Fleeting Waters

Fallen blossoms, flowing waters—spring had gone.

After seeing off the old man and Shangguan Ruoyan, Xiaobai put away the stone coffin.

The three of them settled into a quiet life in the back courtyard of the Auspicious Inn.

Wang Xian once again devoted to Xiaobai the care he had once lavished on Chen Xiang'er.

Every day, he had Xiaobai copy scriptures and practice swordsmanship.

Ao Qianyu didn't want to do anything. She simply watched the two of them in silence, until the peaches on the tree in the inn's back courtyard grew bigger by the day.

Wang Xian taught Xiaobai a few lessons about life.

He told him that he and the old man, and Shangguan Ruoyan, had merely met by chance in the long river of time. A wave surged in, and in the blink of an eye, they had each drifted away.

Xiaobai seemed to understand what his big brother meant.

Ever since they'd met at the Academy, Wang Xian had never abandoned him.

After thinking it over, Xiaobai asked, "Then what about Xiaobai and Big Brother?"

Wang Xian smiled. "We're family. Even if a huge wave capsizes our boat, there'll still be a day when we meet again."

Hearing this, Ao Qianyu fell silent. Listening to Wang Xian, she felt strangely unaccustomed to his words.

Looking at the Divine Sword in Xiaobai's hands, she saw that Wang Xian had even whittled himself a bamboo sword to toy with.

After hesitating and wrestling with her thoughts, she couldn't help asking, "Big Brother gave Xiaobai the Divine Sword. What will you do?"

After thinking for a moment, Wang Xian answered, in a rare departure from his usual ways, "Once I reach Spirit Transformation, I'll have a sword too."

Ao Qianyu was utterly baffled. She looked at Xiaobai, who quietly