Chapter 175: Chapter 37: The Clever Younger Disciple Persuasively Advises the Stubborn Older Sister
 

“Here you go.”

“What is this?”

“An invitation. On the first day of the next month, at the Guan Clan’s estate in Heavenly Water County, the Sword Tomb will be opened, and you are invited to attend.”

“Sword Tomb…” Ling Yunpo looked at the invitation, feeling a sense of unexplained fatigue, “Is it some kind of secret realm again?”

“Pfft!” Guan Shanyue couldn’t help but laugh, while Sima Changyan stood beside her, speechless, and explained:

“What secret realm… The Sword Tomb is the residence of the Guan Family’s ancestor.”

“After our ancestor ascended and underwent the Feather Transformation, he stayed within our clan’s land, and has rarely come out of the Sword Tomb since.” Guan Shanyue finally stopped laughing and patiently added, “He only opens it occasionally.”

“Whenever our ancestor opens the door, our Guan Family will invite many new talents in the way of the sword from all over the world to visit our clan’s land and meet with the ancestor.”

“After all, the Guan Family ancestor is of the immortal rank and possesses boundless mastery in swordsmanship. Even a casual piece of advice from him can benefit you greatly,” Sima Changyan said with emotion, and looked enviously at Ling Yunpo, “Securing an invitation from the Longxi Guan Family is something many sword cultivators dream of.”

“I see, thank you Senior Sister Guan for your kindness.” Ling Yunpo respectfully accepted the invitation.

“Oh right, there’s another one here.” Guan Shanyue took out another invitation, “It’s for Senior Sister An, please trouble Brother Ling to pass it on.”

“You want me to pass it on?” Ling Yunpo asked, puzzled, thinking why don’t you give it to her directly?

“Senior Sister An and I, we’ve had some misunderstandings in the past,” Guan Shanyue saw his confusion and said with a smile, “If I go myself, she probably won’t even accept the invitation, so I can only bother Brother Ling to do so.”

“Even if it’s a huge misunderstanding, that is an invitation from the Guan Family after all…” Sima Changyan shook his head, clearly not believing Senior Sister An would refuse.

The two chatted warmly with Ling Yunpo for a while before they left on their swords.

Ling Yunpo went down the mountain to the market to buy meat and wine and then returned to Qingluo Peak, where he saw An Zhisu sitting somewhat bored on a swing, slowly swinging with the ropes in hand.

Since losing her Life-bound Sword Artifact, Senior Sister An even stopped her daily morning swordsmanship practice, causing Ling Yunpo much concern.

“Senior Sister, I bought some beef tendons today, as well as some top-notch osmanthus wine.” He raised the wine and dishes in his hand as an invitation, “How about having some?”

An Zhisu lifted her head and revealed a tender smile, nodding her head:

“Okay.”

The two sat down by the pavilion, and Ling Yunpo enthusiastically poured wine for his senior sister:

“Senior Sister, please drink this cup full.”

An Zhisu picked up the wine cup and drank it down in one go.

The wine entered her troubled heart, and a wave of drunkenness rose instantly, blurring her vision.

She quickly and quietly circulated her True Yuan to refine the alcohol in her stomach, and in an instant, she was back to normal as if nothing had happened.

Ling Yunpo poured himself another cup of wine and drank it with relish. The alcohol wasn’t strong, but the flavor was sweet and refreshing, very comforting.

He set up a small earthenware pot on a bronze stove on the stone table, adding many small pieces of firewood to light it.

Before long, the pot was making bubbling sounds. Ling Yunpo lifted the lid like revealing a treasure, and An Zhisu saw the glossy taro and the beef tendons that had been stewed till tender in the steaming hot broth.

Despite having practiced Fasting for a long time, seeing such a dish stirred her appetite. She reached in with her chopsticks to grab a piece and began chewing it carefully, her eyes lighting up with pleasure.

They feasted to their hearts’ content, and after a satisfying meal, seeing his senior sister contentedly squinting her eyes, Ling Yunpo took out Guan Shanyue’s invitation.

Upon seeing the invitation, An Zhisu’s face immediately fell, and she frowned, saying:

“I don’t want to go to her place.”

“They say that the old ancestor of the Guan Family is of the rank of immortals,” Ling Yunpo patiently persuaded, “A few casual pointers from her could be of great benefit to our swordsmanship growth.”

“Even if it’s beneficial, I’m not going,” An Zhisu turned her back, saying displeasedly, “After all, that’s her family’s territory. Who knows what kind of traps they’ve set up there?”

“Why would Senior Sister say such a thing?” Ling Yunpo feigned surprise, “Has that Guan Shanyue ever offended you in the past?”

“Offended? No direct offense, but we just dislike each other,” An Zhisu sighed, “She loves to beat around the bush and talk in a strange and erratic way when she speaks, thinking herself humorous when she’s actually caustic. How do you think I got the title ‘Weed-Cutting Sword Immortal’? It started circulating from Green Bamboo Peak, causing me no end of trouble, and she actually takes pleasure in it.”

Ling Yunpo had nothing to say, thinking to himself that even his nickname of “Po Yun Sword Immortal” seemed to have originated from Guan Shanyue.

Is she a nickname-making machine? So fond of giving others nicknames; I should give you one someday, see how you like it?

“Anyway, I don’t want to go,” An Zhisu finally spoke, “If you want to go, you go by yourself, but try to interact with her as little as possible.”

“Senior Sister,” Ling Yunpo sighed, “Do you remember what I told you last time?”

“What?”

“If Qingluo Peak wants to escape its current predicament, it’s not advisable to just cultivate behind closed doors. We also need to pay attention to social networking, developing allies.”

“I’m well aware of that,” An Zhisu replied helplessly, “Lin Duanshan of Yellow Dragon Peak, Duan Fenhai of Yellow Dragon Peak, if I happen to meet them on the road, I always make sure to greet them properly.”

“But it’s only Guan Shanyue that I really don’t want to deal with; I find her annoying.”

So a simple greeting counts as social networking? Ling Yunpo started to feel a headache coming on over his senior sister’s emotional intelligence.

“They’re different.”

“What’s so different about them?”

“In terms of swordsmanship skills, Guan Shanyue may not be as good as Lin Duanshan or Duan Fenhai,” Ling Yunpo analyzed, “But don’t forget, the Longxi Guan Family has been Sword Immortals for generations, and their influence within the Shushan Shangqing Faction is immense. If you talk about the breadth of connections, these two combined are probably no match for Guan Shanyue.”

An Zhisu fell silent for a moment and found herself unable to refute.

She of course knew how extensive Guan Shanyue’s connections within Shushan were, or rather, it would be strange if someone as hypocritical as her couldn’t dance in a long sleeve.

Back when her master, Su Jian, was around, he had set an example and taught her to live a life of swift justice, “If you meet someone you can’t stand, just kill them with one sword.”

While An Zhisu hadn’t followed this to the letter, she was undoubtedly influenced, generally preferring a straightforward approach.

In the case of someone like Guan Shanyue, who had both status and strength and still wouldn’t admit defeat after being bested, An Zhisu would simply avoid contact as much as possible, without ever considering maintaining some sort of superficial harmony with her opponent.

Now, as Ling Yunpo urged her towards diplomacy, she subconsciously resisted.

However, after a moment’s thought, An Zhisu couldn’t deny that what her junior brother said made sense.

Her master had taught her to live a life of swift justice, and now he had ended up in a situation where he was sealed in a life-and-death gate, showing that being straightforward wasn’t always the best approach.

More than “listening to Master’s words,” her actual priority was to maintain the Taoism of Qingluo Peak; otherwise, how would she have the face to meet him when he came out of his retreat?

And to maintain the Taoism, the “diplomacy” her junior brother spoke of was indispensable…

After much contemplation, An Zhisu finally made up her mind, closed her eyes, and sighed:

“I understand, Junior Brother… I’ll accompany you then.”

“That’s very good,” Ling Yunpo nodded in satisfaction, then suddenly felt something was off.

Wait, wasn’t the intention to go and make connections? How did it become “accompany me” again?