Nangong Xi’er suddenly began to cough violently. Mo Bai turned his head and asked, “Junior Sister, are you hurt?”
Nangong Xi’er shook her head. “It’s a long story.”
Su Baiyi hurriedly asked, “Brother Mo Bai, do you have any medicinal herbs here that can stabilize one’s true qi?”
Mo Bai thought for a moment. “Yes, yes, there should be Spring Life Dew Pills in the pharmacy. I’ll have someone fetch them right away.”
Su Baiyi nodded. “Thank you. Also, have any other disciples from the academy come here recently?”
Mo Bai shook his head. “No, you have only been here once in all these years, and the most recent time was when a few of our junior disciples came to escort the young sect master of Heavenly Dawn Cloud Realm to the academy.”
“Yes, it was Feng Zuojun! It seems he and Senior Brother Xie haven’t been here recently.” Su Baiyi nodded and looked at Nangong Xier. “Senior Sister, why don’t you go back to your room and rest up? Brother Mo Bai and I will go out and inquire about the situation.”
Nangong Xier nodded. “Thank you for your help.”
Mo Bai said to the maid standing next to him, “First, take Junior Sister Nangong to the guest room to rest, and then go to the pharmacy to get some Spring Life Dew Pills and bring them over.”
Nangong Xier stood up and left with the maid. Her true energy had not yet recovered, and the forced use of her sword that day had further aggravated her injuries. She had endured the journey, but upon entering the Moran Manor, she could no longer hold on.
“Do you like your Senior Sister?” Jimo Huaxue asked suddenly.
Su Baiyi blushed and waved his hands repeatedly. “Second sister-in-law, don’t joke! Don’t joke! She’s my senior sister!”
“So what if she’s your senior sister? I’ve even seen disciples marry their masters.” Jimo Huaxue said with a laugh.
Su Baiyi’s face turned even redder. “Second sister-in-law, please stop teasing me.”
“If you like her, you like her; if you don’t, you don’t. Why be so shy?” Jimo Huaxue walked over to Mo Bai and said, “Brother Mo, would you please take someone to inquire outside if any disciples from the academy have passed by recently? Also, please arrange a separate courtyard for me. I have something to discuss with Brother Su.”
“Understood, understood.” Mo Bai nodded repeatedly.
The back courtyard of Moran Manor.
Su Baiyi stood there respectfully holding his sword, while Jimo Huaxue sat on a stone bench, leisurely sipping tea.
“As I told you before, the reason your master didn’t teach you swordsmanship is because he didn’t know how to teach you.” Jimo Huaxue said slowly.
Su Baiyi immediately breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the Sword Immortal was not going to talk about love and affection again. He hurriedly nodded and said, “Yes, Second Sister-in-law, what sword technique are you going to teach me? Is it the ‘Treading Waves with the Sword’ technique you used before?”
“That’s not a sword technique, it’s just something I did on the spur of the moment. Before we practice swordsmanship, I have a few questions for you.” Jimo Huaxue asked.
Su Baiyi lowered his head and said, “Ask away.”
“Why are you so eager to learn swordsmanship now?” Jimo Huaxue asked. “You followed your master for over ten years. Although Brother Xie’s swordsmanship is just average, there aren’t many people in the martial world who are stronger than him. Why weren’t you so eager back then?”
“Back then, every day in Apricot Blossom Village was just about reading books, writing, and drinking apricot blossom wine. It felt like learning swordsmanship wouldn’t be of much use. The wine wouldn’t taste any sweeter, and I’d still be short on money…” Su Baiyi scratched his head and laughed sheepishly.
“Then why do you want to learn swordsmanship now?” Jimo Huaxue asked again.
Su Baiyi suddenly knelt on one knee, clasped his fists respectfully towards Jimo Huaxue, and said solemnly, “My master is currently trapped on Mount Weilong. I don’t ask that you help me rescue him, Second Sister-in-law, but I only wish to master swordsmanship as soon as possible so that I can save him myself!”
“So you want to save your master.” Jimo Huaxue smiled.
Su Baiyi nodded. “I do. My master told me to go up the mountain to discuss this matter with the Confucian Sage, but he wasn’t there. I wanted to wait for him, but my senior sister dragged me down the mountain. Now that I think about it, instead of passively waiting for the Sage’s help, it’s better to improve my swordsmanship. That way, I’ll have a better chance of saving my master in the future.”
“You care deeply for your master?” Jimo Huaxue said softly.
“My master is the only family I have in this world,” Su Baiyi said in a deep voice.
“Get up.” Jimo Huaxue walked over and helped Su Baiyi to his feet. “Don’t worry. You’ll have more family in the future, like your senior sister…”
“Second sister-in-law, you’re joking again.” Su Baiyi, who had just been stirred with a bit of sadness by Jimo Huaxue, couldn’t help but smile wryly.
Jimo Huaxue smiled. “I’m not joking. I mean, you consider your master as family, and your senior sister is your master’s daughter, so aren’t you family?”
Su Baiyi said helplessly, “Do Sword Immortals enjoy teasing people so much?”
“Naturally.” Jimo Huaxue turned around, and the long sword at her waist suddenly left its scabbard. It spun in the air before thrusting towards Su Baiyi. Su Baiyi stumbled and fell to the ground, the tip of the sword stopping just a hair’s breadth from his brow.
“I like this kind of teasing.”
Su Baiyi exclaimed in amazement, “Second sister-in-law, how can you control your sword without even moving your hand?”
“Because others are swordsmen, while I am a Sword Immortal.” Jimo Huaxue raised her eyebrows.
“Second sister-in-law, you’re showing off.” Su Baiyi gently tried to move the sword away with his fingers. But as he moved it an inch away, it came back an inch. After a few attempts, he finally gave up.
“Hold this sword,” Jimo Huaxue suddenly said.
Su Baiyi was taken aback for a moment, then he reached around the sword and grasped the hilt with his right hand. “What’s the name of your sword, Second Sister-in-law?”
“Nameless,” Jimo Huaxue said lightly.
“Nameless?” Su Baiyi asked in confusion.
“A sword is a sword, why does it need a name? If you’ve become a Sword Immortal, why would you still worry about whether your sword is famous or not?” Jimo Huaxue’s tone carried a hint of disdain. “Stick the sword into the ground, then press down on the hilt. Turn it clockwise three times, then counterclockwise three times, and finally lift the hilt.”
Su Baiyi followed Jimo Huaxue’s instructions step by step. With a final forceful upward pull, he found himself holding only an empty hilt. The blade had clattered to the ground. “Oh no, oh no, oh no! I broke the Sword Immortal’s sword!”
“Su Baiyi!” Jimo Huaxue suddenly snapped.
Su Baiyi froze. “I… I’m sorry.”
“I’ll ask you one last time. Why do you practice the sword?” Jimo Huaxue said, enunciating each word carefully.
“To save my master,” Su Baiyi looked nervously at the sword hilt in his hand.
“Can your ambition for practicing swordsmanship be a little bigger? If, in the future, your senior sister loses all her power and someone tries to kill her, would you protect her or not?” Jimo Huaxue shook her head.
“Of course I would!”
“What if my Sword Immortal cultivation was abolished and I was being hunted?”
“Of course I would draw my sword and fight to the death with them!”
“Answer me one more time.” Jimo Huaxue took a deep breath. “Why do you practice the sword?”
“To protect, to protect all the people I care about.” Su Baiyi suddenly felt an intense pressure. At this moment, Jimo Huaxue was no longer his sister-in-law, but a true Sword Immortal. The entire courtyard was filled with sword energy, making it difficult for him to even stand up straight. He didn’t know why Jimo Huaxue had suddenly become so serious.
Upon hearing this answer, Jimo Huaxue still shook her head disapprovingly. “Too small, too small. Can your ambition be any bigger?”
“How big does it need to be…” Su Baiyi’s voice was tinged with a hint of tears.
“How about… upholding righteousness in the world?” Jimo Huaxue raised her head to look at the sky.
Su Baiyi was taken aback for a moment, then subconsciously replied, “Isn’t that a bit cliché?”
“Yes, such clichéd slogans, like the lines out of those timeless novels, are full of righteousness but also hollow. Do you know why people like to mock these slogans and those who say them?” Jimo Huaxue lightly tapped her foot and stood in front of Su Baiyi. Their eyes met, only inches apart.
Su Baiyi blushed, murmuring to himself, “Too close, way too close.”
Jimo Huaxue took a step back and gently raised her hand. Su Baiyi’s hand, gripping the sword hilt, involuntarily lifted as well.
“They mock because they can’t achieve it themselves.” Jimo Huaxue turned around, her red robe fluttering without any wind. “Upholding righteousness in the world, that ambition is indeed too grand for you now, but I hope that one day, when you are capable enough to shoulder it, you won’t forget it. Because that was once the ambition of Grand Palace Master Su Han. Now, turn that sword hilt upside down. Inside, you’ll find the technique I want to teach you.”
“This… this is…” Su Baiyi looked at the object inside the sword hilt in astonishment.