Chapter 52

Sheng Ningyu did not return directly to her residence at Yunwang Palace.

In high spirits today, the disciples of Jian Ge invited them to travel together, and Sheng Ningyu gladly accepted.

The disciples of Sword Pavilion lived in Xia Shijing's Heavenly Pride Pavilion. The disciples greeted each other along the way, and the group grew larger and larger.

They finally arrived at their residence in Jian Ge. The group, who had been laughing and joking, unconsciously held their breath and fell silent.

After all, this is the Sword Pavilion!

No prefix is ​​needed; the Sword Pavilion is unique in the entire world, one of a kind.

However, as the ethereal dream began to swirl and linger around them, the disciples' expressions gradually relaxed.

Led by Feng Jiutian, who appeared out of nowhere, many Phoenix Clan Silver Bamboo Honey Drinks were placed on the Spirit Water Dream Floating Life. The disciples all paid out of their own pockets. The climax of the event occurred when a disciple of Qingniao Yiyehua raised his hand and a white porcelain jar landed on the water stream formed by spiritual energy.

“This is…” A disciple sniffed it in confusion, then turned around in shock, “This is ‘Full House of Flowers’?!”

"Drinking alcohol is prohibited within the Qingyi Academy!"

"But breaking palace rules once in a while isn't a big deal, is it?"

"Fifty recitations of palace rules, exchanged for a moment of pleasure—it's worth it!"

"This wine smells really good..."

In just a few words, everyone had already made their decision.

They cheered, and everyone relaxed.

"Hiss! How can you drink spiritual tea like that? It's like a cow chewing on a peony!"

"That's fine enough." A disciple slammed his fist on the table in anguish. "What's wrong with your Cloud Gazing Palace? Why did you make such a bitter pastry look like a sweet honey cake?!"

This was Yao Youling's idea. Seeing that someone had taken the bait, the boy was extremely satisfied. He chuckled and high-fived his accomplice Jin Xianyao next door.

"All's fair in war! Who told you to always think that we medical cultivators are useless?"

The man, overwhelmed by the bitterness, drank four more bowls of Silver Bamboo Drink and complained to Yuan Shuhe, "Senior Brother Yuan, look at him!"

Yuan Shuhe put down his wine and explained earnestly, "This pastry is made from the finest spiritual herbs. Although it tastes bitter, it can relieve fatigue and clear blockages in the meridians..."

Sheng Ningyu listened with great interest.

On the other side, a disciple of the Half-Wall Sect raised his hand and threw out a series of fireworks. Ji Qingwu watched intently from the side. Sheng Ningyu thought for a moment, asked her for a few golden jade beads, poured spiritual energy into the golden jade beads, and threw them upwards, instantly fixing the dazzling fireworks in the air, causing them to bloom again and again.

Under the setting sun, the green tiles and red eaves are ablaze with light, and the sky is ablaze with dazzling colors.

The disciples cheered, and Sheng Ningyu mingled among them with a smile, gathered her robes, and quietly retreated to the side of the crowd.

It's getting windy and a bit chilly.

As the fireworks fell, their light suddenly illuminated the faces of each disciple, and the flickering, thin flames made their joyful expressions bright.

In an instant, it was like the lingering warmth of a broken dream flowing by.

Sheng Ningyu squinted at it for a while, then smiled, gathered her outer robe, turned around, and slowly walked out.

The layout of the rebuilt Qingyi Academy has not changed much.

Sheng Ningyu passed through the pavilions and towers that seemed like floating boats in a dream, and bypassed many crisscrossing paths with green tiles, until she arrived at a pond.

Surrounded by clear water, mist rises.

It resembles the Autumn Pond and Cold Jade Pool of Jianmen Pass.

Just as Sheng Ningyu was beginning to feel a pang of nostalgia for the past, a black and white shadow swiftly swept across the lake, charging straight toward her with a speed that was both fierce and agile!

Sheng Ningyu had anticipated this.

She immediately took a step back and fell to the ground before the crane's wing could strike her face.

The little black crane's eyes were full of confusion. Its outstretched wings came to an abrupt halt. Seeing Sheng Ningyu lying on the ground, it seemed extremely worried. It stretched its neck and approached Sheng Ningyu in a strange and convoluted manner.

Sheng Ningyu patted its head, her pale face feigning weakness: "Dahuang, you're too heavy. You can't bump into me anymore, okay?"

Crane: "Caw caw! Caw caw caw caw!"

Sheng Ningyu rolled up her sleeves and presented her scarred wrist to Da Huang. She coughed weakly a few times and said in a barely audible voice, "Hey, it's not that I didn't want to see you. I was trapped there. It's so dark and I can't get out. I can't come to see you."

"Gah!"

"Kill? You don't need to lift a finger, I'll handle it myself."

Sheng Ningyu suddenly laughed. She tentatively reached out and hugged the murderous crane. Seeing that it did not refuse, she rubbed her cheek against its soft and slender neck. With her left hand, she took out a sweet cake that she had just taken from the Dream of Floating Life from her Star River Pouch.

Sheng Ningyu has always liked furry things, and at this moment she patiently coaxed the crane: "But during this time, I probably won't be able to come to see you often, and you shouldn't always think about coming to see me. After I've dealt with these matters, I... I will come to see you."

As for whether she could return to Jian Ge, she couldn't guarantee it.

Quickly appease Big Yellow, lest he lose control again the next time he sees her. It would be troublesome if too many people discovered this before the Ghost Cang Tower opened.

Sheng Ningyu looked lovingly at the crane in her arms, extended her hand forward, and patted its head: "Eat."

"Gah!!!"

Sheng Ningyu was suddenly knocked away by it. Caught off guard, she felt dizzy and was about to fall backward!

At this moment, her spiritual bones were incomplete, and her grasp of spiritual power was far less precise than before. She dared not recklessly use her spiritual power, and fearing that she might startle Da Huang upon first sight, she grabbed at random. She did not intend to grab anything, but to her surprise, she actually caught a piece of soft clothing.

My peripheral vision swept over that sleeve, and then suddenly there was no sound.

The blue shirt had a black and white yin-yang symbol pattern tattooed around the cuffs.

A gentleman of noble character, with a graceful figure like a bamboo stalk, sat upright in his wheelchair, quietly watching her.

I don't know how long I watched it.

Sheng Ningyu's mind went blank for a moment, and she subconsciously tried to let go, but her left hand still held the pastry, and the crumbs fell all over the knees of the person below.

Sheng Ningyu: "..."

It's over.

It's all over.

Putting everything else aside, Sheng Ningyu knew how clean this junior brother was.

Perhaps because of his good family background and his childhood illness, he was very much loved by his family before he entered the sect. After entering the Sword Pavilion, apart from a few times when they competed in swords, the last time he saw Yang Xiuzhu in such a sorry state was that night in the pear blossom rain.

Sheng Ningyu felt a chill run through her heart, realizing that her already precarious relationship with Yang Xiuzhu had been further damaged.

Haha, I just hope that Junior Brother Yang won't be like Ning Jiao, who readily uses the puppet's strings and treats human life like dirt.

"Big Yellow only eats sweet cakes."

Lost in thought, Sheng Ningyu grabbed Da Huang by the neck and said in a daze, "What I gave you was sweet cake."

The next second after those words left her mouth, Sheng Ningyu suddenly realized something was wrong. She saw the man reach out a finger, pick up a crumb from his knee, and put it into his mouth without a care.

"Senior sister."

Yang Xiuzhu put down his hand and said, slowly and deliberately, "This cake is bitter."

His expression was cold, seemingly devoid of any emotion towards the person in front of him, yet his gaze was distinctly different.

Throughout the entire process, Yang Xiuzhu's gaze never left Sheng Ningyu's face.

It was just like that rainy night.

Sheng Ningyu's heart skipped a beat.

That night, however, she was carefree and unburdened by anything, able to sit freely in her wheelchair, shoulder to shoulder with Yang Xiuzhu, enjoying the rain over Jian Ge all night.

But now, her position is awkward, and she is also involved in an old conspiracy, so that if she does one thing, it will have far-reaching consequences.

Why did he recognize her?

He shouldn't have recognized her.

Sheng Ningyu lowered her eyes: "I think I took the wrong one. Please forgive me, Elder Yang."

She turned to leave, but Big Yellow, who was being held by the neck, wouldn't let her.

The crane, not getting any delicious pastries, became extremely dissatisfied and tugged at her sleeve.

As the fabric was pulled, the crisscrossing scars on his right wrist were clearly visible.

Yang Xiuzhu's eyelashes trembled, and her hands, which were resting on her knees, suddenly clenched her sleeves.

He remembered that Senior Sister Sheng's tastes were different from those of Qingya in Jian Ge. She liked to eat extremely sour plums and extremely sweet honey flower cakes with five times the amount of sugar.

Yang Xiuzhu didn't know where her lotus-shaped honey cake came from, but when he lost a match on the sword-practice stage and was feeling dejected, his senior sister handed him one.

That time, Yang Xiuzhu lost control for once and drank an unknown amount of spiritual tea to suppress the cloyingly bitter taste in his mouth.

He looked at Sheng Ningyu hesitantly: "Why is this pastry so sweet?"

Sheng Ningyu lifted her robe and sat down on the spot. While eating the pastries with a normal expression, she sighed at him, "You don't even know how to appreciate such delicious pastries. You really don't deserve to eat pastries!"

Yang Xiuzhu paused, slowly lowered her hand, pursed her lips, and felt a bitter taste in the sweetness of the pastry.

"Senior sister, you don't need to comfort me."

The words of those disciples echoed in Yang Xiuzhu's mind once again.

Clutching the pastries in his hand, he looked at the wood chips scattered on the ground and slowly said, "They weren't wrong. I am indeed in a wheelchair, and I am indeed a useless person who lost to them."

He truly is unworthy to wield a sword.

Because of his frail health and disability, Yang Xiuzhu was always pampered at home, and everyone treated him with utmost care. From childhood to adulthood, he had witnessed his parents' deep worry about his legs.

After a few times, he stopped showing weakness and confusion in front of them.

But the confusion in his heart did not disappear; instead, it grew stronger, like a ship lost at sea in a foggy day, wandering alone and hesitant, unable to find its way home.

Sheng Ningyu raised her eyebrows nonchalantly and tossed the sweet fruit in her hand: "Instead of believing them, you should believe me."

The first part was casual, but the second part was heartbreaking.

Yang Xiuzhu remained unmoved.

He lowered his eyes to look at the honey flower cake in his hand and slowly said, "Senior sister is joking."

"How can pastries and swords be the same?"

He was like a lost child in the wilderness, unable to find his way back or see where he was going.

Until it was broken by someone.

"Why not?"

Sheng Ningyu laughed.

She leaped to her feet, clapped her hands, and drew her sword.

The sword's momentum and immense spiritual power descended together, instantly pulverizing the wooden sword that Yang Xiuzhu had just broken, along with the sharp stones that had rubbed his knees and elbows until they bled!

The sword in his hand exuded an untamed and unrestrained arrogance that no one in the world could suppress, and the halo formed by spiritual energy resembled a bright moon at this moment.

Sheng Ningyu turned her head to the side.

"Junior brother, do you know what the character '凝' in my name means?"

Yang Xiuzhu stared blankly at the bright moon behind her, which was filled with spiritual energy and rose together with the broken stones and wood chips. After a moment of hesitation, she shook her head slightly.

“My ‘concentration’ is the ‘concentration’ of a sage who is not attached to things.”

Sheng Ningyu curled her lips, her brows revealing undisguised sharp arrogance. "Heaven creates all things, and all things are at my command."

Surrounded by spiritual energy, the woman wore a snow-white dress, a lotus crown on her head, and her black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, making her look like a celestial being.

Yang Xiuzhu stared intently at her, then suddenly asked, "Then what does the 'jade' in Senior Sister's name mean?"

"Oh, this character means 'a house full of gold and jade'."

Sheng Ningyu adopted a lazy demeanor again. She took out a wheelchair from her Star River Pouch and sat down next to Yang Xiuzhu.

Under the moonlight, fellow disciples chatted idly.

"Don't listen to those people outside praising me, saying things like 'bright as the moon' or 'a genius.' Actually, I'm just a very ordinary person."

The boy interrupted so urgently for the first time: "Senior sister, you mustn't talk nonsense!"

"Oh, okay, really, you're just like that person, you can't stand hearing these things."

Sheng Ningyu raised her hands to beg for mercy, while muttering under her breath.

Yang Xiuzhu looked down at her legs.

He knew he was unworthy, but he couldn't help asking in a low voice, "Who is it?"

"I can't say right now." Sheng Ningyu laughed, as if she had remembered something interesting, and her sharp and shrewd face softened considerably in an instant.

"I will definitely find an opportunity to introduce you to each other in the future."

...

But even this bright and outgoing senior sister couldn't taste the pastries at this moment.

Yang Xiuzhu kept staring at Sheng Ningyu, making Sheng Ningyu stiff and unable to move.

She opened her mouth, wanting to defend herself, but felt it was all too weak and ineffective.

No matter what, Sheng Ningyu couldn't bring herself to say "Junior Brother." She released the crane from her grasp and used the movement to turn around.

"It's nothing serious."

But what's meant to happen will happen.

With her back to Yang Xiuzhu, Sheng Ningyu sighed silently and said cruelly, "I'm sorry, I deceived you in the past and failed to find a good remedy for you..."

"My senior sister lied to me."

The wheelchair made a turning sound and stopped beside Sheng Ningyu.

"But not this one."

Sheng Ningyu's heart sank further. Before she could speak, Yang Xiuzhu continued, "Senior Sister, do you still remember what my sword is called?"

Whether it was a misperception or not, Yang Xiuzhu, who was always slow and deliberate, spoke these words quickly and urgently, as if she was eager to know something.

Sheng Ningyu certainly remembered, and she said without hesitation: "The Ditch Sword was taken from a huge rock in the wilderness. It is extremely tough and unshakeable."

Yang Xiuzhu slightly curled the corners of her mouth.

"Senior sister still remembers?"

So that's what it was about.

Sheng Ningyu breathed a sigh of relief, then tentatively asked with a hint of joking, "The noble spirit stands tall on the high platform, the swordsmanship within the stone is like bamboo. Elder Yang's name resounds throughout the world, his Dao heart is precious and as firm as a rock, who doesn't know him, who doesn't recognize him?"

However, this time, Yang Xiuzhu stopped laughing.

He said quietly, "You're wrong."

The next second, spiritual energy surged up like a whirlwind.

Caught off guard by the sudden surge of spiritual energy, Sheng Ningyu instinctively turned her head away.

It turned out that Yang Xiuzhu, who was standing next to him, had drawn the Ditch Sword.

His sword, like him, was completely black, without a single pattern, showing no trace of embellishment, and as ordinary as a roadside rock.

“Senior Sister,” he said, “my Dao heart has never been a rock.”

The interplay of light and shadow fell upon Yang Xiuzhu's face, and in the flickering light, it seemed as if something that had been suppressed was flowing out.

Sheng Ningyu stared blankly at him.

She chose her words carefully and said softly, "After what happened in Hehuan City, I promised you..."

The unfinished words were drowned out by the noise.

Not far away, the disciples of the academy were talking about something, and burst into laughter. The sounds of their playful banter reached my ears, both distant and familiar.

Overhead, fireworks burst forth in dazzling splendor, igniting a corner of the dark night, while falling stars scattered across the black curtain, creating a night that never sleeps.

However, there are things that shine brighter than the stars.

Under the moonlight, the black sword shimmered with light.

Yang Xiuzhu thought back to the past when he felt as insignificant as an ant, unworthy to be a disciple of the Sword Pavilion, unworthy to be a disciple of the Sword Venerable, unworthy to be... her junior brother.

Therefore, he suppressed his admiration for her, fearing that his respect for such a flawed and eccentric person would embarrass her in front of others, and dared not reveal it in the slightest.

He longed to achieve great success, to have his name resound throughout the Three Realms, to be able to escape this wheelchair and, like a normal cultivator, travel the world with his senior sister, roaming freely and practicing chivalry...

He's overthinking things.

But in the end, his senior sister was completely unaware.

She was even afraid of him, and even... even felt guilty towards him.

Yang Xiuzhu lowered her eyes.

How ridiculous.

Behind him, the Ditch Sword soared into the air, its spiritual power transforming into a sky full of starlight, while the tip of the sword outlined a full moon that almost covered the entire Tianjiao Pavilion.

As the light shimmered, it fell like gold and jade from the sky, overshadowing the dazzling night sky not far away, and was reflected in those glass-like eyes.

Yang Xiuzhu laughed silently.

He reached out and grabbed Sheng Ningyu's sleeve without the slightest hesitation, just as he had imagined a thousand times in his mind.

"Senior sister."

Sixty years later, he finally mustered up the courage to say the words he had simulated a million times in front of her.

The rock remains unmoved.

From beginning to end, it always has been.

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Author's Note: The "ditch" in "Ditch Sword" is taken from the meaning of wilderness.

It was like a small bamboo stalk about to break in the wilderness, encountering his moonlight.

It's a little late, but it's the weekend!

This chapter also includes 24-hour red envelopes!