Chương 141: Book 2 Chapter 54: Ditz

For the first few heartbeats, Mo Jian was certain they were only moments away from a disastrous fight. The Heaven Enshrouding Ding finally manifested around him, its blue-black form expanding into a protective barrier that enclosed himself, Bai Ning, and Muxue. Ordinarily, he would have trusted it without hesitation. Faced with Qing Zhanyue, however, the shimmering shield felt woefully inadequate. Around them, the others reacted instantly. Li Kang and Chen Zhuhe were already on their feet, qi surging around them.

Liu Rushi's sleeves fluttered as a technique gathered at her fingertips. Yue Shuangyi's ice lotus was shining within her palms, while Duan Cheng straightened from the window, his relaxed posture gone. Even Gue, who had remained seated throughout, now watched with narrowed eyes, his hand closing around the control token. For a moment, no one moved. The qi lamps overhead seemed to burn a fraction brighter, as though the carriage itself had drawn a breath and was holding it.

Then, without warning, Qing Zhanyue dismissed her sword. She looked at Bai Ning with undisguised delight.

"You blocked that!" she exclaimed.

"True, there wasn't any force behind the strike, but I certainly wasn't expecting a Core Formation cultivator to possess instincts that sharp." Her smile widened.

"Who taught you swordsmanship?" Silence answered her. Bai Ning still stood where she had intercepted the attack, Green Destiny Sword held before her. She looked as surprised by what she had done as everyone else was, her eyes flicking between Qing Zhanyue and her own blade as though trying to understand how the situation had reached this point. Beside her, Muxue's stunned expression was already hardening into anger.

The rest of the carriage's occupants exchanged uncertain glances, none of them quite sure whether the danger had truly passed. Still seated, Mo Jian reached out and gently tugged at Bai Ning's sleeve. She turned, startled, though the moment she met his eyes, her shoulders relaxed. She pressed her lips together, gave an almost imperceptible nod, and dismissed the Green Destiny Sword. A heartbeat later, she resumed her seat beside him. Seeing the tension ease, the others slowly followed suit.

Only Muxue remained standing.

"What," she demanded, every word edged with anger, "was the meaning of that, General Qing?" Qing Zhanyue barely glanced at her.

"Oh, relax." She waved a dismissive hand in front of the Princess as though brushing away an overexcited child.

"I sensed something off, and your safety is my responsibility, so I acted." She paused, her gaze drifting back to Bai Ning with unmistakable curiosity.

"I simply wasn't expecting... that." Only then did she turn to Mo Jian.

"I have no interest in learning your secrets," she said evenly.

"Though I have a fairly good idea what you were doing." Her tone remained conversational, but there was steel beneath it.

"You're here as a favor to Huwei. Don't abuse my hospitality." Mo Jian inclined his head.

"My apologies. I should have exercised better judgment." He met her gaze without challenging it.

"I can also tell that your strike was intended to provoke a reaction, not to injure me." As far as he was concerned, that much was obvious. If Qing Zhanyue had genuinely intended to kill him, there would have been no opportunity to defend himself, let alone decipher her intentions afterward. She had caught him completely off guard, and the gulf between their cultivation was immense.

Against a cultivator of her caliber, restraint and lethal intent were separated only by her choosing, the same as the distance between a warning and a corpse. Qing Zhanyue gave a single approving nod, and then her attention drifted back to Bai Ning. The solemnity vanished from her face as quickly as it had appeared. Her eyes lit up with unmistakable excitement, and before long she was practically glowing with delight, like someone who had unexpectedly stumbled across a priceless treasure.

"Bai Ning, wasn't it?" She barreled onward without waiting for a response, which was just as well, because Bai Ning appeared to have temporarily forgotten how to speak.

"Become my disciple." The words landed like a thunderclap.

"You have extraordinary instincts and remarkable talent. People like you are incredibly rare." She leaned farther across the gap, her enthusiasm growing by the heartbeat.

"With enough guidance, you'll reach my level one day." Her grin widened.

"No." She shook her head emphatically.

"You'll surpass me."

"So," she finished brightly, "what do you think?" Silence answered her, though this time it was simply incredulous. Bai Ning was the first to recover, meeting Qing Zhanyue's gaze directly and bowing her head.

"I am deeply honored by your regard, Senior," she said with quiet sincerity, "but I must respectfully decline. I already have the only teacher I will ever need." Mo Jian almost turned toward her. Something tightened unexpectedly in his chest, and for a brief moment he was acutely aware of everyone else in the carriage disappearing into the background. Then Qing Zhanyue's expression collapsed, as sudden as a sandcastle washed away by a wave.

"What?" The single word came out as an aggrieved squeak.

"Come on," she protested.

"I wasn't being completely honest before." She pointed accusingly at Bai Ning.

"Your instincts aren't just good. They're absurd! I don't think anyone besides me could have intercepted that strike at the Core Formation Realm." She slapped a hand against her own chest.

"I'll make you my personal disciple. I'll teach you everything I know." By now she was almost vibrating with excitement.

"When I retire, you can inherit the Peacock Army." She spread both arms grandly.

"That's a pretty good offer, isn't it?" Bai Ning's answer was almost cruel in how quickly it came.

"Senior is too generous," she replied with another respectful bow.

"But I must decline again." Qing Zhanyue stared at her, thrusting out her lower lip in a magnificent pout. She leaned this way and that, trying to catch Bai Ning's eyes. Bai Ning, with remarkable determination, looked steadfastly at a point somewhere beyond Qing Zhanyue's shoulder, refusing to meet her gaze. The entire carriage watched in fascinated silence. When Qing Zhanyue finally accepted that no amount of hopeful staring would change the answer, all the enthusiasm drained out of her at once.

She collapsed back into her seat, folded her arms across her chest, puffed out her cheeks, and sulked with the wholehearted commitment of a child who had just been denied her favorite sweet. Mo Jian exchanged an awkward glance with Muxue, neither of them knowing what to say. The Princess flicked her eyes toward him, silently urging him to do something. Your turn. Mo Jian responded by looking pointedly out the nearest window, suddenly finding the passing scenery intensely fascinating.

After having nearly been skewered a moment ago, he had little desire to attract Qing Zhanyue's attention again. Muxue rewarded his transparent cowardice with a narrow-eyed glare before giving up with a quiet sigh. She cleared her throat.

"There's no need to feel bad, General Qing. We can't have everything we desire in life." She smiled encouragingly.

"You were the one who taught my cousin that lesson, after all, and his ambition is large enough to swallow the entire Empire." The attempt at consolation had the opposite effect, and Qing Zhanyue rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Those are completely different," she said, waving a dismissive hand.

"If we're talking about rejecting arrogant people who think too highly of themselves, then your grandfather should come first." Muxue blinked, as did Mo Jian.

"My grandfather?" the Princess repeated.

"You mean... my actual grandfather tried to court you?" Qing Zhanyue finally emerged from her theatrical sulk, sitting upright once more. She still looked disappointed over Bai Ning's refusal, but at least she no longer resembled a petulant child.

"No," she said.

"The First Emperor." She spoke the title with the same casual tone someone else might have used for an old acquaintance.

"When I reached the peak of the Nascent Soul Realm all those years ago, he sent one of the Palace Elders to persuade me to marry him." She made a face.

"There was a lot of talk about becoming Empress, uniting the Empire, destiny, and so on." She smacked one fist into her open palm.

"So I beat that elder up." The declaration was delivered with complete satisfaction.

"I wasn't interested in marrying a man who couldn't even be bothered to show his own face." She shrugged.

"Never heard from him again after that." Muxue stared at Qing Zhanyue with an expression hovering somewhere between horror and disbelief. Mo Jian became aware that his own mouth had fallen open, and across from him, Bai Ning had finally abandoned all pretense of ignoring the General. The corners of her lips twitched upward, amusement dancing plainly in her eyes. Qing Zhanyue noticed immediately.

"Aha!" She pointed triumphantly at Bai Ning.

"You're looking at me again." Before Bai Ning could avert her gaze, the General pressed her advantage.

"If you won't become my disciple, then at least tell me who taught you swordsmanship." Bai Ning considered the question for several moments before giving a small shrug.

"A jade slip, mostly." She glanced briefly toward Mo Jian before looking back at Qing Zhanyue.

"And whatever I could learn from watching accomplished swordsmen fight." This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Qing Zhanyue let out a dramatic groan.

"Argh!" She clutched at her forehead as though the heavens themselves were conspiring against her.

"Even the circumstances are perfect." Leaning forward, she fixed Bai Ning with an earnest stare.

"Don't you see? Here you are, a once-in-a-generation sword prodigy who somehow learned almost entirely from a jade slip. Then, by sheer coincidence, you meet the greatest swordswoman in the Empire." She spread her arms wide.

"The heavens couldn't make it any more obvious if they carved it into the stars." Her eyes sparkled.

"This is destiny! Even those terrible jade slip dramas aren't this unsubtle." She jabbed a thumb at her own chest.

"I am clearly meant to teach you." Bai Ning looked thoroughly unconvinced, but Mo Jian, on the other hand, found himself hesitating. Bai Ning was the heroine, after all. Ever since arriving in this world, he had wondered how much influence the original story still exerted over events. Could this be one of those invisible nudges, gently steering fate back toward its intended course? Bai Ning bowed her head once more.

"I'm honored by Senior's regard, but-""No." Qing Zhanyue sat up so abruptly that the interruption itself felt like a sword strike, thrusting a finger toward Bai Ning.

"I refuse to hear another rejection." Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

"You just said you learned swordsmanship from a jade slip, but you also said you already have a teacher." She leaned forward again.

"So, tell me, who is this mysterious master of yours?" The moment the question left her mouth, Mo Jian felt an overwhelming premonition that everything was about to go terribly wrong. He shot Bai Ning a meaningful look, hoping she would understand that discretion was, for once, the better part of valor. She understood, and then cheerfully ignored it.

"Him," she said, jabbing her thumb squarely at Mo Jian. Mo Jian closed his eyes for the briefest of moments. Traitor. When he opened them again, Qing Zhanyue was already looking at him. Her gaze wasn't hostile or even particularly intense, yet, somehow, it still reminded him of an executioner's blade descending toward his neck. Or perhaps that was simply his imagination.

"Hmm..." The General regarded him from head to toe with unconcealed skepticism, the sound sending an unpleasant shiver down his spine. For reasons he would rather not examine, it reminded him far too much of another deeply judgmental "Hmm..." he had heard in the past. Then Qing Zhanyue brightened.

"Let's duel." She said it with the casual enthusiasm of someone suggesting they share afternoon tea.

"Whoever wins gets to keep Bai Ning as a disciple." A dozen responses surged to the front of Mo Jian's mind. Please, take her. You'd be doing me a favor. She is her own person, so perhaps don't wager her like a spiritual herb. The temptation to voice at least one of them was particularly strong after Bai Ning's spectacular act of betrayal. He suppressed every last one, instead meeting Qing Zhanyue's expectant gaze and answering with a single word.

"No." Qing Zhanyue deflated, slumping back into her seat with the tragic air of someone whose final hope had just been extinguished. It lasted all of a heartbeat before she straightened once more, every trace of dejection vanishing as though it had never existed.

"Don't be so hasty to refuse me," she said.

"You're stuck trying to break through to the middle stage of the Nascent Soul Realm, aren't you?" Mo Jian's eyes widened despite himself, and the Peacock General caught the reaction immediately, breaking into a self-satisfied grin.

"I knew it. Anyone with the proper eyes can see as much." She waved the matter away as though it were obvious.

"You almost certainly have all the pills and spiritual treasures you need already. At your level, resources aren't what hold you back anymore. It's understanding. You've accumulated enough cultivation, but you can't quite take that final step because something inside you refuses to settle." She tapped the table lightly with one finger.

"I can fix that." Mo Jian leaned forward before he could stop himself.

"... How?"

"I can cut away your doubts." She answered so matter-of-factly that, for a moment, nobody spoke.

"You've already reached the threshold," she continued.

"Once the uncertainty is gone, all you'll need is the proper pills, and your breakthrough should follow naturally." If Mo Jian had been surprised before, it was nothing compared to what he felt now. Even Muxue's composed expression faltered, her eyebrows rising almost to her hairline.

"That's... possible?" she asked.

"You can simply help someone advance through the Nascent Soul Realm?" Qing Zhanyue coughed awkwardly.

"Well... not exactly." The confidence drained from her face just enough to make everyone uneasy.

"It's... somewhat more complicated than that."

"How complicated?" Mo Jian asked. She rubbed the back of her neck.

"Everyone I've tried it on so far has failed rather spectacularly." Silence descended upon the carriage, but Qing Zhanyue hurried on before anyone could interrupt.

"But the theory is completely sound! The failures weren't because the method itself was flawed. They simply weren't ready. Some lacked sufficient foundations, some hadn't accumulated enough insight, and others broke beneath the experience itself." Her eyes settled on Mo Jian once again.

"You, however, are different. You managed to put me on guard just now, even if only for an instant. That alone tells me you possess something none of the others did." She leaned forward eagerly.

"Think about what I'm offering. You could skip centuries of cultivation, preserve a fortune in spiritual resources, and arrive at the middle stage immediately. And besides, what worthwhile opportunity has ever come without risk? Cultivation itself is nothing more than struggling against Heaven." Mo Jian slowly leaned back into his seat. When he finally answered, his voice was dry enough to make Bai Ning hide a smile.

"No, thank you." He folded his hands into his sleeves.

"That sounds considerably more like a refined method of suicide than assistance. You've just admitted that every previous attempt ended in failure. I don't believe my chances improve merely because you have confidence in me." To his surprise, Qing Zhanyue did not appear offended. Instead, some of the playfulness left her expression, revealing, if only for a moment, the seasoned cultivator who had survived centuries of warfare and reached the pinnacle of the Empire.

"There is a genuine reason I believe your chances are different," she said quietly. She regarded him for several moments before continuing.

"You're the sort of person who thinks too much." Mo Jian did not deny it.

"There is nothing inherently wrong with that. A cultivator should think carefully before acting. We examine every possibility, weigh every consequence, and prepare ourselves before taking a single step. Prudence has saved more lives than courage ever has. The problem comes afterward. Once you've made your choice, you continue questioning it. You wonder whether another path would have been wiser. You revisit old decisions, imagine better outcomes, and burden yourself with possibilities that no longer exist."

Her gaze never left his.

"Those doubts become chains. They bind the heart, dull conviction, kill certainty, and slowly poison the Dao. You've heard the saying that a cultivator must remain true to themselves. Most people imagine that means following their desires without restraint. It doesn't. It means choosing a path, and then walking it without constantly turning around to see where the others might have led." The carriage had gone very quiet around them, even the presence of the others fading into the background.

The General suddenly had a sword in her hand again, tapping it with a finger to produce a dull clink.

"My sword does not merely cut flesh. It can cut hesitation and uncertainty. For a single instant, I can leave a person with perfect clarity, free of every doubt that has clouded their heart." Her smile returned, though it carried far more confidence than humor now.

"The others failed because that clarity exposed weaknesses they had not yet overcome. Their foundations could not bear the weight of certainty." She looked directly into Mo Jian's eyes.

"I don't think yours will break." Mo Jian wanted to deny it, but he couldn't – not the part about his will not breaking, but the part about thinking too much. Even now, his thoughts chased each other in circles, leaving him wondering half a hundred things at once. He suppressed them forcefully.

"What does any of this have to do with the duel you proposed?" Qing Zhanyue's smile turned wide and bright.

"Simple enough. If we fight, I'll know whether my method will work on you. If you impress me, then I'll perform the cut myself. If you don't already have the pills necessary for your breakthrough, I'll even provide them from my own stores. And if you fail to impress me, you've still lost nothing. At the very least, you'll gain experience fighting someone stronger than yourself before reaching the Great Wall. Win-win." Mo Jian had to admit that, viewed from that perspective alone, she had a point.

Before he could answer, Bai Ning voiced the obvious question.

"And what does Senior gain?" Qing Zhanyue immediately composed herself into the very picture of selfless virtue. She folded her hands in her lap, lifted her chin ever so slightly, and assumed an expression so serenely detached from worldly desire that it would have convinced almost anyone.

"Me?" she said modestly.

"Oh, I couldn't possibly ask for anything in return..." She paused just long enough for everyone to recognize the performance.

"... Although," she continued with exaggerated reluctance, "since you insist, perhaps a very small favor would be acceptable." Her eyes drifted at once back to Bai Ning.

"If I successfully help your teacher break through, then you have one lesson with me." She held up a single finger.

"Just one. I want to see whether my swordsmanship suits you. If, after that lesson, you still don't wish to become my disciple, then I swear that I'll never raise the matter again." She smiled brightly.

"What do you think?" Bai Ning turned toward Mo Jian, their eyes meeting for only a moment. She didn't need to say anything, and neither did he. The offer really was as favorable as it sounded. Assuming Qing Zhanyue intended to honor her word – and everything Mo Jian had seen of her suggested she would – then Bai Ning would receive personal instruction from the greatest swordswoman in the Empire without owing anything beyond a single lesson. It was difficult to imagine refusing such an opportunity.

Bai Ning looked back at Qing Zhanyue.

"I agree." Mo Jian inclined his head a moment later.

"So do I." Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Muxue struggling to remain silent. She clearly wanted to object, yet held herself back. Her concern was understandable, since however attractive the proposal sounded, it still involved placing Mo Jian's breakthrough, and perhaps his life, in Qing Zhanyue's experimental technique.

"Excellent!" The General beamed so brightly that the entire carriage seemed to grow lighter.

"Gue, alter our course. Take us over the Mere. I'll deploy the arena there so Mo Jian and I can have a proper duel." She sounded positively delighted, like someone looking forward to an afternoon's entertainment. To be fair, Mo Jian reflected, she was probably justified in feeling confident about the outcome. From the front of the carriage, where he continued guiding the heavenly convoy without turning around, Gue answered in a perfectly even tone.

"If you're using the arena, General, there's no need to divert to the Mere. The arena works anywhere." Qing Zhanyue's triumphant smile froze, and for one awkward heartbeat, she sat perfectly still. Then she gave a delicate cough and folded her hands behind her back with as much dignity as she could recover.

"... Quite right," she admitted.

"As expected of Gue."