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Bai li yue nodded in understanding. His words were wise ones. She at last began reciting the incantation to the formula. It was a significant legacy that will take her years to assimilate. She recited the long incantation for a month on the island. 

With the black sword for company, time passed quickly. On some rare occasions when her mind wondered, she found herself thinking of getting revenge for the sneak attack.

Little black got a little worried every time her mind wondered in that direction. It didn't want her to waste time on trivial matters. It could only meet little once she'd finish learning the incantation.

'Little white? Who's that?'

'Wife.'

'You have a wife?'

Bai li yue gasped. Little black was a spirit. How could it be possible that it had a wife?

Little black was also surprised by her behaviour. It didn't see anything wrong with having a wife. Didn't Bai li yue also have a wife? There's the one who came to visit in the night. It'd seen the young man multiple times. It found it strange that he visited at night and only when Bai li yue was asleep, but human beings were peculiar creatures. The young man had spoken of them being dao companions so it wasn't a sword's place to judge what couples did in the intimacy of their homes.

'You also have.'

'Who? Meixiu?'

Little black was flabbergasted. She was even more incorrigible. She had two of them. He didn't know his mistress was also interested in beauties. It now had another juicy story to regale little white with when they met. It hadn't seen Little white in five hundred or so years. 

On the day that she finished the incantation, the stone slab crumbled to dust and the words formed into a sword made of light.

'Little white!' 

Little black streaked through the air toward the light sword. 

Thuuuummm…

They met in the air and fused together into a single sword. They flashed white and black before settling into a white sword. 

'Mistress.'

Bai li yue smiled. She could sense a ray of sunshine and wind in her mind.

'Little white?'

'Yes.'

'Nice to meet you at last. Please call me Bai li yue.'

The sword hummed in pleasure but was interrupted by a buzzing. The colour of the sword shifted from to black but little black was pushed aside before it could communicate with Bai li yue. For a few drawn out minutes, the sword flashed from black to white to black to white and on and on. It hummed and buzzed as the two sword spirits bickered.

Bai li yue cleared her throat loudly and the sword fell silent.

'Yes...'

'Not to interrupt you two but, how do I get out of this place?'

'I know the way out.'

'I don't want to leave the domain. Have you forgotten that I have to take care of some unfinished business?'

'Business?' 

Little white asked. Little black quickly filled her in on the details. She grew outraged hearing what had transpired. 

Someone had tried to kill our mistress. They hadn't met her on equal footing, but struck from the shadows when her back was turned. Whoever it was deserved a taste of the soul sword formula. 

Little black was the sage one among them all, relinding Bai li yue that it was against the rules to kill other students.

'Little black, i like your wife.'

'Wife?'

Little white asked and for the next five minutes ignored Bai li yue. She didn't know what the two were discussing but, from the buzzing, she knew that little black was being berated. The sword stopped buzzing.

'I wish to enter the sword domain. So if you have a way to take me there, tell me. I promise to not do anything until i find the person responsible.'

The sword changed abruptly colour as little black mulled over the matter. Little white took over.

'I know… a way.'

Bai li yue chuckled. She really liked Little white.

'Lead the way, little white.'

Bai li yue sat on the flat edge of the sword and held onto the guard for dear life. Little white hummed and soared into the air. It had been ages since it had flown so high. 

Instead of flying out the way she'd come, they headed deeper into the abyss.

Little white's melodious humming filled the silence and kept the few void blades they came across away from Bai li yue, as they flew downward. Deep down, they entered a new area of the domain with twinkling stars. There were no void blades in this part of the abyss. It was still like solid tar hanging over the sky with a sprinkling of stars. Just when Bai li yue began to wonder when they'd arrive at their destination, they reached a spinning vortex made up of void blades. Bai li yue swallowed the nonexistent saliva in her mouth. Her mouth was too dry. 

'Little white, don't tell me-'

'Best place to hide... entrance. My idea.' 

Bai li yue could sense the spirit's smugness.

'It's a fantastic idea. I'd applaud you if i wasn't scared for my life.'

'Don't fear. inheritor... of formula, void blades… won't hurt you.' 

Little white explained moments before she flew into the vortex of sharp blades. She giggled when Bai li yue's instinctively curled into a fetal position in prepation of the imminent torture. Her expectation never manifested. The menacing blades moved out their way and closed the path behind them. It was a breath of fresh air. The blades that had made her wish for a merciful death, now acted as her own personal guard. 

They emerged from the abyss in the heart of a volcano surrounded by a curtain of void blades. The heat of the volcano was smelting the surrounding rocks into a lake of lava. Little white didn't lose a second in distancing them from the heat. The sword knew which of the numerous tunnels to take that would lead them outside. 

Many maze-like tunnels later, Bai li yue heard the distant sound of human chatter. She communicated with the sword. It came to a stop. She got off the sword and walked the rest of the way.  

The students were talking about the recent spate of ambushes attributed to none other than the sword heaven sect. This was the term used since nobody knew which of the two sects the bandits belonged to. Thankfully the culprits followed the edict of the sect leader, but their domineering behaviour had led to retaliatory ambushes by other sects on innocent members of the sword heaven sect. 

This group of outsiders was on the trail of a sage legacy left behind by an ancestor from their sect. The map they'd procured from the sect led them to this cave, but they hesitated on which tunnel to take. They planned to go to ground the minute they found it and wait out the upheaval.

She didn't make any effort to hide her arrival so the three students were already on their guard when she appeared. They weren't members of the sword heaven sect so they watched her with more caution than usual.

Bai li yue ignored them and left the cave without changing her stride. She had a bone to pick with someone, but first she had to find her quarry and ask questions. The cave entrance was high enough on the mountain to provide a view of the landscape. 

Realising she was relatively a newcomer compared to the others, she returned the way she came. She had questions and she didn't know how much time she had left to pursue her agenda.

'S-stop! What do you want with us? We don't have anything left? Another group already ambushed us and took everything.'

The students had their weapons raised. They had gotten the wrong idea about her return. 

'Relax! I have some questions that I was hoping you could answer.'

'You didn't come back to rob us?'

'Should i? You already said, you didn't have anything for me to take. Was that a lie?'

'No. No. It's the truth.' 

They hurried up to assure her. 

'Ask your question?'

'I lost track of time. How much time do we have left in the domain?'

'We've been here for four months now. There are two months left.' 

The acne plagued youth of the group replied.

She'd spent more than half of the time in the abyss. Thankfully she'd finished her business early. The remaining two months should be more than enough time for her to track down her attacker.

'One more question. Where is the central hub? A place everyone goes to?'

'Are you talking about the market?'

From the question slash answer, it didn't sound like a natural land feature. 

'Yes. Where do i find it?'

'On the south foothills. Near the glassy lake.'

'Thank you. Take that tunnel two miles down. You'll find what you are searching for in one of the left chambers.'

As thanks for answering her, she pointed them in the direction of the tunnel she'd come from. On their way up, little white had sniffed a nearby legacy and suggested taking it, but Bai li yue wasn't greedy. She was more than satisfied with her gains. No other legacy in the immortal sword domain interested her. 

The domain was full of life. She met tenth position legendary drunken hero and sixth place, I'm looking for a new love to replace the old one on the third day of her travels. Legendary drunken hero's attitude towards her had undergone a change. He no longer avoided her company or frowned like a bear. He had an easy warm smile that was telling. She smiled in return thinking that his gains had to be considerable. She asked about the ambushes attributed to the sword heaven students. They gave her a new version of the story that sounded like a blockbuster film full of twists. 

'So have they been caught yet?'

'No. They are too cunning. They've taken to switching their robes to hide their trail. They could be impersonating any sect now. At least, our sect has been vindicated. Shen duyi is a true leader. He saw through everything  and found evidence to back his point while we were busy throwing accusations at each other.'

The sixth position invited her to join them on their journey eastward and the legendary drunken hero nodded in agreement. They were going to the valley of the sages to hunt for treasure to sell to the sect for sect points.

'Seniors, don't you already have more points than you need?'

They exchanged looks and both laughed.

'You'll understand when you reach our level one day.'

Despite their goodwill, she politely declined the offer. She didn't when her quarry would go to the market. If she missed them now, she might never get another chance. They parted ways the next morning, each with a defined goal. 

On the fifth day, she spotted the glassy lake first and knew that the name suited the lake. The still placid waters stood in the crater with not a single ripple. The clear night sky was reflected on its smooth surface. From the distance she made out the man made bazaar in the foothills. She wore the travelling cloak borrowed from the legendary drunken hero as she approached the entrance to the bazaar. It was a must if she didn't want to give up the game before the climax. The market had been set up near the shores of the lake. It buzzed with unexpected activity despite the late hour. There were tables displaying scrolls, books, pills, herbs and other treasures looted from tombs. She walked through the alleys watching people barter for the items they needed. An argument broke out between a seller and a buyer and drew the attention of other passers-by. They moved away once they discovered the gist of the argument. It wasn't the first time someone was selling a rare treasure they'd found in exchange for a legacy. 

Bai li yue stationed herself on the ground facing the entrance. She'd be able to see all who entered without being seen herself. When the foot traffic slowed down to a crawl, she noticed a poster nailed to a nearby table. It was a wanted poster with her name and a pretty close depiction of her face on it. It was asking for information from anyone who might have spotted her.

What's with the poster? Did I commit a crime that i was unaware of?

When morning came, she asked the table owner about it, taking care to disguise her voice.

'That? Shen duyi posted it. He is searching for her.'

'Why?'

'None of my business and I don't think it's yours either. Just keep an eye out for her. I hear the pay is good.' 

Settling back in her spot, she couldn't help but shake her head.

Meixiu was such a mother hen. She'd told her she could take care of herself but she's still gone and asked Shen duyi for a favour. 

I'll go and find him once I'm done here. He's gone above and beyond to do Meixiu a favour. He probably likes her more than he's letting on.

She wasn't going to tell Meixiu her suspicions though. She wasn't a meddler. Bai li yue spent the following days sitting on the ground glancing at each person who entered the market. She had no luck on the first day or the first week, but she finally laid eyes on someone three weeks into the stake out. 

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