Song Xuan had been living a leisurely life lately.
He slacked off at work during the day and contemplated Sword Intent. After work, he drank and chatted with a few friends and listened to songs in the pleasure houses. Life was comfortable.
By the time he returned home, darkness had fallen.
Song Xuan greeted Old Song, said he had already eaten out, and returned to his room.
He had only just sat down at the table and poured himself a cup of tea when Song Qian pushed the door open and entered.
"You didn't knock again!" Song Xuan gave her a displeased look.
Song Qian did not respond. Instead, she stared at him with a complicated expression, only speaking when her gaze finally made him frown.
"Brother, Sister Lu is back!"
"Oh?"
Song Xuan paused with his teacup in hand. "She didn't give you any trouble, did she?"
"There's no bad blood between us. Why would she give me trouble?"
Song Xuan laughed awkwardly. "We had a bit of a misunderstanding before... anyway, what brought her back this time?"
"She joined the Flower Shifting Palace five years ago and became its young palace mistress. She's already a Xiantian Realm expert! She came back to take Qingshuang to the Flower Shifting Palace too."
"Oh, impressive!" Song Xuan remained calm, betraying no change in emotion. "What else did she say?"
"You mean, did Sister Lu have any messages for you?" Song Qian watched him with interest.
"Yes! Did she say anything about me?"
"She asked me to ask you whether the girls in the pleasure houses are prettier, or she is."
Song Xuan considered this for a moment. "Did you tell her I go to pleasure houses to listen to songs?"
"When you and Lu Xiaoliu walked into the Heavenly Fragrance Tower this evening, Sister Lu happened to see you."
Song Xuan sipped his tea and laughed awkwardly. "Quite a coincidence."
"Yes, quite a coincidence!" Song Qian hesitated, then asked tentatively, "Brother, is there something you find difficult to talk about? Those performance-enhancing health supplements you've been tinkering with... are they meant to treat some chronic condition of yours?"
Song Xuan said nothing.
Seeing this, Song Qian felt even more certain of her guess. "There's really nothing wrong with that. You know how Sister Lu feels about you. She won't mind any of that.
"Some misunderstandings can actually be cleared up by talking."
"It's not what you think!"
Song Xuan shook his head, showing no intention of explaining.
His transmigration and the Pure Yang Limitless Child Skill were the foundations on which he built his life in this world. Until he was invincible beneath the heavens, he did not want to tell anyone!
After all, in the Black Robe Guard's line of work, he was bound to make enemies sooner or later.
Powerful as the Pure Yang Limitless Child Skill was, it was still a virginity-based skill, and its weakness was obvious.
If his enemies targeted that weakness and sent a crowd of naked beauties burrowing into his arms, Song Xuan had no idea whether he could restrain himself.
If he lost control even once and broke his cultivation, his path in martial arts would essentially come to an end!
Song Qian looked him up and down several times, then waved her sleeve helplessly. "Forget it. Sort out your own affairs. I'm going to teach our little cousin martial arts!"
"Remember to close the door!" Song Xuan reminded her.
Song Qian stopped at the doorway and turned back, looking speechless. "Brother, sometimes I really don't understand what goes on in your head."
Watching Song Qian leave, Song Xuan set down his teacup. His gaze grew distant as a scene from his youth surfaced before his eyes once more...
"Song Xuan, do you have any dreams?" Sixteen-year-old Lu Qingxue, dressed in a moon-white gown, lifted her snow-white chin slightly and asked with a curious expression.
"Dreams? Slacking off at work and picking up some benefits from the court. Does that count?"
"Isn't that a bit too much like being a salted fish? Can't you aim a little higher?"
"Higher?"
The young Song Xuan ventured, "Three palaces, six courtyards, and seventy-two consorts?"
"I told you to aim higher, not soar above the clouds! Having a dream and dreaming nonsense aren't the same thing!"
"Oh, then I'll lower my expectations. How about becoming a sword immortal?"
"A sword immortal? Are you sure you want to follow the path of the sword?"
"Yes, let's settle on that for now!"
Standing halfway up the mountain, fifteen-year-old Song Xuan set his first goal beyond slacking off at work. "The pinnacle of humanity, an earthly immortal in the mortal world. I want to become a peerless sword immortal!"
"A sword immortal..." A hint of longing appeared on the girl's jade-white face as well. "First, you'll need a good sword!"
The young Song Xuan nodded. "The Emei Sect's Heaven-Reliant Sword, the Flower Shifting Palace's Jade Blood Illuminates the Azure, and the great hero Yan Nantian's Pure Yang Limitless Sword are all good."
"Then which one do you like best?"
"Any of them will do. I'm not picky!"
"All right, I understand!"
Rubbing his brow, Song Xuan pulled himself out of his memories. A suspicion stirred in his heart. Could Lu Qingxue's original reason for joining the Flower Shifting Palace have been to obtain that divine sword, Jade Blood Illuminates the Azure?
Even after three consecutive cups of tea, his heart remained unsettled. Song Xuan opened the window and vaulted out. His figure flashed through the night, leaving several afterimages, and in moments he reached the roof of the tallest restaurant for miles around.
Standing on the roof, he looked down over the Imperial Capital, tranquil and peaceful beneath the moonlight, and his mind calmed along with it.
"You're still the same. Whenever your thoughts are unsettled, you like coming here to look out in every direction."
An airy, ethereal voice suddenly sounded nearby. In the next instant, an afterimage appeared beneath the moonlight like a ghost.
Looking at the woman, whose otherworldly bearing and peerless beauty set her apart, Song Xuan froze briefly before greeting her with a smile.
"It's been a few years. You've gotten even prettier!"
Lu Qingxue snorted. "Back then, I offered to let you sleep with me, and you refused. Regretting it now?"
They had grown up together, and he knew Lu Qingxue's temperament well enough. She had always dared to love and hate without reservation, so her bluntness did not surprise him.
"Not really. I'm not particularly interested in girls who are too young."
"You don't like young girls?"
Lu Qingxue paused, then understanding dawned on her face. She teased, "You like older married women? What, do I have to marry someone else first to win your heart?"
"What nonsense!" Song Xuan glared at her. "Lu Qingxue, is this all you learned after being away for years? Clearly, I didn't recite the Pure Heart and Benevolence Mantra enough back then!"
"You dare bring up the Pure Heart and Benevolence Mantra again!"
The mention of it instantly set Lu Qingxue off. With a metallic ring, the flexible sword wrapped around her waist landed in her hand.
Pointing the sword at Song Xuan, Lu Qingxue asked, stressing every word, "Song, does what you said back then still count?!"
"What did I say?"
"You said to wait ten years for you, and that you'd marry me after those ten years. Does that still count?"
Song Xuan looked at the sword tip inches away from him, then at the breathtakingly beautiful woman whose eyes were already brimming with tears. He slowly nodded.
"Yes!"
"Good!"
Lu Qingxue withdrew her flexible sword, its blade winding nimbly around her waist like a spirit snake. Her voice softened somewhat.
"I came back this time to take Qingshuang to the Flower Shifting Palace. We leave first thing tomorrow morning."
"Five years have already passed. In another five years, I'll be waiting for you to keep your promise!"
With that, she lightly tapped her toes against the roof and drifted away into the night like a willow catkin.
"Young Hero Song, Inviting Moon of the Flower Shifting Palace will be waiting for you to marry me!"
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