The half-month period passed quickly, and the Immortal Assembly was imminent. Various groups participating in the conference had already begun to ascend the mountain one after another.
For a time, Lingyun Mountain became incredibly lively.
According to the regulations, a welcoming feast is to be held after all participants have arrived. Therefore, on the day before the secret realm opens, a grand banquet is held at the Liulan Terrace, where the leading figures of every sect gather.
With so many visitors arriving, it was naturally necessary to showcase the sect’s prestige. Consequently, the Sect Leader had issued orders early on for the disciples to prioritize their rest and not slacken in their efforts. Thus, whenever Jiang Xu stepped out these days, he would see senior and junior brothers and sisters hurrying along. At the training grounds, disciples were invariably seen practicing their swordplay with utter seriousness. In contrast, his own leisurely wandering felt quite stark; over time, the contrast became so glaring that he decided to take the initiative to find his Eldest Senior Brother to practice together.
With the trials approaching, Shi Jingyu naturally would not be idle. For several days, Jiang Xu hadn’t caught a glimpse of him, but today he was determined to track him down.
Unexpectedly, before he could find his Senior Brother, his Junior Sister took the initiative to find him. At that moment, he was holding a wooden stick, intending to use it as a makeshift sword once he found Shi Jingyu.
“Jiang Xu!” Fu Bihan ran over cheerfully. Looking at the stick in his hand, she frowned. “What are you doing with a stick?”
Jiang Xu flexed the stick in his grip, finding it reasonably flexible yet sturdy. He nodded with satisfaction and continued walking, his eyes scanning the surroundings for Shi Jingyu as he answered leisurely, “Naturally, it is for practice.”
Fu Bihan let out a giggle, covering her mouth and pointing at the stick. “How can you practice with that?”
Jiang Xu didn’t care to argue with her, so he fell silent and focused entirely on searching for Shi Jingyu. The two crossed a stone bridge and finally found him in a secluded spot. He held a sword in his hand, standing before a woman whose back was turned to Jiang Xu. The woman was tall and slender, also holding a sword. Her blade was quite peculiar, glowing with a faint greenish hue, and a prominent emerald gemstone adorned the hilt. Shi Jingyu was currently correcting her posture.
The woman’s silhouette felt vaguely familiar.
Seeing Jiang Xu stop, Fu Bihan followed his gaze. When she saw the woman, her eyes widened. she stomped over, pushed Shi Jingyu aside, and grabbed the woman’s arm, pulling her around. “Who told you that you could practice with the Eldest Senior Brother?!”
Jiang Xu walked over slowly. Upon seeing the woman’s face, his eyes widened. He hurried forward, stepping in front of Fu Bihan, and said with delight, “Junior Sister Yan Huan!”
Yan Huan hadn’t had time to sheath her sword. When Fu Bihan pulled her so abruptly, the sharp tip—left momentarily unguided—sliced through her own garment. A fragment of deep blue cloth fluttered for a moment before drifting gracefully to the ground.
Only then did she sheath her sword and cup her hands. “Senior Brother Jiang.”
Beside them, Fu Bihan was still fuming, clinging tightly to Shi Jingyu. Although Shi Jingyu’s tone remained as gentle and refined as ever, his handsome eyebrows were slightly knit. “You must not be so reckless next time.”
Fu Bihan was most obedient to him. Although her expression wasn’t great, she lowered her head and listened to the reprimand, her toes restlessly scuffing the ground while her gaze darted toward Yan Huan every now and then.
Jiang Xu hadn’t expected to see Shi Jingyu and Yan Huan together. He felt a surge of joy, thinking that his long-term efforts as a matchmaker were finally bearing fruit. His face beamed with such happiness that the corners of his eyes tilted upward, creating a very handsome smile. “Junior Sister, you and Senior Brother are practicing swordplay together!”
Yan Huan nodded. “Senior Brother said a few of my movements were slightly off, so he came over to teach me.”
Jiang Xu nodded with satisfaction, stealing a glance at Shi Jingyu. He thought to himself: You kid are actually quite good at chasing girls.
Shi Jingyu: “???” What is with this look from Junior Brother? Why does it feel so alarming?
“Senior Brother is indeed gentle and patient,” Jiang Xu winked at Yan Huan. “Junior Sister, you are truly fortunate!”
Yan Huan looked puzzled, her elegant eyebrows knitting slightly. “Why does Senior Brother Jiang say that?”
“Oh,” Jiang Xu patted her shoulder. “No need to ask too much, Junior Sister. I’m just speaking casually.” With that, he turned to Shi Jingyu and winked. “Isn’t that right, Senior Brother?”
Shi Jingyu didn’t understand the look but nodded instinctively. “Junior Brother is right.”
Jiang Xu let out a couple of laughs. Noticing Fu Bihan still standing glued to Shi Jingyu, he frowned. He took a few steps forward, hooked his arm through Shi Jingyu’s, and pulled him over to stand beside Yan Huan. Only then did his brow relax with satisfaction. “There, that’s better.”
Fu Bihan watched him in disbelief, pointing at his nose in anger. “Jiang Xu, what is the meaning of this!”
Jiang Xu glanced at her, leaned in, and whispered in her ear, “I’m doing this for your own good, Junior Sister. Otherwise, Senior Brother would have to stay here and lecture you the whole time.”
Fu Bihan blinked, looking at him half-doubtingly. “You’re lying!”
Jiang Xu shrugged innocently. “Every word is true. Look, isn’t Senior Brother not scolding you anymore?”
“Well…” Fu Bihan looked at her Senior Brother across from her and nodded. “That is true. Fine then.”
Satisfied, Jiang Xu smiled at her and turned back to the pair. “Senior Brother was just teaching Junior Sister Yan sword techniques, right?” He lifted Shi Jingyu’s hand and, with a smile, placed it on Yan Huan’s sword. “Then please, continue.”
Yan Huan looked up at him, her lips slightly pursed. “Does Senior Brother Jiang not plan to practice?”
“No, no. I’m happy just watching you two—I mean, if I watch a few more times, I’ll learn it.”
Shi Jingyu helplessly let go of the sword and looked at Jiang Xu. “The Master entrusted Junior Brother to me, but why haven’t I seen any sign of you these past few days?”
“I thought Senior Brother must be very busy,” Jiang Xu scratched his chin and smiled. “I didn’t want to trouble you.”
Before Shi Jingyu could say it was no trouble, Yan Huan stepped forward, her long sword forcing Jiang Xu back half a step. “Eldest Senior Brother should teach Senior Brother Jiang. I have already learned the movements he corrected just now.”
What do you mean you’ve learned it? Seeing Yan Huan’s stance, Jiang Xu hurried to intervene. “Junior Sister is brilliant, but it is precisely because of that that you need someone with Senior Brother’s profound cultivation to guide you, so you can reach even higher levels!”
“Yan Huan believes that since Senior Brother Jiang currently lacks spiritual power and the Immortal Assembly is upon us, we should prioritize Senior Brother’s needs.”
Yan Huan was usually a person of very few words, but today she was not only talkative but also remarkably logical.
Just as Jiang Xu was about to say something to salvage the situation, he saw Shi Jingyu nod in agreement. “Junior Sister is right. I’ve noticed over the past few days that your spiritual rank is rising quickly and your sword skills are fine.” He looked at Jiang Xu and smiled. “Of course, Junior Brother’s spiritual power is recovering well, but I don’t know the state of your swordplay. Let’s do as Junior Sister suggested and see how your swordsmanship is faring.”
It seemed both of them were tactfully saying his strength was lacking. Jiang Xu found no reason to argue, but if he agreed, he would not only fail to bring the leads closer today but would actively be interrupting their time together…
“Eldest Senior Brother!” Fu Bihan didn’t seem satisfied with this arrangement. “My swordplay isn’t good either. You should teach me!”
“Your swordplay is perfectly fine,” Shi Jingyu tapped her on the head. “Besides, you have the Sect Leader to teach you; I won’t interfere.”
Fu Bihan pouted and said no more.
Shi Jingyu smiled and said to Jiang Xu, “Then it’s settled.” He glanced at the wooden stick in Jiang Xu’s hand, paused for a moment, and then said, “Junior Brother even prepared a wooden sword. Since we are free now, let’s begin.”
“…” Jiang Xu wanted to cry, and Yan Huan added fuel to the fire. “Then I won’t disturb the two Senior Brothers. Yan Huan will go elsewhere.”
After saying that, she ignored Jiang Xu’s frantic winking and turned to leave.
Fu Bihan, however, had no intention of leaving. She found a stone stool, sat down, rested her chin in her hands, and watched Shi Jingyu intently.
Shi Jingyu stepped closer and took the wooden stick. He seemed to be in a very good mood. In his hands, even the stick seemed to have a soul. He performed a crisp sword flower and smiled. “Junior Brother, how was that?”
To think Yan Huan doesn’t understand the importance of quality time, and neither does the Eldest Senior Brother…
He sighed helplessly and took back the stick, sounding exhausted. “Then I shall trouble you, Senior Brother.”
However, Shi Jingyu’s swordplay was truly superb. Jiang Xu lacked the original owner’s memories and hadn’t fully recovered his spiritual power, let alone his sword techniques. But under Shi Jingyu’s guidance, he felt his touch returning. He could now wield the wooden sword with some level of logic and flow.
Only one thing was strange: throughout the practice, Senior Brother’s earlobes remained flushed red. He initially thought it was the heat, but then he realized that a cultivator could easily use a bit of internal spiritual power to ward off the summer heat. Why would he allow the heat to make him so uncomfortable?
Moreover, even after they finished practicing, why was he still flushed? He looked over hesitantly, only to see that the person who previously only had red earlobes now had a face that was entirely flushed. Though he still maintained his usual poker face, he looked far removed from his typical “Eldest Senior Brother” image.
Jiang Xu was never one to hold back his words. After spending some time together, he considered himself on good terms with Shi Jingyu—if not extremely close, at least a “half-best friend.” So he asked, “Senior Brother, I noticed last time too that you often blush. Is it because you naturally have a lot of internal heat?”
But that wasn’t in the author’s character setting.
Shi Jingyu apparently hadn’t expected this question. He pursed his lips, suddenly turned around, and said, “It is getting late.” Without another word, he walked away without looking back.
Jiang Xu stared at his beet-red ears and muttered, “It seems he is indeed just very thin-skinned.”
Fu Bihan, who had long since fallen asleep nearby, finally woke up slowly. She stood up and found only Jiang Xu remaining. “Where is the Eldest Senior Brother?”
Jiang Xu shook his head, looking in the direction Shi Jingyu had left, and sighed. “The Eldest Senior Brother was shamed away by me.”