Qin Zhizhi thought back to Xie Yutai stumbling forward and reaching out his hand when Fu Xingyun carried her away.
He had said, “Don’t go.”
He had also said, “You promised.”
Was it truly because of the Mount Sabo Sect affair?
Qin Zhizhi felt a bit uneasy. After Fu Xingyun mentioned that he had recognized her at a single glance, her heart wavered even more. Would Xie Yutai recognize her? Naturally, she was unwilling to let him find out who she was, nor did she want any involvement with him. Still, would he be able to recognize her like Fu Xingyun did?
Hearing Qin Zhizhi’s question, Fu Xingyun fell silent for a brief moment. Then, he sneered, “Him? Right now, he is nothing more than a blind man who can’t see anything. Even if you lent him another pair of eyes, he still wouldn’t recognize you.”
In truth, today was not the first time Fu Xingyun had gone to the Guiyuan Sect to cause trouble.
Ever since he saw that Qin Zhizhi’s soul lamp had not gone out, the first possibility that crossed Fu Xingyun’s mind was that her original body might still have a breath of life left.
He could not, absolutely could not, let Xie Yutai gain the upper hand again.
However, Xie Yutai had chased after Jiang Yuanzhi during the wedding feast. Fu Xingyun had visited Wenjian Peak two or three times but could not enter at all. Since he could not openly fall out with the Guiyuan Sect either, he had no choice but to wait patiently.
Finally, he ran into the returning Xie Yutai today.
When Xie Yutai denied that Qin Zhizhi was dead, Fu Xingyun’s heart skipped a beat. Was it really as he had previously suspected? Fortunately, right after that, he spotted the real Qin Zhizhi standing foolishly nearby.
Since Qin Zhizhi was standing right here whole and intact, it was impossible for her original body to have any breath of life left. Although thinking about this cut Fu Xingyun’s heart like a knife every single time, there was no denying that Qin Zhizhi had indeed died on the day of the Covenant Ceremony.
That fool Xie Yutai was just deceiving himself with some sort of coping mechanism, insisting that her body was not a corpse.
Hehe, now that Fu Xingyun knew the truth, he would absolutely not reveal a single piece of information to Xie Yutai.
In fact, one day, he would definitely snatch Qin Zhizhi’s original body back as well, leaving the other man with absolutely nothing to cling to.
He would make sure they severed their ties completely this time.
His junior sister would never have to suffer such misery again.
Hearing Fu Xingyun’s answer, Qin Zhizhi subconsciously touched her chest.
That was true. Xie Yutai’s eyes were covered now. Even if she let slip a few flaws, he could not see anything and naturally would not be able to recognize her. Or perhaps, just as Fu Xingyun said, even if his eyes could see, he might not recognize her.
After all, Qin Zhizhi did not seem to be that important to Xie Yutai.
How could someone spend energy on a person they did not care about?
At this thought, Qin Zhizhi let out a long sigh of relief and smiled. “Then I was just being overly anxious.”
Fu Xingyun lowered his gaze, his eyes searching her face. “Are you sad?”
Qin Zhizhi looked entirely surprised. “How could I be?”
As soon as she spoke, her eyes darted around. “However, even though he hasn’t recognized me now, it’s best if he never does in the future. I’ll have to ask Senior Brother to help cover for me.”
Only then did Fu Xingyun let out a satisfied huff. “Naturally.”
It was exactly what he wanted.
Although she resolved to have nothing more to do with Xie Yutai, Qin Zhizhi still honestly recounted everything she had experienced at the Mount Sabo Sect to Fu Xingyun.
Sure enough, Fu Xingyun’s brow furrowed deeply the moment he finished listening.
“Every word I said is true. What’s more, Senior Brother knows Xie Yutai’s character,” Qin Zhizhi said. She might resent Xie Yutai for being heartless, taciturn, and devoid of affection, but she absolutely trusted his character.
Xie Yutai was a man of noble character and unyielding integrity; he simply did not like her.
On this point, Fu Xingyun and Qin Zhizhi were in complete agreement.
He simply disliked Xie Yutai, but he also trusted the man’s character.
“It seems the Mount Sabo Sect is about to fall into chaos,” Fu Xingyun mused. “I will discuss this matter with the Sect Master of the Guiyuan Sect. You do not need to worry.”
Having received Fu Xingyun’s assurance, Qin Zhizhi relaxed. Honestly, this whole affair had nothing to do with her anyway, and she was completely innocent in all of this. Now, Xie Yutai wouldn’t have to worry about having no one to speak up for him. Wouldn’t Fu Xingyun taking action be much more effective than her trying to explain things?
Qin Zhizhi tilted her head up, her eyes curling into crescent moons of laughter. “Thank you, Senior Brother.”
Fu Xingyun was quite pleased internally, but he did not let it show on his face at all. He simply gathered his sleeves and said, “No need to kneel anymore. Stand up.”
Hearing this, Qin Zhizhi immediately scrambled up from the futon, patting her knees. Her dark, grape-like eyes were crystal clear as she blinked at Fu Xingyun, her gaze filled with joy and reliance.
Her look made Fu Xingyun feel a bit self-conscious.
He gave a dry cough on purpose, walked behind the portrait of Qin Mingxiu, and retrieved something from the darkness, instantly swinging it toward Qin Zhizhi.
Seeing a flash before her eyes, Qin Zhizhi instinctively raised her hand and caught it firmly.
It was a saber measuring two feet and six inches long. Its scabbard was pitch-black and carved with exquisite floral patterns. The blade was as bright as autumn water, clear and agile, reflecting Qin Zhizhi’s bright and beautiful face under the sunlight.
This was none other than the personal bound weapon of Qin Zhizhi of the Tiantong Sect, the precious saber Guicang.
Back when Qin Mingxiu was still alive, he had obtained two rare pieces of thousand-year-old iron essence and melted them down to forge two precious sabers. One was the Guicang in Qin Zhizhi’s hand, and the other was Fu Xingyun’s bound saber, Lianshan.
Guicang was light, agile, and pure, while Lianshan was heavy, simple, and unadorned.
Fu Xingyun drew Lianshan from his waist. The heavy blade stirred up a gust of air, suddenly sweeping toward Qin Zhizhi’s face and blowing back the stray hairs on her forehead. “Come, duel with me!”
Qin Zhizhi raised her saber to meet Lianshan.
With a loud clang, the blades collided violently, and the saber energy tore through the air.
Qin Zhizhi had not practiced her saber techniques for some time, so her sudden channeling of spiritual energy was rather rusty. Fu Xingyun suppressed his cultivation level to the early stage of Foundation Establishment and patiently traded blows with her to guide her form.
Their sleeves fluttered as they clashed and parted in the blink of an eye, the saber energy stirring up a howling wind. Their movements were as fluid as flowing clouds and as agile as soaring dragons. They fought all the way from the inner chamber to the main hall, knocking over the warm censer that was still burning incense and shattering the teacups and saucers on the table.
A series of clinking and clattering noises echoed through the hall.
Fu Xingyun mocked, “Is this all the skill you have now?”
Qin Zhizhi was already panting a little, but hearing this immediately fired her up. “Then let me show you!”
Gripping the hilt with both hands, she slashed fiercely at Fu Xingyun.
Fu Xingyun had abundant combat experience and had already anticipated her movement. He retreated rapidly, flying out of the main hall.
Qin Zhizhi followed closely behind, executing the move “Way of the Great Dao.” Guicang swung down with immense force toward Fu Xingyun, and the moment the blade struck the ground, a thunderous boom erupted.
In an instant, loose rocks as large as bushels scattered, rolling across the ground in the wild wind.
The once-flat ground was instantly blasted into a crater about three meters deep.
As the dust settled amidst the vast, sandy haze, Qin Zhizhi walked out step by step with her saber in hand. Her hair ribbon fluttered, the wind swept past her temples, and her steps were swift and sharp like a falling star.
Pei Lanzhou and Pei Songzhou, who had been guarding the outside, were left dumbfounded by the sight. Pei Songzhou could not help but nudge his older sister beside him, stammering, “S-She looks like her right? Doesn’t she look a lot like her?”
After a flash of astonishment crossed Pei Lanzhou’s face, she quickly composed herself and shook her head slightly at Pei Songzhou.
Standing at the edge of the crater, Fu Xingyun looked at the approaching Qin Zhizhi. His gaze swept over the Tiantong Sect disciples who had been drawn over by the commotion. He raised his thick brows and called out loudly, “Lanzhou, Songzhou.”
“Master,” the two replied respectfully.
“From today onward, this is your junior sister, Qin Zhizhi.”
Since becoming Fu Xingyun’s disciple, Qin Zhizhi had been demoted in rank. She went from being the junior sister of the Tiantong Sect’s Sect Master to being the junior sister of the Sect Master’s disciples. She was now, in both name and reality, the youngest junior sister of the entire sect.
Upon hearing that Sect Master Fu had taken in an extremely talented disciple, everyone in the sect scrambled to catch a glimpse of her.
Each of them chattered away without stopping: “Junior Sister, oh Junior Sister, let us have a look at you.”
“Junior Sister is so cute! Eat more, look how thin you are. How could the Sect Master mistreat you like this?”
“If there’s anything you don’t understand, Junior Sister, remember to come ask me. I’ll take you on a tour of the sect!”
A few people were also surprised by her appearance when they saw her face, but none of them spoke of it. Instead, they showed even more care for Qin Zhizhi, fearing she might suffer any grievances.
Under this constant barrage of attention, Qin Zhizhi successfully developed social anxiety.
This was simply too terrifying!
Could they please just let her go!
Fortunately, Pei Lanzhou and Pei Songzhou were highly reliable. They stood guard on the left and right sides of her courtyard. If anyone wanted to come in and bother Qin Zhizhi, they would first have to answer to Pei Lanzhou’s blade.
Who was Pei Lanzhou? She was Fu Xingyun’s chief disciple, carefully taught since childhood, inheriting the Sect Master’s skills. When she fought, she either risked her own life or took the lives of others.
While Pei Songzhou could not beat Pei Lanzhou in a fight, he had his own ways. When it came to being talkative, no one in the Tiantong Sect could match him. He could literally nag a person until they lost all will to live, forcing them to leave even if they didn’t want to.
Although this junior sister had arrived out of nowhere and in a confusing manner, the siblings still expressed their friendliness toward Qin Zhizhi in their own way.
In fact, they had treated Qin Zhizhi the same way in the past.
Back then, Qin Zhizhi was considered their young martial aunt. Although Pei Lanzhou was a woman of few words, as long as Qin Zhizhi needed her, she would appear immediately with her precious saber to back her up—functioning like a junior version of Fu Xingyun’s overprotective style.
Pei Songzhou went without saying. Compared to Pei Lanzhou, he behaved much more like a child from an ordinary family, loving to play and cause trouble, with a natural warmth toward those around him.
Qin Zhizhi still remembered that when Pei Songzhou was younger, he used to cling to her quite a bit.
It was only because she had deliberately distanced herself over time that the siblings eventually stopped coming by as often, perhaps sensing something.
However, none of this seemed like a big deal to Qin Zhizhi right now.
Compared to what she was facing with Fu Xingyun, being stared at, cared for, or anything else was completely trivial.
It was practically nothing!
The Three Sects Tournament was scheduled for next month. It was now the end of the current month, leaving only a dozen days before the competition.
Since Fu Xingyun intended for Qin Zhizhi to participate, he certainly could not let her go in unprepared. Thus, he designed a special training regimen for her.
Every morning she had to swing her saber ten thousand times; in the afternoon, she would be thoroughly thrashed by Fu Xingyun; and at night, she had to memorize formulas and chant mental cultivation methods.
Qin Zhizhi wanted to cry but had no tears. Every night she would collapse onto her bed and fall asleep instantly. She felt so devoid of worldly desires that she could practically achieve enlightenment on the spot.
There was simply no room for any earthly temptations.
After a few days of this, the cheeks Qin Zhizhi had just started to fill out quickly slimmed down again. Once more, she became weak and pitiful, yet she could eat a lot, and she could fight very well.
Now, only three days remained before the Three Sects Tournament. The day after tomorrow, they would set out for the Guiyuan Sect.
Joining Qin Zhizhi in the tournament this time were Pei Lanzhou and Pei Songzhou.
Exhausted after her saber practice, Qin Zhizhi followed closely behind Fu Xingyun into the main hall to grab a drink of water and sneak a quick break.
Fu Xingyun, on the other hand, remained completely composed, as if seeing the agony on Qin Zhizhi’s face brought him joy.
She was truly angry but dared not speak out.
Qin Zhizhi complained wildly in her head as she lowered her head to sip her tea.
Right at that moment, Pei Lanzhou suddenly pushed the door open and entered. She was tall, with an elegant aura like an orchid, looking very calm and refined.
“Master, I have something to report.”
Fu Xingyun nodded. “Speak.”
Pei Lanzhou said, “Jun Wuya of the Heguang Sect has arrived.”
Qin Zhizhi: ?
“What is he doing here?” Fu Xingyun voiced the very question in Qin Zhizhi’s mind.
Pei Lanzhou hesitated for a moment before slowly replying, “He says… he is here to find his fiancée.”
Qin Zhizhi: “Cough, cough!”
Feeling the gazes of both Fu Xingyun and Pei Lanzhou land on her, she instantly felt an immense wave of pressure.
“Good tea, this is truly excellent tea!” Qin Zhizhi gave a thumbs-up, wishing she could bury her entire face directly into her teacup.
Before this situation could even be resolved, Pei Songzhou came stumbling into the hall, his high ponytail flying in a straight line behind him.
Compared to his sister Pei Lanzhou, the younger brother Pei Songzhou could hardly be described as steady. Though they looked identical, their temperaments were worlds apart.
Fu Xingyun knit his brows. “Songzhou, what is wrong with you now?”
Pei Songzhou pointed outside, his face filled with shock. “Master, Xie Yutai of the Guiyuan Sect is here!”
Qin Zhizhi could no longer hold it in and sprayed a mouthful of tea right out. “Pfft.”
No, did you guys plan this together? Why!