The Spring and Autumn Bell.
Ever since the announcement of the so-called “Holy War” by the Demonic Sect, the sky over Qingyang Prefecture had changed.
Those among the common folk who could run fled to the neighboring prefectures. Those who could not sought refuge in the cities near the Shangyuan Sect.
Every major sect in Qingyang Prefecture, including the Shangyuan Sect, was stretched thin like a taut string.
Hearing the news, the great sects from the surrounding prefectures sent some manpower, but combined, it was no more than a drop in the bucket.
No one was willing to commit their main forces to Qingyang Prefecture. After all, the words of demonic cultivators could not be trusted. What if they fully supported the Shangyuan Sect, only for the Five Great Demonic Gates to turn around and strike at their own front doors?
The righteous sects each had their own considerations. Although the Shangyuan Sect was furious, they were helpless.
The most unusual part was the demonic cultivators themselves.
In the several months since the announcement, they had not made a single major move. There were constant small frictions and skirmishes, but no grand scale action. They simply waited, lingering like predators in the dark, ready to spring out and bite at any moment.
An atmosphere of suspicion and fear permeated Qingyang Prefecture, as if a gray shroud had been cast over the land.
It was the heart of another winter.
Jiang Tong woke up early every day.
In truth, he did not need to sleep. His so-called “waking up” was merely emerging from the bell to greet Gu Xianyu.
After a while, he would retract his head to nurture and temper his soul-body using the Spring and Autumn Bell. His pale soul-body was gradually taking on a human shape. Although it was not yet clear and lacked facial features, it was at least no longer just a floating blob.
His young disciple’s cultivation had also become much more diligent. She was only one step away from the Late Golden Core stage. Under Jiang Tong’s guidance, her insights into the Sword Dao grew more refined by the day.
Jiang Tong sat by the lake, staring blankly at the clear water as he pondered his next move.
He also wondered… exactly what kind of role he was playing in all of this.
“Master!”
The young girl waved her sword by the lakeshore and smiled at him. “Come watch me practice my swordplay, okay?”
The habits formed over several decades within the illusion were not easily changed.
Jiang Tong shifted his soul-body to face her. “I’m watching.”
The silly girl began to dance with her sword happily, completely unaware that hundreds of years later, this man would become her own disciple.
Jiang Tong looked at her and smiled.
“Master, what are you smiling at?”
“It’s nothing.” Jiang Tong looked at her, his thoughts wavering slightly. “I was just thinking about how wonderful it would be if days like this could last forever.”
The girl paused her movements. She nervously put away her sword and sat down beside him.
She lowered her head. “I… I’m not going to practice anymore.”
“Why not?” Jiang Tong asked, puzzled.
“I just don’t want to.” Gu Xianyu looked up at him, hugging her knees and burying her small face in the crook of her arms.
“Master…” she murmured, her voice muffled.
“I’m here.”
“I… I don’t want the Jian Tai anymore. Is that okay?”
“Why is that?” Jiang Tong did not scold her. Instead, he reached out and patted her small head.
“I work hard at my cultivation and practice my sword every day just so I can live for a very, very long time.”
The girl turned her head, her large eyes fixed on Jiang Tong. “And then I can live for a very, very long time with Master, living the life I like.”
“That’s true,” Jiang Tong said.
“The Jian Tai is precious, and many people want it… but I don’t think it’s good. Every day when I close my eyes, I see people chasing me, wanting to kill me to take it out of my body.”
Confusion filled Gu Xianyu’s eyes. “If that’s the case, what do I need it for?”
Jiang Tong moved forward and gently hugged her.
“What you said makes sense, but how should I put this…” Jiang Tong held her soft form as the girl carefully nestled against him, going still.
He found himself at a loss for words, unable to think of any grand logic. Any profound reasoning felt hollow at this moment. The reality was looming right in front of them, and Jiang Tong did not want to be the person who forced empty platitudes in the face of such cruelty.
A finger pressed against his face.
“Shh.” Gu Xianyu closed her eyes. “Master, listen.”
Jiang Tong listened intently but heard nothing.
“I can hear your heartbeat,” his young disciple whispered.
“I am a soul. How can I have a heartbeat?”
The girl burrowed deeper into his arms. “How about now?”
*Thump-thump, thump-thump.*
Jiang Tong heard a sound coming from within her body. It was steady and reassuring; she was very relaxed.
“That is your heartbeat.”
“My heartbeat is being passed to you, so now you have one too.” Gu Xianyu kept her eyes closed and hummed softly.
“That cultivator was a fool, digging out his heart and relying on spiritual energy to live… Master doesn’t have a heart either, relying on soul power to live. You two are so similar, but you mustn’t become a fool like him.”
“How was he a fool?” Jiang Tong remembered clearly that her previous evaluation of the man was that he was devoted.
“He just was. A big fool.”
Gu Xianyu poked Jiang Tong’s soul-body with her finger. The faint, pleasant scent of her hair drifted toward him.
“He was mourning for his wife.”
“That’s called dying for love.”
“That won’t do. If I die, Master, you have to keep living well.”
Just as Jiang Tong was about to give her a light flick on the forehead, his arm was caught and gently lowered.
“Let me finish.” She looked up with tender eyes, gazing at Jiang Tong’s blurred face. “If I die, Master, please find another disciple. I won’t need the bell or the bracelet anymore. That’s your home, and you need a place to sleep.”
“Don’t say such things.”
“Find a more reliable disciple. Don’t find someone like me, who only knows how to pull water weeds and build houses every day.”
“…”
“It would be best if they could help you get out of this state… A soul-body is so light. Even though you can float around, you might be captured and refined by someone at any moment. It would break my heart.”
“…”
Jiang Tong looked at her. The lake breeze tossed her hair, but her eyes remained gentle.
*Thump-thump, thump-thump.*
It was impossible to tell whose heartbeat it was anymore. Jiang Tong realized belatedly that he didn’t have a heart; she was the one saying these words with such calm and peace.
“You won’t die.”
The girl didn’t answer. She only looked at him with a smile, and after a moment, she buried her head again and rubbed against him gently.
“I am already very satisfied. After all…”
“Master and I have already spent a lifetime together…”
—
She was, of course, referring to what had happened in the illusion.
Ever since that morning, Jiang Tong had been particularly mindful of Gu Xianyu’s movements. Her words sounded too much like a final farewell, and he feared that one day she might do something foolish in a moment of despair.
There were many such people in the real world — people who, upon learning they had a terminal illness, chose to end their own lives to avoid burdening their families.
Despite his fears, Jiang Tong knew his disciple was not that kind of person. Her words were more an expression of a choice.
If she had to die, she wanted Jiang Tong to live.
An ordinary man is innocent, but possessing a treasure makes him guilty. The Jian Tai could turn a person into a genius, but it could also turn them into prey.
But how could Jiang Tong possibly let her die?
There was no point in arguing about who would survive. Facing the crisis, the key was to increase their own strength.
In between cultivation sessions, Jiang Tong took Gu Xianyu to the Library Pavilion.
He wrote out a Dan recipe. The moment he tucked the recipe into an ancient book, he felt a bit dazed.
“I’ve given you twenty pills, which is roughly a supply for the next 200 years. It’s enough to counteract the side effects of your rising cultivation…”
Jiang Tong placed the ancient book back on the shelf and looked at his disciple. “If anything unexpected happens in the future, you can come here, take out the recipe, and find someone to help you refine it.”
Gu Xianyu looked at him. “Master is a fool.”
“This is called being prepared.” Jiang Tong poked her small head. “You aren’t the only one allowed to rattle off a bunch of parting instructions. It’s bad luck.”
The girl turned her head away.
After a moment, she couldn’t help but ask, “But… if it’s left here, what if someone takes it or it gets damaged?”
“It won’t be. If you’re worried, you can memorize the ingredients beforehand.” Jiang Tong shook his head, a sentimental smile on his face.
“Just let it… stay here.”