575: Dancing With Two Swords

Dancing With Two Swords

Ming Yue continued to ponder all throughout the night, gazing at the two swords as the ideas came and went. Unfortunately, nothing she thought of seemed quite right and when the sun rose up, the young cultivator still had nothing. 1

"Maybe, it would be better to try using two swords first."

Deciding on this, she grabbed the two swords and stood up, slowly getting out of the pile of beasts that snuggled up to her. Walking to an empty part of the clearing, she held Blood Moon in her dominant, right hand and the Black Blade was in the grasp of her left hand. 

Lost in thought, her body moved from one stance to another, trying to find something that worked. She constantly shifted her weight, changing the position of her feet, and determining what sort of grip would work. 

Ming Yue didn't even notice Hongyu watching her, studying her movements.

Except for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, this was all Ming Yue did for several days, adapting to using two swords and seeing what exactly worked for her. 

"Finally... I did it." 

At the end of it, there was a proud and excited expression on her face. 

"It's not fully fleshed out but it works! Blood Moon will be the main force while the Black Blade is the secondary force. One sword will set the tempo while the other sword will disrupt the tempo, adding to the unpredictability", she muttered happily. 

Her eyes went back to her swords as she took that new stance once more. 

"Let's try it again!"

She stood upright, holding Blood Moon forward, pointing at the ground. As for the Black Blade, she held it in a reverse grip, having it align with her arm and pointed up at the sky. Bending her knees and moving her arms, Ming Yue moved forward several steps before striking the air. 

Blood Moon was nearly a blur, flickering with light. But her body twisted and turned as her other arm whipped out! The Black Blade suddenly appeared, a wave of darkness within the dazzling light of Blood Moon. 

If someone were to watch her, they could only call it a sword dance. Her movement was fast and controlled, graceful and at times, captivating. 

Every now and then, she would swing out, attacking the empty air. Pressing forward against this imaginary opponent, the two swords twirled together like a beautiful storm. Anyone that had to face those blades would no doubt struggle. 

They may be too fixated on Blood Moon to truly notice and if they did, it would be too late. 

Soon enough, she stopped in her tracks, lowering her swords toward the ground. Her breath was somewhat quick as a smile formed on her face. 

"I found it! I really did it!"

Although it took her days to do it, Ming Yue practically obsessed over it for those few days. And having finally done it, there was a sense of accomplishment within her. But that feeling came and left as she had to move onto the next step. 

"What do I do about the three Daos?" she asked herself. 

Truthfully, Ming Yue chose to focus on her swordsmanship first as it was easier than focusing on her Daos. 

"I had thought that finding a style for two swords would give me some ideas but I guess I was being too optimistic. Even after all that, I can't think of anything that works", she thought. 

And then her stomach rumbled just a bit, it was a quiet gurgle that she heard very clearly. 

"I suppose it's a good time to stop."

Putting the two swords away, Ming Yue went off to have lunch with the others. After a shared meal, Liang Wei and Hei Yue went off to hunt while Xiao Yin stayed behind, roosting within the house. 

As for Hongyu, she went up to Ming Yue with her wooden sword.

"Practice?" Ming Yue asked. 

The little girl nodded, raising her wooden sword at her, and she obliged, taking out the same branch she had been using all this time. Holding it forward, she nodded at Hongyu, gesturing for her to start. 

While Ming Yue seemed quite relaxed, Hongyu fought as best she could, swinging the wooden sword around. 

"Hm?"

After a hundred moves were exchanged. the little girl suddenly bent her knees and lowered herself. She lunged forward, shortening the distance between in seconds before suddenly sidestepping. In doing so, Hongyu went behind Ming Yue and struck out, thrusting her weapon forward. 

Unfortunately, the wooden sword was smacked away by Ming Yue's branch which soon touched Hongyu's neck. 

In the end, the little girl couldn't land a hit. 

"Alright, that's enough for today."

Putting the branch away, the cultivator placed a hand on Hongyu's shoulder with a smile. 

"I didn't think you would actually try to use my own technique against me. Not bad but, you're still too young for anything like that", she told her. 

The little girl had a look of disappointment, having failed in her attempt. However, Ming Yue's words were encouraging. Even if Hongyu couldn't do it now, she had plenty of time to do it later. 

"Go clean yourself up, I still have a few things to do. You can grind up some of the medicine or tend to the garden but don't spend too much time on it! There shouldn't be too much to do", she said.

Hongyu nodded before running off with her sword in hand, Ming Yue watched her go before looking away with a slightly surprised expression. 

"To think that she tried to mimic Phantasmal Wind, even trying to strike from behind like me. When did she even learn that?"

There was a strange feeling welling inside her. It was a sense of pride mixed with some sort of joy from knowing this.

Ming Yue didn't know what to make of it, only smiling as she touched the pendants around her neck. 

"Oh yes, the sword pendant! I nearly forgot about that, I wonder how well I can control it now."

Ming Yue looked down at the pendant with interest, calling it forth. There was a gentle whistling sound as the sword pendant came out, floating before her. Compared to the previous times she practiced it, her face wasn't as strained as before. 

"Alright, this doesn't seem so bad now."

Adjusting the power, her hand moved just as the little sword moved. She guided it with her finger, letting it sway from one side to another. It was still quite sensitive but at least it wouldn't chop down a dozen trees if she sneezed. 

Soon enough, she began to have fun with it. 

With the sword pendant following every movement of her two fingers, it twirled and spun, almost like a performance. 

"I wonder what I can use it for."

As it danced in the air, she considered her options, thinking of the pendant. But it wasn't something that Ming Yue needed to figure out now. It was just letting her mind wander whilst she watched the sword pendant. 

One thought led to another and she ended up thinking about the three weapons she had. 

"The Black Blade is about sharpness, being able to cut anything and everything. And the Sword Pendant, nimbleness? It may be fast and sharp but it also responds to every movement. But if I have those two, what would Blood Moon be? Speed? If that's the case, how do I match with the three Daos?" she thought. 

"Sword, Wind, and Thunder... How do I combine the three?" 

There had to be some way to do it, some way to connect the three Daos. 

"Speed, Nimbleness, and Sharpness, these three with Sword, Wind, and Thunder."

Ming Yue kept repeating it over in her mind until she stopped. Her eyes seemed to flash as she tilted her head ever so slightly. 

"What if..."

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