Dreams of the Ancient Mountain: The Cat's Masquerade | Chapter 92 | Cleaving the Snow | Novela.app

Wei Qingming raised her blade with a gentle tilt, parrying my attack with a crisp *ding*. She identified its origin instantly. "Piercing technique, Wind-Hiding Sword. The Leng Clan of Jinzhou, foremost of the three great assassin schools." "As expected of Lord Wei," I praised, trading over a dozen rapid-fire blows with her. The Leng family was Nie Xueqing’s maternal clan. She spoke no more, signaling me with her eyes to be careful. Her blade-edge shifted into a fierce offensive capable of splitting mountains and cleaving seas. She was truly sparing no effort to help me advance, showing no leniency whatsoever. Naturally, I could not withstand it head-on. I circulated my Minxue power, activating an illusion to vanish from sight. I circled behind her for a thrust, but while a martial expert might rely on instinct to sense and evade, she seemed to be intentionally demonstrating a lesson for me. She waited until the tip of my Hanguang Sword was pointed at her heart before suddenly shifting her torso. Without even moving her feet, she performed a perfect evasion. In the same motion, she brought her blade back in a precise strike toward my neck. It was a subtle beauty contained within a mere square inch, utterly captivating. I silently committed the move to memory and launched lethal strikes from the front, left, and right. She continued to demonstrate the orthodox counters for each, using standard techniques common in the martial world rather than her own signature style. Indeed, one should never despise any "unrefined" technique; if it could survive for a century without being discarded, it surely contained something close to the fundamental truth of martial arts. Once I had performed all twenty-four forms of the Wind-Hiding Sword for her, I had also memorized their counters, intending to contemplate and improve upon them later—or simply discuss them with her. Only the two forms of "Falling Rain, Scattering Flowers" remained. I drew the Xiaolian, a blade so transparent it seemed non-existent, and delivered a light flick toward her left eye. A flash of approval crossed her calm, water-like expression. She drifted aside to dodge and swung a heavy blow toward my left arm. This was the perfect opportunity to use "Falling Rain, Scattering Flowers" to overcome strength with weakness. In an instant, I guided the Xiaolian up along the wind of her blade, grazing her neck with a light touch. I swear I didn't hold back, yet I was short by a mere hair’s breadth. She escaped, countering with a strike that nearly knocked the small sword from my hand. Our sparring grew faster and faster. I had pushed my footwork to its limit, yet her movements remained clearly visible, unfolding with an almost impossible slowness. I simply could not wound her; she dismantled my every move with effortless grace. Finally, the intent of "Falling Rain, Scattering Flowers" reached its peak. I swept my left hand down at will, only to see her figure shift. She lowered the tip of her blade, following the trajectory of my attack, and actually caught the lethal Chengying against the back of her blade, guiding it away with nonchalant ease. It was a god-like skill, bordering on the supernatural! I stared blankly at the Xiaolian resting on the tip of the Zhishui Blade, vibrating like the wings of a cicada. Wei Qingming reached out to take it, looking at it with tender nostalgia before politely handing it back to me. Before I could dejectedly say, "You're too powerful," Wei Qingming praised, "A-Zhi, you are naturally gifted. This move is practically tailor-made for you. Once practiced to perfection, it will be invincible. The intent of creation contained within it is not something just anyone can comprehend." Her praise made me blush. I coughed. "Well, I am a demon, after all. I'm close to heaven and earth." As I was mentally retracing her counters, I heard Wei Qingming speak softly. "For A-Zhi’s martial arts to reach such a level... you must have suffered much over these years." "It was nothing." The tenderness in her voice warmed my heart. Thinking back on those grueling years and those heart-wrenching nights, I truly felt that the bitterness had passed and the sweetness had arrived. "To be able to become better, to reunite with you, to ease your worries, and to stay by your side—I don't find it bitter at all." She stepped forward and pulled me into her arms. I felt a damp warmth on my shoulder; I couldn't tell if it was my sweat or something else. "No... do not do it for me... all of this cannot be for me..." Her voice was hoarse, trembling slightly. "It must be for A-Zhi herself. I... I truly fear that one day..." Anxious, I reached around and tapped her mouth. "Didn't you say you'd make incense for me for a lifetime? Stop saying such nonsense!" "Alright." It took a long time for her to compose herself. When she finally released me, I saw that the corners of her eyes were red. We stood hand-in-hand, side-by-side, silently admiring the beautiful Zhuoxue Peak for a while. Wei Qingming pointed into the distance. "Of the first three years after I entered the sect, I lived there for two and a half." "Where?" I focused my gaze, and it took quite a while to spot a crude little wooden shack perched on a near-vertical cliff halfway up the mountain. My heart ached for her. "How could you live in a place like that!" She was so noble, born to grand houses and fine silks; how could she have endured such hardship? She merely smiled faintly. "To catch up with the others, I requested to go there myself." I looked around the martial arena, realizing this was where she had learned her craft as a youth, and suddenly found it a bit endearing. I asked, "But isn't training the same anywhere? At the very least, you could have practiced at the foot of the mountain. Why go to a place where even birds... where even birds can't fly?" "It is different." As she spoke, she took me with her, flying up to the cliff where the wooden shack stood in a single breath. Wei Qingming drew her blade and struck out toward the mountain’s eternal snows with a seemingly casual swing. The momentum was violent, the blade-qi terrifying. The mark was carved three feet deep into the snow, and a thunderous boom echoed for over a mile, its power unyielding. This was pure strength, achieved without using a shred of Solar Power. I was struck with awe. Wei Qingming handed the blade to me, signaling for me to try. This place likely had a high-level array that allowed it to self-repair; the artificial canyon in the snow soon closed, returning to its pristine, white state. I used every ounce of my strength to strike, but only managed to carve a shallow slit... Wei Qingming took the blade back and sheathed it. "Until I reached the perfection of the Smoke-Rising Realm and could carve a mark one foot deep, my instructor would not allow me to leave the mountain." I finally understood why Wei Qingming had gone to the trouble of bringing me here: she wanted to compensate for my lack of raw power. Initially, I thought she chose this remote arena to avoid the crowds. One must know that lately, the two of us were inseparable. Riding the coattails of this sect celebrity, I had also risen to prominence. Every day, the Chungu Courtyard received several threatening letters vowing to tear us apart and steal my lover... I ate lunch with Wei Qingming every day, but we ate dinner separately. I would seek out familiar female cultivators, while she inevitably had many social engagements to handle. That day was a social gathering for the two greatest sects. Naturally, I didn't go, having already agreed to play Shuanglu and drink with Yi Fei and several other Ink Feather disciples. We were only in the second round when we heard people coming out of the Jixi Pavilion discussing how Guan Shanping had actually apologized to Wei Qingming during the banquet, punishing himself with a large drink. Wei Qingming had surprisingly responded with civility, drinking with him and making peace... My hand shook in surprise, causing me to throw the dice wrong and lose the round! After dinner, Wei Qingming would always come to fetch me. That night, I giggled as I took her arm, poking her cheek and showering her with flattery: "Lord Wei has such grace, such magnanimity! A great person ignores the faults of the lowly; a prime minister's heart is wide enough to sail a boat in!" Wei Qingming replied with a half-smile, "He had best remain well-behaved." Her tone suggested she was actually hoping he wouldn't be, so she could find another excuse to beat him... A month passed quickly. Early summer arrived, yet the sun's heat did nothing to soften the hard snow of Zhuoxue Peak. Every day, I faced that unchanging wall of snow, hacking at it repeatedly with an ordinary wooden sword. Wei Qingming said that blade-qi and sword-qi were nothing more than the result of constant striking. I had skipped this basic training when learning the piercing arts, but it wasn't too late to make it up now. I also consulted Wei Qingming regarding the strength-building auxiliary technique Yu Niannian had given me. Not only did she teach me personally, pointing out the key points, but she also added several corresponding techniques—auxiliaries for the auxiliary. There was one month left until the beginning of July. At that time, a major event would occur: the fourteen-year-old Crown Prince would visit the Wujing Sect to perform the annual Grand National Sacrifice on behalf of the Emperor. This was a standard tradition; a prince's first time performing the sacrifice marked his official involvement in state affairs and his entry into the imperial court. However, the sacrifice was usually held at a branch temple in the capital. Traveling all the way to the main Wujing Sect suggested there might be some special reason behind it. Wei Qingming, who had rarely been able to spend leisure time with me, grew busy again. Because of this bothersome sacrifice, the sect had a mountain of tasks for its elite disciples, not to mention her status as an Emissary. I suspected Eunuch Feng had sent her back early specifically to prepare for this. The first few times she couldn't accompany me to Zhuoxue Peak, she looked heartbroken, as if she couldn't bear to take a step away. I laughed and pushed her along. "The arena at Zhuoxue Peak is quiet. I heard Fourth Brother likes it too; he'll accompany me every day, so don't worry." She truly trusted Qiao Songlin, so she gradually returned to her official duties. However, instead of threatening letters, the Chungu Courtyard now received daily gifts from her: clothes, jewelry, elegant artifacts, and even books, paintings, and weapons. These were intended for everyone on our mountain, which made my senior brothers and sisters even more fond of her. Wei Qingming also assigned A-Wan to serve me. She moved into the Chungu Courtyard to look after my daily life. Once we became acquainted, the two of us, both being demons, found it easy to talk. Unlike our first meeting, A-Wan was tactful, clever, and polite, which greatly increased my favorable impression of her... After hacking with the sword for over a month, I arrived at Zhuoxue Peak one morning. As I drew my wooden sword, it stirred a nearly invisible breeze. Three zhang away, a soft *chi* sounded against the thick, hard wall of snow. A faint sword-mark had actually appeared! Though it was as thin as a strand of silk, I happily dragged Qiao Songlin over to see. He took one look and nodded. My sword-qi had finally formed! Qiao Songlin gave a brief word of praise before reminding me, "Different realms bring vastly different perceptions and insights. It is easier to comprehend sword-qi in the Cloud-Swallowing Realm than in the Qi-Refining