A Gift for Every Birthday: The Junior Sister's True Gift

You Su suddenly opened his eyes and sat up, and once again that familiar mass of mist hung before him.

He was breathing heavily. He instinctively touched his neck, then pinched himself.

Whole as before... That hurt... Just now, was it a dream?

Could a dream really have been that real...

You Su was still shaken, and even broke out in a few beads of cold sweat.

He didn't understand why he had dreamed such a thing. After all, this was not the materialist society of his previous life. Could such a bizarre dream really be nothing more than a nonsensical nightmare? Or was it a reflection of some thought buried in his heart—or perhaps an unseen metaphor?

You Su felt somewhat afraid and began to miss his master, who had left eight years ago.

In his memories, his master had been a sloppy yet powerful man. During every festival, even the lord of Chuyun City would personally visit this dilapidated Mandarin Sword Sect to pay his respects. Though You Su had secretly felt unfortunate because of his blindness, he also considered himself lucky to have met his master.

He had originally planned to grow wildly beneath his master's protection and eventually live the carefree life of an immortal. Who could have known that on his tenth birthday, after he had already grown accustomed to life as a blind man, his master would bring back a woman and tell him that she was his Mistress, that he had to take good care of her, and that if she wished to leave, he need not stop her? He was about to make a long journey—ten years at the shortest, a lifetime at the longest.

He said that he was going to seek the true great secret of this world. If he succeeded, the name Guan Chujun would resound across the Five Continents, and their Mandarin Sword Sect would soar to the heavens, no longer as poverty-stricken as it was now.

Before You Su could swallow that enormous promise, his master vanished. Vanish he did—but he also took every valuable thing from the impoverished sect, including the two pieces of cured meat You Su had smoked himself back then. If he hadn't known how unrestrained his master's character was, You Su truly would have suspected that he had run away.

His Mistress was strange too. She had lived in the Sect Residence for eight years, yet had spoken only a handful of words. Every day, she meditated in her room without eating or drinking; occasionally, she read during the rain, practiced swordsmanship beneath the moon, or played the qin in the snow. You Su guessed that she was no ordinary person, yet he couldn't sense the slightest trace of cultivation from her. She seemed even more ordinary than an ordinary mortal.

His junior sister's origins were also rather mysterious. In the year You Su turned fifteen, a brazen young girl suddenly arrived outside the sect and insisted on becoming a disciple of the sword sect. The girl refused to say where she came from, only claiming that her name was Ji Lingruo and that she and her elder sister were absolutely the most beautiful women in the world. Using that as her reason, she got You Su to agree to accept her as his master's disciple. Unfortunately, You Su was blind—how could he accept someone of unknown origins for beauty he couldn't even see? After the two of them wrestled with the matter for several days, it was only when his reclusive Mistress spoke that this convenient junior sister was finally accepted into the sect.

The interesting thing was that after that, the title his junior sister claimed for herself had quietly changed from "the most beautiful woman in the world" to "the most beautiful girl in the world."

When his junior sister had first entered the sect, she had been extremely enthusiastic about learning the sword, and You Su had taught her everything he knew. Who could have expected the girl's aptitude to be so dull! After a whole year of instruction, she had achieved absolutely nothing! In the second year, the girl simply went all out in her slackness, resigning herself to staying up every night reading the storybooks he narrated to earn money. She would practice swordsmanship only when he threatened her with the newest chapter. Unfortunately, she still failed to grasp its essence, leaving You Su quite helpless.

Still, it had to be said that Ji Lingruo's appearance had indeed added a touch of life to You Su's drab existence. But when that liveliness was given the face of the junior sister from his dream, You Su felt as though a thorn were pressing into his back.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

The fierce knocking from outside shattered You Su's thoughts. It was as though a giant bell had slammed against his heart, and fear and tension once again swept over him.

Was this reality? Or was I still dreaming?

"I'm awake. Thank you, junior sister."

You Su tried his best to keep his voice calm and gave the same answer as last time, but he didn't get dressed and remained lying on the bed.

"Senior Brother, come out."

Just as expected! You Su's heart clenched. A normal junior sister absolutely wouldn't call him Senior Brother. The monster outside the door was still there!

"Junior sister, what is it? I'm feeling a little unwell today. I'm afraid I've caught an infectious illness, and I don't want to pass it to you. Whatever it is, let's talk tomorrow."

"Huh? Do cultivators of the Spirit Platform Realm get sick too? Are you feeling bad? Should we ask a doctor to come?" Her voice was full of concern.

"It's nothing serious. I'll be fine after resting for a day."

"But... I have to give you this today..." Her tone carried a hint of regret.

It has to be given today? Why must that chunk of meat be given today? You Su couldn't figure it out for the moment.

"You have something to give me? If you can't come in, just leave it at the door. I'll take it myself later."

"Oh, then it won't be meaningful anymore! Whatever, this young lady isn't afraid of catching it from you. I'll come in and give it to you myself!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the sound of vigorous kicks rang out. She kicked twice, but the door bolt remained firm.

"Why would a grown man lock the door while sleeping?" The junior sister outside was furious. "If you don't open it, this young lady is going to break in!"

You're already breaking in! You Su's scalp went numb. He hadn't expected things to develop this way and hurriedly said:

"Junior sister, don't rush. I'll open the door."

"Hurry up. This young lady still wants to sleep."

You Su swiftly put on his clothes while desperately recalling the flaw that had appeared in his dream.

Where exactly did I go wrong for Mistress in the dream to see through me?

Recalling those ghastly chunks of flesh and the fierce sword strike from his tentacled Mistress, You Su unconsciously drew a deep breath. As he rose, he reached for the sword beside his bed.

As for defeating Mistress, he didn't have even a tenth of a chance—but he was absolutely not someone who would sit and await death.

Yet the hand he extended grasped nothing in the most inexplicable manner!

He had used that sword for nearly eighteen years, and every night it was placed in the same spot. How could it be missing today?

He remembered! His junior sister had borrowed the sword yesterday! She couldn't learn the sword techniques, yet stubbornly claimed the problem lay with the sword, so she had asked to borrow his!

Was this a coincidence, or had it been planned all along?

A chill spread from the soles of You Su's feet throughout his body. A profound sense of powerlessness swept over him like seawater, drowning him until he could barely breathe.

But there was no time for him to remain trapped in fear. His junior sister's impatient knocking sounded again:

"Knock, knock, knock!"

Each knock was like the soul-summoning chant of a Buddhist bell, knocking him back into that strange dream.

You Su clenched his fists and walked to the door.

If I open the door, will I be able to see again? See this... real world...

The young man numbly opened the door.

The door opened.

That familiar mist in his eyes... was still there!

Am I still blind?

Before You Su could recover from his shock, a rich floral fragrance surged toward him from all directions.

He instinctively formed his hand into a sword and made a sweeping motion to block it, only to find that everything he touched was light and airy. Feeling it carefully, he discovered that it was a sky full of flower petals.

The floral scent was rich and bitterly sweet. It was his favorite—wild chrysanthemums.

"Happy birthday, You Su!"

The girl, as delicate and translucent as crystal, cheered playfully while constantly tossing tender yellow wild-chrysanthemum petals from the basket at her waist.

"Hee-hee, my Ji Lingruo is still pretty useful, right? If you're really touched, hurry up and hand over the second half of Lady White. It's not that I'm eager to read it, of course. I'll tell you secretly—it's the owner of the bookshop south of the city who wants it. I'm only helping you, and I charged him a mere thirty silver coins more. Then I used those thirty silver coins to have your broken sword reforged. Unfortunately, it'll still be some time before you can get it."

"One gift for every birthday, one inch of joy. Birthdays are very important, you know. You can't treat them casually. I let you muddle through the last two years, but you can't be careless about today's coming-of-age ceremony! After today, you'll be an adult. As an adult, you have to yield to this young lady in everything, be patient with this young lady, and stop punishing this young lady. You also have to hurry up and teach me those sword techniques you've been hiding. Understand?"

"Sigh... Before I came to your broken sword sect, my birthdays were very grand. They weren't as perfunctory as the way you handle things. Why are you standing there dumbly without saying anything? Don't blame yourself too much. This young lady is broad-minded, so hurry up and get better, then continue serving this young lady properly."

The girl in the green skirt stood with her hands on her hips, smiling sweetly. Compared to the faint orange glow of dawn newly appearing at the edge of the sky, she was even more heart-stirringly beautiful.

"Junior sister."

"What?"

"Don't move."

Ji Lingruo was puzzled, but she obediently remained where she was.

You Su slowly raised both hands and, guided by feeling, placed them before the girl. She didn't understand what he was doing, but she wasn't wary either, assuming that her senior brother was about to perform one of those tacky tricks again.

Pinch.

The feeling beneath his fingers was fine and smooth, like a freshly peeled boiled goose egg.

The girl sprang away like a startled fawn. A crimson cloud instantly bloomed across the cheeks her senior brother had pinched. Covering them with both hands, she said in shame and fury, unable to believe it:

"I... I'm going to sleep! Sweep the floor yourself!"

With that, the girl lowered her head and hurried away, repeatedly comforting herself as she went: Never again, never again. He's the birthday boy today... Honestly, if he wanted to pinch me, he could've just said so...

You Su turned his head toward the direction Ji Lingruo had run and recalled that absurd dream as well as the delicate sensation in his hands just now. He imagined his spoiled junior sister patiently picking the countless flowers on the mountain one by one, complaining all the while. An old conversation surfaced in his mind:

"Hey, You Su, what flower do you like best?"

"Wild chrysanthemums, I suppose. Chrysanthemums choose frost and wind for themselves, not the spring sunlight."

"Hmm, getting all self-moved. Aren't you embarrassed? There are plenty of people worse off than you, and they still try their best to live. If they had a choice, who would willingly choose frost and wind?"

"I didn't expect you to be so insightful, junior sister."

"Hee-hee, it's because you're stupid."

On the twelfth day of the eighth month, as the sunlight first grew strong, You Su tilted his face toward the sky and stared directly at the newborn sun without avoiding it in the slightest. Even when the glare stung his eyes until they nearly shed tears, he still couldn't see the world before him clearly.

The young man lowered his brows in dejection. Eighteen full years had passed since he crossed into this place, and for the first time, he wanted a normal pair of eyes so badly.

"I can't see now, but one day, I will."

The young man made the vow firmly in his heart.

Meanwhile, upon the lotus mat in the main hall, a holy woman, sacred as a divine being, slowly opened her eyes.