Suppressed by the World

High above the Sword Qi Great Wall, a kite flew.

The kite swept past.

For once, Zhao Gexi and Cheng Quan were not sitting opposite each other. The two friends who had weathered life and death together sat shoulder to shoulder on the North City Wall, gazing toward some alley in the city.

Zhao Gexi turned his head and glanced at the kite overhead. The only one who would fool around so recklessly atop the wall was that damned A Liang.

Back then, that man would have been followed by a whole pack of little burdens. Among the last group of children were Chen Sanqiu, Dong Budé, Dong Huafu, and Diezhang. One or two groups before that had included Chou Miao, Gao Yehou, Luo Zhenyi, and the rest.

Zhao Gexi withdrew his gaze and continued complaining that Cheng Quan's aptitude was lacking, that his refining of mountains was far too slow, and that Zhao Gexi's formation-protecting Mountain Mover back then had been wasted on him.

Cheng Quan held a seal in his palm, its inscription written in willow-leaf script: "By accident." Then he clenched both hands into fists, as if he needed to carefully protect that "by accident." Rather than trading barbs with his old friend, Cheng Quan asked, "Do Sword Immortals in the Vast Heaven and Earth not have so much love and romance?"

Zhao Gexi smiled. "Not necessarily. Look at Wei Jin of the Wind and Snow Temple. Isn't he some lovesick fool whose heart was wounded? From the rumors, he even seems to have some connection with Chen Ping'an. Still, Sword Immortals who drag their feet through mud like that are few. More are like Pu He and Xie Zhi, not particularly invested in affairs between men and women."

Cheng Quan fell silent for a moment before