Chapter 139: The Choice (Part 11)

Xu Qianyu returned to her previous life just like that.
By her side was a sword, and on the headboard, a sword manual. In the early morning, half awake and half asleep, she bit a red ribbon to tie her hair into a bun, silently reciting a page of mental cultivation techniques.

Hua Qingyu, half curious and half suspicious, stared at her: “You keep mumbling something; you’re not cursing me, are you?”

Xu Qianyu nodded.

Hua Qingyu: “…”

Xu Qianyu did not expect Hua Qingyu to take revenge on her that very night.

That night, she was poked several times, then poked again. Drowsily opening her eyes, she saw a pale, skeletal face floating in the dim night, scaring her so much that she went limp all over and grabbed her sword to strike.

When the lights finally brightened, she realized it was Hua Qingyu bent over, looking at her. Xu Qianyu cursed, “What are you doing, staying up and bothering me?”

Hua Qingyu angrily flicked the blade of the sword with his finger, then threw it aside. “I should be asking you that! What were you doing, walking around in my room, pacing back and forth like there’s something under the floor? It was so creepy! I came to check on you, and you turned it into me having malicious intent.”

“Impossible.” Xu Qianyu was confused. “I was sleeping soundly, and you had to wake me up with that face of yours.”

“Fine, next time I’ll use a memory bead to record it for you.” Hua Qingyu pointed at her, furiously getting back into bed. He threw a memory bead onto the bed canopy. “I’ll hang it now!”

System: “Well, you did move around…”

The bed canopy was lowered, and Xu Qianyu numbly enclosed herself within her bed.

She was now wide awake. Listening to the sound of the cicadas outside, she suddenly realized that what had happened wasn’t entirely impossible.

When she was a child, she used to have a sleepwalking problem. Her sleepwalking involved searching for her nonexistent mother everywhere, and it only gradually stopped as she grew older. After she entered the sect, she once caused the spiritual pool to take the form of a tree, and the spiritual energy leaked out, causing a few episodes of sleepwalking. Shen Suwei had helped her reshape the spiritual pool, and since then, it had never happened again.

So why had she started sleepwalking again?

It seemed it was because she had ascended too quickly. The spiritual pool hadn’t been properly solidified yet. She probably needed to increase her cultivation efforts.

That night, Xu Qianyu sent ten messenger butterflies to urge Xu Binglai to come and find someone to spar with her.

The Next Day, Xu Qianyu dragged her sword out of the door and saw Xu Jiansu, who looked grim, standing at the entrance, looking like he’d had a run of bad luck.

“Second Senior Brother?” Xu Qianyu asked. “Are you here to spar with me?”

She hadn’t expected that after pushing Shen Suwei aside, the task would fall to her. Xu Jiansu, holding back his resentment, said, “What’s with all this fuss? You’ve only been practicing swordplay for a few years. Just find a dummy to practice with. Do you really need to drag me, a Nascent Soul cultivator, to play with you?”

Xu Qianyu was dissatisfied by his words. “When Third Senior Brother was around, he always sparred with me. Why can’t you do it too? Teaching the junior sisters is part of your duty.”

Xu Jiansu liked unruly women, but that didn’t mean he liked an overbearing junior sister. He shot her a glance, with a heavy warning in his eyes. “You really don’t hold back, do you?”

Now that Xu Qianyu was also at the Nascent Soul stage and had the power to fight, she wasn’t afraid of angering him. Plus, it would be a good opportunity to test whether Xu Jiansu’s skills were on par with Shen Suwei’s.

“Second Senior Brother.” Xu Qianyu pointed her sword at his chest. “Let’s see how you do.”

Xu Jiansu didn’t expect this junior sister, whom he had ignored for so long, to become so bold.
He decided to teach her a lesson. His Lingbo Sword was drawn with a flash of red light, and he intended to knock her to the ground.

However, after their swords clashed, Xu Jiansu’s expression changed. He reined in his casual, mocking smile, and his brows furrowed in a fierce manner.

A woman’s strength shouldn’t be this great, but Xu Qianyu’s sword intent was unusually heavy. Her wooden sword contained an immense force, and it tangled with his sharp and beautiful Lingbo Sword, causing his wrist to tremble. He couldn’t lift his hand.

Xu Jiansu’s gaze on Xu Qianyu turned cold, his face paling. This was an unbearable humiliation. It meant that Shen Suwei had pulled ahead of him by quite a distance, to the point where even his junior sister could fight him to a standstill.

Xu Jiansu’s swordplay grew sharper and fiercer, with spiritual energy erupting from his spiritual pool like a swimming dragon.

Sword Qi slashed across Xu Qianyu’s skin, knocking her to the ground face-first. A wave of pain shot through her body. She could tell that he showed no mercy because Shen Suwei had never wounded her like this before.

Just as she was thinking about this, the Lingbo sword swung towards her neck. Suddenly, Xu Qianyu’s collar turned into a Phoenix Butterfly, flying out on its own and fluttering straight into Xu Jiansu’s face. Xu Qianyu rolled under the sword and, with a burst of strength, pushed Xu Jiansu to the ground.

“What the hell?” Xu Jiansu barely managed to swat the butterfly away. “What’s this? We’re supposed to be sparring, not—”

Xu Baopu rushed in, sweeping them apart. “Xu Jiansu, how could you attack your junior sister?”
Xu Jiansu replied, “Didn’t you see her straddle my face and hit me?”

Sparring with Xu Jiansu often turned into mutual brawling. When he got serious, he really went for it. But this kind of life-or-death struggle only strengthened her resolve.

Xu Jiansu was a dominant figure within the sect, and it had been a long time since anyone had challenged him. From initially ignoring her to now waiting outside her door every morning for their sparring sessions, he would even knock rhythmically on her window if she hadn’t woken up yet, just to make sure she didn’t sleep in.

Once, when she lay still on the floor, thinking whether Xu Jiansu would take advantage of the moment and ambush her, Xu Jiansu suddenly grabbed her by the shoulder and lifted her up. In his eyes, she saw a flicker of unease. He looked her over, and only then did he let out a sigh of relief. “Can you stop tempting me? Don’t you know I can’t hold back? If I hurt you, Master will chop off my head.”

He then half-dragged, half-carried her to the healer’s room, where he took a large number of pills and a sweet fruit.

Xu Qianyu didn’t particularly enjoy sparring with Xu Jiansu. She was just trying to increase her cultivation and tire herself out so she could sleep more soundly.

Xu Qianyu didn’t want to show weakness in front of Hua Qingyu. To prevent herself from sleepwalking again, she closed her eyes before bed and adjusted her breathing.

Unconsciously, her fingers brushed over the thin red string on her wrist. She twirled it, feeling a bit of sorrow in her heart.

Tomorrow was Shen Suwei’s birthday.
And she was the only one in the sect who knew.

---

The wind from the Snow Cliff Cave made the red string pendant on the sword chime softly.

Shen Suwei noticed that the double fish on the pendant was damaged, and he carefully removed the red string from the Qi Su Sword, placing it in his realm.

After practicing swordplay in the snowstorm, he sheathed his sword and performed a purification gesture. Then, from the mustard seed gold bead left by Xu Qianyu, he took out his outer robe and hairpin.

His clothes were simple because he feared that anything too luxurious would catch attention and bring danger.

Xu Qianyu knew this about him, which was why she gave him the Qi Su Sword. However, the clothes she had given him were all in an extravagant style, something he wouldn’t normally wear.
This was her private intention.

Shen Suwei neatly organized the clothes and thought to himself, As expected, she likes beautiful things.

With an expressionless face, Shen Suwei brushed his hair, put on the hairpin, and donned the robe.

The chains that bound him rattled slightly with each movement, pulling on his soul. His hands trembled slightly, but he still slowly fastened the collar, not in a hurry. He looked into the mirror made of ice. The golden embroidery on his robe shimmered, and in the reflection, he seemed to shine like polished jade, though there was something different about him compared to before.

Is this pretty enough?

He stared coldly at his reflection. His long black hair, his crimson lips, and the faint gold trimming gave him a dazzling, glass-like appearance, hiding the countless wounds beneath.

He didn’t think much about his appearance, only wondering how he could make Xu Qianyu like him. That way, her intention in gifting him these things wouldn’t be in vain.

The chains on his wrist seemed to sense his thoughts, suddenly multiplying from eight to sixteen. Shen Suwei’s eyelash fluttered, and his spiritual energy surged through his meridians, blood droplets splattering as he broke free from the chains.

This quick and decisive strike had clearly been planned for a long time, rehearsed countless times.

He dared to run!

The chains clattered to the ground and alarms rang out. The chains, like a softbodied creature, shot up again, expanding into a larger net of sixteen strands. Shen Suwei’s Qi Su Sword flew out, pinning it to the wall three feet deep. The chains tangled and struggled, making snapping sounds.

Shen Suwei covered his hand with his sleeve and calmly walked out of the Snow Cliff Cave. As he did every season, he used his energy to return to Penglai.

On that day, Xu Qianyu severed ties with him, and after that, there was no further news. He couldn’t bear the despair.

Today was his birthday.

The chain could be held by the measurement sword for three incense sticks. He was gambling, hoping that if his luck was good, he could catch a glimpse of Xu Qianyu, to see if she was well, and to find out if he still had any hope.

Shen Suwei paused when he saw a thick layer of fallen leaves on the waterfront outside the Zhaoyue Palace, feeling a chill in his heart.

Xu Qianyu had even stopped living in the Zhaoyue Palace, her favorite place. How could she possibly come to his pavilion?

He stood there until the moon reached its peak. Suddenly, he heard voices, blew out the candle, and hid inside the pavilion.

It wasn’t just one person who had arrived. There were many footsteps.

Xu Qianyu thought it was a pity that the firework stick she had buried with great effort had not been lit yet, so she decided to light it that day.

She originally wanted to enjoy it alone.

However, Ruan Zhuqing insisted, “You made me help you move stones for half a day. Am I not allowed to enjoy the fruits of my labor? Is this fair? Is it conscience?”

Xu Qianyu thought about it and said, “Then bring Yu Chu along.”

Ruan Zhuqing: “Okay.”

On the day of the event, Lin Shuyue also arrived, and a large group of people came to the waterfront. The young female cultivators chatted and laughed, their voices carrying over the lotus pond, creating a lively atmosphere.

Shen Suwei heard Ruan Zhuqing ask, “What exactly is today?”

Xu Qianyu answered, “It’s just an ordinary festival in our Nanling.”

Ruan Zhuqing responded with an “Oh.” Yu Chu clapped his hands and said, “How wonderful! I’m blessed by it.”

Xu Qianyu stood surrounded by the group. She was now half a head taller than Yu Chu, with a slender but not weak figure. The moonlight shone on her forehead, highlighting the bright vermilion, her chin slightly raised, still holding a proud expression, but there was a trace of frost in her eyes and a transcendent aura.

She was about to light the firework stick when Ruan Zhuqing stopped her, saying, “Let me light it; don’t burn your skirt.”

Shen Suwei watched as Ruan Zhuqing crouched beneath Xu Qianyu’s skirt, the firelight illuminating the young man’s smiling face. Watching the group laugh and chat, Shen Suwei also barely curled the corner of his lips. Xu Qianyu had someone with her, and he felt a sense of relief.

Xu Qianyu hesitated. The order she had planned wasn’t to light it from here, but it didn’t matter. The people were not there, and there was no difference whether Ruan Zhuqing lit it from the middle or from the side.

Then, with a “whoosh,” a burst of firelight shot up into the sky. Brilliant fireworks streaked across the dark night. Shen Suwei looked up at it, his pupils narrowing.

He hadn’t expected Xu Qianyu to set off the fireworks stick outside his pavilion. Xu Qianyu loved fireworks; she liked anything that sparkled. Whenever there was a celebration, she would light fireworks. Soon, the fireworks surrounding the pavilion ignited, their brilliance surrounding him in the middle.

Ruan Zhuqing said, “Ah, there are words on it.”

Lin Shuyue replied, “I see it too. What’s this? What’s it about the birthday?”

Xu Qianyu didn’t listen to them. She stared straight at the opposite side of the lake. At the moment the fireworks ignited, she vaguely saw a shadow in the window across, standing in opposition to her.

She thought she must have seen it wrong. Shen Suwei was still in seclusion in the Snow Cliff Cave, and the pavilion had been empty for a long time.

Yu Chu lifted her skirt. “Why does this firework stick seem to be aimed at the pavilion opposite? Is it convenient for us to go over there and take a look? Who lives there?”

Xu Qianyu replied, “Shen Suwei.”

Before she could finish, everyone turned to look at her with strange expressions. Who didn’t know that Xu Qianyu and the third senior brother had the closest relationship?

“How long has Senior Brother Shen been in seclusion?” Yu Chu mumbled. “Why did he enter seclusion so quietly without a sound?”

“It has nothing to do with me. He is no longer my senior brother,” Xu Qianyu said, plucking a lotus flower and sniffing it, her cold voice drifting across the pond with indifference. “I have become Elder Hua’s disciple. The sect leader is no longer my master, and Shen Suwei naturally has nothing to do with me.”

Shen Suwei felt like he had fallen into an ice cavern, his black eyes reflecting the shattered fireworks. He felt pain throughout his meridians, unable to discern where the pain was coming from that paralyzed him.

As Xu Qianyu said, he could no longer even be her senior brother.

Ruan Zhuqing quickly tugged at Xu Qianyu’s sleeve, reminding her, “You can’t say that. The master-disciple ceremony was performed with respect.”

“I can,” Xu Qianyu smiled. After the fireworks were finished, the group walked along the long bridge and left. Xu Qianyu did not take the lotus flower with her, leaving it on the door of Zhaoyue Palace.

Shen Suwei walked out of the pavilion and lit the two clusters of fireworks that Ruan Zhuqing had missed.

The firelight bloomed at his fingertips, illuminating the rippling water in the pond, and the lotus flowers looked delicate and beautiful.

For the first time in many years, someone celebrated his birthday. But Xu Qianyu was no longer willing to have anything to do with him, unwilling to be his junior sister.

Shen Suwei looked up and again saw the illusion of his mother in the sky. The wind rustled his robes, his eyes cold and desolate, as if he were the only one left in the world.

Shen Suwei sensed something was wrong. Xu Qianyu would never look at him with such a gaze now. He reached out and took her hand, only to find that her spiritual energy was leaking from her meridians.

“You’re wandering in the night,” he said softly, lowering his gaze to help Xu Qianyu adjust her breathing.

The memory of that time when Xu Qianyu had clung to him and called out for her mother was vivid. Now, when he thought back on it, a mix of both amusement and pain filled him. Shen Suwei observed her and thought to himself that the way she looked at him was probably because she had once again mistaken him for her mother, which was why she clung to him so.

He hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to transform into his female form. But with the restraints on him now, shape-shifting was difficult.

While he was pondering this, Xu Qianyu suddenly lowered her eyes, her eyelashes trembling as she stared at the golden plate in his hand. The grapes on the plate were round and full, emitting a sweet fragrance that was very tempting.

Shen Suwei immediately squatted down and placed the golden plate on the snow. 

The grapes had skins, which Xu Qianyu didn’t eat. He quickly plucked one, eager to peel it for her. Before he could, Xu Qianyu unexpectedly threw herself at him and tightly embraced his neck, the coolness of the snow lingering on her body. “Senior Brother.”