It was too cold and snowy outside so Shen Zhixian turned slightly sideways to point inside the rooms. “Let’s go inside?”
Yan Jin shook his head and said, “Disciple just wanted to ask Master something. Teacher Shao from the third peak wants to hold a small sword comprehension exchange, and he invited this disciple to go to the third peak to participate…”
“A small sword comprehension exchange?” Shen Zhixian muttered to himself. This was a small meeting wherein the disciples under the elders of the main peaks gathered together to discuss swords techniques and exchange sword experience. This practice of exchanging and learning from each other could improve progress and comprehension.
In the past few years, Shen Zhixian had watched the youth grow up little by little, and he realized that the young man was becoming more reticent day by day. He was very annoyed, afraid that he was raising a person perfect for blackening. At present, it was already very rare for Yan Jin to even want to participate in these group activities. Therefore, he readily agreed to allow Yan Jin to participate.
“Will Yan Shen also be present?”
Yan Jin nodded.
Shen Zhixian urged, “Stay away from him.”
In the past years, he’d deliberately given Yan Shen the cold shoulder. However, Yan Shen was still unscrupulous in his heart and continued to backhandedly encourage and brainwash people into giving Yan Jin a hard time. Despite Shen Zhixian’s overt and covert warnings, these incidents had not dissipated but had instead intensified.
Sooner or later, he would find evidence that would allow him to directly punish Yan Shen.
Yan Jin murmured an assent.
Shen Zhixian knew his character well and knew that he was a man of few words. As a result, he merely waved his hand to allow Yan Jin to leave.
As Yan Jin was about to leave, Shen Zhixian suddenly remembered something. “I’ve asked Third Elder to set up an array for me. On your way back, you can bring him with you.”
Third Elder was an expert in array formations. Recently, Shen Zhixian had begged him to set up a warmth array to help with the cold chill of heavy winter. Even if he wasn’t afraid of the cold, he still didn’t like breathing in the cold air when he sleeps!
After Yan Jin left, Shen Zhixian found that his sleepiness had disappeared. After pondering for a moment, he briskly walked toward the back of the mountain, saying to himself, “Might as well take the little grass bud and go soak in the hot springs. I’ll bring a plate of fruit and a jug of wine.”
The former sect leader was truly very good to the original Shen Zhixian. Not only did his peak have the most aura, the terrain was easy to defend and difficult to attack. There was also a hot spring in the back mountain. The hot spring was full of aura, such that one could feel it on approach.
Shen Zhixian fell in love with this hot spring as soon as he discovered it and would often come to soak in it every few days.
The jade pot grew warm as it floated along the surface of the hot spring, and the jade plate was ladened with various fruits cut into small pieces. The sweet fruity aroma and the scent of clear wine blended together, creating a pleasant, decadent fragrance.
Xiao Caoya plunged into the bottom of the spring before surfacing and shaking its small leaves, scattering water drops on Shen Zhixian’s face.
Shen Zhixian poured a handful of water over it and drowned it all over again.
It took awhile for them to stop playing around. Finally, Xiao Caoya lazily spread itself on the shore, basking in the sun. Shen Zhixian leaned against the water’s edge as he sat on a stone ledge with his eyes closed, thinking.
In the blink of an eye, three years had already passed and the plot was changing every day.
In the book, as early as three years ago, Yan Jin’s spirit root was severed by the original Shen Zhixian and expelled from Qingyun Sect. It didn’t take long for him to become a devil cultivator. Once he got strong, he returned to kill everyone who had hurt him in the past.
His former master received the worst death.
However, since Shen Zhixian’s transmigration, he’d taken pains to change the plot. At this moment, Yan Jin was still alive and well, and he’d been raised delicately and tenderly. He’d also not been expelled. Thinking about this, Shen Zhixian naturally felt a sense of achievement.
He just wasn’t sure when this little hedgehog will completely put down his grudge.
Shen Zhixian raised his hand up to massage his eyebrows as he mulled over another matter.
For some reason, he just couldn’t fully integrate the original Shen Zhixian’s memory. Usually, he could access normal information without much trouble. But, whenever he carefully wanted to investigate certain things, he found that there would be huge gaps in the memory.
One of these gaps was the death of the former sect leader.
He’d always felt that the death of the former sect leader was not as simple as it appeared on the surface. Everything was normal before his retreat, and a promotion was a sure thing.
But, he suddenly died.
Before the former sect leader stepped down…or rather, before the former sect leader’s death, Song Ming was the last person to see him.
Song Ming was the only one who knew what had happened in the short quarter hour after their meeting.
Shen Zhixian took a deep breath, rubbed his eyebrows again, and had an epiphany—Wait! The sword spirit!
His frost sword spirit had been sleeping for many years so he hadn’t considered this option. A superior sword who’d been with a master for a long time would give birth to the sword spirit, which would assist with cultivation and remain forever at its master’s side.
The former sect leader’s sword had a sword spirit, which had been with him for hundreds of years. As long as Shen Zhixian find the former sect leader’s sword and allow the sword spirit to replay the scene of his death, he would finally discover the truth.
As soon as Shen Zhixian smiled, he immediately froze. Wait. He remembered now that he’d personally destroyed the former sect leader’s sword when he cultivated incorrectly and had a qi deviation.
The sword was gone so the sword spirit would naturally have also dissipated.
Shen Zhixian’s mind turned at great speed. In addition to the former sect leader’s sword, there was still Song Ming’s sword spirit.
A sword spirit will only reproduce the true past events and would not lie!
He took a deep breath. After so many years of cultivating and practicing, Yan Jin had gradually became stronger and now had a better chance of protecting himself. Now, Shen Zhixian had more time to ponder these mysteries around him.
After taking a last drink and putting the pot on the shore, Shen Zhixian moved to stand up but suddenly felt a familiar dizziness swept over him. In these years, the dizziness that appeared many times and became the known precursor to a heart attack.
But, it’d never been this serious!
The heart pounded as if it would jump right out of Shen Zhixian’s chest. It felt too intense and a burst of pain detonated, turning the rapid heartbeat into a full-fledged heart attack!
Shen Zhixian’s face turned pale, his vision darkening so much that he could hardly see. He wanted to climb ashore, but the water’s resistance was too high and his hands and feet were too weak. He swept the jug of wine on the water’s edge into the spring, but it was not use.
Gritting his teeth against his own convulsions, Shen Zhixian tried to climb out of the hot spring, breathing heavily, his pain so intense that it was almost choking him.
Xiao Caoya noticed that something wasn’t right and anxiously came over to investigate.
But, Shen Zhixian hadn’t the time to mind him. His consciousness gradually slipped into a state of drowsiness. Immediately, he lost his stability and his body slipped into the water. He barely had time to struggle before passing out.
Xiao Caoya was startled and quickly jumped into the water, wanting to fish him out.
However, the water’s resistance was still too strong and the grass bud was still too small. After several attempts, it couldn’t do anything to help. It could only make two short chirps before it broke the water’s surface and hurriedly flew toward the third peak.
At the third peak, the disciples gathered together in a familiar way as they sat down casually and greeted each other.
Arguments arose from time to time, and some disciples even drew swords on the spot to discuss with others and to verify truth from falsehood.
“Senior Brother Yan.”
The two people facing each other within the open space attracted everyone’s attention. Yan Shen, whom Shen Zhixian had told Yan Jin to stay away from, took the initiative to quietly come stand in front of him and casually said, “I haven’t congratulated Senior Brother yet on your retreat. I didn’t know…”
Yan Jin glanced at him indifferently. There was no emotion in that glance, making Yan Shen felt quite peeved.
But, he quickly returned to his senses and, acting as if he couldn’t feel Yan Jin’s indifference, said in a kind voice, “How has Master been lately? Master hasn’t called for me in a long time.”
Although Shen Zhixian didn’t sever his relationship with Yan Shen, he was very estranged from him. He would avoid his greetings, hardly summoned him, and would only occasionally nodded to him.
Yan Shen wasn’t even as good as those two young disciples who ran up and down the mountains all day.
In the past, the Supreme Master valued him the most. How did things change so suddenly? It must be that Yan Jin said something about him that should not be said, which made Master angry.
Yan Shen plastered a smile on his face to hide his gritted teeth and thought about the many times he’d had to respectfully greet Yan Jin. In these three years, he’d tried to create stumbling blocks for Yan Jin but failed every time. Instead, he’d lost the respect of his master, and his status only slid lower and lower among the many disciples.
This huge drop in status and respect turned his character even more distorted.
As a child, Yan Jin had suffered many hardships, and so he was very sensitive to Yan Shen’s superficial shell of goodwill that hid his malicious intent. Instead of engaging, he merely looked down at his sword with an expressionless face and turned a deaf ear to Yan Shen’s words.
When Yan Shen couldn’t get a response, he gritted his teeth, tightly grasped his sword, strode to the empty space everyone had deliberately vacated, and cupped his hands toward Yan Jin.”Senior Brother, please enlighten me.”
Yan Jin looked at him indifferently and remained seated, not saying a single word.
During the stalemate, the discussion around them gradually faded, and the atmosphere turned awkward. The smile on Yan Shen’s face was somewhat forced, and his voice sounded aggrieved when he said, “Does Senior Brother look down on me and that is why he won’t exchange pointers with me?”
To be honest, yes.
Yan Jin already had a gifted spirit root. In the past years, Shen Zhixian had been feeding him well and elevating him with top-notch cultivation techniques. As a result, his spirit root was tempered to the extreme. Not only that, he was also able to learn Shen Zhixian’s improved sword techniques. These factors, combined with his protagonist halo, had resulted in him far surpassing the other disciples in swordplay.
There were even rumors within the sect that Yan Jin would become the second Shen Zhixian, who was the best sword cultivator of his time. This, of course, referred to the young Shen Zhixian, before he had his heart injury and became a veritable waste.
People could only sigh with envy.
Senior Brother Shao looked on as Yan Jin silently stood and entered the encirclement with his sword. As he drank a cup of tea, he pressed down a little sigh from the bottom of his heart and began to watch the battle.
Without a doubt, Yan Shen would never be able to defeat Yan Jin. Although Yan Shen cultivated well in the early stages, his growth eventually rapidly declined due to his unstable mind. He would often come to Third Peak to request a lot of elixirs to aide his floundering cultivation.
Yan Shen drew his sword, the motion at once urgent and hurried and ruthless. This was not learning; this was more like fighting. Though, clearly, it was just a joke in Yan Jin’s eyes.
However, Yan Jin did not deliberately play with him, nor did he ruthlessly oppress him. He was always very low-key.
Yan Jin’s attack had more offensive moves than defensive. His methodical sword moves forced Yan Shen to retreat again and again. Until, at last, Yan Shen began to cut a sorry figure. Finally, he made the one sword move that he’d taken pains to memorize by heart.
Dark Clouds Covering the Moon.
Yan Shen’s sword qi swirled as his spiritual force blended into it, turning the energy into a thick cloud of fog that quickly enveloped the two men. This move was not very lethal. Its main purpose was to obstruct Yan Jin’s sight so that he won’t be able to see Yan Shen’s next move.
Yan Jin didn’t want to bother with him anymore. His blade emitted a clear, ringing sound as his sword ray broke through the fog. Just as he was about to end this boring fight, the corner of his eyes suddenly caught a flash of green.
Shen Zhixian’s little grass bud?
How could this little guy be here?
Xiao Caoya had always been very low-key, probably because Shen Zhixian had repeatedly warned it to never allow other people to see it. Why would it suddenly appear here now?
Because he was slightly distracted, Yan Jin didn’t notice that, hidden within the fog, Yan Shen’s arm had gently trembled. Immediately, a thin strand of black qi snaked down to the tip of his sword and flew onto Yan Jin’s body.
The distraction lasted only for a brief moment, but it was enough. After Yan Jin returned his attention back to the matter at hand, his sword ray completely scattered the fog and connected at once with Yan Shen’s sword. An ice-cold spiritual force burst out, turning Yan Shen’s wrist numb. His sword fell out of his hand, the tip lodged diagonally into the ground.
Immediately, loud voices rose all around them. The moves Yan Jin had displayed was originally created by Shen Zhixian and were rarely seen by these junior disciples. The moment the battle ended, they scattered into pairs to discuss the moves they’d just witnessed.
Yan Shen’s face was pale, his expression displaying a moment of viciousness at he looked at Yan Jin. Then, his concealed his expression and said, “Thank you, Senior Brother Yan, for your guidance.”
Yan Jin merely looked at him silently, nodded indifferently, and returned to his seat.
After the sword comprehension exchange came to an end, Yan Jin turned his gaze toward Xiao Caoya, who looked to be in a hurry and was frantically waving its grass blades at him. His eyebrows furrowed slightly, and he had no choice but to approach Senior Brother Shao to announce his intention to leave first.
Yan Jin’s quietness and his preference for solitude was famous among the disciples. Senior Brother Shao did not force him, but merely waved his hands and pulled out two small sachets. As he handed them over, he said, “This array was requested by Elder Shen. Please take these to him.”
Yan Jin cupped his hands, thanked Senior Brother Shao, and quietly left.
He deliberately walked the path that lead toward Xiao Caoya’s hidden spot. As expected, the little grass bud immediately rushed over, seeming particularly anxious, and pointed a grass blade in the direction of Shen Zhixian’s peak.
Although Yan Jin couldn’t understand its language, he’d spent four years with the little grass bud after all. He could still understand what this meant. Probably, something had happened to Shen Zhixian.
He followed after Xiao Caoya and hurried all the way behind the mountain, where the hot spring was located.
The water surface had faint steam rising from it, and it looked calm and peaceful. There were no movements to be seen anywhere. Yan Jin was confused so he said in a low voice, “What’s wrong?”
Xiao Caoya loosened its grip on Yan Jin’s sleeve and jumped into the water. It stretched out a small leaf, waving for him to follow, before disappearing underneath the water’s surface.
Yan Jin hesitated for a moment. Finally, he employed a water avoidance spell and slowly walked into the water.
Yan Jin naturally knew about this hot spring. After all, Shen Zhixian liked it so much.
In fact, Shen Zhixian had once even asked him if he wanted to soak in it, saying that doing so would soothe his veins. He’d refused out of precaution.
However, he hadn’t expected that the first time they found themselves in the same pool together would be because of such a situation.
The bottom of the hot spring was peaceful, and a person dressed in white laid there with his eyes closed, as if he was merely slumbering. His long, black hair were scattered under his slender body. His face was pale and bloodless, making the little tear-shaped birthmark at the corner of his eye looked particularly red. The whole person looked like a fragile, white jade carving, exuding a delicate and enchanting beauty.
Due to a cultivator’s instinct, a faint barrier had immediately enclosed around him, blocking the warm water from rushing over his body. But, because he was unconscious for so long, the barrier was too weak to touch.
Xiao Caoya carefully stretched out a small leaf and poked the bubble-like barrier, which silently shattered at once.
The water rushed over in an instant, pouring into Shen Zhixian’s ears and nose. Even though he was unconscious, he probably still felt an unknown pressure assailing his throat and he subconsciously tilted his head slightly, as if trying to dislodge it.
But, he was at the bottom of the hot spring and there was water in all directions. He could not avoid it.
“Chirp!” Xiao Caoya was in a panic. It turned back, anxious urging Yan Jin to save the person.
The bottom of the hot spring was not dark. Yan Jin half-knelt beside Shen Zhixian, gazing at him with a deep, motionless stare. After a long while, he slowly raised his hand.
And, placed it on Shen Zhixian’s fragile and unguarded neck.