Chapter Two: The 66,665th Layer of Qi Refining Stage
"Huh?"
"Who's that?"
"Martial Ancestor Uncle."
He didn't even notice the group of people nearby. Like a walking corpse, he made his way to the remnants of a crumbling wall by the cliff, then picked up a sharp pebble from the ground and casually scratched a line into the mottled wall.
Bai Qiuran asked, "It's one thing for Jueyunzi to be a useless piece of trash, but why aren't you elders handling sect business? Why have you all come here? Is this some kind of support group for lonely old men?"
Tang Ruowei's face turned faintly red. Unsure how to respond to Bai Qiuran, she let her gaze wander, then awkwardly raised a hand in greeting.
In his fluster, he blurted out the one thing he absolutely shouldn't have said.
"Why wouldn't... Father Emperor was overjoyed when he heard I was coming to the Azure Nether Sword Sect."
"And what happened after that?" Fourth Elder drawled. "Could the seven of us, just once, stand together through thick and thin?"
Jueyunzi put on a smile that could only be called fawning.
Noticing Tang Ruowei's gaze, Sixth Elder Qing Yun explained, "There used to be a Demon-Suppressing Pagoda there. Demons and fiends ran rampant in those days, and Azure Nether disciples went down the mountain to exterminate them. Some had such powerful Nascent Souls that they couldn't be destroyed, so the disciples captured their Nascent Souls and threw them into the pagoda. An Azure Nether elder would personally oversee their refinement. Later, Martial Ancestor Uncle moved here to live and study. Every time he broke through a layer, he'd scratch a line onto that pagoda with a pebble."
That smile looked very familiar to Bai Qiuran. On the day she had drawn her sword and hacked at people, her face had worn that same kind, gentle expression.
Bai Qiuran was astonished too.
"Miss Tang, what are you doing here?"
"You brat. You've been Sect Master for hundreds of years, and now your wings are strong enough to fly? You're soaring pretty high, aren't you?"
"What do you want, yourself? You gave up the luxurious life of a princess to come all the way up this mountain and find me. Why?"
Bai Qiuran felt a little guilty. He wasn't afraid of Tang Ruowei, but knowing that someone was carrying a torch for him was, in truth, an uncomfortable feeling.
"Martial Ancestor Uncle."
Then he recalled how, the last time they parted, he'd provoked her by bringing up her secondary sex characteristics...
Tang Ruowei replied, "He already has a legitimate eldest son, after all. When I grow up, I'll be nothing more than a tool for political marriage. Rather than marrying me off to form an alliance with another kingdom, or using me to win over ministers and noble clans at home, it's better to send me to the Azure Nether Sword Sect. Maybe I can secure a chance at transcending the mundane for the imperial family."
Qing Yun glanced cautiously at Bai Qiuran, who was staring into space, then lowered her voice. "Martial Ancestor Uncle was in a foul mood that day, so they all became his punching bags. They died horribly."
By now, Bai Qiuran was on his guard. Although he'd saved Tang Ruowei, he was a virgin of over three thousand years who had been stuck at the Qi Refining Stage the whole time. He was deeply insecure about his own appeal. He wasn't vain enough to think Tang Ruowei could fall for him in just a few days, to the point of abandoning her status as a princess and chasing after him all the way to the sect.
"We meet again."
Under his unwavering gaze, Tang Ruowei grew a little embarrassed too. She lowered her head, playing with a lock of hair over her shoulder, and said softly, "I heard from the Imperial Advisor that you were part of the Azure Nether Sword Sect. Then I heard that, because of some unforeseen circumstances, the Azure Nether Sword Sect's once-every-twenty-years disciple selection in Xuanjian Town had been delayed by a few months. So I left the capital and took part in the selection."
"I came to congratulate Martial Ancestor Uncle on another breakthrough, and on reaching even greater heights in strength. May Martial Ancestor Uncle live as long as heaven itself—ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand ten thousand years!"
As soon as he'd said it, Jueyunzi clapped a hand over his mouth, his heart sinking.
Sixth Elder smiled helplessly.
Tang Ruowei stuck out her tongue. Meanwhile, the elders of the Azure Nether Sword Sect, who had come to see Bai Qiuran after he emerged from seclusion, exchanged glances. After a round of shoving the responsibility around, someone kicked Sect Master Jueyunzi out of the line, sending him to the front.
"I know you came all this way because you're still angry about what I said the other day, about your physical defect. I'm sorry. I was just curious; I didn't mean anything by it."
Bai Qiuran froze.
Bai Qiuran continued, "You're the Grand Princess of Shangxuan Kingdom, after all. Once you join the Azure Nether Sword Sect, the mortal world will be beyond your reach forever. Can your father really let you go?"
"Huh?"
"Hmph."
"Of course I came for you."
Bai Qiuran's expression turned grave.
He clutched his rear and glared fiercely at his junior brothers and sisters. Then, with no other choice, he cautiously approached Bai Qiuran, who was staring into space.
"Cultivators must guard against arrogance and impatience. Today, Martial Ancestor Uncle will help you remember that lesson."
As he spoke, he clenched his fists, producing a terrifying series of crackles.
Tang Ruowei asked in a small voice.
"I came to welcome Martial Ancestor Uncle out of seclusion."
"What's there to welcome me for?"
"You lot, what are you doing here today?"
"Right there."
Bai Qiuran couldn't even be bothered to raise his eyelids.
Tang Ruowei looked at him in confusion.
"Hey, don't start yet."
The youngest elder, Seventh Elder Liuyun, reminded them, "Martial Ancestor Uncle's coming."
Everyone looked up and saw Bai Qiuran, who had finished beating up Jueyunzi, walking toward them. The white-haired, white-browed young man had vented his frustration on an insensible junior, and seemed to be in a better mood now. He came over, dusting off his hands as he walked.
Fuck, what the hell am I saying?
Sure enough, when Tang Ruowei heard Bai Qiuran's question, she broke into a radiant smile.
Jueyunzi had been full of bluster in his own courtyard, but the moment he faced Bai Qiuran, he started getting nervous.
"Uh... hi."
"Looks like Martial Ancestor Uncle failed again."
"What are you here for, brat?"
"Then the pagoda collapsed."
"Doesn't the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda keep the demons' Nascent Souls locked inside? Wouldn't they escape when it fell?"
Meeting Bai Qiuran's eyes, Jueyunzi's memories of getting beaten for running his mouth in the past came surging back like mist. Even a Body Integration Stage cultivator like him couldn't help but shudder inwardly, suffering a momentary crack in his mental state.
"You've come out of seclusion."
Second Elder clasped his hands in a salute. "Well, the thing is, someone new has joined our sect. She specifically asked for you by name."
He tossed away the pebble, then ambled over to a large rock by the cliff and sat down, staring blankly at the white clouds in the sky.
"They won't."
"Even so, Martial Ancestor Uncle has kept up the habit to this day. His marks are still carved into the ruins."
Third Elder waved a hand. "All I said was, 'You brought her here, so you go first.' You all kicked Senior Disciple Brother out there. I didn't lay a finger on him."
Bai Qiuran rolled up his sleeves.
Second Elder glanced at Jueyunzi, who was hanging from a crooked tree nearby, his face swollen and bruised, then said to Third Elder, who looked uneasy, "At a time like this, we should send our big-mouthed Senior Disciple Brother out to break the ice."
"Spare me, Martial Ancestor Uncle!"
Sixth Elder Qing Yun led Tang Ruowei to the front of the elders.
"Mm."
Bai Qiuran took a step back and said solemnly, "Miss Tang, please show some restraint."
The agonized scream of Jueyunzi, leader of the righteous path and Sect Master of the Azure Nether Sword Sect, rang out over Seven Star Peak in the Azure Nether Mountains.
"Ah, Third Junior Brother's judgment was right after all."
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