Gu Yuanqing stood shoulder to shoulder with Li Miaoxuan in a scenic pavilion.
They hardly spoke. The young woman was far too aloof; whenever Gu Yuanqing said something, her reply was usually no more than a few brief words.
Gradually, Gu Yuanqing set aside his many thoughts and speculations, treating her as just another passing traveler keeping him company as he admired the mountain scenery.
They strolled through the mountains in this quiet, uneventful fashion. Only when birds occasionally chirped and circled around Gu Yuanqing, or even landed on his shoulder, did Li Miaoxuan look at him with a hint of surprise.
Gu Yuanqing explained with a smile, "After spending so long in the mountains, I've gotten to know them."
Li Miaoxuan nodded slightly without speaking. Gradually, however, she discovered that it was not just the birds—all the animals in these mountains were very close to him.
They followed a narrow path to the summit. Pointing toward the mountains ahead, Gu Yuanqing said, "That's the Guiyun Mountain Range. If you come at dawn, just as the sun rises, the light shining through turns golden, like the radiance of a Buddha. If you're interested, you can come up tomorrow morning and take a look."
Li Miaoxuan removed her veil and gazed at the rolling mountains. After a while, she said, "There's really nothing wrong with living in these mountains. Only far from the clamor of the mortal world can the heart find peace."
Gu Yuanqing glanced sideways at her and chuckled. "I didn't expect someone so young to have such thoughts of transcending the mundane."
Li Miaoxuan turned to meet his eyes. "All the splendor of this world is emptiness. Only enduring existence of one's own is the Great Dao."
At that moment, an unwavering yearning shone in Li Miaoxuan's calm eyes. The breeze stirred her hair, lending her an ethereal air of being above the mortal world. Together with her exquisite figure and beauty, it made her seem like an immortal maiden who had truly descended to earth.
Gu Yuanqing was momentarily dazed before smiling. "So you're pursuing the path to immortality, Miss Miaoxuan? But even a Grandmaster only lives for two hundred years, doesn't one?"
Li Miaoxuan did not reply. She simply gazed quietly into the distance, her expression returning to its usual calm.
Gu Yuanqing's smile faded as well. Raising his gaze slightly, he looked at the sea of clouds above the mountain range, and a thought suddenly arose in his heart. Does eternal life really exist? Are there Immortals? There must be, right? Otherwise, how could my rebirth and the system bound to me be explained?
Thinking of Spirit Mountain and the cultivation sanctuary, Gu Yuanqing's heart grew fervent as well. If Immortals truly exist in this world, then I want to see the scenery up there too.
Lunch included several extra dishes, and with a beautiful woman for company, even the food seemed more delicious.
That afternoon, the two continued their mountain excursion, taking in all the distinctive sights atop North Spring Mountain.
Miss Miaoxuan's cultivation is far from weak! That was Gu Yuanqing's assessment.
The mountain had long gone untended, and some places were so overgrown with weeds that walking was difficult. Yet this young woman drifted across the tips of the grass as though she were walking on level ground.
Still, it made sense when he thought about it. Someone who could openly enter the mountain with the imperial guards surely came from an extraordinary family and would hardly lack cultivation resources. And without cultivation to protect her, how would such a beauty dare travel alone, much less stay in the courtyard of a man she had only just met?
Yet no matter how Gu Yuanqing pondered it, he could not understand why she had come to North Spring Mountain. Was she truly here just to admire the scenery?
That evening, they enjoyed fine wine with delicious dishes. Li Miaoxuan stopped drinking after a few small cups, but unexpectedly, she poured wine for Gu Yuanqing three times, leaving him rather overwhelmed by the favor.
After dinner, they sat in the courtyard drinking tea. The atmosphere gradually warmed, as though they were old friends chatting beneath the moon.
As they talked, the conversation turned to cultivation.
Li Miaoxuan became much more talkative then. From body tempering to True Martial cultivation, her insights into the martial path gave Gu Yuanqing the distinct feeling of seeing the sun and moon after the clouds had parted.
Gu Yuanqing spoke less, but whenever he did, his words also left Li Miaoxuan thoughtful.
When the moon reached the middle of the sky, Li Miaoxuan suddenly said, "I've heard that your swordsmanship is quite exquisite. Might I have the chance to see it?"
Gu Yuanqing rose with a smile. "Of course. Please offer me your guidance."
With that, he walked to the center of the courtyard, drew the Kunwu Sword, and began performing a Swordsmanship routine.
In an instant, sword qi swept in every direction, and sword shadows crossed and overlapped. When swift, his movements were like raging winds and torrential rain, thunder and lightning; when slow, they were like a gentle breeze brushing the face and the lingering rains of spring. At his occasional pauses, he seemed like a towering green mountain, steady as a pillar holding up the heavens.
Li Miaoxuan felt as though she could see all manner of natural scenes between heaven and earth within his Swordsmanship.
The Dao follows nature. This is the embryonic form of sword intent. It's rather mixed, but he already has the foundation to become a Grandmaster. Still, I don't think I've ever seen this Swordsmanship routine before. Li Miaoxuan had reached her judgment. The thought that Gu Yuanqing had undergone such a change in just one short year left her somewhat amazed.
Returning his sword to its sheath, Gu Yuanqing smiled. "Was that Swordsmanship worthy of your attention?"
Li Miaoxuan nodded slightly. "Passable."
Gu Yuanqing walked back to his chair. Only passable? Well, I've never had a renowned master to guide me, and I've practiced the sword entirely on my own. Perhaps it really is ordinary.
Li Miaoxuan stood as well. "Since I've watched you practice your swordsmanship, I'll demonstrate a movement technique for you."
As she spoke, her figure abruptly vanished from where she stood and appeared in the center of the courtyard. She seemed to retreat half a step, only to appear several meters diagonally ahead. Then she took a step forward, yet appeared right before Gu Yuanqing, startling him into involuntarily stepping back half a pace. In the next instant, however, Li Miaoxuan had returned to the center of the courtyard.
Within moments, her afterimages filled every part of that space a little over three meters across.
Gu Yuanqing's eyes widened. He had never heard of or seen footwork like this. Shock surged through him. If someone fought him using this movement technique, he feared he would lose within just a few exchanges.
The illusions between advance and retreat, the inversions of up and down, left and right, came without the slightest warning. It was as though every means of anticipating an opponent's moves became useless before this movement technique.
Gu Yuanqing could not help using Mountain Observation to look at her. Only then could he clearly make out her figure, yet the illusion in his mind remained. Every movement she made seemed false, and every exertion of force defied the laws of physics.
Suddenly, her movements in the courtyard slowed. At the same time, Li Miaoxuan's words reached his ears. Her voice seemed to possess some kind of magic, each sentence branding itself deep into Gu Yuanqing's consciousness.
"Lengthwise, unleash the momentum, advancing without return; crosswise, enfold the force, opening the way without obstruction... glance to either side, yet left and right are no longer perceived as left and right..."
These are the essential principles of the movement technique! Gu Yuanqing immediately understood that Miss Miaoxuan was using her demonstration to teach him. He did not understand why she was doing this, but that did not stop him from learning the technique first.
After demonstrating it three times in succession, Li Miaoxuan finally stopped. Her expression remained unchanged, as serene as a light breeze beneath pale clouds.
Gu Yuanqing cupped his hands and bowed. "Thank you for teaching me, miss. I have nothing with which to repay you. If you ever need anything in the future, please say the word."
Li Miaoxuan said indifferently, "There's no need. I simply thought your movement technique wasn't worthy of your Swordsmanship. It's getting late. We should rest for the night. Oh, this is called Great Yi Illusionary Sky Steps. I learned it from an ancient book. You're free to use it."
"Great Yi Illusionary Sky—it certainly lives up to its name. This movement technique is truly astonishing. Please go ahead, miss. While I can still remember it clearly, I'd like to practice."
In the darkness, Li Miaoxuan returned to her room and quietly stood by the window, watching Gu Yuanqing beneath the moonlight. Her expression was calm, revealing nothing of her thoughts...
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