“Sigh.”
The Xiliu sword in front of him sighed imperceptibly, and then a flash of white light abruptly brightened along the blade as Xiliu materialized from within the sword—
“Huh?!”
Liu Ziyi sprang to his feet from his straw cushion, cautiously scanning his surroundings.
Finally, he looked toward Xiliu in front of him with utter disbelief.
It had actually taken human form, and it had even turned into the appearance he was most familiar with!
Looking up and down, that was clearly his own body and his own face!
“Xiliu, you…”
Things had entirely surpassed Liu Ziyi’s expectations. Even with his extensive reading, he had no way of understanding why the sword spirit of the Xiliu sword had turned into his own likeness.
For a moment, he was too stunned to speak, staring in mutual silence with Xiliu.
The translucent human figure hovering in the air looked down at its own form and muttered, “It really is just as I thought… My sword contract has actually transferred over to you.”
Xiliu clenched its fists in front of him, gritting its teeth as it said, “To think that I will have to address you as master from now on, I am truly angry…”
Liu Ziyi was still rebooting. Circling around the self-muttering Xiliu, he confirmed that this fellow had merely copied his exterior appearance and was not entirely identical to him, which finally allowed him to relax.
Thankfully, it didn’t look like some kind of soul-seizing forbidden technique.
However.
“Stop being angry first. I’m the one who should be angry! Who told you to use my face?” Liu Ziyi interrupted.
Hearing himself call himself master felt genuinely bizarre.
Yet Xiliu arched an eyebrow at him. The youth’s features were exceptionally striking, and even such a shameless expression exuded a lively cuteness, turning the displeasure filling those starry eyes into nothing more than playful coquettishness.
“I didn’t want to either. Who told me not to remember anything?”
That tone and demeanor imitated Liu Ziyi to absolute perfection. It made Liu Ziyi suspect whether he really looked that punchable whenever he acted spoiled and threw tantrums.
Seeing Liu Ziyi knit his brows in frustration, Xiliu curled his lips and said, “If master really dislikes it, I can change into someone else.”
With that, it transformed once more into the appearance of Shen Zhuoqing.
Liu Ziyi narrowed his eyes. Seeing that even the fellow’s posture and movements had changed after transforming, he realized that this sword spirit wasn’t just taking a human form, but rather mimicking others.
After mulling it over for a moment, Liu Ziyi sighed.
“Forget it, you’d better change back, or just don’t come out at all.” No matter who it turned into, Liu Ziyi felt it was inappropriate.
Hearing this, Xiliu changed back into Liu Ziyi’s appearance and muttered, “I was only able to take human form this time because I was stimulated by a surge of power, which cleared up my memories quite a bit. If I stay inside the sword for too long, my memories will just blur again!”
Then, standing stubbornly in place, it said to Liu Ziyi:
“To get to the main point, I heard you doubting Shen Zhuoqing just now, and I’m only saying this to tell you one thing.”
“My spiritual sense tells me that you must trust Shen Zhuoqing.”
“Why?” Liu Ziyi asked. “Do you know the specifics of the gu worms?”
Yet Xiliu remained tight-lipped, only stating:
“I can’t tell you the specifics of the gu worms yet.”
“But the gu worms are not part of Shen Zhuoqing’s plan, or rather, Shen Zhuoqing was just as caught off guard! Do you know why he destroyed the gu worms in public?”
“Don’t take my word for it; I reckon Qiu Zaiqi probably harbors suspicions already too. Don’t let his sword-obsessed cultivation fool you; he’s actually as meticulous as a hair, otherwise, he wouldn’t have reported the matter all the way back to the Zhen Dao Sect in distant Zhongzhou at a time like this.”
No sooner had Xiliu finished those few sentences than its form began to fade into glowing fluorescent specks, returning to the Xiliu sword floating in midair.
“Your power is still too weak. Speaking for even this long has made me sleepy…”
Its voice grew progressively fainter, reverting to a childish tone before muttering its way back into the scabbard, leaving behind only a final sentence:
“Master, you’d better get better soon…”
Liu Ziyi cradled the Xiliu sword in his arms, secretly vowing in his heart never to give this fellow a chance to come out again ever again.
“So the only reason you managed to manifest after all this trouble was to speak up for Shen Zhuoqing? In the end, you didn’t say a single useful thing.”
And to think it had called his power too weak; if it hadn’t used his own power, how could Xiliu have ever materialized?
Even so, Xiliu’s words had successfully shifted Liu Ziyi’s internal perspective.
Rather than suspecting Shen Zhuoqing, he felt more inclined to give the other person another chance and trust Shen Zhuoqing once more.
Liu Ziyi accepted this quite readily, setting Xiliu aside since no one else could see it anyway.
The next morning.
The sound of knocking rang out, its familiar rhythm quickly waking Liu Ziyi from his slumber. However, before he could even lift the bedding and open his eyes, the visitor outside had already pushed the door open and walked in naturally.
“Xiao Liu, are you awake?”
The voice reaching Liu Ziyi’s ears still sounded hazy. He had stayed up too late reading books last night and had even dreamed about the gu worms; waking up now, he couldn’t even remember whether that dream had been a nightmare or a pleasant dream.
Yawning, he sat up from the bed, his loose black hair cascading across his front as his ink-dark eyes gazed in bewilderment at the newcomer.
With such completely unguarded vulnerability, he murmured sleepily to Shen Zhuoqing, who had just stepped inside: “What is it, Senior Brother? Just casually barging into my room…”
So sleepy…
Clearly, a cultivator’s energy levels should have been quite high, yet he loved sleeping endlessly; waking up early always left him looking this bleary-eyed.
In contrast, Shen Zhuoqing, who dealt with heavy administrative duties all day and slept even less than him, practically spent every morning cultivating on the cliffside. Today he was probably finishing his morning practice before discovering that Liu Ziyi still hadn’t gotten out of bed.
Blame it on the fact that over the past few days, Shen Zhuoqing had abandoned his past strict demeanor and pampered Liu Ziyi into growing much bolder. After asking his question, he immediately tried to lie back down, only to be caught mid-movement by a spell as Shen Zhuoqing said:
“Wake up fully, Xiao Liu.”
“You’re about to sleep right through today’s morning practice again.”
Hearing those rare phrases after a long hiatus felt like an instant jolt of electricity to Liu Ziyi, chasing away a good portion of his drowsiness. Forcing himself to rub the corners of his eyes and pry his eyelids open, he raised his gaze to look at Shen Zhuoqing:
“Senior Brother, I’ll get up to cultivate in the afternoon. Let me sleep a little longer.”
“I spent ages reading books last night, working really hard to look up those gu worms!”
At the mention of those gu worms, Shen Zhuoqing seemed to pause for a second, likely not expecting Liu Ziyi to care about them to this extent, as he helplessly offered:
“This matter… I actually planned to discuss it with Xiao Liu during morning practice anyway.”
Hearing that, Liu Ziyi widened his eyes instantly.
“Besides, it’s best if you don’t get involved in this matter, Xiao Liu.”
Liu Ziyi closed his eyes again.
Figuring he wouldn’t get any useful answers out of him anyway, he decided to mix acting cute with throwing a tantrum. Since the injury on his hand hadn’t healed yet, he would probably just be made to sit cross-legged and circulate his internal energy, which always made him very prone to falling asleep!
Once asleep, Shen Zhuoqing would start lecturing him.
He really didn’t want to go at all.
“Since that’s the case,” Liu Ziyi squinted his eyes and let out a yawn, looking every bit like a weary black cat that made people want to reach out and smooth down his sleek, dark fur, “why did Senior Brother even bring it up to me? The more you say, the more curious I get.”
Before that sentence had even fully left his lips, Liu Ziyi felt a dark shadow cast over him. The instant he opened his eyes, the strands of hair draping over his shoulders were gathered up, and his shoulders were lightly pressed down.
“S-Senior Brother?”
Liu Ziyi wanted to turn around, but Shen Zhuoqing merely uttered a soft “Don’t move,” and he obediently remained seated on the bed.
It wasn’t because he always listened to Shen Zhuoqing, but rather because the action had thoroughly startled him. Following Shen Zhuoqing’s repeated close-range encounters with him, the man was now actually tying up his hair for him!
So during that stunned silence of his, his already smooth locks were easily gathered, secured at the top of his head with a hair crown, and styled with a horrifying degree of familiarity.
Liu Ziyi couldn’t help thinking: Apart from himself, who else has Shen Zhuoqing ever styled hair for?!
After all, ever since he first met Shen Zhuoqing, the man had always worn that half-tied, half-loose hairstyle and had never once used a hair crown. How could he possibly be this practiced at doing it for someone else?
As he pondered this, Liu Ziyi didn’t realize his question had already slipped past his lips.
What he received in response was Shen Zhuoqing’s calm and straightforward answer: “I have only ever styled hair for Xiao Liu.”
Liu Ziyi opened his mouth to voice his doubt, then suddenly remembered his vow and could only choke out dryly, “Then Senior Brother truly is gifted in all things.”
Shen Zhuoqing finally straightened his hair crown, smoothed out the ends of his hair, and muttered softly as if echoing his words: “Gifted in all things? I suppose you could say that. I did it perfectly the very first time.”
He’s starting with the weird talk again!
Regretting that he had opened his mouth to take the bait, Liu Ziyi raised a hand to block Shen Zhuoqing’s hand, which was reaching out to tidy his forehead bangs and fringe, and stammered hastily:
“I can do it myself! Senior Brother, I’m getting up right now to cultivate, please hurry up and go outside!”
If he didn’t chase him out soon, he suspected Shen Zhuoqing would even start dressing him!
The proof was that he caught a glimpse of Shen Zhuoqing using a spell to summon a wooden comb and hair crown, and along with them, bringing out his outer robe as well.
Shen Zhuoqing didn’t get annoyed at being pushed by the arms; instead, he looked at him with an indulgent expression and simply dropped a “Fine,” before turning around and walking behind the folding screen.
He really has figured out my weakness.
Liu Ziyi thought with a pouting lip as he climbed out of bed. What kind of senior brother helps his junior brother comb his hair? If he had made me change my clothes too, where would I put my face?
Dressing slowly and washing up, Liu Ziyi finally stepped out the door.
He saw that on the stone table in the small courtyard where they lived, Shen Zhuoqing had already cleared away the wind and snow, leaving behind the familiar body-refining mental cultivation manual, a boring book that could induce sleepiness just by looking at it.
What caught Liu Ziyi’s attention, however, was that he suddenly recalled yesterday’s martial arts tournament. It seemed no one had come to inform him of the results, nor had he seen Qiu Zaiqi or Qin Xiaoyi track him down.
“Senior Brother,” Liu Ziyi called out, taking a seat on the stone stool that still retained a hint of warmth from Shen Zhuoqing’s spellcasting, “how did yesterday’s matches turn out?”
Shen Zhuoqing’s hand pausing over turning a page of the manual froze.
After a long silence, Liu Ziyi guessed the answer.
“It’s fine, winning and losing are normal in tournaments, even though those two guys both hate losing…”
As he spoke, Liu Ziyi began to fall silent as well. Precisely because they were both like that, neither outcome would feel particularly joyful, though deep down he still privately hoped Qin Xiaoyi would succeed.
After all, Qin Xiaoyi was the only one he truly considered a friend.
“Junior Brother Qin’s swordsmanship has improved by leaps and bounds compared to the past few months, but unfortunately he still lacks practical combat experience. Facing the Zhen Dao Sect’s primary disciple, Qiu Zaiqi… he suffered a narrow defeat.”
Liu Ziyi sighed. “I wonder if Third Uncle-Master Fuye will lift Xiaoyi’s confinement early. I was hoping to take him…”
Take him down the mountain to clear his head.
Realizing who he was talking to, Liu Ziyi abruptly cut himself off.
Sure enough, he felt a burning gaze lock onto him. Shen Zhuoqing was staring intently at him, his look far colder than before.
“Ah, take him out to cultivate more!”
Liu Ziyi corrected himself with a smiling expression, and seeing Shen Zhuoqing’s expression relax slightly, he changed the subject.
“What about Qiu Zaiqi, then? After defeating Xiaoyi, he should still have matches today, right? I’d quite like to go take a look.”
And skip morning and evening cultivation along the way, what a brilliant idea!
Yet the Shen Zhuoqing before him wore an even more troubled expression.
“Qiu Zaiqi, he won’t be participating in today’s matches.”
“Eh? Why?”
“After defeating Junior Brother Qin, he announced his withdrawal from the martial arts tournament.”