Confession? (2)

Early the next morning, while the sky was still dark and the whole world remained steeped in silence, Shen Yuxi had already begun his daily practice atop the Sword Trial Platform. The longsword in his hand moved like a roaming dragon, like a startled swan; every form tore through the air with a whistle, and Sword Qi etched marks of varying depths into the ground.

At that hour, the moon still flickered faintly in the sky, casting down a pale, clear radiance. On the ground, meanwhile, flashing sword light wove another crescent moon, echoing the bright moon overhead in perfect harmony. Within the moonlight, the figure in green stood tall and striking, as though he might ride the moon away.

As he came to an abrupt stop, the moon-shadow traced by his sword light gradually faded until it vanished altogether. He turned his blade, sheathed it behind his back, and was just about to carefully digest the gains and insights from his recent practice when he heard familiar footsteps.

Turning to look, he saw a figure in blue-green skipping through the morning mist—Lin Mumu had changed her hair ornaments today. Two watery-blue butterfly jade hairpins trembled lightly with her steps, as though they truly might flutter their wings and take flight.

"Morning, Second Senior Brother~" She lifted a radiant smile, her brows and eyes curving like crescent moons as she happily waved at Shen Yuxi.

Shen Yuxi stood quietly at the edge of the Sword Trial Platform, responding with a cold nod as the morning breeze lightly stirred his robes.

Just then, a considerable commotion suddenly arose in the distance.

From the other side of the Sword Trial Platform came the disciples' barely restrained cries of delight. Shen Yuxi and Lin Mumu followed the sound, only to see Chu Shihan, dressed in black with ink-dark hair, approaching calmly with a sword at his side.

His steps were steady and forceful, every one seeming precisely measured. As his robes fluttered, an austere aura washed over them like a rising tide. Wherever he went, the disciples parted like waters split by a current, instinctively making way and forming an invisible passage.

Confusion rose in Shen Yuxi's heart. Strange, Eldest Senior Brother came too? Didn't he like going into seclusion alone and grinding everyone else into dust? Why did he suddenly come to the Sword Trial Platform?

Then he reconsidered. Forget it. It's rare to get such an opportunity. Getting to admire Eldest Senior Brother's splendor a little more is still a good thing.

He maintained his expressionless face, his gaze coolly examining Chu Shihan as he approached. He had to admit that Chu Shihan's brows, eyes, and features were indeed exceptionally striking. His features were deep and sharply sculpted, and the aura around him was astonishingly powerful.

Mm, handsome. Look at those brows, sharp as mountain peaks; then that nose bridge, high and straight; and that powerful aura that seemed to bring wind with every step... Truly worthy of a male lead's setup! He really was... Shen Yuxi silently assessed him, his thoughts running like wild horses breaking free of their reins, when a phrase suddenly sprang into his mind. —A face like flowers and moonlight, beauty to topple kingdoms, fragrance to shake the world?

The disciple standing closest behind him nearly dropped the wooden sword in his hand with a clatter, staring at Shen Yuxi in shock.

Though the disciples had gradually grown accustomed to their Second Senior Brother's unrestrained way of thinking, hearing such a description still made them widen their eyes in utter disbelief.

Chu Shihan had sharply defined features, his brows and eyes as severe as though carved with knives and axes. Beneath his high nose sat two thin lips with elegant lines yet a cold edge, while his jawline was firm and distinct. His entire being exuded a valiant, imposing air that commanded awe without anger.

For Second Senior Brother to describe him like that... was simply worlds apart from Eldest Senior Brother's usual hard, cold image.

Chu Shihan's steps paused for half a beat, so subtly it was nearly imperceptible, and his sharp gaze swept across the crowd.

At once, the disciples shrank their necks like startled quails and pretended to focus on their sword practice. Their swords cut through the air with particular vigor, whistling loudly as they tried to conceal their shock at what they had just heard. Yet the occasional furtive glances still betrayed the stormy seas raging in their hearts.

Though everyone found Second Senior Brother's wording absurd, there was no substantial issue apart from the wording itself. More astonishing still, even while Shen Yuxi thought such things, his face remained as calm as drifting clouds and gentle winds. With that aloof, self-contained appearance, anyone unaware of the truth might really think his heart was still water, unmoved as a mountain.

But that clearly wasn't what was going on at all!

Left with no other choice, everyone could only suppress their inner complaints and focus on their morning practice.

In an instant, sword shadows flashed across the Sword Trial Platform as the wind whistled. Yet those seemingly focused gazes still quietly drifted between Shen Yuxi and Chu Shihan during the gaps between changing sword forms.

Shen Yuxi was truly curious about what Chu Shihan had come to the Sword Trial Platform to do, but he also knew that if he kept staring at Eldest Senior Brother, what would become of his aloof senior brother persona?

So he hurriedly withdrew his gaze, forcibly suppressing his curiosity and pretending nothing had happened as he continued with his morning practice.

He swiftly adjusted his mindset, his longsword dancing through the air. His movements were agile, his sword forms fierce and smooth, as though everything that had just happened had merely been everyone's illusion.

Seeing that Second Senior Brother could be crazily preoccupied with Eldest Senior Brother's sudden arrival inwardly, while outwardly pretending not to care at all—even keeping his sword forms perfectly steady—Lin Mumu could not help but admire him deeply.

After her admiration came eagerness. She too wanted to learn Second Senior Brother's ability to split his attention, as well as his peerless expression management.

At once, she formed a hand seal and set up an array. As her incantation unfolded, several small swords rang out with a clang, rising into the air in perfect unison. In an instant, they transformed into a silver sword net that enveloped her entire body.

Lin Mumu still knew her own limits. At first, she only dared deploy a small number of flying swords, trying to imitate Second Senior Brother by dividing her attention between two tasks.

But ideals were plump while reality was bony. It looked easy at first glance, yet once she truly put it into practice, she discovered that difficulties lay everywhere.

Her thoughts always slipped out of control, easily dragged toward one side and causing her to neglect the other. As a result, her control over the sword array visibly declined. The sword net that had once moved freely, expanding and retracting at her will, became chaotic and disordered like scattered soldiers without a commander.

The moment everyone saw Lin Mumu deploy her sword array, they did as they always did and hurriedly moved away, afraid that one careless moment would get them swept into that frighteningly powerful formation.

Chu Shihan, however, had no intention of indulging her. Calm-faced and steady of step, he walked straight to Lin Mumu's side.

The sword in his hand had not even left its sheath. He merely tapped the ground lightly with the scabbard. Beneath that seemingly casual motion, a ripple of Sword Qi spread outward, incomparably precise as it forced several flying swords that had strayed off course back into the area within three zhang of her.

Chu Shihan had clearly come specifically to act as Lin Mumu's sparring partner. Whenever one of her small swords flew beyond the marked boundary, he immediately lifted a hand and knocked it back with precisely the right amount of force.

It was equivalent to drawing a strict boundary around Lin Mumu's sword array, preventing her from unleashing it as freely as she pleased.

How could Lin Mumu tolerate such "restrictions"? It was not as if she had no sense of proportion. She had held back with every strike, and the number of flying swords had always remained within the range she could control perfectly.

Chu Shihan's actions instantly provoked her rebellious streak.

At once, she forgot all about practicing divided attention. A surge of defiance rose in her heart, and she fiercely formed another seal, deliberately controlling the sword array to spread even more violently as the number of flying swords doubled.

In an instant, over a hundred flying swords transformed into a silver whirlwind, spinning madly around her with piercing shrieks. Restlessly, they expanded beyond the ring of swords, attempting to break through that invisible restraint.

Chu Shihan's movements remained unhurried, but each time he raised a hand, he sent out an exceptionally solid strand of Sword Qi, intercepting several waves of flying swords at once. His actions looked simple, yet contained profound skill. Every strand of Sword Qi seemed meticulously calculated, blocking the flying swords' paths with perfect timing.

Amid the chaos, three willow-leaf swords silently broke through the sword array from an extremely tricky angle. Like three nimble silver snakes, they shot toward Chu Shihan's face at tremendous speed and with fierce momentum.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

At almost the same moment, Chu Shihan's bonded sword, One-Inch Heart, had already left its sheath by three inches, its cold gleam flashing.

His longsword shifted slightly, and its guard precisely caught the incoming flying swords. Then Chu Shihan lightly turned his wrist, his movement flowing like drifting clouds and running water, without the slightest hesitation, and knocked all those unruly little swords back into the sword array.

Lin Mumu's eyes widened, her competitive spirit utterly ignited.

The hand seals beneath her fingers changed rapidly. Her sword array became a torrential downpour one moment, drifting fireflies the next. Yet no matter how she altered it, the formation could never escape the invisible wall of Qi Chu Shihan built with his waving Sword Qi.

Every flying sword that tried to leave that tiny patch of ground was knocked back by Chu Shihan without exception. Though Lin Mumu was filled with defiance, she had no choice but to admit that Eldest Senior Brother's strength truly ran unfathomably deep. Before him, she simply could not gain the slightest advantage.

So cool! Shen Yuxi had sheathed his sword at some unknown point and was now watching Chu Shihan and Lin Mumu's sword sparring with complete concentration. His voice brimmed with amazement and admiration, and he was so engrossed that he forgot to breathe.

This control over Sword Qi is downright divine—it's even more precise than my ruler-and-compass constructions! Look at that effortless expression! Look at that air of lifting heavy weights as though they were light!

The more Shen Yuxi watched, the more excited he became, the admiration in his heart flooding forth like waters bursting through a broken dam.

Sixth Junior Sister's sword array may be flexible and ever-changing, but compared to this, it really does look a little flashy and gaudy. Eldest Senior Brother just waves his hand and blocks it all back. This gap... is this the difference between geniuses and ordinary people?

Lin Mumu's hand trembled, and her sword array nearly lost control. She abruptly raised her head and glared at Shen Yuxi, only to find him still wearing a cold, indifferent expression. That made her even more dissatisfied.

Say that again?

Chu Shihan's sword tip also paused for an instant, so subtly it was nearly imperceptible, and the tips of his ears quietly reddened.

Wait, did Eldest Senior Brother just blank out for a moment? Shen Yuxi sharply caught that detail, ecstasy exploding within him. Eldest Senior Brother has always had that airheaded trait, but it can actually trigger in battle too? Help, that's way too cute!

Lin Mumu's shoulders shook wildly, and she nearly could not keep her sword array stable.

Because she had her back to Shen Yuxi, he failed to see his junior sister holding back laughter. Chu Shihan, however, saw it with perfect clarity. Those eyes of hers, clearly enjoying the spectacle, made him so embarrassed that his entire body stiffened. In a fit of embarrassed anger, he raised his hand and unleashed several strands of Sword Qi, sending the flying swords crashing to the ground and pinning them firmly into the bluestone slabs.

Cool as hell! Shen Yuxi kept praising him inwardly, his thoughts wholly immersed in his admiration for Chu Shihan. He completely failed to notice that his heart voice had echoed across the entire Sword Trial Platform—

Eldest Senior Brother! I'm your dog!

Lin Mumu fell silent. Chu Shihan froze. The disciples who had been admiring the sword duel were stunned.

The entire Sword Trial Platform fell into an eerie silence. Though the clashing of weapons continued, it somehow felt as though the sound of birds beating their wings had abruptly become especially clear, as if even the mountain wind had stalled for an instant.

Every disciple's face flushed red. Some bit down hard on their lower lips, some pretended to cough and turned away, while others simply covered their entire faces with their sword manuals.

Even Chu Shihan's hand holding the sword stiffened unconsciously in midair. In those eyes that were usually calm and unruffled, a rare flicker of helplessness flashed.

With a crack, in the instant that Chu Shihan froze, his sword tip unconsciously veered half an inch. A willow-leaf sword that had slipped through the net seized the opening and grazed the web between his thumb and forefinger like a streak of silver lightning. Beads of blood instantly sprayed out, scattering across One-Inch Heart's snow-bright blade.

The entire place fell deathly silent.

Lin Mumu's sword fingers, which controlled the flying swords, froze stiffly in the air. For a moment, she could neither attack nor withdraw, as though she had been fixed in place.

Chu Shihan was the first to break the suffocating silence.

He drew a deep breath and worked hard to steady himself, then slowly circulated his spiritual energy to stop the bleeding from the web of his hand. When he slowly raised his head, a trace of awkwardness flashed through his eyes, as though a corner of his usual composure and authority had cracked apart.

He gave a soft cough and tried to make his voice sound calm. "Continue."

"N-no, Senior Brother, I was wrong!" Lin Mumu finally snapped awake, hurriedly beginning to retrieve her swords. In her panic, she nearly injured herself with one of her own flying swords. "I'll never mess around on Spirit Sword Peak again! Please don't be angry, Senior Brother!"

At that moment, none of the stubborn competitiveness she had displayed while sparring with Chu Shihan remained. She had entirely become a child who had made a mistake and desperately wanted forgiveness.

Shen Yuxi's heart-voice declaration had been far too shocking, temporarily sealing away Lin Mumu's desire to improve. Her mind was entirely occupied by this sudden embarrassing incident, and all she wanted was to wholeheartedly watch the drama and see what happened next.

She hurriedly steadied her mind and glanced from the corner of her eye at the utterly unaware Second Senior Brother. He still maintained that frost-cold, aloof posture—who could have imagined that such... passionate words were churning in his heart?

Chu Shihan was the exact opposite. His junior brother's shocking heart-voice declaration had left him completely at a loss, his heart scrambling like an ant on a hot pan. To conceal that panic, he only wanted to find something to occupy himself with, so he latched onto his junior sister and refused to let her leave so easily.

Shen Yuxi stood at the edge of the Sword Trial Platform with his sword in his arms, watching the strange interaction between Chu Shihan and Lin Mumu with a slight frown.

What's going on with these two? They were fighting with such gusto just now, so why did they suddenly start pushing Tai Chi?

Unable to make heads or tails of it, he swept his gaze back and forth between them, trying to find a clue.

Sixth Junior Sister actually managed to hurt Eldest Senior Brother? That shouldn't be possible. Her sword array clearly hadn't fully unfolded yet, and Eldest Senior Brother didn't seem to be holding back either... He rubbed his chin as he pondered. Sure enough, you still can't get distracted in battle.

At that thought, he suddenly paused, and Chu Shihan's momentary blank expression surfaced in his mind—

Mm—though Eldest Senior Brother's dazed look was cute too. Contrasts are the cutest... No, no, I'm getting off topic!

He abruptly came back to himself and condemned himself in his heart with anguish. Don't have an airheaded episode at such a weird time, Eldest Senior Brother! It's dangerous, okay?!

And whose fault is that?! The people present bit their lips so hard as they trembled from holding back laughter that several even pinched their own thighs, afraid they might laugh aloud. Second Senior Brother, wake up! That's Eldest Senior Brother! Eldest Senior Brother, who can tear demon beasts apart with his bare hands! How can you use a word like "cute" to describe him? Is that right?!

Meanwhile, Lin Mumu and Chu Shihan's tug-of-war finally came to an end.

Lin Mumu truly could not withstand Eldest Senior Brother's nearly tangible pressure. She greased the soles of her feet and turned to run, even forgetting to retrieve the flying swords stuck in the ground.

Chu Shihan was not doing much better. He turned around expressionlessly, his steps thirty percent faster than usual, his back stiff as though he had been struck by lightning.

Shen Yuxi: "...?"

They're leaving just like that? He stared blankly at their retreating figures as they fled in disarray, unable to understand it no matter how he thought. Why are both of them acting so strange today?

After pondering for a moment, he suddenly understood—

Got it. Eldest Senior Brother came specifically for Sixth Junior Sister. The moment he reached that conclusion, his feelings became complicated. You two don't even have a CP storyline, yet you're developing such intimacy in a male-female best-friend direction. Isn't that awfully presumptuous toward our main CP, who have barely interacted so far?

Thinking of that, he could not help sighing again. Now it's me that Little Junior Sister has her eyes on, and Sixth Junior Sister is going after the grass by her own doorstep with me too. Did I get the script of cannon fodder rising against fate?

Ai, what a person burdened with sins I am— Shen Yuxi lamented.

The disciples still practicing in the same spot heard Shen Yuxi's utterly unrestrained heart voice, and every one of them widened their eyes in amazement. Second Senior Brother, you really don't treat us like outsiders. Is this something we're allowed to hear?!

Bonus Scene:

Chu Shihan: Second Junior Brother was the one who confessed, so why was I the one dying of embarrassment... I did good deeds and accumulated virtue today, yet I never imagined I would end up like this. I really want to die...