A Promise by the Swing

As dawn's first light emerged, golden sunlight filtered through the dense parasol tree branches and leaves in the courtyard of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, weaving fragmented patterns of light across the bluestone paths. The air still carried the fresh mingled scent of morning dew and vegetation. Wang Chuan had just finished a morning of blade training. A thin sheen of sweat clung to his brow, and the hand gripping his hilt was slightly sore. Slowing his pace, he followed the path back to his own courtyard.

The moment he pushed open the bamboo courtyard gate, his gaze was caught by the figure in the corner—Ning Rongrong sat lightly swinging on a solid wooden swing, the hem of her pale purple dress lifting gently with each rise and fall, like a violet butterfly resting on a branch, ready to take flight at any moment. Wang Chuan had built that swing himself three months ago. Back then, Ning Rongrong had just broken through a Soul Power bottleneck, so he had chosen the toughest nanmu wood for its frame, carefully sanding it until it felt smooth and warm to the touch. He had then woven the swing seat from waxed hemp rope, making it sturdy yet soft. When the little girl had first seen it, her eyes had shone as though they held starlight. Clinging to his arm, she had cried out three times, "Brother Chuan is the best!" That delighted expression remained vividly etched in Wang Chuan's mind even now.

"Brother Chuan, you're finally back!" Ning Rongrong's voice carried both delighted excitement and a hint of coquettish reproach. The instant she caught sight of Wang Chuan entering from the corner of her eye, she stopped the swing, her eyes lighting up even more brightly. Before her words had even faded, she nimbly hopped down, lifted her skirt, and ran toward him. She plunged straight into his embrace, her hair carrying the fresh scent of morning dew brushing against his neck, soft as a ball of cotton.

The Ning Rongrong of today was no longer the spoiled, willful little princess of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect from half a year ago. Her Soul Power had steadily risen to level fourteen, but even more precious was the change in her temperament. The petulance and pride she had developed as the Sect Master's daughter had been tempered by day after day of training into calmness and humility. Only in front of Wang Chuan would she occasionally reveal a little harmless tsundere side, like a sugar-coated hawthorn berry—sweet, with just the right touch of playful tartness.

A few days ago, when Wang Chuan had passed the outer sect Training Ground, he had overheard two disciples chatting. They said that when Senior Sister Rongrong met them now, she would not only greet them with a gentle nod, but if she saw someone stuck at a bottleneck in training, she would even stop and patiently offer a few pointers on techniques for circulating Soul Power. She no longer had that old arrogant look that seemed to say, "None of you are as good as me." This change had made her reputation within the sect better and better. Now, whether inner or outer sect disciples, everyone sincerely called her "Senior Sister Rongrong" when they saw her.

Wang Chuan raised a hand and gently rubbed the top of her head. His fingertips brushed her soft hair, and a faint but warm smile unconsciously spread across his lips. "How long have you been waiting here? Looking at the dew on your skirt, you must have been sitting here since morning training ended, right?"

Ning Rongrong snuggled against him. When she lifted her face, the rising sun fell perfectly across it, lending even more spirit to her almond-shaped eyes and making even the tiny hairs on her face clearly visible. Looking at her, Wang Chuan suddenly remembered something and softened his voice. "Rongrong, how is your Heart Separation Control training going? Last time, you said you could never practice it properly. Have you made any progress?"

For Soul Masters of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda, Heart Separation Control was a skill even more important than increasing Soul Power—it directly determined how many people they could support at once in the future, and was the key to advancing from an ordinary support to a top-tier one. Wang Chuan had always kept this matter in mind. Rongrong had great talent in Soul Power, but Heart Separation Control required exceptional focus and was especially taxing on one's temperament. He feared that if the girl grew too impatient for results, she might end up going astray in her training.

"Brother Chuan!" The moment Ning Rongrong heard the words "Heart Separation Control," her cheeks puffed up like a little pufferfish whose sore spot had been poked. She even deliberately stamped her foot, her tone brimming with grievance. "Why do you always bring up the one thing I don't want to talk about? You know this is what I struggle with the most, yet you still asked on purpose!"

As if in a huff, she pulled free from Wang Chuan's embrace, turned around, and sat back on the swing. Clutching the ropes tightly with both hands, she swayed gently, her voice as quiet as a mosquito's hum. "It's hard enough already... When I have to split my mind three ways, my brain feels all tangled up, and my Soul Power keeps going off course. I don't want to be this slow either..." As she spoke, she secretly glanced at Wang Chuan. Her expression of being aggrieved yet unwilling to admit defeat was exactly like a kitten being scolded by its owner for being a picky eater.

Seeing how adorable she looked, Wang Chuan could not help but laugh. He stepped forward and gently pushed the swing seat, sending Ning Rongrong slowly swaying through the air. His voice grew even softer. "Hey, I'm not trying to rush you. I'm just worried about you. Heart Separation Control is the hardest kind of skill to master. If it feels difficult, take it slowly. You can't rush it, and no one will blame you."

He paused, then thought of an idea and continued, "How about this? Don't start by trying to support several people at once. First, try supporting only me. Once you can skillfully control your Soul Power without it going off course, you can gradually add more people. How about it?"

"No!" Ning Rongrong abruptly raised her head. Her eyes sparkled with a childlike stubbornness, and her voice rose a little. "I don't want to learn to support anyone else! Even if I train my Heart Separation Control to the very highest level someday, I'll only support Brother Chuan!"

The instant the words left her mouth, she realized how direct they sounded. Her cheeks immediately flushed scarlet like ripe apples. She hurriedly lowered her head and pretended to stare at the clover on the ground, her fingers unconsciously picking at the swing rope. Even the tips of her ears had turned pink.

Wang Chuan's heart felt as though it had been soaked in warm water, soft beyond measure. Suppressing a smile, he deliberately teased her. "All right, then Rongrong has to keep her word. From now on, you'll only support me. You can't go back on it."

"W-Who would go back on it?!" Ning Rongrong stubbornly retorted, though there was noticeably less conviction in her voice. Her cheeks reddened even further, and she deliberately swung harder, making her skirt flare more widely, as if she wanted to shake all that embarrassment away into the wind. Sunlight fell over her blushing profile, and even the scent of grass and trees in the air seemed to take on a sweet fragrance.