False Epiphany

Yi Qing demonstrated this set of sword techniques for almost an hour. His movements were ever-changing and powerful. Although he had tried his best to rein in the force of his Sword Qi, the entire upper section of the island had been cleaved off by him by the time he finally withdrew his Qi.

"Master, this is the sword technique I usually use." Yi Qing turned towards Shen Ying, his fists cupped in respect. He looked straight at her with shining eyes.

Without really thinking, Shen Ying praised, "Ah, not bad!" It's just a little too slow.

"Thank you Master!" He grew even more emotional. "Please guide me."

"…" Flustered, Shen Ying began to perspire. What guidance could she give? She didn't know anything about sword techniques.

Noticing her predicament, Lonemoon smirked and said, "Yes, guide him, guide him."

"Er… this…"

"Master doesn't have a weapon on hand?" Yi Qing quickly passed her the spirit sword in his hand. "Excuse my oversight. Please use mine for the moment."

"…" Do you need to be so considerate?

"Quickly, guide him, guide him." The grin on Lonemoon's face widened even more. He gave her a nudge and said, "You need to hurry, the sun is going down soon."

"Master?"

Shen Ying looked at the sword in her hand. "Actually… I think you were just fine." I'm sure there's nothing that needs to be changed.

"Enough of this!" Before Yi Qing could reply, Lonemoon jeered, "Stop pretending. If you can impress me with a trick or two, you can be my master!"

"You?" Shen Ying glanced at him. "Can you cook?"

"I have never had to cook for myself."

"Oh, then I don't want you."

"You…" Who the hell wants to be your disciple!

(╯‵□′)╯(┻━┻

Shen Ying ignored him. She took two steps forward, looked at the flat island, and gripped the sword with her hands. How did the chef disciple wield the sword? Seemed like it needs to be raised first…

She lifted the sword directly with one hand and raised it above her head like she was holding a dumbbell. One couldn't discern any method behind her move, let alone a technique…

Oh! Lonemoon couldn't help laughing again, watching as Shen Ying was about to swing the sword down forcefully. He was waiting for her to make a fool of herself.

Suddenly, a hurricane seemed to form out of nowhere and the sword emitted a beam of light as bright as daylight, arching over the earth and across the sky. Shen Ying swung the sword down. There was a loud boom and the entire island was split in two. The beam of light continued to travel straight ahead, directly sweeping through the nearby Blackheaven Sect, splitting apart a mountain on the upper right of the sect, and then shooting straight into the sea before finally disappearing into the horizon.

The white clouds in the sky split apart and the entire surface of the sea suddenly sank. The waters of the sea parted, revealing a deep and bottomless crack that extended into the distance. It was as if the earth and sky had been sliced open by a sword. Everything was silent except for the sounds of water rushing through crack in the sea.

Yi Qing: "…"

Lonemoon: "…"

"Er…" I must have used too much force. Shen Ying scratched her head and then threw the sword back to the chef. "What's-your-name, what's for dinner tonight?"

The two men were dumbfounded. At last, the experienced Yi Qing was the first to return to his senses. He answered reflexively, "Ma Po… Tofu… I think?" Master is truly a master! (✪ω✪)

"Ok, when do we head back?"

"Right away. Since Master is tired today, shall I prepare another dish?"

"You really are a good chef… disciple!"

Lonemoon: You really are… a frightening woman.

Wait a minute! She just used the word chef? That was definitely what she said, right?!

"Why don't we head back to prepare dinner right now?"

"Master, wait!" Yi Qing took a deep breath and looked at Shen Ying with an expression of earnestness such as he had never shown before. "Please forgive your disciple's ignorance. I have yet to understand the intent behind this move of Master's."

"…" I didn't intend anything.

"Disciple does not understand. How could that simple move of Master's be so powerful?"

"Er…" Shen Ying's mouth twitched, thinking: how would I know? "Maybe I… have more strength?"

"Strength?"

Lonemoon: Are you kidding? Can something like this be done with mere strength? (╬̄皿̄)

"Have you not heard of it?" Shen Ying said seriously, "One strong man can overcome ten!"

Lonemoon: You obviously borrowed this saying from martial arts novels. Only a fool would believe you! 凸(艹皿艹)

"So what Master is saying is that as long as one has attained the capability, sword style and technique is not important!"

Lonemoon: You really believe that?! (°Д°)

"One strong man… can overcome ten? One strong man can overcome ten…" Yi Qing silently recited this to himself a few times. Suddenly, the Spirit Qi and Sword Qi in his body began to soar up and even the Spirit Qi in the surrounding began to surge in response.

Lonemoon: What, don't tell me you're having an epiphany? This is clearly a scam, Brother! ヽ(?Д?)?

"Chef, what's wrong with you?" Seeing that he remained unmoving after suddenly sitting down, Shen Ying couldn't help reaching her hand out to poke him.

"Don't touch him!" Lonemoon slapped her hand away. "He's having an epiphany. Interrupting him now will cause great danger." You can't even tell that, so what kind of master are you! And now you don't even bother with the pretense over his title. Is it really wise to directly address him as Chef?

Suppressing his urge to complain, Lonemoon quickly formed a hand seal, setting up a heavy defensive array formation around Yi Qing. Epiphanies could be long or short and judging by his strong Spirit Qi and Sword Qi, it was probably a major epiphany. How long would it last? The worst thing to do during an epiphany was to interrupt it. This array formation was necessary, and to be on the safe side, he decided he should get back to the sect and ask the sect leader to arrange for some men to guard over him.

Turning around, Lonemoon took a glance at Shen Ying who was still wearing a blank look on her face. All at once his mouth twitched. Why did he suddenly feel that he did not want a disciple after all?

Lonemoon looked once again at the two halves of the island, at the sea that was still parted, and then at the mountain peak of Blackheaven Sect which had been split in two.

Wait a moment!

Why did he feel that the mountain peak looked a little familiar?

"Oh no! My Lingyun Peak!"

Σ(°△°|||)

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Five days later.

"I say, temp-…"

"Don't you dare call me a temp chef!" Without waiting for Shen Ying to finish her sentence, the figure stir-frying in the kitchen turned around fiercely. "Or believe me I will really thrash you!"

"Er…" Pausing, Shen Ying reworded her sentence. "What's-your-name, has my disciple woken up? It's been five days."

"Do you think an epiphany is something so simple?" Lonemoon glared at the person lying immobile on the stone table. "And I'm called Lonemoon, not 'What's-your-name'! I don't care if you can't remember the name of your own disciple, but I'm from your hometown, so you better remember mine!"

"Ah… I haven't eaten in five days." How can I remember names when I don't have any strength left.

"Five days…" Lonemoon threw the object in his hand straight at her. "Then what have you been eating these past few days? Pig swill?"

She caught it deftly and muttered, "It's worse than pig swill." Seeing that it was a spatula, she threw it back quickly. "Hurry up and stir, the food is turning mushy!"

Lonemoon's mouth trembled and something in his brain snapped. He raised his hand and flung the spatula to the ground. "What did you just say? I dare you to repeat it." He tore off his apron in a huff and stormed toward her. "I am a Soul Formation Supremacy who has never cooked for anyone, whether it be in my past or present life. You think I like to cook for you?! Whoever wants this job can have it. I quit!"

"But I didn't ask you to come." Wasn't he the one who came asking whether she needed anything? "Besides… didn't you ask me to wield that sword the other day?"

If she hadn't wielded that sword, her chef wouldn't have had an epiphany. If he hadn't had an epiphany, he would have been able to cook for her and she would not have had to eat Lonemoon's pig swill.

"You…" He would never have come here if his Lingyun Peak had not been split apart by her. Well, it was definitely not because he wanted to look for the only person from his hometown!

He took a deep breath. Forget it. I won't quibble with a woman.

Turning back, Lonemoon saw that she still looked about as alive as a half-dead chicken. The question in his mind surfaced again. "Hey Shen Ying, seriously… where does that terrifying ability of yours come from?" That stroke of her sword… had almost hacked heaven and earth apart.

"Didn't I tell you?" she replied lazily. "I don't know!"

"You really don't know?"

"Well, I was like that from the day I was transported here."

Lonemoon frowned. As far as he knew, no one was capable of parting the sea with a single blow of a sword. Even the most powerful Soul Formation cultivator in the world could not do it. She seemed like an ordinary mortal without any Spirit Qi in her entire body, and she didn't even possess a cultivator's basic response to Spirit Qi. But why did she have such strength? What was more outrageous was that she herself did not know why.

He thought for a long time, but as he still couldn't connect the dots, he gave up. Turning around and throwing a plate of mushy food in front of Shen Ying, he said, "Hurry up and eat. After eating, you have to go to the island to see how your disciple is getting on with his epiphany." Why do I feel like I've let myself in for unnecessary trouble? Or rather, two big troubles of the type that fills the heart with worry.

Shen Ying poked at the mound of mush before her, but did not pick it up with her chopsticks. Her disgust deepened, and her expression openly conveyed how she felt about this 'pig swill'. She would have continued poking at it but as it appeared that someone was about to leave in a huff, she had no choice but to stuff it into her mouth.

It's really hard to eat… but it's better than what I cook!