Chapter 300

At midday, the Qingxu Valley was far from bustling.

Layers of forested peaks blocked the sky, shading the valley and dimming the bright sunlight from above.

Only a few beams of light filtered through the gaps in the trees, thin and scattered.

With the faint halo of the sun now sifted through the leaves, all that remained were hazy shadows that did nothing to illuminate the valley, instead adding a subtle, misty sense of ambiguity.

Gently opening the window, he could see a timid bird perched on a branch.

Its round body suddenly stirred, causing the leaves to rustle as the branch swayed.

Under the tremor, a leaf slowly floated down.

It wasn’t until he caught sight of the leaf’s yellowed edges that Wen Hemian suddenly realized that autumn had arrived without him noticing.

The Qingxu Valley was always quiet, rarely disturbed by outsiders.

Yet today, hurried footsteps echoed through the valley.

He looked up in surprise, seeing a familiar figure.

The disciples of the Xuanxu Sword Sect all knew that Elder Jiang Xing had long resided in Qingxu Valley, marking it as a forbidden place, off-limits to all.

In truth, upon reflection, most people likely stayed away not out of fear or reverence but rather out of sympathy for a fallen genius.

But Wen Hemian despised sympathy the most.

In the past, such emotions would never have been directed at him.

He had once been so proud, but when unexpected misfortune struck during the war between immortals and demons, every time he encountered those hesitant, pitying gazes, he could hardly suppress his overwhelming disgust.

Those eyes made it painfully clear that, to them, Wen Hemian was now nothing more than a worthless failure.

And though that was, indeed, the truth.

Thankfully, Qingxu Valley was sparsely populated, allowing him to avoid such looks.

These days, the only people who still kept in contact with him were a few elders from the sect and a handful of old friends.

…And a strange little girl.

And today, they all appeared together outside his house.

Wen Hemian blinked in surprise.

“Oh my, Brother Wen! What a coincidence today!”

Tian Xianzi spotted him right away, grinning foolishly without a hint of elder dignity.

“It’s like we’re connected! Come, come, let me introduce you to my little disciple, Ning Ning—remember that spiritual herb we talked about? She’s the one who picked it!”

Ning Ning, who had caused mischief here multiple times before, now felt a bit awkward standing in front of Wen Hemian, especially with her master leading her.

Sensing his surprised gaze, she forced herself to put on a justified expression and met the frail youth’s eyes.

“Greetings, Elder Jiang Xing.”

“Ning Ning was severely injured in the Demon Refining Tower. She has been recovering in solitude since returning from Luan City, so it’s only today that we’ve been able to bring her to see you,” Ji Yunkai said.

He had to tilt his head up to meet Wen Hemian’s eyes, and despite putting on a serious expression, his soft, rosy face still showed no hint of authority.

He continued with a light cough, “Thanks to her bringing back the Lingshu spiritual herb, the only ingredient left to heal your body is the Lone Moon Lotus.”

Wen Hemian’s eyes flickered as he quietly shifted his gaze to the little girl standing not far away.

She seemed much quieter and more obedient now, compared to the previous times he had seen her, especially in the company of her master and the other elders.

And he could clearly feel that the immaturity and confusion on her face had faded, replaced by a sharper edge.

She now resembled a maturing sword cultivator, far more than the reckless girl he once knew.

He had been secretly following the progress of the Ten Methods Assembly and had often waited in the woods where they had previously met after it ended.

Unfortunately, he had never caught sight of Ning Ning again.

Instead, he had heard from Tian Xianzi that a young disciple had obtained the Lingshu spiritual herb in the Demon Refining Tower and was willing to give it to him freely.

He had assumed that the girl had lost interest in a cripple like him, never suspecting that she had been the one to risk her life to obtain the herb.

It felt as though fate had played a cruel joke on him, and the gloomy frustration in his heart suddenly dissipated.