The World of Mei

Chapter 33 The Birth of Nine Moves of Dancing Butterfly Sword

In the following days, Ye Suifeng stayed in his martial arts room for exclusive meditation.

He arranged a natural cave, which was over ten zhangs (a unit of length) away from their straw hut, into his martial arts room.

"Does master meditate a lot?"

Mu Qianmei asked.

"No, he rarely meditates except when his inner magic reached a crucial point and seclusion is required."

Liu Tingfeng answered.

"So master has come to a crucial point, hasn't he? How long will he meditate?"

Mu Qianmei asked.

"I don't think so. Maybe master is making up a suitable sword skill for you. It takes time, too. Master usually spent five or six days to half a month on meditation. Wait patiently, senior apprentice-sister. Master will give you a big surprise."

Liu Tingfeng guessed.

"Oh, I'm so grateful for what master is doing for me. I'll practice the sword skill he creates for me diligently, not to let him down!"

Mu Qianmei was thankful.

These days, Mu Qianmei practiced martial art skills with Liu Tingfeng, and Liu Tingfeng told Mu Qianmei the essence and his feelings and experience of practicing Wind Floating Sword Skill without reservation.

They got along very naturally. Although they have not known each other for a long time, they seem to have known each other for many years. No estrangement, and no embarrassment. They seemed like childhood friends who grew up together.

Liu Tingfeng was born pure. He had never entered the secular world and his thought was born pure.

During his growth, Ye Suifeng was his only companion. Every day he practiced sword skills, gathered herbs, cooked meals, and made tea. Sometimes he would learn instruments, Go, calligraphy, and painting with Ye Suifeng, but he didn't learn much.

Because Ye Suifeng had a sword complex that he wasn't proficient in other things except for the sword.

Now, there came a girl at the similar age of him. Liu Tingfeng was quite excited.

He didn't know what people were like out there, but he deemed that Mu Qianmei was beautiful and amiable. He had countless questions to ask her every day like a little boy full of curiosity about the world.

This pretty boy was also in Mu Qianmei's good books.

There were many gifted boys and girls in this world. They were some kind of sophisticated as they grew up among the crowd, but Liu Tingfeng was otherworldly.

Therefore, she let go of all the scheming and camouflage and became a simple girl again when dealing with Liu Tingfeng.

She suddenly realized that she favored this state of life.

The state of being honest with each other.

On the twelfth day, Ye Suifeng went out of his martial art room in good spirit. There wasn't a trace of fatigue on him.

He saw Mu Qianmei was practicing Wind Floating Sword Skill with Liu Tingfeng and called them,

"Haha... Little girl, I created a sword skill. It must suit you well!"

Mu Qianmei and Liu Tingfeng stopped practicing, looking at Ye Suifeng in surprise.

"Master, you have finished mediation! Haha... Thank you, master. I really appreciate it. May I know what kind of sword skill you created for me?"

Mu Qianmei asked happily.

"You looked like a fluttering butterfly when you were practicing Flying Dragon Thirty-Six Sticks, so I name this sword skill Dancing Butterfly Sword Skill!"

"Dancing Butterfly Sword Skill is made up of nine moves, being developed from Five Moves of Wind Floating Sword. Being good at overcoming the strength by applying soft methods, this sword skill is perfect for you to practice."

Ye Suifeng said.

"Dancing Butterfly Sword Skill? What a beautiful name! I like it! I will practice diligently and never let you down, master!"

Mu Qianmei said as she bowed to Ye Suifeng in respect.

"Haha... I don't care about formalities. You can do what you like."

"I'll make an introduction of the moves and the essence of Nine Moves of Dancing Butterfly Sword to give you a general conception. Practice can be started tomorrow."

Ye Suifeng smiled.

"Good. Thank you, master. I'll listen to your words carefully."

Mu Qianmei answered reverently.

"Well, seriousness is good, but don't be stubborn. It's better to be casual. If you have fun practicing the sword skill, you will gain a better result! Haha..."

Ye Suifeng laughed and continued before Mu Qianmei answered him,

"Nine Moves of Dancing Butterfly Sword is developed from Five Moves of Wind Floating Sword, so they have something in common. The wind is free, and the butterfly also pursues freedom, so freedom is the basic essence of this sword skill."

"No matter the subject is free or pursuing freedom, it will finally reach the realm of freedom. You can't see the trace of the wind, but you can see a butterfly flying. Therefore, Dancing Butterfly Sword Skill is relatively easier to get started."

"It will be easier for you due to your thoughts on fluttering butterflies, and you have known more about Five Moves of Wind Floating Sword. So it's easier for you to understand what I'm saying."

"There are nine moves of Nine Moves of Dancing Butterfly Sword, and these nine moves can be divided into thirty-six patterns, which include the essence of Wind Floating Sword Skill as well as some patterns developed from Flying Dragon Thirty-Six Sticks."

"I'll introduce it to you as I use it."

Then he began to display this sword skill, speaking slowly,

"The first move of Dancing Butterfly Sword Skill, Flutter Among the Flowers. This is the beginning of the Dancing Butterfly Sword Skill. You wield the sword as you will be like a butterfly fluttering among the flowers, gently and freely. This move is as agile as willow catkins floating in the breeze. No one knows where they come from, nor where they are going. So does your opponent who cannot recognize how you are going to attack."

"The second move of Dancing Butterfly Sword Skill, Dance in the Wind. Just like the butterflies that dance in the wind. This move is somehow common with Vernal Breeze Caresses Cheeks in Wind Floating Sword Skill. You need to go along with the wind and get power from it to accelerate yourself as well as your sword."

"The third move, Petals Go with the Wind. The wind blows and raises tens of thousands of petals. The sword is the wind, and you are the butterfly. The sword is under your control and you move with the wind."

"The fourth move, Do as You Wish. The sword is wielded at your will. Your will is directed by your heart, and your heart is affected by your sword. Thus, you can use the sword to do what you wish."

"The fifth move, Turn the Path Around. The speed of the sword turns slow and is strengthened. Drive this move with inner magic and manipulate the pace of your opponent. Your opponent will be always on the defensive."

"The six move, No Trace, No Sign. Reduce the strength of the sword and gradually focus your attention. This move is more unpredictable that your opponent doesn't know how to defend."

"The seven move, Like a Dream. To this point, the sword skill is on the way to its peak. Everything is like a dream. What you think illusory can be true, and what you consider true can be illusory."

"The eighth move, Roam Between Heaven and Earth. Everything is in your control. You are the sword. The sword is the butterfly, and the butterfly is you. You can travel freely between heaven and earth."

"The ninth move, Butterflies Dance in the Universe. In the illusion, you turn into tens of thousands of butterflies flying in the universe and your sword can even pierce the sky. Even an immortal cannot defend the ninth move."

Ye Suifeng wielded the sword and introduced and totally concentrated on the sword skill.

He finished his words as he stopped displaying, and the shadow of thousands of butterflies and swords disappeared at once.

The sudden changes from motion to motionless and from illusion back to reality waked Mu Qianmei from a dream. Unsatisfied and panting for more, she felt a slight sense of loss.

Different from the fierceness of Five Moves of Wind Floating Sword and the masculinity of Flying Dragon Thirty-Six Sticks, Dancing Butterfly Sword Skill gave her a dreamy and unreal feeling.

"Is it good at attacking?"

Mu Qianmei asked without thinking and regretted soon. Was that an impolite question?

"Haha... I knew you're going to ask me about it. Many people consider a good martial art skill must be aggressive. So did I. So I created Five Moves of Wind Floating Sword, which is fierce and good at attacking."

"However, when I reached the realm of the law of the sword, I found that the 'law' is the most important. Every character belongs to the law. There are laws for fierceness, quickness, strength, and softness. Now, in my opinion, soft sword skill is more effective."

"Everything in this world grows softly and slow, and this is the law that Dancing Butterfly Sword Skill accords with. Dancing Butterfly Sword Skill is agile, soft, and constant. It stresses sword aura instead of strength and looks elegant as if it didn't have any impact. However, it overcomes the strength by applying soft methods, and copes with all motions by remaining motionless. It is the essence of this sword skill that counts."

"In actual combat, this sword skill will hold the fierceness, quickness, and strength of your opponents' martial art skills in playing with constant sword aura. It will adapt to the attacks of your opponents, manipulate their paces, defuse their attacks, and then fight back."

"So, if you can master this sword skill, you can even defeat people who use fierce Wind Floating Sword Skill or masculine Flying Dragon Thirty-Six Sticks. Although it seems to have only ornamental value, you should not underestimate it."

Ye Suifeng explained in detail.

"Overcome the strong by applying soft methods. Cope with all motions by remaining motionless. Guide the opponents to attack at my pace. Defuse their attack... Isn't it the same as Tai Ji Sword Skill?"

Mu Qianmei murmured.

"Tai Ji Sword Skill? What is it? I have never heard it before."

Ye Suifeng had a good ear to hear Mu Qianmei's murmur and asked.

"Well... This is a sword skill I have heard of when I was traveling with an old guy. Its essence said that 'Tai Ji, the prime order, is derived from Wu Ji, the Tao. Yin Energy and Yang Energy were derived from Tai Ji, and they were divided into four kinds: Lao Yin, Shao Yin, Lao Yang, Shao Yang. These four kinds of energy led to the Eight Diagrams, which can be used to explain natural and social phenomena.' Tai Ji Sword Skill is a sword skill created based on the philosophical theory of Tai Ji. It's in line with the laws of nature, and it's the same as what you just explained. I heard that one should forget the concrete moves of Tai Ji Sword Skill because no move is better than concrete moves. I only have a smattering of it."

Mu Qianmei explained according to the memory about her previous life.

"I didn't know there was such a great person in the world! What I have spent my life exploring had already been discovered. Haha... I wish I could meet this person in the future so that we could talk together. No move is better than concrete moves. It's reasonable indeed! What an excellent Tai Ji Sword Skill! You will reach this realm as long as you practice Dancing Butterfly Sword Skill well and at that time, you won't be constrained by concrete moves, too!"

Ye Suifeng was brimmed with a whirlpool of emotion.