Wen Chiyue, refusing to believe her luck, forced her spiritual power to her fingertips and wiped it across her eyes. She waited for the time it takes half an incense stick to burn, stopping only when the spiritual energy in her body began to burn hot.
With hope in her heart, she opened her eyes and looked back at her reflection in the water.
Wen Chiyue: “…”
She had to find a way to meet other sword spirits and see if there was any way to change her human appearance.
“Cough.”
A heavy coughing sound suddenly came from behind her. Though the voice was raspy and slightly different from usual, Wen Chiyue recognized the source instantly.
It was her Master’s voice!
Wen Chiyue was about to rush over joyfully when her peripheral vision caught her reflection in the water, and she froze instantly.
Jiang Xiechen struggled to sit up, placing a fist to her mouth and coughing heavily several more times. Seeing the scattered stones around her, a flash of confusion crossed Jiang Xiechen’s eyes.
But it was only for a moment. Her gaze cleared instantly, her muscles tensed, and while one hand remained at her mouth, the other quietly reached for the hilt of the Autumn Frost Sword.
That was a first response forged through countless trials and pains.
Wen Chiyue felt a pang of heartache, yet she didn’t even have the courage to turn around. She could only keep her back to Jiang Xiechen, using the water’s surface to observe her Master’s movements.
After a long silence, Jiang Xiechen called out: “Wen Chiyue?”
Wen Chiyue opened and closed her mouth. She wondered if she should play dumb, pretend she wasn’t Wen Chiyue, but just a passerby who had stumbled into the cave.
In the ensuing quiet, the veins on the back of Jiang Xiechen’s hand bulged noticeably, and her grip on the Autumn Frost Sword tightened.
Jiang Xiechen listened intently to the surroundings and called out again in a low voice: “Wen Chiyue?”
This time the voice was suppressed. It didn’t sound like she was addressing someone she saw in front of her, but rather…
Did she think Wen Chiyue was still inside the sword?
Wen Chiyue pursed her lips tightly. She knew that if she answered, she would lose any chance to play dumb. But more than that, she didn’t want Jiang Xiechen’s call to go unanswered.
Back in Yuehua Pavilion, everyone likely thought Jiang Xiechen was a brilliant sword cultivator, reaching the Golden Core stage at such a young age. Even if she had been lost as a child, hadn’t she been adopted and entered the path of cultivation anyway? Compared to the declining Yuehua Pavilion, Jiang Xiechen, as a rogue cultivator, seemed to live a much more enviable life.
Wen Chiyue had never seen the Jiang Xiechen of the past. Although she was the spirit of the Autumn Frost Sword, it was only today that her consciousness had fully awakened.
Yet, in a hazy way, she felt as if she had seen a tiny, toddler like Jiang Xiechen, waddling behind an adult.
The height difference between the two was vast. The person in front walked with long strides and never once looked back at the Jiang Xiechen behind them. Not even once.
When Jiang Xiechen grew tired and couldn’t keep up, her round little face would tense, her lips pressed tightly together. Even at such a young age, she tried to act with adult like composure, looking incredibly adorable in the attempt.
The child would lift her skirt and run toward the person in front with pitter-patter steps, only to slow down to a fast walk after a short distance, as if realizing the running was too undignified.
In a moment of carelessness, a pebble tripped her. She fell hard, and tears welled up uncontrollably. She let out a small hiss of pain, when she looked up again, her forehead was flushed red.
No matter how much she tried to act tough, she was still just a child. In such a situation, she naturally sought help from the adult nearby.
The little “dumpling” looked up, then back down at the scrape on her knee. Finally unable to hold it in, she called out: “Master…”
Her voice was milky and tender; even someone with a heart of stone should have turned back at that plea.
However, the figure in front didn’t hesitate for a second. A cold, ruthless, elderly voice simply said: “Keep up.”
Tears swirled in the child’s eyes. She forcefully wiped them away, looked down, and said: “Yes, Master.”
Then, she immediately scrambled up.
Staggering, she followed behind her Master. The distance between them grew wider. The pain was unbearable, and she cried out: “Master, I can’t keep up with you.”
The person in front ignored her, continuing at the same pace.
The child could only watch as the figure ahead grew fainter. No matter how she called out, she received no response. She could only grit her teeth and try her best to catch up.
“Wen Chiyue.”
But this time, the name being called was Wen Chiyue’s own.
Wen Chiyue immediately replied: “Master, I’m here.”
She thought to herself resignedly: I am Master’s natal sword, after all. If Master calls, how could I not answer?
Wen Chiyue turned around. Ignoring her red eyes, she walked quickly to Jiang Xiechen’s side and said heart-wrenchingly, “Master, I’m here.”
Jiang Xiechen was clearly stunned. She tilted her head hesitantly, turning her gaze toward Wen Chiyue: “Wen Chiyue…?”
The movement was actually quite cute.
“It’s me.”
“…You turned into a human?” Jiang Xiechen moved the hand that had been at her mouth toward Wen Chiyue.
She seemed to have dropped all her defenses.
Even in human form, the connection between Wen Chiyue and the Autumn Frost Sword remained. She could feel that her Master’s grip on the sword had not loosened one bit.
Master was doubting if she was really Wen Chiyue.
Wen Chiyue smiled helplessly: “Yes, doesn’t it look like it? Or does Master dislike my appearance?”
Fearing Jiang Xiechen might actually nod, she hurried to add: “Even if you dislike it, it’s no use. Your Autumn Frost Sword just looks like this, it can’t be changed. If you really mind… well, I don’t care.”
As she said this, Wen Chiyue felt a bit guilty. She stood up and spun around, her skirt blooming like a flower. “Your sword spirit worked so hard to take human form and doesn’t understand human beauty standards, so no matter what I look like, I’m innocent.”
She stopped spinning and fixed her beautiful eyes on Jiang Xiechen.
Jiang Xiechen blinked. “Mhm.”
She paused, then added: “A pity I cannot see.”
Only then did Wen Chiyue realize why she had been feeling a strange sense of dissonance. Normally, even if her Master had lost her cultivation, she wouldn’t just chat with a stranger or “test” if they were a sword spirit. A greeting of sword qi would have been the friendly option.
Unless… Master couldn’t see that someone was in front of her at all.
Wen Chiyue was just a sword spirit, her body was not fully physical, and she had no scent or breath. Of course Jiang Xiechen couldn’t see her.
Wen Chiyue looked into Jiang Xiechen’s eyes. They were as beautiful as ever, golden-orange eyes that reflected Wen Chiyue’s own blood-red pupils.
But there was no focus.
Wen Chiyue froze. “Master?” She waved her hand in front of Jiang Xiechen’s eyes.
“Yes,” Jiang Xiechen answered softly. Her eyes didn’t blink or follow Wen Chiyue’s movement, but she reached out and accurately caught Wen Chiyue’s waving hand.
Jiang Xiechen rubbed the protruding bone of Wen Chiyue’s wrist. “It’s cold.”
Wen Chiyue stared blankly at the spot where Jiang Xiechen was holding her, stammering, “It… it’s hot.”
The warmth coming from Jiang Xiechen felt like it was about to melt her. If there were water in front of her, Wen Chiyue figured she would see her face blushing furiously.
Wen Chiyue asked tremulously, “Master, can you see?”
Jiang Xiechen’s lifeless eyes shifted slightly, and her thin lips parted: “No.”
Wen Chiyue’s heart was on a rollercoaster. “Then how did Master catch me? That’s so amazing.”
“I guessed.”
Actually, it wasn’t hard to guess. Today’s interactions were enough for Jiang Xiechen to understand Wen Chiyue’s personality fairly well, she could predict her actions. However, catching her hand on the first try did involve a bit of luck.
Jiang Xiechen slowly stood up. As she pushed off the ground, she felt the cloth spread behind her. The fabric was a bit coarse.
Knowing this place well, Jiang Xiechen realized this was the most comfortable thing Wen Chiyue could have found in such a short time.
Sometimes, Jiang Xiechen found it strange. Wen Chiyue had the innocence of a newborn sword spirit and hadn’t inherited any memories of the Autumn Frost Sword, she was like a blank piece of paper. In the hands of someone malicious, she could easily be led astray.
Yet, at other times, Wen Chiyue’s knowledge of demons exceeded that of normal people. Even someone like Jiang Xiechen, who was well-versed in demon lore, couldn’t identify things as quickly. Wen Chiyue’s reactions seemed like instincts formed from living among demons for a long time.
Even Wen Chiyue herself didn’t seem to realize this. She was a massive mystery that had to be unraveled layer by layer to be understood.
Only one thing was certain.
Jiang Xiechen stood up, brushed the dust off her clothes, and said calmly: “You are very easy to read.”
Wen Chiyue was moved to tears: “I knew it, Master has always been paying attention to me.”
Wen Chiyue took two steps to stand where Jiang Xiechen’s gaze was falling. She then intentionally stepped more heavily as she moved to the side.
Wen Chiyue was in a soul-like state and usually walked soundlessly, but knowing Jiang Xiechen was blind, she intentionally made noise so her Master could track her by sound.
Sure enough, Jiang Xiechen’s gaze followed the sound of Wen Chiyue’s footsteps.
Jiang Xiechen touched the mark on the back of her hand. The mark felt like it was stamped into her skin. She asked, “What does it look like?”
Wen Chiyue had already observed it. It looked very familiar, though she couldn’t remember why. However, she could describe it perfectly even with her eyes closed.
Jiang Xiechen nodded thoughtfully and asked, “Is there demonic energy?”
Wen Chiyue hadn’t thought of that. She took Jiang Xiechen’s hand, placing her own over the back of it, and closed her eyes, letting her spiritual power flow over it.
When she had checked Jiang Xiechen’s body earlier, she hadn’t noticed any demonic aura. But now, as her spiritual power covered the hand, she suddenly discovered that this spot was pitch black, clearly saturated with demonic energy.
The demonic energy followed Wen Chiyue’s spiritual power, threatening to infect her as well.
Jiang Xiechen felt it too and said coldly: “Let go.”
At the same time, Jiang Xiechen tried to pull her hand away. But the demonic energy clung to both of them, the suction making it impossible for them to separate.
Wen Chiyue said softly, “Master, does this count as us living and dying together?”
Jiang Xiechen: “…”
Jiang Xiechen: “I’ll just cut it off then.”
Wen Chiyue was horrified: “Huh?? Master? Are you serious?”
A flash of amusement crossed Jiang Xiechen’s eyes.