Reassurance Once More

The biting north wind cut like a knife across his face. You Su stood on the deck of the flying shuttle, gazing at the vast expanse of the Northern Ao land.

The shuttle sped through the wind and snow, swirling up snowflakes as if trying to sweep away the chill of the world.

His robes fluttered in the wind, and he gripped the hilt of the Ink Pine Sword tightly in his hand, as if ready to cut through the endless wind and snow at any moment.

His gaze pierced through the wind and snow, recalling the scene when he left Hong City.

He had never been to Hong City, but he guessed that with a city lord who led from the front and died for the people, this city built in the wind and snow must have a homely warmth.

But he could only guess, because the streets were filled with fleeing civilians, their faces etched with terror and despair. Corpses piled up like mountains at the city gate, serving as the last barrier after the city's defensive formation had crumbled. The once spirited Lord of Hong City, the once majestic Ascension cultivator, remained forever outside the city gates.

The small flying shuttle beneath his feet was the flying Law Artifact of the city lord of Hong City in his lifetime, and it is now the only thing in the city capable of taking people away from Hong City.

Le Yingdong lent it to You Su.

The reason was simple: she felt that You Su was the only one who could tell Shenshan about their situation. She wanted to save the people of this city, even if there was only a sliver of hope.

Before leaving, Le Yingdong solemnly said to You Su:

"I know you rushed to the sacred mountain with important business, but I only wish that you could inform the immortals of the sacred mountain of the current situation in the Northern Ao Continent, including Hong City, when you have some free time. I would be eternally grateful!"

Her eyes were filled with expectation and trust, as if she saw a glimmer of hope. You Su, however, found this earnest gaze too dazzling, making him somewhat uncomfortable.

This inevitably reminded him of the look in Sun Yang Venerable's eyes on the Immortal Island, as if everything was entrusted to him. Such a look was too heavy, making it hard to breathe.

"We've only met by chance, yet you're willing to give me this? If you truly want to save them, you should ride this flying shuttle to the sacred mountain yourself." You Su refused her gift.

"Does fellow Daoist think we're just strangers who met by chance?" Le Yingdong put his hands behind his back, a tired smile playing on his lips.

You Su asked in surprise, "Isn't that right?"

"You are You Su." Le Yingdong's answer was like a thunderclap, startling You Su.

"Your portrait is still posted on the notice board outside the city gate. Even though you kept covering your mouth and nose, Yingdong still recognized you." Le Yingdong's smile remained unchanged.

"Have you seen me before?" You Su slightly raised his hand, ready to draw his sword Ink Pine Sword, at his waist if Le Yingdong showed even the slightest hostility.

"I've seen him, yet I haven't." Le Yingdong shook her head. "To my shame, ever since I learned of Fellow Daoist You's crimes, I've taken it upon myself to capture him. Before the city gates, I had to check everyone one by one. I wouldn't say I've seen that portrait a thousand times, but I remember it more clearly than I remember my own brother's face."

You Su remained silent. "Since you know I am a wanted fugitive, why do you still think I would save you? Aren't you afraid that I am, as the wanted poster says, the fourth Evil God, and that I went to the sacred mountain to commit evil?"

Le Yingdong shook her head even more forcefully, stating firmly, "Many cultivators here follow me to slay evil not to save others, but to save themselves. But you are different. The compassion in Fellow Daoist You's eyes when you saw those refugees was genuine; such a person would never do the kind of thing rumored. I cannot go to the Divine Mountain. Before his death, the City Lord entrusted me with the authority of the city's defensive formation. If I leave, all the people in this city will die. Therefore, I can only entrust this to Fellow Daoist You!"

After speaking, Le Yingdong suddenly lifted the hem of her thick skirt, as if to kneel. "Yingdong, for the sake of all the people of Hong City..."

Before she could finish speaking, You Su's sword was planted straight into the snow in front of her knees, forcing her to stop kneeling.

She raised her eyes and stared blankly at the boy. You Su remained silent for a long time before finally speaking:

How much longer can you hold out?

Le Yingdong stood up straight, her gaze resolute. "I'll hold on until the day we're saved!"

You Su nodded upon hearing this. He made no promises, but simply accepted the leaf-sized model ship and said calmly, "Consider this shuttle a loan; the repayment date is undecided."

As he turned to walk towards Bai Ze and his group, he suddenly turned back halfway, saying, "But I will do it as soon as possible."

Le Yingdong watched the boy's retreating figure, her nose stung with tears. In truth, she too was taking a gamble.

This person has been misunderstood by the world so much; he should hate this world...

You Su slowly awoke from her dream.

In order to avoid arousing his Mistress's suspicion, he needed to return here from time to time to play the role of Mistress You Su in her dreams.

Fortunately, he had already tested it and found that time passes much slower in dreams than in reality. Every time he woke up, he had the illusion of sleeping under a tree and living a lifetime in a dream.

When I opened my eyes, a familiar, cool fragrance lingered around my nose. Fine snow was falling outside the carved window lattice. The season in my dream had already turned to winter, which was quite in line with the reality of Bei'ao, where it snows all year round.

He Shutong was brewing tea with her back to him, her plain white robes flowing down like Moon Essence, and the ice crystals in her hair reflecting tiny rainbows.

"Mistress ..." He let out a soft sigh, as if a weary traveler had finally found shelter from the storm.

He Shutong suddenly turned around, the teaspoon clinking against the rim of the celadon cup. She noticed the frost between the boy's brows; after spending half a year inseparable from him, she had even learned to joke around:

"Why do you look so tired after waking up? You look like a wounded soldier coming back from the battlefield."

You Su lowered his eyes and smiled faintly, accepting the teacup she offered. In the misty white steam, the jade bracelet on his Mistress's wrist made a clear, melodious sound, which seemed to overlap with the roar of the underwater vortex.

He took a sip of the bitter tea, letting the warmth flow down his throat into his empty chest. You Su didn't want to bring up his real-life troubles in his dream; he didn't want his Mistress to notice anything amiss, and he didn't want to ruin the dream Mistress had carefully crafted.

But given the dire reality he was in, how could he possibly settle down and enjoy his time with his Mistress?

He Shutong seemed to sense his deep concern, and gently placed a soft hand on his forehead, so that they could both feel each other's warmth.

His Mistress's wife's gentleness still made You Su lower his guard; the only person he could find to comfort him was his Mistress.

"However... it was just a bizarre dream."

Do people in dreams dream? You Su didn't know the answer, only that the reason was lame.

"Oh?" He Shutong's wide sleeves swept across the table, her black hair brushing against the back of his hand holding the cup. "What could make the little sword immortal of the Mandarin Sword Sect frown like this must be no ordinary dream."

You Su secretly thought it was fortunate that his Mistress didn't seem to find anything wrong with it, or perhaps in Mistress eyes, his dreaming was a more realistic manifestation of reality.

He casually picked up a piece of osmanthus cake, the flaky crust falling onto the brocade tablecloth, making him look like an innocent eighteen-year-old boy.

"Mistress don't laugh at me if I tell you."

"Tell me, and your Mistress will never laugh at you," He Shutong said confidently, even wiping the crumbs from You Su's mouth with a handkerchief. Such gestures seemed to be commonplace for the two of them.

"I dreamt that I became the savior in the teahouse story... the one who rescued the common people from suffering!"

As soon as she finished speaking, He Shutong burst out laughing, like a spring pond suddenly bursting open.

You Su blushed and said angrily, "Mistress said she wouldn't laugh!"

He Shutong placed his hand on the back of You Su's head and patted it, as if soothing an angry, naughty child:

"My laugh is not a sneer, but a laugh of satisfaction. Why can't I laugh?"

"What's there to be happy about?"

"I'm glad you've been independent since you were young. I was worried you'd be too mature for your age, but I never imagined that even though you've suffered a lot, you're still an eighteen-year-old at heart, dreaming big dreams just like any other teenager."

"Didn't your Mistress laugh at my naiveté?"

"I just find it amusing." He Shutong's lips curved into a smile. "Alright, alright, continue. I promise I won't laugh again."

You Su pursed her lips. "If you laugh again, my Mistress will read a book to me."

He Shutong raised her eyebrows slightly. You Su was blind, so if he wanted to read, she could only teach him orally. But what good books could the Mandarin Sword Sect have? Although she had read them all for the sake of cultivation, how could she read them to You Su? So she found an excuse to decline the young man's ambition.

But she really wanted to know about the boy's dream, so after hesitating, she finally decided to deceive him.

"I won't teach you because your cultivation hasn't reached a certain level. Since you're so eager to learn, I'll teach you after I've tested you on the Cultivation Method. There's no need for this bet."

Upon hearing this, You Su was indeed delighted and said, "Then I will speak."

He Shutong straightened her posture, adopting an attentive listening posture, but a trace of guilt lingered in her heart. After all, whether You Su passed the test or not was entirely up to her. Little did she know, You Su was also the master of this dream, and he would pass no matter what...

You Su coughed twice and said, "I used to think that being a savior was a very glorious thing, a one-man show with a sword against three Evil Demons, leaving them without a trace. But after actually becoming that savior in my dream, I realized that saving the world is not that simple at all."

"How much criticism and conspiracy must one endure along the way, yet one must carry the fervent hopes of so many people and trudge on alone. These are not motivations, but rather heavy pressures. So many people in the world want to be that unique one, but once you become that unique one, you wonder, why me of all people? In my dreams, I think, if someone were to tell me there's a mistake, that the savior isn't me but someone else, I probably wouldn't even bother to discern the truth in their words, and would hastily lay down my arms and return to my rural home."

For You Su himself, saving the world might simply mean taking up a sword and cutting down all three Evil God. He didn't think about seeking help from anyone, nor did he expect to gain anything from the people he saved.

During the battle on the Immortal Island, although he saved many people, it was merely a matter of convenience for him. The only person he truly wanted to save was Ji Xueruo. If he had to choose between those people and Ji Xueruo, he would not hesitate in the slightest.

But when he actually witnessed the suffering of all living beings, he couldn't help but doubt himself.

The steam from the tea wafted between them, creating a hazy veil. He Shutong suddenly reached out and touched his taut spine. You Su trembled slightly, and the remaining tea in his cup rippled, reflecting the flickering candlelight in his Mistress's eyes.

"So it's the gap between fantasy and reality that makes you feel disillusioned with life?"

You Su remained silent for a moment, then hesitated before answering, "I suppose so."

He Shutong shook his head, "No."

You Su was slightly taken aback, but He Shutong's lips parted again, "Your hesitation isn't because you think the road ahead is difficult, but because you're afraid of letting others down. You don't like to trouble others, nor do you like others to trouble you. It's not that you're naturally inclined to distance yourself from people, but it's also for this reason. Less contact with people means less trouble from being expected of them."

"But once you take something as your responsibility, you won't shirk it anymore. What you fear isn't the hardships along the way, but whether you have the ability to overcome them. Your real troubles come from this, so you shouldn't portray yourself as someone who hesitates and runs away, because you never actually intended to run away."

"Everyone wants to be a savior when they are young, but little do they know that the title of savior is the most vicious Curse upon youth."

Outside the window, the wind and snow intensified, causing the carved window paper to rustle. You Su suddenly recalled the image of Bai Ze curled up in his arms for warmth, and the unsteady footprints of A Jiu carrying his younger sister in the snow. The roars of evil spirits, the sobs of children, and the cracking of ice that he had cut down with his sword gradually subsided in the cool fragrance of his Mistress.

He didn't know what to say, so he simply raised his cup and drank his tea. He Shutong flicked his forehead with her finger, and chuckled as she watched him shrink back as if he'd been burned.

"Cooled tea can revive passionate blood, but it cannot extinguish a loyal heart. Remember this: the world has never lacked those who wield swords, but it lacks those who, after wielding their swords, dare to look directly at the bloodstains on them."

She extended her jade-like finger and touched his heart. "What a Sword Cultivator cultivates is not in his hands, but here, in his cowardice that he dares not show to others. Personally, I certainly don't want to see you bear the stigma of being a savior. But if that day truly comes, I will also think that being chosen by you means that only you in this world can do it."

Only I can...

Suddenly, the wind chimes on the eaves rang in unison. You Su felt as if his Mistress's words were like soft swords penetrating his mind, cutting away all the gloom.

Since even his Mistress trusts him so much, what reason does he have to doubt himself?

"Of course, it's okay if you don't achieve it; as long as you have a clear conscience, that's enough."

He Shutong suddenly pulled him into her arms, the boy's thin shoulders pressing against her heart like a sharp sword yet to be drawn.

"Alright, you seem restless. Go and get some rest, then continue your unfinished dream of saving the world."

Finally, what caught You Su's eye was the snow-white smile on his Mistress's lips, like an everlasting udumbara flower on an icy plain.

"Elder brother!"

Bai Ze's exclamation pierced the chaos, You Su suddenly opened his eyes. The shuttle was being tossed about in the blizzard, and outside the Xuanjing porthole, the outline of the divine mountain pierced the sky like the fangs of a giant beast.

"Hold on tight," he shouted hoarsely, pressing his sword finger heavily onto the control array plate.

The shuttle's tail fin exploded in a burst of azure flame, like a shooting star cleaving through the night. A Jiu and A Ying's gasps, mingled with the wind and snow, filled the cabin. You Su, gazing at the ever-approaching sacred mountain, suddenly remembered his Mistress's last words—

"Whether you are a savior or not, your Mistress will always be by your side."