Chapter 153: Old Things (Part 4)

Xu Qianyu did not see the red glow of the sword spirit.

She realized something was wrong, but it was already too late.

In the blink of an eye, she had only vaguely known what it was before but had never seen it with her own eyes. Now, it was as if she were touching fire. She quickly averted her gaze; her heart stirred with shock.

After a moment, unable to resist her curiosity, she held her breath and took another glance.

Shen Suwei hurriedly controlled the sword aura, letting his cloak fall to cover it completely.

“Let go of me,” Shen Suwei’s eyelashes trembled like butterfly wings, struggling to maintain composure as he instructed, “Turn around.”

Xu Qianyu stood uneasily beneath the light, not moving.

She thought of the past times when he would always cover her eyes, not letting her see a thing.

It seemed like he really disliked her witnessing his desires. Why was that?

The two stood frozen for a moment, then Shen Suwei’s tone suddenly softened, as if disgusted with himself for losing control. “Did I scare you?”

“I’m not that easily frightened,” Xu Qianyu replied, feeling a little nauseous at his unsettled state, though the room remained quiet. She walked toward him, against the sword aura, and suddenly lifted his cloak.

Shen Suwei’s pupils contracted. The orange sword aura binding him exploded violently, but it was too late—his hand gripped Xu Qianyu’s wrist.

Xu Qianyu’s heart skipped a beat. She had never imagined that such a cold person would have such a fiery side, as if she were holding a beating heart in her palm.

Shen Suwei tightened his grip on her hand, like a taut bowstring. Xu Qianyu forced herself not to pull away, the heat spreading like boiling water, quickly filling her cheeks.

Xu Qianyu looked up and met his slightly dazed gaze, like a faint glow over a lake. Beneath it was a whirlpool losing control, mixed with enduring pain and humiliation, yet it shone like a flame.

For the first time, she saw that her senior brother was vulnerable, fragile enough to be manipulated by her. Xu Qianyu was good at resisting tough things, but when holding something fragile, she felt somewhat lost and clumsy.

The howling night wind was blocked by the window frame, and the air inside the room swelled, heavy and still. Xu Qianyu dared not move, her words stumbling. “Wh-what should I do? Teach me.”

“…” Shen Suwei’s eyelashes fluttered. He kept his distance from others and from the outside world. For years, only Xu Qianyu had been close enough to touch him like this, and it had already exceeded his limits.

His entire body bristled with battle intent, like sharp thorns, wanting to push her away, focusing all his thoughts on suppressing the urge to fight.

Xu Qianyu felt like the heart in her hand was going to explode, and sweat formed on her forehead. She didn’t care anymore; recalling her experience in the library last time, she slowly imitated what she had done before.

Shen Suwei watched her lean in, clumsily handling her like a toy, before suddenly pulling her into his lap.

She struggled for a moment, and Shen Suwei pressed her back. “Don’t move. Just take a moment.”

Holding her like this, feeling her warmth, was more reassuring to him than any other touch.

Xu Qianyu spoke up, “If you’re uncomfortable, why endure it?” She paused, then added, “There’s no one here. We can just do it like last time; no one will notice.”

Shen Suwei remained silent for a long time before saying, “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Xu Qianyu wound the Divine Whip around her hand, glancing at it with a tinge of discomfort. “But I’ve already hurt you.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Shen Suwei replied. “I can endure it.”

Xu Qianyu rested her head on his shoulder, and she happened to see the broken hole in the window. The flash of lightning outside illuminated the silver threads, and the rain seeped in, making her heart feel even more bitter. “The way you treat me… it makes me feel awful.”

Shen Suwei asked, “Why?”

“I should be better to you,” Xu Qianyu said, noticing how tightly his lips were pressed, his skin like cold, damp jade. She raised his chin, cautiously kissing his lips. “But for some reason, I always end up hurting you.”

Shen Suwei kissed her back with his cool lips. Xu Qianyu felt his hand brush over her hair, and with a sudden movement, her hairpin fell out. Her long, dark hair cascaded down her shoulders, still holding a few curls.

Her hairstyle was still the one she had worn in the Demon Palace, which he didn’t like.

Shen Suwei helped her fix her hair, gazing at her quietly. “My path is hard to predict, just like Fu Shao. In the future, I may drag you into hell. Even so, do you still want to stay with me?”

Xu Qianyu thought to herself that her senior brother had always been in the clouds, never in hell.

Images flashed through her mind: the scars on his wrists, the oppressive demonic energy in the Demon Palace. It was an indescribable pain, like watching the full moon fall to the ground and roll into the dust.

But to her, the moon was still the moon. As long as it was this person, nothing else mattered.

She said, “Yes.” After a pause, she added, “I, Xu Qianyu, have never regretted anything.”

Shen Suwei also said, “Good.”

Just as they had always done when discussing matters, when Shen Suwei said “good,” it was like a swift sword cutting through confusion, decisively determining life or death.

From now on, whether life or death, Xu Qianyu would stay with him. He wouldn’t let her go.

Xu Qianyu knelt on the bed, her hands circling Shen Suwei’s neck, her cheek resting against his hair. At this moment, she truly had him.

This embrace was incredibly tight, like swans entwining their necks, a feeling that the world held only the two of them, leaning against each other.

The rain outside was loud, and the shadow of a fox’s tail floated by like red clouds. Shen Suwei, distracted, watched the rain curtain swirl past the small window, just as he had once looked out from the dungeon’s hole. But back then, he had been lonely and desperate, not at all as calm and content as he was today.

The sword intent that surrounded him slowly faded.

This road had originally been one of wind and snow, but with someone by his side, it didn’t seem too hard.

Xu Qianyu had been dozing off for a while. She moved, holding back a smile, and suddenly became wide awake. “Brother.”

Shen Suwei turned his head slightly, his ear feeling numb from the contact.

Xu Qianyu intentionally leaned toward the other ear and teased, “Brother, you’re my senior; you should teach me.”

“…”
Shen Suwei gently pushed her onto the bed. She quickly rolled over and scrambled to get up, only to be pinned back down by the sword lord. Xu Qianyu had provoked him, and then she became picky, kicking and fidgeting. Soon enough, they were in a playful scuffle, both breaking out in a light sweat.

Shen Suwei leaned down and kissed her. Her tail coiled around his arm, knotting into a twist. But even in the long, suffocating moment of shared breath, she couldn’t hold onto him. Shen Suwei gripped her wrist and pressed it above her head.

His breath was calm, but his presence was incredibly powerful. With his eyes closed, one could almost trace the sword energy surrounding him—it was slender and sharp, like countless threads of ice silk weaving together, coolly piercing the skin. A sharp pain shot through his neck.

Xu Qianyu tilted her head, thinking to herself, Senior really likes to bite necks. I bet he drew blood again. I wonder if it’ll leave a scar.

Shen Suwei silently inhaled the scent of her neck, suppressing the tidal thoughts rushing in. Why, when they were already so close, did he still feel unsatisfied? Every nerve in his body wanted to grow like a vine, pushing into the shattered jade beads, bonding them together, completely melting the snow-fat.

Xu Qianyu could have sealed her senses, but she didn’t. Instead, she wanted to remember every sensation. However, fear made her tears come out. The moment she cried, the wind stopped, the rain ceased, and everything retreated. The evening breeze carried the damp smell of earth, the scent of rain, and the refreshing fragrance of the air.

Tears clung to Xu Qianyu’s lashes as she felt the wind blow on her flushed face. She suddenly daydreamed, “It smells so good.”

Shen Suwei asked, “What?”

Xu Qianyu squeezed out two tear-like drops from her eyes, thinking it was funny. She pulled her clothes over her head and lay back on the bed, laughing through her tears. “There’s jasmine outside.”

Shen Suwei listened carefully, and amidst the earthy rain smell, there was indeed a faint, delicate fragrance.

The rain had struck the jasmine, leaving behind the remnants of its scent.

---

In the early morning, Shen Suwei woke up. His routine was always strict, and it was now time for his daily sword practice, so he couldn’t fall back asleep.

The room was still dim. Xu Qianyu was asleep in his arms, her fox ears delicately brushing against his cheek. He reached out to touch the soft tips of her ears, but before his finger could make contact, they flicked away nimbly, avoiding him.

He quietly observed this strange sight for a while, then tried again, repeating the gesture.

Xu Qianyu, still half asleep and easily annoyed, slapped at him, but she missed and only hit the satin-like hair on his head. Shen Suwei paused, then covered her up with the blanket.

Though it was cool lying on her senior, Xu Qianyu found it uncomfortable after a long time, so she rolled out of his arms and onto the other side of the bed. She still rested her head on his shoulder and stayed close.

The moment Shen Suwei moved, Xu Qianyu circled around his arm, shoving her five fingers forcefully into his, locking him in place. “Don’t go.”

Shen Suwei felt the pressure between their fingers, and suddenly he pulled her and the blanket into his arms.

If he could, he wanted to stay like this forever.

Xu Qianyu slept very soundly. There was no one waking her up for sword practice, and she didn’t have to get up for chores. She slept all the way until the sun was high, then poked her head out from under the bed curtains, wearing Shen Suwei’s robe.

She saw him sitting at the desk, fiddling with something. There was a sword on the table and many scattered objects. He hadn’t even looked up when she woke up, which made her curious. “What are you doing?”

She jumped over and found that beside the sword were white jasmine flowers, some whole and others only petals.

She picked one up. It was stiff and cold, like it had been frozen solid, with a brilliant sheen, almost like white jade carved into an exquisite shape.

She was startled by its beauty, then quickly turned her attention to what Shen Suwei was holding. He gently waved his sword energy to push her hand away, speaking softly, “It’s not done yet.”

Xu Qianyu sat down on a stool opposite him, leaning on the desk, watching him work. “Is it from yesterday’s flowers?”

Shen Suwei nodded, his sword energy performing the “revival” technique, piecing the petals together one by one. After freezing the flowers, he gathered two into a beautiful, pure flower pendant, securing it with a silver clasp.

Xu Qianyu immediately recognized the shape of an earring. Trying to hold back her excitement, she shamelessly pointed at the other flower on his hand. “This one should have three flowers.”

Shen Suwei paused, then added another flower to the design. The final touches were complex, meticulously shaping silver threads and twisting them into place. The result was clearly an earring.

Xu Qianyu was stunned. “You remember I only wear earrings on one side?”

Shen Suwei looked at her and replied, “I want to try it on you.”

Xu Qianyu rushed to the mirror to try on the earrings.

Shen Suwei gathered the petals on the table and picked up a comb, brushing her hair. “Your hair seems to have grown a lot.”

When Xu Qianyu first joined, her hair barely reached her shoulders, but now it almost reached the middle of her back. Her hair curled gently at the sides, revealing the vibrant cinnabar at her forehead. With the jasmine flowers as earrings, her gracefulness was accentuated even more.

As Xu Qianyu looked into the mirror, she couldn’t quite explain why, but the jewelry and flowers Shen Suwei made for her seemed so bright and pure, so different from her usual style. It gave her a feeling of both heart-stirring excitement and a sense of completion, as if someone else’s essence had added a new layer of beauty to her life.

Shen Suwei’s fingers brushed against the earrings, causing the flowers to sway. He finished arranging her hair, making sure it covered her ears. Xu Qianyu’s ears twitched. “It feels like I’ve already merged with demonic power. Such a waste to leave my half-step transformation into the divine unfinished. I might as well kill more monsters while I can.”

Shen Suwei asked, “Where do you want to go?”

“I want to go back to Nanling,” Xu Qianyu had already planned this. Since they had left Penglai, she decided to take the opportunity and break the rule that disciples of the immortal sect couldn’t return home. “Shui Weiwei went back before, but she didn’t even send a letter. I don’t know if she’s arrived yet.”

Nanling was Xu Jiansu’s territory…

Shen Suwei thought for a moment, then said, “Alright.”