Night, the Listening Sword Courtyard, the bamboo forest.
Ye Qinghong waved her hand, and the withered yellow leaves that were about to fall onto her clothing instantly shattered.
A gust of wind swept away the powdery debris, while her green robe remained as clean as ever.
It was then that she nodded in satisfaction.
Her fingers came together, gently twirling.
The Qingying Sword, which had always been carried on her back, suddenly flew up, fluttering like a butterfly around her, tracing beautiful arcs in the air.
And her heart was as clear as a mirror!
Reflecting a sword moment after moment.
This was the Glazed Sword Heart.
A state that every swordsman yearned for in their dreams.
With the Glazed Sword Heart, one could constantly communicate with their sword, thereby honing the Sword Intent.
For others, this was as difficult as reaching the heavens, but for Ye Qinghong, it was as simple as eating and drinking.
She could wield it effortlessly, without having to think.
"It seems that last night was truly an accident, otherwise, how could I possibly not enter the Glazed Sword Heart?"
Ye Qinghong murmured to herself.
Her expression was calm, and her eyes were as tranquil as a frozen pond, not stirring the slightest ripple.
Today, she had cleansed herself with the Sword Heart and reflected for a whole day, even when recalling last night's events.
She still managed to remain unswayed!
No longer like before, when she was unable to move completely, much less experience a shattering of the Sword Heart.
This was the confidence of a sword practitioner!
However...
What exactly were those absurd scenes from last night all about?
Firstly, she ruled out the possibility that it was a trick by the demon.
The demon was strong, having reached the Four-Leaf Dharma Body realm.
But the demon specialized in physical strength.
Conquering all with its physical body.
It was not known for such bizarre techniques that target the mind.
And furthermore...
Last night, her Glazed Sword Heart was open the entire time,
The Sword Heart was a barrier.
A barrier that no one could break.
And yet, last night, those scenes could be projected directly into the depths of her heart without harming the Glazed Sword Heart.
It was inconceivable!
At the very least, she had never seen anyone with such an ability, not even her own master.
Excluding these...
There was only one reason that could explain it.
That was...
The Heart Demon!
The demon arises from the heart, originating from the deepest part of her soul.
Naturally, it could easily bypass the Sword Heart.
But the question was, how could she have such a Heart Demon?
Over the years, she had attempted to assassinate the demon multiple times, wishing nothing more than for it to die directly, let alone developing any feelings of admiration.
What exactly was going on? She couldn't guess or see through it.
After a long while, Ye Qinghong shook her head.
She banished all these thoughts from the depths of her heart.
No longer dwelling on them.
"Enough, no matter where the Heart Demon comes from, to me, it is nothing but a candle flame, easily extinguished with a single sword strike!"
She whispered to herself.
The green silk behind her rippled slightly.
Her complexion was as cool as frost.
Her entire being seemed to have transformed into a sword.
Quietly waiting, waiting for the Heart Demon's appearance.
All cultivators will encounter a Heart Demon.
And there is only one way to confront the Heart Demon, that is to face it head-on and annihilate it!
Last night was the first time she encountered the Heart Demon, and she lacked experience.
Which is why her Sword Heart shattered.
But today, she had re-evaluated herself and even repeatedly revisited those scenes in her mind.
At first, she was somewhat panicked and uncomfortable, but now, she could remain completely unaffected by these things.
Operating the Glazed Sword Heart normally.
Buzz buzz buzz!
The air trembled slightly.
The next moment, a series of images suddenly emerged in Ye Qinghong's mind.
The dimly-lit room, the flickering candlelight.
And those two entwined figures.
Everything was so familiar, almost identical to what had happened last night, her eyes turned cold, and she chuckled softly.
"Heart Demon, your timing is perfect. Today, I shall vanquish you!"
Whoosh!
She thrust forward with her finger!
The Azure Shadow Sword, which had been circling above her head, let out a sword cry.
It was so crisp, so pleasing to the ear, brimming with Sword Intent!
It continued to revolve around her.
But her Liuli Sword Heart had reached its peak state.
Afterward, she closed her eyes, pouring all her focus into that scene, immersing herself in the illusion created by the Heart Demon.
A confident smile still persisted on her cool face.
However...
A moment later.
Her brow furrowed tightly, her gaze growing solemn.
Her breathing started to become erratic.
The scene tonight, although seemingly identical to last night's, had changed in certain details, drastically so.
How... how could such a shameful posture be possible?
Shameless!
Her heart panicked; the Azure Shadow Sword that had been spinning around her dimmed suddenly and fell to the ground once more.
The Liuli Sword Heart shattered.
Damn Heart Demon, so cunning.
She thought she had adapted, but she hadn't expected the enemy to change tactics!
Vanquish it! She must vanquish it!
At this moment, this was the only thought in Ye Qinghong's mind.
She clenched her teeth.
She entered the Liuli Sword Heart once again.
She calmed her spirit and confronted the Heart Demon head-on.
But, just like before, she didn't last long.
Crack! Crack!
The Sword Heart suddenly shattered!
And her complexion grew more and more panicked, her breathing more and more rapid.
"Again!"
Sword cultivators are known for their relentless persistence, not easily defeated and certainly not ones to give up.
So she would reforge, shatter, reforge, shatter...
Again and again, in an endless cycle.
Even though Ye Qinghong's mind was extraordinarily resilient and she was prepared, she still couldn't hold on for long.
Finally, she spat out a mouthful of blood.
She could no longer enter the Liuli Sword Heart.
And then, just like last night, the night was drawn out long, with Ye Qinghong trapped within the Heart Demon, struggling in vain to break free.
Her cool visage was filled with pain.
Her eyes, reflective as mirrors.
Shattered over and over.
Until at last, she could no longer bear it, pushed off with the tip of her toe, and took flight.
Heading straight for the back mountain!
Finally, she dropped into the warm spring of the back mountain.
Ripples cascaded outwards.
It was only with the constant rush of the spring water that she managed to regain a bit of clarity.
But her cheeks were still flushed red.
So she bit her lip and sank into the spring.
Her three thousand strands of black hair unfurled.
Like an aqua blue lotus in full bloom.
...
Dawn arrived, at the Parasol Courtyard.
Fang Yang had long since departed.
The princess was helped up by Ling'er.
At this moment, she looked deathly pale, and incredibly frail.
Ling'er, who was by her side, nearly cried.
But she still passed the bowl of high-quality ginseng porridge to her mistress and, using a white porcelain spoon, personally fed the porridge to the princess.
The princess from the previous day, upon seeing the porridge, had wanted to throw the entire bowl away.
But today, she seemed much calmer.
She took the bowl with surprising serenity and sipped the porridge bit by bit.
Perhaps it was the numbness from repeated failures that made her no longer dwell on last night's assassination attempt, another failed one.
She remained in a daze throughout.
It took quite some time before she came to her senses.
Looking at the bowl of ginseng porridge in front of her, thinking of the Fang Yang who had already left, she even felt as if she'd been dumped by a scoundrel in exchange for a trifling consolation.
"Demon, one day I will surely kill you."