Ling Ruxin fell quiet. Her gaze lowered slightly, as if the question had touched something she hadn't voiced in a long time. The sound of falling water filled the space between them, light and unbroken.
Noticing her silence, Lao Xie's eyes shifted. He leaned back a little, his voice calm, not pressing.
"I mean… only if it's alright for you to tell me."
After all, if he had stepped onto a line he shouldn't, forcing it would only sour the air—especially the task's progress. And with her, he had no reason to risk such things.
But before his words could finish, Ling Ruxin lifted her gaze again. Her lips parted, her tone steady though touched with a faint wistfulness.
"Ever since I was young, I admired the sword. Watching those who walked the Sword Dao… it stirred something in me. I thought—someday, I'd follow that path too."
She let out a soft breath, her eyes trailing over the pond's ripples.
"But when I entered the sect, things turned out differently. The talent-evaluation test said otherwise. My aptitude wasn't for the sword. It was for the Dao of Music. Flowing Note Peak took me in, and the rest… followed from there."
Ling Ruxin's gaze softened as she added quietly, "That's where I met Elder Yao. She was the one who took me in as her official disciple after I joined Flowing Note Peak."
Lao Xie's brow lifted, his tone faintly mocking. "That old hag did?"
Her lips curved as a light laugh escaped her, the sound brief but genuine. "You call her that? You must be close to speak of her so casually."
"She gave me many instruments at the beginning," Ling Ruxin went on, her voice steady. "One after another, asking me to try each and see what suited me best. Filter after filter, the choices narrowed until only two were left—the guqin and the guzheng. In the end, I chose the guqin."
Her eyes lingered on the rippling water, her reflection shifting with each wave. "Since then, I've devoted myself to learning the music arts—specifically those meant for the guqin. People often look down on the Dao of Music. They say we cannot fight on the frontline, that our strength is little more than support. But it's not as far behind as they think."
Lao Xie listened in silence, only letting out a quiet hum, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
Ling Ruxin drew a small breath before continuing, her voice quieter now. "I know my talent lies in music. But even so, I've never given up on the sword. From time to time, I still practice, even if it's only for myself. That day in the forest, when you saw me against the demonic wolf… I was only practicing with the sword."
Her fingers brushed lightly against her sleeve, almost unconsciously. "I went so deep into the forest because I didn't want others to see me wielding it."
Lao Xie's gaze lingered on her for a moment, the faintest curve tugging at his lips. "So that's it. A secret swordswoman hiding behind strings and notes."
Ling Ruxin met his eyes, her expression steady, though a faint color touched her cheeks. "It's not like that. I just… didn't want anyone to laugh at me for holding onto something pointless."
"Pointless?" His smirk deepened, his voice low. "If the sword still calls to you after all this time, then it's hardly pointless. Even if the whole sect says otherwise."
She blinked at him, caught off guard by the words. "You… don't think it's foolish?"
Lao Xie tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowing with quiet amusement. "Foolish? No. But dangerous—definitely. Chasing two paths means stepping into storms most can't handle. Still…" His tone lowered, teasing but edged with something sharper. "I wonder. If the sect forbade you outright, would you stop? Or would you keep that blade hidden, no matter the cost?"
The question hung in the air, rippling like the water before them.
Ling Ruxin's lips pressed together, but she didn't look away. After a long pause, her answer came quiet, but steady. "I would keep it."
For the first time, Lao Xie's smirk softened into something subtler, his gaze unreadable. "Then all the more reason not to let it go."
Ling Ruxin hesitated, her fingers brushing over her sleeve again before she spoke. "It's not much… but I can show you what I've been practicing. Though, honestly, it's just some basic slashes strung together." A small laugh escaped her, awkward but genuine, as if she already regretted offering.
Her hand lifted, and with a faint ripple of light, a sword slipped from her storage ring.
Lao Xie's eyes narrowed slightly. A storage ring? He had assumed she didn't have one. She had never used it before, not once.
Ling Ruxin raised the blade, her stance careful but unhurried. Then she moved. The sword cut through the air in a series of flowing arcs—not fierce strikes meant for battle, but something softer, almost resembling a dance.
Lao Xie watched in silence, his gaze sharp. "As she said, just basic slashes… random, even. But something is different."
Her movements were light, fluid in a way that felt unforced. Each swing lacked the destructive edge of true sword intent, yet carried a grace that could not be ignored.
She really does have the potential, he thought, eyes narrowing further. "So why did the evaluation mark her for the Dao of Music rather than the sword?"
Suddenly, a familiar voice stirred in his mind, calm and detached. "Most likely because her talent leans toward more than one Dao." the system said.
Lao Xie's expression remained unmoved, but his thoughts sharpened. More than one Dao?
"Indeed," the system replied. "It is rare, but some are blessed to pursue multiple Daos. The sect likely guided her to the path they thought most stable."
Lao Xie's gaze lingered on Ling Ruxin's flowing figure, her blade tracing arcs of light against the evening air.
After a few moment, the system continue, "It is also not impossible for you, host. The further you walk, the more you will uncover. Perhaps one day, you will learn that even multiple Daos may bend to you."
Lao Xie let out a soundless hum, his eyes unreadable. On the surface, he appeared as nothing more than a man quietly observing a woman's practice.
Lao Xie's eyes followed the line of her movements, thoughtful. Then, as an idea took shape, he rose to his feet.
Ling Ruxin had paused, drawing in a breath as though to steady herself before continuing, when she noticed him stepping closer. Her fingers tightened faintly around the sword hilt—yet before she could speak, his hand reached out, covering hers with a calm certainty.
"Here," he said, his tone even, almost casual. "If you position your hand like this, you'll find the swing comes easier."
The sudden contact caught her off guard. For the briefest moment, instinct urged her to recoil, to respond as she would if any other man dared to touch her. Yet she didn't. The thought never turned into action.
Instead, warmth crept slowly into her face, betraying her in a way her voice did not. She kept her expression steady, but the faint blush along her cheeks gave her away.
Lao Xie's hand remained steady against hers, guiding her grip as though nothing were amiss. "Strange," he murmured lightly, his eyes sliding toward her. "Just now your movements flowed like water, but suddenly your hand's gone stiff. Why is that?"
On the surface, his tone carried nothing but calm observation, but behind his gaze lingered the faintest glimmer of amusement.
Deep down, he had already known what her reaction would be since this had been his intention from the start.