Chapter 215: Another Three Years
Cheng Lingshuang sat cross-legged on her modest wooden bed, the moonlight casting a pale glow over her small frame. Usually, by this hour, she would already be fast asleep, resting her body for the grueling morning routine of sword practice and the silent recitation of the Sword Heart Mantra. Yet, sleep evaded her tonight. She could not fathom why her senior brother, Rovel, had suddenly decided to impart such a heavy lesson upon her. She was merely four years old, with another month remaining until her fifth birthday. Was it truly reasonable to burden a child with such concepts?
She did not understand the concept of self-will that Rovel had spoken of so earnestly. It was a completely foreign idea to her, one she could neither comprehend nor judge. When that fateful time truly arrived, would she actually draw her blade? Against her senior sister, her senior brother, her junior brother, or even her master... Cheng Lingshuang knitted her delicate brows together. Having never experienced the bitter taste of betrayal or the harsh realities of the world, she had no answer to give. Perhaps, one day in the distant future, her own heart would make that choice for her. But for now, the young girl could only silently bury Rovel's words deep within her chest, just as she had done every time before.
Before anyone realized it, the seasons cycled, and another three years slipped through their fingers like fine sand.
Red Kite's physical condition had fully recovered, though the healing process had dragged on far longer than Rovel had initially anticipated. As for Lin Chaoyu, her deeply ingrained inferiority complex remained firmly rooted, showing absolutely no signs of fading. Throughout these three years, even when her internal injuries still ached with every breath, Red Kite would personally descend the mountain to escort her eldest disciple to the South Sea. There, they would pay their respects to Lin Chaoyu's deceased parents, a ritual Red Kite never once forgot. And in these entire three years, the master of Taixu Mountain had only left its peaks a total of three times.
Was the implication not glaringly obvious? There were moments when Rovel genuinely wanted to summon the Xuanyuan Sword, pry open Lin Chaoyu's skull, and examine exactly what was misfiring inside her brain to make her so hopelessly dense.
Meanwhile, Su Mei had blossomed into a striking young beauty. Over the passing years, she matured into a highly dutiful and responsible third senior sister, earning the deep trust and reliance of everyone on the mountain. Her connection with the Xuanyuan Sword had also reached a breakthrough not long ago, transforming the divine metal into a paired set of Yin and Yang blades. One gleamed with an abyssal black, the other shone with a pristine white. She named them Wushuang.
This physical manifestation seemed to signal that, over the course of these three years, Su Mei was steadily aligning with the trajectory of her original destiny. The Sword Intent stage within the Taixu Five Essences was never merely about forcing a resonance with the Xuanyuan Sword. For these disciples, it served as a direct, unfiltered reflection of their true personalities.
Take Lin Chaoyu's weapon, Qingchen Liu, for instance. It measured exactly two feet and four inches long, boasting a blade that was virtually indestructible yet possessed an astonishing degree of flexibility. She kept this soft sword coiled and hidden within her sleeve, pressing the cold metal close to her skin at all times. A yielding, flexible blade perfectly mirrored Lin Chaoyu's temperament. She never dared to interfere with a single decision made by Red Kite.
The character Qing represented her gentle nature, dictating her actions and ensuring she treated everyone on Taixu Mountain with utmost warmth. Chen symbolized her inner perception of herself, a constant reminder that she believed she was as insignificant as a speck of dust in her master's grand vision. Finally, Liu served as a homophone for the concept of staying or retaining, highlighting her tendency to cling desperately to the past. These three distinct traits wove together to form Lin Chaoyu, a woman defined by her own internal contradictions.
Decoding Su Mei's Wushuang swords proved to be a far more straightforward task. The pristine white blade represented her carefully crafted exterior. To the rest of the world, she was a beacon of sunshine, radiating enthusiasm and a cheerful disposition that easily won over the hearts of her peers. The pitch-black blade, however, laid bare the depths of her inner heart.
Rovel had already pieced together the underlying cause of this darkness. Su Mei was one of only two people on the mountain who knew the truth about Red Kite's lingering injuries. The fact that their master had only descended the mountain three times in three years, solely for Lin Chaoyu's sake, painted a vivid picture of the eldest disciple's weight in Red Kite's heart. Lin Chaoyu might have been completely blind to this favoritism, but someone as sharp and observant as Su Mei could never miss it.
During the catastrophic descent of the Honkai beast Huodou, Red Kite had pushed herself to the absolute brink of death, sustaining catastrophic damage just to save Su Mei's life. That single, desperate act of salvation had ignited a roaring inferno of emotion within the young girl. Three years had done nothing to extinguish that fire. Instead, it had only grown heavier, festering in the dark. Yet, she was a master of disguise. She buried these turbulent feelings beneath a flawless smile, hiding every trace of her true self.
These hidden emotions festered into a bitter jealousy directed squarely at Lin Chaoyu, a deep resentment that the eldest sister occupied such an irreplaceable space in their master's life. Tangled within that jealousy was a deep, twisted love for Red Kite herself. This was Su Mei's shadow, a dark side she fiercely protected from the light of day. Had the Xuanyuan Sword not forced her Sword Intent into a physical form, even Rovel might have struggled to see through her perfect facade.
The twin sisters, Jiang Wanxi and Jiang Wanru, had also successfully cultivated their own Sword Intent. Both of their Xuanyuan Swords had taken the shape of elegant, deadly longbows. Jiang Wanxi's bow, named Feng Qingyang, possessed the terrifying ability to completely strip away all sound within its vicinity. Jiang Wanru's weapon, Luo Wuzhuo, was even more disorienting, capable of severing a target's sense of space, leaving them feeling rootless and adrift, with nowhere to fall and no ground to stand upon.
Meanwhile, the young Cheng Lingshuang had already mastered both the Form Essence and Soul Essence. Though she had not yet grasped the elusive Sword Intent, and her Sword Heart remained firmly anchored at the Bright Mirror stage, her progress was anything but stagnant. As the dormant power of the Stigmata within her bloodline awakened, her growth accelerated at a terrifying pace. The physical toll of this power was becoming evident. The few sparse strands of white hair on her head had multiplied, now clearly visible among her dark locks. Over these past three years, Rovel had taken it upon himself to bring her down the mountain more frequently than anyone else, with Su Mei acting as her second most frequent chaperone.
As for the seventh disciple, Ma Yanqing, his days were often spent pouring over the colorful picture books Lin Chaoyu brought back from her travels. Listening to her recount thrilling tales of the martial arts world had planted a seed of yearning deep within his chest. He dreamed of riding a swift horse across the vast lands, living a life of absolute freedom, and settling grudges with a swing of his blade.
Naturally, Lin Chaoyu quickly deflated his grand ambitions, teasingly telling him that he needed to work on his masculinity first. Being of half-Rakshasa descent, Ma Yanqing possessed an incredibly delicate and beautiful appearance, making him almost indistinguishable from a young girl. When he indignantly demanded to know what exactly counted as masculine, Lin Chaoyu simply pointed a finger at Rovel, stating that he should strive to be at least half the man his senior brother was.
This offhand comment resulted in Ma Yanqing pestering Rovel relentlessly, begging the older boy to take him down the mountain to test his sword skills in the real world. Rovel honestly did not mind the idea, but Red Kite immediately vetoed the request.
The primary reason the Jiang sisters and Ma Yanqing had been forbidden from testing their swords all these years was simply that Red Kite deemed their foundational skills inadequate. Having spent the last three years resting and personally overseeing their training, she had a crystal-clear understanding of everyone's limits. Jiang Wanru possessed decent strength and maintained a diligent practice schedule. Jiang Wanxi, on the other hand, was an absolute master at slacking off whenever no one was watching. As for Ma Yanqing, his mind was rarely focused entirely on his swordplay, his attention easily captured by whatever new novelty crossed his path. Because Red Kite insisted that the Jiang sisters must undertake their trials together, one could argue that Jiang Wanxi's laziness was actively holding Jiang Wanru back.
"A beast chaos has erupted on Li Island in the East Sea, and the Northern Wasteland hasn't exactly been peaceful lately either..." Su Mei muttered to herself. She sat perched on a large, mossy rock, casually swinging her legs back and forth. Her gaze drifted toward the distant horizon, her thoughts a tangled web. "Master has gone to the East Sea, and Senior Brother has headed off to the Northern Wasteland..."
Suddenly, a familiar silhouette materialized on the mountain path below. Red Kite was making her ascent, and trailing closely beside her was a young, timid-looking girl who appeared to be around eight years old.
"Is that... another new junior sister?" Su Mei blinked, her eyes widening as a visible wave of excitement washed over her features. Whether this sudden burst of joy was due to the prospect of a new playmate or simply because Red Kite had finally returned home, even she couldn't say for sure.
Red Kite led the young Qin Suyi up the final stretch of the mountain path. The six disciples currently residing on the peak immediately gathered to welcome them back. Qin Suyi shrank back, instinctively hiding behind Red Kite's flowing robes. She peeked out cautiously, her wide eyes observing the six strangers who were to become her fellow disciples.
The eldest senior sister, who carried an air of authority and looked to be roughly the same age as their master, stood holding a rather puzzled-looking child in her arms. Qin Suyi stared at the child out of sheer curiosity, squinting her eyes, but she honestly could not tell if the pretty face belonged to a boy or a girl.
Next to them stood two girls with identical faces. One leaned forward, studying the newcomer with unabashed curiosity, while the other wore a distinct frown. Even from a distance, Qin Suyi could sense that the displeasure wasn't directed at her, but rather at the identical sister beside her, likely the result of a recent scolding over skipped practice.
On the far left, a striking senior sister with vibrant red hair caught her eye. The girl flashed a playful wink, a warm, welcoming smile dancing on her lips.
Finally, standing on the far right was a young girl clutching a golden longsword. Her face was a mask of absolute indifference. Neither Qin Suyi's sudden arrival nor Red Kite's safe return seemed to cause even the slightest ripple in her tranquil emotions.
Red Kite placed a gentle hand on the new girl's shoulder, her voice calm and steady. "From now on, this is your home. And they are your family."
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