Chapter 94: A Long-Awaited Spar

The river flowed slowly, carrying several flower-shaped river lanterns as they drifted leisurely toward the deeper shadows.

Zora lacked the ability to perceive others' emotions, and she certainly didn't notice the dejection in the end of his voice—fortunately, Vane had allowed a trace of fragility to show on the surface at the end.

The youth's eyes were like obsidian, reflecting the faint ripples of light from the distant lanterns; they looked like beautiful glazed glass, yet carried a breakable vulnerability.

Following her heart, Zora reached out and touched his eyes.

Vane closed his left eye, feeling the touch on his eyelashes and the warm skin of his eyelid, while the long lashes of his open right eye trembled slightly.

Zora withdrew her hand once she had touched enough, saying naturally, "Of course. What else?"

—

No matter what, please use me as you please. No matter for what.

—

Of course. What else?

Vane looked at her. Zora lifted her eyes, returning his gaze frankly. He suddenly curled his lips and let out a light laugh.

"True. I was speaking nonsense."

The decades of time should have made him more mature. During that period, he had never been truly joyful; having tasted the happiness of being glad for her, he realized after the sudden loss how low-quality the bloodthirsty pleasure of his malevolent nature was. The sense of satisfaction was no longer as great as before.

The thoughts of trying to drench his longing with fresh blood to make his blood boil again had succeeded, but not as successfully as imagined; they had even become increasingly dull and tasteless.

He should have become mature, yet the current smile did not erase his youthful air. Instead, the faint shimmering ripples of the river seemed to have found their way into his eyes, looking like water.

Zora nodded and said, "You were indeed speaking nonsense, but it's okay." She was very generous and sincere: "I'm going to use you now. It's boring; tell me something interesting."

"..."

Vane paused slightly. His life was more stagnant than dead water; his heart was still, so he naturally wouldn't perceive anything as "interesting," let alone remember it.

Meeting Zora's gaze, Vane pursed his lips and finally spoke: "I remember an ordinary man whose wife died early of illness. He killed his relatives to steal their wealth, but unexpectedly attracted a monster. To stay alive, he tricked one person every day to feed it, eventually even feeding his own daughter to the monster."

Zora remained expressionless.

Vane recalled: "I received a mission and went there. The man was still muddled, deceiving people. He had lost his clarity and didn't know his body had developed a problem—he was severed below the waist, connected to a mass of purple, slimy flesh. He moved by crawling; everyone who saw him ran far away, so naturally, he couldn't trick anyone."

Zora remained expressionless, nearly cold.

"It wasn't until I arrived that I learned when his daughter was being eaten—half her body already gone—the man regretted it. He rushed over like a madman and bit the monster back."

Zora was silent, gradually beginning to space out. Finally, Vane gave a detailed description of the man's death, and only then did Zora's attention return. When Vane killed people alone, there were always a few times of eye-averting cruelty.

Zora gave a sincere evaluation: "You were wasting time."

Vane went silent for a moment: "Sorry."

"But the last step was quite interesting," Zora added. "To actually be able to stuff a human body into the monster flesh within him... indeed, killing that way leaves no worries about the monster's fragments taking the chance to revive."

They fell quiet again. Their joined hands remained between them. After warming her right hand, Zora stuffed her left hand in. Vane looked down, acting as a warming tool, and gripped her hand once more.

The lantern festival soon grew cold and quiet. There were no more floating river lanterns, and every household extinguished their lights; the entire city plunged into the darkness of sleep. The two still didn't move. Vane reached out and flicked a wisp of flame, which cast onto the river and actually burned out of thin air on the water's surface—vivid and searing, like divine fire from heaven, beautiful beyond compare.

Zora glanced at it and also lifted her hand. Spiritual power burst forth, and countless "river lanterns" surfaced from the riverbed out of nowhere. One by one, the sacred lotus lamps rose and fell with the ripples, forming a perfect, flowing scroll. The lotus lamps neared the flame, forcibly splitting it apart.

Vane glanced at her, knowing this wasn't romantic chemistry, but a competition.

Zora lifted her eyes: "After I left, how many people did you kill?"

"I lost count."

"How many monsters?"

"I lost count."

"How many powerful enemies were there?"

Vane paused and smiled: "I lost count."

He had clearly been showing vulnerability just now, yet now he displayed a youth's pride. He knew when to show weakness and when to maintain pride between them. He could be humble in certain aspects, lower than the dust, acting as a dog begging for pity. A harmless servant would gain her trust, but a servant who couldn't think or lacked independent thought was not worthy of her gaze.

So, sometimes he had to show his true nature. His pride could be shattered countless times by her, but it could never be shattered once by another, and he certainly could never truly become a selfless, desireless "puppet."

Zora grew interested and tilted her head: "Lost count?"

"I lost count. Although you made remarkable progress in the secret realm, Zora, your sparring partner was ultimately only one person with one set of sword techniques."

"True."

From the shore, someone who hadn't slept yet pointed at the river in surprise: "It's an immortal's magic!"

Many cultivators passed through and stayed here, so the commoners were long used to such spells. This year's lantern festival had actually been lonely for a while because no cultivators had come to show off their skills. Who would have thought they'd see it in the middle of the night, and so silently?

That person never sensed a barrier rising. He admired the river happily, but above his head, a battle was taking place.

Zora was the first to strike. Their thighs were still touching, their palms intimately joined; in the next moment, that connection became a death warrant. She gripped him tight while her other hand drew her sword. Vane parried a move, making no attempt to let go; instead, he moved closer, which actually made Zora take the initiative to release him.

Her cultivation was a step higher, but for the spar, neither used their full spiritual power, focusing primarily on martial skills and weapon techniques. In the sky invisible to ordinary people, two tails like meteors collided from time to time.

Zora did not hold back. Sword edge and spear tip resisted each other, clashing for a moment until the weapons vibrated. There was a shallow bloodstain on Vane's neck.

Zora reminded him with great kindness: "You waste too much time killing people. I will be more efficient."

She was going directly for the head on his neck.

Vane likewise did not hold back. His dark eyes reflected the flashes of blades. Hearing her, he smiled: "Thank you. I understand."

A nascent sword intent formed in the secret realm flashed through Zora's eyes. She flipped in the air, kicking his spear handle. Vane retreated a few steps to steady himself. A transparent shockwave rippled around his spear; clearly, she had used spiritual power. If an ordinary cultivator had taken that kick, their internal organs would have long since shattered.

"...What did you say? I didn't hear clearly."

After the hangover, Yiling Ke sat at the table with a wooden face.

Song Zhihuai repeated word for word: "Junior Sister Zora and Junior Brother Vane are sparring. They seem to have gone to the barrens. During the period, Vane's soul lamp was occasionally unstable, and Junior Sister Zora also seemed to be injured."

Song Zhihuai continued: "Junior Sister Zora's soul lamp flickered once; Vane's flickered four times."

"I know about the injuries, but an unstable soul lamp... how hard are they fighting?" Yiling Ke muttered.

But it was normal. Otherwise, being timid wouldn't make for a useful spar. Moreover, Zora and Vane's cultivation had reached the upper tiers of the cultivation world; their fight should have shaken the earth and mountains. Yet there was no noise, which only meant neither was primarily using spiritual power confrontation, focusing instead on pure weaponry and skill. True, many people practiced their skills this way...

"..."

Yiling Ke endured and endured but finally couldn't help herself: "Others have warm and beautiful reunions; their reunion lasted only a day before they started tearing at each other. Truly a typical Zora."

Turi Qi had long returned to the sect. Yiling Ke was highly valued by the Sect Leader of Drunken Lu Bay and was naturally very busy. Soon, the group went about their own tasks while waiting for Zora to return.

On the first day, Yiling Ke took a break from her busy schedule and asked, "Are they done fighting?"

The disciple she had instructed to watch the two shook his head: "Not yet, Senior Sister." The disciple was silent for a moment. He had gone to watch from afar; he couldn't even see their strikes clearly, unable to even capture afterimages. He could only judge that both were still alive by the subtle spiritual fluctuations.

Vane... isn't he the spear genius of the December Sect?

He had just entered the sect and only knew Vane's reputation, not Zora's. This time, he clearly felt the brilliance of that sword cultivator. Even from a distance, he could feel that clear, chilling sword Qi, completely different from Vane's dark and sharp spear tip.

On the second day.

Yiling Ke asked, "Are they done fighting?"

Turi Qi sent a transmission, saying with a smile: "Not yet. It seems Junior Sister Zora and Junior Brother Vane are very happy."

Yiling Ke's lips twitched: "..."

Is 'happy' meant to be like this?

Turi Qi: "Junior Sister Zora just wants to improve her sword style, find its flaws, and fix them. Junior Brother Vane should be the one who is most pleased."

"..." Yiling Ke had to admit: "True." Even if the soul lamp flickered, he must be incredibly excited. After all, he had waited for that person for so long.

On the third day.

Song Zhihuai: "I passed by once and saw Junior Sister Zora kick Junior Brother Vane out of the sky, piercing right through a barren mountain."

Yiling Ke raised a palm: "Wait, wait! Why does this fighting style look so familiar?"

Turi Qi laughed: "She's likely imitating the demonic cultivator we met in Tao County back then? Junior Sister Zora is quite studious; she uses a bit of everything."

Yiling Ke suspected Vane was dying: "Vane won't die, will he?"

Song Zhihuai shook his head: "No, they have boundaries. Junior Sister Zora is also severely injured, soaked in blood, but they seem to be continuing. They should be controlling the line at death."

Yiling Ke exhaled: "That's good. I was afraid they'd both die." She didn't understand the romance of sword cultivators, nor why some cultivators were keen on fighting until soaked in blood—becoming more excited the more blood there was.

—

He was indeed very excited.

Vane was cratered in the ground, the surroundings collapsed. The mountain peak he had been slammed through was shedding rocks, displaced. He was a mess, his black clothes turned dark with blood. After days and nights of fighting, his spear was still full of battle intent and joy.

The youth panted, waiting for his strength to return and his internal organs to repair. Not many people knew about their spar; the place was deserted and shielded by a barrier. Aside from the occasional fools who passed by wanting to play the fisherman and reap the rewards, there was no one. Of course, the corpses of those few fools had already been torn and eaten by wild beasts.

Zora also landed, her sword stabbing into the soil. She knelt on one knee, panting. Her clothes were stained red in a large patch, but her wounds were recovering rapidly; a moment later, the spear wounds returned to normal.

She and he were separated by a mountain, not interfering with each other, unable to see the other. It seemed to be a brief truce. Zora’s own sword style was still immature. In the secret realm, she only had "Yun Zhang" as an opponent; no matter what, it was always the same enemy, so there were inevitably things missed. Once the teacher brings one through the door, cultivation is a personal matter. There is no perfect sword style in the world; she only needed to keep patching the holes.

Vane was exceptionally clever; he had a good head and good martial skills. He could strike without mercy and use his spear techniques day and night to try and break her sword moves. Zora had gained quite a bit over these past few days, and surely Vane had too.

She panted, and even after regaining her strength, she suddenly lay down in the grass, the blood on her clothes staining the small blades. She curled up on the grass, seemingly closing her eyes to rest, or perhaps truly sleeping.

Faint footsteps sounded. The hem of the youth's robes brushed the shallow grass as he stopped by her side. Zora didn't lift her head, but reached out her hand.

Vane paused, first wiping her blood-stained hand clean—the blood on her hand was likely Vane's. Then he placed a pastry from his storage bag into her palm.

Zora took it and put it in her mouth to chew. Vane could only see her curled on her side, her cheek bulging as she chewed. Her sword stood upright beside her head. He paused for a few heartbeats, and seeing that she had no intention of getting up, he sat down on the grass beside her.

Two scents of blood mixed with the earthy smell of green grass and the aroma of the pastry. For a moment, the two fell silent. There was only the mountain breeze and the sound of her turning over after finishing the snack. Zora lay flat on her back. In the distance, mist swirled around the mountain peaks, appearing like a painting.

She watched for a while, then slowly turned over again, curling back into a side-lying position. Vane watched the scenery, then lowered his head a moment later.

The girl was facing him, her eyes closed, her breathing soft and long.

She seemed to have truly fallen asleep.