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Chapter 4: The Frontier (4)
At that time, she thought that her long gray life had finally been illuminated.
She didn’t care about the loneliness of being alone, nor did she feel sad for her junior brother, Ruan Zhuqing. She wouldn’t even worry about the gossip among her peers anymore because she had something to look forward to in her heart.
She was looking forward to having some free time to meet Xie Yuzhen on the back mountain. Of course, she understood the rules of the sect and didn’t want to embarrass herself, so every time, she would practice hard and rack her brains to come up with a few questions before going to him under the pretense of seeking advice. She would pretend to be indifferent while her heart raced as she talked to Xie Yuzhen.
People said that the young master uncle was diligent, but to Qianyu, it didn’t seem that way. He always fed her some fruits while chatting lazily with her.
More than once, she had talked badly about Lu You to him, saying how everything had gone wrong since Lu You arrived. Naturally, she wasn’t someone easy to mess with, and those who got into her bad books wouldn’t end well. She often provoked Lu You under various pretexts; although it didn’t cause any real harm, seeing Lu You’s eyes turn red and hearing her verbally take a hit at least made her feel satisfied inside.
At these times, Xie Yuzhen would always smile and gently stroke his fingers, listening quietly.
There were some details she should have noticed earlier.
Although Xie Yuzhen practiced the law, he occasionally pointed out her sword techniques and even practiced with her. As a result, Qianyu’s swordsmanship advanced rapidly, and if she could break through one more small cycle, she would be able to level up.
But one day, Shen Suwei observed her swordsmanship and furrowed his brow sharply. “I didn’t teach you that technique. Where did you learn it?”
Most of Xu Qianyu’s swordsmanship was taught by Shen Suwei himself, a small part was guided by her master, and some came from sparring and insights with her fellow disciples. Embarrassed to mention Xie Yuzhen, Xu Qianyu vaguely replied, “Isn’t it good?”
“Too sinister.” Shen Suwei paused for a moment and briefly stated, “I don’t like it.”
Fortunately, he only said, “I don’t like it.”
“I like it,” Qianyu said. “Our Penglai swordsmanship allows for a hundred flowers to bloom. If you, as my senior brother, are like the bright moon and pine wind, wouldn’t you allow me to explore other paths? I like it.”
She insisted on saying “I like it” twice, and Shen Suwei didn’t speak further, as she wished.
However, that day, when her senior brother was fixing her hair, he held her hair in his hands and skillfully fashioned it into a bun. Suddenly, he brought up the previous topic again: “I still find that move to be too peculiar. You shouldn’t use it in the future.”
“Then teach me, senior brother! You vanish for days on end and don’t let me learn from others.” Xu Qianyu was just sniffing a flower when she unexpectedly became angry. She was always prone to morning temper, and Shen Suwei was used to it; his expression didn’t change at all.
“Not today,” he said, maintaining his usual demeanor. “Tomorrow, I will have time to guide you.”
Xu Qianyu naturally knew why he couldn’t today. He had been entrusted by their master to teach Lu You. Lu You had already received personal guidance from their master and required daily tutoring from her senior brother. Qianyu had been holding her frustration in for a long time, and her face darkened.
Shen Suwei continued the previous conversation: “I don’t want to interfere with you. The swordsmanship of the world is varied, and there is no absolute standard. It’s just that your sword style carries an aura of menace, and your moves are provocative. While dangerous, they are repetitive and easy to decipher. If you encounter an opponent who happens to be someone capable of perceiving the truth in danger, it could gradually awaken their potential. At that time, you would be helping them, putting yourself in danger.”
“So what?” Xu Qianyu didn’t listen. “What are the odds of that? I’ll just defeat him before he comprehends anything!”
Shen Suwei stopped speaking.
“Senior brother,” Xu Qianyu turned her face away from the flower and looked into the mirror at the cold-faced sword lord. She still felt resentful. “What’s the difference between you teaching Lu You and teaching me?”
Shen Suwei took a flower and focused on arranging her bun. “I treat everyone equally.”
Xu Qianyu didn’t understand where her deep resentment came from. “So you help her fix her hair too?”
When Xu Qianyu suddenly looked up, the flower fell. Shen Suwei didn’t know why she asked this and bent down to pick it up. Looking at the little junior sister in the mirror, his tone even carried a hint of helplessness. “Junior Sister Lu can do her own hair.”
Indeed. Initially, Xu Qianyu came from a wealthy family and didn’t even know how to braid her hair; when she went out, her bun would be messy. Shen Suwei couldn’t stand it and had someone teach her. But back then, Qianyu was the laughingstock of everyone, and her personality wasn’t likable, which led to fellow junior sisters bullying and humiliating her behind her back, failing to teach her properly.
Xu Qianyu felt wronged, but she was just angry and uncooperative, not knowing how to counterattack those who bullied her.
Shen Suwei could see through her anger and made the decision that Xu Qianyu didn’t need to learn how to do her hair; he arranged for an outer disciple to help her instead. But most of the time, he personally did it.
For him, it wasn’t a difficult task, and while fixing her hair, he could conveniently test her on the spells she had learned the previous day. Even when Qianyu fancied a new hairstyle, he would try his best to learn it. There was nothing he couldn’t accomplish.
The task given to him by their master was to take good care of Xu Qianyu’s martial arts. To save her training time, who did her hair and how was a trivial matter that didn’t require concern. As long as she looked neat and presentable when she went out, it was enough not to disgrace Penglai.
Xu Qianyu thought this reasoning was simple.
Because her position in Penglai was merely that of a sword.
The master would also care for and polish the sword, treating it with great affection so that it would be sharper when drawn.
In the end, was she wrong? Why was her desire expanding endlessly since she saw Lu You?
She wanted someone to care about her thoughts, to pay attention to her emotions, to notice every little detail, and to make a shuttlecock for her just to see her smile. She wanted to be treated like a person, not just a sword.
From then on, she became even more infatuated with her little master uncle.
Perhaps it was from this that her senior brother began to notice something.
“Xu Qianyu.” As she secretly finished applying her lipstick and stepped out the door, she suddenly heard her senior brother calling her by her full name.
She turned around, and Shen Suwei had just brushed past her, walking away with his back turned, looking back only slightly.
His figure stood alone, his robe fluttering; he had a translucent profile like jade, but his expression revealed nothing. After spending ten years in Penglai, Xu Qianyu found it hardest to understand what her senior brother was thinking.
“He’s not a good man; don’t stray off course.”
Having said that, Shen Suwei averted his gaze.
Xu Qianyu felt a bit frightened. For a moment, she doubted whether the entire sect had seen through her little act of coyness. After all, there was a distinction between men and women. Shen Suwei was like a father and an older brother to her, and he couldn’t help but offer a warning. This immediately made her feel very ashamed.
She also thought about how Shen Suwei never commented on the character of others in Penglai, especially those in positions of respect. His statement of “he’s not a good man” was already the extent of his disapproval and discontent. But without any evidence, he could only touch upon it lightly.
Why didn’t he like her little master uncle?
Yet, even his interference with her was so tactful that she had to wrack her brains to guess. After eight years of brother-sisterhood, Shen Suwei treated her just like everyone else in the sect, with no difference.
She felt a little disappointed.
She didn’t want to be “everyone.” If she could choose, she wanted to be “Lu You.”
Xu Qianyu still went to meet Xie Yuzhen.
Here, someone who favored her was too attractive, and for the sake of gaining this person, she was willing to be a moth to a flame.
This rare opportunity to find fault, Xu Qianyu had no reason to let go of Lu You.
At this moment, only half a year had passed since Lu You entered the sect, and her cultivation had already made remarkable progress, successfully establishing her foundation. The duel between the two was no longer a matter of oppression; it was a legitimate sparring match.
Xu Qianyu had rarely been able to keep her composure during these days and nights, diligently practicing with a single purpose: she wanted to defeat Lu You in front of everyone and reclaim her dignity and the attention of all.
Lu You had already achieved a harmony with her sword spirit, Fulong, but she could not withstand Xu Qianyu’s fierce sword intent. Lu You was forced to retreat step by step, and just when she was cornered and about to admit defeat—
Suddenly, the heavens and earth were enveloped in swirling winds and clouds. Lu You’s anxious eyes suddenly brightened, and a surge of spiritual light burst forth from her body, as if wielding the power of heaven and earth, directly knocking Xu Qianyu out of the arena.
That strike was extremely fierce, causing Xu Qianyu to bleed from her mouth and nose. Shen Suwei, who was watching from the spectator seats, reacted quickly and flew off the seat to catch her.
Amidst the cheers from the crowd, Xu Qianyu heard snippets of conversation.
Lu You had gained enlightenment in the midst of danger and had unlocked another spiritual root.
She was a rare dual spiritual root of wind and thunder, an unparalleled genius!
As the crowd gathered around, Shen Suwei had already taken off his outer robe to cover Xu Qianyu’s face. Noticing that she was trembling slightly in his arms, clearly in pain, he paused before saying, “It’s nothing; everyone else go back to watching the match.”
The disciples, seeing that he spoke as usual, thought that Senior Sister was fine, nodded, and dispersed.
Shen Suwei called one over and said, “I broke the rules. You go to the adjudication office and forfeit my remaining matches.”
The other disciple exclaimed, “Huh?” Contestants were not allowed to leave the spectator seats, but since no one had seen him, it could be overlooked. Senior Brother Shen had been third place for two consecutive years. Although the champion was Senior Brother, he could not surpass him, but second place had been taken by disciples from other sects, and Shen Suwei had a good chance of taking it back.
Forfeiting without competing this year would be too regrettable. How would he explain it to the Master?
The disciple looked at Shen Suwei, who was holding the still sulking Xu Qianyu, and hesitated, “How about…”
“Just go.” Shen Suwei had already turned around, carrying Xu Qianyu away.
Cheers and applause came from afar, and the disciple had no choice but to return.
Lu You’s performance resonated throughout the disciple conference, shaking the entire Penglai.
As for Xu Qianyu, who had lost to Lu You that day and nearly broken her nose, she was completely overshadowed by this brilliance.
The Master had come to see her once, but she had blocked him at the door, causing him to leave in anger. Besides her brother, Ruan Zhuqing, and a few other disciples who spoke with her all day at the door, others gradually stopped coming, thinking she was merely throwing a tantrum after losing.
After all, she often acted willfully.
Xu Qianyu remained in her room to recuperate, refusing to see anyone.
Every day, she used half a mirror to look at herself, touching the scars on her nose and lips, hoping that when she met Xie Yuzhen again, she would not have to face him with such an ugly appearance.
In that case, it would be better for Lu You to kill her with one sword at the disciple conference.
Once her face healed, she would finally have the courage to meet Xie Yuzhen.
But she was informed that Uncle Xiao had been disguised by the Demon King, and now the land full of peach blossoms was empty and abandoned.
Penglai was one of the four great immortal sects, and the elders did not respond slowly. When the incident came to light, everyone joined forces to kill the Demon King, making rapid progress. In the half month she spent recuperating, Xie Yuzhen had already turned into a small charred piece in a box.
The two disciples holding the box whispered to each other, “That demon was quite cunning; he managed to escape from the celestial prison.”
“Fortunately, the Master removed a piece of his tailbone. He was originally born from that bone, so now he’s left with only one-tenth of his demonic power and cannot form a climate.”
One person said with disgust, “Why keep something so sinister? What if it falls into the outside world and causes trouble?”
The other person whispered, “Such powerful strength is like a piece of fat meat. Who knows how many sects are eyeing it. It would be a pity to destroy it directly; if it could be used by cultivators, who wouldn’t want it? Those elders would rush to the Liu Ying Pavilion to see it. They must have something in mind, right? Powerful and influential people are generally like this, but I haven’t seen…”
Suddenly, they caught sight of a shadow resembling a ghost approaching, startling them. After realizing it was an inner sect junior sister, they breathed a sigh of relief.
Xu Qianyu stared at them and asked, “What will happen without the demon bone?”
The two were taken aback, then burst into laughter: “Senior sister, don’t worry. He’s definitely doomed.”