Chapter 68
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Chapter 68: Title
"Let me introduce Young Master Yu, a guest advisor from Liuyun Pavilion passing through Canghai who’s come to assist," Jiang Feng explained to Xia Shi’s group. When he turned to introduce them to Young Master Yu, the man raised a hand to stop him.
"Unnecessary. Knowing Xia Wuwei suffices." Young Master Yu rose slowly, his gaze icy as it swept past the others without lingering.
"Night falls. I take my leave."
The man’s figure blurred, vanishing from the hall without acknowledging Canghai’s new Leader—a display of utter disregard. Strangely, Jiang Feng showed no anger, his demeanor almost deferential.
Xia Shi forced down her turbulent emotions. The shock of seeing Lu Qingyu faded like morning mist, her eyes settling into calm pools.
"You’ve traveled far and must be weary. Rest tonight—we’ll discuss the forbidden area tomorrow." Jiang Feng yawned, slinging an arm around a nearby beauty as he staggered toward inner chambers. "Attendants! Escort our guests to Linfeng Courtyard."
Jin Ming entered with frosty bearing to lead them away.
Linfeng Courtyard stood opposite Four Seasons Hall, its cherry blossom grove famed across Canghai. Pink-white trees thrived under the East Sea’s spiritual power, petals never fading. Moonlight draped the scene in hazy silver, weaving dreamlike illusions.
"Beautiful," Suiyin breathed, transfixed by the grove. Beneath the trees, phantom figures seemed to dance with swords—elegant arcs cutting through wine-hazed memories.
The sword moves struck familiarity. Suiyin’s breath caught.
That was Xia Shi.
Not the restrained woman beside her, but the vibrant warrior from Four Hundred Years past, untroubled by shadows.
"Did you… dance here?" Suiyin turned, moonlight catching her tentative smile.
Xia Shi stiffened. The question unearthed buried memories—a conference with her Master, celebratory wine, stolen moments twirling blades among blossoms.
Jin Ming’s voice shattered the reverie. "Young Master Yu’s quarters." He pointed to distant buildings. "Your rooms lie yonder. Keep silent."
He herded them to the farthest wing. "Bedding arrives shortly." With that, he departed like smoke on wind.
"Such devotion!" Lu Ciyou scoffed, arm slung over A Li’s shoulders. "One might think him Young Master Yu’s personal guard."
"Perhaps he is," Suiyin mused.
Xia Shi surveyed the courtyard. "Pair up."
"Perfect!" Lu Ciyou tugged A Li close. "We’ll share."
Suiyin glanced at Xia Shi. The swordswoman remained silent, leaving Suiyin to smile softly.
"Then… Xia Shi stays with me."
“Good.”
They had spoken simultaneously, and Suiyin’s next words lodged in her throat.
Eh?
She stared at Xia Shi in surprise. The other woman met her gaze, eyelids half-lowered. “What’s wrong? Don’t you want this?”
“She does!” Lu Ciyou shoved Suiyin forward, sending her stumbling into Xia Shi’s arms before steering her own companion into a nearby room. “We’ll take this one. You two sort yourselves out.”
Suiyin barely caught her balance, narrowly avoiding trampling Xia Shi’s pristine white boots. When she glanced back, the young lady was winking at her.
Xia Shi’s hands steadied her shoulders, withdrawing the instant Suiyin straightened.
“Inside.”
The command came softly as Xia Shi moved past her toward the adjacent room. Suiyin pressed a palm to her chest, feeling her frantic heartbeat thrumming beneath bone and flesh.
This wasn’t normal.
Unbidden warmth flooded her whenever Xia Shi lingered nearby. Even now, standing daily at the woman’s side left her craving more. She remained frozen until realization struck – this tangled mess had a name.
“Coming?”
Xia Shi’s voice snapped her back. The door stood slightly ajar. Suiyin slipped through, palms damp against the wood. Why did being alone with Xia Shi knot her stomach so?
She hovered near the threshold, studying floorboards as though rare blossoms might sprout between them.
“There’s another room.” Xia Shi lit the candle, flame-light carving shadows beneath her lashes. The golden glow did nothing to soften her ice-edged beauty.
“No.” Suiyin edged closer, perching on the bed’s edge. “I’m staying.”
A noncommittal hum answered her. Xia Shi pushed open the window, revealing moonlit cherry blossoms painting the night in pale pinks.
“How did you know about my sword dance here?”
Suiyin frowned. “I saw it.”
“Saw it?” Xia Shi’s gaze sharpened. “You’ve been to Canghai?”
“No.” Her earliest memories held only Aunt Yan’s face in that timeless void, later Hongling’s brash laughter. Canghai’s shores had never touched her feet.
Xia Shi’s lips tightened. Impossible indeed – this girl shared Lu Ciyou’s youthful bloom, while her own footsteps had last graced Canghai’s soil four hundred years past.
“I just saw it.” Suiyin raised three fingers, fearing disbelief. “I’m not lying. It was moments ago—ten steps left from the entrance of the cherry blossom grove.”
Even the location was precise.
But only she should’ve known these details. How did Suiyin…?
Wait.
Another had been present that night—
Xia Shi’s memory stirred. A cheerful voice echoed through her mind:
“Why’ve you never shown this sword move? It’s beautiful when you perform it.”
“Are you drunk? Stop using me to slash blossoms!”
“Careful! You’ll hit the tree!”
“Xia Wuwei! You’re doing this deliberately!”
Her sword spirit.
Now she remembered—that drunken sword dance beneath the cherry tree had begun as a tease. She’d deliberately aimed her blade at the trunk, provoking the sword spirit until it nearly materialized to scold her.
A smile softened Xia Shi’s eyes, lifting their habitual gloom.
Suiyin recognized this smile wasn’t meant for her.
Though irritation and envy prickled her heart, the girl swallowed her questions. Let Xia Shi have this rare moment of joy.
She stared at her own fidgeting fingers.
Xia Shi emerged from reminiscence, studying Suiyin intently. A wild suspicion took root—too improbable, yet…
“Who taught you Late Winter Snow and Everything Awaits Spring?”
Previously, she’d assumed Suiyin learned from Shadow Stones—those popular recordings of her Immortal Sect Conference victory. Few could master those sword techniques, but Suiyin’s prodigious talent made it plausible. Xia Shi had merely corrected her forms, fulfilling a teacher’s duty.
Now she needed certainty.
“A shadow dwells in my consciousness sea,” Suiyin grasped Xia Shi’s hand. “She demonstrates sword moves. I copied her, never knowing their names.”
“Show me.”
Xia Shi closed her eyes, sending a wisp of consciousness into the girl’s mind. Last time, she’d seen hovering swords—proof of Suiyin’s innate sword cultivator gifts. Now an immense tree dominated the cloudy expanse, jade-like branches bearing crimson leaves of condensed spiritual power.
The energy flowed unnaturally—leaves nourishing the trunk instead of vice versa. Below stood a familiar figure.
The silhouette bowed, Long Sword raised. Cloudsea trembled as the blade moved—
Late Winter Snow.
The vision rattled Xia Shi’s fragmented consciousness. Before disorientation could take hold, crimson energy surged, cocooning her awareness protectively.
As their consciousnesses brushed against each other, both the red and white masses trembled. Uncontrollable gasps echoed through their connection, the tingling sensation flooding their beings with overwhelming pleasure.
Xia Shi forced herself to crawl out from the crimson consciousness, fleeing Suiyin’s consciousness sea like escaping fire. When her awareness returned to her body, faint tremors still shook her frame. Thankfully she’d only projected part of her consciousness – after exhaling a shaky breath, her physical form gradually steadied. She glared at Suiyin through narrowed eyes, finding the woman’s cheeks flushed scarlet with unmistakable desire burning in her gaze.
Having immersed her full consciousness in the shared space, Suiyin remained dazed from Xia Shi’s abrupt withdrawal.
Xia Shi: "…"
She was preparing to cast calming spells when sudden movement erupted outside.
A dark shadow streaked through the cherry blossom grove, vanishing in an instant.
Xia Shi’s expression darkened. Snatching up Heartless Sword, she left a charcoal-scrawled note: "Disturbance in woods. Don’t follow." Before pursuing, she sealed both rooms with protective barriers.
Tracking the shadow’s residual energy, she reached a cold pond’s edge. Concealing herself with the golden seal’s power, she crept closer. Though the figure’s back faced her, she recognized Lu Qingyu’s voice – the same "Young Master Yu" from earlier. His companion wore black robes revealing only pale, frail hands.
Their paranoia showed through the sound barrier surrounding them. Just as shifting clouds let moonlight illuminate the black-robed woman’s position, revealing a pointed chin and bloodless lips, Xia Shi leaned closer-
Cold hands suddenly clamped over her mouth, yanking her backward into the frigid water.
