Simultaneously traversing: the pinnacle of all realms

Rainbow Cat turned to look at Deer Ze, his expression somewhat meaningful.

"Young Master Lu, you know more than we imagined."

Lu Ze met his gaze without looking away.

"Rainbow Cat, all I want to say is," Lu Ze said, "Jump Jump is one of us, there's no mistake about that. As for how I know—"

He touched the top of his head and gave a wry smile.

"Just consider it a secret I can't tell anyone."

Rainbow Cat stared at him for a while, then laughed.

"Alright, since you say so, young hero, I believe you."

He sat down at the table, drank the cold tea in the bowl in one gulp, and then slammed the bowl down on the table.

"Now, let's get down to business."

Rainbow Cat spread out a map on the table—it had been found on the Demonic Cult's ship at some point.

"We are here now," he said, pointing to the map. "The Heavenly White Waterfall is deep in Yuanjiajie. According to the projection of the Five Swords Combined, the sixth sword master should be in that direction."

His finger moved along the mountain lines on the map, finally landing on the four characters "Sky-Hanging White Silk".

"But the Demonic Sect doesn't know that Tiaotiao is the master of the Azure Light Sword. So if we continue towards the Heavenly White Silk, the Demonic Sect will also assume that the Sixth Sword is there."

"Yes." Rainbow Cat nodded. "In fact, we can use this time to do something else."

"What is it?" Da Ben asked.

"Find the Seventh Sword."

Everyone was taken aback.

Rainbow Cat counted them one by one, "Now the first five swords are complete. If the sixth sword is the Azure Light Sword Master Jump Jump, then the seventh sword—"

"The Whirlwind Sword Master," Blue Rabbit replied.

"Yes." Rainbow Cat nodded, his gaze returning to the map. "We can use this time to find the Seventh Sword—the Whirlwind Sword."

"The Whirlwind Sword Master?" DouDou tilted her head and thought for a moment. "But I've never heard of him."

"I only heard my father mention it once. He said that the Whirlwind Sword is the most mysterious of the Seven Swords, and its master is equally mysterious," Rainbow Cat said. "But we can summon spirit pigeons and have them guide us."

"Or—" Rainbow Cat looked up and smiled at Deer Choice.

Lu Ze smiled helplessly: "The master of the Seventh Sword, Whirlwind Sword, is Dada, the master of Baicaogu Valley in Zhangjiajie Ten-Mile Gallery. He is known as the Bamboo Forest Hermit, and is highly skilled in martial arts and proficient in both the zither and sword."

Everyone else looked at Lu Ze with strange expressions; they had just revealed his personal information.

"Shall we go to the Ten Mile Gallery now?" Da Ben trusted Lu Ze a lot, patted him on the shoulder, and turned to look at the group.

"No." Rainbow Cat shook his head. "Let's walk a bit towards the Sky-Hanging White Silk first, pretending to be searching for the Sixth Sword, so that the Demonic Sect thinks we're still methodically combining our weapons. Then we'll turn towards the Ten-Mile Gallery halfway there."

"Openly repairing the plank road while secretly crossing the Chencang pass?" Sally asked.

"That's right." Rainbow Cat nodded. "The Demonic Cult thinks we're in the open and they're in the shadows. They think we're racing against time with them, but little do they know, we can also take advantage of their 'assumptions'."

Blue Rabbit stood up, walked to the map, and studied it carefully for a while.

"There are many places along the way from here to the waterfall that would be suitable for an ambush," she said. "If the cult wants to intercept us, they will definitely make their move along the way."

"Then let's make them miss their target." Rainbow Cat laughed, a hint of cunning in his smile. "By the time they think we're going to the Sky-Hanging White Silk to lay a trap, we'll have already found the Seventh Sword in the Ten-Mile Gallery."

Da Ben's eyes lit up, and he slapped his thigh: "Great! This is a great idea! Let those rats from the Demonic Sect stand there helplessly!"

DouDou was a little worried: "But what about Rainbow Cat and Jumpy—won't it be dangerous for him to go back to the Demonic Sect alone?"

Rainbow Cat's smile faded slightly.

"Yes," he said, "but it's his own choice."

He paused.

"What we can do is find the seventh sword as soon as possible and complete the seven swords fusion as soon as possible. The sooner the fusion is completed, the shorter the time he needs to lie low and the lower the risk of being exposed."

Rainbow Cat didn't rush to bring Jump Jump back to the team just because he knew Jump Jump was the Master of the Azure Light Sword. Instead, he chose to let Jump Jump continue to lie low, both to keep track of the Demonic Cult's movements and to respect Jump Jump's choice.

"Young Master Lu," Rainbow Cat's voice interrupted his thoughts.

Lu Ze raised his head.

"What are you thinking about?"

"I was thinking," Lu Ze said, "Rainbow Cat, when did you agree with Jump Jump to wait for the right opportunity to act?"

Rainbow Cat smiled.

"When it comes to sword fighting," he said, "some things don't need to be said aloud."

Lu Ze paused for a moment, then smiled.

Yes, when two swordsmen clash, the moment their swords touch, they can convey more information than a thousand words.

"Alright," Rainbow Cat stood up, clapped his hands, and said, "Everyone, get some rest. Before dawn, we'll leave this boat and take the mountain path towards the Ten-Mile Gallery."

Everyone dispersed.

Da Ben walked to the cabin door, then suddenly stopped and turned around.

"Young Master Rainbow Cat," his voice was a little muffled, "that Jumpy... will he be alright?"

Rainbow Cat looked at him and nodded seriously.

"Yes."

Da Ben grinned, turned around, and walked out.

-

As night deepened, the boat drifted slowly on the river.

Lu Ze stepped out of the cabin and stood at the bow. The night breeze blew in his face, carrying the unique dampness of the river.

The clouds overhead dispersed, revealing a sky full of stars, which were reflected on the river's surface—the night is long, people rise, and the stars and moon fill the sky and the river.

The ice bird had caught up at some point, its enormous form circling silently in the night sky.

Lu Ze looked up at it and waved.

The ice bird folded its wings and gently landed on the bow of the boat, causing the boat to rock slightly.

"Brother Bird," Lu Ze reached out and touched its cold feathers, "please continue to watch over the road ahead for us."

The ice bird tilted its head and let out a low cry.

Lu Ze smiled.

He turned around and looked at the dim yellow light shining from inside the cabin.

Rainbow Cat and Blue Rabbit were navigating the boat, studying a map under the lamp, and talking in hushed tones.

Da Ben sat back in the corner of the cabin, with the Thunder Sword across his lap, closing his eyes to regulate his breathing. Dou Dou was sleeping beside him, with a bone in his arms and drool running down his face.

Looking at these people, Lu Ze suddenly felt a strange, indescribable feeling welling up inside him.

"Oh, so these are the Seven Heroes of the martial world! They're just a bunch of kids."

"My age in this life and my past life combined is enough to be their elder," Lu Ze thought to himself. "I hope no one dies this time."

The ice bird nuzzled his shoulder and let out a soft cry.

Lu Ze patted its head, turned around and walked back to the cabin, still thinking about Dada.

The Whirlwind Sword Master is a master of both the zither and the sword. He lives in seclusion in the mountains and forests, and his personality is one of indifference to worldly affairs, or perhaps indecisiveness.

In fact, Lu Ze did not have a good impression of him. He even had a feeling when he was a child that it would be better if Lady Da were the master of the Whirlwind Sword.

When Dada learned of his mission, his first thought was to escape. The reason was that his wife was pregnant and he didn't want to get involved in the affairs of the martial arts world. If it weren't for Madam Da's persuasion, Rainbow Cat and the others might not have been able to persuade Dada to come out of seclusion.

Moreover, when his wife was captured by Hei Xiaohu, he betrayed Hongmao and the others multiple times for her safety.

So in Lu Ze's memory, Dada was a rather conflicted character. It's understandable that he cared about his family, but as the successor of the Seven Swords, he betrayed everyone and almost caused the annihilation of his teammates.

It's understandable that he has such reasons, but as a successor of the Seven Swords, his identity and responsibilities are different from those of ordinary people.

Moreover, given the prevailing circumstances, we are powerless to change our fate. If we choose to live in seclusion and avoid conflict, where can we hide?

The night breeze swept across the river, ruffling the starry sky.