Chapter 32: The Wing-Broken Bird

The sword was secured, the elixirs had been administered, and it was finally time to begin training in Sword Arts…

Just kidding.

After returning to the small courtyard, Nan Xi didn’t demand that Xia Xia continue her cultivation.

He gave the young girl the night off, considering it a moment of relaxation after fifteen consecutive days of bitter cultivation. After all, Nan Xi wasn’t a demon.

As for Xia Xia’s living arrangements—

It wouldn’t do to have Xia Xia running back and forth between the top and bottom of the mountain every day, so Nan Xi simply had her stay in the courtyard.

The room was a side chamber Nan Xi had asked Granny Ji to tidy up in advance. It wasn’t particularly large, but it was very cozy.

“Is this really for me to stay in?”

Xia Xia could hardly believe it when she first saw the room.

Upon receiving Nan Xi’s confirmation, she lunged onto the soft bed, hugging the rolled-up quilt and giggling foolishly.

‘What a silly child.’

“Wait for me a moment; I have something for you,” Nan Xi instructed. He left the room to the sound of Xia Xia responding, “Got it, Master!”

Seven or eight minutes later—

“I’ve placed a stove here for you. Remember to keep the room ventilated, otherwise it will get stuffy…”

Nan Xi placed the extra stove he had purchased in Xia Xia’s room, looking at the girl on the bed with a mix of amusement and helplessness.

Xia Xia was already asleep.

She was tightly clutching the Spirit Sword that belonged only to her, occasionally rubbing her cheek against it.

A thin, crystal-clear line of drool hung from the corner of her mouth, and she looked utterly ridiculous, smiling like a baby.

Incidentally, the Spirit Sword ended up being named according to Xia Xia’s wishes.

It was called [Ban Xia].

Even though it was only a Mortal Grade Spirit Sword… well, he would let her have her way.

Nan Xi smiled faintly and quietly backed out of the room.

…

The night was deep. As Nan Xi stepped out of the courtyard, the cold air rushed into his lungs, clearing his head which had become somewhat drowsy from the heat of the stove.

Suddenly, a delicate figure caught Nan Xi’s attention.

She sat there in the cold, snowy night. Under the soft moonlight, the girl’s aqua-blue hair looked exceptionally enchanting.

“Lord Tiansi, what are you doing here?”

Nan Xi took two steps forward and sat down beside Tiansi.

She wasn’t sleeping in, nor was she reading picture books; this wasn’t like Lord Tiansi at all.

Wait…

Nan Xi stole a glance at the small house behind him.

Xia Xia was currently resting there. If Lord Tiansi noticed this, given her “I want that too” personality, what would he do if she insisted on living with him as well?

Now he could only hope the lights in the small house had been extinguished as much as possible and that Lord Tiansi wouldn’t notice these details.

“Nan Xi.”

Lord Tiansi suddenly spoke, her voice as clear and moving as the moonlight.

Her gaze remained fixed on the bright moon, watching it hang full upon the branches as its light flooded the earth.

Nan Xi looked at her exquisite profile, and his expression couldn’t help but soften.

“What is it, Lord Tiansi?”

“Why did you take her as your disciple?”

“Why…”

Nan Xi paused, pondering those words. It was indeed a good question.

His straight back slowly relaxed, letting gravity lean him against the back of the chair as he lifted his gaze to stare at the bright moon.

Indeed, why?

If it was initially to waste enough resources on Xia Xia to completely bankrupt Tianquan Peak’s economy…

Then why, when there were plenty of Earth-grade Spirit Swords in the Sword Repository to waste, did he agree to let Xia Xia use a common Mortal Grade Spirit Sword?

And why did he tell her, amidst her joyful expectations, to wake up early tomorrow because he planned to teach her her first sword technique?

“Perhaps…” Nan Xi glanced at Lord Tiansi, a faint smile playing at the corners of his eyes, “because she is weak enough.”

“Weak enough?” Lord Tiansi blinked.

“Lord Tiansi, have you heard the legend of the [Broken-winged Bird]?”

“No.”

Nan Xi leaned back against the chair and spoke softly.

“In a far-off land across the sea, there was a [Broken-winged Bird]. It was born with deformed wings. While its friends and family spread their wings and flew into the blue sky, it could only run on the ground, flapping its short wings in an attempt to charge into the heavens.”

As he spoke, he tucked in his arms and flapped his hands twice, looking as if he were that very bird.

“See? That’s how it tried to fly.”

Tiansi’s beautiful eyes blinked. Although she wasn’t amused by Nan Xi’s actions, it was clear she was listening intently.

Nan Xi smiled faintly and continued his narration.

“To fly into the sky, it tried every method possible. For instance, it tried following behind its companions to catch their tailwinds, only to fall flat on its face. It tried jumping from a waterfall, only to fall into the water with a splash… but it still wanted to soar.”

“However, at the end of the story, it did briefly ‘realize’ its dream.”

“Realize?” Tiansi blinked. “How did it do it?”

“Actually… it’s quite simple.”

Nan Xi turned around, meeting Tiansi’s eyes.

“It used its beak and claws to wedge branch after branch into a cliffside. Then, it leaped from the top of the precipice. Its naturally deformed wings brushed through the air and the branches as the wind howled in its ears.”

“Perhaps in the moment before it fell to its death, it truly did fly over the forest.”

Silence spread wordlessly between the two of them.

Lord Tiansi’s eyes trembled slightly, and her cherry-pink lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she remained silent.

“However…”

Under Lord Tiansi’s somewhat somber gaze, Nan Xi continued, a faint smile still lingering on his brow.

“I don’t like that ending.”

“Hmm?”

“I want to see just how high she can fly if she, born with broken wings, actually reaches the blue sky.”

Nan Xi grinned, his hearty laughter echoing through the small courtyard.

Of course, this didn’t interfere with his plan to bankrupt Tianquan Peak’s economy—killing two birds with one stone, wasn’t it wonderful?

“Alright, Lord Tiansi, it’s late. You should get some rest.”

Nan Xi waved goodbye to Tiansi and stood up to return inside.

By rights, for someone of Lord Tiansi’s cultivation level, rest was unnecessary, but Nan Xi bid her farewell out of habit.

After all, if they stayed up any longer, it would be dawn.

Behind him, Lord Tiansi’s gaze followed his figure, her aqua-blue eyes filled with thought.

After a long moment, the girl’s cherry-pink lips parted.

“Nan Xi.”

She still loved saying his name.

Nan Xi turned his head, looking at Tiansi with slight surprise.

“Is there something else, Lord Tiansi?”

“I’ve finished all the picture books.”

“Alright, I’ll let Granny Ji know tomorrow and have her buy a new batch.”

Nan Xi nodded, making a mental note of it. These were minor matters he had grown accustomed to.

But in the next second, Lord Tiansi’s sudden words made Nan Xi freeze in his tracks.

“Also, I want to live here with you, too.”