Only then did Pei Ye realize that "understanding" and "being able to write" were worlds apart. Understanding certain principles in his heart was one thing; citing sword theory to prove them step by step was quite another.
Pei Ye had no choice but to struggle through one sword manual after another beneath the oil lamp, then bashfully set down his clumsy handwriting, word by word, under Miss Ming's calm gaze.
In this endeavor, Pei Ye had a Miss Ming who stayed beside him but remained just as strict. It was hard to say whether that was pleasure or suffering. In any case, after he revised the sword treatise several times and finally earned her nod, he had truly absorbed the essay into his very bones-and never wanted to look at it again.
In the end, she made a fresh copy for him, signing it with the two names "Pei Ye" and "Ming Qitian."
In truth, the work had improved the boy's ability to read sword manuals by leaps and bounds, and given him the perspective to scrutinize other people's sword treatises. But he really did not want to hear any more of it.
Ming Qitian stopped speaking. Everyone turned toward the seat of honor to the north, but the occupant of the Eastern Palace merely smiled and applauded, showing no intention of speaking, as though she truly were only a spectator.
Ming Qitian asked, "Does anyone have any criticism?"
Naturally, no one did. Neither Zhao Wue nor He Hongzhu used a sword. Qi Ye and Nie Shangheng had originally had some questions about the subject, but those had all disappeared after listening.
In fact, several of the Crane List figures present had come to see this woman after she completed the Sword Inquiry Under Heaven. The heights dimly revealed through