The No.1 Undercover in the Immortal World-Chapter 743 - 251: The Dao Heart Wavers

There is an old saying, "To attack a city is inferior, to attack the heart is superior."

Merely in terms of swordsmanship, Lin Yun actually had enough skills to contend with Liu Ji, and even ways to defeat him. However, Lin Yun felt it best not to use the Holy Spirit Sword Intent he had learned from Tai Bai at this moment.

It was a trump card kept in reserve; if it were revealed merely for the sake of a sparring match, wouldn’t that be a waste?

But other Sword Intents, if used, would only put Liu Ji at a disadvantage; defeating him, however, was rather unrealistic.

After all, Lin Yun was only aiming to stall for time; victory or defeat was not within his considerations. Keeping more of his energy and achieving his greatest purpose, that has always been Lin Yun’s mode of operation.

Zhang Biyu, although her main attention was placed on the mountain and Wu Xin, also spared some thoughts to watch the contest between Liu Ji and Lin Yun.

She had thought that although Liu Ji had been led by the nose from the start and suppressed his own abilities to match swords with Lin Yun, he would still be able to gain the upper hand. Unexpectedly, Lin Yun had found a weakness in his mindset.

What made Zhang Biyu’s feelings even more complicated was the fact that it was she herself who had truly opened up that inner vulnerability in Liu Ji.

Zhang Biyu knew she was a heartless person and never believed in true human emotions, be it parental love or romantic affection. The so-called unbreakable loyalty or blood being thicker than water were all but jokes to her.

As long as there were sufficient benefits, nothing was sacrificial.

Having seen so much, Zhang Biyu had naturally become desensitized.

It was precisely because she had seen so much that she was more convinced that no one could be relied on, except for oneself.

Once she understood this, naturally, she relied on her own intelligence to become extremely adept in the art of tea.

Without a change in expression, she could make others fall for her, but she would not invest any emotions in return.

But Liu Ji was an exception.

Ever since Zhang Biyu realized that Liu Ji was an utterly straightforward man, she had not thought about taking action against him.

Tricking Ji Ye, who thought he was clever but was actually a fool, was easy. To deceive someone like Liu Ji, who was as steadfast as iron in his pursuit, was as hard as climbing to heaven; furthermore, Liu Ji was remarkably powerful, not someone to be trifled with lightly.

As they spent more time together, they genuinely became good friends, and naturally, there was no reason for her to take action against Liu Ji.

Not until she discovered that such a man as Liu Ji would actually shed tears for her death and fight to the death with the Grand Shaman for her did her frost-bound heart begin to ripple slightly.

But she had only toyed with Liu Ji a bit, nothing more.

Yet now, seeing Liu Ji being bullied by Lin Yun, Zhang Biyu could not help but feel a fire within her. She longed to secretly trip Lin Yun up, giving him a taste of his own medicine to let him understand there are always greater powers.

Where would Lin Yun, who does not uphold the martial arts morals, care about what Zhang Biyu thinks? After all, Wu Xin was watching over Zhang Biyu, so there shouldn’t be any problems.

At the end of the day, Wu Xin was a Heart Demon that has lived for nearly ten thousand years; demonkind is naturally somewhat stronger than humankind, and with nearly ten thousand years of accumulation, unless she encountered something that countered her attributes, Wu Xin would usually be superior in strength.

And as for Zhang Biyu, even if she had just broken through to the Defiant Heavenly Realm, it wouldn’t have been for long—surely Wu Xin wouldn’t let Zhang Biyu get the better of her, right?

Wu Xin: "..."

For some reason, she suddenly felt enveloped by a force...

Liu Ji narrowly parried another sword strike from Lin Yun, but his mind was still contemplating the sentence Lin Yun had just said.

As Lin Yun launched another sword attack, he muttered, "What is the meaning of ’capturing’ her heart?"

Lin Yun: "..."

Zhang Biyu: "..."

Wu Xin: "..."

I thought you were emotionally disturbed by this matter; I didn’t realize you were actually confused about what ’capturing’ means.

Good lord, really a good lord.

Lin Yun was left speechless, even iron isn’t as straightforward as you are!

So much so that Lin Yun felt embarrassed to even strike again, and instead explained, "The meaning of ’capturing,’ is to make her fall for you, to occupy an extremely important place in her heart, and then..."

Naturally, the key part was this ’then.’

But there were so many people watching the battle here, and Lin Yun, after all, was a gentleman of modesty—though privately somewhat disreputable, having even experienced foursomes—yet in front of so many people, perhaps Qian Qian was still paying attention to this place, so Lin Yun naturally had to be more polite.

However, before he could steadily speak of what was to be done ’then,’ Liu Ji nodded and said, "I understand."

Indeed, the comprehension of a man is strong.

Lin Yun inwardly sighed, only to hear Liu Ji continue, "What you referred to as ’capturing,’ is making her fall for me, to become a very important part of her heart, but she has her aspirations, her conviction in pursuing the way is very firm. How could I, because of my own selfish desires, hinder her from pursuing the Dao?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Biyu felt the ripples in her heart expand a bit, as if cracks had appeared on the surface of the ice.

"Besides, my bond with her runs too deep, and it would also affect my pursuit of Sword Dao."

Zhang Biyu: "..."

Well, the ripples have been calmed.

Liu Ji was speaking rationally and objectively, but Lin Yun knew people well, and in Liu Ji’s few words, he found the loophole.

"When you mention personal desires, does that mean you acknowledge you harbor some desires towards Zhang Biyu?"

Liu Ji: "..."

Though he wanted to accuse Lin Yun of twisting his words, on examining his heart, he found Lin Yun’s statement was not without truth.

As a Sword Cultivator, he would not stoop to lying to himself.

But Zhang Biyu was close by, how could he dare to admit it?

This was quite the social faux pas for Liu Ji.

Liu Ji remained silent, and Lin Yun took it as agreement.

"A gentleman admires a gentlewoman, and moreover, it is normal for a man to have thoughts about a woman, isn’t it? There’s no need to worry too much about it hindering your pursuit of the Dao. Don’t you know, the Dao is called Yin and Yang, the harmonious interplay of Yin and Yang is the principle of nature and human relations; there’s nothing shameful about it, right?"

Zhang Biyu listened until her cheeks blushed, and Liu Ji was even more overwhelmed.

Imagining an ethical and humane scene with Zhang Biyu, his expression also became twisted.

This was the symptom of forcibly trying to stay calm, yet being unable to.

Lin Yun observed his surroundings and listened attentively, noticing that his colleagues had restrained both Liu Ji and Zhang Biyu, which filled his heart with pride. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Worthy of me.

Verbal sparring, truly the mightiest weapon!

You think I’m fighting a 1V1, but actually, I’m dealing AOE damage.

Seeing Liu Ji lost in thought, Lin Yun immediately pressed his advantage, saying, "The so-called pursuit of the Dao, neither strict self-restraint nor unbridled indulgence is advisable. First and foremost, you must know why you seek the Dao, what to accept and what to eschew."

Liu Ji: "..."

It was as if he could hear the sound of his own Dao heart cracking.

At this moment, Liu Ji had lost all interest in crossing swords with Lin Yun; he became lost in contemplation.

Lin Yun also didn’t take advantage of this moment to launch a sneak attack.

To hold off is to succeed, in this round of cunning, he was already the winner.

Liu Ji gained insight, while Wu Xin watched Zhang Biyu, with nothing more to do than to wait for the Snow Maiden to decide the victory or defeat on her own.

In the battlefield of her heart, no one could help her.

What Lin Yun could do was simply to help her clear away external factors.

However, Liu Ji’s enlightenment occurred much faster than anticipated. Expecting to keep Liu Ji occupied for at least half an hour, Lin Yun didn’t expect that within just a few breaths’ time, Liu Ji would regain clarity from his enlightenment.

"I understand now."

Liu Ji’s face was stern, like a freshly honed blade, he calmly stated, "You’re right, I admit, I harbor personal desire for her."

"Oh snap!"

Lin Yun let out a spectator’s characteristic ’oh snap,’ turning his gaze toward Zhang Biyu.

Zhang Biyu’s pretty face couldn’t help but flush with two spots of red.

What the hell, it sure made her feel really embarrassed.

However, her blush was purely a reflex, her tea ceremony skills had become involuntary.

Truth be told, this slightly shy appearance was indeed likely to make one’s heart flutter.

Even straight guys can’t resist this temptation!

But Liu Ji just glanced at Zhang Biyu, then looked away. He spoke with great determination, "Even so, I do not plan on doing anything about her. Our relationship is that of noble friends; how could I let my own desires hinder her pursuit of the Dao?"

Lin Yun couldn’t help but applaud and remarked with a sigh, "I’ve heard a very sensible saying before, desire is possession, love is giving. It seems I’ve underestimated you, you love her!"

Liu Ji pondered for a moment, then nodded, seemingly agreeing with Lin Yun’s words.

"You’re right, I love her."

Zhang Biyu: "..."

Her heart pounded fiercely.

Is this the critical hit rate of an honest and straightforward man?

He doesn’t take action often, but when he does, it’s a direct hit.

Because Liu Ji was an utterly honest person, his words were genuine and unpretentious, resulting in such an effect.

If Lin Yun had said he loved her to Zhang Biyu, she probably wouldn’t have had any reaction at all.

But Liu Ji was different; the calm yet resolute way he expressed himself echoed in Zhang Biyu’s mind, lingering incessantly.

Her heart, which had been frozen to bits, felt unexpectedly warm at this moment, as if coming back to life.

Lin Yun was still unaware of the connection between Zhang Biyu and the Snow Maiden. In this situation, he was, of course, enthusiastically eating melon.

And this melon was one he had stirred up himself, sweet indeed.

"Since that’s the case, why don’t you two get together and be a carefree pair of immortal lovers?"

Liu Ji fell silent, aware of his own feelings yet unsure of what Zhang Biyu thought. Zhang Biyu’s resolve in the Dao was strong, and she probably only regarded him as a friend all along!

Today, for Lin Yun to draw out such personal matters was likely already creating trouble for Zhang Biyu.

As for Zhang Biyu’s previous teasing of him, Liu Ji certainly didn’t take it seriously.

She loved to tease others, and Liu Ji wasn’t oblivious to that.

Seeing Liu Ji silent, Zhang Biyu’s heart also slowly fell back down to the bottom of the valley.

She thought of her past experiences.

She had already had a child.

Men in this world highly value chastity; even though Liu Ji loved her, he might not be able to accept her as she was.

Despite the fact that it was by a woman holding her down to inject Life Essence, this body could not be considered chaste either.

Moreover, living in the world, seeking the ease of unfettered existence is never easy.

If one lacks absolute strength, one is only subjected to manipulation and ridicule by others.

Heh, Lin Yun truly had a knack for things, actually causing her firm heart towards the Dao to waver.

But this time, she would not waver anymore.

Zhang Biyu looked toward the mountain, where the aura had once again changed...