His voice was a little hoarse, and his eyes were rimmed with red.
He turned to look at Gu Chengming. His lips moved a few times, but in the end, he said only four words.
"Thank you, Chengming."
Gu Chengming smiled and stepped forward to straighten his master's slightly disheveled collar.
Some things didn't need to be said. It was enough for master and disciple to understand each other without speaking. He tucked his master's collar into place and patted the old man on the shoulder.
Shen Qianqiu was the first to arrive when the news spread.
The Wenjian Sect's Sect Master had yet to recover from his injuries, but his spirits were excellent. He came striding over from afar, and his laughter reached them before he did.
"Good! Wencai, well done!"
Shen Qianqiu reached Ren Wencai and gave him a hearty slap on the shoulder. The force was so great that the old Cultivator, newly ascended to the Fifth Realm, staggered half a step.
"Sect Master Senior Brother, go easy on me. I just broke through, and my foundation isn't stable yet."
"You're in the Fifth Realm and still complaining?" Shen Qianqiu laughed and scolded him, then softened his tone. "Wencai, you've suffered a lot all these years... I've always known that what happened with that disciple weighed on your heart."
Ren Wencai fell silent for a moment, then shook his head.
"It's all in the past, Senior Brother."
After a pause, he looked toward Gu Chengming, who was organizing his magical artifacts nearby, and smiled in relief.
"Besides, if not for that old matter, I wouldn't have taken Chengming as my disciple. Such are the workings of karma and fate in this world. We Sword Cultivators should look to the road ahead."
Shen Qianqiu followed his gaze to