Volume 4, Chapter 176 – Guidance (2-in-1)

“Warm up.”

“Stretch.”

“Come at me with everything you’ve got.”

The next day, in the practice ground attached to Wangyun Tavern, Bai Zhuqing sat in a row with Hu Hu and Chen Jing, a little white fox in her arms, watching an “instructional spar” taking place in the center of the grounds.

Go had teaching games, and combat had instructional spars. Usually, this only happened when one side was so much stronger that they could control both technique and output to stay just a little above the other party’s level, allowing that person to squeeze out their full potential and grow.

Bai Xiang was the Shenming Dao Lord, so this was far from her first time doing an instructional spar. Given her status, there was nothing strange about it. The problem was that the person sparring with her now was not a Shenming disciple, but an “elder among elders” who had joined them midway through.

In private, Bai Zhuqing called Zhu Qingluo an old woman, an old senior. Then the old beggar, who looked far older than Zhu Qingluo, naturally qualified as an “elder among elders.”

“Ying, ying…”

The little white fox had woken up. Twisting its body, it let out soft little cries and began licking her hand with its damp, tender tongue.

Bai Zhuqing immediately took a small, pre-cut piece of ginseng root from her sleeve and held it to its mouth. Lowering her head, she watched it chomp away at the ginseng with little smacking sounds, and only then did an indulgent smile appear on her face.

“Foxie is really close to Senior Sister,” Chen Jing said from beside her, green with envy.

If you had that much ginseng root to spoil it with, it would probably get close to you too.

Seeing that, Hu Hu curled her lip. She tried hard not to look over there, but still could not resist pricking up her ears to listen to the little white fox’s tiny ying-ying cries.

Damn it, it’s adorable…

I want to hold it too…

But why does it have to be called Foxie? Can’t it have a pet name with a little more distinction?

Bai Zhuqing stroked the little white fox’s silky fur while her thoughts wandered.

The news of Bai Xiang being attacked had not made so much as a ripple outside, at least not in public opinion.

Still, judging from how many calls Bai Xiang had taken last night, there had definitely been probing going on. It just had not reached the point where people were saying anything openly yet. Things were still in the undercurrent stage.

So what can I do for Sister…

Bai Zhuqing felt a little miserable inside.

Last night had been very sweet, but the fear she had felt on the way back to the hotel in the evening still clung to her like a disease lodged in the bone.

Bai Maoxu was sitting not far away. Thanks to her sharp hearing, Bai Zhuqing could clearly make out the commentary playing from his phone.

“…So in Mr. Liu’s view, aside from Shenming Sword Dao being a surprise, did Qingping Sword Dao’s performance also exceed people’s expectations by a wide margin?”

“I wouldn’t say that, because Qingping Sword Dao was highly regarded to begin with. Their rivalry with Suzhen Sword Dao has always been one of the main themes of competition in our Nine Prefectures. People should already know how strong they are, so this result shouldn’t really surprise anyone.”

“Shenming Sword Dao will be facing Qingping Sword Dao head-on next weekend. In Mr. Liu’s opinion, which side has the advantage?”

“Definitely Qingping Sword Dao.”

“You’re that certain?”

“The structure of these two Dao lineages is actually very similar. Shenming Sword Dao may have entered fuller rosters in every group, but in reality both teams are the kind that rely on only two people.”

“You mean Dao Lord Bai and Bai Zhuqing for Shenming, and Dao Lord Chu and Qin Yuchen for Qingping?”

“Exactly.”

“So the main thing is the result of the clashes between those two pairs.”

“And as things stand right now, Bai Zhuqing is still a little lacking. If she really runs into Qin Yuchen this early, I think she’ll be at a disadvantage.”

Qin Yuchen…

Murmuring the name, Bai Zhuqing thought again of the battle between Bai Xiang and Qin Wuyang, and the Senior Sister Qin who had stood behind that old man.

She had watched plenty of match recordings that morning as well. Based on that material alone, the other woman’s level had improved a great deal.

Not in the least inferior to her own improvement… the pressure on her was enormous.

“Master’s skill has deepened again.”

Elsewhere, Liu Yong stood with Ma Yue and the other male inner disciples. Watching onstage as Bai Xiang steadily intercepted every shifting step, every punch, every sword-palm the old beggar threw at her, he could not help sighing in admiration. “Senior Qi has no chance at all of threatening her.”

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Time was tight, and more than one Dao lineage had moved into Wangyun Tavern, so the allocation of practice grounds was extremely tight as well. That was why whenever an opportunity like this arose, these disciples all came over to watch.

Partly it broadened their horizons. But on top of that, after Bai Xiang exchanged moves with the senior members of the Dao, she would spare some time to guide them too. That was a very rare chance.

“That’s enough.”

Once again, Bai Xiang used the heel of her palm to smack away an incoming sword-palm, then drew her feet together and put away her stance. “You’ve basically mastered the entire Void-Imagination Divine Sword.”

“That was satisfying!” The old beggar wore a delighted expression as well. He only felt that after this round, every bone in his body was crackling and popping. He had no idea how long it had been since he last felt this kind of unrestrained exhilaration.

“I’ve already returned your true spirit to you.” Bai Xiang leaned in close and lowered her voice. “So, do you still feel like your body smells?”

“Mm…” The old beggar frowned slightly and lowered his voice in return. “Not clearly, no. But there’s still a faint trace of it.”

Which meant the stench he smelled was more likely the stench of the Five Decays.

Bai Xiang pushed her guess a little further.

The Path of Qi can grant longevity.

That statement was not yet true.

There were many reasons for that. On the one hand, it had to do with the fact that she, its creator, had not yet developed the method to its end. On the other hand, it had even more to do with the fact that those cultivating the Path of Qi were different individuals.

Even if the method were pushed all the way to the end and perfected, some people might achieve longevity by cultivating the Path of Qi, while others might not.

People could not all be lumped together.

For that reason, even if the old beggar cultivated the Path of Qi, and even if a whole group around Bai Xiang cultivated it as well, they still could not be certain that it would wash away the stench of the Five Decays.

That was probably why the old beggar could still smell it.

Then my original guess really wasn’t wrong. I’m probably the only one who doesn’t smell rotten to him.

Bai Xiang pressed her lips together slightly.

That conclusion, that she was the “only one,” reminded her again of the theory of demon-differentiation that Master Xiang Xian had once told her.

It isn’t that you’re a demon because you look like one.

It’s that you’re the demon because you’re the only one who’s different.

Not necessarily.

The line of Bai Xiang’s lips tilted up a little at the corners. She waved the old beggar off the stage, then looked toward Zhu Qingluo below it, asking with her eyes whether Zhu Qingluo wanted to come up and exchange a few moves with her too.

Zhu Qingluo replied with an expression that said, Why would I ask for humiliation, then folded her arms and headed back toward the corridor.

So which is it, you don’t want to say, or you simply don’t know…

Bai Xiang watched her back for a while, then said nothing and went to the corner of the platform for a drink of water.

Next came Xiang Xian, Li Sheng, Wang Ran, and the others. They came up one after another to spar with Bai Xiang, receiving her “instructional spar” and deepening their understanding of qi-force.

There was nothing to be embarrassed about.

Although they were all older than Bai Xiang, and under normal circumstances would have been ashamed to be put through an instructional spar by a junior, times were different now. With powerful enemies pressing in, they had no time to care about such niceties. All they could think about was how to probe the mysteries of the New Law and gain more improvement for themselves.

After that group came down, it was Liu Yong’s turn, then the inner disciples.

Only after most of the disciples had left with something gained from the session, and even Bai Maoxu had put away his phone and stood up to stretch, did Bai Xiang turn to look at her younger sister, who was sitting there dazed with the little white fox in her arms.

“Qing’er,” she called, jolting the girl out of it. “Come up and spar.”

Hm?

Bai Zhuqing froze. Only then did she realize the crowd was gone. In the vast practice ground, only she and Bai Xiang remained.

“I left you for last so I could focus on guiding your technique.” Bai Xiang looked at her from the platform with narrowed eyes. “Did you think I was joking with you?”

The moment her attitude sharpened, the residual authority she had built up over the years immediately took effect. Bai Zhuqing shivered at once, set the little white fox down on a seat, and hurried off toward the changing room.

The long dress she was wearing was too cumbersome, not suitable for combat. She needed to change into the plain white training clothes once used in the Dao so she could move properly.

“No need.”

Bai Xiang stopped her.

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“There are no cameras here.”

“And no outsiders.”

“To save time, just take off your outer layer.”

This isn’t some weird hobby of yours, right?

Those words were far too easy to misunderstand. Bai Zhuqing stiffened and slowly turned back, trying to confirm whether her sister was serious.

Bai Xiang immediately answered her.

With a single beckoning motion, the corridor doors on both sides of the practice hall slammed shut, and the locks clicked into place automatically from the inside, ensuring that no outsider could possibly enter.

So she really meant it…

Fine. It’s not like she hasn’t seen everything before. What do I have to be afraid of?

Besides, who says I’m the one at a disadvantage here?

With a trace of stubborn pique, the girl yanked off her sash and lightly slipped out of her gauzy dress.

There was still a close-fitting short top underneath, but it only covered the contour of her torso. Other than that, large swaths of jade-white skin were exposed across her arms and thighs.

She had thought this already counted as a huge sacrifice, but when she looked up, Bai Zhuqing nearly bugged her eyes out.

Wh-what… why did Sister take off her clothes too?

And even more thoroughly than I did?

She’s down to nothing but black underwear?

Th-th-th-this…?

Huhhhh???

“Get up here.”

Bai Xiang had already been wearing training clothes to begin with, so after removing them, she naturally had only her underwear left. Then she ordered the girl onto the platform and had her take up a stance opposite her.

Bai Zhuqing’s mind was a little numb.

A moment ago, she had honestly wondered whether her sister intended to dual-cultivate with her in a place like this, but now it was obvious. She really was going to fight her.

I thought after those nighttime dual-cultivation sessions, we wouldn’t need this kind of teaching…

The girl was badly distracted. One moment she was thinking about her own thoughts, the next she was distracted by the sight of her sister. The stance she put up was limp and sloppy, worse than some of the inner disciples from earlier.

“Focus!”

The rebuke came, followed by a sharp rush of wind.

Hm?

She snapped back to herself and instinctively dodged Bai Xiang’s sword-palm, only to see a section of calf rapidly filling her vision in the next instant as it cracked straight into her face.

“Ow!”

She only had time to let out a reflexive cry before her body spun through the air and slammed heavily onto the springy hard floor.

What…

Sister’s serious?

She reached up and touched her nose. Her hand came away bloody.

Bai Zhuqing was completely stunned. It was not just that she had not expected her sister to do this. She had not expected her to hit this hard!

“Ying…”

Even the little white fox had been frightened. It curled up on the seat and started trembling.

“Get up.”

Bai Xiang’s voice came from behind her.

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“Or is this already more than you can take?”

How could she look down on me like that…!

Grinding her teeth, the girl pushed herself back up.

What followed was her miserable experience of “domestic violence.”

It was not that Bai Xiang had shown no mercy. She really had kept her output close to her younger sister’s level. But even so, Bai Zhuqing was nowhere near able to bear it. After only a short while, more than a dozen bruises had already appeared on her face and body.

“Auntie… huff… I don’t think… training like this… is doing anything…”

Bai Zhuqing tried to reason with her sister.

Because that was honestly what she thought.

Even if her sister had suppressed her force, her cultivation was still there. Her five senses, her sensory methods, her ability to capture movement, and her terrifyingly rich combat experience, none of those were things Bai Zhuqing could compare to.

In truth, she could roughly guess why Bai Xiang had kept her behind for special tutoring.

It was nothing more than her noticing that she was troubled over how to face “Senior Sister Qin,” how to win that upcoming match, and wanting to use this attempt to encourage her.

But I really can’t do it…

The girl let out a faint sigh in her heart.

It was not that she lacked the courage to face Senior Sister Qin. It was that she lacked the courage to face her own sister like this.

Anyone who had never truly stood in this position and fought Bai Xiang would never understand just how agonizing it felt.

Every adjustment you made, every prediction you came up with, was meaningless. Because Sister always saw through it, and she always came up with the most perfect answer to every exchange.

If this went on, all it would do was beat her confidence lower and lower. How could that possibly motivate her?

“You’re thinking about it wrong.”

Bai Xiang could see what the girl was struggling with, and that was precisely why she had taken off most of her clothes in the first place.

“From here on, I won’t actually hit you. Use the Jade Spirit and watch me closely. Watch my exposed skin… and how the force transmits beneath it.”

She switched modes and trained with Bai Zhuqing for a while longer.

Then she fixed her gaze on the girl. “Tell me what you saw.”

“I…” Bai Zhuqing frowned and said uncertainly, “Your force transmission… it wasn’t all calculated from the start?”

Yes, this had completely exceeded her expectations.

In her mind, Bai Xiang far surpassed her in both willpower and soul strength, so the power output of Jade Spirit Mingxin should naturally be much higher as well. If it came down to processing power, she had absolutely no advantage.

That was why, she had thought, her moves were always seen through, always broken, always answered by being sent flying.

But after observing just now, she was no longer sure.

Because the force transmission beneath Bai Xiang’s skin had told her that her sister was not calculating her moves all the way from the beginning. The force often stopped halfway, changed midway, and suddenly rerouted somewhere else.

She was shocked, because the time involved was so short. Could the Jade Spirit really keep up?

“It’s not the Jade Spirit.” Bai Xiang shook her head. “All the changes I make in combat aren’t because the Jade Spirit is calculating for me.”

“It’s instinct.”

Without waiting for the girl to think it through, she gave the answer directly. “Instinct is the fastest response.”

“No matter how good you are at calculation, there will always be someone in this world better at it than you.”

“No matter how much experience you have, there will always be someone with more.”

“In close combat, what matters is speed, the efficiency of your reactions. When the gap in strength and methods isn’t too wide, that efficiency is enough to decide the outcome.”

“So tell me, what kind of experience and calculation could possibly be faster than the response your instinct gives you?”

“The Jade Spirit isn’t a cultivation method. It’s just a tool to help you meditate in ordinary times.”

“You should use the Jade Spirit to simulate moves and simulate training during meditation. But in combat, you shouldn’t be relying on it as well, depending entirely on it to analyze your moves.”

So that’s how it is!?

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Listening to Bai Xiang’s explanation, Bai Zhuqing finally gained some understanding.

Thinking about it carefully, it really was true… before this, the reason she kept getting sent flying by Bai Xiang was because her transitions looked slow, totally unable to keep up with Bai Xiang’s rhythm.

But in reality, that should not have been the case. She had used the Jade Spirit to calculate it. The speed of their attacks and the force of the wind they generated were similar. Logically, the gap should not have looked this large at all.

And yet… Bai Xiang always seemed more than a full beat faster than her. Compared to Bai Xiang’s nimble changes, all of her own responses looked clumsy, almost like slow motion.

At the time, she had not understood and had assumed it was just a gap in experience.

But Sister was only this old herself. How much combat experience could she really have?

And in terms of experience, First Master and the others surely had more than she did. Then why were even they coming to ask her for guidance, and failing to gain the upper hand in these tightly controlled contests of force?

Bai Zhuqing felt that she finally understood.

So that’s it, instinct!

Instinct is the fastest!

As long as I unleash my instinct, that’s enough!

“Again!”

Her enthusiasm rose as well. Setting her stance, she fixed her eyes on Bai Xiang and prepared for another round.

Bai Xiang grinned and suddenly threw a punch.

This time the girl reacted with extreme speed, lifting a hand to slap at her sister’s fist.

Just as she thought she was definitely about to connect, Bai Xiang abruptly changed moves, surging in with half her body and slamming the side of her shoulder into the girl’s chest.

“Ow!”

Bai Zhuqing went flying again and this time could not get back up at all.

“Ying, ying…”

The little white fox had already burrowed into the gauzy dress she had taken off, with only a little section of tail exposed, trembling faintly outside.

“Today I was only telling you the principle.”

Bai Xiang picked up her clothes from the side and dressed while speaking to her younger sister.

“Instinct really is fast.”

“But because it’s so fast, it’s also easy to deceive.”

“If you want to remove that side effect, you need to train every possible variable into instinct, into your muscle memory.”

“That way, even if your opponent changes moves, you can respond with instinct again and adjust your own move to match.”

“If you want to master this style of fighting, then we’ll have to do extra training these next few days.”

We still have to do extra training…

The girl had only just managed to prop herself up, but the moment she heard that, she collapsed limp again.

Ignoring her younger sister’s cries of “I can’t do this anymore” and “just kill me already,” Bai Xiang tied her belt firmly, then suddenly turned her head and glanced toward the southern corridor.

“Hurry it up.”

After looking for a while, she walked over and hauled the girl to her feet.

“Bring your little Foxie.”

“Come with me to the kitchen and make something to eat.”

The two of them packed up their things and left through the north door.

Only a long time later did the southern door sway open inward, revealing the outline of Zhu Qingluo’s figure.

“Instinct…”

Her brows were tightly furrowed as she stared at the now-empty center of the practice ground, seemingly thinking about something.