My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion

Chapter 1292: Chapter 711: Escaped Again? (Double-Length)

The snow seals the mountain.

Lu Ying extended her hand, and snowflakes fluttered from the eaves, falling upon her palm without melting for a long time, like needle points.

This place forges swords, and the swords resemble snow.

The nights in Sword Town are deep, especially during heavy snow, when the darkness envelops the sky, and snowflakes sweep over the walls like glimmers of swords—an extraordinarily cold and austere spectacle.

Having been here for many days, Sword Town is always silent. The so-called silence doesn’t mean an absence of sound but includes the rustle of leaves in the woods at times, the sharp cries of birds, the faint chirps of insects, and the light resembling a bean—Lu Ying glanced sideways at her shadow under the lamp.

Compared to Yin Tingxue seeking the complex paths to forge a sword with her past life, Lu Ying has had a much simpler time these days, like those swordsmen climbing mountains overcoming hardships, once they take a sword from the Hidden Sword Pavilion, all is done.

If not waiting for Yin Tingxue, Lu Ying would have returned to Yin Sword Mountain by now. Yet, meditating here in Sword Town for many days has not been entirely fruitless.

Lu Ying lay the sword across her lap, its blade bright as snow under the lamp, the sword guard shaped like auspicious clouds with a Taiji symbol inside. As for its name, Lu Ying wasn’t concerned and hadn’t cared to listen, so it remained nameless.

Lu Ying looked out, and compared to the past, she has truly inherited Zhou Yitang’s legacy now; everything she sees and hears is entirely different from before.

She’s walking her master’s path—a path only she can walk. In the past, Lu Ying didn’t understand, but after reaching this level, she noticed hints in Zhou Yitang’s words that the world is on the brink of change. Even with heavenly abilities, one can scarcely escape death, while the Living Sword of Yin Sword Mountain needs a successor—even leaving a single seed of Sword Dao can prevent complete extinction.

Previously disliking sword practice, now it scarcely bothers her.

Lu Ying gently wiped her sword with two fingers, the snowflakes slowly melting upon the blade, and she suddenly recalled a childish old saying,

"Life is truly lonely like snow..."

In the silence, muttering this old saying to herself, she chuckled, suddenly feeling she still carries some childishness.

After the snow, the ancient hues of the mountain body are buried, the entire mountain blanketed in hazy spiritual light, with clouds swirling—not pure white, dreamlike as if unreal. Now, the sky is clear, the mountain colors mixed with the sounds of iron-forging and sword casting.

Lu Ying ascended the steps slowly, coming again to see the meditating girl in the pavilion. Yin Tingxue was sealing with both hands, eyes tightly shut, occasionally furrowing her brows as if experiencing something.

She took two steps closer, about to approach more, when suddenly a voice sounded at her ear,

"Lu Ying."

Lu Ying’s steps halted, turning her head; the one-armed woman appeared behind her, unnoticed.

"Master."

Zhou Yitang said gently, "Do not disturb your junior sister."

"Master, I just saw that young junior sister seems to be in distress."

"That’s something she must experience."

Zhou Yitang merely stretched out a finger, and Lu Ying’s figure floated back several steps, separated by a yard from Yin Tingxue.

"Yes."

Lu Ying nodded slightly, said no more, and slowly returned.

Zhou Yitang glanced sideways at her disciple’s back.

Among the four disciples, Yin Tingxue has the shortest practice time, Chen Yi created a new path, Min Ning is unaware she is Zhou Yitang, only Lu Ying, and only Lu Ying suits this path.

Now Lu Ying’s mindset has entirely changed compared to the past, having inherited her teachings.

Just now...

Zhou Yitang recalled, as Lu Ying walked toward Yin Tingxue, in her eyes, there was a hint of faint jealousy.

A reminiscence of the past, or perhaps...

Thinking of someone, Zhou Yitang’s gaze turned cold, with an unclear emotion flashing.

Though lacking concrete evidence, it’s unwise to turn against her face-to-face. However, no matter what, a warning is prudent.

The one-armed woman glanced at Yin Tingxue once more, calculating with her fingers, and now... Yin Tingxue has reached a critical moment.

A sword requires repeated hammering, refining and extracting the essence, and forging a sword from a past life follows the same logic.

If she were not using the Heavenly Ear Technique, it would be fine to obtain a sword from the Hidden Sword Pavilion as Lu Ying did. But she uses the Heavenly Ear Technique, hearing and dreaming of past life memories. Hence, living two lives, if one doesn’t eliminate ignorance from the past, leading to dissatisfaction in the present, the more she practices Sword Dao, the easier it becomes to succumb to a Heart Demon.

Recalling Yin Tingxue’s past life, Zhou Yitang’s gaze narrowed.

Frankly, compared to the deft, refined Yin Tingxue nowadays, she preferred the prickly Demon Sect Saintess.

The two personalities are as different as heaven and earth. Ultimately, for a girl like Yin Tingxue, if hope shatters, she may swing from one extreme to another.

For instance, the present Yin Tingxue, if Chen Yi dies again, she might revert to the killer Demon Sect Saintess. The same holds true that if the Demon Sect Saintess’s ignorance truly resolves....

Zhou Yitang frowned, then thought a moment and shook her head, smoothing irrelevant emotions.

This Tongxuan’s Heart Demon increasingly stirs her heart’s waves, prescient dissatisfaction with their excessive closeness.

Fortunately, it’s fleeting.

Footsteps plodded on the snow-covered stone steps, making creaky sounds, sounding particularly heavy.

Zhou Yitang didn’t turn back, until the footsteps stopped several yards behind her, she turned her body slowly.

Li Kang already grasped the iron hammer, looking exhausted, yet his eyes full of intense excitement, slightly bowing his head as a sign of respect for the Sword Armor.