The green dome blocked out the sunlight, and the bamboo forest was very cool. In order to receive the distinguished guests, the paths were swept cleanly.
As we approached the bamboo building, we could smell a familiar sword energy in the air.
There was a large open space in front of them, without any bamboo forest blocking the view. Bu Shuihan floated in the air, changing the sword gestures between his fingers. The Huyin Sword beside him transformed into countless light blue shadows, and the sword energy spread out in all directions like waves, one after another, ready to go.
The bamboo building was still dilapidated, the wooden stakes were about to rot, and the platform in front of the building was tilted. A person stood on the edge of the platform, wearing a simple and elegant white dress, which made the broken railings look more ancient.
He raised his head slightly and looked at Bu Shuihan with interest.
"How about this move?" Bu Shuihan asked loudly.
"Not bad." Duan Qingming praised.
Bu Shuihan was full of vigor and enthusiasm: "Can you still break it?"
"Well..." Duan Qingming paused for a moment and suddenly said, "Simple."
The sword intent swallowed up everything in an instant, and the surging sword energy became dull. A small part of it was affected by the powerful sword intent and actually escaped from Bu Shuihan's control. Then a white light became stronger, and a stronger sword energy crushed towards Bu Shuihan like a tidal wave!
With just a simple sword strike, without even any moves, it was cold and merciless, like a whirlwind of destruction, and instantly strangled Bu Shuihan's sword energy. Even Gu Pinglin and the other three outside the open space were affected, and they each used their true energy to stabilize their bodies.
The Mingfeng Sword fell straight down like a meteor and pierced into the ground upside down, with the purple jade on the sword guard shining brightly.
Bu Shuihan landed on the ground and staggered back a few steps. The transition from triumph to failure happened in an instant. The huge gap made him stunned, his face full of disbelief, as if he was in a dream.
Duan Qingming appeared under the platform, not even looking at him anymore, nor caring about the Mingfeng Sword beside his feet, leaving it stuck there. He turned to Gu Pinglin and said, "Junior Brother Gu, you're back."
Gu Pinglin walked over and said, "Master Duan."
Duan Qingming looked at Mu Shiqing behind him and said with a smile, "Xiao Yujian, how are you?"
Mu Shiqing bowed politely: "My name is Mu Shiqing now, and I greet Pavilion Master Duan."
"Did you see that? My swordsmanship is supreme. Who in the cultivation world can rival me?" Duan Qingming said, "I appreciate smart people, and I welcome you to return to the Sword King Pavilion."
Mu Shiqing said: "I am already a disciple of the Lingxin Sect."
"Are you holding a grudge and blaming me for abandoning you?" Duan Qingming said, "The Dao is ruthless. That is not abandonment, it is a chance for you to experience. Only by experiencing and seeing can you see everything clearly and know what is worth it and what is not. Now is your chance to turn back."
Mu Shiqing said: "The way of formation sword is more suitable for me."
Duan Qingming said with regret: "How can the way of formation swordsmanship be compared with the Sword King Pavilion? You are a waste after all, so you stubbornly choose the waste swordsmanship. Even I, your old master, am disappointed in your vision."
Mu Shiqing had no expression on her face and did not answer.
Seeing that he was determined, Duan Qingming turned to Lan Feiyu and said, "Wu Jiansan, I remember you were still in the Sword King Pavilion. Do you no longer have the Pavilion Master in your eyes?"
Lan Feiyu bowed his head: "Greetings, Pavilion Master."
"This is the kind of subordinate that makes me satisfied." Duan Qingming said with a smile.
Bu Shuihan listened blankly for a while, then asked, "Junior Brother Gu, when did you come back?"
Hearing him calling "Junior Brother Gu" in a trance, Gu Pinglin knew that he was not yet fully awake: "I just arrived and saw you two fighting with swords. It was very exciting."
Bu Shuihan was quite frustrated when he heard that. He put away the Huyin Sword and walked over: "This move, Wandering Dragon and Startling Phoenix, was created by you. I practiced for several years to get this far. Who would have thought..." He looked at Duan Qingming with a wry smile, half with emotion and half with envy: "Back then, Master said you were a genius in swordsmanship. Now I can't deny it."
Although he is impulsive and competitive, he is open-minded and does not show any jealousy when he admits defeat. In this respect, he is much better than Yang Zhao, and Duan Qingming's influence on him is always limited.
Gu Pinglin smiled: "Master Duan's cultivation is far superior to yours and mine, how can you compare with him?"
The gap between the two was not as big as Bu Shuihan thought, because Duan Qingming deliberately displayed his unparalleled sword intent, which gave his opponent a strong shock, causing people to completely ignore the fact that he was using his realm advantage, just like he did before against Yang Zhao. This made his breaking moves look extremely easy, so Bu Shuihan was deeply shocked.
After giving praise and then ruthlessly and brutally breaking his moves, Bu Shuihan was defeated half by his swordsmanship and half by his psychological trap.
What is certain is that Duan Qingming has reached the Dan realm.
Suddenly awakened, Bu Shuihan's eyes lit up again and he said with a smile: "I overestimated my own abilities. I didn't expect that Junior Brother Duan would be ahead of us all these years. Your Dao meridians were severely damaged back then..." He stopped.
"Yes, my Dao meridians were severely damaged, and it took a lot of effort to survive," Duan Qingming seemed to be understanding and resolved the awkwardness, "Now I can finally come back for a walk, but unfortunately I don't remember the past, and I'm no longer a disciple of the Lingxin Sect."
Bu Shuihan was silent for a moment, then said with difficulty: "Junior Brother Gu was also doing this for the Lingxin Sect, so he had no choice but to..."
"Since Pavilion Master Duan has come to our sect, we should also do our best to be a good host," Gu Pinglin said calmly, "I will host a banquet tonight to entertain our distinguished guests. I'll have to ask Senior Sister Yan to arrange it."
He did not call him "senior brother", but directly called him "guardian of the religion". Bu Shuihan knew that he was ordering him to leave. After hesitating for a moment, he could only agree: "Yes."
Gu Pinglin ordered Mu Shiqing: "Take Wu Jian San and settle him down."
Mu Shiqing agreed decisively and left with Lan Feiyu. After a while, only two people were left in the bamboo forest.
"The person who wanted to kill me in the past now keeps calling me his junior brother and saying that he is sorry for me. This feeling is very new." Duan Qingming paced a few steps and looked at the direction where Bu Shuihan left. "Bu Shuihan is not dead. You saved him."
"You are wrong. It was you who saved him." Gu Pinglin said.
Duan Qingming retracted his gaze: "It turns out that your Senior Brother Duan has a kind heart and loves to do good things like this."
"It wasn't you who did it back then."
"Bu Shuihan alone is not worth my effort."
"But you didn't deny it."
"Is it important?"
To him, Bu Shuihan and his people had no meaning in existence. Gu Pinglin did not want to continue discussing this topic and turned to look at the Mingfeng Sword on the ground.
It is not a famous sword, but it is named after the person. In the previous life, this sword accompanied me for many years, and finally fell into the dust with me; now, it shines in Duan Qingming's hands. I believe that it will not be long before it will be famous in the cultivation world together with Duan Qingming.
But obviously, Duan Qingming didn't cherish it very much. Except for Gu Ying, other swords were probably the same in his eyes.
Look at the shadow.
"What? Are you feeling sorry for your sword?" Duan Qingming's voice sounded.
"It has accompanied me all my life." Gu Pinglin stretched out his hand and pulled up Mingfeng. The sword resisted him extremely and made a slight buzzing sound.
Duan Qingming didn't care about the sword's reaction at all: "How about I give it back to you?"
Gu Pinglin asked: "Do you want to look back at Gu Ying?"
"You treasure Gu Ying very much because it was given to you by Senior Brother Duan?" Duan Qingming paused and suddenly chuckled, "Mingfeng Sword, is it the token of love you gave me?"
"Huh?" Gu Pinglin frowned and looked back at him, "You've been to Duan's."
Duan Qingming said: "This reaction doesn't seem to be the case."
Gu Pinglin said: "You should win over the Duan family."
Duan Qingming seemed not to have heard his words: "It turns out that the Zhou sisters did not misunderstand. I was bewitched by you, Gu Pinglin, and I left my family for you, abandoned the Xuanming Sect and joined the Lingxin Sect. I also gave you the Gu Ying Sword, which was left by my late mother. Well, I will be gay. This is really unexpected and pleasant news."
Knowing that he was observing his reaction, Gu Pinglin said calmly: "Do you believe it?"
"Why don't you believe it?" Duan Qingming didn't care and said calmly, "Such an interesting thing, of course I can do it."
Gu Pinglin said: "Since you have already made up your mind, I will save myself the trouble of explaining."
Duan Qingming tilted his head slightly and looked at him.
Gu Pinglin let go of the Mingfeng Sword and let it disappear into its sheath: "In my previous life, you intentionally gave me this Mingfeng Sword."
"Yes, Yue Songting wanted to ask for a sword for his apprentice. I happened to be in Shengong Valley, so I picked one for you. Aren't you very satisfied with it?"
"You already knew me."
Duan Qingming looked calm, "Of course, have you figured it out? In fact, you can't beat me at all. I'm letting you win. Otherwise, why would you go to so much trouble to beat me and become stronger? Even the Creation Art was obtained with my help."
Even though he knew he did it on purpose, Gu Pinglin still frowned when he heard it.
Duan Qingming didn't look at his expression and said, "So, now that you know I'm doing this for your own good, Sect Leader Gu, you finally have a change of heart and are so moved that you're repaying me with your own body?"
Gu Pinglin's eyebrows jumped: "Duan Qingming would say such a thing, it's really eye-opening."
"Duan Qingming already likes men, so why can't I say it? After all, I listened to the elders' earnest advice for half a day in the Duan family," Duan Qingming approached him, "Recalling the past life is not as good as recalling the more interesting present life. I am very curious now, Master Gu, how close have we become?"
Gu Pinglin said coldly: "Enough joking."
Duan Qingming said to himself: "It's hard to imagine you trying to please me. I am pleased that you are so familiar with the sword moves of Wandering Dragon and Startling Phoenix and Falling Wild Goose in the Clouds. Are you creating new moves based on Gu Ying's swordsmanship to match me?"
Eyes met.
"Is that all?" Gu Pinglin asked. "I invited you to be my guest before, but you refused. What's the meaning of your coming to my house now?"
"I suddenly learned such interesting news and came to share it with you," Duan Qingming said, "I have always been wondering, how could you trick Xin Ji and the others' soul stones from me? Could it be that my memory is sealed and my mind is also sealed?"
Duan Qingming couldn't trust anyone, so it was inevitable that he would be suspicious.
Gu Pinglin's eyes moved: "Seal?"
Duan Qingming did not answer his doubts: "I know myself, your design is not flawless, I would not be so careless, but if our relationship is..."
Gu Pinglin finished for him: "You are not sure what you would be like if you had feelings."
Duan Qingming said: "The corpse must be very cute."
Gu Pinglin laughed.
Duan Qingming didn't smile. He walked to the opposite side of him, his narrow eyes flashing with a cold light: "The fact that you can make me let down my guard proves that I do have an extraordinary trust in you."
"It's not easy to get your trust," Gu Pinglin said, "So are you sure now?"
Duan Qingming said: "Anyway, this misunderstanding is very interesting."
Gu Pinglin turned aside and said, "Master Duan's arrival brings honor to Lingxin Sect. Unfortunately, our sect is simple and only has a few glasses of wine. Please."
.
The two walked out of the bamboo forest, and many disciples looked over here curiously. In recent years, Lingxin Sect has accepted many new disciples, and they don't know Duan Qingming. Chen Qian and Bu Shuihan have strictly forbidden to talk about what happened in the past. As a new force in the cultivation world, Jianwang Pavilion seems very mysterious. They should just be curious about Duan Qingming.
Yan Feixiu, Bu Shuihan, Ren Ping, Jiang Wu and others were all in the hall. When they saw the two men walking in side by side, Bu Shuihan was the first to breathe a sigh of relief, smiled, and stood up to offer his seat. Duan Qingming had obviously used the past two days to gain everyone's trust. Even the governor Jiang Wu treated him differently and seemed a little flattered when he spoke to him.
Yan Feixiu smiled bitterly and said to Gu Pinglin in a voice transmission: "Did you see those people at the foot of the mountain? It was Junior Brother Bu who insisted on letting him stay. You know Junior Brother Bu..."
"It's okay." Gu Pinglin gestured to her to rest assured and took a seat.
Bu Shuihan stood up with the wine glass in his hand, looked at Gu Pinglin, then at Duan Qingming, his eyes reddened: "I never thought that we brothers could still gather together. If Master is still alive, he would definitely be pleased."
Gu Pinglin said, "Since Pavilion Master Duan has arrived, this glass of wine should be offered to the distinguished guest first."
Bu Shuihan frowned: "Junior Brother Duan has already..."
"He is already the leader of the Sword King Pavilion," Gu Pinglin interrupted him, "Now that his identity has been made public, the various sects and families are wary of the Sword King Pavilion. Fortunately, the Blood Moon Miasma Valley is safer than the Spiritual Heart Sect, so you can rest assured, brother."
"Master, that's right." Ren Bing stroked his white beard, stood up and pulled Bu Shuihan to sit down.
Bu Shuihan also understood that his idea was unrealistic, so he stopped talking and just drank alone.
Duan Qingming watched calmly, and when the two men had finished arguing, he raised his glass and said, "Whether in the Sword King Pavilion or the Spiritual Heart Sect, we are always a family. What do you think, Junior Brother Gu?"
Just as Gu Pinglin was about to speak, a disciple outside the sect reported, "Senior Brother Wan is back."
Wan Lai walked in quickly and said with a smile, "Master, you came back so quickly, could it be that you heard the news that Master Duan came to Lingxin Sect?"
"You still remember to come back!" Bu Shuihan said with a stern face, "I thought you haven't been seen recently. Are you going down the mountain to mess around again?"
Wan Lai closed his fan and shrank his head: "Unjust, I was ordered by my master to go outside to inquire about the news."
Bu Shuihan put down the wine glass: "You're lazy and you dare to quibble!"
Wan Lai said with a bitter face: "Really, Master, please explain it for me."
Gu Pinglin nodded: "Don't blame me, Senior Brother. I asked him to go."
Bu Shuihan then stopped talking.
Wan Lai unfolded the fan again and said with a smile, "I dare not be lazy. I haven't found out what Master ordered yet, but I just heard something about Miss Qi and the others."
Bu Shuihan had been quite friendly with Yao Feng and Qi Wan'er in the past. When he heard about Qi Yanfeng, he asked, "How is Miss Qi?"
Wan Lai said, "Aren't they being hunted by the Tiancan Sect? I don't know what tricks Master Shi used, but the Tiancan Sect actually killed a Feijian Palace disciple by mistake. Now, Sect Master Yu wants to ask the Old and Sick Immortal for the crime. With the confrontation between the two sides, I think Miss Qi and the others will be much safer."
"The Feijian Palace has such bad luck," Bu Shuihan thought of something. "Since the death of Elder Fang, they have no powerful figures. It's a rare opportunity for them to produce Yang Zhao, but somehow he has become a useless person again. It's really a pity."
"Yeah, what a pity." Duan Qingming raised his glass and drank it all.