Lighting Incense

The feeling of holding different swords is not the same.

You Su wielded the Ink Pine Sword, his movements as swift as the wind. This confidence, emanating from within, was something the wooden sword couldn't provide. You Su reveled in this newfound assurance, enjoying the feeling of having a solid foundation.

Sunlight shifted, and You Su immersed himself in his sword practice, only his shadow moving from west to east.

Ji Lingruo emerged from her room, rubbing her sleepy eyes. The setting sun, like blood, cast a unique hue upon her emerald skirt, making her appear as if she were a vibrant watercolor painting.

She noticed her Senior Brother was unusually diligent today. It was already time for dinner, yet he was still practicing his sword with tireless energy. She had intended to call out to him to stop practicing and start preparing dinner, but seeing his sweat-soaked clothes, she hesitated to disturb him. Just then, Ji Lingruo's stomach rumbled audibly. The young girl bit her lower lip, and a sudden idea struck her.

She decided to show off her skills a little and let her Senior Brother taste her cooking. With that, she quietly tiptoed into the kitchen.

You Su had no idea how long he had been practicing. When the last rays of the sun were completely hidden by the mountaintop, You Su suddenly realized it was already evening. He remembered he hadn't prepared dinner for his Junior Sister and quickly sheathed the Ink Pine Sword before heading to the kitchen.

Darkness had fallen, and an orange-yellow oil lamp illuminated the kitchen. The young girl's skin seemed to emit a faint, ethereal glow. Ji Lingruo's dress was smudged with spots, unsure if they were water or oil. She rolled up her sleeves and scooped out the fried eggs from the pan. After serving them all, she let out a long sigh, marveling at her own efforts. Then, without pausing, she fetched water and poured it into the pot. Once done, she covered the pot and wiped the fine sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.

You Su stood quietly outside the door. He couldn't see, yet it was as if he could, silently observing everything happening in the kitchen.

When the water boiled, Ji Lingruo lifted the lid and tossed in a handful of washed cabbage and two bundles of dried noodles, not forgetting to season along the way. After a while, Ji Lingruo, full of anticipation, ladled the clear soup noodles into two bowls, clearly giving You Su's bowl more. Ji Lingruo then placed four fried eggs into their bowls, two for each person. She hesitated for a moment, then transferred one of her eggs to You Su's bowl, a hint of a proud smile gracing her lips.

She set down the noodles and prepared to call her sword-obsessed Senior Brother for dinner. This was the only dish she was good at and had personally made. In her mind, she had already set a requirement for You Su: he had to drink every last drop of the soup.

However, as soon as she turned around, she was startled by You Su standing at the doorway. Ji Lingruo patted her chest, which was starting to fill out, and grumbled, "Why didn't you make a sound? Come in and eat."

You Su walked in with a gentle smile. "Junior Sister has grown up and is now filial to her Senior Brother."

"Hmph, I just happened to make too much. It's a shame this sect doesn't raise pigs, or I'd rather feed it to them," Ji Lingruo said, sitting down and rolling her eyes prettily.

You Su also sat down, picked up his noodle bowl, and took a shallow sip of the soup. He sighed, "It's a good thing we don't have pigs, or you'd starve them to death sooner or later."

"What do you mean?" Ji Lingruo glared at You Su, then picked up a large mouthful of noodles and stuffed it into her mouth, mumbling, "Is it... very... unpalatable?"

But that one bite almost made her gag. It was truly remarkable to make clear soup noodles taste like this.

She gulped down a mouthful of tea, annoyed. "I'm off my game! You're not allowed to eat it!"

You Su, however, ignored her and began to devour the noodles.

"Hey, I told you not to eat it. Didn't you think it was bad?"

"Was it?"

"Didn't you say you'd starve the pigs?"

You Su took another sip of the soup and chuckled, "I said you'd starve the pigs because there's not enough here for anyone to eat!" He then looked at Ji Lingruo's untouched noodles and asked tentatively, "If you're not hungry, Junior Sister, why don't you give yours to me?"

"No!" Ji Lingruo looked at You Su's eager expression, her heart filled with sweetness. She also started eating the noodles, finding them not so unpalatable after all.

It wasn't until they both couldn't resist and raised their teacups that they exchanged a smile.

The full moon hung high in the sky, its porcelain-white light spilling across the land. The time agreed upon with True Man Ling, the early morning of the day after tomorrow, precisely at the hour of Yin, was fast approaching.

You Su calculated the date. Today was the fifteenth of August. In his previous life, this was the Mid-Autumn Festival, a time for family reunions.

Unfortunately, this continent did not celebrate this festival. However, You Su still wanted to imbue this day with a sense of sacred ritual. He was determined to save his Junior Sister and Mistress and reunite with them.

Today, he had told his Junior Sister not to practice sword and to quickly finish writing "The Legend of the White Snake" in her room. He had also lingered outside his Mistress's room for a moment. The silence within was still deathly still. You Su did not disturb her, merely retreating silently.

You Su took out the items True Man Ling had given him and placed them on the table: a lamp, seven wicks, and three sticks of Dragon Sandalwood Incense. You Su closed his eyes, carefully recalling every detail of his interactions with True Man Ling. The more he remembered, the firmer his decision became.

He only needed to recite the sixteen-character incantation, and he could help True Man Ling complete the formation, trapping the Malevolent Spirit within the Myriad Ghosts Hidden Array, making it a sitting duck for True Man Ling.

It sounded like a simple task. All he needed was these few steps to rescue his Junior Sister and Mistress, who were mired in the swamp.

Yet, You Su hesitated to act. It wasn't due to indecisiveness, but because he was waiting.

Meanwhile, at the foot of the mountain, about half a mile away, True Man Ling, clad in white robes, stroked his long, slender beard, observing the changing moon and stars as he silently gauged the time. He held four yellow talismans in his hand, and before him sat an old rosewood table with an incense burner filled with sandalwood sticks.

Within a half-mile radius centered on the Mandarin Sword Sect, there were eleven such arrangements.

True Man Ling had gone to great lengths to meticulously set all this up without a sound. Fortunately, the Mandarin Sword Sect was located in a desolate area, which made the implementation of his plan much easier. To ensure against any unforeseen circumstances, he had even gone to great effort to set up a soundproofing array of the same size.

However, he had yet to receive any feedback from You Su lighting the incense and was growing anxious. Formations relied on timing and location; once the hour of Yin passed, the formation's efficacy would be significantly reduced.

True Man Ling worried that something might have happened to You Su, but he couldn't sense any unusual activity from that direction, indicating You Su likely hadn't been exposed.

Could he have seen through it?

The more True Man Ling thought about it, the more his heart pounded. If this young man had seen through his act long ago and had been feigning compliance for so long, what a terrifying disposition he must possess.

True Man Ling didn't believe he would fail, but he was enraged by the deception. He could no longer hold back and stepped within the half-mile range.

At the same time, You Su stopped counting down in his mind.

There was only half an hour left until the hour of Yin passed. He finally lit the seven sticks of incense.

"Heaven is round, Earth is square, the laws are nine chapters. I command with my brush, Myriad Ghosts..."

You Su recited piously, then extinguished the incense, picked up the Ink Pine Sword, and quietly walked out of the sect.

Under the moonlight, his shadow stretched long. He was going to save them.