Chapter 013

“Hey, you guys,”

The woman dragged her sword as she opened the cupboard door and saw one person curled up like a ball, and another with a twisted face, eyes closed, holding a sword pointed at her child.

“What kind of expression is that?”

“…”

“…”

“You really did well to hide in such a secluded place. Zhaolan told me there was a mark, and I followed it, searching for a long time before I finally found this spot.”

Zhaoyang leaned on her sword, crouching down on one knee. The person across from her was so scared that the sword fell from their hand. Zhaoxue, hiding in the shadows, was crying and hiccupping at the same time.

She tumbled out of the cupboard, crawling and rolling, and hugged Zhaoyang’s neck. Her cries were those of relief and joy after surviving a disaster.

“We’re saved, thank goodness…”

Ji Xueshou was so frightened that his face turned pale. For a while, he didn’t react. He weakly leaned against the cupboard door, trying to push himself up using it for support. After several attempts, he finally stood up unsteadily.

Zhaoyang patted her back to comfort her, “It’s alright now, it’s alright.”

She looked at the wounds on Ji Xueshou and asked, “Can you still walk on your own?”

Ji Xueshou nodded weakly.

“Then, follow me closely.”

After that, she led the two children and walked outside.

Outside, most of the magical beasts had already been cleared out, the dust settling. The ground was covered with the carcasses of the beasts, a gruesome scene.

Zhaoxue held Zhaoyang’s hand and covered her mouth, trying to suppress the urge to vomit. Carefully and cautiously, they avoided stepping on the bodies along the way. She looked back at Ji Xueshou, hesitated for a moment, then said, “You should go back first.”

This isn’t over yet. She still had things to tell her eldest sister, but Ji Xueshou had nothing to do with all this. He should go back and rest early.

He nodded and turned to leave in another direction.

Zhaoxue watched his figure disappear, then took the paper out of her pocket and handed it to her eldest sister.

“This is… when did you draw this?”

Seeing Zhaoyang’s surprised expression, Zhaoxue couldn’t help but feel a bit proud. It turned out she could surprise even Zhaoyang.

“Last night.” She didn’t explain the details carefully. “Eldest sister, you should know, right? That terrifying snake demon—he must be the master of this place. How did you manage to hold him off?”

“Senior brother helped us. Without him, I wouldn’t have been able to get inside to find you so quickly. That evil spirit is very strong, but unfortunately, he was seriously injured. Their battle should be nearing its end. You don’t need to worry too much.”

Zhaoyang put away the paper and praised, “Your map is very useful. Studying formations requires finding the formation’s core as much as possible. This is a tricky formation, closely related to the building’s structure. At first, we couldn’t enter the mansion or locate the formation core, so we were stuck outside for a long time. Now the formation has been forcibly broken by the Lu family, but since most areas were damaged in the battle, they haven’t seen the original architectural layout. Your map might be very valuable to those researching the formation.”

“The Lu family?”

Zhaoxue vaguely remembered something but had no deep impression. More than that, she was now more reassured by something else—that no matter how powerful the demon was, it could no longer cause trouble.

Her eldest sister’s senior brother, Jiang Lingfeng, really was a very strong person. Such a powerful demon—Zhaoxue didn’t even have the courage to look him in the eye, yet he could hold his own in battle.

Thinking this, Zhaoxue accidentally said it out loud.

“That’s right.”

Zhaoyang held her hand and walked forward.

“Senior brother is the Sword Sovereign, worthy of his title. Even after our master ascended to immortality, he never slacked in his cultivation. He rarely makes a move, but when he does, it’s almost never… no, I have never seen him lose.”

“Such strong power.”

“Zhaoxue, you’re not weak either, just lacking a good foundation.”

Suddenly, Zhaoyang changed the subject.

“What?” Zhaoxue didn’t understand her words at first.

“Although I don’t know what happened, you managed to hold on in such a place until we came to rescue you. And you even drew a map of the formation area, leaving marks all along the way…”

Zhaoyang didn’t look back, she just kept pulling Zhaoxue forward, avoiding the intense battle zones. She looked ahead but seemed lost in thought.

“You’ve been this clever since you were a child—quick-witted and sharper than anyone else. After I learned to read, I came across a saying: ‘Excessive wisdom often leads to harm.’ Zhaoxue, maybe your inability to cultivate is the price you pay. I understand that, but I’ve never been able to accept it.

Later, I was chosen by the Hidden Sword Sect as an inner disciple and brought to the mountain to train with our master and senior brother. At that time, I saw many outer disciples with patchy spiritual roots and poor, even foolish, talent. Yet even so, their lives were worlds apart from ordinary people, as if separated by a water mirror.”

“At that time, I kept wondering—why can’t you?”

Zhaoyang stopped walking, turned around, and looked at the stunned Zhaoxue.

“Why can those dull-witted people dream of becoming immortals, but my sister, Zhaoxue, cannot cultivate?”

Zhaoxue’s heart was pounding.

“I’ve been thinking about how to help you reach the threshold, how to reset your talent. I was planning to prepare for a few more years, but unexpectedly, you took the initiative to ask me.”

“When you begged me like that, I couldn’t say no.”

“Before, I…”

Zhaoxue paused, recalling what she had said to Zhaoyang on the training ground that day, and said in surprise, “I thought that matter was already hopeless.”

“I said I would carefully consider it.”

“But… just consider.” She was used to hearing words like that.

“Of course I have to consider carefully. That’s an important decision that could affect your whole life. Besides, I still have to explain the situation to our mother and father, and not just them—senior brother too…”

“Wait!”

Zhaoxue widened her eyes. “Big sister, have you already told the people around you? Your fellow disciples, and your senior brother…?”

“Of course.”

Zhaoxue felt a bit dazed. “So it’s not just empty words, you really mean it…”

“Because once I promise you, I can’t take it back. I have to make this decision seriously. After taking you away, I have to plan the route, decide where you’ll live once we return to the Hidden Sword Sect, and figure out what excuse to use so you can stay legitimately. There are so many things to consider one by one, so unknowingly, a lot of time has passed.”

“I thought…”

Zhaoxue muttered, then quickly stopped herself. “I remember back then, big sister, you weren’t willing at first. Then mother called me over and what she said hinted at the same.”

“Did she refuse you?”

“Not directly.”

“She hasn’t told our family’s decision, including Zhaolan, and she doesn’t know my real thoughts. At first, I really didn’t want to bring you along because it’s too dangerous.”

Zhaoyang gripped the sword hilt and raised her hand. The beautiful, smooth blade flashed a sharp, cold light under the sun—yet blood stained it, flowing down along the blade—ugly, dirty blood from the monstrous beasts.

“Although I could use the Purification Technique—a simple little spell—to clean it off, I still want you to see this. This is the normal reality of the demon-clearing path. Maybe I’m exaggerating a bit, but I’ve always been afraid you couldn’t handle it, and scared that any mistake of mine might put you in danger or cause unexpected problems. I always thought you staying at home was the safest.”

As Zhaoyang spoke, she raised the sword, and under the sunlight, suddenly pulled Zhaoxue close and swung the blade behind her.

In the blink of an eye, blood splattered, and a stray demon fell down behind Zhaoxue, not even able to let out a cry.

“Later, I realized I was wrong—because even if you stay at home updating the chat group every day, you’re not really safe. Besides, you’re so unhappy. And all the worries I had about you being in danger on the demon-clearing path were unnecessary.”

Zhaoyang raised her hand and wiped the blood off Zhaoxue’s cheek.

“Senior brother and I will accompany you all the way. This time, no matter what accidents happen, whether senior brother is there or not, it doesn’t matter.”

“Because, just like today, I will take action.”

She spoke while holding Zhaoxue’s hand tightly, her words feeling warm, strong, and reassuring.

—

After Zhaoxue left the house with Zhaoyang, she saw Jiang Lingfeng approaching from the opposite direction, carefully wiping his fingertips with a handkerchief.

Instinctively, Zhaoxue slowed her pace and stayed behind Zhaoyang.

“Senior brother.”

Zhaoyang nodded and walked over. “How is it?”

“He escaped but is seriously injured. Probably no chance of survival,” he replied calmly.

Zhaoxue quietly observed him from behind Zhaoyang.

So calm and composed—truly worthy of the title Sword Sovereign.

She also noticed the white handkerchief was spotless, just like his hands—clean and flawless.

…Wonder what he was wiping off.

Just then, a voice came from above.

Zhaoyang gently patted her head. “Zhaoxue.”

Zhaoxue slowly stepped out from behind Zhaoyang. “Thank you, Senior Brother Jiang, for saving me.”

“Senior brother was the one I called,” Zhaoyang said, a bit helpless.

“No problem,” Jiang Lingfeng replied, his gaze briefly sweeping over Zhaoxue before he turned and walked away.

Why does it feel like she’s the one getting a favor? At his age, he could be her uncle.

“To be honest, calling him senior brother is the real loss for me,” Zhaoxue muttered quietly.

Zhaoyang: “…”

“Forget it. Zhaoxue, you should go back first. I’ll stay to handle some things.”

Zhaoyang said this, then looked at the girl and added, “This time the formation was broken by the Lu family from Xuecheng, right? Do you know that the Lu family isn’t related to us at all—so why would they help us for no reason?”

“…I don’t know.”

“Senior brother actually hates these kinds of things. He’s used to working alone. Even though he helps innocent people when his ability allows, this is the first time he’s had to ask others for help.”

Zhaoxue lowered her head. “I understand, big sister. I just…”

She fell silent for a moment, but in the end said nothing, only shook her head. “I’m very tired. I’ll go back and rest first.”

She said that, turned, and followed the family guards.

Halfway down the path, she couldn’t help but look back at that white figure.

Jiang Lingfeng.

She knew he was cold but upright, and that he saved her.

But she couldn’t forget that dream.

In the ending, he didn’t lend a hand to the great fire. He still seemed like that aloof immortal above the clouds, with eyes like eternal ice, ignoring her pitiful pleas.

At that time, she knelt in the filthy ruins beside her dying mother, completely miserable.

He was up in the clouds, like a pure bright moon, spotless and untouchable.

After that, Zhaoxue kept wondering—was this man truly rigorously upholding his own code of justice, or was it… just guilt?

In any case, she was very afraid of him.

His strength was overwhelming, almost beyond what Zhaoxue could imagine. Even that terrifying monster was driven back by him.

Zhaoxue knew he was her mission, but before understanding him better, she didn’t want to confront him directly.

After all, not everyone was Ji Xueshou.

—

Jiang Lingfeng folded the handkerchief.

He closed his eyes and could still recall the scene of that timid girl hiding behind Zhaoyang.

Her pale face was dirty with dust, with some dried dark red bloodstains. Her hair was messy, the left side was completely loose, hanging over her thin shoulder, and her clothes were all disheveled.

From head to toe, only her sharply contrasting black-and-white eyes were bright, though deep dark circles shadowed them, and tiredness was clear—but he could still clearly feel that these were special eyes, different from theirs.

Those eyes were the same as when they first met.

Filled with deep alienation and fear of him.

Even so, she reluctantly said “Thank you, senior brother,” and muttered quietly behind her back, thinking he couldn’t hear.

Jiang Lingfeng opened his eyes. Suddenly, he realized what was in her gaze.

It was her vitality.