Gift You a Sword

After Instructor Wang accepted him as a disciple on behalf of her master, Ji You returned from the Affairs Management Courtyard to the outer court.

But he had barely arrived at the Ascending Immortal White Jade Platform when Ban Yangshu and Ji Qirui caught up with him, each carrying a spirit sword they wished to give him as thanks.

Ji You waved them off and tried to refuse. In the end, unable to withstand their fervor, he tied the swords at his waist with a dead knot.

The senior brothers of the inner court were too generous—and too innocent. Ji You could not help feeling moved.

At last, he had a little motivation to enter the inner court.

"I never even saw when Junior Brother Ji tied that knot..."

"With those hands, he was clearly holding back when he fought that evil spawn..."

"..."

After bidding the two senior brothers farewell, Ji You headed toward Jade Garden of Bingshui Lake.

When he drew closer, he discovered a woman standing before his door.

She wore a gauzy dress trimmed like rolling snow and held a crescent-white longsword as she looked around. It was Lou Siyi, who had attended the banquet with them that day.

No matter what a woman's temperament was like, fragility was always its foremost ingredient.

When she was attacked in the street and rescued by a man, some little thoughts would inevitably arise.

So, after learning that Ji You did not have a sword of his own, she had asked someone to buy him a fine sword.

Yet the ones Lou Siyi encountered while waiting at his door were not Ji You, but two close friends from her boudoir, approaching from different directions.

One was Yunzhou's young lady, Lu Qingqiu. She came fluttering over in a swaying skirt, a resplendent, jewel-bright longsword in hand, a surge of waves rising with every step.

The other was Sun Zhiqiao, who likewise held a longsword.

The three women had apparently not coordinated beforehand. They froze slightly upon meeting, then noticed the sword in each other's hands and grew somewhat awkward.

"Why are you here?"

"Young Master Ji has no sword, so I came to give him one..."

After hearing Lou Siyi's answer, Lu Qingqiu turned her gaze toward Sun Zhiqiao. "And you called us sisters? You acted on your own without even discussing it with us?"

Sun Zhiqiao hugged her sword, her face faintly red. "Giving a man a sword can easily invite misunderstanding. Besides, he is Fang Ruoyao's fiancé. How could I say it aloud?"

Lu Qingqiu raised a delicate brow. "You know he is Fang Ruoyao's fiancé, yet you still have the nerve to come here all fluttering orioles and swallows to give him a sword?"

"But Qingqiu, aren't you here to give him a sword too?"

Lu Qingqiu choked on her words. She pursed her lips for a long while before speaking. "Yesterday's banquet was hosted by me, and I bear some responsibility for the attack. Besides, he saved me twice yesterday. It would be far too cold and unfeeling if I showed nothing at all."

Sun Zhiqiao and Lou Siyi exchanged a glance. "Naturally, it is because he saved our lives as well."

"He only saved you two in passing. There is no need for such excessive courtesy."

"?"

Lou Siyi and Sun Zhiqao froze slightly, thinking, Why did saving us become something he did in passing?

Besides, Ji You should have been the one to say there was no need for such excessive courtesy.

Lu Qingqiu ignored them and continued speaking to herself. "Besides, that day he kept holding only my sword. He must have liked it greatly, so I bought him an identical one."

"That was only because your sword was closer to him. If mine had been closer, the one he kept holding would certainly have been mine."

Lu Qingqiu had no idea where her sister had found such confidence. "When men choose swords, they surely choose the one they fall in love with at first sight."

Lou Siyi rolled her eyes at her. "At a life-or-death moment, of course he simply grabbed whatever was at hand. How could there be such clever considerations as yours, Qingqiu?"

"You..."

Seeing that the two were about to quarrel, Sun Zhiqiao immediately spoke up. "All right, all right. Since he can use three swords, wouldn't it be perfect if each of us gave him one?"

Lou Siyi fell silent after hearing this, but then began hesitating again. "We are giving swords to Fang Ruoyao's fiancé. Shouldn't we at least inform her?"

Lu Qingqiu lifted her chin. "We have no other thoughts. Since our hearts are clear, why do something unnecessary that would only make people think there is something going on?"

However, as soon as her words fell, two more figures ran over from nearby. One was Qian Yunxiao, and the other was Bai Rulong.

They each held a sword as well. When they ran into the three women, all of them were rather surprised.

It seemed that every one of them had thought of the same thing.

Ji You stood on a mountain path not far away, watching the scene. Well, this is great. I'm about to become Commander Zuo.

"Young Master Ji."

Lu Qingqiu happened to spot him coming down the mountain path and raised a fair jade arm to wave at him. "Did the Affairs Management Courtyard find anything?"

Ji You shook his head. "The matter is strange, and the Affairs Management Courtyard has no leads yet. For the next few days, you should all avoid going out as much as possible."

"Do you mean they might strike again?"

"The villains' motives are still unclear, so we cannot tell whether they will stop."

After hesitating for a long while, Bai Rulong spoke. "These past few days, I have tossed and turned, and I feel it may have been my half-brother from the same father who hired assassins to do it."

Lou Siyi could not help speaking as well. "I think they came for me. Perhaps they had their eyes on my family's spirit herbs."

Ji You smiled after hearing that.

If things truly were as they imagined, then this matter would be simple.

But the problem was that such an explanation could not account for why Zhang Congzhi, Cai Ziyao, and the other three cultivators had been killed.

In the Qingyun World, anyone who could kill disciples of immortal sects with such utter disregard had a conspiracy behind them far greater than these people imagined.

Ji You came back to himself, looked at the swords in everyone's hands, and coughed lightly. "By the way, what did you all come to see me for?"

Only then did Lou Siyi and Sun Zhiqiao remember their purpose. They immediately stepped forward with their swords in hand. "Young Master Ji, we heard you did not have a sword to carry, so we specially chose one to give you in thanks for saving our lives."

Lu Qingqiu raised the sword in her hand as well. "And me."

Bai Rulong and Qian Yunxiao nodded in turn. "Us too. Thank you, Brother Ji, for saving us both. From now on, the two of us will follow Brother Ji!"

"Hey, what kind of talk is that?"

Ji You waved a hand and accepted the five swords one after another. "I'll accept the swords, but the little brothers are too valuable. That would not be appropriate."

"?"

Ji You carried the swords back into the house, lit the charcoal brazier, tossed in several sweet potatoes, and set a kettle of water to boil.

Seeing the five still outside, he beckoned them in.

Although he had little fondness for the children of Aristocratic Clans, he had accepted their swords after all. He could hardly refuse them even a cup of tea.

The sweet potatoes roasted in the glowing-red firebox, releasing wave after wave of fragrance, while the water came to a boil first.

Ji You brewed the tea, poured the first cup, and handed it to Lu Qingqiu at his right. "Let it cool for a bit. Be careful, it's hot."

"Thank you..."

Lu Qingqiu accepted the teacup and could not help looking at Ji You.

On the night of the attack, he had pushed her aside without regard for his own safety, then exchanged positions with her before the edge of a sword. He had even been unwilling to let go of her personal sword.

And now, he had given me the first cup of tea, with such a gentle tone.

Looking more carefully, among the five teacups on the table, only hers and Ji You's had the same floral pattern, like a pair joined together.

Sure enough, he had some feelings that went beyond mere camaraderie between classmates...

Miss Lu, the young lady of Yunzhou, could not help propping her chin on her hand and studying Ji You's profile.

Ji You could indeed be called a jade tree standing against the wind, and even his bearing was exceptional.

She had previously known only that he was an independent cultivator from some remote rural place, yet she had never noticed this before.

After looking for a long time, Lu Qingqiu came back to herself and could not help sighing.

She could see his kindness toward her, but regrettably, she would not choose him.

He had done nothing wrong. His only fault was his lowly birth.

Before coming to the Celestial Academy, the elders of the Lu Family had hinted that Lu Qingqiu should cultivate a good relationship with Chu He.

That was because every member of the Chu Family was an expert of the upper five realms, and their talent could be inherited through bloodlines. That was far too frightening.

But Lu Qingqiu did not like Chu He. She always felt he was too aggressive and dark-minded. Compared to him, a man like Ji You was much better.

But even so, Lu Qingqiu still would not choose him.

The Yunzhou Lu Family had risen through spirit mines and had long attracted much envy. They needed marriage alliances to join hands with more powers.

That was why her aunt had married the son of an elder from the Mountain Sea Pavilion.

Though that elder's son was an idle wastrel, he made those coveting the Lu Family's spirit mines afraid to act rashly. That was what an alliance meant.

Unless Ji You could become a hall master's personal disciple, then remain in the sect as an elder, spread branches and leaves, and take root in the Celestial Academy.

But the odds of that were far too low.

There were countless examples of people who had been dazzlingly gifted in the outer court only to gradually become mediocre after entering the inner court. Senior Brother Ban was one of them.

Human strength had its limits. Only Aristocratic Clans could pass on for ten thousand generations.

The Qingyun World was an iron plate like that.

There had once been a popular folk drama about a daughter of the gentry falling in love with a poor scholar. Even in death, they remained entwined, transforming into butterflies and flying away together.

But that was, in the end, only a drama—a drama only those at the bottom could write.

After pondering for a long time, Lu Qingqiu felt she should find an opportunity to make the stakes clear to him.

Meanwhile, Ji You had absolutely no idea that the young lady beside him was having such intense inner drama.

What he was thinking was that, because of this attack, it seemed he had not gone to debate the Dao in the Celestial Book for quite some time.

"It is getting late. We should head back."

After drinking several pots of tea and chatting for a while, Lu Qingqiu suggested leaving.

Seeing this, the others looked up toward the horizon and found that the sun was indeed nearing dusk, so they all agreed.

But to their surprise, Ji You also stood and followed them out of the courtyard, closing the gate behind him.

"Is he even seeing me off for such a short distance..."

Lu Qingqiu felt somewhat troubled by Ji You's silent, secret protectiveness.

But before she could refuse, she discovered that Ji You had not gone with them at all. Instead, he turned and headed for the Dao Comprehension Ground.

(I had a fight with my wife. She outrageously wanted to drag me out shopping. Is my time meant for shopping? It's meant for writing! Please give me monthly votes, please keep reading... orz)