"Without Ming Qitian, there would be no Pei Ye, whether in life or swordsmanship." The youth chuckled. "A lot of the time, that's how I think of it."
"..."
The two fell quiet for a moment. Changsun Jue came over with tea and pastries just then, unaware of what he had missed. He poured himself tea, his head lowered, determined never to listen to another instruction from Cui Zhaoye.
Finally, Cui Zhaoye smiled. "Divine jade met heaven's craftsmanship. No wonder. I've been wondering about this for days, and only today have I learned where all your skills came from, Young Hero Pei."
Changsun Jue looked up, his eyes wide. "What?"
Cui Zhaoye said nothing, swiftly taking notes with her brush. Pei Ye turned and smiled at him without speaking either.
Cui Zhaoye raised her brush. "Then I have the framework for this little account. Rest assured, Young Hero Pei, I won't mention anyone involved. I'll write only of your astonishing path of the sword."
Then she closed her little notebook and looked at Pei Ye seriously. "Young Hero Pei, there's one more thing."
She hesitated. "Let me put it this way. Seeing how well you used those cicada and bird swords, I wondered whether you'd also studied on Jadeite Mountain?"
"No, I haven't." Pei Ye was a little surprised. "Have you seen Jadeite swordsmanship before, Miss Cui?"
"No, this is the first time I've seen one, here with you, Young Hero Pei." Cui Zhaoye smiled, pressing her lips together. "But I could recognize it at a glance."
Pei Ye was filled with respect.
"'The true spirit weathers away; jade feathers spring from the corpse.' That night, Young Hero Pei, you brought the Jadeite sword of four hundred years ago back to life above West Pool. I imagine you're the only