In the Lotus-Viewing Pavilion, wind swept through the sea of lotuses. Lu Qingxiao lifted his teacup and made an exquisitely casual probe.
Yun Qing smiled. "You have a discerning eye, Senior Lu. Bao Jian's seclusion is indeed one reason."
Is it coming? Lu Qingxiao wondered.
"The second is that I have long admired the splendor of the Azure Lotus Sword Dao. This happened to be the perfect opportunity to visit and see the bearing of sword cultivators for myself."
Not a drop leaked through.
Lu Qingxiao sighed. "Ah..."
"Senior?" Yun Qing remained unmoved by the eight winds.
What could Lu Qingxiao say? He could only reply, "The Azure Lotus Sword Sect and the Yun Clan have been friends for generations. Since you are here, young friend, simply make yourself at home."
Yun Qing smiled and nodded.
Their gazes crossed, each silently cursing the other.
Suddenly, as though something had occurred to him, Yun Qing said with a smile:
"Oh, on my way here, Bao Jian mentioned an interesting story."
"He said that ten thousand years ago, your sect's Azure Lotus Sword Master burst onto the scene and defeated the Eight Sects' Sword Leaders alone, with a single sword. Is that true?"
A rather sincere admiration appeared in Yun Qing's eyes.
"I was utterly captivated when I heard it."
Lu Qingxiao did not avoid this subject.
"It is true. That sword strike..."
A trace of reminiscence appeared in Lu Qingxiao's eyes as well.
"Our sect master swept all eight directions with one sword strike. The Eight Sects' Sword Venerables fell in defeat from the skies above the Eastern Sea, plunging into the water one after another. It astounded every sword cultivator in the sect."
Yun Qing listened with relish.
"What happened next?"
"Then our sect master held his sword across the