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She was truly thrilled.

The first time her junior brother defeated Duan Fenhai, others might attribute it to “luck” or “fluke”;

But defeating Lin Duanshan the second time was a genuine display of power.

Luck? Try having luck like that two times in a row.

Not only the onlookers from Shushan, but even An Zhisu began to question herself: she had probably underestimated her junior brother before.

My brother has the makings of a Chief Disciple on the Immortal Sword Ranking!

Um, wait a moment…

If I lose to my junior brother in the final sword competition, wouldn’t he truly become the first ranked?

As for whether she was first or second on the ranking, An Zhisu really didn’t care.

Instead, why not let her junior brother take the top spot, while she, content being second, protected him by his side?

If someone defeated her junior brother and took the first place, she would step in, beat them until they were helpless, take back the chief position, and then intentionally lose to her junior brother…

Thinking about it this way, it seemed like a rather nice idea, didn’t it?

With a gentle intoxication tinting her beautiful face a shy red, her lips slightly curled up in an enchanting, bewitching smile. The allure of a mature woman that it conveyed made Ling Yunpo freeze for a moment.

When he snapped out of it, he hastened to lower his head to drink, hiding his awkward expression.

The two of them had been drinking for a while, and as the sky turned dusky and the moon rose above the treetops, Ling Yunpo helped his somewhat tipsy senior sister slowly walk back to the Taoist temple.

For those pursuing the path of cultivation, getting drunk was a joke. Senior Sister was indulging in the wine over her excitement, and he thought it was only fair to let her enjoy herself.

After settling Senior Sister An in her room, Ling Yunpo went down the mountain to buy wine—their recent string of continuous victories in sword duels had led to an astonishing depletion of the Taoist temple’s Spiritual Wine, all consumed by his senior sister.

Arriving at River Valley Village, he entered a restaurant in the market. Ling Yunpo eyed the various wine signboards for a moment before someone called out to him:

“Junior Brother Ling.”

Turning his head, Ling Yunpo saw Guan Shanyue sitting at a table near a window in the main hall, smiling and beckoning to him.

What does this guy want with me… Oh, she had invited me over at the Emei Golden Summit saying we could “have a chat when free.”

Ling Yunpo approached the table and sat down opposite Guan Shanyue. She inquired languidly:

“Wine? Tea?”

“I’ll follow the host’s lead,” Ling Yunpo replied.

“Did you know?” Guan Shanyue poured him a drink, “The first time I met your Senior Sister An was at this table too.”

Serenely filling his cup and sliding it towards Ling Yunpo, she continued:

“You certainly have better manners than she does.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Ling Yunpo picked up the cup but didn’t drink, just twirling it in his hand.

“You’re wondering why I sought you out,” Guan Shanyue stated calmly, “Nothing much, just wanted to meet the recently hot topic, Ling Poyun.”

“It’s Ling Yunpo, not Ling Poyun,” he furrowed his brow and corrected her.

“But Ling Poyun sounds better,” Guan Shanyue waved a hand dismissively, “Let’s not talk about that.”

Ling Yunpo felt a bit uncomfortable. He realized this Senior Sister Guan was too dominating, always steering the conversation.

“So, do you plan to continue walking the path your master has set out for you?” Guan Shanyue raised her cup, drank it down in one gulp, her gaze fixed intently on him, “To forget love, or to inquire about sentiments?”

Ling Yunpo: ?

Seeing his confused frown, Guan Shanyue chuckled and set down her cup:

“Hasn’t An Zhisu told you about it?”

She raised three fingers:

“Within the Shushan Shangqing Faction, although various peaks have their own swordsmanship schools, none are sufficiently profound to form a legitimate lineage.”

“The only three paths that can truly be said to follow the doctrine are,”

“Indifference, Forgetting Love, and the Sentiment Inquiry Path.”

“I would like to hear the details,” Ling Yunpo sighed and said, “I really don’t understand. How can love elevate to the height of a doctrine?”

“Because it’s related to a problem that goes straight to the Daoist Heart,” Guan Shanyue said slowly, “As a Sword Immortal, why should you draw your sword?”

“Of course, it’s for eternal life,” Ling Yunpo answered without hesitation.

“Eternal life,” Guan Shanyue scoffed, “If one day the higher-ups of Shushan want to kill your Senior Sister, you should hide and preserve your own life, watching her get executed with your own eyes… Would you do that?”

Ling Yunpo was rendered speechless.

“Actually, that answer isn’t entirely wrong,” Guan Shanyue put away her mocking expression and calmly said, “For eternal life, for complete freedom, for the pursuit of the ultimate in swordsmanship, essentially, it’s all for oneself.”

“This is the doctrine of Indifference.”

“If you were to cultivate the doctrine of Indifference, then you must center yourself and not have the slightest attachment in the Mortal World. Otherwise, you will produce Heart Demons, at the very least halting your cultivation level, or at the worst shaking your Daoist Heart and leading to Deviation.”

“But you’re not that kind of person,” she said, staring intently at Ling Yunpo and speaking in a heavy tone.

“Senior Sister believes I am what kind of person?” Ling Yunpo countered.

“Forgetting Love, or perhaps the Sentiment Inquiry Path,” Guan Shanyue said frankly.

“The so-called Forgetting Love Path is actually a branch of the Indifference Path. They first acknowledge the existence of love, then immerse themselves within it, and finally detach from it to achieve transcendence.”

“The Indifference Path regards love as a dangerous flood and beast, daring not to easily come into contact with it. If one were to develop worldly emotions, they might even annihilate an entire lineage to eliminate loose ends… But the Forgetting Love Path is different. Pick it up, put it down, no longer cling to it—that’s what’s most important.”

“Your master, Qi Sha True Person, originally followed the doctrine of the Forgetting Love Path.”

“Originally?” Ling Yunpo’s interest was suddenly piqued.

“Yes, originally,” Guan Shanyue took a sip of her drink, “He once had a wife and daughter in the secular world, did you not know?”

“I have heard a bit about it,” Ling Yunpo was slightly taken aback and replied.

“The cultivation method of the Forgetting Love Path is to find a mortal spouse, to love and cherish each other,” Guan Shanyue said with a sigh, “A mortal’s life eventually comes to an end.”

“Once the spouse’s life ends, the Sword Immortal experiences the pain of separation and finally lets go and moves on—that’s when the Forgetting Love Path is considered to have started.”

“But there’s a key point here one must not have descendants,” her tone shifted, she chuckled and said, “Not only did Qi Sha True Person have a daughter with her, but he also taught her cultivation and brought her back to Shushan.”

“This isn’t the Forgetting Love Path at all, but the Sentiment Inquiry Path. Qi Sha True Person’s sword was drawn for his wife and daughter.”

“So, the master can’t let go?” Ling Yunpo asked wistfully.

“I am not entirely sure about the specifics,” Guan Shanyue shook her head, “So, what do you think is the reason that Various Peaks of Shushan are so against you all from Qingluo Peak?”

“Is it because Su Jian kills without blinking an eye? Or is it because An Zhisu kills without blinking an eye? Neither is entirely correct.”

“Behind this, actually lies a dispute over doctrines.”

Ling Yunpo remained silent for a long time.

“Why is the doctrine of the Sentiment Inquiry Path so unwelcome?” he showed a puzzled expression.

“Have you ever read the two lines of poetry beside the Sword Pool?” Guan Shanyue asked instead of answering.

“Suming, Suming, why do you not sing?” Ling Yunpo read quietly, “Truly muddled, truly muddled, how utterly obtuse.”

“The ancient doctrine of the Sentiment Inquiry Path was completely severed from that time on,” Guan Shanyue said with a slight smile, “That’s why I’m looking forward to seeing whether Qingluo Peak can pave this path anew, no matter if it’s Qi Sha True Person, An Zhisu, or you.”

She stood up, leaving the money for the wine on the table:

“After all, being a stone woman or marrying a mortal, is truly a bit dull.”

Guan Shanyue gracefully left the table, and all of the customers from the other tables stood up and followed suit, leaving behind her.

Ling Yunpo then understood that to create a safe environment for their conversation, this tavern had already been taken over by the disciples of Green Bamboo Peak.

Seeing the tavern owner and servers emerge from the back, trembling, Ling Yunpo sighed.

He had learned another new way to show off.

“Waiter, bring a pot of good wine,” he called out loudly, “I’ll take it with me.”