Proud Sword Sect, Sect Master Peak.
Cyan-white sword qi swirled freely through the air. The sharp sword intent seemed intent on slicing apart every demon and monster in the world, carrying threads of chilling, intimidating coldness.
Luo Shuiling sat quietly on the stone bench. The past two years had left no trace on her. If anything, she appeared even more mature, her figure more curvaceous and alluring. Perhaps nourished by recent events, her beautiful eyes held a spring-like wateriness, tinged with a hint of charm.
Yet this expression only surfaced when she faced a certain someone. To outsiders, the Eldest Senior Sister of Proud Sword Sect had grown even colder and prouder over these two years—revered and awe-inspiring, leaving no room for the slightest improper thought.
She sat in a somewhat languid posture, watching with satisfaction as the youth practiced his sword before her.
Two years had passed since that incident. In this span that was neither particularly long nor short, the once-small youth had grown into a handsome young man. His previously youthful cheeks had nearly fully matured, gaining sharp angles while still retaining a gentle softness.
His formerly short stature had shot up dramatically. Where she had once towered over him by more than half a head, they were now nearly the same height. His build remained slender as ever—he had not developed a broad-shouldered, muscular frame.
Still, Luo Shuiling liked it this way. While a sturdy physique might give women a sense of security, her high cultivation meant she needed no protection. Instead, she would be the one protecting him.
Perhaps because of his childhood experiences, even after growing up and changing greatly in appearance, the youth’s personality remained somewhat soft. He was extremely polite and courteous to everyone, showing no trace of arrogance.
Previously An Rui had come to visit her and happened to meet the youth while he was drinking tea. Both had been momentarily stunned upon seeing each other. In the end he had reacted first, politely greeting her as “Senior Sister.”
Only then had An Rui snapped out of it and responded, a rare trace of fluster showing on her face.
Ever since, An Rui would occasionally ask her about the youth in subtle ways. Though she tried hard to hide it, Luo Shuiling could tell that An Rui’s heart had been stirred.
This had troubled Luo Shuiling somewhat. An Rui was her close younger sister, but when it came to the youth, she had no intention of giving him up. She would always deflect the questions with vague answers. When she finally ran out of excuses, she brought up the fact that Yun Hao already had a betrothed. Only then had An Rui dropped the idea.
Seeing An Rui look so dejected for the first time, Luo Shuiling felt a twinge of reluctance, but mostly relief and satisfaction. She had used one rival to deal with another.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh.
Cyan-white sword light danced as the Cloud Abyss Sword grew increasingly powerful in Yun Hao’s hands.
(He’s starting to resemble me from back then.)
A trace of gentleness appeared in Luo Shuiling’s eyes. The sword art Yun Hao was currently practicing was one she had taught him—Solitary Swan. It was an extremely powerful sword technique. She had deliberately stopped him from using Shattered Star, wanting to slowly erase every trace Elder Lin Xian had left on him.
And he had obeyed. He no longer used Shattered Star and had switched entirely to Solitary Swan.
In truth, after what happened two years ago, Luo Shuiling had felt somewhat uneasy. During that period she had secretly kept a close eye on Yun Hao’s state of mind. Aside from occasional, unexplained bouts of exhaustion, she found nothing unusual. Over time she had gradually let go of her worries.
…………..
A short while later Yun Hao finished the full set of the sword art and recalled the Cloud Abyss Sword. He straightened his slightly disheveled clothes and walked toward Luo Shuiling.
“Senior Sister.”
He bowed respectfully.
“There’s no need for such formality. Since you’ve finished practicing, come and sit.”
Luo Shuiling spoke with a rare trace of softness. She beckoned the youth over to sit. However, Yun Hao hesitated for a moment, then gently shook his head.
“Senior Sister, it’s time for me to go see my junior sister.”
Luo Shuiling’s heart sank slightly, but her expression remained unchanged. She spoke indifferently.
“I already told you before—there’s no need to report to me every time. Handle your own matters as you see fit.”
Yun Hao nodded. He gave Luo Shuiling a gentle smile and said nothing more. He walked lightly to the teleportation array. A soft glow lit up, and he vanished within it.
Luo Shuiling watched Yun Hao head toward Western Peak, a shadow of gloom crossing her heart. Over these two years, no matter what, he had gone to Western Peak every single day without fail. A year and a half ago, when the youth broke through to Foundation Establishment and spent an entire day and night in seclusion, the first thing he did after waking—after spending only a brief moment with her—was immediately rush off to Lin Shengyu’s side.
This displeased her greatly. Fortunately he had returned after only an hour or two, which helped soothe her anger somewhat.
Luo Shuiling thought back on these past events with irritation. The sect grand competition was also approaching. Once that was dealt with, she would need to find a way to dissolve the betrothal between Yun Hao and Lin Shengyu. Otherwise she would never feel at ease.
Her beautiful eyes shifted toward the teleportation array as she pondered possible solutions.
………..
Yun Hao hurried along, circulating the Wind Shadow Art to move at extreme speed. Two years had passed, and he was now a Foundation Establishment cultivator, far faster than before.
As time went by, the memories of the osmanthus cakes and the Clear Mist Flower had slowly been buried deep in his heart. Since that conflict, he and Senior Sister had not had any further disagreements in these two years. Senior Sister continued to treat him extremely well.
Their relationship had mended completely. He remained an admiring junior brother, and Luo Shuiling remained the caring senior sister.
They were once again as close as they had been when he first joined the sect.
This warm and comfortable atmosphere had once made Yun Hao believe he had already crossed that hurdle and no longer blamed Senior Sister. But the nightmares that had disappeared for so long had returned with a vengeance.
This time they were even worse. He dreamed not only of the osmanthus cakes but also of the Clear Mist Flower. No matter how he struggled, it was useless. The suffocating feeling remained just as intense, as if he were truly about to die.
Every few days he would be tormented by these dreams. This was also why he would occasionally appear unusually mentally exhausted.
“Haa…”
Yun Hao shook his head, forcing himself not to think about it. His relationship with Senior Sister had returned to how it used to be. Those things were meaningless now.
His face reddened slightly as another memory surfaced.
Over the past two years he had met another senior sister named An Rui. She was a very lively and cheerful young woman who treated him extremely well. Once she had even brought painting tools with her.
She had painted a portrait of him and Senior Sister together… This had stirred something in his heart. An Rui had painted two pictures in total—one of him and Senior Sister, and another of her and him.
For the first painting, An Rui had originally wanted to give it to Senior Sister for safekeeping, but after Senior Sister glanced at it she had simply handed it to him.
The second painting was kept by An Rui herself. She had once made a joke he didn’t quite understand, saying she wanted to keep it as a memento. He had been puzzled—hadn’t he always been on Sect Master Peak? What kind of memento did she need?
In the end he hadn’t thought too much about it and let the matter go.
These memories made him feel that everything was fine and that he was living happily every day. That strange feeling he had sensed from Senior Sister that day must have been a mistake on his part. Perhaps… the deepest wound in his heart had already been fully healed.
Perhaps…
………….
Recalling these scattered memories, Yun Hao soon arrived at Western Peak. Looking at the closed cave residence, the unconscious melancholy on his face disappeared, replaced by a faint smile.
He knocked on the door with a deliberately serious expression but said nothing.
Knock knock knock!
After a moment the door opened a small crack. A pair of clever, lively eyes peeked out to observe the person knocking.
But only a breath later, the owner of those eyes let out a delighted cry. Her joy was completely unconcealed. She immediately opened the door wide and trotted out gracefully.
“Senior Brother! You’re here!”
Lin Shengyu cried out happily. Forgetting all maidenly reserve and shyness, she ran straight into Yun Hao’s arms and sniffed carefully.
Mm, there was no scent of Senior Sister Luo Shuiling. Senior Brother had protected her well yesterday too.
She buried herself in her senior brother’s embrace, smiling foolishly.
Yun Hao looked at his junior sister, who had grown quite a bit. He felt both helpless and doting. He gently combed through her slightly messy hair with his hand, his voice carrying a hint of reproach.
“We see each other every day. There’s no need to get so excited. What if you trip and fall? Senior Brother would be heartbroken.”
“Hehe, with Senior Brother here I’m not afraid. Besides…”
Lin Shengyu suddenly became shy.
“Senior Brother wouldn’t let me fall… right?!”
She lifted a pair of misty eyes and spoke with open infatuation.
Yun Hao felt as if his heart had been struck hard by a heavy hammer. For some reason he suddenly felt flustered. He didn’t know when it started, but he had begun to find it difficult to look directly at his junior sister. He felt she had become very beautiful, and sometimes the things she said sounded rather strange…
He could only comfort himself that two years had passed and his junior sister had grown into a young woman. It was only natural for her to be beautiful. In fact, she should be beautiful. As for those strange words, he was probably just overthinking them.
With a slightly dry voice, Yun Hao tried to keep his tone calm, but he couldn’t meet his junior sister’s eyes.
“Even so, you still need to be careful.”
With that, as if deliberately changing the subject, he gently pushed Lin Shengyu away and said,
“It’s windy outside. Let’s go in first.”