I had no intention of entering the martial world.

Chapter 33 The Ice Heart Technique

Tingtao Xiaozhu is a simple bamboo house perched on a cliff behind the mountain. It has only two rooms: a bedroom and a quiet room. Outside the bamboo house is a small platform where you can see the rolling sea of ​​clouds and hear the rustling of the pine trees.

It is indeed a quiet place.

"You'll stay here." Chu Xueya pushed open the bedroom door. "I'm next door. Call me if you need anything."

Lu Chenzhou went inside.

The room was simple: a bamboo bed, a bamboo table, and a bamboo chair. On the table sat a tea set and an oil lamp. The window was open, offering a view of the sea of ​​clouds outside.

"Thank you," he said.

Chu Xueya looked at him, hesitant to speak.

Finally, he only said one sentence:

"Practice your skills diligently."

Then turned and left.

Lu Chenzhou put down his bundle, sat down on the bed, and took out the book "The Ice Heart Manual".

Turn to the first page:

"A pure heart remains unperturbed even when the sky falls. Amidst countless changes, one remains calm and serene..."

He followed the instructions, sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and adjusted his breathing.

Each breath in and out is slow and deep.

Gradually, distracting thoughts decreased, and the mind became calmer.

But just then, a sudden pain shot through my chest!

It felt like a knife had been plunged into my heart!

Lu Chenzhou groaned, opened his eyes, and found cold sweat beading on his forehead.

It is the Azure Sword Qi.

It is resisting.

Resisting the suppression of "Bing Xin Jue".

Lu Chenzhou gritted his teeth, closed his eyes again, and continued practicing.

This time, the pain was even more intense.

It felt like countless needles were piercing his meridians and bone marrow.

He clenched his fist, his nails digging into his palm, blood seeping out and staining his hand red.

But it doesn't hurt.

I can no longer feel any pain in my body.

Only the pain in my heart—the pain of being torn apart little by little, swallowed up bit by bit—remains.

It felt like someone was cutting his soul with a dull knife.

One cut after another, very slowly, but very accurately.

"ah--!"

He finally couldn't hold back and let out a low growl.

"Bang!"

The bamboo door was pushed open, and Chu Xueya rushed in:

"Lu Chenzhou! What's wrong with you?"

Lu Chenzhou raised his head and looked at her.

His eyes had turned completely blue, with a red light flickering deep within his pupils, like will-o'-the-wisps from hell.

Chu Xueya was startled, but did not back down.

She strode forward and placed her hand on Lu Chenzhou's chest—there, the Azure Nether Sword Qi was surging wildly, like a trapped wild beast.

"Calm down!" she whispered, while simultaneously channeling the internal energy of the Ice Marrow Sword Bone into Lu Chenzhou's body through her palm.

A cold force surged in, like a bucket of cold water poured onto red-hot iron.

The azure sword energy subsided slightly.

The bluish light in Lu Chenzhou's eyes faded, and he returned to normal.

He was panting heavily, his whole body soaked in cold sweat.

"Thank you..." he said weakly.

Chu Xueya withdrew her hand, looking at his pale face, a trace of heartache flashed in her eyes.

"You can't keep practicing like this," she said. "The Ice Heart Manual is an extremely yin and gentle mental technique, while the Azure Nether Sword Qi is an extremely yang and strong force. The two clash. You need... a buffer."

"What buffer?"

Chu Xueya hesitated for a moment, bit her lip, as if she had made up her mind.

Then she said:

"Dual cultivation".

Lu Chenzhou was taken aback.

"No...it's not the kind of dual cultivation you're thinking of." Chu Xueya blushed, but her tone was serious. "It's the fusion of internal energies, the balance of yin and yang. My Ice Marrow internal energy can neutralize your Azure Nether Sword Qi, allowing you to successfully cultivate the Ice Heart Technique."

Lu Chenzhou stared at her for a long time.

"Will you get hurt?" he asked.

"No," Chu Xueya shook her head. "My Ice Marrow Sword Bone also needs the nourishment of Yang energy; it's a mutually beneficial arrangement."

"real?"

"Really." Chu Xueya nodded. "Master said that my sword bones are extremely yin and cold, and if I practice them too deeply, they will backfire on me. I need yang energy to balance them. Your Azure Nether Sword Qi is extremely yang and strong, which is just right."

Lu Chenzhou fell silent.

He knew that Chu Xueya was lying.

She wasn't lying about everything, at least... she was concealing the risks.

The fusion of internal energy is not so easy. A slight mistake can lead to the loss of all martial arts skills or even death.

But she was still willing.

Why?

"Miss Chu," he said softly, "you don't need to..."

"My name is Chu Xueya," Chu Xueya interrupted him. "You can call me Xueya."

Lu Chenzhou looked at her.

Moonlight streamed in through the window, illuminating her face; her eyes shone brightly, like two stars.

"Xueya," he called out, his voice unfamiliar but earnest.

Chu Xueya smiled.

Her smile was faint, but beautiful.

"That's right," she said. "From now on, we're not friends, we're... comrades-in-arms. We'll fight together, we'll survive together."

In Lu Chenzhou's heart, that desolate wasteland stirred up a ripple once more.

This time, it wasn't a tiny sprout, but a flower.

A small but very resilient flower.

In the desert, it stubbornly blooms against the wind and sand.

"Okay," he said, "comrade."

Chu Xueya stretched out her hand:

"Well... let's begin."

Lu Chenzhou also extended his hand.

Two hands, clasped together.

One was ice cold, the other was scalding hot.

Ice and fire, at this moment, merged.

---

three days later.

Outside Tingtao Xiaozhu, Master Qingwei stood on the platform, gazing at the sea of ​​clouds.

Chu Xueya stood behind her, her face somewhat pale, but her eyes bright.

"How is he?" Master Qingwei asked.

"I've mastered the basics of the Ice Heart Manual," Chu Xueya said. "The sword energy is temporarily suppressed, and my mind is much clearer."

"And you?"

"I..." Chu Xueya paused, "I'm fine too. The backlash from the Ice Marrow Sword Bone has lessened."

Master Qingwei turned around, looked at her, and his eyes were complicated:

"Xueya, do you know what you're doing?"

"Know."

"You knew it, yet you still did it?"

"Because it's worth it," Chu Xueya said calmly. "Master, you said that those who cultivate the Tao should follow their true nature. My heart tells me that I should do it."

Master Qingwei sighed:

"You...just like your mother, once you've made up your mind, nothing can change it."

Chu Xueya lowered her head and remained silent.

Master Qingwei looked at her for a long time, and finally said:

"That's enough. You chose this path yourself, and I won't stop you. But you must remember—yin and yang are interdependent; once you start, you can't stop. From now on, your fates are bound together. You will prosper together and suffer together."

"Disciple understands."

"Furthermore," Master Qingwei looked at the bamboo building, "the Azure Nether Sword Qi within him is only temporarily suppressed, not cured. It will erupt again in a year at most. If the other two swords cannot be found then, you will all die."

Chu Xueya was silent for a moment, then asked:

"Master, where are the other two swords?"

Master Qingwei shook his head:

"I don't know. The Purple Lightning Sword disappeared a hundred years ago, and the White Rainbow Sword vanished three hundred years ago. There are only legends in the martial world, no truth."

"Then... if the three swords are gathered together, will the Heavenly Gate really open?"

Master Qingwei gazed at the distant sea of ​​clouds and slowly said:

"Yes. But beyond the Heavenly Gate lies not immortality, but destruction. A hundred years ago, the three Sword Masters risked their lives to seal the Heavenly Gate in order to prevent that destruction. Now, some people want to open it because they don't know the truth, or... they don't care."

She paused, her voice growing heavier:

"Xueya, you must remember—some doors, once opened, can never be closed again. And some people, in order to open those doors, are willing to let the whole world perish."

Chu Xueya gripped her sword tightly:

"I will stop them."

Master Qingwei looked at her, a hint of relief flashing in his eyes, but more so with worry.

"You can't stop it alone."

"Then it'll be just the two of us," Chu Xueya said. "I'll go with Lu Chenzhou."

Master Qingwei remained silent.

Just looking at the sea of ​​clouds, at the rolling mist, is like looking at this unpredictable human world.

After a long while, she turned around and walked down the mountain.

After taking a few steps, he stopped and looked back:

"Snow Cliff".

"Master?"

"Live well," said Master Qingwei. "Only by living can there be hope."

After saying that, she really left.

Chu Xueya stood on the platform, watching her master's figure disappear into the clouds, motionless for a long time.

The wind blew her long hair and stirred her clothes.

Like a jade fairy, she is about to ride the wind and depart.

But her eyes were very determined.

Like Mount Emei behind her, it has remained unchanged for thousands of years.