Chương 4: Head in the clouds

A few more days passed, while I practiced the Di clan sword moves, and got used to my new cultivation level. The 8th level wasn't much, but a talented cultivator could project his qi outwards a bit. Tian was much more than merely talented, so I had to tone my qi down, and not become a prodigy by accident. Luckily, Pef the hacker had thousands of tricks and subterfuge knowledge, which poor Tian lacked due to being an awesome hero. As for Pef Tian, the village boy... he knew how to plant potatoes or rice.

And lately he even learned which side to hold his hand on a wooden sword. Of these three flowers thinking in my mind, Pef Tian was the strangest. He shouldn't have existed at all, since Tian was the original character. Was this world the same as the one Tian had lived? Did Lina Mu have a star-shaped mole beneath her left breast? What if it was a flower-shaped mole now? Did a few drops of melanin change an entire reality?

My sword danced in the air, executing the first move of the Di clan to perfection, then the second to mastery, and then I stepped wrong and fell on my face, trying the third move. The Dark Lord has arrived.

"Cousin Sing, this is Pef Tian." Murong Di introduced me to his cousin, while I rolled to my feet and bowed.

"Lord Di, always an honor. Lord Sing... nice to meet you?" I asked in confusion. The cousin in yellow robes slapped the Dark Lord behind his big head.

"Lord Di? You want Grandfather to scoop out your brains and use your skull as his wine cup?" The Dark Lord rubbed his head with an awkward gesture. I guess even the Dark Lord had problems.

"It's our secret code, cousin. Sometimes I use the Dark Lord title too, but never in public..." the Dark Lord admitted with a sheepish voice. The older man puffed in his fist, hidding his laughter.

"I see. It's nice to have dreams, but if you value your life, keep them close to your chest, little cousin. So, you are Pef Tian. Already mastered the Iron Beak Strike, right?" I nodded politely.

"It was the easiest, Lord Sing. Sadly, Dark... I mean, Lord Murong only gave me a bit of time to read the book."

"Indeed. Murong, fight your friend now." the older cousin demanded in a stern voice. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. Both of us took the sword stance, then began fighting, not quite at full strength but not holding back. Since we were both 8th level, our strength and speed was comparable now. Anyway, using the first move I was always a bit faster than the Dark Lord, tapping his chest and leaving bruises with my wooden sword.

After a minute, his cousin clapped his hands.

"Enough! You were right, little cousin. Your friend is a bit talented with a sword. You can keep him." I coughed a bit, expecting some explanation. However, Sing simply stepped on his sword and flew away, while the Dark Lord rubbed his chest in pain.

"I should be happy, but for some reason I am not. Do you know why, Pef Tian?" he asked while pointing at me. I frowned and looked at my sword for a minute.

"I failed to learn the second move well, Lord Di. And the third is a disaster, I failed you... Dark Lord?" I asked in confusion. The young Dark Lord sighed and rubbed his head.

"Yes, that is also true. It took me years to study our sword technique properly, so I don't blame you for that. What else?" I stubbed my toe in the ground, and moved my ankle around like a guilty kid.

"I revealed our secret code to your big cousin?"

"No! I mean, yes... but he took it as make-believe role play. Not important! What else?" he yelled a bit angry. I looked at the sky and noticed a cloud standing still in the wind.

"I did not reveal the Dark Tithe, Dark Lord! Your spirit stone is safe..." I proclaimed heroically.

"Also true. This was good. Did you think about the wounds you caused?" he asked with an angry voice. Well... yes. I worked hard to inflict those. But I suspect he wasn't pleased. Still.

"Of course, Dark Lord. I worked hard to even manage to hit you. You're extremely good, better than any Outer Disciple!" The Dark Lord clenched his fist, then sighed in utter defeat.

"I know. You tried very hard."

"Can I point out a few things, Lord Di? See, if you hold your feet like this, you can gain a bit longer reach. And if you lower your elbow like this, your riposte strike is just a bit faster. That's how I hit you!" I explained in a professional voice. The Dark Lord slapped his forehead in disbelief.

"By the Nine Heavens! You could barely hold a sword a week ago!" I raised a finger to protest, then lowered it behind my back.

"You trained me well, Dark Lord."

"Indeed. I guess I should teach you the second move again. And if you find more flaws afterwards, you can point them out, right?" the Dark Lord asked with a resigned voice.

"Of course, you are my friend, Lord Di. The two of us will climb into the Heavens, side by side!" I proclaimed in a grand voice, and the cloud above us shook for some strange reason.

"Small steps, my friend. The Foundation Establishment kills 90% of all disciples, you know? Not the two of us... but it is still dangerous." the Dark Lord advised me in a friendly voice. I nodded in agreement. Truly, cultivation was a gambler's game, unless you cheated the odds.

"Look towards the horizon, my friend. Those mountains will look small once we can fly above them!" I pointed towards some distant mountains. The Dark Lord blinked, the looked at the mountains as well.

"Some people are indeed blessed by the Dao." We started working on the second sword move, and the cloud moved away now, against the wind for some reason. Such a strange world.