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Chapter 312 The Soul of a Swordsman!
……

"sorry."

Beside the tea table, Liuli knelt on the ground, her knees together, her body bowed until parallel to the ground, her long sword placed to one side, as if an ancient swordsman were offering the most standard apology to his lord. "You said I was bewitched by wine in my dream. I was disdainful but still wanted to try the taste of wine. I never expected to commit the sin of greed and infringe upon the property of a benefactor. This is truly a disgrace to a swordsman. I will definitely make up for the cost of this wine in the future."

Xu Xuanling looked at her with a puzzled expression, then at Chen Xuan, completely baffled as to what was going on.

Chen Xuan was also a little embarrassed.

It wasn't that he was deliberately putting on airs; he simply couldn't stop Liuli. He tried several times to pull her back onto the sofa, but she remained unmoved; their pure power levels were simply not comparable.

The cost of a few bottles of wine was less than two hundred yuan, but she acted as if she was about to commit suicide.

However, Chen Xuan could vaguely understand her—Liuli wasn't human, but rather an imitation of the swordsman by the artifact N21, a personification of the concept… In a sense, she was actually a "drama queen." Regardless of what a real swordsman is like, just ask yourself if this conforms to stereotypes.

So he has no choice but to cooperate.

Chen Xuan whispered to Xu Xuanling, "She's a rather special kind of person. She likes to fantasize and act. It's not that I asked her to be like this..."

"Ha..." The disciple was half-believing and half-doubting.

"You won't believe me, just look." He coughed twice, nodded to Liuli, and said, "Just fix it, and I can overlook your mistake this time. Get up."

Liuli remained unmoved. "Then what about the punishment?"

"A week's worth of mopping?"

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

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

Liuli stood up with satisfaction, and even now, her face was still flushed.

"Actually... there are many kinds of swordsmen," Chen Xuan tried to guide the conversation. "Some are devoted to loyalty, while others are wild and unrestrained..."

"Like this?" Liuli suddenly leaned over, her nose almost touching his face. "We're the N21 who kills without batting an eye. Everyone has to be polite to us. What's wrong with drinking a few bottles of your wine? Besides, what swordsman doesn't drink? Drinking from your place is giving you face!"

“Uh…” Chen Xuan was speechless. “Then let’s go with the first one.”

"As you wish." Liuli smiled.

“I believe it,” Xu Xuanling exclaimed in admiration.

“Now I understand… why the version of myself in the dream was so addicted to alcohol.” Liuli sat down smoothly next to Chen Xuan. “She must have been using alcohol to relieve her anxiety and loneliness. Even though Elori was always with her, an overly comfortable life is not suitable for a swordsman. She was afraid that one day she would completely lose control and end up hurting her friends who cared about her.”

Really? I think Liuli in the dream is quite happy, Chen Xuan thought to himself.

"By the way, who is this young lady?" Liuli took out a bamboo hat and put it on, returning to her mysterious master mode—one second her hands were empty, and the next second the bamboo hat suddenly appeared in her hands.

Xu Xuanling was stunned by this move.

"As expected of someone from the Immortal Realm."

“Her name is Xu Xuanling, she is my disciple, and also a new guest here.” Chen Xuan finally had the opportunity to formally introduce the two parties. “This is Liuli, as you can see, she is a swordsman.”

"Please guide me." Liuli used the hilt of her sword to lift the brim of her hat, revealing a slightly smiling face to Xu Xuanling.

"Hello... I've been bothering you a lot lately," Xu Xuanling said, bowing in return.

"There are two other people who also live here regularly. One is Lin Qing, whom you should have met in Chang'an; the other is your master, Liu Shuyue. She's been quite busy lately, so you won't have many chances to meet her, but if you stay here for a while, you're sure to run into her..."

“Ah, Master,” Xu Xuanling suddenly said.

"What's wrong?" Chen Xuan looked at her, only to find that her gaze was passing over him and heading towards the stairs. He then turned his head and saw a familiar figure slowly walking down from the second floor.

"Liu Shuyue?" "Xuanling?" Liu Shuyue looked at Xu Xuanling with some surprise. "You brought her here?"

……

Chen Xuan arranged for his disciple to stay in room 205.

Xu Xuanling's room was surprisingly...girlish. The bed was a soft, round one, with pink gauze draped around it; several large dolls were piled up beside the bed, along with several display cases for various gaudy hats and jewelry. Although none of the materials were modern industrial products, the overall feeling it gave was very modern.

Xu Xuanling hadn't expected this room to suit her taste so well, and she couldn't help but start exploring it.

"Master... was this prepared especially for me? Your taste is truly excellent."

"as long as you are happy."

Chen Xuan then found a rattan rocking chair and invited Liu Shuyue to sit down with him.

"Something happened over there?"

"Actually, it's nothing serious," Liu Shuyue replied with a hint of melancholy. "A disciple of the Lianyun Sect died at my hands."

"Huh?" Chen Xuan was stunned. Wasn't this a big deal? "Tell me in detail how you died."

She sighed softly and recounted in detail the visit of the Immortal Master from Xia Kingdom. "However, I'm not sure if he's really dead or not. Maybe his soul has just returned to the sect. Liu Zhidong is right. Our relationship with the Lianyun Sect is actually far more complicated than it appears on the surface."

A battle between immortal masters...

This was not unexpected for Chen Xuan. The current six kingdoms were formed through annexation or division. Generation after generation of disciples emerged from seclusion and entered the world, which seemed to be driving this process in a continuous cycle.

He knew that although Liu Shuyue spoke calmly, her mind must be in turmoil, otherwise she wouldn't have come to find him so quickly.

"Perhaps there is a way to answer your question."

"any solution?"

Chen Xuan took out the jade token that Xu Xuanling had given him. "This is a pass made by Ji Yun himself. Take it back to Kunlun Mountain, and you might be able to open the mountain gate and get the answer from the sect leader of Lianyun Sect."

Liu Shuyue took the jade token in surprise, "You really believe that the two Lotus Cloud Sects are the same sect?"

"To be honest, I don't know." He had discussed this question with the other party many times—on one hand, it came from the Daoist names given to Ajiu and Ahua by the Wanderers, and on the other hand, it was the sect of the world that had existed for thousands of years. Apart from having the same name, the two were almost completely different in essence, but the coincidence between them seemed to be a coincidence in the dark, which made Chen Xuan unable to ignore this possibility. "That's why we need to try... You should still remember how to get to the top of Kunlun Mountain, right?"

“Of course I remember, but I think the possibility is extremely slim.” Liu Shuyue put away the jade token. “I have lived in the Lotus Cloud Sect for more than ten years and I have never heard of any disciple returning to the sect, let alone the jade token. If it is really as you described, that all Lotus Cloud Sect cultivators see the token as if they see the patriarch and must unconditionally obey his instructions, then we should not be completely unaware of this sect rule.”

Chen Xuan was speechless; it seemed that this was indeed the case.

Liu Shuyue is essentially a member of the Lianyun Sect as well.

"Didn't your master teach you that?"

“No, the rules of the sects are quite specific, and there are no such vague requirements. Besides…” she paused, “I found another piece of evidence that also proves that the two Lotus Cloud Sects are not closely related.”

"What evidence?" Chen Xuan asked.

"Spells. Ji Yun is indeed a rare genius, probably the most talented cultivator I've ever seen. Didn't he give me many secret scrolls of cultivation techniques to study? I haven't finished reading them all yet, but based on the parts I've practiced, the spells he's modified have already completely surpassed those I taught him." Liu Shuyue said, with a sense of admiration that the student had surpassed the teacher. "If the Lotus Cloud Sect was truly founded by him, the secret techniques and knowledge he imparted would surely be even more advanced. How could he possibly regress while learning!"

"Regarding this... it just so happens that one of my disciples also has doubts." Chen Xuan shrugged.

"What do you suspect?"

“I suspect you’re hiding your teachings.” He beckoned to Xu Xuanling, signaling her to come over. “Although I’ve already criticized her, it would be best if you personally helped her resolve her inner conflict.”

(End of this chapter)