Chapter 25: He Is Afraid of Pain

Meanwhile, at the Sword Grave.

After enduring a month of devastation, the sword qi finally ceased its "pursuit" of Luo Xing. This signified that Luo Xing had successfully forged his own Sword Heart.

Because only with a Sword Heart could one erase the strand of "Tyrant Sword" intent that Ye Li had left within him. Once that intent vanished, the spirit swords that had been provoked would naturally cease their aggression.

"Finally... it is finally over..."

Luo Xing, who had been beaten into a state beyond recognition, lay sprawled on the ground, his eyes vacant and hollow. His face was etched with pure exhaustion. "It is over... it is finally over..."

"How was it?" Ye Li landed before him, smiling as she looked down at him. "What kind of Sword Heart did you forge? Tell your master."

Only the sword cultivator themselves could know the nature of their Sword Heart. Unless Luo Xing spoke of it, even Ye Li could not discern it.

"It is over... it is over..."

However, Luo Xing was simply too exhausted. The combination of mental and physical fatigue meant he hadn't heard a word Ye Li said, nor did he notice the new skill that had appeared in his mind.

[Running: 6/10]

In a short while, Luo Xing rolled his eyes back and fell into a deep sleep.

"Hmm? Hey, wake up, I'm asking you a question! Hey!"

Ye Li frowned and nudged Luo Xing with her foot. "Did you really fall asleep?"

Tsk...

He is still quite pathetic...

It seems I will have to train him much harder.

Ye Li certainly wouldn't abandon Luo Xing here, nor did she have the patience to wait for him to wake up, so she tossed him onto her flying sword and set off to return to the Xuantian Sect.

Only this time, she flew much slower than when she had arrived...

---

When Ye Li returned to Duan Tian Peak, she happened to run into Luo Han, who was looking for her younger brother, accompanied by Dai Zifu.

"Elder Ye."

Seeing Ye Li, Luo Han and Dai Zifu immediately bowed.

"Hmm." Although Ye Li did not enjoy sudden visitors, upon seeing it was Luo Han, she gave a slight nod. "Are you here to see your brother?"

"Yes... huh?" After looking up, Luo Han discovered the unconscious Luo Xing lying on the sword. "Elder Ye! My brother, he..."

Dai Zifu, standing to the side, let out a silent sigh in her heart...

Sigh...

In the end, it really happened...

Will Elder Ye silence them by killing them later?

"He is exhausted." Ye Li controlled the flying sword to land in front of Luo Han. "I took him out for some training for a while; help him back to his room to rest."

Dai Zifu: "..."

Oh... he’s not dead?

Luo Han: "..."

Training? As expected, Elder Ye is a conscientious, kind-hearted person who acts cold on the outside but is warm on the inside.

As Luo Han helped Luo Xing back to his room, Ye Li turned her gaze toward the expressionless Dai Zifu, whose legs were trembling slightly...

Ye Li: "Are you... Pei Qingshuang's disciple?"

Dai Zifu: "Y-yes... that is correct..."

Stupid mouth!

Stop trembling when you talk!

"Hmm..." Ye Li nodded slightly, pondered for a moment, and asked, "Do you have any medicinal pills on you?"

Dai Zifu was startled by the question: "Uh... huh?"

---

In the room, Luo Han had just tucked Luo Xing in when Ye Li walked in.

"Elder Ye."

"Hmm."

Ye Li walked to the bedside, first glancing at the sleeping Luo Xing, and then asked Luo Han: "Could you tell me about his past?"

Luo Han blinked: "Elder Ye wants to know about my brother's past?"

Luo Han: "..."

Could it be that she wants to... learn more about Little Xing so she can take better care of him?

Thinking of this, Luo Han felt a stinging sensation in her nose...

After all, since their parents passed away, she was the only one who had truly cherished her brother, and now, he had gained the care of Elder Ye as well...

Ye Li: "..."

This rebellious disciple is too disobedient. The糗(embarrassing) moments on that Shadow-Recording Stone alone aren't enough; I need to get a better handle on his weaknesses...

Asking Luo Xing directly would surely lead nowhere, but his sister was a different story.

"Actually, Little Xing, he..." Luo Han sniffled, holding back the tears that were welling up in her eyes to avoid losing her composure in front of Ye Li. "Although he can be a bit mischievous, he is usually very obedient..."

She prattled on about some things from Luo Xing's past, mostly about how sensible and obedient he was, but these were not the things Ye Li wanted to hear...

"Is there anything he is afraid of?" Ye Li asked directly.

"Afraid?" Luo Han thought for a moment, then said with some heartache, "If you ask what Little Xing fears most, it would be pain..."

Ye Li's expression shifted imperceptibly upon hearing this: "Afraid of pain?"

Luo Han nodded: "Yes, Little Xing is most afraid of pain."

Perhaps due to his constitution, even small injuries or pains that seemed harmless to most people could make Luo Xing cry. But he would never cry in front of Luo Han, because he didn't want his sister to worry...

Yet, every time he hid in a corner biting down on straw to muffle his sobs, or buried himself in his quilt to cry softly, Luo Han knew perfectly well. She had always thought it was because she hadn't taken good care of him, leaving him unable to eat well or stay warm, which was why he had become so frail. Because of this, she always felt a deep sense of guilt toward her brother.

"So back home, I would always keep some honey on hand." Luo Han saw Luo Xing's brows knit together slightly and reached out to stroke his hair gently. "When he was in pain, if he ate something sweet, he wouldn't feel the pain anymore."

Perhaps forming a muscle memory, under his sister's soothing touch, Luo Xing's tightened brows slowly relaxed...

But Luo Han did not notice that, beside her, Ye Li’s gaze toward Luo Xing had changed...

In order not to disturb Ye Li, Luo Han left after staying with Luo Xing for a while. Before leaving, she did not forget to express her gratitude for Ye Li's meticulous teaching, leaving behind some cultivation resources and pills she had refined herself.

After Luo Han and Dai Zifu left, Ye Li returned to Luo Xing's room.

The youth on the bed was still sleeping, but the exhaustion between his brows had subsided considerably.

"I never would have guessed that you are most afraid of pain..." Ye Li looked at Luo Xing and chuckled lightly. "It seems I have a way to make you obedient now."

Although she said that, her mind was replaying the scenes from the Sword Grave...

..."Master! I can't do it anymore!"...

..."Little Xing is most afraid of pain."...

..."Ahhhhh!"...

..."Even small injuries and pains will make him cry."...

..."Master!"...

---

The smile on Ye Li's face gradually faded, replaced by an expression she herself didn't realize she was wearing...

When he was pierced by the sword qi...

Was he in immense pain?

She didn't know, for she no longer remembered what it felt like to be in pain...

Or rather, she was no longer capable of feeling pain...

Just then, Ye Li noticed that Luo Xing, still in his deep slumber, had knit his brows together once more...

She lowered her eyes in thought, then slowly squatted down, reached out, and mimicking Luo Han's movement from moments ago, stroked Luo Xing's forehead...

The tightly knit brows were smoothed out by her hand...

But since this was clearly the first time Ye Li had done such a thing, she failed to notice that while smoothing his brows, she had also inadvertently forced his eyelids open...

The exposed whites of his eyes soon began to weep tears due to the wind drying them out...

Ye Li: "..."

Why is he crying? Why didn't he cry when his sister touched him earlier?

..."When he is in pain, if he eats something sweet, he won't feel the pain anymore."...

At that moment, she suddenly remembered what Luo Han had said.

But her storage ring did not contain anything sweet, and even the pills she had just acquired from Dai Zifu had nothing to do with sweetness...

"Tsk..." Ye Li clicked her tongue. "How troublesome..."

---

Xianyun Peak.

"My dear disciple..." In the courtyard, Jun Wujin lay on a rattan chair, soaking in the sun, stretching out his two short legs comfortably. "Do you know what day it is today?"

The male disciple, who was buried in research on spirit techniques, looked up at his master, puzzled. "What day is it?"

He remembered that the next big event in the sect was the sect competition, right?

But wasn't that still about a year away?

What other big day could it be today?

Jun Wujin chuckled, rubbing his bulbous, booze-red nose. "Today... is the day Ye Li is not here!"

He had heard from the mountain-guarding deacon that the woman, Ye Li, had taken her own disciple out for training and had yet to return!

Hehehe!

Days without Ye Li are just wonderful!

Even the spiritual energy in the sect tastes sweeter!

The more Jun Wujin thought about it, the happier he became. With a flip of his palm, he produced a jade bottle with a pink peach blossom pattern from his storage ring.

It was the Nine-Rhyme Jade Peach Marrow, a superb vintage brewed from the three most fragrant and precious peach blossoms from a celestial peach stock. It offered the ultimate experience of both wine aroma and sweet fragrance!

He had spent almost two years squatting at the Yaochi Holy Land in Northern Liang to steal this small bottle, and he had almost had his legs broken by the immortals of Yaochi for it...

Because it had been so difficult to acquire, he hadn't even tasted a drop until now, but he was happy today!

He was going to drink to his heart's content!

"Drinking Nine-Rhyme Jade Peach Marrow~ The Supreme Elder cannot compare... I~ hehehe~"

Just as Jun Wujin was humming a little tune and preparing to savor the hard-won vintage, he suddenly felt a shadow loom over him...

"DAMN IT! Who is it! Stop blocking my sun—"

Jun Wujin opened his eyes while cursing, just about to scold the person who had ruined his mood, when he saw a cold, stunningly beautiful face...

Jun Wujin: "..."

The potency of this premium vintage must be huge... I'm already drunk before even drinking it...

What?

I'm not drunk?

Then how could I be seeing that woman Ye Li's face?

I must be drunk...

Hahaha!

I must be drunk!