Mysterious.

  This was the first time Lin Shu heard someone say this about him.

  He was a little flattered.

  Unexpectedly, the Big Miss remained expressionless and said: “If you died, it would look like I am incompetent.”

  Oh.

  It turned out to be this.

  Lin Shu didn’t know what to say, only said: “Thank you.”

  “No need for thanks.” Ling Fengxiao collected her books, playing with a bamboo flute in one hand and did not speak for a while. She finally said: “Did you go to the Martial Arts Courtyard?”

  Lin Shu: “I did.”

  “Don’t go there anymore,” Ling Fengxiao said. “Everyone there is average, so there’s no point in going.”

  Lin Shu felt that that seemed entirely wrong.

  Cang Min’s martial arts accomplishments were truly remarkable. Xiao Shao, who was undefeated in battle, was even more unfathomable. In any case, it didn’t matter if she said they were all average. Ling Fengxiao was trying to say that everyone in the courtyard had roughly the same level of martial arts, but that at least required everyone to have at least reached Xiao Shao’s level.

  He said: “Today saw the contest between Cang Min and Xiao Shao.”

  Ling Fengxiao’s movements paused and said, “Xiao Shao is acceptable.”

  Acceptable.

  What level of evaluation was that?

  “However, blindly suppressing people with spiritual power is actually unruly, and ultimately boring.” Ling Fengxiao said, “If you want to be entertained, it is better to watch my dancing sword.”

  Lin Shu: “Let me see it.”

  Ling Fengxiao laughed: “You suddenly became energetic.”

  Lin Shu touched his nose.

  To be honest, he really wanted to see Ling Fengxiao’s sword.

  Although this person practiced her sword skills in the peony bushes early in the morning, he couldn’t see how her swordsmanship, because she only practiced the hundred most basic and simple sword formations.

  Not that it was bad, but it just wasn’t very pretty.

  Actually, practicing swords like this was terrifying because all the sword styles in the world were derived from slight changes from these basic one hundred formations. When Lin Shu practiced the sword in his past life, he also relied on these one hundred formations.

  Many people wanted to learn some secret technique, however, even if they obtained that sort of unparalleled skill and thought that they could dominate the world, they would end up only knowing how to use one or two sword styles after exhausting their entire life, and would never be an overall star. When people said “looking at the mountain and making one’s horse run dead from exertion”, this was what they meant.

  If the basic skills were learnt skillfully and formed a solid base, then they also looked at mountains in the distance, but instead of the thin and inferior horses that other people rode, they were peerless gods and would naturally go a lot further.

  The outcome of a battle between a person who had practiced basic moves to the pinnacle of the peak and a person who had a secret technique could not be easily determined.

  And if a person not only achieved the ultimate peak in the basic moves, but also had a prestigious martial arts heritage, their strength could not be underestimated.

  Ling Fengxiao’s roots didn’t need to be discussed. Phoenix Villa was a famous sect in the entirety of Jianghu, and their martial arts would never be ordinary.

  Therefore, the first time Lin Shu saw Ling Fengxiao’s sword practice in the morning, he knew that her skill would never be a useless flower shelf–he was really curious about Ling Fengxiao’s level.

  But about the “you suddenly became energetic”, it was a little problematic.

  Lin Shu inspected himself. Although when he heard that the Big Miss was going to perform a sword dance, his eyes did light up, but was he really that listless before?

  He reflected on it, corrected his attitude, and looked at Ling Fengxiao.

  \r \r \r

  There was an empty space outside the atrium. Ling Fengxiao got up and walked there, slowly drawing her knife, and said: “Our villa is famous in the whole Jianghu for our ‘Phoenix Sword Style’, but the ‘Lingyun Nine Formations’ is one of the most acceptable ones.”

  The sword was as bright as water and it was raised with a slight slant, pointing straight at the bamboo forest.

  Ling Fengxiao’s wrist turned, and in an instant, the blade swayed, and the full moon disappeared.

  Then she lifted her body and turned around, and a blade of light crossed the sky. At that moment, the blade’s glow was incredibly dazzling.

  Speaking of Phoenix Sword Style, there was a famous story.

  There were many schools of martial arts, but the summit of the peak was only the Phoenix Style.

  In the past, there was a mountain disciple who became friends with a scholar. The world-famous scholar watched her perform a sword dance and wrote a poem saying:

  “The autumn’s wind flitted past her palms, ice flowers scattered across her body.

  The sound startled the white king, and the distracting light spun like a jade wheel.

  Murderous and quiet, a ghost god in the middle of winter.

  The dance returns to hide in her purple sleeves, and the fierce rustling filled the heavens.”

  After this poem spread, the reputation of the Phoenix Sword Style became even more famous. The fierceness of the Phoenix Sword Style became more and more popular, and the reputation of the villa was no longer limited to the Jianghu. The scholar had a high reputation, thus many vassals learnt of the beauty of the Phoenix Sword Style, but did not know the true power of the martial arts practitioners. As a result, they all believed marrying the villa’s disciples was their heaven bound duty. For a period of time, a bunch of rookies came to try and market themselves to the villa, but were beaten black and blue by Phoenix Villa. They ended up suffering miserably and being the butt of many jokes.

  Lin Shu withdrew from his thoughts and continued to look at the sword dance, but it was already a little amazing to see Ling Fengxiao’s hands, and the following moves were even more extraordinary.

  But seeing the red clothes flying; at first, the swordsmanship was complicated, and the light reflecting from the blade were like ice flowers, spreading all over the body.

  Afterwards, the rustling sound gradually became fierce, and its murderousness gradually flourished. A killing aura quietly filled the area, as if heralding the arrival of a ghost god.

  It was very nice.

  The knife technique was subtle, and many of its subtle changes were so wonderful that it was better than Cang Min. Speaking of its calm and steady atmosphere, it seemed to be comparable to Xiao Shao as well.

  The beautiful red dress, coupled with the Big Miss’ face that could shock the heavens, it was really pleasing to the eye.

  The Big Miss’ facial features were rich in color, beautiful and vivid, and just looking at it, she looked like a sky full of bright colors, but her expression did not have a usual girl’s delicate and soft air. Instead, she was extremely cold and proud, and she definitely had countless believers on their knees calling her a queen.

  No, he should be looking at the sword now, not her face.

  Lin Shu stopped his imagination and tried to focus on the sword.

  He was a little late.

  When he looked away from the Big Miss’ face, the “Lingyun Nine Formations” was already nearing its end. After a final killing glint of light from the blade passed by, the sound of the blade breaking through the sky disappeared, and Ling Fengxiao sheathed her sword.

  The bamboo forest had unknowingly become full of leaves floating to the ground.

  The Big Miss had violently destroyed the vegetation, and showed no sign of mercy.

  Against Lin Shu, she was even more merciless.

  Ling Fengxiao returned to the atrium and was unhappy about something or another again, saying in a displeased voice: “You didn’t like it?”

  Lin Shu denied: “No.”

  Ling Fengxiao: “Why are you so distracted?”

  Even his distractedness was discovered.

  Lin Shu had to tell the truth: “You look good.”

  “Then if I change my face, will you be unhappy?” Ling Fengxiao was still unhappy.

  Lin Shu really did not understand how the Big Miss’ thinking had skewed to this point. Maybe it was just because girls liked to make trouble unreasonably, and even the Big Miss wasn’t spared from this.

  “Not exactly,” he said. “Your sword skill is also very good.”

  “Of course my sword skill is good.”

  Lin Shu: “.……”

  Today, there was no way to chat properly.

  However, talking to Ling Fengxiao was actually much less laborious than other people.

  Lin Fengxiao didn’t talk much, and if this pufferfish was unhappy about something it would immediately be obvious. Lin Shu didn’t have to act the way he did with other people, constantly wondering if what he’s saying is appropriate.

  Moreover, he didn’t need to take the initiative to do anything. The Big Miss asked him to come over, so he went over. The Big Miss asked something, he would directly reply to it. Doing whatever he was prompted to do, it was always very labor-saving lifestyle.

  “It’s getting late,” Ling Feng said, “You should go to bed.”

  Lin Shu: “En.”

  He got up and left.

  Ling Fengxiao: “You ……”

  Lin Shu: “Huh?”

  “Nothing,” Ling Feng Xiao paused and said, “Are you always so good and obedient?”

  Obedient?

  If doing whatever he was prompted to do was being obedient, then he was indeed very obedient, and he would be obedient in the foreseeable future.

  Lin Shu: “Yes.”

  Ling Fengxiao had a little laughter in her eyes: “Go to sleep.”

  Lin Shu went to bed.

  When he had walked about halfway, he heard Ling Fengxiao ask from behind him: “Do you really not want the token for Huandang Mountain?”

  Lin Shu: “I don’t want it.”

  Although he was not clear about his level, it would be too shameful if he couldn’t make it through the top thirty disciples. If his master knew of it, he might be so angry that he died on the spot.

  Ling Fengxiao said nothing.

  Lin Shu returned to his room to sleep.

  The next morning, after creating an elixir and going to attend class in the academy, he heard that everyone had gathered together, discussing something excitedly.

  Lin Shu listened silently.

  “Xiao Shao’s ranking fell? It actually fell?”

  Eh?

  How could that be?

  However, the people around him were even more disbelieving. “Fall? How could it fall? Who is the first?”

  “Cang Min ba.”

  “Impossible!” A disciple slapped the table excitedly, “Xiao Shao and Cang Min competed last night, and Xiao Shao won effortlessly, I saw it with my own eyes!”

  “When did I say Cang Min defeated Xiao Shao? You need to listen to the rumors.” Another person said, “Xiao Shao picked the top 30 people in the list last night, and the moment they accepted the battle, he took the initiative to admit defeat, and dropped to the thirty-first rank just like that.”

  “This ……” The very first person who spoke, opened his mouth again: “But Huandang Mountain only accepts the first thirty people, wouldn’t this mean that he can’t go?”

  “What do you know, Xiao Shao has already cultivated to the top of his peak, I think he doesn’t need to go to Huandang Mountain. This move was to make room for us rookies, he really is too good.”

  “I said, how can someone of Xiao Shao’s level lose?” The disciple who slapped the table was relieved.

  After listening to this discussion, Lin Shu slightly changed his opinion of Xiao Shao.

  He seemed to be a good person.

  The author has something to say:

  The poems in the text are from the , by Zheng Shiyuan in the Qing Dynasty.