Chapter 137: The Choice (Part 9)

“What should we do now?” The sunlight was blinding, and Xu Qianyu leaned her head against her senior brother’s back. “I haven’t cultivated for a few days. Is that important?”

Shen Suwei said lightly, “You’ve already been more diligent than many others. As long as you continue on the right track, a few days won’t ruin the foundation you’ve built over the years.”

Xu Qianyu felt confused.

Because of her playful nature, her master and senior brother often treated her strictly, always trying to hold her back with their words. This was the first time Shen Suwei had praised her honestly, and she didn’t know how to respond.

Shen Suwei continued, “I’ve erased all traces. No one knows where you’ve been. If you don’t want others to know, you can easily make up an excuse.”

Xu Qianyu, leaning against him, fiddled with her hands out of boredom. She suddenly touched several storage pouches in his arms—items usually carried for long journeys.

She asked curiously, “Are you leaving? Where are you going?”

Shen Suwei turned around and grabbed her wrist. “I’m going into seclusion.”

Xu Qianyu’s half-closed eyes suddenly widened, becoming cold and bright. When she stared at him expressionlessly, she exuded an imposing air that made others uneasy.

He knew she was angry but continued, “The place where I’m going into seclusion is the Snow Cliff Cave. You’ve been there before; you know it’s”

Xu Qianyu felt her heart drop sharply, then stop. It was as though something had gripped it tightly, not letting go. She interrupted him sharply. “Why?”

Before he could answer, she continued, “Why are you suddenly going into seclusion? If you’re going into seclusion, why did you bring up the matter of merging our souls? Why did you?”

A series of questions came like a child throwing a tantrum, trying to make him helpless and change his mind. But deep down, she knew it was unlikely.

Because in Shen Suwei’s eyes, she saw that familiar, despairing calmness.

This decisive look appeared every time he made an important decision. She didn’t know if her senior brother ever regretted anything, but when he made up his mind, no one could stop him.

“There’s a problem with my body.” Shen Suwei looked at her and explained calmly, “Between Dao companions, our souls are bound, and our cultivation is shared. If we merge our souls, you would be affected even if you were above the Nascent Soul stage. And right now, you’re only at the Golden Core stage. You’ve been cultivating for too short a time, and if we merged now, your future would be ruined.”

“Moreover…” He stopped, not continuing.

He could feel the surging blood in his chest. This was the feeling he hadn’t experienced when he was in the ruthless Dao.

What he didn’t say was that he knew how dangerous and uncontrollable his nature was deep down.

This lapse was already telling. If they truly merged their souls, nothing would stop him from harming Xu Qianyu in the future.

Back then, when he carved the peach wood into a sword and used it to protect her for five years in the mortal realm, it was to give Xu Qianyu a chance to live a bright life again.

He wanted her to stay vibrant and happy. That was the part he owed her.

And yet, why should he selfishly pull her down, entangling her in a murky situation?

Wasn’t that the same as what the Demon King did back then?

“Qianyu, I brought you into the sect, and it was my teachings that shaped your swordsmanship. I led you onto the Dao, so naturally, I must guide you on your path.” Shen Suwei spoke very slowly, “Your sword intent is bright and beautiful, free from hindrances. Without the love soul, it’s probably the will of heaven. If you revolve around someone or something, you’ll be going against Heaven’s will.”

Xu Qianyu sat under the covers, the sunlight shining on her, but her hands and feet felt numb.

She didn’t feel extreme sadness or grief, just numbness. When she was young, whenever she hugged Shui Rushan, Shui Rushan would pretend to be indifferent and push her away, keeping his distance. Through repeated training, she had grown accustomed to facing parts with indifference.

So, after leaving home, when she found a new place, she was able to enjoy herself again.

And now, this was just another repetition.

Her senior brother was telling her what she had and what she had lost.

“Aren’t you always hoping I could remain your senior brother, just as before? Fine, I promise you.” Shen Suwei was now relieved that Xu Qianyu lacked the love soul—she would never experience the kind of feelings he had. “Our relationship, I hope, will be like the ancient pine trees, not fleeting like a flower.”

Xu Qianyu suddenly stood up and looked at him.

He was right.

Hadn’t she always hoped to be Shen Suwei’s junior sister? Just a few days ago, she thought it would be perfect if they could maintain their previous relationship. Logically, this was exactly what she wanted. So why did these feelings of frustration surge within her?

Shen Suwei’s words weren’t hard to understand, nor was she incapable of understanding them. She had already suspected that after returning from the Demon Realm, there was something about her senior brother that could threaten those around him. That was why Hua Qingyu and others had been stopping her from getting too close to him.

But as long as he wanted her with him, she would agree without hesitation.

Perhaps it was because he didn’t ask her to stay. Precisely because he didn’t ask her to stay.

She felt as though something that belonged to her had been taken away.

A kind of hatred arose toward the person who had coldly taken something from her.

She circled Shen Suwei, but his face remained indifferent, and she realized she even hated his calm demeanor.

“This is the second time,” Xu Qianyu said coldly as she looked at him.

Perhaps he didn’t understand. But in her mind, scenes of disappointment from her past life flashed, and various painful memories surged in her chest, making her shiver with dread.

The person who made her feel that kind of pain, she felt no mercy toward Xie Yuzhen, but she had been too kind to Shen Suwei—why did he have the right?

Xu Qianyu raised an eyebrow, and a sharp, malicious energy poured from her gemstone-like eyes. “Do you think I, Xu Qianyu, am easy to bully? Do you think I’ll just wait here for you? I won’t be your junior sister anymore. You go ahead and retreat into seclusion. Go. Get lost.”

She said then suddenly pulled the mustard seed golden bead from around her neck and smashed it against the bedpost.

Xu Qianyu picked up his sword and clothes, turned, and disappeared.
The mustard seed golden bead rolled to the ground, and after a while, a crack appeared in it. Shen Suwei sat still for a moment, then suddenly covered his mouth as dark red blood surged from his chest.

He was very clear about Xu Qianyu’s temperament—just like this bead, hard and brittle, with no room for negotiation.

Whoever cast her aside would face an irretrievable end.

Shen Suwei had never been scared away by demons in his life, but as he stared at the broken golden bead, he broke into a cold sweat, unable to move. After a while, he finally composed himself and picked up her mustard seed golden bead.

The fragments peeled away, revealing what was inside.

Apart from some miscellaneous items of Xu Qianyu’s, there was half a headpiece, a belt, many neatly cut outer garments, and a crumpled piece of paper with “Senior Brother’s Birthday” written on it, crossed out in large, bold strokes.

Shen Suwei’s eyes darkened, and he wiped his lips with the back of his hand, placing the mustard seed golden bead into his robe.

---

Xu Baopu stood outside waiting for Shen Suwei.

Both were in the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm. Xu Baopu could instantly tell that Shen Suwei’s inner demon was still a grayish embryo but now it had grown limbs. He was furious and grabbed Shen Suwei’s collar: “I told you to meditate in the library; what did you do? Have you lost your mind? Do you not care about your life?”

Instead, Xu Jiansu made a show of separating them with two “hey hey” sounds, smoothing out Shen Suwei’s collar with exaggerated care: “Senior Brother, you’re being unfair; you’re ‘only allowing the local official to set fire but not the common people to light lamps.'”

He glanced at Shen Suwei and smiled: “Junior Brother is a man; wanting a woman is only natural, right? Why do you have to control him? If you can control him, you might as well castrate him.”

Xu Jiansu was completely unaware of the matter with the inner demon. The only piece of information he had gathered was that Xu Binglai wanted Shen Suwei to re-enter the Heartless Path, but Shen Suwei had failed because of his inability to control his desires, which had affected his cultivation.

Upon learning that Shen Suwei was no longer the invincible opponent he had once been, Xu Jiansu couldn’t help but feel gleeful; his mood lightened.

“You better get out of here.” Xu Baopu had no patience for Xu Jiansu’s jokes.

Xu Jiansu never expected the usually mild-mannered Senior Brother to explode in anger. He stood in stunned silence, watching the two leave on their swords, and then turned to focus on his own cultivation.

---

Along the way, Xu Baopu heard that Shen Suwei had agreed to enter seclusion, and he let out a sigh of relief: “It’s best that you’ve made up your mind. Senior Brother was once young, and I know what it’s like. The Dao is long, and once you’ve chosen the path of cultivation, you have to learn to let go. What’s missed is just fate, and in this world, many things are out of reach. Over time, the feeling fades.”

Xu Baopu wanted to tell Shen Suwei that he had already begged the sect leader on his behalf.
Having been close brothers for many years, Xu Baopu had rarely seen Shen Suwei so obsessed.
Unable to bear his suffering, he had mustered the courage to ask the sect leader whether Xu Qianyu could be given to Shen Suwei, since they were clearly a good match. If they closed themselves off together, perhaps there could still be a turning point.

But when Xu Binglai heard this, he carefully extracted the details of the inner demon issue and then exploded in anger, slapping him out of the cave.

Xu Binglai had told him that Xu Qianyu was his own sister. Even if she wasn’t, she was a disciple from the inner sect; how could he disregard the life of his sister just for personal feelings?

“Xu Qianyu only has a Golden Core. You dare place her next to a Nascent Soul with an inner demon? It’s like putting a rabbit next to a wolf. Do you expect the wolf to have a conscience? You’ll be the one collecting her corpse.”

Xu Baopu’s face was pale, and for several days, he couldn’t regain his composure.

At least now, there was still a chance for recovery.

If Shen Suwei could cultivate properly and keep his inner demon controlled to this extent, with careful management, life wouldn’t be harder than before. If they both did well, wouldn’t that be the best outcome?

---

At the entrance of the Snow Cliff Cave, the snow was thick, and the light from the sky was bright.
Xu Baopu took out the Sect Leader’s token from his sleeve: “This Sect Leader’s token…”

Originally, Xu Binglai had told him that if Shen Suwei refused to leave, he could forcefully bring him back under the guise of strict sect rules. But since Shen Suwei cooperated, there was no need to use it.

Shen Suwei said, “Give it to me.”

The sect leader’s token was a square jade disk, symbolizing the authority of the sect leader. Its function was similar to that of a command token in the mortal realm.

As soon as Shen Suwei took it, two strands of primordial energy shot out, locking his limbs like shackles and controlling him.

Shen Suwei flicked his wrist and returned the token to his sleeve, and drops of blood-like plum blossoms bloomed on the snow.

Xu Baopu hadn’t expected that the Sect Leader’s token contained such a hidden mechanism. He was shocked.

Shen Suwei instead smiled: “It’s fine; Master has always had this temper. Before I joined the sect, he feared I was hard to tame, so he once passed an iron chain through my pipa bone.”

He understood that this was Xu Binglai’s anger. What angered Xu Binglai was that when he sent Xu Qianyu to be Shen Suwei’s disciple, he had thought highly of him for being meticulous, but who knew that he had crossed the line with his own daughter? He truly felt deeply betrayed.

He didn’t blame Xu Baopu for letting it slip. This matter couldn’t be kept secret; sooner or later, Xu Binglai would find out.

---

Xu Baopu watched Shen Suwei’s back as he walked away. The swirling snow wrapped around his white shirt, making it appear light and fluttering. His stride was as usual, but each step must have been excruciating.

“Junior Brother,” Xu Baopu caught up, “There’s no need to endure this. Why not drink some Forgetfulness Water and forget everything? After that, cultivate the Heartless Path, and Master will no longer punish you.”

Shen Suwei lightly tossed a sentence over his shoulder: “I won’t cultivate it.”

---

Two days later, Xu Qianyu dared return to Zhaoyue Palace.

She pushed open the door, and as Shen Suwei had promised, he had quietly disappeared. She looked around; the familiar place now seemed strange: her desk was all tidied up, the bedding folded neatly. The vase and flowers on the vanity were gone.

She noticed some familiar boxes in the room.

She opened the box and found her things—her clothes, jewelry, and gold that she had brought from home, later stored in Shen Suwei’s “realm.”

Her things—he had returned them all.

Xu Qianyu felt a surge of fear and could not control her intense anger. She kicked the corner of the box. Inside, the jewelry clinked against each other, producing a crisp sound.

That wasn’t enough. She pulled out the books that Shen Suwei had lent her years ago, the ones with his notes tucked inside. She shoved them into the box, summoned the spirit crane, and had it carry everything back to the Snow Cliff Cave.

Outside the Snow Cliff Cave, snow and wind swirled together.

The spirit crane’s beak knocked on the seal outside the cave. The box, not accustomed to the cold wind, was blown apart. By the time Shen Suwei emerged, the crane could no longer bear the cold and flew up into the sky, leaving only a long, mournful cry behind.

Two stacks of books were abandoned in the snow. They were piled high, and the books on top toppled over with a sound.

Shen Suwei moved the books back into the room and placed them on his desk.

After a moment, he stubbornly opened each one, flipping through the pages, and finally, in the middle of one of the books, he saw the letter butterfly he had tucked inside that day.

The letter butterfly was still blank, with not a single word written on it.

He understood. Xu Qianyu had no intention of sending any message. She hadn’t even bothered to open the books; she simply didn’t want them anymore and was returning them to him.

Shen Suwei sat before the books, suddenly recalling that he still had a letter butterfly here.

He took out the letter butterfly from his sleeve. Back then, Xu Qianyu was an outer disciple and not used to writing with consciousness. The words on it were crooked and uneven, reading:

“Anyway, sooner or later, I’ll be your junior sister.”

Since receiving it, he has kept it until now.

He looked at it for a moment, shook off the words written on it, and sent the letter butterfly flying back.

Xu Qianyu watched as the letter butterfly fluttered toward her, its wings shimmering with light in the evening glow.

She caught it—this was a blank letter butterfly.

When Shen Suwei had once tested her feelings, he had sent several blank letter butterflies.

He seemed to enjoy manipulating her, teasing her, and subtly guiding her thoughts. Just like now, she didn’t know what Shen Suwei really meant.

Xu Qianyu stared at the blank letter butterfly for a long time, her fingers gently closing around it, then crushed it with force. Gold dust spilled from her fingers.