the withered branch faster and faster, until even his vision became a little blurry.

As he rubbed his eyes, the Celestial Master seemed to have turned into a dark shadow on the riverbank.

The withered branch appeared and disappeared in an instant, which was quite mysterious.

When Zhou Yi stopped his swordplay, Old Master Xie smiled and said:

"The River God is so fair, he has given me a full basket of fish and bestowed upon you a sword that shines brightly."

Zhou Yi smiled slightly.

The old woman in the palace dress made him feel anxious, while Uncle Xie brought him peace of mind.

Between relaxation and ease, the swordplay barrier that had confined them for so many days was blown away by the river breeze.

He was in a very good mood and wanted to chat and laugh with Uncle Xie.

suddenly
He heard strange noises coming from the village at the foot of the mountain.

Someone screamed.
……

(End of this chapter)