Cultivation Retirement Plan (BL)

20. Heaven in a Wild Flower

When the rush of enlightenment faded, Mo Yixuan noticed more changes to his body. His qi and blood were circulating more smoothly while his mind had calmed into a clear pool with no ripples. He suddenly rose to his feet, wanting to take up a sword. But he'd yet to find his own weapon and could only look around for a replacement.

"A moment." Sensing his restlessness, Shi Feng stood up as well and took something from the inside of his robes: a brush. He channeled qi to its tip and began to draw in the air. Immediately, rich ink poured from the writing utensil and grew into the shape of a long sword. Small, pale golden buds sprouted along its handle and blade before blooming into beautiful flowers whose petals broke away in the wind.

When they were gone, a gleaming blade hovered in its place, its silvery-white surface no different from a real weapon.

"It won't last, but it should serve your purposes," Shi Feng said as he nudged the floating blade towards the other man with a gentle push at the air.

Still admiring Shi Feng's handiwork, it took Mo Yixuan a second to react before he grabbed the weapon. It was certainly lighter than a real sword, but the hum of metal through the air as he swung was as tangible as any edge. His hands tensed around the hilt before he leaped into the air with a graceful flip, the blade echoing his movements.

All of the members of Star Pavilion Sect were trained in the Celestial Sublime Sword Style developed by the late sect founder. It was inspired by the constellations and their rotations across the sky with variations for the seasons that ran through the 28 Lunar Mansions. Mo Yixuan naturally slipped into the first movement as he cut a deadly arc through the air, stirring up a storm of leaves and wind in his wake. With his advancement in the Qi Refining Pool, it was easy enough to stay in the air; this combined with Shi Feng's painted sword allowed him free reign of the skies like a dancing crane or falling meteor.

He had no time to react, purely following instincts again as his body ran through the familiar forms. Thankfully, his mind was clear enough to imprint their images in his memory as he weaved a tapestry of tactics in the sky. Perhaps this could truly be considered his first foray into the depths of sword cultivation.

Shi Feng rested his hands behind his back and took in the sight with a satisfied smile. Inevitably, another poem rose to his mind:

Heaven and earth itself moved up and down.
Shimmering, like shots of the archer Yi, nine suns were dropping,
Brave and swift, like the team of flying dragons belonging to the Emperors of Heaven.
The drums were coming in thunder claps as the audience held its furious force
Until the end—when the sword became a river and sea congealed in pure light.*

After weaving his way through the seven rooms of the first Lunar Mansion, Mo Yixuan withdrew his sword with a flourish and landed gently on the ground. He felt the weapon in his hand tingle and glanced down to see it dissipating into golden petals. As they scattered in the wind, they left a faint, sweet scent reminiscent of morning dew and musky jasmine.

"Thank you, Senior Shi," Mo Yixuan cupped his hands in gratitude. His pale face had finally gained some color from the exercise as he panted faintly, while his untied hair fluttered haphazardly around his face. Mo Yixuan had yet to master tying a proper updo with only ribbons in this era, but the sight of his free-flowing locks in the breeze gave a softer, almost boyish air to the usually serious and stern features.

"That was Celestial Sublime's Dance of the Azure Dragon, I presume?" Shi Feng asked cheerily.

Mo Yixuan thought back and nodded. As the first lunar mansion was presided over by the azure dragon, that sounded about right.