Missing Thoughts Literature

Yu Sui sent Zhongli Que a message every day.

As the saying went, taking the initiative made things happen. Her initiative had earned a response from Zhongli Que, too. Gradually, Zhongli Que began chatting with her about things besides studying and sharing how she felt.

"Don't we have to exchange inscriptions before we can send messages with Listening Wind Rulers?"

Zhongli Que asked one day, having just realized this.

Every Listening Wind Ruler built by the Communication Institute had its own inscription number. For two rulers to connect, both parties had to exchange their inscriptions.

Yu Sui tapped at her Fill-in interface and replied, "I'm not restricted by inscriptions."

Really?

Zhongli Que, who knew nothing at all about Nine Schools Techniques, marveled inwardly at how amazing that was.

"I can also keep our messages secret. If you change the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches to Mysterious Bird Star Lines, then even if someone gets hold of your Listening Wind Ruler, they won't be able to see our conversation. Only you will be able to find it on your ruler."

Since Zhongli Que was forbidden to study Nine Schools Techniques, she knew even less about them than Yu Sui did. That made her Yu Sui's ideal test subject.

Now, Zhongli Que had adjusted her Listening Wind Ruler as Yu Sui had instructed. Anything that went against what she knew to be right made her feel as if she were doing something "bad."

But following Yu Sui's instructions filled her with an indescribable excitement. Her heart raced beyond her control.

Zhongli Que took a deep breath and calmed herself.

Her elder brother, Zhongli Shan, came to visit that afternoon, bringing along her favorite candies and pastries.

Zhongli Que caught the candy he passed through the window, then timidly held out her Listening Wind Ruler. "Brother, I don't know if my Listening Wind Ruler is broken or not. A message came in, but I can't see it."

"Let me take a look." Zhongli Shan took it and fiddled with it for a while. "Whose message can't you see?"

Zhongli Que poked her head out from behind the window and tapped the Listening Wind Ruler. "Here."

Zhongli Shan tried all three of the esoteric arts related to Listening Wind Rulers, but still couldn't find the message. Confused, he asked, "Did someone really send you a message? I couldn't find it in either the Earthly Branches or the Star Sea."

"Whose message was it? I'll go ask for you."

Zhongli Que took back her Listening Wind Ruler and shook her head. "No need. Maybe I remembered wrong."

Zhongli Shan seemed uneasy that he hadn't been able to help his little sister. "I'll take it to the Communication Institute and have them check."

"Really, there's no need." Zhongli Que put her Listening Wind Ruler away and started changing the subject.

Only after her brother left did Zhongli Que let out a quiet breath. She shut the window and, though she was alone in the room, instinctively softened her footsteps and breathing as she made her way to the bed.

Zhongli Que gazed at her Listening Wind Ruler with shining eyes and sent Yu Sui a message: "They really can't see it."

"You're amazing!"

People all said that the Prince's Mansion Young Princess had mediocre aptitude and was slow and foolish. But in Zhongli Que's eyes, this Young Princess was a genius.

*

With Zhongli Que's feedback on the Listening Wind Ruler, Yu Sui's deconstruction of the Communication Array went smoothly.

Zhongli Que was confined to her courtyard and couldn't leave. Her mother and brother came to see her every day, but only for a short while. The days were so long that she relied on chatting with Yu Sui to keep from getting bored.

Yu Sui really did stop sleeping through lessons, too. She listened to the entire class before sending the material to Zhongli Que, who only chatted with her after finishing her homework.

The two of them sometimes talked about their families.

"I have three older brothers. They're all better than me."

Zhongli Que replied, "But I think you're the best."

Yu Sui added, "I think you're amazing, too. You can learn what the teacher teaches just by hearing or seeing it once, but I have to study for several months."

Zhongli Que sat by the bed with her knees drawn up, her chin resting on them as she held her Listening Wind Ruler in both hands and replied, "If you put it that way, then my brother is the best. He never forgets anything he's seen. Even when the teacher doesn't teach something, he can learn it on his own. He even picked up swordsmanship right away."

Yu Sui: "Doesn't the National Academy teach swordsmanship only in a few years?"

"It wasn't taught at the National Academy. It was my father." Zhongli Que scratched her head, hesitated, then explained, "It's the Zhongli Family's secret sword art. Only my father knows it."

"I remember now! I heard Second Brother mention it. He said that sword art is really powerful." Yu Sui lay back on her bed, fanning herself with one hand while replying with the other. "Why don't you learn it too?"

The glow of the Listening Wind Ruler reflected in Zhongli Que's eyes, along with its characters. She blinked and stared at Yu Sui's question, unsure how to answer.

If messages sent to Yu Sui couldn't be discovered by others, Zhongli Que would never have spoken with her so often, or grown so close to her.

And because no one could find out, Zhongli Que had failed to restrain her desire to confide.

The girl's pale fingers hovered over the Listening Wind Ruler several times before finally tapping slowly on the Fill-in interface: "I can't learn. Girls in the Zhongli Family can't cultivate Nine Schools Techniques or touch blades and swords. We're not allowed to have Supernatural Abilities and Esoteric Skills, or any way to protect ourselves."

Yu Sui sat up and looked down at the message.

Zhongli Que regretted it as soon as she sent it. She shouldn't have said those things. After a pang of frustration, she quickly changed the subject and asked Yu Sui how her day at the National Academy had gone.

Yu Sui followed her lead and chatted without making things difficult for her. Before long, Zhongli Que said she was going to practice calligraphy.

It seemed she regretted speaking out of turn.

Yu Sui didn't call her out on it.

Two months later, Zhongli Que's confinement ended, and she was allowed to return to the National Academy.

She arrived at the classroom early. Some children who saw her greeted her out of courtesy and etiquette, and Zhongli Que responded to each of them.

Yu Sui hadn't arrived yet.

Zhongli Que couldn't help glancing outside, though she wasn't sure what she was waiting for.

When Yu Sui arrived, she still looked as if she hadn't woken up. Her head drooped, and when she saw Zhongli Que sitting in her seat, she opened her mouth, but her voice came out weak and listless.

Zhongli Que asked softly, "Did you not sleep well?"

Yu Sui sat down, slumped over her desk, and fell asleep. Half-asleep, she mumbled, "Today, I finally don't have to listen to class."

She'd been listening to both the literary and practical lessons during the day so she could tutor Zhongli Que. That had cut her sleeping time in half, and she'd been pushing herself for two straight months.

When Zhongli Que saw Yu Sui fall asleep, she immediately understood what had happened. She braced herself and, for the first time, kept the instructor from disturbing her.

*

Both children carried some weight of status, so they tacitly kept their distance at the National Academy. No one could tell how close they were, but they communicated frequently on their Listening Wind Rulers.

They shared interesting and amusing things that happened in their daily lives.

Yu Sui would sometimes "complain" to Zhongli Que that learning Nine Schools Techniques was troublesome and difficult. Zhongli Que couldn't understand, so Yu Sui patiently explained all sorts of things to her.

Once she understood, Zhongli Que was frightened.

Before Zhongli Que could stop Yu Sui from "complaining," Yu Sui spoke first. "I'm just tired and want someone to complain to. My brothers are busy with their own things, and I can't talk to my parents about it. You're the only friend I can talk to."

"If you think I'm being annoying, you can just destroy these messages. That way, no one else will know."

"I promise, no one will know you've seen them."

Yu Sui's promise made Zhongli Que feel one hundred percent safe.

Zhongli Que convinced herself, I'm only listening to a friend complain about her daily life. I'm not learning Nine Schools Techniques.

After venting, Yu Sui would also say, "I only complain to you, so you absolutely can't tell anyone else, okay?"

She was reminding Zhongli Que that even if she learned something, she must never let anyone but Yu Sui notice.

Zhongli Que nodded solemnly and replied, "I'll keep it secret."

The girls' secret correspondence went on and on.

Zhongli Que made the first friend of her life, and the year passed faster than any other as she spent time with her friend.

When they were thirteen, some things happened.

For Zhongli Que, it was a turning point that affected her whole life.

*

The year the Prince's Mansion Young Princess turned thirteen, her eldest brother, Han Bing, was already eighteen, and her second brother, Su Feng, was seventeen. They had both left the National Academy.

Sheng Fei had turned sixteen in spring and no longer had to attend the National Academy either.

So during the days of high summer, Yu Sui went to the National Academy alone, sometimes accompanied by Gu Gan.

Fourteen-year-old Gu Gan had suddenly grown a great deal. He was tall and broad, and standing beside him, Yu Sui—who still only came up to half his head—felt as if she'd spent all these years growing for nothing.

As the boys grew older, the differences in their abilities began to show. There was more to compete over, and their conflicts grew increasingly intense.

Because of their considerable age gap, Han Bing could still treat Gu Gan politely. Su Feng was only a few years older than Gu Gan, but he made no attempt to hide how much he disliked him.

But the one who disliked Gu Gan most, the one who couldn't stand the sight of him, was Sheng Fei.

Gu Gan disliked Sheng Fei most, too.

They repelled and loathed each other. Whenever they met, neither gave the other a friendly look. They'd even come to blows several times. Sheng Fei had been scolded by Nangong Ming for it, which made him find Gu Gan's existence even harder to bear.

As the boys' relationships soured, Yu Sui, caught in the middle, couldn't help being affected.

Sheng Fei couldn't stand seeing Gu Gan take Yu Sui to the National Academy alone. Even though he no longer had to study there himself, he still insisted on taking Yu Sui to and from the National Academy whenever Gu Gan was around.

Yu Sui could tell that Gu Gan had learned more and more over the past two years. Since she had to go to his study to read more books, she also acted closer to Gu Gan.

*

Sheng Fei argued with her about it several times, telling her to stay away from Gu Gan and telling Gu Gan to stay away from Yu Sui.

In autumn, the maple trees lining the Prince's Mansion's carriage road turned red. Cool breezes swept the leaves into the air, raising little whirlwinds across the ground.

Sheng Fei went to pick Yu Sui up from the National Academy today. He didn't see Gu Gan, but he still wore a stony expression.

Yu Sui sat by the side of the carriage, lifting the curtain to look at the scenery outside.

Out of the blue, Sheng Fei asked Yu Sui, "Do you like that brat Gu Gan?"

"What?" Yu Sui turned around, bewildered.

Sheng Fei kept his face stern. "You're not allowed to like him. I mean, you can't choose him as your future husband."

Yu Sui lowered her head to play with her Listening Wind Ruler and gave a perfunctory, "Mm-hmm."

Sheng Fei was going through puberty, and his voice sounded a little hoarse. On top of that, he usually spoke harshly, so even when he didn't mean any harm, he sounded fierce.

"He's lowborn, a wild child with no upbringing. He's only got where he is because the Prince's Mansion supports him. If you like him, he'll take advantage of it and climb right over you."

"Look how arrogant he is already!"

"Without the Prince's Mansion backing him, what is he? He wouldn't even survive in the imperial capital."

On the way home, Sheng Fei tore Gu Gan to shreds, insisting that Yu Sui couldn't be with him.

Yu Sui held up a finger. "Brother, I'm only thirteen. Isn't it a little early to talk about who I'll choose as my husband?"

For some reason, she felt that Sheng Fei had become more and more irritable since last year.

"I don't care who you choose. Just not Gu Gan." Sheng Fei declared imperiously, "I'm going to Taiyi in a few days. I won't have time to keep an eye on you two anymore, so I have to make myself clear before I leave."

Yu Sui blinked, missing the point. "You're going to Taiyi too?"

Her eldest brother, Han Bing, had also gone to Taiyi Academy to cultivate when he was sixteen. Su Feng, already part of the Military School, had stayed behind in Qingyang to cultivate at the Military School Chongtai. He only came back to the Prince's Mansion for the holidays.

Sheng Fei said, "I've already received an invitation from Taiyi. I'll be going to the academy next month."

The Xuangu Continent was divided not only among the Hundred Schools, but also among the Six Nations, which controlled its resources.

The cultivators of these Six Nations were countless, generation after generation. The nations varied in size and strength, and their cultivation resources differed as well. For the sake of all cultivators under heaven, the Nine Streams Saints had established Taiyi Academy in the far south of the continent.

Though it was called an academy, it was as large as a nation, built to accommodate Nine Schools Practitioners from the Six Nations as they cultivated.

Taiyi Academy had been established thousands of years ago. Since then, two-thirds of the renowned Nine Streams Saints had come from its ranks. It had been built by hundreds of Saints from a thousand years ago. Within its walls, the Six Nations didn't exist—only the academy's disciples.

When talking about Taiyi Academy, it was impossible not to mention the Six Nations' "Non-War Covenant."

The Six Nations first formed an alliance and proposed the "Non-War Covenant." Only then did Taiyi Academy begin accepting cultivators from all six nations and bringing them together as one.

The "Non-War Covenant" meant that the Six Nations must never attack or wage war against each other. Each had to guard its own patch of land. No matter how badly one wanted to seize a neighboring nation's resources, the covenant's power restrained them, preventing them from crossing the borders and swallowing it up.

Qingyang ranked near the top among the Six Nations and was considered a superpower. It alone had more than a hundred Feudal States, and every few years it had to wage war to reclaim rebellious states or suppress those harboring treasonous ambitions.

Zhongli Ci had earned his title of Military School War God on the battlefields of Qingyang's Feudal States.

Taiyi Academy claimed that it didn't choose students based on talent or background. Anyone who wished to cultivate could apply, even if their talent was mediocre, whether they were royalty or beggars.

But whether they accepted you was another matter.

Those with exceptional talent might receive an invitation from Taiyi Academy itself.

Of course, even someone with no talent at all—a Normal Practitioner—could apply, but they'd have to pay a huge admission fee.

That rule was made for nobles who had no talent but still wanted to go to the academy and come back with a shiny credential.

Yu Sui felt that the rule had been made just for her.

Her eldest brother, Han Bing, had received an invitation from Taiyi Academy at sixteen and gone there to cultivate. Now her Third Brother, Sheng Fei, was going too.

Though Taiyi Academy didn't discriminate based on talent or background, it did have an age requirement. It accepted no one younger than sixteen, but there was no upper age limit.

The next day, as they ate lunch at the National Academy, Gu Gan heard that Sheng Fei was going to Taiyi Academy to cultivate the following month. He sneered disdainfully and said that he'd go there too in two years.

Yu Sui, focused on her food, looked up when she heard that. It seemed Taiyi Academy was one of his goals, too.

*

Quite a few people knew that Sheng Fei had received an invitation from Taiyi Academy.

Even Zhongli Que talked with Yu Sui about it.

Over the years, the girl who had once chatted with her timidly had become more and more lively.

"Suisui, is your Third Brother going to Taiyi Academy too?"

"Mm-hmm."

"I'm so jealous. I want to see Taiyi Academy too. I heard the road to the academy crosses the sea. You don't go by boat; there's a Star Trail in the sky made from Mechanism Techniques, and flying dragons carry you there."

Zhongli Que said wistfully, "The scenery must be beautiful. When my brother told me about it, I wanted to beg him to take me along."

"If my father found out, he'd put me under confinement again."

Yu Sui had just finished bathing and was getting dressed. In the mirror, the little girl wore a colorful skirt, its ribbons hanging softly from the hem. Since night had fallen, she had put on something light, revealing her pale, slender calves and half of her arms.

Her Listening Wind Ruler hung from her waist by a Red Thread, chiming pleasantly against its tassel ornaments.

Yu Sui walked as she replied to the messages.

"There'll be a chance to see it one day."

"Third Brother's friends are celebrating his invitation from the academy at Juxian Tower tonight. They asked me to come along."

"Juxian Tower is close to the enormous Communication Array in the west, so I'm going to see if I can crack it tonight."

Ever since cracking the enormous Communication Array at the National Academy, Yu Sui had started cracking other arrays around the imperial capital. Her dream was to crack every Communication Array in the city.

Yu Sui hadn't kept her Communication Array cracking a secret from Zhongli Que, because she needed someone to help test whether she'd succeeded.

Zhongli Que was the one who received Yu Sui's messages.

Over the past two years, Yu Sui's private "bad-kid" antics had greatly strengthened Zhongli Que's ability to cope. It seemed that as long as she was with Yu Sui, she had the courage to face the consequences of a "bad kid" doing something bad.

But if she was alone, Zhongli Que knew she couldn't do it.

"Go ahead. Be careful." After replying, Zhongli Que fell back onto her bed. She was a little sleepy, and when the light from her Listening Wind Ruler dimmed, she couldn't keep her eyes open.

As she closed them, Zhongli Que sensed a strange power surging. It brought a wave of fear that made the hairs on her body stand on end.

Zhongli Que suddenly opened her eyes and sat up in bed, her heart racing. The information she foresaw deep in her consciousness made her hands tremble.

Just like the time she had told Yu Sui not to leave the classroom: she would run into Young Master Lin and be slapped by Nangong Ming.

Zhongli Que picked up the Listening Wind Ruler, about to send Yu Sui a message, when her mother's words suddenly rang in her mind:

"You must remember: you absolutely cannot let anyone find out. Not even your father."

She remembered how she'd merely picked up a Feather Arrow and the adults had fixed her with judgmental stares, as if one wrong word from her would get her hacked to pieces.

The pressure the adults brought with them hounded her relentlessly, like a long rope tied around her neck, hoisting her high in the air until she couldn't breathe.

Zhongli Que's hand shook as she held the Listening Wind Ruler. She bit her lip, drenched in sweat.

Mother had said no one could know. It was too dangerous.

Zhongli Que slowly lowered both hands, still holding the Listening Wind Ruler.

But... but this wasn't what she'd foreseen last time.

Last time, Nangong Sui had only been slapped. This time, though, she was being consumed by raging flames. Her flesh melted in the sea of fire, revealing eerie white bones stained with flames—a sight so terrifying it could give Zhongli Que nightmares for a month.

Was she supposed to watch her die with her own eyes?

Would she die?

Zhongli Que's mind buzzed at the thought. Then, out of nowhere, she found the courage to tap rapidly at the Fill-in interface and send Yu Sui a message:

"Don't go to Juxian Tower!"

"Go home, now!"

"You'll be burned to death if you go to Juxian Tower!"

But Yu Sui, who usually replied to her messages very quickly, remained silent.

Zhongli Que took a deep breath to steady her trembling hands. Gritting her teeth, she grabbed the Listening Wind Ruler, got to her feet, and ran outside.

A little earlier, Yu Sui had been staring at the Listening Wind Ruler in her hand.

The young men who'd come that day had booked out Juxian Tower.

Yu Sui sat by the window with it thrown wide open, looking down at the bustling streets from above. The lamps blazed bright, and the night breeze drifted in, easing the heat brought on by the strange fire.

Though several screens separated her from the others, Yu Sui could still hear the clinking of cups, the young men's laughter and rowdy chatter. Someone called her name, shouting "Suisui," and seemed to want to come over, only for her older brother to curse him off.

Yu Sui watched the instrument dial on the Listening Wind Ruler as she adjusted the characters' positions. In the next Star Trail, she would connect to a nearby Communication Array. While she was fully focused, a small black spot emerged from the strange fire deep in her consciousness.

A man's voice, familiar yet strange, rang through her mind:

"Who the hell goes wandering the jianghu so carelessly they're about to die again?"