Chapter 76 Junior Sister Arrives for the Appointment? Junior Sister!
The Sixth Domain, in the bustling marketplace.
Wu Zhuyue didn't know why she had come back to take one last look. The little house in the bamboo forest was empty, and there were many new faces in the market, making her purchase of the bamboo hat pointless.
In fact, without this straw hat, no one could recognize her as the frail child she was a few years ago. But when Wu Zhuyue stepped onto this land again, she couldn't hide her fear, always afraid that a cry of "Little Wu" would come from somewhere, tearing open the past and bringing ridicule and jealousy.
Si Liuhua offered to see her off, but she refused. Wu Zhuyue packed her belongings and threw them into her storage bag. She bowed deeply to her master and said, "Once I step out of this door, I will have to walk the rest of my path alone. I shouldn't trouble my master any further."
A cold wind was blowing, and the woman in white stood opposite her, the firelight flickering behind them in the house. In the swaying warmth, Wu Zhuyue seemed to see a trace of loneliness in Si Liuhua's eyes.
The next moment, she nodded slightly, and that sense of desolation vanished without a trace. Si Liuhua took off her outer robe and draped it over the young man. A bitter scent enveloped Wu Zhuyue; the moon-white robe, now worn by a different owner, resembled more of a cloak.
"Be careful on the road," she said softly.
Wu Zhuyue turned around, glancing back several times along the way, but Si Liuhua didn't enter; she remained standing in the same spot. Her white dress looked even thinner, appearing paler from a distance, and gradually became indistinct.
The snow that was so late in arriving has actually fallen here.
The journey was long and arduous; even the fastest route took half a month. While crossing the river or traveling in the carriage, she would simply close her eyes and meditate, oblivious to the others' enthusiastic discussions about the red plum blossoms blooming amidst the falling snow or the frozen landscape.
Now, standing in the market, she finally felt the reality of being in the Sixth Domain. The snow beneath her feet was soft and pure white. Wu Zhuyue looked up and glanced around, but quickly lowered her head, pulled her hat down, and turned to leave.
"stop!"
The shout stopped her in her tracks. The boy turned his head, his gaze falling on the street vendors not far behind him who also seemed to be planning to leave.
The voice wasn't directed at Wu Zhuyue, but at the street vendor, or more precisely, at the candied hawthorns on the bundle of straw she was carrying. The man rushed over, clutching some silver coins, and shoved them into the woman's arms.
"Sorry, I should have said 'wait a moment.' I saw you were walking fast and I was afraid we wouldn't catch up, so I called out to you."
He was a handsome young man with exquisite features, and the luxurious fragrance emanating from him was somehow carried by the wind to Wu Zhuyue. Despite the freezing weather, the young man led her across the depths of winter and into the early spring in an instant.
Wu Zhuyue frowned, turned away decisively, shutting out this spring breeze. She heard the person's tone soften, her voice as sweet as honey, "Sister, how about you buy all the candied hawthorns for me? The extra money is for the bento box to make up for my rudeness earlier, please don't be angry with me."
A young lady from a wealthy family.
She disliked people who received too much love and therefore acted recklessly and flamboyantly, making them impossible for anyone to avoid.
Wu Zhuyue found the sounds irritating, so she quickened her pace and hurried away from the market. She seemed to hear a voice coming from her mind, as if she were trying to erase the traces of the boy's voice and face from her memory.
A few days later, she finally arrived at the foot of the mountain where the ceremony for Taihui's entry into the clan was held.
Thick fog blanketed the summit, its peak piercing the sky and disappearing into the even higher clouds. Wu Zhuyue frowned and gazed into the distance for a while, her eyes sharpening, and a surge of spiritual energy rose from her body.
To make a name for oneself.
She drew her sword, about to step forward, when she heard someone call out from behind, "Junior Sister!"
The voice was familiar, one she should have long forgotten, but now, upon hearing it, the memory resurfaced, along with a surge of displeasure. Wu Zhuyue ignored her, wielding her sword to ascend the mountain, when a chilling spiritual energy rushed towards her, forcing the young man to stop and instead meet the attack with his palm.
The soft, azure light was shattered, transforming into wispy mist. The other party had clearly used little force, merely trying to attract her attention. Yet, this spiritual energy was exceptionally pure, demonstrating the extraordinary talent of its owner.
She finally looked at him directly and said coldly, "What are you doing?"
The young man, dressed in a bright light blue robe, tightened his cloak and smiled, "Junior Sister, are you a disciple of the sect? I came here at the invitation of my seniors, hoping to join the sect to study."
At this point, she paused for a moment, gazing at the towering mountain peaks, a troubled expression on her face.
"But this mountain is too high, and it's too dangerous to climb. Also, that immortal master isn't responding to me... I wonder if it would be convenient for you, Junior Sister, to give me a ride?"
Wu Zhuyue frowned, "Why is it Junior Sister?"
The boy tilted his head and said with a smile, "Because I'm older than you. I'm sixteen this year."
"That's only a year older. This knife is too narrow to accommodate a second person."
However, the other party ignored her refusal and jumped onto the long sword, almost causing Wu Zhuyue to lose her balance and fall down with him. This boy was naturally fair-skinned with a healthy blush on his cheeks; if he rolled around in the snow a few times, he would probably look like a steamed bun sprinkled with powdered sugar.
She clung closer to Wu Zhuyue, softened her voice, and said pitifully, "Senior Sister, please have some compassion and give me a ride. I don't have many spirit stones, so I'll give them all to you."
Then, the phrase "please" echoed in my ears again. The boy's voice was clear and melodious, and when it softened, it was gentle. It wasn't a deliberately sweet voice, but rather it felt approachable, like a child pleading with an elder. There was no sense of rudeness in it; it was spoken quite naturally.
The previous displeasure vanished as the voice drew nearer, and for some reason, Wu Zhuyue agreed, saying "Okay" before steadying his long sword and carrying her into the sky. The two were forced to stay very close together; the boy was dressed in thick clothes, and soon Wu Zhuyue also felt the warmth.
It's so warm. Her family must not want her to be cold. I wonder if she can endure the harsh training in the sect in the future.
"Junior Sister, my surname is Lu, and my given name is Changqing. What's your name?"
"Junior sister, have you not been eating properly? We're about the same age, but you're not as tall as me."
"Junior Sister..."
Wu Zhuyue couldn't help but gently scold her, "Stop making noise, I need to concentrate."
She thought Lu Changqing wouldn't listen and would say a few more words, but she heard him obediently say "okay" and then not say anything more.
She was more obedient than she expected.
Moreover, as the long sword rose, Wu Zhuyue could sense that the other person was trembling slightly, perhaps out of fear. Despite his fear, Lu Changqing knew his limits and did not reach out to pull her back. He simply clutched the hem of his clothes and closed his eyes, refusing to look.
Was I too mean to her? We'd only just met, and as the saying goes, you can't judge a book by its cover...
A sudden feeling of guilt made Wu Zhuyue sigh, and her attitude softened slightly: "Wu Zhuyue, this is my name. I am not some junior sister, but a disciple who will enter the sect with you."
Lu Changqing was somewhat surprised, "If you didn't join the sect, then who taught you how to control artifacts? I still don't understand the basics. Junior Sister is so amazing!"
She realized she seemed to have gotten used to calling him that, so she asked, "Can I call you A-Yue?"
Wu Zhuyue's heart stirred slightly. She felt that this way of addressing her was even more pleasant than Xiao Wu, as if it transcended all identities and was addressing her as a person.
He just kept insisting, "Whatever you say, I'm more used to people calling me Xiao Wu. I taught myself how to control weapons; I don't have a master."
Before she left, Si Liuhua specifically instructed her not to mention herself to outsiders. Wu Zhuyue always put her master first and didn't mind telling a few lies.
"Then I'll take turns calling it! Xiao Wu, do you like the moon?" Lu Changqing, having been given permission to start a conversation, continued chattering excitedly, "You definitely like it! Otherwise, why would it be called 'Chasing the Moon,' right?"
When Wu Zhuyue thinks of the moon, she doesn't think of the moon in the sky, but rather of the person who is always by her side in her memory, dressed in white, with flowing light reflecting off him.
"I like it," she whispered. "My favorite."
"Then let's watch the moon together from now on! They all say the full moon looks best from high mountains..."
Two young men stood on long swords, their robes fluttering, full of youthful vigor and seemingly possessing limitless potential.
As the fog thickened, the figures and the knife became increasingly faint, eventually disappearing into the soft mist.
-
At the end of the Heavenly Ladder, in front of the stone tablet for testing spiritual roots, a woman in a green robe stood with her hands behind her back, her head slightly bowed, gazing at the misty fog rising from the Heavenly Ladder.
A person arrived on a sword and landed beside her.
"What are you looking at?"
Ruan Luoying raised her eyes, met Yi Xiaohan's gaze, smiled slightly, and answered irrelevantly, "Xueya has changed her sword tassel."
Yi Xiaohan understood the implication in her words, raised the corners of his lips, and snorted, "Isn't that a good thing? You should have noticed that she made up her mind a long time ago, and now she finally..."
She suddenly stopped speaking. The azure light hanging from the hilt of Yan Xueya's sword in her memory resurfaced, then began to slowly blur.
In the past, Yi Xiaohan would have agreed without hesitation. After all, people always have to move forward, and what kind of person would Yan Xueya be, wallowing in sorrow for the past hundred years? But she is no longer the carefree young man she once was, who could only focus on practicing her sword and ignore worldly affairs. So she doesn't know whether letting go of this matter is better or worse for Yan Xueya.
Finally, she simply asked, "What color is it?"
Ruan Luoying gently shook her head, lowered her eyes, and said, "You could have guessed it..."
Besides red, what else could it be?
Yi Xiaohan sighed, then suddenly threw the knife aside, saying helplessly, "Fine, fine! Let her have one last place to remember me by!"
“Jinyu told me that she had previously discovered a child in the prestigious Qiao family of the Sixth Domain. The child was born with a water spirit body, but she had ties to her family and was unwilling to return to the sect with her at the time.” Ruan Luoying changed the subject and answered Yi Xiaohan’s initial question. “Now it seems that the child has arrived and informed Jinyu through a token. She is currently in the secret realm and asked me to keep an eye out for him.”
“I see,” Yi Xiaohan nodded, “I’m also very curious. You don’t mind if I wait here too, do you?”
"Of course not."
So they stood silently beside the stone tablet. The cool sunlight quickly faded, and the winter sunset was pale, unlike the vibrant colors of summer. A few birdsongs drifted from the woods, a reminder that time was still passing.
The snow briefly stopped today, leaving only a blanket of white frost to welcome the two of them as they approached their new student.
Before darkness completely fell, a sound was finally heard on the Heavenly Ladder. The fog lifted slightly, and Ruan Luoying stepped forward, seeing a figure approaching.
Once she was completely out, she realized that it wasn't one person, but two people overlapping. The richly dressed young man was carrying the person clinging to him, taking steps with some difficulty.
The person on her back seemed tired. When he noticed someone in front of him, he struggled a few times to get down, but his arm was held down.
"Xiao Wu, you're injured, don't move around."
Ruan Luoying was somewhat surprised—it was rare to see someone injured yet still able to climb the Heavenly Ladder. If the Heavenly Ladder didn't recognize it, even with someone's help, one couldn't climb it.
She then realized that a strong smell of blood permeated the air as the two approached.
The boy's white clothes were already soaked with dark red, and warm liquid dripped down.
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Author's Note: Xiao Lu has finally arrived! She has changed her name and is no longer bound by the past.
While chatting with a friend, I accidentally discovered that Xiao Wu and his friends happen to be from the same group: Si (司), Wu (伍), and Liu (六). What a wonderful coincidence...
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