v5c66: The Noble Arts

Xiao Su Ge, granddaughter of Elder Xiao Ge, stood upon her flying sword with her hands behind her back. While her exterior was refined as a Disciple of the Cloudy Sword Sect should be, inside was a different story. It was taking all her effort to keep the smile off her face.

It was finally time. She was finally upon an adventure, a real adventure, like all the stories her beloved grandfather had told her about his own youth.

She was finally, truly, going to be able to let loose—properly of course. A disciple of the Cloudy Sword Sect was a master of themselves, was the mantra that stopped her from accelerating and getting out of formation. Self-mastery and self-control were one’s highest calling.

In her youth, Su Ge had been an undisciplined barbarian, a violent, brash thing driven by base instincts. It had taken many hours of personal instruction from her grandfather to set Su Ge on the correct path. Her grandfather’s instruction had forged her into a blade, rather than a raging inferno that destroyed everything in its path.

It had been something she had appreciated long before she learned of the rot within the Sect—his firm hand had stopped her from being a cretin like Chen Li, a worthless, honourless worm.

She was Xiao Su Ge—a righteous blade of the Cloudy Sword Sect.

However… there always seemed to be something that came up that made her stay in the Sect, like her grandfather asking her to catalog the vaults or a new cultivation resource he sent back that would require closed door cultivation to properly study and process. The few times she had left… nothing much exciting had happened. There were the occasional Spirit Beast culls and the tournaments that she had won, but it was all so regimented, so lacking in passion it was boring.

The last time when the Demonic Legions had attacked Su Ge had been in closed door cultivation and had only found out about the war from returning disciples. She had missed her chance!

She had been quite upset, and only her grandfather introducing her to her intended had… managed to break the pall of disappointment.

So handsome. So refined. So passionate! Especially when he started talking about that mail service! A true intellectual her intended was, a man who had mastered himself, yet retained his fire.

And now she was on her way to see him! Her grandfather had asked her to lead a Cloud of their best and brightest, and Su Ge had been swift to make her decisions. Most were Core Disciples—but Su Ge had also added some of the more experienced Inner Disciples as well, the ones who had been with her grandfather inside the Demon Gate. Chief among them was Yeo Na, who, despite not being fully recovered, was ready for combat—the new demonic siphoning formation having shaved years off the demonic filth within her system.

She was more useful for her mind rather than her combat abilities anyway, but neither was she helpless.

The others? The others were all able to use the Raging Cloudy Sword Formation within minutes. Working together, they could deploy it within seconds. If…. when there was battle, the Cloudy Sword Sect would be utterly victorious.

Su Ge refocused herself, concentrating once more. The Cloudy Sword Sect’s blades were in escort formation around the Windward Blade. Not that the ship needed them, for Tianzhe Minyan was seated upon the deck, along with the Imperial Herald, but it did show that they were currently allied.

They sped through the early dawn in the direction Shen Yu had given them—and soon enough they felt a familiar flare of Qi. Her grandfather raised his hand and their swords descended from the sky, while with a single flex of Tianzhe Minyan’s power the ship slowed and stopped.

The woman stepped from her ship without a care, easily walking on the air as if it were solid ground, while Lanlong Bailu and Wakokukin Seiyu, the Soaring Heaven’s Isle Sect’s Storm Wings, flanked her. The Imperial Herald moved to watch, but did not disembark.

They descended to the base earth, where a wonderfully handsome man waited for them. Lu Ri was already on one knee, his hands clasped in the gesture of respect. He was pristine, not a hair out of place and not a drop of blood upon him—yet Su Ge could see the burn marks from funeral pyres nearby, and judging from the size, Lu Ri had crushed a great deal of their enemies.

However, Lu Ri was not there alone. There was another on one knee. A woman, with wild blonde hair pulled into a rough ponytail that was bushy like some wild beast’s fur. Her eyes were locked into a narrow squint, and her features were sharp and angular, a wild beauty, compounded by the fox ears that sat twitching on her head. Su Ge’s eyes locked onto the woman before she shoved away the sudden hostility she felt.

It was no way for a proper woman to act.

“Senior Disciple Lu Ri greets Elder Ge, Elder Shou, Elder Yukong, and Lady Minyan,” her intended intoned. Su Ge saw the approving smile on her grandfather’s face.

“Your meritorious deeds precede you, Senior Disciple Lu Ri. Rise to your feet—and introduce us to the one who is next to you,” her grandfather said, his eyes fixed on the wild-looking woman.

“The one next to this disciple is Su Yuanlin. Without her skill at hunting and tracking, we would have not found the bases of our enemy. She should share equal praise and merit,” Lu Ri replied, and Yuanlin dipped her head in a further bow.

“Su Yuanlin, you have aided the Cloudy Sword Sect. We are indebted to you,” her grandfather said, but the woman shook her head.

“Lu Ri wielded his blade in the defence of this one’s kin—no debt exists between us,” Her voice was husky and rough… and her words were honest.

“It seems that virtue attracts virtue,” her grandfather mused. “Yet you still have assisted us. I shall prepare something suitable. Now, I believe there is a formation here?”

The woman bowed, looking shocked, while Lu Ri held out a hand.

“This way please. The base is yours, Honoured Elders.”

Su Ge sharpened her attention once more as Lu Ri led them into the base and towards the formation, and indeed, as stated in Lord Shen Yu’s report, it was utterly pristine. No damage to the walls, nothing out of place. It was a textbook display of skill, and a complete unveiling of the Enemy. Even Lady Minyan looked approving.

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“You answered the transmission? Bold, very bold,” Elder Shou praised, an amused quirk to his lips. In his hand he held reams of paper, switching them out constantly as Elder Yukong worked and wrote, her attention fully fixed on the formation before her.

“Take note of his actions, Disciples. Lu Ri walks on the Path of the Founders,” her grandfather declared. “Bold, decisive action can accomplish much if applied correctly.”

“Indeed,” Shou said, giving a firm nod. Lu Ri bowed humbly at the praise, his cheeks tinted red.

The look was rather fetching.

“You did well to not attempt to analyse this either, Disciple,” Elder Yukong finally spoke, her eyes flickering all over the formation. “Its protections are subtle, but masterfully crafted. If you had done something wrong it would have been worthless to us. Additionally, if they had managed to lock it down, it would be similarly inoperable. Now, however…” With a twitch of her fingers the formation suddenly expanded, hundreds of characters and diagrams appearing in the air. “I will need three days to complete a full analysis and begin the tracking artifact.”

“The Experts of the Cloudy Sword Sect certainly live up to their reputation,” Lady Minyan mused.

Elder Shou smirked. “Indeed, my wife’s skills are superlative.”

“I shall leave it to you then, Yukong of the Subtle Scripture, Shou of the Hidden Forest. Bailu, Seiyu, begin patrols,” Lady Minyan commanded.

“Disciples, you are dismissed. Remain on standby for orders,” Su Ge’s grandfather declared. “And Su Ge… attend to our weary warrior.”

He clapped Lu Ri on the shoulder.

Su Ge perked up. The rest of the disciples dispersed, and Su Ge marched forwards.

“Lady Su Ge,” Lu Ri said, inclining his head. He was still wearing a small, reserved smile.

“Disciple Lu Ri. It is good to see you well,” she began. “Please, allow me to brew you some tea.”