The next morning, Ye Yun woke to birdsong outside his window and found himself struggling to breathe. When he opened his eyes, he saw a foot in a white sock pressing down hard on his chest.
So that's why I dreamed last night that I couldn't breathe and was about to suffocate. This must be the culprit. Take this, my invincible tickle attack! Having found the cause of his breathlessness, Ye Yun didn't hesitate for a second. He unleashed his ultimate move, the "invincible tickle attack," and went straight for Tian Ling'er's sole.
Most people were naturally ticklish, and Tian Ling'er was especially so. Even through her sock, she reacted instantly. With a startled cry, she snatched her foot back as fast as lightning.
As soon as Tian Ling'er woke and saw Ye Yun beside her, pretending to be asleep, she knew exactly what had happened. Without a word, she pounced on him and tickled him. Ye Yun burst into laughter and writhed like a caterpillar, struggling and squirming with all his might. He was extremely ticklish too.
Ye Yun gave up after struggling for a moment. Without using his magic power, his nine-year-old body was no match for Tian Ling'er, who was already a grown young woman. He hurriedly surrendered and begged for mercy.
"Senior Sister, spare me! Senior Sister, I know I was wrong. I surrender!"
"Surrender? In your dreams! You made me wait for ages last night, then tickled me as soon as you got up this morning. And now you want to surrender? You're not getting off that easily. Take this!"
"Hahaha! If, if that's how it is, hahaha, then we'll both go down together!" Ye Yun laughed as he declared his counterattack. Then, instead of trying to fend her off, he began to fight back.
"Hehehe! You little rascal, you dare fight back? Your big sister will make you admit defeat today!"
A few minutes later, Ye Yun and Tian Ling'er lay sprawled across the bed, panting. Their clothes were somewhat disheveled, but neither of them cared. Their smiles showed that they were both in a good mood.
They lay quietly in bed like that for who knew how long. Half-asleep, Ye Yun heard Tian Ling'er's voice.
"Xiaoyun, wake up. It's time to practice. You promised yesterday that you'd practice with me."
When Ye Yun opened his eyes again, he saw that Tian Ling'er had already gotten up and straightened her slightly rumpled clothes. She stood by the bed, looking at him warmly.
Ye Yun glanced out the window and saw that the sun was already high in the sky. He scrambled out of bed. He'd slept in his outer clothes the night before, so he only needed to straighten them. There was another benefit to cultivating: unlike before, he didn't need to brush his teeth every day. Once he could draw spiritual energy into his body, its impurities would gradually be expelled until he was completely free of them. Any new impurities would be broken down and released through his pores when he breathed or sweated. This was one reason why cultivators in the Zhu Xian World could live for decades without growing old, even with only one or two levels of cultivation. (Most of Ye Yun's senior brothers were stuck around the third or fourth level.)
By the time Ye Yun and Tian Ling'er reached the dining hall, everyone else had finished breakfast. Zhang Xiaofan had even washed all the dishes and gone off to practice. Fortunately, breakfast was prepared in roughly fixed quantities each day, so there was still enough for them.
The meals on the mountain were always simple. According to his master, Tian Buyi, this custom dated back to Ancestor Qing Ye. Cultivators, he said, shouldn't indulge their appetites, but should devote themselves to cultivation and vanquishing demons. As a result, the meals across the peaks of Qingyun Sect had barely changed in thousands of years.
After their simple breakfast, Ye Yun followed Tian Ling'er toward the back mountain. She wanted him to practice techniques and moves with her, not cultivate magic power, so they needed a wide-open space. The back mountain was perfect.
Though they called it practicing techniques and moves, there wasn't actually much to learn. In the Zhu Xian World, cultivators generally fought by forming hand seals to control their magical treasures. There weren't many techniques that could be used on their own; most required a magical treasure. Still, there were arts like Palm Thunder, the Five Thunders True Law (also called the Thunder Law; it allowed the user to wield thunder and was a prerequisite art for cultivating the Divine Sword Thunder Control True Spell), and the Five Elements Spell. Otherwise, wouldn't a cultivator without a weapon be like a tiger without teeth?
Ye Yun hadn't yet forged a magical treasure of his own. Tian Buyi thought he was still too young, and none of the treasures in his collection suited him. So even though he'd learned everything he was supposed to, he still didn't have a treasure of his own. As a result, he excelled most at arts that could reach their full power without relying on a magical treasure.
Tian Ling'er's magical treasure was the earth-elemental Amber Vermilion Ribbon that Su Ru had given her. Though it looked soft and light, it was actually tough and heavy. Getting hit by it was about the same as being struck with a massive iron hammer weighing several dozen pounds. Since Tian Ling'er had used the ribbon ever since she began cultivating, it moved like a nimble serpent in her hands. She could twist, turn, sweep, bind, coil, and constrict with effortless ease, giving Ye Yun more than a little trouble.
After Tian Ling'er sent him flying with the Amber Vermilion Ribbon yet again, Ye Yun had to admit that even though his cultivation was higher than hers, he might not beat her without a magical treasure. After all, he had little to no fighting experience, and his slight advantage in magic power was completely canceled out by the Amber Vermilion Ribbon.
"Senior Sister, watch out! I'm counterattacking!"
The moment he finished speaking, Ye Yun swept the sword fingers of his left hand through the air. The fine steel sword he'd tossed aside suddenly shuddered and rang out with a series of humming notes. Then, before anyone could react, it shot up like lightning and flew straight toward Tian Ling'er's back. But that wasn't all. As the sword rose, Ye Yun split his attention, and a faint earthen-yellow glow lit his right hand. He traced a series of patterns in the air, forming an esoteric rune. The instant it took shape, the ground beneath Tian Ling'er's feet began to shake violently. Caught off guard, she stumbled and nearly fell.
The instant Ye Yun spoke, Tian Ling'er had gone on guard, keeping her eyes on his every move. But when she saw him send only an ordinary sword flying at her, most of her caution vanished. His sword was too weak to even pierce the Amber Vermilion Ribbon, so she paid it no mind. Instead, she formed hand seals, intending to use the ribbon to wrap Ye Yun up like a dumpling. As for what he was doing with his other hand, she assumed he was using a sword-control spell to strengthen the flying sword and didn't pay attention.
Ye Yun hadn't expected Tian Ling'er to completely ignore the Earth Control Spell from his Five Elements Spell. She kept right on controlling the Amber Vermilion Ribbon and sent it whipping toward him. But she'd hit him several times already. It had only hurt a little, but now that he had a chance to hit back, how could he let it pass? He changed the spell in his hand, and the earthen-yellow light instantly turned green. He quickly traced an esoteric design in the air. The instant it took shape, a mass of brown roots burst from beneath Tian Ling'er's feet. They slowly curled around her legs. While Tian Ling'er was scrambling to deal with them, the ordinary sword slipped past the Amber Vermilion Ribbon's defenses and reached her back.
"Senior Sister, you lose." At his words, Tian Ling'er stopped forming hand seals, looking thoroughly displeased. The roots retreated underground, and the sword flew back to Ye Yun's side.
Today is May 20. May everyone find their other half, and may those who already have find happiness together. And by the way, seeing as this humble author worked hard on May 20, please show my fragile heart some love with votes and follows!
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