Chapter 42: One Sword, One Strike

“Ma… ma…”

Yan Li’s temple throbbed. He looked down at the little one in his arms, who was staring up at him with an innocent face.

Yan Shu didn’t notice at all and grinned at him.

Yan Li: “…”

The two female cultivators exchanged a look. One of them couldn’t hold back, her mouth twitching as she forced out, “But… didn’t you just call him senior brother?”

Xuan Shiyan didn’t change expression, lies spilling out smoothly. “When feelings run deep, what’s wrong with a little couple’s banter between husband and wife?”

Yan Li’s temple throbbed again. The flying sword in his sleeve nearly broke free. He closed his eyes and forced the urge down.

The two female cultivators stood there, utterly bewildered. Damn it, they hadn’t snagged a man, and they’d been force-fed a mouthful of dog food.

“…Sorry to bother you.”

The one who had been closest to them snapped out of it first. With a complicated expression, she grabbed her companion and turned to leave.

Only when the two figures disappeared around the bend of the valley path did Yan Li slowly lower his gaze to the hand still resting on his waist.

“Hand.”

Xuan Shiyan immediately withdrew his hand. “…Senior brother, wasn’t that just to get us out of there faster?”

Yan Li gave him a cold glance. Those already chilly eyes darkened further.

Xuan Shiyan felt uneasy under his stare, rubbed his nose, and wisely shut up.

Yan Li looked away, carried Yan Shu, and turned to leave.

Xuan Shiyan watched the white-robed figure hurrying ahead and felt his heart sink.

‘Oh no. Running my mouth was bad enough, but I just had to put my arm around him too. Senior brother is really angry this time.’

It made sense. Being pestered for no reason all along the way, and mistaken for a woman again and again, would annoy anyone.

But a doubt slowly rose in his mind.

Since they’d left the mountain, senior brother had been mistaken for a woman more times than he could count. Once or twice could be coincidence, but this many times made a person think.

Come to think of it, senior brother had indeed seemed different lately.

The sharpness between his brows wasn’t as pronounced as before. His features were more delicate, his skin almost as white as cold jade. His cold, distant air hadn’t diminished; if anything, it had gained an indescribable charm.

Of course, the little baby in his arms contributed to it. A young cultivator carrying a child everywhere made people assume things.

Still, Xuan Shiyan felt none of that fully explained it.

That time at Qingfeng Gorge, when he’d suggested disguising themselves as a married couple to blend into the merchant caravan, it had been a spur-of-the-moment idea. But maybe even then he’d sensed something was off.

He never expected senior brother to look so good in women’s clothes. When the goose-yellow skirt fluttered in the wind, he’d been dazed.

In that moment, he’d even wondered absurdly… could senior brother have been a woman disguised as a man all along?

But the moment that thought appeared, he found it ridiculous. After all… he’d seen senior brother practice sword forms shirtless.

Broad shoulders, defined back, firm waist and abdomen. Nothing about that screamed “woman.”

With that, Xuan Shiyan shoved the absurd guess back down.

…Forget it. He was probably overthinking.

By the time Xuan Shiyan snapped back to attention, the white-robed figure ahead had already put a good distance between them.

He hurried to catch up. Just as he was about to speak, Yan Li suddenly stopped.

Before them was an open area littered with jagged rocks. Crimson stones lay scattered in every direction, and there was no one else around.

Xuan Shiyan blinked, puzzled. Before he could ask, Yan Li turned around with a cold face and without a word shoved Yan Shu into his arms. “Hold him.”

Xuan Shiyan fumbled to catch the baby. He looked down at the little one gnawing on his fingers, then up at Yan Li’s back as he walked to the center of the rock field. A bad feeling crept into his heart.

‘Senior brother… he’s not going to take his anger out on this pile of rocks, is he?’

Yan Li had already taken his stance and slowly closed his eyes.

Ever since leaving the mountain, he’d been mistaken, pestered, and stared at again and again. The anger he’d suppressed for so long had quietly built to its breaking point.

Since there was nowhere to vent it…

Then he might as well cut loose with a single sword strike.

Boom!

Sharp sword intent exploded from his body. The flying sword in his sleeve rang as it left its sheath, transforming into a silver rainbow that shot into the sky.

Vast sword intent poured into the blade like a tide. The sword edge trembled without stop, and countless silver-white sword lights burst out.

The flying sword swept across the air. The sword lights roared outward, rolling in all directions. The ground gravel moved without wind.

The jagged rocks around him were sliced apart like tofu. Rubble tumbled down, dust shot up, and Yan Li’s figure was completely swallowed by the cloud of dust.

Xuan Shiyan’s eyes narrowed.

Before the dust settled, Yan Li frowned.

Countless sword lights looked impressive, but their power was scattered. Against a truly strong enemy, each sword light would be too weak.

He suddenly thought of those people from before. They were just a few unimportant strangers, yet they had distracted him.

Swords were the same.

The more you split them, the weaker they become.

If that was the case, why not gather all the sword intent into one blade?

Yan Li closed his eyes again and sank his mind into his dantian.

The spiritual energy vortex spun faster. Within the small yin-yang Taiji, yin and yang qi intertwined and flowed. Vast spiritual power surged through his meridians and poured into the flying sword.

The sword lights that had been scattered across the sky all gathered at the blade’s edge, leaving only a single thread of silver-white light, condensed to the extreme.

Yan Li’s eyes snapped open. “Go.”

The flying sword let out a clear ring and shot forth as a thin silver streak.

The silver light flashed and vanished, instantly piercing the massive rock mountain dozens of zhang ahead.

After a brief silence, a muffled rumble came from deep within the mountain.

Rumble…!!!

A straight crack spread from the mountain’s base all the way to its peak. The entire rock mountain paused for a breath, then slowly split to both sides.

Boom!

Rubble rained down, dust billowed into the sky.

Amid the spreading dust, something deep within the split mountain seemed to glint.

A flash of shock passed through Xuan Shiyan’s eyes.

This sword strike was completely different from the last. Before, sword intent had transformed into thousands. Now, thousands of sword intents had returned to a single edge.

Yan Li watched the mountain, split in two, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

Sure enough, sword moves could be infinitely varied, but at a life-or-death moment, only that one strike decided victory.

The only problem was the cost. This single strike had consumed nearly twenty percent of his spiritual power. The vortex in his dantian had clearly slowed.

With a thought, the flying sword traced a silver arc and returned to his sleeve.

He let out a slow breath. The cost was steep, but it would serve well as a trump card. He only needed to save it for a critical moment.

He stood in place and regulated his breathing for a moment. Once the spiritual power in his body settled, he turned and walked toward Xuan Shiyan.

He was just about to take Yan Shu back when he suddenly stopped.

A wisp of unusually rich fire spiritual energy was slowly leaking from deep within the rock mountain.

“Wait.”

“What is it?”

Yan Li didn’t answer. He just turned to look at the split mountain.

The dust gradually cleared. From the cracks in the split rock, a faint dark red glow was visible.

Xuan Shiyan followed his gaze and his eyes lit up. “This is…”

The two exchanged a look and understood at the same time.

📚 Also on NHV Novels

Who Exactly Climbed into My Bed in the Girls’ Dormitory?

Female ProtagonistRomancetransformation

Read Now →
Not interested