I'll See You Off

Meng Lan respectfully handed the manuscript to Xue Qingqiu, then fled as fast as her legs could carry her. She really wasn't sure whether she'd survive once the Sect Master finished reading it—or whether she'd be torn to pieces.

Even with Xue Qingqiu's formidable cultivation, she couldn't read words from that far away. When Meng Lan brought the manuscript over, she didn't think much of it, but spread it out on the table with interest and read it together with her junior sister and disciple.

At first, all three women had been engrossed in the story. They'd even clicked their tongues appreciatively at the bedroom scenes. But the moment Xue Qingqiu saw the ending, she froze. Her face turned ashen, and she snatched up the manuscript as though fleeing for her life.

Yin Ye looked up, bewildered. "I haven't finished reading..."

Xue Qingqiu's face darkened. "What are you reading this sort of thing for? You're a child! Get lost!"

Yin Ye lunged forward. "I want to read it! I've never read such a good story..."

"Bang!" The little girl was kicked flying by her senior sister, who was like an evil stepmother. She crashed through the bamboo wall, leaving a person-shaped hole, then landed face down on the floor.

Yin Ye didn't feel pain at all. She sprang to her feet and charged back into the room to snatch the manuscript.

Then her senior sister knocked her unconscious with a single palm strike and dumped her in the corner of the bed.

Yue Xiaochan sat to one side, her chin resting on her palm, smiling as she watched her master fly into a rage. Then she looked up, thought for a moment, and smiled knowingly. In a flash, she vanished.

Her master was really just too proud to back down... So she'd leave her alone for a while. Then everything would be fine...

"Xue Mu! You've got some nerve! Do you really think I wouldn't dare kill you?" Xue Qingqiu's aura burst forth, reducing everything in its path to ashes. "You bastard! You absolute bastard!"

Still fuming, she demolished things as she paced back and forth. But when she reached the table, she suddenly stopped.

Xiao Chan had been sitting there just now. Now she was gone.

Uh... Xiao Chan wasn't here, and Yin Ye was unconscious. Nobody had seen anything... For some reason, Xue Qingqiu suddenly wasn't quite so angry.

Had Xiao Chan seen through her and left for that reason?

Xue Qingqiu sighed and sat in the only chair her disciple had occupied that she hadn't destroyed. She massaged her temples, thinking hard.

When Xue Mu had broken through her defenses, he'd thought of his parents, his friends, and the world he longed for. Of course, being pierced in the same way had left her feeling melancholy too.

When she was fifteen, the sect had been struck by a terrible upheaval. Her master had died from cultivation deviation, several elders had split off, and all the male disciples had left to establish a new sect. Her senior sister had disappeared, and Yin Ye had been just eleven. At that desperate moment, she had shouldered the burden of the entire sect at the tender age when a girl was just coming of age. It was easy enough for people to call her a once-in-a-generation genius, but how could they understand the treachery of the martial world from reading stories on paper? How could they know the hardship and danger of breaking through in martial cultivation? For more than ten years, she had fought across tens of thousands of miles of the Divine Continent, weathering countless brushes with death. Step by step, she had carved out her path through life and death, forging herself into the legend she was today.

Her admirers worshipped her, and the whole sect regarded her as a god. How many could understand her exhaustion? Except for Xiao Chan... She was her only comfort.

But she couldn't be tired. She couldn't be weak. She couldn't show the slightest sign of frailty. She had to make everyone believe she was the strongest under heaven, that her own hands alone could split the sky and reshape the earth.

Then Yin Ye had gotten inside her heart, and her defenses had crumbled. Her boundless vulnerability and loneliness had finally grown unchecked. All she wanted was a broad shoulder to lean on, someone who would let her sleep soundly, without having to think about anything or take responsibility for anything...

It seemed... there had been a man right in front of her then, someone who could help her and was helping her. She knew he was interested in her, and she had been tempting him too.

Then she could let herself go a little, embrace him, let him comfort her, let him cherish her, and truly entrust herself to him...

So she had thrown herself into his arms.

Then a knock on the door shattered the night. He woke up, and so did she. He was still just Xue Mu, without a shred of cultivation. And she was still the invincible Sect Master of the Demon Sect.

She'd thought it was just a game in which she might develop a little affection at most. This time, she'd ended up falling right into the trap.

He was also bound to Xiao Chan by a thread of affection. As her master, she could forbid them from getting together, but she absolutely couldn't do it to claim him for herself! Was she really going to take advantage of her disciple's cultivation restriction and fight her for a man?

Ridiculous...

So she could only be his older sister, and he could only be her younger brother. Especially after Yin Ye had judged his intentions to be pure and kind, Xue Qingqiu had made up her mind: if Xue Mu was content with being her younger brother, she would wholeheartedly be a good older sister to him, transferring all her expectations of men onto her little brother.

She could even help her little brother have his pick of women. Meng Lan or whoever—if he wanted her, his older sister could give her to him.

But this story of his mocked her self-deception so blatantly.

What he meant was, blood or no blood, even if they were real siblings, he'd still sleep with her!

His shameless advance infuriated her. Wasn't he just making trouble?

But when she recalled Yin Ye's judgment—"He wants to dual cultivate with you"—she was struck by a dazed thought: perhaps Xue Mu thought Xiao Chan was too young, and had been interested in her all along. Perhaps he'd never changed his mind. How could she be fighting her disciple for him?

There didn't seem to be anything wrong with that... What relationship did she and Xue Mu have? In the first place, it didn't seem to have anything to do with her disciple. So how could she be said to have given him up?

After thinking it through and still finding no answer, she only felt more confused. At last, Xue Qingqiu sighed. "Someone, repair the room."

"Yes, Sect Master. But what about Martial Aunt Yin Ye..."

"Who cares about her? Throw her in the trash!"

"..."

"Wait. Have you seen Chan'er?"

"The Young Sect Master has packed her things and is saying goodbye to Young Master Xue."

Xue Qingqiu fell silent. She stood quietly by the window, gazing at the bamboo leaves swaying gently. For a long time, her face showed no emotion at all.

"Leaving so soon?" Xue Mu asked, surprised, as he looked at Yue Xiaochan. She'd said she'd come to say goodbye with her luggage, but he couldn't see any bundle or anything of the sort. The only difference was a small embroidered pouch at her waist and a translucent jade flute tucked into it.

That was all she had brought.

He wondered if this world had storage pouches. Perhaps the little embroidered pouch had a lot of room inside. And the jade flute... Was it a beloved instrument she carried everywhere, or her true weapon?

He suddenly remembered Yue Xiaochan saying that when it came to music, she was one of the best in the world—one of the very best.

But he'd never heard her play.

They'd known each other too briefly. To be honest, he hadn't gotten to know them very well; he'd only caught a fleeting glimpse. And now she was leaving, like a startled swan vanishing into the distance.

"It's not that soon. I told you ages ago that I'd be leaving, didn't I?" Yue Xiaochan smiled faintly. "If I kept dragging it out, you might start wondering why this girl was still hanging around and refusing to leave."

Xue Mu shook his head. "Where did that come from?"

Yue Xiaochan smiled. "You'll miss me?"

Xue Mu didn't know how to answer. He only said, "Mm."

"People of the martial world grow old in the martial world. Staying too long amid the splendor of the Capital City wears down the heart." Yue Xiaochan spoke as if it were nothing. "If you truly care about me, Uncle, don't act like a lovesick boy. Just wish me well on my journey. That's what really matters."

Xue Mu stayed silent for a long time. He felt as if he had a stomach full of things he wanted to say to her, but he didn't know how.

Whether or not the cultivation restriction was involved, given their ages, neither of them could cross that line without struggling with it. Saying she'd grow up eventually was just a man's lustful excuse. Rationally, not entertaining such thoughts was the right choice.

He didn't even know how much of his reckless attempt to seduce Xue Qingqiu, that great demoness, had come from genuine admiration for her peerless beauty, and how much had been an attempt to distract himself from his feelings for Yue Xiaochan.

Perhaps it had been both.

Now that he'd decided to pursue her master, he shouldn't string along her disciple. It was better to sever this tangled, hard-to-define connection cleanly. That would be best for everyone.

At last, he spoke quietly. But all he said was, "...I'll see you off."