“The sword… I don’t need it anymore!”
At the same time, the Second Princess, Ji Yumeng, who was watching the battle through the Water Mirror, set down her teacup.
As the saying goes: an expert knows an expert at a glance. Even if she was not as accomplished as her sister, Ji Yumeng—having been trained by the Imperial Tutor Wenzhong—could still tell that this Young Master Yuan’s swordsmanship was… good. No, not just “good”—it was supreme! No wonder her sister had taken a liking to such an ordinary-looking young man. There was indeed something extraordinary about him. Over the years, Ji Yumeng had never once seen her own sister so thoroughly suppressed.
Her gaze locked onto the figure in the Water Mirror that was continuously pressing the Crown Princess. Ji Yumeng’s interest in Chu Yuan grew keener by the moment.
In contrast, the flickering confusion in Wenzhong’s murky eyes was more prominent. The Grand Princess was his disciple; he knew exactly what level she was at. But the swordsmanship Ji Xuanyuan had displayed just now—how had it become so refined? However, it wasn’t hard to explain. Ji Xuanyuan was also a rare genius not seen in a century. As long as she had a master’s guidance, or even observed a battle between experts, she could have an epiphany. Perhaps, during some period Wenzhong didn’t know about, the Crown Princess had encountered certain opportunities and made a leap forward.
But Chu Yuan was different. He had merely been a disfavored orphan of the Chu Clan. Even if he had been guided by the so-called Ring Spirit [Shenbao], he could not have improved so much in such a short time. The smoothness of the Path of Joyful Emotions, the ferocity of the Path of Angry Emotions, the lingering of the Path of Infatuation… every emotion was wielded with perfect technique, far beyond what a young sword cultivator could possess. In Wenzhong’s eyes, what was happening now was no longer a spar between two young geniuses, but a practice match between two sword grandmasters. Such a realm was rarely seen in the world.
This made him even more interested in the young man named “Chu Yuan.” When he swung his sword, there was none of the sinister aura or cunning typical of an evil cultivator; on the contrary, his sword technique carried a Noble Spirit that could not be ignored. Such an aura could not be faked; it could only be cultivated through years of self-cultivation.
Based on his understanding of Elder Shenbao, that old fellow would never meticulously nurture a vessel. After reaching an agreement with this young man, the only thing that creature would do was look for an opportunity to erode and possess the other’s soul, taking over this young body for himself. Especially this Noble Spirit—for an evil cultivator whose soul was barely hanging on, it was like a corrosive poison that burned like blazing oil. If he really lived inside this young man’s body, the first thing he would do was corrupt the body’s source with evil Qi, never allow this righteous Qi to grow strong! That would bring nothing but harm to Elder Shenbao.
Thinking this far, Wenzhong had to suspect: Was the ring spirit of this young man really Shenbao? Or rather… did the so-called “ring spirit” even exist? If the ring spirit was fake, then why did Daji help him lie?
The more Wenzhong delved, the more suspicious he became: ‘As I know, [Daji] is the Supreme Guardian of the Taixu Sacred Domain. She has always been extremely proud and never showed kindness to anyone. If Chu Yuan was just an ordinary branch orphan, why would she be willing to vouch for him and cover for him? Cooperate with him in acting and deceive me? Unless this kid is far more complicated than I see? Or… is there some secret hidden within him that Daji also had her weaknesses seized by him, leaving her no choice but to go along with his act?’
A secret? What secret?
The more Wenzhong pondered, the more suspicious this matter became. He suddenly recalled the question he had asked the Fox Venerable earlier: [If Chu Yunlan is a fake young master, then who is the real young master???] Could it be…
Wenzhong slowly raised his eyes and looked again at the scene reflected in the Water Mirror.
—
In the mountain forest, the sound of sword humming gradually faded, leaving only the soft rustle of bamboo leaves.
Chu Yuan did not attack again but instead distanced himself from the Crown Princess.
Finally getting a chance to catch her breath, Ji Xuanyuan thrust the unsharpened longsword into the ground, supporting her jade-like body as she panted, her breath fragrant. At this moment, her combat suit had been cut by sword aura in several places, and her hair was disheveled. Under the moonlight, her noble countenance was pale, revealing a trace of desolation.
Seeing the Crown Princess, who usually oppressed him, reduced to such a state, Chu Yuan’s resentment had been vented a great deal. He sheathed his sword and bowed politely: “Thank you, Your Highness, for using only three-tenths of your skill to guide me. I am deeply grateful.”
As the saying goes: power should not be exhausted; if you go too far, fate will run out. After all, this was merely a spar—there was no need to actually fight to the death. This also left some face for the Crown Princess.
Seeing this, Yin Shiniang silently praised Chu Yuan’s tactful manner.
By contrast, the guards beside her sighed in relief:
“Huh? So the Crown Princess was holding back?”
“I knew it! How could a branch member of the Chu Clan possibly…”
“The Crown Princess is merciful! She didn’t want him to lose too badly.”
Though they said this, none of them were blind. As cultivators, the more they observed this spar, the more they could see the extraordinary nature of Chu Yuan’s swordsmanship. However, since they served the future Empress, the Empress’s dignity had to be maintained at all times. So even if they could see that the Crown Princess was outmatched, the guards had to pretend to be “the players themselves are confused” to save face for their mistress.
None of the outsiders’ whispers entered Ji Xuanyuan’s ears. She had already been entranced by the emotions flowing from her junior brother’s sword. Looking into Chu Yuan’s eyes, she recalled the scenes of being together with her junior brother in the past.
Seeing the Crown Princess in a daze, Chu Yuan asked in confusion: “Your Highness, are you all right?”
Hearing this, Ji Xuanyuan snapped out of her memories. Steadying herself, she barely managed to force a smile: “Young Master Yuan’s swordsmanship is truly wondrous. It made me see the shadow of many sword grandmasters.”
Hearing her say that, Chu Yuan also felt that her swordsmanship was quite familiar. Now that the spar was over, he had time to ponder where this sense of familiarity came from. After thinking carefully, a graceful figure emerged in his mind. ‘Isn’t this the same swordsmanship as that ugly Wooden Senior Sister? Could it be that Senior Sister is… the Crown Princess? No! How is that possible? In my previous life, Senior Sister was quite strapped for resources; she even had to reluctantly accept favors from me, a Holy Son! If she was the Empress of the Immortal Dynasty, why would she have concealed her identity in the previous life? Besides, even if she were Senior Sister, at this point in time, she couldn’t possibly know me! Or is it… is she also reborn like me? After all, even our Sovereign is like this. Maybe… no, no! Why would I think that? Anyway, I have to ask!’
In search of an answer, Chu Yuan subconsciously asked: “Your Highness’s swordsmanship also reminds me of someone. May I ask what this sword art is called?”
Ji Xuanyuan’s eyelashes trembled slightly. ‘Who did junior brother think of? Me? How should I answer? Should… should I just reveal myself?’
Ji Xuanyuan’s hand, which hung beside her long, jade-like leg, secretly tightened around her sleeve.
Ding~!
Just then, she heard the system’s prompt:
[Congratulations, Your Majesty, for completing the binding with the [Ten Thousand Emotions Divine Sword].]
[The Divine Sword has a spirit; it takes emotions as its blade. Each time it is drawn, a ‘Spirit Sacrifice Cleansing’ must be performed to unleash its full power.]
[Polish it frequently; do not let it gather dust!]
[Current Cleansing Progress: 0%]
Hearing this, Ji Xuanyuan felt frustrated: ‘Why does this system always insist on me cleaning the divine artifact? Does it really not know it’s mistaken? Or is it doing it on purpose? What reasonable excuse can I use to clean it for junior brother? We aren’t dao companions. If we were…’
Her gaze fell on the unsharpened longsword in her hand, and she unconsciously felt a glimmer of hope. ‘After all these years, junior brother still keeps the unsharpened longsword I gave him. The blade is as good as new, and the sword tassel is intact—he clearly maintains it daily. If he didn’t care about me, his senior sister, why would he do that? Maybe he still has feelings for me! If I took this chance to admit it, tell him that I am also reborn and am his senior sister… what would he do? Would the light return to his eyes like in the past life? Would he steam osmanthus cakes for me like before? Would he always be by my side, never leaving?’
The more Ji Xuanyuan thought, the more she felt a surge of desire to reveal herself. ‘Yes! Junior brother, I am your senior sister. I followed you through rebirth!’
But when she looked up and met Chu Yuan’s suspicious eyes, her slightly parted vermillion lips closed tightly, and her brave heart instantly turned weak. After all, everything she was thinking and feeling was still just speculation. What if she admitted it, and junior brother didn’t? What if she told him, and he turned and left? What if… junior brother no longer wanted her as his senior sister?
At this thought, Ji Xuanyuan’s face looked even paler under the moonlight. She was not yet mentally prepared for “completely losing her junior brother.” She could only say: “Heh! Young Master Yuan, I only used basic sword techniques. It’s only natural that it seemed familiar to you.”
Basic sword techniques? Hearing this, Chu Yuan’s tightly knit brows relaxed: “I see, no wonder… That explains it!!!”
In Chu Yuan’s eyes, his senior sister, being a cultivator also valued by the [Emotionless Sword Venerable], had a solid foundation. It was entirely possible that she had practiced basic sword techniques with him back then.
At any rate, this spar with the Crown Princess had given him a satisfying warm-up. Seeing that it was getting late, Chu Yuan cupped his hands: “Your Highness, it’s late. I’ll take my leave.”
Seeing that junior brother was about to leave, Ji Xuanyuan’s heart tightened. She hurriedly extended the unsharpened longsword in her hand, almost subconsciously saying: “Young Master Yuan, please take this sword back!” Saying that, she even took the opportunity to probe, studying Chu Yuan’s expression in the moonlight. “This sword seems to be so well-maintained; it must be something you treasure, right?”
She waited, waiting for junior brother to nod and say “yes,” or directly say “This sword was a gift from my senior sister, and I’ve always kept it.” As long as he showed even a shred of regard, she could follow up with: ‘Oh? Given by your senior sister? She must be very important to you. Where is she now?’ Then probe his current attitude toward his senior sister. If junior brother still cared about his senior sister, even yearned for her—then Ji Xuanyuan could gradually and cautiously hint at the truth. Hint to him that his senior sister was right here; hint to him how much she missed the past; hint to him that she wanted him to come back.
These many thoughts surged within her heart, like a tiny flame lit in the dark night—faint, but stubbornly refusing to go out.
In contrast, Chu Yuan only cast a faint, disgusted glance at the sword. In his past life, the damn system had forced him to maintain this sword. Now that he was finally free of the system’s control, he didn’t want to see this unlucky thing anymore. He waved his hand: “I don’t need it anymore. Help me throw it away.”
Boom~!!!
These words were like a bomb, directly blasting Ji Xuanyuan’s mind into blankness.
Throw it away? Junior brother wants me to throw it away?? Not “leave it with you for now,” but “throw it away”?