Looking at Your Cowardly Self

Old Ye said nothing, just smiling and staring at Su Fan.

Su Fan's scalp went numb.

Big brother, let's talk nicely, no need to resort to violence.

"Old Ye, these two dishes I made today weren't meant to disgust you..."

Ye Tianhe smiled and poured him a cup of wine.

Su Fan got even more flustered.

"Big brother, what exactly do you want? I'm really not sure..."

Ye Tianhe pointed at him, then slapped the table and burst into laughter.

"Look at you, you coward. Don't you dare say you're my friend Ye Tianhe out there..."

He raised his wine cup and clinked it with Su Fan's.

"Come on, you have to keep me company today. We're not going home until we're drunk..."

Su Fan chuckled, completely oblivious to the fact that Old Ye's way of addressing him had changed.

"You don't even need to say it, come... bottoms up..."

Watching Su Fan's carefree demeanor, Ye Tianhe couldn't help but give a wry smile.

They all say the Dao Heart is the most important thing in cultivation, but he had been too fixated before, just like Su Fan had said.

Fortunate to have it, fated to lose it, why cling to it for a lifetime.

Master had said back then that his Sword Heart was still just a little bit short.

To nurture his Sword Heart, he had even given up on Foundation Establishment.

But years had passed, and though it was only a tiny bit short, his Sword Heart remained imperfect.

Who would have thought that a single sentence from Su Fan would instantly enlighten him?

Su Fan never dreamed that a piece of cynical wisdom from his past life would lead Old Ye to a moment of enlightenment.

Often, things are just that miraculous.

If it were a different situation, or a different person, even saying the same words might not have been effective for Ye Tianhe.

It was just the right time, the right atmosphere, and he had casually said that sentence.

It was merely a catalyst, like a piece of paper that Su Fan had inadvertently poked a hole through.

Sword Cultivators walk amidst danger, living on the edge of life and death.

They are born solitary.

Ye Tianhe was the same, aloof and cold, always a loner.

He didn't know why, but he got along surprisingly well with this little Rogue Cultivator. Even their bickering made him feel very comfortable.

In Ye Tianhe's eyes, it was all arranged by the Heavenly Dao.

Furthermore, the perfection of his Sword Heart had greatly changed his perception of Su Fan.

Before, he had always thought Su Fan was unmotivated, carefree all day, only dabbling in unorthodox methods.

Now, he felt his previous judgment had been too biased.

Su Fan's laid-back personality actually meant his Dao Heart was more transparent.

This was also why many cultivators encountered bottlenecks and couldn't break through after years of arduous cultivation.

The root cause was precisely the excessive attachment.

Ye Tianhe knew clearly that Su Fan's casual remark would be of immense help to him in the future.

After that, Old Ye was like a changed man.

He talked more, his tongue loosened, and he slung an arm around Su Fan, rambling on nonsensically.

They both got completely drunk, singing and dancing.

They looked like two lunatics.

Su Fan didn't know how much he had drunk, only remembering Old Ye pulling out bottle after bottle of wine.

In any case, he had drunk himself into oblivion and remembered nothing.

The next day at noon, Su Fan woke up thirsty.

He only felt his mouth and throat were dry, his head throbbed painfully, and his whole body ached and felt weak.

Su Fan sat down cross-legged and circulated the Primordial Chaos Technique. The spiritual energy cycled through his body a few times, and his body immediately recovered significantly.

He exhaled a long breath of alcoholic fumes, and his mind instantly cleared.

Damn it, I can't drink like this anymore.

Actually, no matter how much alcohol a cultivator drank, it wasn't a big deal.

With a little circulation of spiritual energy, the alcohol fumes would naturally dissipate.

But last night was different. Old Ye was leaving, and Su Fan felt a bit lost.

Who knew when the two of them would meet again.

After all, cultivators were human too.

Su Fan wanted to properly accompany Old Ye for a drink, just like he said, until they couldn't hold their liquor anymore.

Huh...

Where did Old Ye go?

Did he leave without saying goodbye?

Just as Su Fan was about to go out and look, he saw a jade slip on the table in the hall.

He walked over, picked up the jade slip, and placed it on his forehead.

After a long while, Su Fan finally put down the jade slip and couldn't help but sigh.

His eyes felt a little hot.

This jade slip contained Ye Tianhe's insights into the Way of the Sword.

It included his years of sword-training experience, his successes and failures in controlling flying swords, and a large summary of his combat experiences.

Although the jade slip contained not a shred of the Ziyang Sword Sect's inheritance, it was still more precious than any inheritance.

For an elite disciple of the Sword Sect like Ye Tianhe, his understanding of the Way of the Sword would eventually be added to the Ziyang Sword Sect's library, for future disciples to observe and learn from.

Su Fan took out the Yuqing Sect's jade token again and gently stroked it in his hand.

Old Ye was right; what he lacked most now was systematic cultivation knowledge. Only by joining a sect could he make up for the lost lessons.

Fine, he's leaving. But he had to make me owe him such a huge favor before he goes.

He suddenly felt like there was too much wind, as if dust had gotten into his eyes.

Su Fan went into the courtyard and looked at the cured meat hanging all over the yard.

Old Ye was most proud of this delicacy, and he didn't even say goodbye to take some with him.

Forget it. With his lordly attitude, he probably wouldn't cook for himself anyway.

He'd leave it for him. When he gets to Ganzhou later, this guy would definitely come to the Yuqing Sect to find him often.

At that time, he could eat as much as he wanted.

For some reason, the courtyard seemed exceptionally desolate today.

He recalled the scenes of him and Old Ye drinking and practicing swordplay in the courtyard in the past, as if they were happening right before his eyes.

Su Fan let out a long breath, dispelling the melancholy in his heart.

No matter what the future held, at least he had a goal now.

That was to break through to Late Qi Refining as soon as possible, and then take the jade token to the Yuqing Sect.

After entering the sect, he would properly settle down for a few years.

And by then, he would be able to see Old Ye often.

As for whether he would continue cultivating in Shaoyang Market before breaking through, Su Fan felt it was unnecessary to fuss over it.

According to Ye Tianhe's analysis, Yongzhou wouldn't be in chaos for a few more years.

Besides, Old Ye had already instructed the Qingxuan Sect to look after him before he left.

No matter how much Old Ye liked to show off, his words were still quite reliable.

The Qingxuan Sect wouldn't offend an elite disciple of the Sword Sect just because of him, a lowly Rogue Cultivator.

Anyway, Old Ye was going to Qin State, and he'd probably stay there for the next two years.

These Sword Maniacs have probably all gone to Qin State.

They couldn't wait, wishing for the Immortal Sect and Demonic Sect to go to war sooner.

Moreover, Shaoyang Market Town was also a docking point for the Qingxuan Sect's flying boats, making it very convenient to go to Ganzhou.

If the Immortal Sect and Demonic Sect went to war, news would surely spread from Shaoyang Market, and it wouldn't be too late to leave then.

No more talk, time to cultivate.

Su Fan returned to the cultivation room in his house, took out the Minor Spirit Gathering Array, sat down cross-legged on it, and took out nine Spirit Stones, inserting them into the card slots.

Thinking back, he used to run around for a few Spirit Stones.

Now, in the blink of an eye, nine Spirit Stones were gone. What a waste.

Thinking about this, Su Fan's heart bled.