Low-Flying Swallow

The sky was clear as if freshly washed, bright yet not dazzling. Beneath the vault of heaven, sunlight was sifted by soft veils of cloud into flecks of gold leaf, scattering lavishly across this tranquil world.

When the wind swept through the mountains, it carried the fragrance of grass and trees. Passing over the surface of the spirit pool, it churned the expanse of emerald water into countless glittering shards of jade.

Shen Yuxi sat quietly by the pool, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the pear blossom pattern on the white jade bead of his sword tassel.

Behind him, the branches of the pear tree trembled lightly in the wind. Snow-white petals rustled down like dancing butterflies. Some scattered over the pool in specks, borne by the ripples as they spun; others clung to his white robes, determined to become a pattern upon his clothes.

Shen Yuxi stared blankly at the carefully woven sword tassel in his hand. Irritably, he gripped its knot. His Adam's apple bobbed, yet he could never release that sigh which had been trapped in his chest for so long.

"Ah... where exactly did things go wrong?"

He truly had no idea what was going on with Eldest Senior Brother.

The Flower-Appreciation Gathering should clearly have been Eldest Senior Brother's moment to stand alone like a single branch above the rest, dazzling everyone. Yet what should have been a perfectly good harem showcase ended with Eldest Senior Brother merely drinking tea and listening to gossip. He had utterly become a passerby, with less screen time than his junior brothers and sisters. That was already absurd enough.

The main plot had even been snatched away by two minor supporting characters from the original work. The trip to the secret realm had become sightseeing tourism, and after the entire