Chapter 154: Old Things (Part 5)

Xu Qianyu fastened the ruqun (a traditional Chinese robe) she had brought from home. This was the first time in years that she had changed out of her disciple robes. The soft silk she had worn back then felt strangely unfamiliar now, almost as if she weren’t wearing anything at all.

She jumped off the bed and snatched the veil hat from Shen Suwei’s hand, putting it on her head.
“You’re really not going back to Penglai?” Shen Suwei asked. “Destroying the communication talisman goes against the rules. If the sect leader punishes you, you’ll be in trouble.”

Xu Qianyu had gone to great lengths to enter the inner sect, and he had seen it all. He was someone who feared bringing harm to others above all, so he felt a deep sense of guilt.

“I’m not going back. What’s there to go back to? Let him blame me if he wants,” Xu Qianyu said, adjusting her veil hat. She had never followed the rule for unmarried girls to wear veils in the mortal world, but now she was grateful that the thin gauze covered her ears and tail, preventing her from frightening passersby. “You know, when you came to my house to bring me back, I didn’t want to cultivate at all. It was you who told me that without enough spiritual energy, my lotus heart poison would break out. I was afraid of dying, so I was forced to follow you.”

Shen Suwei responded with a simple “Mm.” At the time, he was acting under orders, making the decision quickly. Back then, Xu Qianyu was just a task to him, but now, thinking about it, he still feels guilty.

“The world isn’t only home to Penglai, where there’s spiritual energy; I can go anywhere. I could go to Tianshan or Lingyue. Why must it be Penglai?” Xu Qianyu continued, “It’s because you came for me. For your sake, I came back with you. Joining the inner sect wasn’t because I thought it was great, but because I wanted to be your junior sister. I know you’re very capable and a great teacher.”

Xu Qianyu grasped the back of his hand. “Do you understand?”

It wasn’t admiration for Penglai, it was admiration for you.

She hadn’t expected to say it like this. Shen Suwei’s heart stirred, and he was silent for a long time before he could respond.

Xu Qianyu, through the white gauze, looked at Shen Suwei’s face, as if through a thin, flowing mist. He remained silent, and she couldn’t help but ask, “Why aren’t you speaking? What are you thinking?”

Shen Suwei replied, “I was thinking that now your soul is complete and you won’t wander at night anymore. Now, I can finally rest easy.”

Xu Qianyu froze for a moment, then suddenly lifted the white gauze. His tone was calm, his expression indifferent, as if he had only remembered this matter by chance. But for some reason, she found his words a bit bitter.

As she lifted the gauze, sunlight streamed through the clear window, illuminating her face with a warm glow. Shen Suwei recalled their first meeting in the fox spirit temple. Back then, she had lifted his veil and interrupted his meditation, and this vivid, enchanting face had unexpectedly appeared.

It was like a colorful flower bud falling into a colorless ice pond, splashing water that lingered for a long time before settling.

Xu Qianyu had said that she admired him the first time they met.

He traced his own feelings—if they hadn’t hit it off at first, many things that followed might never have happened.

Standing here today, thinking back, he found that even the ordinary, mundane moments carried much more meaning.

Xu Qianyu saw a momentary smile flicker in Shen Suwei’s eyes, like a flash of light, and she couldn’t help but widen her eyes.

Shen Suwei didn’t plan to explain, only looking at her and asking, “Would you like me to paint a floral design on your forehead?”

Xu Qianyu had seen him apply makeup to women before, and it was different from the style of Nanling. She wasn’t sure where it was from, but it was very elegant and noble. She immediately lifted her hair, exposing her pale forehead. “Yes.”

Shen Suwei took the rouge palette, dipped a brush in it, and began painting carefully.

When Xu Qianyu looked in the mirror, she saw a light red Bodhi flower adorning her forehead, covering the vermilion. It seemed familiar, like she had seen it somewhere before, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t remember where. Shen Suwei noticed her confusion and assumed she had forgotten, so he didn’t remind her.

As they walked out, Xu Qianyu was still thinking about it.

It wasn’t until they reached the street that she finally remembered. The Bodhi flower had been drawn by the fox spirit on the day she had gone to substitute as the temple matron in a wild temple.

Shen Suwei had been walking silently beside her, but in the hustle and bustle of the street, Xu Qianyu suddenly took his hand.

He lowered his head, and the veiled girl looked up at him, and even without looking, he knew she was smiling.

Now she understood what he was going to say.

Xu Qianyu’s lips, which had been curled up, slowly relaxed. She cautiously looked behind him. “Senior brother, look over there.”

They both looked toward the distance.

On both sides of the street, there were countless flags for alcohol and tea shops. The sounds of chatter and cicadas intertwined. The cooks were pulling at their collars, and women fanned themselves. Xu Qianyu, with her veil on, felt the stifling heat wrap around her. Lanterns hung from the poles along the roadside, swaying gently in the wind, shaking off snow from their tops.

The snow had already piled up into small mountains on the carts below.

At the top of one cart, a snowball rested, shaped into a snowman with no features. The snowman, despite the blazing sun, did not melt at all. It remained a gloomy shade of blue, lurking in the bustling market.

Wasn’t this the last snow demon that Hua Zimei had desperately searched for?

The cart owner, who had just walked out of a tea stall, stared dumbfounded at the suddenly appearing snowman, then looked at the snow falling from the lantern. He couldn’t understand who was playing tricks on him, and he reached out to push the snowman forcefully.

The snowman toppled over with a sound. Before the man could even call out, frost spread from his hands, freezing him into an ice sculpture.

Xu Qianyu’s golden-red sword energy surged out, and the flames melted the ice and snow in an instant. The cook collapsed weakly onto the cart. The snowman melted into the ground, and around the cart, five frost flowers bloomed, their ice thorns flipping up like barbs. The surrounding people, frightened, shattered their tea cups and screamed, scattering in all directions, clearing a large space.

The ice thorns wobbled and broke, suddenly turning into a rain of swords, surrounding the two of them.

Xu Qianyu drew her sword, closed her eyes, and used her “Murderous Sympathy” technique to sense and shatter the ice thorns. The sword shadows were incredibly fast, sharp, and thin, trailing water vapor, making a shrill sword whistle. They didn’t seem like monsters, but like the swords of top-tier cultivators.

Fortunately, her sword belt was filled with fire, and as soon as it touched these swords, they shattered and evaporated.

After she finished, she noticed that the murderous aura was different from the magenta one she had seen before. It was all blue flames, like phosphorus fires gliding across the night sky.

She had seen this blue murderous aura before on Shen Suwei’s sword. It was said that this was the murderous aura produced by the combination of water and fire spiritual roots.

Xu Qianyu felt something was wrong and was pulled back by Shen Suwei. The cold murderous aura brushed her face, and the sword ghosts that had just melted did not disperse but instead reformed, swirling past her like a swarm of bees.

Shen Suwei condensed the water vapor in the air into a giant sword, which buzzed and transformed into thousands of small swords, colliding with the ice spikes. The highest level of swordsmanship is a momentary calculation. Every trajectory in the air was ensured to be consistent, maximizing the destructive power capable of shattering the opponent head-on.

Xu Qianyu thought to herself, Senior Brother practices the water spirit root and the ice and snow path. Snow demons are nothing in front of him. Ordinary demons should be no match for him.

But when the two swords collided, a sharp sound was heard. Shen Suwei’s sword was actually shattered with a loud crash. Fortunately, Xu Qianyu blocked the ice swords with her own blade and evaporated them again.

The snow demon let out a buzzing laugh.

Shen Suwei’s expression stiffened. He had sensed something familiar in this attack, as though he had once taught his sword techniques to a training puppet, using it as a sparring partner.

This demon could wield a sword, and its control over ice and snow was surprisingly on par with his own.

He pulled Xu Qianyu to one side, and the ice and snow realm spread from beneath their feet.

The snowman that burrowed underground transformed into an unnameable shadow and swiftly moved away like a batfish.

The murderous aura of ice and snow slowly surged and covered it, drowning the demon. The snow demon twisted and let out a dying shriek.

This scream was like a malicious human curse. Shen Suwei suddenly felt uneasy, and the murderous aura quickly retracted. However, his limbs and bones were suddenly pierced with sharp pain, and after a moment, he spat out a mouthful of blood.

“The Snow Demon of Wufu Cliff?” Shen Suwei slowly looked at his palm, as if realizing something, and smiled, “So it was this. It’s a cause and effect I created.”

Xu Qianyu grabbed his hand in shock. “What cause and effect?”

Shen Suwei wiped the crimson blood from his lips, and after a long while, he said, “I did something bad, but it was something I had to do. Senior Brother will explain it to you later.”

Years ago, he had caused the ice and snow realm to expand endlessly and nearly destroy the world. However, the vengeful souls of Wufu Cliff who were not favored by the Heavenly Dao failed to be resurrected.

This world-ending event was not a simple reversal of fate; there was always something that was missed.

Now, the impression in the memories of the people was that more than ten years ago, a snow disaster occurred at Wufu Cliff, and the resentment of the travelers gave birth to the snow demon.

…
The snow demon’s power came partly from his ice and snow murderous aura. Today, seeing him, it naturally sought to harm him.

Xu Qianyu could say nothing. She couldn’t let this demon go. With a sword strike to the ground, a black and red willow-leaf sword flew over, crossing in front of her neck.

Xu Jiansu appeared in the air. He glanced at the empty street, the ground littered with debris and ice spikes. He had been watching this demon for a long time, and now, seeing someone intercept it, he was not pleased.

This woman, with her veil and light movements, struck with great force, knocking his Lingbo sword aside. The two clashed, and Xu Qianyu annoyed him, attacking from behind. Xu Jiansu broke out in a cold sweat and turned to point at her, saying, “Xu—”

Having been Xu Qianyu’s sparring partner for eight months, with all the blows he had taken, this person was definitely Xu Qianyu.

He reached out to lift her veil and teach her a lesson, but Shen Suwei grabbed his wrist.

“…Junior Brother?” Xu Jiansu was surprised, and his expression was subtle. “Aren’t you in closed-door meditation at the Snow Cliff?”

The atmosphere between old rivals was the most familiar. Shen Suwei today seemed odd, his white robes fluttering, a trace of red on his pale wrist. He said expressionlessly, “Move aside, you can’t defeat it.”

Xu Jiansu smiled. “Are you kidding me?”

His smile gradually froze, and he finally realized the source of the strange feeling. “Half-step to the God Transformation…”

A few days ago, a half-step God transformation with hidden demonic energy had caused a huge stir in the sect. Although the news had been sealed, he was not blind and had seen the earth-shaking lightning that day.

Xu Qianyu stood in front of Shen Suwei. Xu Jiansu still stared fixedly at Shen Suwei, whose oppressive demonic energy was so terrifying it felt like dark clouds were about to swallow the city. For the first time, Xu Jiansu felt fear and slowly placed his hand on the sword hilt.

A sword light descended from the sky, forcing Xu Jiansu to retreat two steps. When he opened his eyes, a figure in golden robes stood in front of him, with a sword mark on his forehead and frosty white hair cascading to the ground.

“Master?” Xu Jiansu was shocked, then pointed at Shen Suwei and said, “Master, he…”

When he turned around, the two had already disappeared without a trace.

Xu Binglai’s clothes fluttered, his face weary, giving off the air of someone with a sickly and broken body. He didn’t respond to Xu Jiansu’s words but instead looked at him and said, “Second Brother, you’re almost at the later stage of the Nascent Soul, right?”

Xu Jiansu was confused.

“Take this ice spoon,” Xu Binglai said as he took out a mustard seed-sized golden pearl from his chest and handed it to him, along with a bundle of his shattered soul.

No wonder Xu Binglai’s lips were pale; it turned out he had extracted a fragment of his own soul. Xu Jiansu became serious. “Master, what happened?”

“There’s another fragment of my soul with your elder brother. Every time you two go to the Divine Tree to store the ice spoons, you must go together,” Xu Binglai said. “If the ice spoons are gathered during this time, you two will replace me and the other sect leaders to open the Divine Tree and challenge the Heavenly Ladder.”

Xu Jiansu realized that something major had happened. He looked at the golden pearl in his hand, feeling a bitter sensation in his heart. “I thought you would give it to Shen Suwei…”

Xu Jiansu always felt that Xu Binglai favored Shen Suwei more, and this was also the reason for his long-standing antagonism with Shen Suwei.

Xu Binglai only gave a cold laugh, which then turned into a flash of sword light and disappeared.

* 
Xu Qianyu dragged Shen Suwei into an alley, sensing his heavy breathing. She asked, “Senior Brother, are you injured somewhere?”

Shen Suwei calmly replied, “The realm has cracked.”

Xu Qianyu paused in her steps, feeling a chill rise up from her back.

“Don’t worry,” Shen Suwei said, closing his eyes. “It’s cracked; I’ll repair it later.”

The pain from the shattered realm now was nothing compared to the mental torment and soul erosion caused by his inner demons.

Xu Qianyu knew he could endure it, so she wasn’t sure how bad it was for him. She said, “I’ll take you home right away.”

Although Nanling had changed greatly, she was still familiar with Shifang Street, and this place was very close to home. The Shui family residence was on the busiest street, and all the houses there were two-story buildings.

As she approached, she noticed a faint aura of demonic energy enveloping the area. But when she looked again, it had disappeared.

She doubted whether she had seen it correctly. When Senior Brother left, he had left his personal sword, the sleeve shaking light, in his sleeve—demons should not be able to approach him.
Looking at Shen Suwei, she saw beads of sweat beginning to form on his forehead. Xu Qianyu knocked on the door.

The door creaked open. The person who opened it was a stranger, and the one who guided them into the courtyard was also unfamiliar. With the changes in the world, she did not show any surprise. The house servants saw that the man and woman both wore swords and had remarkable bearing, so their expressions turned respectful. “Please come in, immortal monarchs.”

The Shui family had many guests and never required formal invitations, so Xu Qianyu was used to it. She helped Shen Suwei over the threshold and asked urgently, “Is Shui Rushan still here?”

The two servants exchanged a glance. “Are you guests of the master?” they asked, then turned back and smiled politely. “Are you here for the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet?”

Xu Qianyu was relieved to hear that her grandfather was still alive. Just as she was about to nod, she hesitated for a moment. “Mid-Autumn?” she wondered. She thought it was June in the mortal world, but had it already passed Mid-Autumn?

However, she saw two people in the courtyard setting up a ladder and hanging a jade rabbit-shaped moon lantern. A woman in red stood in the corridor, holding a fan and directing where to place the lanterns.

The woman had her hair styled high, her figure slender, and her demeanor was bold and efficient. It was Guan Niang, the maid who had taken care of her since childhood.

Xu Qianyu’s heart stirred. Guan Niang had also noticed her, and she walked along the corridor towards her, smiling as she observed her with the fan. Xu Qianyu lifted her veil, and Guan Niang studied her for a while but did not call out “Miss” as she usually would. Instead, her gaze was polite and unfamiliar, as if she were assessing someone she had never met before.

“This immortal, I think you really have a good aura,” Guan Niang said with a smile. “Come, someone, take them to the guest room.”

To make Shen Suwei more comfortable, Xu Qianyu first helped him into the guest room and laid him on the bed.

She sat on the edge of the bed, a chill running through her heart. Several years had passed since she left home, and more than a decade had passed in the mortal world. When she left, Guan Niang was in her thirties; now she must be nearing fifty. No matter how you looked at it, she couldn’t appear to be in her early twenties, like a blooming flower.