Jiang Yiner, however, seemed to be in a good mood, walking beside him and softly humming a little tune.
"When shall we go to the opera again, Brother?"
Pei Ye paused slightly. "Hmm... anytime, really. I should be free until the Feather-Scale Trial."
"Good. In a few days, I'll treat you to the opera." Jiang Yiner thought for a moment. "Are you staying at the Sword Academy now, then?"
"Yes. I just attended a lesson on the Daoist Sword this morning, and I'll be here afterward too." Pei Ye tilted his head toward her. "How dare you skip class? I'm reporting you when I see Dao Chief Ying."
"No!" Jiang Yiner laughed. "I'm practicing my sword on my own... I have something to do."
"What do you have to do?"
The girl pressed her lips together slightly, looking for a moment rather like a crane gazing down at a snake. "The day before yesterday, the Kunlun Sunlit Palace came for a Sword Inquiry. That Chen Mishuang went too far. Fellow student Zhang clearly couldn't beat him, and it was plainly only an exchange, yet he held nothing back... seeing that he meant to humiliate the disciples of smaller sects one after another, I challenged him to a sword match."
Then she gave a soft sigh. "I want to master the second form of 'Phoenix Soars.' Only then will I be certain of winning. But I've practiced for days without finding a way forward-Brother, why can you always learn a new sword technique just by practicing for a few days before a fight?"
"I don't know either." Pei Ye smiled. "Tell me about this Chen Mishuang."
"He's the best of the Kunlun Sunlit Palace's youngest generation. He's seventeen this year, and he placed forty-third when the Teal List was last finalized.