Chapter Twenty-Six: Moonlit Night Like Water

  After dinner, Lu Yun didn't go to find Lin Yunfeng, but instead walked out of the cave alone and slowly headed towards the forest on the left. During the day, Lu Yun had noticed that there was a small forest there, which was very suitable for one person to quietly think about things.

  Walking slowly under the night sky, Lu Yun slightly raised her head to look at the bright moon on the horizon. The moonlight tonight is very beautiful, with its silvery white glow spreading across the fields, like a layer of hazy white frost. Lu Yun smiled lightly and said: "The moonlight in front of my bed, I suspect it's just frost on the ground. It's really a fitting description. Tonight, doesn't this moonlight look just like frost on the ground?"

  He withdrew his gaze and Lu Yun slowly walked towards the woods. Before long, Lu Yun arrived at the woods, and when he first saw it, there was a white figure. Under the moonlight, a faint white shadow stood in the woods, quietly with its back to Lu Yun. The lightly fluttering white skirt, the slightly floating long hair, everything was so captivating to the eyes.

  Lu Yun gazed at the figure's back, a hint of an unusual expression in his eyes. He glanced up at the sky, and suddenly Lu Yun appeared behind the white-clad figure. Silently, he stood there, not speaking, simply staring quietly at the lovely figure. The evening breeze blew by, carrying a faint, delicate fragrance into Lu Yun's nostrils, causing him to become entranced.

  She slowly turned around, her white figure turning to look at Lu Yun. The two pairs of eyes met in mid-air, and a thread of wonder was rising in both their hearts. There was no sound, no words, the two just kept looking at each other like that. At this moment, time seemed to have stopped, the gentle breeze seemed to have disappeared, and everything around them became blurry. In the space between heaven and earth, at this moment, there were only the figures in each other's eyes, the only thing in both their hearts.

  Her eyes were as clear as water, and her gaze was as elegant as a fairy's. The two hearts were drawn to each other at this moment. With a gentle smile, Lu Yun spoke first: "Ao Xue, you came here alone to think?" In the clear eyes, there was a tempting sparkle and infinite charm.

  Zhang Aoxue quietly withdrew her gaze, looking at the bright moon in the sky, and said softly: "Tonight's moon is very bright and clear. So many years have passed, I've never had time to take a good look at it. Tonight, let's just give myself a memory, and quietly imprint it in my heart." The beautiful face of Zhang Aoxue, under the moonlight, was covered with a layer of silver light, making her look even more lovely. Zhang Aoxue's elegant and calm demeanor, at this moment, deeply imprinted itself on Lu Yun's heart.

  Looking up at the bright moon in the sky, Lu Yun said calmly: "The bright moon is like a mirror, the bright moon is like water, the human heart is like jade, and all seven orifices are complete. Every time I think about things, I always look to the horizon, because I want to tell heaven that this life will not be defeated by it. This life, what I think about is roaming the world freely, doing as I please, breaking free from the constraints of heaven and earth, being a person who is not controlled by fate. So, I chose to cultivate my truth. And you, Ao Xue?

  Zhang Aoxue heard this and looked at Lu Yun, with a strange light flashing in his eyes. Looking at that jade-like handsome face, that calm yet confident smile, Zhang Aoxue said softly: "Your ideals are too far-fetched, it's not something I can imagine. In this life, I just hope to live a simple life and that's enough. Unfortunately, many things don't go as planned. Childhood memories, at this moment, have already become blurry. How much of the past can be remembered clearly? The moonlight in childhood dreams, how many prosperous spring dreams. I wanted to raise my sword to chase the bright moon, but unfortunately, it was just a hazy moon back then!

  Lu Yun looked into Ao Xue's eyes, a faint tenderness revealed in his gaze at this moment. Lu Yun said softly: "If the heart is unscarred, where do tears come from? Let the past go, we still have the future. The martial arts competition of the six institutes will start tomorrow, what are your wishes or goals for this time?"

  Zhang Aoxue looked at that gentle gaze, and her heart slightly trembled. At this moment, her heart seemed to want to escape. Avoiding that enchanting gaze, Zhang Aoxue lightly sighed in her heart. Raising her head, looking at the bright moon, Zhang Aoxue said: "This time's competition is related to our Yi Garden's honor, so we must go all out. As for the result, it's not something we can control. This afternoon, I heard Master mention Feng Huang Academy's Cang Yue. Master said Cang Yue's cultivation is stronger than mine by a level, almost reaching the lower layer of indestructibility. That's an extremely rare thing. If I encounter her in this competition, I'm afraid it will be very difficult for me to pass that round. From Master's words after returning, I vaguely sensed something was off. Originally, before we came, the headmaster and Master were full of hope, but this afternoon, Master seemed troubled, looking like this competition might be even worse than what we imagined."

  Lu Yun said in a soft voice, "I also saw this from Master's face. From his somewhat hesitant expression when facing me, I knew that this time the Six Institutes' martial arts competition would have extremely outstanding talents from the other five institutes. In that case, it won't be easy for our Yi Garden to achieve good results in this competition. However, no matter what, we must all strive to do our best, right?"

  Zhang Aoxue sighed softly: "Yes, let's work hard and hope to achieve some results." The soft voice slowly drifted away in the forest. Under the moonlight, a ray of light flashed across the sky, adding a few more beautiful colors to this beautiful night scene.

  Lu Yun and Zhang Ao Xue both gazed at the shooting star, quietly immersing their minds in this peaceful forest. Turning back, looking at that beautiful face, Lu Yun smiled lightly: "With such a night sky and moon, let's take a walk hand in hand under the moonlight. Tonight, the moon is particularly bright, we should let go of everything in our hearts and truly appreciate this rare beauty. Ao Xue, are you willing to take a walk with me? Just around here?"

  Zhang Aoxue looked at him, her calm and serene eyes sparkling with a hint of elegance. Without responding, she gently moved her body and slowly walked into the forest. Lu Yun watched as her beautiful figure disappeared from view, smiled faintly, and floated alongside her. Under the moonlight, the two figures strolled quietly through the forest, slowly disappearing into its depths.

  They walked quietly together, nothing was said between the two of them, they just kept walking quietly. The moonlight, passing through the sparse branches, cast a shadow on the two people, leaving a pair of long and narrow shadows on the ground. Closely, the two shadows leaned against each other, as if hinting at something, but unfortunately it couldn't speak.

  Two people walked for a while, and the distant sound of rushing water gradually came from afar. Under the night sky, it was extremely clear. Lu Yun looked into the distance and said softly: "I heard that Taixuan Mountain is close to the Yellow River, and it seems to be true. Listening to this rushing sound, the water of the Yellow River is quite urgent. Growing up so big, I have never seen the majestic momentum of the Yellow River before. Tonight, if you have time, would you like to accompany me to take a look?" The calm voice carried a few parts of warmth and elegance.

  Zhang Aoxue looked at him, nodded slightly and said softly: "I haven't seen it either, let's go experience it tonight. It is said that the Yellow River has nurtured thousands of years of Chinese civilization, so let's appreciate it tonight."

  Lu Yun smiled slightly and said, "Exactly, let's go. Judging from the sound, it should be a few miles away, so we'd better use our lightness skills." As soon as he finished speaking, his pale blue figure flashed by, like a wisp of green smoke, darting between the mountains and forests. Zhang Aoxue watched Lu Yun's figure, a hint of surprise flashing across her eyes, and suddenly felt a very strange feeling in her heart. At this moment, Zhang Aoxue suddenly realized that Lu Yun seemed to be hiding something unknown to others, but what exactly was it? She couldn't quite put her finger on it. Taking a light glance at the bright moon in the sky, Zhang Aoxue's body suddenly floated up, just like a fairy in the forest, and quickly chased after Lu Yun.

  On a cliff, two figures fell lightly. Below the cliff, the rolling river water flowed continuously, and the splashing water droplets around it reflected a silver glow even in the moonlight. Looking at this majestic scene, Lu Yun suddenly felt small. At this moment, he felt that he was insignificant in front of nature, like a grain of dust among countless others, unnoticeable. At the same time, another feeling arose in his heart. Looking at the magnificent Yellow River, Lu Yun suddenly felt a surge of energy bursting from within. At this moment, he felt like shouting loudly, and his ambition reached its peak. Facing the Yellow River, it inspired him to have an ambitious spirit that could dominate the world.

  Zhang Aoxue quietly gazed at the Yellow River, looking very calm. Perhaps it was because of her different personality, or perhaps she didn't show it. In any case, at this moment, she seemed very mysterious and hard to see through. Under the moonlight, the two stood quietly on the stone cliff, like a pair of spirits in the wind, three feet apart from each other.

  In the midst of the roaring sound, the two suddenly felt a strange voice faintly coming from afar. They looked at each other, and Lu Yun said loudly: "Ao Xue, did you hear that strange sound? I think it's coming from under this cliff, do you want to go take a look?" Lu Yun asked with a slightly furrowed brow as he looked at Ao Xue.

  Zhang Aoxue glanced at the sky and said softly, "It's approaching midnight, it's still early, let's go take a look. Be careful and pay attention to safety." As he gazed out at the ceaselessly flowing Yellow River, Aoxue spoke calmly. At this moment, Aoxue didn't look at him, perhaps hiding something.

  Lu Yun glanced at her, saying nothing, and his body suddenly shot out, slowly falling downwards. On top of his head, the Intention Heart Soul Sword was gently spinning, a faint red glow that from afar looked like a red cloud. Ao Xue watched his figure, her elegant face serene. Ao Xue's hands slightly spread apart, and her body instantly flew up. That beautiful posture under the moonlight seemed like a heavenly maiden descending to the mortal world, drifting down together with Lu Yun's figure, their bodies slowly falling downwards together.

  After falling seventeen or eighteen zhang, the two suddenly stopped their bodies and carefully observed their surroundings, searching for where the strange sound came from. At this time, the two were less than two zhang away from the water's surface, and the splashing water droplets, carrying a chill of dampness, suddenly attacked the two. Lu Yun spoke up: "It's quite cold here, with a heavy aura of mystery, Pei Xue, if you can absorb more of it, it will be beneficial to your cultivation. As for that strange sound, although it has become much clearer now, it is actually harder to investigate where it came from." While speaking, he carefully examined the surroundings.

  Zhang Aoxue looked around and said in a low voice, "The Xuan Yin energy here is indeed very strong, but for me now, it's no longer of much help. That strange sound is strange, it doesn't seem to be fixed, it seems like a rotating whirlwind."

  Lu Yun heard the words, carefully listening with his ears, and his true energy suddenly rotated rapidly and spread out in all directions, carefully paying attention to the movement of the sound. At the same time, Lu Yun also released six different frequency mind waves, carefully examining everything around him.

  Very soon, there was a feedback of information from the intention wave. At this moment, a clear image appeared in Lu Yun's mind. It was seen that under a rock cliff, there was an array of strangely arranged stone caves. Those stone caves were not large, all within a few feet range, and were located just below the water surface at a distance of several feet. Every time the river water surged and fluctuated greatly, river water flowed in from the cave entrance, producing strange sounds. That row of stone caves had seven in total, strangely, they were distributed according to the pattern of the Big Dipper.

  Lu Yun's gaze shifted there, and he thought about the strange sound in his heart. It was said that this stone cave was underwater, so it should not have made a sound. Even if there was a sound, it would not be possible for it to come out so clearly in the midst of the rushing water. Lu Yun looked at Zhang Aoxue and said: "I've already found the source of that sound, it's just below the stone wall, about four feet underwater. There are seven strange stone caves there, arranged in a seven-star shape, very mysterious. The sound is produced when the river water flows in, I don't know how."

  Zhang Aoxue looked at Lu Yun in surprise, wondering how he had found out about this matter. She couldn't figure out how Lu Yun had discovered it, as she hadn't detected even a hint of movement. Aoxue said softly, "Since we've found it, let's take a look. We've come all the way here, so let's examine it carefully and see if there's any mystery inside." As soon as she finished speaking, her entire body burst out with a dazzling azure light, slowly descending onto the water's surface. With a slight ripple, the turbulent Yellow River waters suddenly parted, revealing a clear path as the river water retreated six feet away from her.

  Lu Yun also deployed his protective true energy, and together with her, they slowly approached the stone cliff. Just as the two of them were approaching, that strange sound came again. At the same moment, several strong gusts of wind suddenly shot out, instantly piercing through the two people's protective true energy. This made Lu Yun and Ao Xue both shocked, and the two of them simultaneously retreated one zhang, looking at it in surprise. Lu Yun's divine wave once again activated, with a high frequency of 9,600 times per second, continuously exploring the movements there. And rapidly analyzed out the reason for all this.

  Zhang Aoxue's eyes revealed a hint of strangeness, and his body was enveloped in a vast, dark blue glow. A purple light flickered within it. As he approached again, accompanied by the strange sound, several gusts of wind shot towards Zhang Aoxue's protective aura shield. This time, however, Aoxue was prepared and wasn't pierced by the strange gusts of wind.

  Luyu fell beside Aoxue, carefully feeling the details of the strong wind's force, direction, quantity and intermittent time. It was strange that Luyu found these strong winds had a certain regularity, their direction almost enveloping himself and Aoxue's entire body inside. The force was also very powerful, with an extremely large number, and the intermittent time was extremely short. In his heart, Luyu vaguely felt that these strange sounds, accompanied by these strange gusts of wind, seemed to hide some secret that was difficult to understand.

  Zhang Aoxue's entire body shone with a profound blue light, and her body suddenly flashed rapidly within a range of several feet. At the same time, her hands used fingers as swords, unleashing countless sword energies that quickly met the fierce winds. As time passed, Aoxue's body burst forth with radiant light, and her eyes revealed a serious expression. At this point, her hands were already moving so fast they were almost invisible. From the increasingly intense light around her, it could be seen that she had already unleashed power above eight layers, and was still continuously increasing her strength.

  Lu Yun watched Ao Xue from the side, with a hint of confusion in his eyes. He didn't understand why Ao Xue suddenly thought of taking action. As he looked at Ao Xue's increasingly serious expression, Lu Yun's mind waves were rapidly analyzing the subtleties between Ao Xue and the wind energy at a speed of 19,600 times per second. Suddenly, a strange light shot out from Lu Yun's eyes, and in that instant, he suddenly understood - Ao Xue was acting this way because she had discovered the secret of these wind energies. Lu Yun couldn't help but admire Ao Xue's cleverness.

  Looking at the rapidly moving Proud Snow, Lu Yun spoke up: "Proud Snow, among these seven stone caves, each one's power, direction, quantity and time are all different. Analyzing them in this way is very time-consuming. I think the best method is to start from the first stone cave and pay attention to it until its situation is clear, then move on to the second one. After understanding the situations of all seven stone caves, we can combine them together and completely grasp the secrets within."

  Zhang Aoxue's body paused, and he tilted his head to look at Lu Yun, saying in a low voice: "I understand the method you mentioned, but I've discovered that these strong gusts of wind are like sword energy, very overbearing. If you listen carefully to that strange sound and combine it with the trajectory of these gusts of wind, you'll find that this seems to be an extraordinary sword technique. Time is running out now, and once midnight passes, the sound will likely disappear. By then, we can only wait and see if it appears again tomorrow night. Let's take advantage of this opportunity to observe carefully, and who knows, maybe we can learn something unexpected." After finishing speaking, Aoxue's paused body flashed into motion once again.

  Lu Yun's expression changed slightly upon hearing the words. What Ao Xue said, he had not noticed before, but now that he thought about it carefully, there was indeed a possibility. As soon as his mind moved, a clear diagram appeared in his mind. Lu Yun's body quickly spun and flashed, while learning from Ao Xue's style, using his finger sword to resist the strong gusts of wind, and at the same time quickly analyzing the running routes of these gusts of wind. Soon, with the help of his mental divine wave, Lu Yun slowly grasped the subtleties of this gust of wind.

  Lu Yun let out a soft whistle, and his body suddenly transformed into a flowing light shadow that moved at high speed within a range of several feet. Due to his extremely fast speed, it seemed as if his entire shadow was blurry. At this time, Ao Xue also discovered Lu Yun's strange behavior, and she felt extremely surprised by his actions. Just as Ao Xue was feeling surprised, she suddenly heard Lu Yun's voice beside her ear.

  "Snow, don't stop, pay attention to my shadow. You slowly follow the movement of my body, and you'll naturally understand the secret soon. I will slow down the speed, you carefully look clearly, come on." After finishing speaking, Lu Yun's high-speed moving body gradually became clear, and his moving trajectory also clearly appeared in front of Ao Xue.

  Ao Xue didn't have time to ask many questions, her body following Lu Yun's moving trajectory, quickly getting into motion. Slowly, a hint of shock appeared in Ao Xue's eyes as she realized that Lu Yun's movement trajectory was actually perfectly synchronized with the strange sound and the strange gusts of wind. Watching the increasingly fast-moving figure, Ao Xue suddenly understood that Lu Yun was not as simple as he seemed on the surface. The fact that he could cultivate the Easy Garden's spiritual techniques to such a degree in just two years probably also hid many secrets that were unknown to others.

  Under the moonlight, on the rolling waves of the Yellow River, two clusters of different colored lights and shadows were moving rapidly. From a distance, one red and one purple cluster of light and shadow were following a strange trajectory, rotating at high speed within a radius of about one zhang (a unit of length). As the speed of the two clusters of light increased, the red and purple lights suddenly burst forth, illuminating the entire surrounding murky river water into a reddish-purple hue. At the same time, behind the two clusters of light, two columns of water were slowly forming into two giant dragons, winding their way up to the sky.

  The moon shadow moved east, and the hour passed in the blink of an eye. At this time, that strange sound gradually faded away, and finally disappeared without a trace. Lu Yun and Zhang Aoxue, who had been moving at high speed, simultaneously let out a soft whistle, like a crane's cry or a dragon's hum, clearly echoing across the fields. Behind them, the two giant dragons rose into the sky, carrying an enormous momentum, rising to mid-air, swallowing clouds and spitting rain. Lu Yun and Zhang Aoxue's bodies flashed and appeared in mid-air, two clusters of different colored light, extremely dazzling in the night color.

  Half the sky, a loud noise, two giant dragons instantly turned into a torrential rainstorm, accompanied by strong winds appearing on the top of Tai Xuan Mountain. A sudden heavy rain, instantly awakened countless disciples of various sects who were sleeping. Countless people looked at the bright moon in the sky with wonder, unable to understand why it suddenly rained.

  In mid-air, Lu Yun and Zhang Aoxue exchanged a smile, and the two of them landed on the stone cliff by the Yellow River at the same time. Looking at the heavy rain in the sky, Lu Yun smiled and said: "The weather here is too hot, we'll help the earth cool down a bit, it's also a good deed."

  Zhang Aoxue gazed at the majestic Yellow River and said softly, "That set of sword moves we just learned is incredibly domineering and mysterious. Do you think it's time to give it a name?"

  Lu Yun looked at her, and in the night rain, she was surrounded by a faint purple glow that reflected off the falling raindrops, making her look both beautiful and mysterious, like a ghost in the darkness. Looking up at the sky, Lu Yun thought for a moment before speaking: "Tonight's events will be a shared memory between us. This set of sword techniques is something we share, belonging only to you and me. It originated from the Yellow River, obtained unintentionally. Most importantly, this technique was acquired under the moonlight, so I think it should be given a name - 'Night Moon Slash Method'. What do you think?"

  Zhang Aoxue softly recited the Night Moon Slash twice, a faint smile appearing on his face. Looking up at the bright moon in the sky, Aoxue said softly: "Night Moon Slash, Night Moon Slash, on Taixuan Mountain, by the banks of the Yellow River. Obtained unintentionally, memories linger in my heart." He glanced calmly at Lu Yun, then his moving figure rose and slowly flew towards the Heavenly Fire Cave.

  Lu Yun's eyes shone brightly as he soared into the sky, a gentle smile floating between heaven and earth. In mid-air, Lu Yun sang loudly: "Taixuan Mountain, in the world, how many years does it take to become an immortal? A young heart, greedy for worldly ties, wildly wielding a sword for the sake of beauty!" Along with the sound of wind and rain, that proud and unrestrained voice gradually faded away.

  In the mountains, a red and purple light flashed by, disappearing into the dark night. A gentle breeze blew, carrying a faint whisper that spread with the moonlight, unfortunately, no one heard it clearly.