The Gujian Sect was one of the ancient sects with a very long history in the cultivation world.
As one of the four great sects, the Gujian Sect was built atop towering mountain peaks within the clouds. The entire sect was shaped like a flying sword, said to be the legendary sword of the founding patriarch that had been suspended in the sky for tens of thousands of years, commanding respect from all directions.
Below the flying sword were one main peak and six secondary peaks. The main peak housed the sect master, while the secondary peaks were where the six elders of the Gujian Sect resided. Beyond the seven peaks stretched endless mountain ranges that still belonged to the Gujian Sect. The outermost areas housed the outer disciples, and the deeper one went, the higher the disciples’ status and position within the sect.
Generally speaking, just by mentioning which mountain peak someone lived on, everyone would know their standing within the sect.
Luo Ying’s Luoxue Peak didn’t belong to the seven peaks. That entire snow mountain was positioned above the flying sword, perpetually shrouded in clouds and mist, with snow that never melted.
Qinghe rode his fan back to the Gujian Sect. His red cloud was extremely conspicuous, and as soon as it drifted past, it alerted the powerful figures of the Gujian Sect, who all gathered beneath the flying sword, planning to demand an explanation.
“Qinghe, you still have the face to return!” A middle-aged sword cultivator holding a long sword shouted sternly.
Su Zhuyi was now sitting properly on the fan, observing these people from the Gujian Sect. Oh, the one who just shouted looked familiar—she seemed to have schemed against him in her previous life.
“Qinghe, hand over the Sword Heart Stone!” Ha, this female sword cultivator was the one who had tried to lecture Qin Jianglan as an elder, only to have her expression change in shock when startled by the Songfeng Sword’s aura. She had a precious disciple who had always coveted Qin Jianglan. Once during a trial, the disciple had spent a night with Old Dog Qin in a secret realm, and the next day, she was willing to compromise her own reputation to marry Qin Jianglan. After being rejected, she had remained despondent for quite some time.
“Luoxue Peak was originally responsible for guarding the Sword Heart Stone, yet you actually stole from your own watch. Is this how your master taught you?” The female cultivator shouted again, but was silenced by Qinghe’s cold glance. That gaze was like a frozen blade piercing to the bone, yet after penetrating, it felt like boiling water, scalding hot, making her fall silent and not dare to say another word.
“I’ve brought the Sword Heart Stone back and was planning to return it to Luoxue Peak.” Qinghe didn’t bow to the sect elders, instead looking at the sect master and saying, “Master has taken another disciple.” He shifted slightly to reveal Su Zhuyi sitting behind him. “Please have the sect master arrange for disciple robes, cultivation resources…” He paused, “Master instructed that it should be according to my allocation.”
“Your master, she…” Gujian Sect Master Duan Linshu hesitated slightly, his gaze falling on the screen behind the fan. He sensed Luo Ying’s aura there, and it seemed her body was somewhat unwell. Similarly, the Qinghe before him also had an indescribable strange scent that made his natal flying sword tremble slightly.
“Master was slightly injured and needs to rest quietly.” Su Zhuyi poked her head out and said sweetly. She tugged at Qinghe’s sleeve, “Senior Brother, Senior Brother, quickly take me to see our Luoxue Peak.” Then she continued, “Disciple Su Zhuyi greets the sect master and all the seniors. We’ll take our leave now.”
Qinghe was slightly stunned, then without a word drove the fan up into the sky toward the iron sword. After he flew away, the female cultivator who had questioned him earlier asked, “Sect Master, Qinghe stole the Sword Heart Stone and violated sect rules—are we just letting him go back like this?”
Duan Linshu’s brows were tightly furrowed. Hearing her question, he replied, “Peak Master Yun, we cannot interfere with Luoxue Peak’s affairs—this is also a sect rule. If he violated the rules, his master Luo Ying must be the one to discipline him.”
“Luo Ying handles matters fairly. She will give everyone an explanation,” another cultivator said.
…
Qinghe drove the fan up to the sword and headed directly toward Luoxue Peak. Su Zhuyi called out Wu’er and had him stand while hugging Qinghe’s thigh. The veins on Qinghe’s forehead were pulsing, but the moment he made contact with Little Skull, his heart finally calmed down somewhat.
Just now, while talking with the Gujian Sect master, the evil sword within Qinghe’s body had begun stirring restlessly. This place was full of flying swords and sword cultivators—it was like a wolf entering a sheep pen. This caused the Longquan Sword to become agitated again, making Qinghe appear somewhat restless. And that Peak Master Yun was still criticizing his master.
If he had continued arguing with them, once his emotions flared up, he probably wouldn’t be able to suppress that fierce sword. So when Su Zhuyi noticed something was wrong and immediately spoke up, she breathed a sigh of relief only after they returned to Luoxue Peak. Until Qinghe found a way to completely suppress the Longquan Sword, he’d better not show himself. If he lost control momentarily and let the evil sword take over, the trouble would be enormous—even Luo Ying probably couldn’t protect him then. The master of an evil sword would be hunted down by cultivators throughout the world.
Luoxue Peak was a snow mountain abundant with spiritual energy, but they didn’t actually live on the mountain. Instead, they lived directly at the mountain’s base, where three to five thatched houses served as Luo Ying and Qinghe’s daily living quarters.
Qinghe carefully carried Luo Ying back to her room. He had no time to mind Su Zhuyi, so she had Little Skull take the puppy to play, throwing the puppy far enough away that she couldn’t smell the dog scent. So Little Skull left carrying the small dog, and only after everyone had gone did Su Zhuyi slowly begin walking forward.
Beneath her feet was a sea of clouds. As she walked along, she couldn’t even see her own shoe tops, though there were many spiritual herbs and trees hidden within the clouds and mist. The fog made all the colors appear hazy, creating a dreamlike, fantastical atmosphere. Su Zhuyi kept walking forward for a long time until she saw the tip of a sword. This was the foundation of the Gujian Sect—that flying sword suspended in the air, with Luoxue Peak carried upon it. Luo Ying had grown up on Luoxue Peak since childhood, entering the Dao through swordsmanship.
This sword suspended in the sky was wrapped in seas of clouds, with only the sword tip free of clouds and mist. This place was said to be where the Gujian Sect’s outstanding disciples came to comprehend sword intent. They held sect competitions every three years, and the winners could come here to sit facing the sea of clouds, with their backs to the snow mountain, seated upon the flying sword’s tip to comprehend sword intent.
Su Zhuyi had once known a Gujian Sect cultivator. Actually, she couldn’t even remember that person’s name originally, but when Qin Jianglan enumerated her crimes, he always had to mention it, so she remembered that person’s name: Gu Feiyue. Suddenly she felt that when he recited those names, wasn’t he perhaps jealous? She couldn’t even remember them, yet he could recall them so clearly.
Gu Feiyue was considered an outstanding disciple of the Gujian Sect, having once sat on this sword tip for a month and always been proud of it. Now, Su Zhuyi sat on the sword tip, dangling her feet over the edge and swinging them back and forth. She felt the wind was quite cold, making the hair on her feet stand up and giving her goosebumps.
After sitting quietly for a while, on her way back, Su Zhuyi used a hoe to dig up a larger stone along the path. After hauling it back, she had Qinghe cut it flat and neat, then carved Qin Jianglan’s name on it.
She had promised to set up a memorial tablet for him and burn incense. Since she no longer had to wander about and could cultivate peacefully, she might as well carve a tombstone for him.
Seeing Su Zhuyi carve the tombstone in a proper manner and even ask him for three incense sticks to insert, Qinghe rarely asked an extra question: “Your father?”
Su Zhuyi: “…”
She shook her head, then nodded, “Like a second parent.”
In her previous life, when she lost all her cultivation, it was Qin Jianglan who kept her alive. This chance to live again was also given by him—he truly was like a second parent.
“You’ll live in this room.” Qinghe pointed to a small thatched house that was somewhat farther away.
“Mm.” Su Zhuyi wasn’t picky about such things at all. Having lived days using the sky as a blanket and the ground as a bed, having a small thatched house was quite nice.
“The disciple robes have also been delivered. The cultivation jade slips are placed together with the clothes. Every month the sect master will send one hundred top-grade spirit stones and one bottle of Qi Gathering Pills. Cultivate well. I plan to enter closed-door cultivation for a period of time.” Qinghe truly had no time to mind her. Only after he completely suppressed the evil sword within his body would the sword wounds on his master heal, so he couldn’t delay even a moment.
“Good!”
“The flowers in Master’s room must be changed daily.” Qinghe stood before Luo Ying’s room and continued, “She likes plum blossoms.”
“The calming incense must be changed morning and evening. The baleful qi from the Longquan Sword still lingers in her sword wounds. Without burning calming incense, she can’t sleep well.”
“Oh.”
“If Master awakens, tell her I’ve already returned the Sword Heart Stone to its proper place and am willing to accept punishment.” Qinghe added.
“Alright.” Su Zhuyi nodded and asked, “Is there anything else you need to instruct?”
“Tomorrow they’ll deliver substitute straw dolls. I spoke with the peak master of Zang Peak.” Qinghe paused, “Your strength is insufficient—you can’t refine high-level substitute straw dolls yourself. I had them bring two over. I’ve already paid the spirit stones, so just accept them directly.”
“Thank you, Senior Brother.”
“There are also many spiritual items on Luoxue Peak. Whatever you can gather is yours.” After speaking, Qinghe turned and left. Su Zhuyi walked to the thatched house arranged for her, pushed open the door, and saw disciple robes and cultivation jade slips placed on the central table, along with a bag of spirit stones and a bottle of pills.
This kind of life was something her former self could never have imagined.
Back then in the Xueluo Sect, for a single spirit stone or pill, her hands had to be stained with fresh blood. It could even be said that every pill represented a life. But now, these things were just placed there—she only needed to reach out and take them.
It truly was different now. After thinking about it, she divided the spirit stones into two piles, directly throwing one pile into the Wuding Gourd—this was the candy allocated to Little Skull.
The next morning, Su Zhuyi heard a commotion outside. She thought it was the delivery of substitute straw dolls, wondering why delivering straw dolls would create such a big scene. After all, spiritual consciousness was restricted on Luoxue Peak, so Su Zhuyi didn’t know exactly how many people there were. When she went out to look, she discovered that many uninvited guests had come to Luoxue Peak.
That group wearing dark robes with cloud patterns embroidered on their collars and sleeves were clearly cultivators from the Dong Fushang Sect. Standing beside them were several beautiful female cultivators, two of whom Su Zhuyi had seen before—the reception disciple Hong Qin and the Suyue Sect Master. Could it be that because she had revealed those sordid affairs of the Suyue Sect but had no evidence, the Suyue Sect had brought out their backing to demand an explanation from the Gujian Sect?
Such a trivial matter wouldn’t create such a big scene. After all, she was still young now, and her words couldn’t be taken seriously. Coming to make trouble themselves would truly be making a mountain out of a molehill. When Su Zhuyi’s gaze turned to the three to five disciples on the other side, her expression changed slightly. Those wearing dark green robes with long swords at their waists were disciples of the Yunxiao Sect, and their leader wore a golden sword tassel on his sword—he was an elder of the Yunxiao Sect.
They even brought a Yunxiao Sect elder? Could this be related to Qinghe!
Sword qi! When Qinghe cut off the Suyue Sect Master’s Liuxia Sword with one strike, there was naturally sword qi. They detected something wrong from that sword qi and used this as a pretext to find the Gujian Sect and press toward Luoxue Peak. Now Luo Ying was unconscious, and Qinghe was suppressing the Longquan Sword. If these people came up the mountain to search and discovered the strange aspects of Qinghe’s condition, they definitely wouldn’t spare him.
Su Zhuyi took out the Wuding Gourd and called out Little Skull. “Go find Qinghe. Hold onto him tightly and wrap him with the spiritual energy in your body, just like how you hide that dog of yours. Can you do it?”
“Mm.” Little Skull nodded. It had eaten lots of candy again last night and rested in the Wuding Gourd for the night, so it was in high spirits now. It ran directly toward Qinghe. Only then did Su Zhuyi leave her room. After going out, she saw Qu Ningsu and said, “It’s you again. What are you doing here?” Su Zhuyi glared at her hatefully. “Do you want to slash my face again?”
With these words, the surrounding cultivators’ expressions stiffened. Qu Ningsu looked somewhat embarrassed, then laughed lightly. “Last night I couldn’t sleep peacefully. I went to find an alchemist to examine me, and it turned out to be baleful qi entering my body. Thinking it over, only the Gujian Sect’s Qinghe had struck me with his sword. I didn’t expect that this single sword strike would produce bloody baleful qi.”
“Luo Ying is the world’s foremost sword cultivator, renowned for her chivalrous reputation. How could she teach such a fiend brimming with baleful qi? This matter is of great importance—I dare not make false accusations carelessly, so I brought this broken sword to ask a great master from the Yunxiao Sect to examine it…” After speaking, she turned to look at the Yunxiao Sect elder. “Elder Liu, what do you think?”
Elder Liu stood with his sleeves fluttering, saying gravely, “Evil qi has entered his body, his sword intent is vicious—the wronged souls who died under his sword are probably countless. This boy has already fallen into the demonic path!”
Gujian Sect Master Duan Linshu’s brows were tightly knitted. Qinghe of Luoxue Peak was the most outstanding sword cultivator of the younger generation, having once overwhelmed the Yunxiao Sect. Now they claimed he had evil qi in his body and had fallen into the demonic path. Originally he would never believe it, but yesterday’s meeting when his natal magical treasure reacted strangely and that odd feeling made his heart uneasy, causing him some worry.
Su Zhuyi laughed coldly. “You old man is talking complete nonsense. My senior brother is only three hundred years old and just came down from the mountain recently. The wronged souls who died under his sword are countless? Or can you just not count?”
“Yunxiao Sect disciples can’t win in sword competitions, but they’d definitely win in shamelessness contests.” She smiled sweetly at the sect master. “Sect Master, don’t you think so?”
Duan Linshu could only say, “You can’t speak carelessly. Qinghe is our Gujian Sect’s most outstanding disciple, a child taught by Luo Ying. His sword dao attainments are profound, and his reputation is well-known. He’s not someone just anyone can slander at will.” If he had been worried before, this Elder Liu claiming that countless wronged souls had died under Qinghe’s sword was going too far. Qinghe had only left the mountain before when competing with the Yunxiao Sect, and only recently after stealing the Sword Heart Stone had he wandered outside for a few years. Although he had injured many people and caused quite a bit of trouble, he had never killed anyone.
If he truly killed people like flies, could he still hide it? Moreover, the current Qinghe was only at the Golden Core stage—how could he possibly have countless wronged souls under his sword?
“Hmph! Then have that Qinghe come out to confront us. Let this old man personally test his sword intent.” Elder Liu’s forehead veins bulged. He didn’t deign to argue with a child, so when that girl said he couldn’t count, he didn’t get angry. But his eye was extremely sharp—the baleful qi revealed at the break of that sword couldn’t be wrong. Now that Duan Linshu spoke like this, clearly he didn’t believe him.
But just as his words fell, a brilliant sword light descended from the sky. That sword light was snow-bright, like a frost and snow dragon roaring past, shocking Elder Liu so much that his face paled and he retreated several steps. Even so, his head was covered with frost flowers.
Qinghe came stepping on clouds. He glanced coldly at Elder Liu and said, “How do you find this sword intent?”