265: Strange Feelings (Bai Ye's Memory)

Strange Feelings (Bai Ye's Memory)

Training her on swords was easier than Bai Ye expected. He was concerned at first about her inexperience—having once been a disciple himself, he knew even the most gifted pupils needed careful guidance during their early lessons. The expectation made him a bit anxious, especially the thought that he might need to demonstrate certain techniques to her by holding her hand and physically guiding her moves. So when he found out that the sword spirit was much more capable than he could ever imagine … he was relieved, as much as surprised.1

Maybe her immense talent in the art of swords shouldn't have shocked him. She was a sword spirit, after all. But Bai Ye still found himself dazed every time he watched her practice. The same techniques that he showed her would take on an entirely different character when it was her turn to wield the swords, and he would get lost in the gracefulness of her movements, so natural and smooth that it looked almost like a dance, like she had become one with the blades.

It was a level of sword art that Bai Ye dreamed of achieving all his life, and he envied her. He studied her moves and turns closely, subconsciously trying to learn from her style. Ironically, the time they spent together quickly ceased being his most dreaded part of the day, and it wasn't long before he started looking forward to it instead.

The sword spirit, on the other hand, didn't seem as thrilled. She kept her side of the bargain, paying her best attention and practicing whenever she was expected to, though she never showed nearly as much enthusiasm as Bai Ye hoped. The only reason that she didn't back out on this whole arrangement … appeared to be because of the flowers he promised.

Those peonies in the garden grew taller day by day, their lush green leaves waving merrily in the wind as the two figures behind them crossed blades tirelessly. Spring rolled on, spreading its colorful canvas along with endless mists and showers. Then, on the first day of summer, the flowers bloomed.

And such was the sight Bai Ye stumbled upon that morning—full blossoms in soft pink and blush weighing down the branches, their distinct aroma filling the entire garden. The girl, standing beside the bushes with her eyes closed, was sniffing the fragrance as if it was the most intoxicating scent ever known to the world.

"Master!" She heard his approach and turned, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "Aren't these lovely? I told you you wouldn't regret this addition to the garden!"

Bai Ye thought he'd roll his eyes. That would be his typical response to a silly statement like this, but somehow, the pure joy in the girl's voice made him bite back his disapproval. He nodded instead. "It is … a pleasant sight indeed."

A radiant smile surfaced over the girl's face. But before she could comment further, he cleared his throat. There was no need to divert the conversation more than necessary. "Have you revisited the forms I showed you yesterday?" he asked.

In a perfect mood brought on by the fresh blooms, the girl showed no disappointment at his change of topic. "I did," she answered brightly. "And actually, I have some discoveries to show you. Take it as my thanks for letting me have these beautiful flowers."

That caught Bai Ye's attention. This girl's understanding of sword art was unparalleled, and he was always eager to hear her thoughts on anything in that respect. The rare days when she was willing to share her opinions were way too precious to him. "Do tell," he urged.

The girl chuckled and unsheathed Twin Stars from her belt. "Remember this step?" she said, taking her stance. "Where I'm supposed to bring one blade up from below the waist and the other across?"

"Yes. The attack that cuts through the opponent's defense from all sides, leaving them cornered."

"I think there are some fundamental flaws to this move." She raised one sword, pointing it forward. "For example, how should I defend myself if you counter me like this?"

Bai Ye studied her position for a second. It wasn't a typical counterattack he would choose, but the choice was valid, and it didn't leave her too many options on how to react. "It's simple," he said. "Like this—"

"This?" She swung the other blade over just above her shoulder.

It was precisely what Bai Ye was thinking, but he saw the disagreement in her eyes. "This won't work," she said. "It does block your advance, but don't you see a big problem with it?"

It took him a moment to see it. She was right. This pose would leave her wide open to the opponent, and what made it even worse was that the stance wasn't well-balanced. To take on a different pose afterward would require a longer recovery time, which made the already high risk of this maneuver even higher.

"Then what if you do this instead?" he suggested and drew his sword, using its tip to press down on her blade. "A lower angle makes it more defensive and less unstable."

She shook her head. "It might be safer this way, but it's less effective at reaching my target. That's the problem with this move—there are many more counterattacks that can leave me in a bad situation like this. Isn't it better to start from a different ground altogether?" She resumed the original stance of the form. "At the very beginning, if I change this cut from a forward slash to a backhanded one, it will give me a much better start to respond to any counterstrikes. I can show you if you want."

Bai Ye had been waiting for that last sentence. He would never turn down an invitation to spar, let alone with such a talented opponent. Almost too eagerly, he raised his sword and lunged forward.

Their blades crossed, a bright ringing and chime that echoed in the garden. Bai Ye planned every move meticulously, not letting go of any chance to break through the sword spirit's guard. But she proved herself once more. The new pose she modified was aggressive, though not at the price of good defense. No matter how Bai Ye changed his line of attack, she left no room for advances or weakness to be taken advantage of.

"Watch that one," she warned suddenly as he tried to attack from behind and catch her by surprise. "You forgot I've changed my move to a backhanded cut—"

Before Bai Ye could realize the meaning behind her words, her blade had turned, using the momentum from the previous strike to cut through the air fast. So fast that he didn't have time to block. And the next moment, he watched the tip of her sword glide effortlessly in front of him, stopping barely over his throat.

"Believe me now?" She smiled brightly. "Isn't this a much better modification to that move?"

Bai Ye stared at her blade in disbelief. He hadn't lost in a sword match in decades, and it was strange for him to find the sharp end pointing at his own throat. He thought he'd feel mortified. But instead, when he fixed his eyes on his opponent, ready to admit defeat, he felt … something else.

The girl in front of him was smiling, though not out of mockery or contempt. It was a confident, knowing smile, dancing over her slightly flushed cheeks that were the same shade as the peonies behind her. A breeze whistled past, rustling her fiery red dress. With Twin Stars in her hands, she looked like the goddess of the swords, and for some reason that Bai Ye couldn't understand, he felt something foreign stirring in him that he didn't know where to place.

pqdm.com