Chapter 10

Yu Xizhi was thinking about her junior sister’s treatment.

This segment is also present in the original book.

Although junior sister Xia Yiyao has obtained the famous sword Xiaoyu, her foundation is still shallow. It’s relatively easy to deal with the murderous aura in the Sword Tomb with the help of Mistress Huaiwei and Master Huaiyun, who are a couple, suppressing it together.

The problem lies with the Xiaoyu Sword.

It’s a good sword, but Xia Yiyao can’t control it.

The most crucial point is that as long as the male and female swords are not reunited, the owners of the two swords will suffer from torment.

Although the male protagonist, Cheng Luocen, also suffers from this pain, he has the remnant soul of his grandfather to rely on, as well as an ancient secret method, the Immortal Decision, to protect him. Although this pain has caused him to cough up blood and be on the verge of death several times, it’s just a minor setback on his path to ascension.

But Xia Yiyao is not so lucky.

From then on, she became weak and delicate, coughing every three steps, stumbling every five steps, with a slight frown on her brow, and touching her chest with her hand. She seemed even more seriously ill than the legendary Junior Martial Uncle, who was injured by the sword energy in the Sword Tom

Indeed, her own sword would counterattack her. Unless she gives up this sword, what other way is there to heal her?

Yu Xizhi was curious about another matter.

Doesn’t Junior Sister Xia know about it herself?

If she does, why did she let Master Huaiwei invite the owner of the Xiya building?

If she doesn’t know… Could it be that the Xiaoyu Sword hasn’t awakened its sword spirit yet?

That shouldn’t be the case. She clearly remembers from the original book that the sword spirit of the Xiaoyu Sword has always been awake?

…

Xia Yiyao’s face was pale.

She silently drank the pitch-black potion and swallowed the jet-black pill.

Before she could speak, someone kindly stuffed a sugar-coated plum in her mouth, saying, “My Yao Yao has suffered. I will let Jiwen try next time to see if he can refine sweet-tasting pills.”

The woman speaking wore a light purple Taoist robe, tied up her hair bun, had no makeup on, but still had a stunning appearance. She appeared to be in her early thirties, and her voice was extremely affectionate. She was Huaiwei; she is the taoist partner of Master Huaiyun,the sect master of Kunwu sect.

Huaiyun and Huaiwei were originally fellow disciples of the same sect. Their master was the previous head of the Kunwu Mountain Sect, Master Xinli. The two of them were true childhood sweethearts. Throughout their lives, they had a smooth and glorious journey, but unfortunately, they had been together for so many years without any children.

As cultivators, they were generally indifferent and lacked desire. Many sect leaders would joke that they treated their disciples like their own children. Huaiyun and Huaiwei had also said similar words, but only a few people knew that the couple really wanted children but had been unsuccessful.

Among the personal disciples of Huaiyun, Yu Si and Yu Xizhi had extraordinary backgrounds. Their family was prosperous, and both their parents were alive. Cultivators emphasize letting go of worldly ties, and their lifespan was already very long. After seeing off their elders in glory, these worldly ties would naturally be severed, and it shouldn’t be forced.

Below Yu Xizhi, there was another third junior brother named Yi Zui. Yi Zui had an even more distinguished background; he was the child of an elder from the Ziyuan Peak, and most importantly, his mother was not an ordinary person but the younger sister of the master of the Baiyu Pavillion.

If Yizui hadn’t been obsessed with the path of the sword, Baiyu Pavilion would never have let him go.

Only Xia Yiyao, this parentless and pitiful orphan, can evoke such a deep expression of maternal love from Huaiwei.

“The owner of the Xiya tower has already accepted my invitation. They should be arriving soon,” Huaiwei lightly patted Xia Yiyao’s back to comfort her. “Yao Yao, endure a few more days, and things will take a turn for the better.”

Whatever Huaiwei said afterwards, she was already drifting away, not really listening.

The girl’s fingers unconsciously tightened the bedclothes. Of course, she knew what her problem was. These days, Jiwu, the peak master from the Liuguang Peak, and Jiliang, the peak master from the Xuecan Peak, had almost moved in here, but they hadn’t found a solution.

Even if it were the owner of Xiya Tower or even a great golden immortal, without a special secret method, they would probably be helpless.

The sword spirit of the Xiaoyu Sword lazily chattered in her mind.

“Still hesitating? I’ve explained the pros and cons to you clearly.”

“If you don’t want to bother others, just shatter me. If you can’t do it, let your master do it. We haven’t spent much time together, and your spiritual roots won’t be seriously damaged. You’ll recover in a few days. The natal sword is nothing special anyway; there are plenty in the Sword Tomb.”

“Or, just tell them what’s going on, and your master and mistress won’t have to save face by inviting people. Kunwu Mountain Sect has many talents. Let more people help you find your lover, so both of you can leave the sea of suffering as soon as possible.”

Xia Yiyao pursed her lips.

The thirteen-year-old girl was originally naive, but with the Xiaoyu Sword whispering in her ear every day, she couldn’t help but start to fantasize.

What would he, who held the other half of the sword, be like?

A noble descendant? A rising star of the sect? Or…?

Handsome, ugly, or just ordinary?

Xia Yiyao suddenly snapped out of her reverie and scolded herself inwardly, “What lover? Nonsense.”

The Xiaoyu Sword whistled but didn’t argue back, falling silent.

Xia Yiyao knew very well what the Xiaoyu Sword was talking about.

What a great opportunity to get a sword from the sword tomb?

Even if the Xiaoyu sword had a sword spirit,it could not understand it, and it didn’t care about life or death.

But she didn’t want to lose her natal sword.

She quietly looked at the slender sword on the rack. Even sheathed, it exuded a cold and beautiful aura, still captivating. She couldn’t help but imagine herself wielding the sword.

For that image, even if she were sick for a few more days or a few more years, what would it matter?

She wanted her natal sword, she wanted the title of being the first one of Kunwu Mountain Sect to take a sword from the Sword Tomb, and she also wanted a glimmer of hope.

She didn’t care about that lover or the grudges between Kunwu Mountain Sect and Xiya Tower.

It’s… it’s her master and mistress who are trying to help her. She’s just a patient who doesn’t know the cause and is difficult to treat, right?

Isn’t it?

Xia Yiyao clenched her fingers, her eyelashes trembling slightly, and she showed a pitiful smile to Huaiwei, speaking softly, “Um, thank you, Master. It’s Yaoyao’s fault for being useless and making Master worry.”

“You child, always so polite.”

Huaiwei’s expression changed slightly as she spoke. She reached out and crushed a sound transmission talisman from mid-air, listening for a moment before a smile spread across her face.

“The owner of Xiya Tower has already arrived. They said they haven’t been here for a long time and want to eat a bowl of noodles from Xianyun County. They’ll come up the mountain tomorrow!”

The Xiaoyu Sword hummed lightly, its sound weaker than a whisper, filling the room with warmth, yet the sword rack gleamed coldly, seeming disdainful, melancholic, and sighing all at once.

In the hall behind Taiqing Peak, everyone was joyful, but Yu Xizhi was sighing.

She realized that she had run out of food.

The rice jar was empty, and the vegetable basket only had leftover leaves. The uncle who usually delivered groceries to the inner sect didn’t come today, which was already bad enough.

But what was worse was that there was an orange cat begging at the door.

The orange cat looked adorable, with cheeks filled out nicely. Clearly a male cat, the cat’s golden eyes held obvious questions, and its tail impatiently flicked, tapping on the empty porcelain bowl as it meowed sweetly, “Miaow?”

Yu Xizhi:…

Alright, she understood. She couldn’t let the cat suffer, even if she was suffering herself.

She decided to go down the mountain.

The chubby orange cat understood her intention, hesitated for a moment, then slowly approached and rubbed against her pant leg, leaving a few cat hairs behind.

Kunwu Mountain Sect didn’t stop disciples from going down the mountain, but it was already late. Yu Xizhi hastily grabbed a bag of spirit stones and set off with her sword.

Kunwu Mountain was a vast mountain range with Taiqing Peak as its center, stretching for hundreds of miles. With such a large sect guarding it, Xianyun County at the foot of the mountain naturally flourished, with everything one could need.

Usually, when Yu Xizhi went down the mountain, Yu Si would accompany her. All in all, this was her first time going out alone. However, since she was only going to stock up on food, she couldn’t let Yu Si know; otherwise, being scolded and punished would be minor, and she might be monitored for the next period of time, unable to even light a fire.

So she didn’t buy a teleportation talisman from Ziyuan Peak to go down the mountain. Instead, she went straight to the outer sect, brought a veiled hat, found a disciple, exchanged two middle-grade spirit stones for a teleportation talisman, and cautiously changed into a new set of outer gate disciple robes before pinching the talisman and standing in Xianyun County.

As night fell, the sky still held the remnants of the sunset’s fiery clouds, while the sky above Xianyun County was a deep blue, with the red tiles still reflecting the lingering glow. Sounds of vendors, hawkers, and laughter filled the air. Some shops had already lit up their lamps in advance, casting colorful hues on the bluestone roads, creating a lively scene.

Going out to buy groceries at night was definitely not a good choice.

For fresh vegetables, it was best to pick them in the early morning. The vegetables harvested at that time would still have dewdrops trembling on them, fresh with soil.

With Kunwu Mountain Sect here, even this land and dew were imbued with spiritual energy. Ordinary people who ate them would naturally be healthier and live longer. Even the wandering cultivators, who had not yet transcended the mundane world, loved them.

And these vegetables were best bought from roadside vendors. By the time dusk fell, the farmers would have already returned home.

So Yu Xizhi could only walk into a grocery store that stocked rice, noodles, grains, and vegetables.

As a proper store, its standards were naturally higher than those of individual vendors. This place was originally the achievement of the previous county magistrate of Xianyun County, allowing the wives and daughters of officials and nobles to visit the grocery store, understand the livelihoods and crops, and experience the hardships of the farmers.

Of course, after the previous county magistrate was transferred, the grocery store was opened to the public.

There were always people who suddenly urgently needed something at dusk.

Sometimes it was an urgent need for onions, ginger, or garlic; sometimes it was suddenly short of a dish; or there were unexpected visitors at home, so they needed to add a dish at the last minute.

Grocery store prices naturally rose accordingly.

The shopkeeper had long developed insight and could tell at a glance what the person entering the threshold wanted and didn’t want.

The girl standing over there was wearing the Kunwu Mountain Sect’s Taoist robe, obviously an outer disciple, with the robe’s edges plain and without any decorations, most likely indicating that she hadn’t yet cultivated Qi.

Well, which Kunwu disciple, who had cultivated Qi, still needed to eat?

Having to personally come to buy groceries, not coming in the morning but choosing the evening instead, and picking vegetables with such skill, she was probably a lowly regarded outer disciple who only had time to slip away now.

The shopkeeper had his thoughts.

Yu Xizhi didn’t know what the shopkeeper thought; she picked vegetables meticulously but didn’t turn them over or especially check the roots of the leaves. She could tell good from bad at a glance and soon filled a basket with vegetables, then stood in front of the meat counter.

“Two pounds of pork hind leg, two pounds of pork foreleg, three pounds of ribs, two chickens, and five pounds of beef bones…”

She crisply listed the meat she wanted, then added, “Please slice the hind leg, cut the foreleg into strips, chop the ribs into small pieces, and debone the chicken.”

The butcher behind the meat counter twirled his knife in his hand. “That’ll cost extra.”

“Oh,” she breathed lightly, seemingly not expecting this, then asked after a moment, “How much extra?”

“Three spirit stones,” the shopkeeper, who had been watching with his hands in his pockets, answered this time, his round face smiling but carrying implications. “This…young Taoist, it’s your first time coming down the mountain, don’t you know the rules of our shop?”

—How could a poor outer disciple who works hard for every spirit stone save up a few? Asking for so much extra just to buy some meat, do you really think you’re an inner disciple favored by the sect?

But Yu Xizhi didn’t respond, seemingly oblivious to the round-faced shopkeeper’s sarcasm. After a moment of absent-mindedness, she suddenly asked, “What’s next door?”

The butcher instinctively replied, “It’s a noodle house.”

He thought to himself, Truly a country bumpkin coming down the mountain for the first time, not even knowing about the famous noodle house in Xianyun County.

Separated by a veiled hat, they couldn’t see the realization and joy on Yu Xizhi’s face. She couldn’t wait to turn around, then seemed to remember something and threw three spirit stones over. “Also, weigh three pounds of rice and three pounds of noodles. I’m going next door to eat noodles. After I finish, I’ll come back to settle the bill.”

The round-faced shopkeeper frowned slightly, thinking that even lower-grade spirit stones could be of good or bad quality, and he didn’t want bad spirit stones. Moreover, a prominent figure was visiting the noodle house next door today, and it wasn’t a place where you could just go and eat.

Before he could finish his thoughts, the spirit stones were already in his hand.

Three neatly stacked and beautiful top-grade spirit stones.

Looking up again, the girl’s robe had just disappeared at the door, and the soles of her shoes were spotless as she stepped over the threshold, leaving no trace of dust.