I am a swordsman in a strange city

Chapter 67 Loneliness
The train station in Xijiang County was not large and there weren't many people. It was bustling with activity. Some people came over to help him with his luggage, and others came over to offer to push Pei Ju's wheelchair, but Pei Ju refused.

"Fourth Master, Master is waiting for you on the mountain." The female Taoist priest came to Fourth Master Pei, bent down and said in a low voice.

Master Pei didn't say much, only nodding almost imperceptibly.

His face was mostly covered by a scarf, and he was wearing sunglasses.

A car picked them up outside the station, and they traveled to the foot of a mountain. There was a village at the foot of the mountain, and a road led up the mountain from the village. In the village, they found some farmers who carried Master Pei up the mountain.

The mountains aren't very high, but Xijiang is a hilly area, with one mountain after another, and winding paths leading up to them.

Pei Ju crossed three mountains in a row, and the sedan chair bearers were changed five times before he finally saw a main peak rising up, with a Taoist temple on the top of the peak.

There are stone steps built by villagers leading up to the Taoist temple. Once you reach the entrance, you will see the words "Xionglan Peak Temple" carved on a stone in front of the temple.

Once inside the Taoist temple, the others dispersed.

After settling Grandpa in a simple room, when he wanted to see his maternal grandfather, the female Taoist told him that the time was not yet right and he could not see him.

Then they saw the female Taoist preparing lunch, so they picked vegetables together with her.

Before we knew it, noon had passed.

He now knew the female Taoist's name; she had no surname, only a Taoist title—Yu. She asked him to call her Senior Sister Yu.

That evening, Grandpa was brought out.

Sitting in the open space in front of the Taoist temple on the mountaintop, a mountain breeze was blowing gently, and despite the hot autumn, there was no heat at all.

Sister Yu set up an altar and performed a ritual in front of the temple.

This was the first time Pei Ju had ever witnessed a proper Taoist ritual.

She said this was a method to ward off disasters and pray for blessings.

Looking at her, Sister Yu, who wore a strange mask, held a whisk, and wore a black belted Taoist robe, he felt a strange sense of eeriness amidst the orthodox Taoist tradition.

She strode along the Heavenly Steps, chanting incantations to ward off disasters and prayers for blessings. Standing on the cliff edge, in the mountain wind, under the vast starry sky, she resembled a spirit.

In a daze, Pei Ju felt that a faint starlight appeared on her body.

The sky was dotted with stars. Pei Ju looked up at the sky and felt that the stars were exceptionally bright today. Every twinkle seemed to be responding to Senior Sister Yu's movements.

The ceremony lasted for about an hour before it was considered over.

Pei Ju looked at his grandfather and found that his grandfather's breathing had become much longer and more steady.

My breathing was intermittent, as if it were about to stop at any moment.

After taking his grandfather back to his bed, he went outside again and saw Sister Yu standing on the cliff edge in front of the Taoist temple, gazing into the distance. She wore a black Taoist robe, a white whisk, and her black hair was tied up. In the mountain wind, her slender waist and tall figure made her look like a fairy from another world.

He came to the side, also gazing into the distance, looking at the stars, and his heart inexplicably calmed down.

Pei Ju enjoyed this peace of mind, while Senior Sister Yu didn't like to talk. She seemed to be used to being alone, accustomed to having mountains and stars as her companions.

"Senior sister, when did you go up the mountain?"

After a long while, Pei Ju finally came to his senses and asked.

"When I was three years old," Senior Sister Yu replied calmly.

"Did you remember things when you were three years old?" Pei Ju asked.

“Others may not remember, but I do. It was Master who carried me up the mountain,” said Senior Sister Yu.

"Can you tell me about it?" Pei Ju suddenly became curious. It was amazing that someone could remember things at the age of three. She must know why her grandfather carried her up the mountain.

"There are some things that are better left unsaid," Senior Sister Yu said without turning her head.

Pei Ju suddenly felt that Senior Sister Yu was also a pitiful person.

Just then, he saw Senior Sister Yu turn her head. She was still wearing a black and white mask, and the eyes behind the mask were not clear because of the night. But Pei Ju felt a sense of dread at that moment.

He didn't know if he was frightened or overwhelmed by Senior Sister Yu's aura.

Under Yu Shijie's gaze, he became somewhat flustered, but Yu Shijie did not speak. Instead, she turned her head again to look at the village below the mountain.

The village is now clearly visible, but once you get up here, you can see the overall topography of the area. This mountain is surrounded by other mountains, and among these mountains, there are more than a dozen villages of varying sizes, arranged in concentric rings.

"I don't know when Master will wake up, but he has instructed me that there are several spiritual realms you can enter to learn swordsmanship. Also, have you mastered the 'Mount Hua' spiritual realm from before?"

“No,” Pei Ju replied.

"The 'Mount Hua' manual that Master gave me was too long, so I've condensed it to better capture its essence, but it's also more dangerous. Would you like to take a look?"

Upon hearing this, Pei Ju immediately agreed, as he was eager to become stronger.

"Alright, I obtained a Han sword two years ago. This sword has become a malevolent spirit because it has killed too many people. I will use the malevolent spirit in this sword as a guide to create a spiritual realm for you. Go in and experience it, and see if you can learn what you should learn."

“Okay, I’ll listen to my senior sister,” Pei Ju said.

"No, it's not about listening to me, it's about whether you want to go in or not. If you're just listening to me, then don't go in," Senior Sister Yu said.

Pei Ju met his senior sister's gaze, stood up, and said, "Senior sister, I want to go in. I want to learn more."

"Alright." Senior Sister Yu turned and went into the Taoist temple. She came out a moment later, carrying a long strip wrapped in wood. She opened the cloth to reveal a sword inside.

The scabbard was worn and tattered. She handed the sword to her and said, "Remember, the main purpose of your trip in is to observe. If you understand what you see, you understand. If you don't understand, this spiritual realm will dissipate and be gone. Do you understand?"

"understood."

Senior Sister Yu told him to sit down while holding the sword, and then she sat down next to him. She was wearing a black and white mask and sat on a rock. Under the starlight, without any lamp, she took out a book and began to read.

She didn't perform any rituals, as if she skipped the spirit communication ceremony altogether, or perhaps she was giving him access to the spirit communication in a more sophisticated way.

His consciousness began to waver with his senior sister's voice, and some blurry images began to appear in his closed eyes, while his senior sister's voice also became indistinct.

The senior sister's voice, which initially sounded like it was right next to my ear, gradually became muffled and even eerie.

The darkness that had been in his eyes suddenly turned to color.

"That night, a sword demon seized the mountain gate, and the entire sect fought valiantly..."

The moment Pei Ju regained consciousness, he saw an old man in a red robe with white hair and beard standing in the Hall of Righteousness.

"Your swordsmanship is utterly worthless. Allowing people like you to occupy such a position is a disgrace to the ancestors of Mount Hua."

"..."

"If any of you can withstand one of my sword strikes, I will retreat. If not, then I will relinquish the position of the Huashan Sect Leader."

When Pei Ju saw the old man, he felt that the man, standing there motionless, exuded a sword intent that seemed to emanate from every pore. Every gesture he made seemed poised to unleash an irresistible sword strike.

At this moment, one of the disciples, indignant and unconvinced, rushed forward.

Pei Ju couldn't see who this person was.

The senior brother drew his sword and charged forward, leaping forward in a sprint. This sword strike was not particularly varied, but its strength lay in its decisiveness and speed, deeply capturing the fast and dangerous essence of Huashan swordsmanship.

However, the old man suddenly produced a tree branch out of thin air, and with a single step and a quick movement, he pierced the senior brother's throat with the branch.

The branch was pulled out, and fresh blood splattered.

Pei Ju felt a jolt in his heart; he had never seen such a concise and ruthless sword technique.

Nothing superfluous, a single thrust of the sword, like the opponent striking his throat against a tree branch.

The tree branch in the opponent's hand, infused with internal energy, was even sharper than a sword.

One senior brother rushed forward, then another, and each one who rushed forward was stabbed to death with a single sword.

Pei Ju watched in horror. Although he couldn't see clearly who the senior or junior brothers who rushed up were, he felt a sense of familiarity.

Finally, he saw his master and senior sister rush up as well. They held on a little longer, but each time they could only make half a move before they had to change their moves. In the end, one by one, they were pierced through the throat and between the eyebrows and fell down.

"Hahaha……"

"Mount Hua, finally, belongs to the Sword Sect again, hahaha..."

Just then, a beam of starlight suddenly shot down from the sky. In his moment of triumph, the old man in the red robe, without being noticed, was still able to use the branch in his hand to stab the starlight in the sky.

The sword light on the branch in his hand shone brightly, but it shattered into dust the instant it came into contact with the starlight arrow.

The starlight still fell on the old man.

The old man shuddered, as if struck by a heavy blow. Pei Ju heard a voice in his ear: "Kill him."

Pei Ju woke up with a start and recognized his senior sister's voice.

Just like before, he woke up in a dream but couldn't escape the dream.

Pei Ju drew his sword and, using his Golden Goose Lightness Skill, rushed to within four steps of the old man in the blink of an eye.

He didn't use any fancy tricks; he just thrust his sword straight in.

Just as he thrust out his sword, the old man's fingers moved, forming a sword-like shape, also pointing at Pei Ju's throat. However, he had no sword in his hand, and his movements were slower. Meanwhile, Pei Ju's sword had already pierced his brow.

"what!"

The world collapsed into a bloody mist that surged toward Pei Ju. Pei Ju tried to dodge with his sword, but he couldn't, as the bloody mist engulfed him.

A surge of madness and bloodlust rushed into his mind.

"Kill, kill, kill, kill..."

All he wanted to do was kill, to kill everything.

The frustrating scenes from his time in Haishi resurfaced in his mind, and as those people appeared before him, he brandished his sword wildly.

Senior Sister Yu stood on the rock, holding a whisk, watching Pei Ju wildly wielding his rusty sword in the open space in front of her. She did not stop him, but watched quietly.

In her eyes, Pei Ju's swordsmanship was both wild and disciplined; it was not a random swinging of the sword, but rather a delicate and concise display of swordsmanship.

Of course, there are also occasional wide-ranging, sweeping, and elusive sword techniques. Although she does not practice swordsmanship, she knows that this is another kind of swordsmanship.

After he finished practicing once, a yellow talisman suddenly appeared in Senior Sister Yu's hand. She waved the talisman forward, and it turned into a beam of yellow light that fell towards Pei Ju. However, as if driven by instinct, Pei Ju swung his sword down as if it had eyes, shattering the yellow talisman in one strike.

Senior Sister Yu wore a mask, so her expression was unreadable. She then took out a bell from her sleeve.

She shook it gently, but instead of a bell, a wooden voice rang out. With that shake, Pei Ju felt as if he had been hit on the head by a heavy object, and he lost his balance.

Then, Senior Sister Yu waved out another yellow talisman. Pei Ju raised his hand, still as if to stab out, but he had no strength left. The yellow talisman was stuck to his forehead.

Pei Ju's eyes, which had turned red, froze for a moment, and then the redness faded, and he collapsed.

Before he even fell to the ground, he was caught by a pair of arms.

When Pei Ju woke up, it was already the next morning.

His whole body ached, and he had a headache that was both painful and swollen, as if someone had stuffed something into it.

Just then, a man entered.

Every day, a couple from the foot of the mountain come up to the Taoist temple to clean it.

When Pei Ju woke up, this simple and honest man was startled because he saw a pair of eyes filled with murderous intent.

A nameless rage surged within Pei Ju; he wanted to kill.

The man's intuition was also very sharp, partly because he had received instructions from Master Yu.

"Master Yu, Brother Pei has woken up..." the man ran out and shouted.

A moment later, Senior Sister Yu came in. She looked Pei Ju up and down and said, "From today onwards, you will do morning and evening prayers with me to eliminate the resentment and murderous thoughts in your heart."

Pei Ju reached out and rubbed his face, saying, "What's wrong with me?"

“You killed the spirit within the realm and gained its power,” Senior Sister Yu said. “Therefore, you are also entangled by the evil spirit within the sword, and you need to follow me to do morning and evening prayers.”

Upon hearing this, Pei Ju felt a surge of impatience and wanted to retort, but seeing his senior sister in front of him, he suppressed his irritation. However, the more he suppressed his irritation, the greater his anger became, eventually forming a desire to destroy everything in front of him and kill everyone in front of him.

Just then, a bell appeared in Senior Sister Yu's hand.

She shook it, and this time Pei Ju heard a crisp sound.

The clear, melodious voice instantly cleared his mind.

"Are you a little more awake? If you are, come with me." Senior Sister Yu's voice was calm and indifferent, as if all of this was within her expectations.

“Wait, senior sister, Grandpa…” Pei Ju’s mind cleared up, and he immediately thought of his grandfather.

"Don't worry, I've hired people from down the mountain to take care of it," Senior Sister Yu said.

Pei Ju got up, feeling somewhat weak, and staggered out the door, following behind Senior Sister Yu.

Looking at Senior Sister Yu's back, a sudden surge of madness welled up in his eyes, and he slowly raised his hand.

(End of this chapter)