The World of Mei

Chapter 30 Ye Suifeng, the Great Sword Master

It was getting late when Liu Tingfeng's master came back.

Mu Qianmei was amazed to see this old man with white hair and a white beard - what an immortal-like person!

She used to consider the old Taoist priest marvelous, however, he was far away from the immortal compared with the old man in front of her.

The immortal-like old man didn't put on airs. He took off the basket on his back and asked her smilingly,

"You are awake, little girl! Did you eat yet? Did you take medicine?"

"Thank you for saving me. I'm much better now." Mu Qianmei answered with respect and was going to bow to him.

"Don't move, little girl. Just rest on the bed. I don't like formalities. If you do respect me, then lie down and relax. Haha..." The immortal-like old man laughed.

Mu Qianmei didn't insist as she could feel the old man's amiableness and sincerity, so she lay down with ease.

She still had some questions. She asked the old man though she was very weak,

"Old immortal, my name is Mu Qianmei and my nickname is Little Butterfly. How should I address you?"

"Haha... Make yourself at home, little girl. My name is Ye Suifeng. You can call me Grandpa Ye or old guy or something else. I don't like anyone calling me seriously, neither am I used to it." The old man smiled.

"Old Guy? It's disrespectful... Why do you both have character 'feng' in your names?" Mu Qianmei was confused. Generally, people who lived together would avoid using the same character for the names, but Ye Suifeng and Liu Tingfeng didn't mind it.

"Respect depends on what you think, not what you address. What do you say? We both have character 'feng' in our names, because we both have something to do with the wind. I gave Tingfeng his name, because I meant to let him hear this word every day, remember this word, and be able to understand this word. I don't mind those trifling details." The old man said as he put away the basket.

"Master, Sister Butterfly is brave! She drank water, ate some food, and was not afraid of taking medicine. She is braver than me!" Liu Tingfeng praised Mu Qianmei.

"Really? Then you should learn from her." Ye Suifeng answered.

"Yes, I will." Liu Suifeng said.

"Oh, Master, Sister Butterfly said that she'd like to learn sword skills. Can you teach her?" Liu Tingfeng asked, looking forward to Ye Suifeng's agreement.

"I teach her? Then what should you call her? Senior apprentice-sister or junior apprentice-sister?" Ye Suifeng teased him.

"Senior apprentice-sister! I think she is more sensible than I am." Liu Tingfeng answered without hesitation.

"But you took me as your master earlier, so generally speaking, you are her senior apprentice-brother. Isn't it good to be a senior apprentice-brother?" Ye Suifeng kept teasing.

"No. I think sister knows more than I do, so I'll call her senior apprentice-sister!" Liu Tingfeng insisted.

"Hahaha... it's up to you. It is your true nature to do things as you like. Wind Floating Sword Skill stresses freedom and spontaneity. You'll get twice the result with half the effort if you fully understand what are freedom and spontaneity." Ye Suifeng laughed.

"Freedom? Spontaneity? I can see that brother Tingfeng is a forthright and sincere boy. He must be making rapid progress in practice, right?" Mu Qianmei asked.

"Hahaha... Far more than 'rapid'. He has made the fastest progress in martial arts that I've ever seen. Apart from his talent and constitution, it is his temperament that matters most. He seems to be born to learn Wind Floating Sword Skill!" Ye Suifeng laughed.

"Oh. I envy him! Do you think I'm fit to practice Wind Floating Sword Skill?" Mu Qianmei asked with hope.

"What martial art skills are you capable of? You have a good foundation. Is it laid when you were younger?" Ye Suifeng didn't answer her but asked curiously.

"Yes, it is, but it fares poorly, especially in the past year. A little process has been made. Maybe I didn't go on the right way to practice." Mu Qianmei said with distress.

"I have known it when I treated you. You have a good foundation of inner magic, but a strong inner magic isn't suitable for girls, so you made little process. Well, when you are recovered, I'll check your foundation and teach you a kind of martial art skill that is right for you!" Ye Suifeng smiled.

"Thank you, grandpa. May I ask your sect?" Mu Qianmei asked with respect.

"Haha... I don't belong to any sect because I've been long away from the world of martial art. It's normal that you don't know me. As to the martial art skills... I have forgotten most of them I've learned except for Five Moves of Wind Floating Sword Skill!" Ye Suifeng laughed aloud.

"Five Moves of Wind Floating Sword Skill? The sword skill created by the Great Sword Master? Isn't it already disappeared? Ye Suifeng, Five Moves of Wind Floating Sword Skill... Are you the Great Sword Master, grandpa? Aren't you over a hundred years old?" Mu Qianmei was astonished.

She vaguely remembered that Feng Tianyu seemed to mention this person, but she did not care about this message and felt that the life of that person had become an ancient tale.

"Yes, I'm the Ye Suifeng in the tales and I used Five Moves of Wind Floating Sword Skill when I was in the community of martial arts. However, I think I'm not capable enough to accept the title 'the Great Sword Master'. No matter how subtle the sword skill is, it is nothing but a skill. What beyond the skill is the law. I merely take one step into the field of sword law, which is boundless." Ye Suifeng said seriously.

"Sword law?" Mu Qianmei was confused. She considered these two words familiar for they were often mentioned in martial arts fiction and TV series, but she thought they were distant from her life, so she paid no attention to them.

She didn't expect to see the legendary Great Sword Master.

Ye Suifeng didn't explain. He smiled and said, "Well, so much for today. Take a good rest and we'll talk about this later on when you are recovered."

In the following days, Mu Qianmei recuperated from her injury and Liu Tingfeng took good care of her.

They got along well with each other. Every day Ye Suifeng either practiced martial art skills or refined pills. Mu Qianmei often smelled the strange scent of herbs but couldn't tell what kind of medicine he made.

Liu Tingfeng had a strange collection of questions to ask Mu Qianmei, just like a curious baby. Every time Mu Qianmei tried to answer him with patience, telling him the answers to the questions or her opinions on the questions.

When she was in a good mood, she would tell him some stories.

She knew that the boy had never been out of the mountains. He didn't know what the world outside was like and it was natural to be curious about it.

She felt sorry for him and envied him because he grew up far away from the hustle and bustle of city life and became a simple, sincere, and kind boy.

When she was with him, she became very simple, too. She would say freely without considering whether it was right or not, because he had no scheming and would never care about it.

While Liu Tingfeng admired Mu Qianmei awfully. Why did she know so much? She was not much older than him!

He grew fonder and fonder of this sister, who seemed to know everything.

On the morning of the sixth day, Mu Qianmei felt that she had gotten much better, so she began to practice martial art skills with Ye Suifeng and Liu Tingfeng.

By Ye Suifeng's request, she practiced Flying Dragon Thirty-Six Sticks just as usual. She danced like a flying butterfly or a fluttering bird that was elegant and flexible.

Her practice didn't convey masculinity or aggressiveness.

"This stick skill doesn't suit you, but the way you practice has its own characteristics. You take flexibility to the extreme." Ye Suifeng appraised honestly.

"Then am I suitable for Wind Floating Sword Skill?" Mu Qianmei asked again.

"No, you are not!"

Ye Suifeng affirmed.

"Why? You told me that Wind Floating Sword Skill stresses freedom and spontaneity, and these are what I always pursue."

Mu Qianmei was disappointed and wondered.

"Yes, you do have such a pursuit. I can see it in the way you practice Flying Dragon Thirty-Six Sticks. However, true liberty cannot be achieved by deliberate pursuit. True freedom only comes from your heart, which means your heart cannot be constrained by anything. But as for you, there are too many things you can't let go of."

Ye Suifeng explained.

"Alas, what a pity! I was fortunate to meet the legendary Great Sword Master, but I'm not fortunate enough to learn Wind Floating Sword Skill!"

Mu Qianmei said in disappointment.

"In fact, you don't have to be disappointed. Wind Floating Sword Skill is subtle, but it has limitations. There are very few people in the world who are suitable for this sword skill. What's more, Wind Floating Sword Skill is overwhelmingly powerful only when all the five moves are given full play. Even Tingfeng with such rare talent and constitution can barely use the first move. If he can completely master this sword skill within fifteen years, he is a peerless genius."

Ye Suifeng tried to ease her anxiety.

"Master, apprentice-sister's gift is better than mine. Since I can learn Wind Floating Sword Skill, why she can't? She knows so much! We will progress more quickly if we practice together!"

Liu Tingfeng said.

"It is just because she knows a lot and has learned a lot that she doesn't suit Wind Floating Sword Skill."

"Wind Floating Sword Skill is a sword skill that I created combining the character 'feng' in my name and the characteristics of wind in nature."

"The wind is the freest and most elusive matter. It is a natural phenomenon that cannot be seen or touched, but the wind in different seasons can bring people different feelings."

"It was at an accidental moment that I completely integrated my mind into nature and forgot myself when I created this sword skill. Tingfeng, you are a simple boy, so it's easy for you to get into a state like this and practice Wind Floating Sword Skill. But it's hard for Little Butterfly and she will get half the result with twice the effort."

Ye Suifeng explained in detail.