IS Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The already tattered robes completely scattered, floating in the shallow pool. Ye Zhuo’s shoulders and back pressed against the rough, hard pebbles on the shore, but the sensation of pain seemed to have been pushed to a very distant place.

Confusion.

Only the sound of the waves lapping against the shore maintained a precarious sense of clarity. It wasn’t until the moon sank behind the eastern mountains and the poison gradually dissipated that he realized what day it was.

Ye Zhuo’s first thought, subconsciously, was: Where is my sword?

As his spiritual thoughts moved, the spiritual sword, summoned, flew from afar into his hand.

Only when his fingers touched the sword did Ye Zhuo feel a trace of stability. However, the next moment, the spiritual sword was snatched away, and Li Yuan’s hand grasped his wrist, pinning it to his side. In his ear, he said coldly, “Put it down.”

Ye Zhuo raised his eyes in displeasure.

Why should he?

In the faint morning light, his gaze collided with a pair of dark golden eyes.

Actually, a pair of vertical pupils.

What exactly *is* this thing?

—Ye Zhuo was instantly on guard.

“Give me back my sword,” he said. “How can we compete without a sword?”

“Compete?” That person raised his chin, looking him up and down condescendingly. Suddenly, a feeling of being watched by a beast arose in Ye Zhuo’s heart.

“In your current state, you still have the strength to compete? I told you, when you’re better, I’ll come again.” Li Yuan moved closer to his ear. “Don’t worry, I came for you. Every debt that needs to be settled will be settled, without omission.”

Ye Zhuo’s fingers groped for the sword beside him. Li Yuan pressed him back, and in the struggle, Ye Zhuo sensed a familiar aura. He turned his hand to grasp the hilt—

His consciousness suddenly went blank for a moment.

A cold laugh rang in his ear. Li Yuan looked at him: “Want your sword? Why are you grabbing my wrist?”

Fragmented memories suddenly connected, and looking at those dark golden vertical pupils, the few sentences this person had said flashed through Ye Zhuo’s mind like lightning.

“…Your sword?”

“This is my faith fragrance.”

“Ye Zhuo, can’t you really remember who I am?”

“Ten years ago…”

“I came for you. Every debt that needs to be settled will be settled, without omission.”

His gaze slowly froze.

A chill instantly rose from the depths of his body. Ye Zhuo knew who this person was.

Not only because of those familiar eyes, but also because the moment he grasped Li Yuan’s wrist, he was shocked to realize that the spiritual power, the aura of this person… was exactly the same as his own spiritual sword.

And his sword was made from a dragon scale.

Ten years ago.

Ten years ago—

At the shores of the East Sea, he had forcibly plucked a reverse scale from the heart of a dragon, using it as the main material for his Life-Bound Sword.

Dragons are born with a reverse scale, which others must not touch. To touch it is to incur a mortal feud.

Faced with this situation, Ye Zhuo closed his eyes and turned his head away.

The faith fragrance around them had not yet dissipated, and at this moment, it seemed to be even more intense.

Ye Zhuo’s spiritual thoughts became hot and muddled again.

Strands of hair intertwined. Seemingly sensing his change, the dragon lowered his head, and a slightly mocking voice rang in his ear: “Remember now?”

“…Not yet.”

The moon sank and the sun rose. In the blink of an eye, evening had arrived, and the setting sun cast a glittering golden glow on the snow-covered ridges of the Green Mountains.

The Micro-Snow Palace was secluded in the Green Mountains. The peaks were far apart. In the southeast was a dangerous cliff, and at the top of the cliff was a huge rock, on which were engraved the words “Heaven Pities the Quiet Grass.”

On the cliff were several simple bamboo huts, the usual place for the Palace Master Wei Sheng Xian to cultivate in peace.

Few people walked on Quiet Grass Cliff, and only two Little Daoists were whispering under the eaves.

“Counting the days, in another half a year, the Daoist Priest will be able to come out of his Death Meditation, right?”

“Maybe. It’s so boring.”

“Recently, guests from the Upper Purity Mountain have come. The main peak hasn’t made any move. Will something happen?”

“Anyway, we have Second Palace Master Ye. He is the ‘Number One Sword Under Heaven’.”

“Huh… the Daoist Priest seems… to be moving?”

Inside the room, in the quiet chamber.

A young Daoist with gentle and refined features sat quietly in the Taiji Formation. He was dressed in snow-white Daoist robes, with only the collar and cuffs revealing a bright red lining. Beside him lay a simple wooden sword, the hilt engraved with the words “Late Clearing.”

At this moment, his fingers were forming a hand seal, as if calculating something.

“Peach blossoms appear, the Red Phoenix emerges, the fleeting years are stirred.” The Daoist slightly frowned, muttering to himself, “He actually reveals this divination? How could it be…”

Before he could finish speaking, a mouthful of blood spurted out, staining a large area of his robe red.

With a creak, the bamboo door opened. Looking at the figure of the Daoist slowly walking out, the two Little Daoists looked at each other, their eyes full of fear and shock.

“Daoist Priest… This, this, how could you dare… to come out of Death Meditation early…”

The “death” in Death Meditation is precisely because there must be no pause or distractions during the retreat, no second thoughts, and it is even more forbidden to leave the retreat early.

Otherwise, one would inevitably suffer.

–

Ye Zhuo woke up.

Judging by the sky, it was the evening of the next day.

His body was surrounded by cold water vapor. He was still in the cold pool, placed on a small boat.

He only had an outer robe on, which someone had thrown over him haphazardly. As Ye Zhuo got up, the outer robe slipped off, revealing traces of bluish-purple bruises and red marks all over his body.

The poison had completely dissipated. With the cold pool water protecting his heart meridian, and perhaps having been fed a medicinal pill, no hidden injuries remained.

His eyes were calm and unruffled as Ye Zhuo looked around him.

The Reverse Scale Sword was lying there properly. The sword energy on the boat board was awe-inspiring. Someone had carved a line of words there.

“Ten days later, compete by the pool. Life and Death Disregarded.

Li Yuan.”

Ye Zhuo grasped the Reverse Scale Sword in his hand.

His body was heavy, his wrists were weak. Recalling what had happened before, Ye Zhuo’s expression was ice-cold. He didn’t like this feeling.

With a thought, the small boat instantly fell apart.

The cold pool water instantly submerged him. The water was cold and clear to the bone, making his mind clear.

Letting himself fall into the water, Ye Zhuo looked at the increasingly distant light above, his fingers lightly stroking the sword.

There were some narrow and deep lines on the Reverse Scale Sword, spreading across the sword like blood vessels.

They seemed to be for bleeding during battles, but in reality, they were not.

Li Yuan.

That Black Dragon…

When Wei Sheng Xian walked to the edge of the cold pool, he happened to see Ye Zhuo standing half-submerged in the pool, putting on his robe with his back to him. The bare half of his shoulders and back were covered in bruises and red marks, with finger marks faintly visible. Wei Sheng Xian frowned.

Just as he wanted to see more clearly, the man pulled up his outer robe.

With a splash, Ye Zhuo stepped out of the cold pool, his voice faint, clearly displeased: “Coming to my place, and still hiding your tracks?”

“Afraid that something might have happened to you, I had no choice but to break in.” Wei Sheng Xian revealed himself, embarrassed. “Unexpectedly, the barrier here is so powerful that I had to use the Five Elements Escape Technique.”

Barrier?

It must have been set up by that dragon.

“I’m fine. But why did you leave your retreat early?”

“There are many incidents in the Immortal Dao. Remembering that the entire Micro-Snow Palace is relying on you, I couldn’t help but worry. I came out to see, and sure enough, something had happened. Ah Zhou, what happened yesterday?”

Ye Zhuo: “How is that person from the Dao Sect?”

“What else could have happened? I just went to see. A powerful sword energy pierced his heart meridian. I originally left some strength, so he wouldn’t die, but unfortunately, that person went into Qi Deviation himself. Now his Qi and blood are flowing backward, and he has exploded and died.”

“Send the corpse back to the Upper Purity Mountain.” Ye Zhuo sneered, “Their good first disciple went into Qi Deviation in someone else’s territory because of lust and obsession. When it gets out, it won’t be me who loses face.”

Wei Sheng Xian: “The Micro-Snow Palace has always had no connection with the Upper Purity Mountain. What did he come to visit for?”

Ye Zhuo waved his sleeve: “See for yourself.”

A water mirror floated up. It showed the scene that had taken place in the main hall of the Micro-Snow Palace. This was a peculiar magical instrument that could record events in the hall. It was used to preserve evidence when nothing happened, and to be destroyed when something happened.

In the mirror, Lou Ke smiled and announced his family: “This humble one is Lou Ke, a disciple of the Dao Sect of the Upper Purity Mountain. I am passing by the Micro-Snow Palace while exploring the Earth Meridian, and have come to pay a visit.”

The Upper Purity Mountain was a major sect in the Immortal Dao. At its command, sects from all over the world echoed in response.

The Immortal Dao sects were interconnected, watching out for each other. The Micro-Snow Palace was remote and rarely interacted with them, but they had been living peacefully.

Ye Zhuo looked at the visitor and said briefly, “Do you need help?”

Lou Ke politely said: “Because I need to make a ‘Four Seas Survey Map,’ my master ordered me to come and explore. However, the road in the Green Mountains is dangerous and difficult to travel. I hope that Second Palace Master can give me a map of the Green Mountains to help me enter the mountains to explore. I would be very grateful.”

Ye Zhuo narrowed his eyes and pressed his fingers on the sword hilt.

“The Upper Purity Mountain wants to explore the Earth Meridian of the Green Mountains. Did they ask the Micro-Snow Palace beforehand?”

“This… all the sects along the way have given it.” Lou Ke seemed to be intimidated by the thin, icy gaze, and paused for a moment. “I am only here on my master’s orders. This is a major event in the Immortal Dao…”

Ye Zhuo interrupted him directly: “Besides you, are there any other people coming?”

“Only two attendants and a few servants.”

Ye Zhuo raised his eyes and glanced at his Sword Servant. The Sword Servant respectfully replied, “The Micro-Snow Palace has treated them with courtesy and has arranged for them to rest.”

Ye Zhuo leaned on the Cold Jade Bed, his fingers lightly flicking the sword, his aura sharp and terrifying.

“Get out,” he said. “Leave the Green Mountains before tomorrow.”

The illusion ended.

“Your temper really hasn’t changed.” Wei Sheng Xian shook his head with a smile. “But if I were there, I would have driven him out too. The Earth Meridian of a sect concerns the spiritual veins, Qi luck, and the mountain protection array. How can we allow outsiders to spy on it?”

“The next day when he came to say goodbye, he suddenly suffered Qi Deviation and poisoned me. That’s how it is.” Ye Zhuo said lightly, “Search his belongings. There should be evidence.”

“Alright, it’s good that you’re fine.” Wei Sheng Xian said. He looked at Ye Zhuo with a serious expression, concerned: “Is the poison harmless? That sword strike on Lou Ke’s body doesn’t look like your handiwork. What’s going on? Was there someone else present?”

Ye Zhuo directly raised his sword and walked past Wei Sheng Xian. “I’m going into seclusion for a few days,” he said. “If the Upper Purity Mountain comes looking for trouble, let them come directly to me. It has nothing to do with the Micro-Snow Palace.”

Wei Sheng Xian: “This matter doesn’t need you to worry about it. We are the ones who should be questioning the Upper Purity Mountain.”

“Also, be careful about the Earth Meridian,” Ye Zhuo said. After speaking, his figure rose and fell, and he disappeared into the mountains.

Looking in his direction, Wei Sheng Xian sighed softly.

His Little Daoist walked slowly, and only came over at this time, hearing his master’s sigh as soon as he arrived.

“Daoist Priest, what are you sighing about? Is Second Palace Master alright?”

Wei Sheng Xian suddenly said wistfully: “Ah Zhou and I have known each other for fifteen years.”

“Ah?” The Little Daoist didn’t understand why he suddenly brought this up.

“It’s nothing. Perhaps I shouldn’t have gone into seclusion.” Wei Sheng Xian said softly, returning to his usual gentle and composed manner. He walked down the mountain. “Don’t look anymore, let’s go, let’s go find something to do.”

“…Oh.”