Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Early the next morning, I invited my Master to Clear Heart Peak.

Living on Clear Heart Peak was an elder who, after failing his secluded cultivation, had switched careers to research the redirection of inner demons. I bribed him with two jars of osmanthus wine and signed Rong Jiming up for a seven-day retreat titled “How to Reconcile with the World After a Breakup.”

Rong Jiming looked at the plaque, a rare expression of bewilderment crossing his face. “Qiwu, I am a sword cultivator.”

“First, try being a human being,” I said. “Even a sword cultivator shouldn’t use the Sect’s public funds to reminisce about a long-lost love, and they certainly shouldn’t treat their disciple as a substitute for the dead.”

He frowned. “I have not.”

“You’d better not have.” I handed him a stack of papers. “I’ve compiled these for you: ‘The Deceased Will Not Resurrect Just Because You Planted a Tree,’ ‘Projecting Emotions Onto Young Disciples is a Sign of Immaturity,’ and ‘Basic Common Sense Regarding Sect Ethics and Reputation.'”

Rong Jiming’s hand froze as he took the papers.

He had always been cold and self-contained, valuing his dignity more than life itself. If I hadn’t heard that notification sound, I wouldn’t have wanted to stab him in the heart like this.

But I knew better than anyone that if this knife wasn’t twisted now, it would eventually be twisted into the heart of the entire Guiyuan Sect.

After settling Master in, I headed to the sword practice grounds to find Yin Qichi.

The young girl was dressed in red, her sword light fast and sharp. Her forehead was beaded with sweat. Seeing me approach, she immediately sheathed her sword obediently and called out, “Eldest Senior Sister.”

She was exceptionally beautiful, with bright, vivid features like a roaring fire. It was no wonder the plot had chosen her to walk that most painful of paths.

“Have you been running off to Forgetful River Cliff lately?” I asked.

Yin Qichi bit her lip, the tips of her ears slowly turning red. “I just wanted to help Master look after the Moon Soul Tree.”

“And see Master while you’re at it?”

She fell silent.

I led her to sit on the steps, not beating around the bush. “Do you like him?”

Yin Qichi’s fingers trembled. After a long pause, she whispered, “I don’t know. Master was the one who brought me back from the snow when I was little. When I opened my eyes, he was the first person I saw. I practice the sword because he said I had talent; I work myself to the bone to get stronger because I want to be closer to him. Eldest Senior Sister, I can’t tell if this is ‘liking’ someone or something else.”

I stared at her, seeing the burning light in her eyes, and felt an unprovoked ache in my heart.

Many young girls mistake being saved, being seen, and being guided for love.

But it wasn’t.

At the very least, it shouldn’t be the kind of love that would destroy her.

“Then don’t be in such a hurry to label it.” I reached out to brush a stray hair from her forehead. “Be yourself first. Wait until the day you no longer just ‘want to be closer to him,’ but have figured out what you truly want. Only then should we talk about love.”

Yin Qichi looked at me blankly.

Just then, a sharp crack echoed from the other side of the practice grounds.

A youth jumped out from a cloud of smoke, clutching a pile of broken mechanical swords. Coughing, he shouted, “Who swapped the testing stones for profound iron? My newly made sword case is completely ruined!”

The boy had bright features. His sleeves were rolled up messily, and a streak of ash clung to his forehead, yet his eyes were startlingly bright.

Yin Qichi instinctively stood up. “Ji Qingyao, did you blow up the Artifact Room again?”

“It wasn’t an explosion, it was a failed test,” Ji Qingyao corrected her righteously. Only then did he notice her, and he froze for a moment. “Why is your wrist injured again?”

He dropped the broken swords and hurried over. Before he could even offer a proper greeting, he crouched down to examine the abrasions on her palm.

Yin Qichi’s ears turned bright red instantly.

Standing nearby, I silently rolled up my ledger, feeling that this trip had been worthwhile.

Compared to a cold-faced Master planting trees under the moon, someone who would frown over a tiny scratch on her hand was clearly more deserving of her heart.