Chapter 89

Sheng Ningyu really didn't understand.

He gently closed her hand, perhaps out of consideration for the scar on her wrist, so it wasn't forceful, but it carried an undeniable firmness.

Her hand was firmly held in a cold palm, the pressure perfectly controlled so as not to cause her pain, but also to prevent her from having any chance to break free.

Xie Qianjing clearly didn't want her to leave at all.

But if that's the case, then why say that?

Staying is not necessarily a bad thing.

Are you kidding me?

Sheng Ningyu was certain that if she really chose to stay this time, Xie Qianjing wouldn't interfere, but given his strange and eccentric thought process, he would probably start getting angry quietly again.

Sheng Ningyu had noticed this earlier: Xie Qianjing sometimes acted like a refined young lady from a noble family, with elegant and graceful manners, yet she would always get inexplicably angry, making her completely unpredictable. He always liked to misinterpret her meaning and ask strange questions over and over again.

They are just like the Qingqiu fox clan in the mountains and fields who take advantage of their beautiful appearance and become spoiled.

Even a fluffy little fox, if it clings to you for too long, Sheng Ningyu will eventually turn cold and angry.

Sheng Ningyu glanced at Xie Qianjing, not angry at the moment, but amused. True to her nature, she instinctively wanted to tease him and ask, "Do you really want me to stay?"

But when she met Xie Qianjing's gaze, Sheng Ningyu paused.

Although those eyes still curved with a gentle arc, they were extremely cold and desolate. The gentle light that was once like spring water had frozen into ice in silence.

An invisible barrier rose between him and her, a chill rising from their fingertips, a silent and aloofness enveloping them both.

They were clearly standing side by side, their clothes almost touching, yet they seemed separated by thousands of mountains and rivers, amidst the lingering snow.

He still smiled, but the smile was hollow, not reaching his eyes, like thin ice on a deep pool. Even if one went forward, one could only embrace a body full of ice and snow. A red mark on his brow burned brightly, which suddenly reminded Sheng Ningyu of the fire on the three thousand steps in her memory.

Sheng Ningyu replied almost without thinking: "What kind of joke are you making now?"

She casually brushed aside Xie Qianjing's words, but instead tightened her grip on his hand. Feeling his fingers suddenly stiffen, Sheng Ningyu didn't hesitate at all.

This time, she would never abandon him.

Sheng Ningyu turned to Rong Que and said, "Second Senior Brother, we'll take our leave first. If we meet again someday..." Sheng Ningyu paused, her mind first thinking of Yan Wurong, then of the unfinished business between herself and Ning Jiao. She remained silent for a moment, then shook her head with a wry smile.

What's the point of saying so much and making so many plans?

In this world, everything is busy and full of uncertainties. When can things truly go smoothly and as desired?

Sheng Ningyu smiled freely and said with a relaxed expression, "At that time, whatever the acting pavilion master does, that's how it should be."

The "Second Senior Brother" was transformed into the "Acting Pavilion Master".

Such a form of address, however, is yet another step further.

Rong Que did not respond.

A gentle breeze caressed their faces, lifting their thin clothes and revealing the tightly clasped fingers of the two villains opposite them, so tightly intertwined that there wasn't a single gap between them.

Rong Que suddenly realized that his junior sister was not so heartless after all.

People say the bright moon hangs high, shining silently. The bright moon shines straight in, its intent unfathomable.

It turns out that even the high and mighty moon, when it has something to admire, will speak up and when it is moved, it will also develop biases and go to one person.

For one person.

The only person.

Why...why

Seeing that Rong Que remained silent for a long time, Sheng Ningyu assumed he agreed. Fearing that any further words from him would disturb her peace of mind, she simply channeled her spiritual power in front of Rong Que, intending to leave directly with Xie Qianjing.

As the spiritual energy surged, thousands of jade hairpins flew everywhere in the courtyard.

The pure white petals were swept up into the sky by the violent vortex, turning into a rain of flowers that fell softly as if snow were falling from the sky.

Amidst the fluttering petals, the two departing figures, their robes overlapping, seemed poised to disappear into the depths of the flowing light at any moment.

Rong Que did not stop him. He simply watched, then abruptly looked away and caught a pure white petal in his hand.

He twirled the soft flower and suddenly spoke: "Mingyue, I have indeed been searching for the Sword Master's spirit bone these days, but it is not yours."

"Second Senior Brother."

A cold voice fell, abruptly cutting off Rong Que's unfinished words.

The voice no longer carried laughter, nor did it possess any trace of its former warmth or human touch; it was as cold and distant as the first snowflake to form at the dawn of creation.

At the same time, Sheng Ningyu stopped halfway and hovered in mid-air.

Before her was the rift in the barrier that Xie Qianjing had broken open, and countless rays of brilliant sunlight streamed in from outside. Behind her were Rong Que's unfinished words and his eyes filled with unspeakable sorrow.

The gentle and affectionate "Mingyue" from Rong Que was still lingering in her ears when, in this moment of dilemma, Sheng Ningyu suddenly raised the corners of her lips.

"As you said, I can choose not to ask about those things you just mentioned, or I can choose not to know them."

Sheng Ningyu turned her head slightly.

Outside the barrier, the intense sunlight swept across, its dazzling, almost sharp rays clearly outlining Sheng Ningyu's features. The wooden sword at her waist seemed to sense something and emitted a hum, as if it would tear this world apart in the next instant.

"Therefore, now, I only have one last sentence left."

"Is my natal sword truly always called 'Flawless'?"

...

Sheng Ningyu had already harbored doubts about the name of her natal sword as early as when she was in the Ghost Cang Tower.

Sheng Ningyu always believed that her natal sword was named Wuque (Flawless).

And just as she knew, in the idle chatter of those teahouses and alleys, people all called her sword "Moon Without Flaws".

With a flawless palm, I question the ways of Heaven; my body is the bright moon standing atop the clouds.

As everyone knows, sixty years ago, the sword of the Bright Moon Sword Master, "Flawless," was extremely sharp, and his swordsmanship was flawless and perfect.

The Flawless Sword is a famous sword known to everyone in the Three Realms.

After waking up, Sheng Ningyu discovered that her memory was incomplete. She doubted everything, but she never doubted that the name of her natal sword was wrong.

All of this seems to prove that her natal sword is not named "Flawless".

It all sounds unbelievable, but if this hypothesis is true, then everything that happened after she woke up can be explained.

Ordinary sword cultivators cherish their swords as if they were their own lives, let alone their natal swords. If even the slightest bit of their swords were destroyed, they would feel excruciating pain.

However, after Sheng Ningyu woke up, although she felt regret and heartache about her "Flawless Sword" being destroyed sixty years ago, she did not feel any more emotions.

This is not right.

"What are you thinking about?"

Sheng Ningyu suddenly turned around and saw Xie Qianjing entering from outside.

He gently placed a plate of candied fruit covered in amber-colored syrup on the wooden table, and then pushed a white jade bowl filled with emerald-green medicinal herbs in front of Sheng Ningyu.

The bottom of the bowl made a crisp sound when it touched the table.

For example, at this moment, Sheng Ningyu is in a wooden house. Looking out the window, there is not a trace of greenery, only white snow covering the rugged rocks, which exude an ancient loneliness under the cold sunlight.

At first glance, the two seem somewhat similar, and some might even compare them. However, Sheng Ningyu knows that their personalities are worlds apart.

Second Senior Brother Rong Que truly lives up to his title of "First Young Master." He is as beautiful and gentle as a jade hairpin in spring, and his every step is graceful and elegant.

As for Xie Qianjing... even though he always smiles with his eyes curved now, there is still a chilling coldness beneath that gentle, spring-like gaze.

Like snow on a mountain peak, it is aloof and cold.

Dust settles and light emerges, untouched by the world's grime.

I wonder who would compare these two people.

Sheng Ningyu curled her lips, picked up a piece of candied fruit, and said without looking to the side, "I'm thinking about what my sword should be called."

Xie Qianjing sat down beside her, tilting his head as if intrigued.

"You don't believe what Immortal Rong Que said?"

Just a second before they left, Rong Que answered Sheng Ningyu's question.

"As far as I know, and as far as the world knows, my junior sister's sword is named 'Flawless'."

Sheng Ningyu tilted her head strangely: "Is it strange that I don't believe him?"

Xie Qianjing lowered his eyes and chuckled softly. He poured her a cup of spiritual tea and then picked up the bowl of spiritual medicine in front of her: "Of course it's strange."

Sheng Ningyu almost took a bite of the candied fruit, but after hearing Xie Qianjing's words, she moved the candied fruit away and looked up, puzzled, asking, "What's strange about it?"

Xie Qianjing said, "It's different from those rumors."

"What rumor?"

"Immortal Rong Que of Sword Pavilion and Sword Venerable Mingyue have an extremely good relationship, as close as family." Xie Qianjing raised the last syllable of his voice and said slowly, "Some people have also said that Sword Venerable Guihai intended to arrange a marriage between the two of them back then."

engagement?

The master arranged it for them? And it was for her and her second senior brother?!

Sheng Ningyu couldn't catch her breath and coughed violently. She finally caught her breath, but she still couldn't stop laughing so hard she was shaking.

"What is all this?"

She noticed that Xie Qianjing's hand was still lightly supporting her from behind, so she took advantage of the situation and leaned back, resting her head gently on his shoulder.

Xie Qianjing paused almost imperceptibly, lowered his eyes to look at the fluffy head on his shoulder, his emotions flickering in his eyes, but he ultimately remained silent.

The tassels gently clattered, and the black hair rubbed against the fabric, creating a soft sound. Outside, the white snow swirled and fell, while inside, the candlelight flickered brightly, all intertwining to create a tender and ambiguous atmosphere.

Sheng Ningyu gazed lazily outside, reminiscing about the past.

“When I was young, my second senior brother taught me a lot. He was both my teacher and friend, and we were truly inseparable for many years. But after my junior sister joined the sect, we became much more distant. As for the so-called ‘marriage agreement,’ it’s utter nonsense!”

As Sheng Ningyu spoke, she found it increasingly absurd.

Ning Guihai, that old man, is clearly biased.

In the past, Sheng Ningyu was his most talented disciple, but she was not the disciple whom the Returning Sea Sword Master liked the most.

His favorite and most favored disciple was Ning... Ning Jiao, who joined the sect later.

Sheng Ningyu thought that it was probably because of her precedent that Guihai Sword Master had Rong Que take care of Ning Jiao after she entered the sect, hoping that Ning Jiao could also show her talent like her.

However, it's clear that the old man made a mistake this time.

Regardless, as the most talented disciple under Guihai Sword Master, even if he wasn't the most favored, Sheng Ningyu was certain that Guihai Sword Master still cared for her.

But the treatment the second senior brother received...

Sheng Ningyu was unwilling to gossip about others behind their backs. She held the candied fruit carefully and picked out some things to tell Xie Qianjing: "Master is sometimes really arbitrary in his actions... In short, in Master's eyes, my second senior brother and I are absolutely not a good match."

Xie Qianjing's eyelashes fluttered, he made a "hmm" sound, and suddenly raised his hand, pressing the warm medicine bowl against Sheng Ningyu's lips without warning.

Sheng Ningyu's eyes widened in surprise. Just as she was about to turn her head away, she felt her chin being gently lifted by a skillful force. Before she could resist any further, the elixir had transformed into a warm, moist current, sliding down her throat and into her stomach, leaving only the lingering fragrance of the medicine around her nose.

"Thank you, Qianjing!"

Before she could finish speaking, her head was gripped by a palm, and in an instant, the world turned upside down. The candied fruit she had placed on Xie Qianjing's lips was now being held in his mouth and passed back to her lips.

Unlike the chilling cold of the past, this time it was warm, as if you could feel the blood surging beneath his skin.

The honey, applied to the dried fruit, melts into a sticky, sweet syrup, making it hard to part with.

……sweet?

How could she possibly taste sweetness?

Did you add your own blood into it?

Sheng Ningyu was about to speak when she looked at Xie Qianjing's expression and her tone suddenly changed.

"Are you in such a good mood?"

Xie Qianjing probably hadn't expected her to ask that question. He paused for a moment, then looked away. After a long while, he nodded slightly.

"yes."

He actually frankly revealed his feelings?

That's incredibly rare!

Sheng Ningyu cupped Xie Qianjing's face in her hands, looking with curiosity at the thin layer of red covering the young man's fair skin.

It started from the tips of the ears and gradually spread to the face.

Sheng Ningyu said, "Why? You never believed me when I said so many things before, and you've never been this happy." She paused, then thoughtfully guessed, "Is it because I agreed to go with you while you were inside Senior Brother's barrier?"

Xie Qianjing: "Yes."

Sheng Ningyu touched his burning earlobe, raised her eyebrows, and became a little playful.

She suddenly moved closer to him, wanting to startle him: "But there should be more than that."

Xie Qianjing paused, turned his head to the side. He showed no surprise, only a slight upturn of his lips and a curve of his eyebrows. Even his words were tinged with a hint of barely suppressed laughter.

Sheng Ningyu was startled and was just starting to feel bored when she heard him say, "It's also because you haven't let go of my hand before."

Sheng Ningyu: "...?"

She let out a puzzled whisper.

That's strange.

Previously, Sheng Ningyu was reluctant to touch it because she was worried that the contact between the spiritual bones would cause him pain. However, Xie Qianjing said that he did not feel any pain, so Sheng Ningyu naturally stopped worrying about it.

As for other times... when has she ever let go of Xie Qianjing's hand?

Sheng Ningyu pondered, realizing that she had probably gone too far. Just then, Xie Qianjing took a deep breath, unable to bear it any longer, and pulled her hand away, enveloping it in his palm.

In the blink of an eye, the blush on the white-robed immortal's face faded, and he regained his usual composure and calmness. However, a hint of worldly tenderness lingered in his eyes.

It's as if the immortals of the ninth heaven have been dragged down to the mortal world and become mere guests in the human realm.

"Keep thinking about what happened before," Xie Qianjing said, her voice slightly hoarse, but her tone remained calm and nonchalant, as if she had just been kissing someone else.

Only the hint of secret pleasure revealed in his arched eyebrows showed that his emotions were still unsettled.

Why would you doubt Immortal Rong Que?

“Because of that trip to Gui Cang Lou,” Sheng Ningyu recalled. “That time, I received the wooden sword you gave me, and I gave it such a strange name as ‘Bu Ke’ (meaning ‘impossible’). I excitedly told my senior brother about it, but he wasn’t surprised at all. He even asked me, ‘What’s so strange about it? Didn’t you use this name before?’”

At that moment, Sheng Ningyu asked in surprise when she had ever used the sword name 'Unacceptable', and Yan Ruchao replied...

The phrase "'Unswordable' appeared around the time of the Hehuan City incident."

Sheng Ningyu: "Xie Qianjing, do you remember anything about my sword name?"

Xie Qianjing stared at her for a long time before letting out an almost imperceptible laugh: "I don't remember, Sheng Ningyu." His voice was so soft that it almost dissipated in the wind and snow that drifted into the room from outside. "This is your own natal sword."

The jade-like fingertips gently touched her heart, revealing a hint of demonic energy.

"If you yourself are not sure, how can you trust what others say?"

This generation's demonic energy is filled with murderous intent and ferocity, making it extremely savage, even comparable to the troublesome puppet barrier outside.

But Sheng Ningyu was not afraid.

As Sheng Ningyu looked at it, she suddenly spoke up: "Didn't I tell you that day that I racked my brains to find a way to lie about the marriage contract with Chu Jiye?"

"You don't remember my natal sword, but do you remember that once, we witnessed a wedding together in the mortal realm?"

Outside the window, the wind and snow raged fiercely, their howling sound like tearing silk. Inside, the candlelight flickered gently, emitting a soft crackling sound, like the breath of tranquility.

The fields were empty and desolate, and the world was silent.

In this fleeting moment of life, only the two of them remained, fulfilling the entire cause and effect.

A corner of warmth, just like a beautiful dream he created himself, makes people willingly indulge in it and never wake up.

Xie Qianjing's eyebrows twitched, and he was about to speak, but this time, Sheng Ningyu spoke before him.

"I long for the mountains to recede and the waters to flow, and for the sea to dry up and the rocks to crumble. But this love is a vow, to last for all eternity, to measure the vastness of heaven and earth together, and to journey through the long years together."

Sheng Ningyu stared into Xie Qianjing's eyes and said, word by word, "Never change."

These were the vows they had heard at the mortal wedding they had witnessed in the past.

Xie Qianjing almost laughed.

He thought, it's more than just something he's heard of.

This ordinary scroll of red paper was thus placed alongside the cultivation manuals in the pavilion that attracted countless cultivators, yet it became the only one among thousands of top-grade cultivation techniques that could not be spoken of.

Every night when all was quiet, the little immortal would light a candle and examine the marriage contract repeatedly. At that time, he was no longer the indifferent and aloof person he appeared to be. He was annoyed that he could not openly declare his feelings to the world, afraid that his actions might be seen as an invisible form of coercion, and even more envious of all the ordinary couples in the mortal world who could express their love openly.

So he poured all his restless emotions into his pen, obsessively copying the words of the marriage contract over and over again.

The pavilion was serene and quiet, and white paper rose up like snowflakes, covering the ground.

...

Xie Qianjing's gaze fell outside the house.

At that time, outside his courtyard, the snow was falling endlessly.

But all of this is in the past, and there's no need to talk about it anymore.

The past cannot be retrieved.

Almost at the same time, the inner demon that had disappeared from the Zizai Rongque barrier once again lingered in his ears.

You believed me? Ha, you believed me!

The inner demon mocked in Sheng Ningyu's voice: "Xie Qianjing, why can't you learn from your mistakes?"

How many more times will you fall for my sweet talk, Xie Qianjing? Do you want to be ripped apart and have your blood drunk again before you learn your lesson?

It was his inner demon.

It was an incurable inner demon within him.

"Life after life."

"The afterlife?"

Sheng Ningyu was taken aback, almost laughing in exasperation at Xie Qianjing: "What is the next life? Who knows, by then you will have become a winter snowflake and I will have become a spring breeze. How can we talk about things that are intangible and invisible?"

Xie Qianjing's gentle gaze enveloped her: "There's no need to be afraid of these things, there's also the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion's divination..."

Sheng Ningyu remained silent, staring at him expressionlessly: "Xie Qianjing." Sheng Ningyu uttered his name, her tone hard to the point of being commanding, "Don't talk to me about 'afterlife,' as long as I'm alive, I only care about this life."

Xie Qianjing smiled softly again, raised his hand and touched her head, his eyes filled with a strange tenderness and tolerance.

“Jiu Chong is right, it’s too early to discuss these things now.”

Sheng Ningyu gave a cold laugh: "Don't try to fool me, and don't try to scare me with that 'demonic energy' theory. Xie Qianjing, you know I'm not afraid of being threatened."

Xie Qianjing did not doubt Sheng Ningyu's words. He thought that when she drew her sword, it would be even more resolute than her words.

His brow was burning, and the marriage contract covered by the sword mark was slightly warm.

He had already experienced her swordsmanship firsthand.

Xie Qianjing remained silent for a long time, only lowering his gaze. Under the candlelight, his smiling, silent appearance made him seem even more like a beautiful ghost.

However, just as Xie Qianjing was about to look away, he suddenly realized something.

His gaze fell on Sheng Ningyu's hands.

It seems to be trembling slightly?

Xie Qianjing remained quiet for a few moments, and even the inner demon's voice beside him fell silent for a moment.

Suddenly, the world fell silent.

He alone was lost and confused.

She spoke so freely, and he was so certain of it, yet now, the scar on her wrist was trembling slightly.

Is she trembling?

Would that ever-unrestrained and unmoved moon be moved by his few words?

Xie Qianjing remained silent for a moment, then slowly suppressed all the fake smiles on his face.

His expression was blank and devoid of any emotion, as if cleansed by ice and snow, or like a beautiful but lonely ghost. But the next moment, when he touched her wrist again, something suddenly poured out from Xie Qianjing's eyes.

It turns out that he wasn't the only one who believed in that mundane object inscribed with clumsy vows.

Her butterfly-like eyelashes trembled gently, and suddenly, the almost fading beauty under the lamplight softened her features. The icy coldness that had been there before vanished abruptly, transforming into a gentle smile.

The lamplight fell on Xie Qianjing's face, trembling and almost like a heartbeat.

But demonic cultivators have no heart; what they did before was nothing but a clumsy disguise.

But now, things are different.

Xie Qianjing said, "Sheng Jiuzhong, I'm starting to believe you."

The so-called "marriage contract" was originally a vague and ethereal thing, but two geniuses of their time believed in it.

He, however, believed even more.

He believed in the marriage contract, in her previous words, and in her renewed expression of love.

Perhaps because the inner demon was her voice, Xie Qianjing found it somewhat reasonable at this moment.

He really deserved to be scammed.

-----------------------

Author's Note: I saw some little angels asking us about Mingyue's natal sword, which is indeed related to the fact that she hasn't found all her memories yet!