Chapter 79
A few thick clouds drifted in from the distance, blocking some of the sunlight. The setting sun, hidden in the clouds, still emitted an undeniable, dazzling light, just like the sword Fu Xiang was about to strike at her.
Yin Qiu instinctively raised his hand to block, and the two sword blades clashed together. Instead of the expected fierce momentum, it revealed a strange harmony.
Their clothes fluttered in the wind high in the sky, each arc of their fluttering clothes carrying the weight of their youthful days and witnessing their mutual appreciation and heartfelt confiding. Such memories are in the wind, and as long as the wind keeps blowing, the memories will last forever. Fortunately, the wind in this world will never stop.
Yin Qiu drifted down to the ground like a falling leaf in the gentle autumn breeze.
She didn't move; she just watched Fu Xiang's back as she climbed upwards step by step, watching her grip the dark red banner so tightly.
If she could, Yin Qiu just wanted to close her eyes and get a good night's sleep right now, without thinking about anything. When she opened her eyes again, Fu Xiang would already be back at Mingyue Tower.
—And she stood beside Man Jiangxue as she had wished.
There's nothing wrong with being greedy, and she wanted to be greedy just once, even if it was just a small hope in her heart. To her, it felt like it had come true.
"Xiao Qiu!"
Just as they were about to touch the ground, Fu Xiang rushed down from above, narrowly catching Yin Qiu and bringing her safely to the ground.
"I just had a dream," Yin Qiu said.
Fu Xiang's throat tightened, and she looked at her with red eyes: "What nonsense are you talking about? You're not asleep."
Yin Qiu said, "Don't you know what daydreaming is? That's what I was just doing."
Fu Xiang laughed and cried at the same time, looking extremely moved: "So what did you dream about?"
Yin Qiu said, "I dreamt that you went home, and I went to Jingyue Peak and was with my martial uncle."
Fu Xiang wiped away her tears and helped her stand up: "Don't worry, even if I kneel until my knees are raw, I will beg Uncle Man to agree to your request. If she still refuses, I will kneel until the end of time!"
Yin Qiu laughed: "Don't just say 'forever' so casually."
Fu Xiang could no longer hold back the bitterness in her heart. She hugged her tightly, sobbing uncontrollably, "Xiao Qiu... I..."
Yin Qiu shushed her and said, "Fu Xiang, you don't need to say anything more. Everything is understood without words. I understand you, and you understand me."
The two embraced tightly, gazing intently at each other. Looking at each other's familiar faces, they smiled knowingly at one another.
·
"I hereby announce the winner of this conference—Fu Xiang!"
As Xu Lianzhi uttered his impassioned words, an unprecedented roar of cheers and applause erupted around the arena. The disciples on the platform instinctively stood up, clapping their hands in unison, watching the two figures on the platform with immense joy.
"Great! Great!"
"Well done, Fu Xiang! You've really brought honor to our new disciples!"
"Haha! I won the bet! Hand over all your coins now!"
"I didn't expect Fu Xiang to actually win. If Yin Qiu hadn't been injured, I definitely wouldn't have lost the bet!"
"Enough with the nonsense, you've made a bet, so hand over the money now!"
...
On the four stands, the senior disciples were congratulating the winners of the new tournament, while the new disciples were busy dividing the winnings. For a time, the place was filled with laughter and joy, and the liveliness only increased. Even the elders couldn't help but stand up and chat with beaming smiles.
"Excellent, excellent! Congratulations, Sect Leader, on gaining another fine disciple!"
"Hey! Let me make this clear from the start: you lot, don't try to fight me for that child, Yin Qiu. I, Wu Hui Feng, am determined to have her."
"That won't do. Your Wu Hui Peak has plundered so many elite disciples. This year, you must give Yin Qiu to our Wen Xin Peak."
"Hey, you guys at Wenxin Peak, don't get involved. This kid's kung fu is so good, do you think he'd go to your place to learn medicine? It's best if he comes to our Tianyin Peak!"
"There are too many disciples on Tianyin Peak, how could you possibly have the energy to properly cultivate her? All of you, get out of the way! Our Liuli Peak is usually too low-key, and we've never even heard of many of our new disciples. We need to send a senior disciple this year, and I think Yin Qiu is perfect for the job. Please, give her to this old woman!"
The elders argued endlessly, each trying their best to persuade Yin Qiu with their silver tongues. They all used their skills of coercion, bribery, and playing the victim, making a huge fuss. Ye Zhilan, Lu Huaiwei, and the others couldn't help but laugh.
Although Xie Yijun's expression was not very good, she could not show it in public now that things had come to this point, so she could only keep quiet and comfort herself in her heart not to be unhappy.
Listening to the elders' argument, Man Jiangxue quietly looked at Yin Qiu, who was still standing on the platform. Just as she turned her gaze over, she saw Yin Qiu also looking at her as if sensing her gaze. The two looked at each other across the sea of people, their expressions surprisingly calm.
When I was applying medicine to Yin Qiu at the pharmacy before, her eyes clearly held an unspeakable expectation. But at this moment, her beautiful eyes were calm, as if she knew the outcome was already decided and could not be changed, and suddenly lost some of their luster.
A short while later, Yin Qiu smiled slightly and looked away.
Man Jiangxue frowned as he saw her expression.
Soon, the voices from all sides subsided, and the arena fell silent. The outcome of the tournament was decided, and everyone was waiting for the next step, so they all turned to look at Xie Yijun on the high platform.
Seeing that she remained silent, Ye Zhilan quickly stepped forward and said, "Master, according to the rules, it is your turn to accept Fu Xiang as your disciple."
Xie Yijun felt extremely regretful.
If she had known that Yin Qiu had been brought back by Man Jiangxue, she should have taken her under her wing immediately. It was also to consider the feelings of the other new disciples and to try to be as fair as possible that she changed her mind and said that whoever could win first place in the competition would be her disciple.
Now look what happened! Yin Qiu could have won, but Fu Xiang got the better deal. Xie Yijun regrets her actions, but there's nothing she can do about it.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, she could only feign a kind smile and stand up, saying, "Fu Xiang, you have indeed shown extraordinary talent by defeating all your fellow disciples and winning the championship. Your future is promising. As the head of Yunhua Palace, I have long said that I would take you as my disciple. Now that you have won, I should fulfill my promise and take you as my disciple. I wonder what you think?"
Becoming the sect leader's disciple is a dream come true for many disciples. For a moment, all eyes that looked at Fu Xiang were filled with envy and longing.
Only Fu Xiang herself appeared quite indifferent.
"The sect leader is asking you a question," Yin Qiu said, noticing Fu Xiang's slight indifference. She quickly nudged her. "What are you standing there for?"
Fu Xiang glanced at her, her complex emotions still not fully subsided. She took a deep breath, then leaped onto the platform and knelt before Xie Yijun, saying, "To have the sect leader's favor and be willing to accept Fu Xiang as a disciple is something Fu Xiang would naturally be more than happy to accept!"
Xie Yijun maintained a polite smile, took the sword box that had been prepared in advance from Ye Zhilan, and said gently, "In that case, I will accept you as my last disciple in front of everyone. You should also pay your respects to your master in front of all the senior uncles, elders, and senior brothers and sisters."
Fu Xiang immediately stood up, performed the highest court etiquette at the palace gates, and then knelt down, kowtowing three times with a resounding thud, saying loudly, "Disciple Fu Xiang greets Master!"
"Okay...okay." Xie Yijun nodded slightly, reached out and patted Fu Xiang's head before handing over the sword box.
"This is a gift from your master to you when you become an apprentice. Inside is a top-quality sword. Your senior brothers and sisters all received one when they became apprentices, so naturally you should too. Please accept it."
Fu Xiang kowtowed and thanked them again. She took the sword box, opened it, and saw a sharp, silver-white longsword inside. Just as Xie Yijun had said, it was indeed a dazzling sword.
"Thank you, Master, for bestowing this sword upon me. I will certainly live up to your expectations and practice diligently to improve my martial arts. I will dedicate myself to the sect and spare no effort, even at the cost of my life!"
Xie Yijun said "good" three times in a row. The two became master and apprentice, and everyone gave a warm response and was overjoyed.
·
Fu Xiang has successfully become Xie Yijun's disciple. According to the rules, the remaining new disciples should also either become disciples or be assigned to other positions.
Xu Lianzhi called all the new disciples to the stage and had them line up according to their ranking in this conference. The elders then personally came down from the stage and happily went to choose their favorite disciples.
Only Yin Qiu was not among them; she left the stage alone to change her dressing.
The blood-soaked bandages were removed, revealing a terrifyingly deep sword wound on the palm. Because it hadn't been properly treated during the competition, the area was torn open, covered in blood, and the wound was rubbed raw by the sword hilt, making it look quite gruesome.
Listening to the disciples on the stage taking turns to pay homage to their masters, chatting and laughing, creating quite a lively scene, Yin Qiu lowered her eyelashes, her hands trembling as she cleaned her wounds, painstakingly applied the medicinal powder, and only after wrapping them with clean gauze did she lean against the wall, feeling utterly exhausted, and sit down, gazing at the crowd on the stage.
Soon, Fu Xiang rushed towards her with her sword case on her back. Seeing that Yin Qiu's eyes were lifeless and her face was pale, she didn't have time to care about her injuries and said anxiously, "What are you still sitting here for? Hurry up and go find Uncle Man!"
Man Jiangxue was nowhere to be seen on the dueling platform. Yin Qiu, feeling dizzy, gasped, "I'm not going."
Fu Xiang was taken aback: "Not going? Why aren't you going?"
Yin Qiu looked conflicted and remained silent for a moment before replying, "When my martial aunt applied the medicine to me before, she emphasized again that she would not accept any disciples."
Upon hearing this, Fu Xiang frowned and said, "This... really?"
Yin Qiu nodded.
She had originally listened to Gongzi Fan's words and was determined to lose the competition and then relentlessly pursue Man Jiangxue. For the past few months, she had been so confident that Man Jiangxue wouldn't be so heartless. She believed that as long as she tried harder, Man Jiangxue would eventually see her sincerity and be moved by her.
But today, Man Jiangxue told her once again that she would not accept any apprentices.
In this way, even if Yin Qiu didn't want to lose heart, she had no choice but to accept it.
Even now, she still can't understand why Man Jiangxue refuses to take on any disciples, especially not her. But if the person involved is unwilling, she can't force Man Jiangxue even if she threatens to die. Besides, she really doesn't want to force Man Jiangxue. Even if she does force her to agree, it's not what she wants.
Therefore, Yin Qiu had no choice but to accept her fate and this fact.
"My aunt is going too far!" Fu Xiang stomped her feet in anger. "She clearly knows how much you want to follow her, and she clearly favors you so much, so why can't she take you as her disciple? I really don't understand!"
Yin Qiu said, "Don't say that about my martial aunt. She must have her reasons for not accepting disciples. In fact, my martial aunt has never been obligated to meet any of my requests. It was just my wishful thinking. It has nothing to do with my martial aunt."
Fu Xiang retorted, "But didn't you say that your martial aunt promised you that whatever you want, she would do her best to satisfy you as long as she can do it?"
Yin Qiu shook his head with a wry smile: "But the problem right now is that my martial uncle just can't do it..."
"So you really don't want to try again?" Fu Xiang encouraged her. "Are you really going to give up now?"
Yin Qiu was stunned: "Actually, giving up... isn't so bad. There are so many peaks in the palace, and so many powerful elders. I can go somewhere else and it will be the same..."
Seeing her utterly despondent, Fu Xiang felt as if her heart was being fried in hot oil. She tried to persuade Yin Qiu again and again, but she couldn't convince her at all. On the platform, Man Jiangxue remained alone. Everyone else had come to the Sword Debate Platform to watch the excitement, but she stayed there, far away from the crowd.
Fu Xiang sighed. Seeing this, she knew that Yin Qiu had completely given up hope, so she could only comfort her and say, "Forget it. Just as you said, other peaks may not be bad places. Gold shines wherever it is. When I was watching from the stands earlier, I heard the elders arguing over who would take you. Get up quickly, we don't care about Uncle Man anymore!"
Yin Qiu was extremely weak at this point. She had lost too much blood and her spirits were already failing. Now all her thoughts and desires had vanished, and she had lost all hope. As a result, she was even more physically weak and could not even walk steadily. Fu Xiang felt both heartache and guilt, but she had no right to question Man Jiangxue. She could only try her best to suppress her emotions and help Yin Qiu back onto the stage.
To Fu Xiang's surprise, after the two of them returned to the stage, the elders who had previously been scrambling for Yin Qiu suddenly seemed to have changed their personalities. Not one of them took the initiative to talk to Yin Qiu, or even glanced at her, as if they treated Yin Qiu as if she were invisible.
One by one, the disciples were led away. Many others, though not formally apprenticed, were personally instructed by the elders to go to their respective peaks. In a short while, most of the new disciples present had their destinations confirmed. Even the remaining group was quickly assigned places by Xu Lianzhi. Only Yin Qiu remained, and surprisingly, no one extended an olive branch to her.
"What's going on?" Fu Xiang was very puzzled and quickly said to Xu Lianzhi, "Senior Sister! What about Xiao Qiu? How could you forget about her?"
Xu Lianzhi glanced at Yin Qiu expressionlessly and said, "I wouldn't dare take her."
Fu Xiang was completely bewildered: "What do you mean by this, Senior Sister? Why don't you want her anymore? You said yourself a few months ago that if Xiao Qiu was willing, she could stay with you in the new disciple academy!"
Xu Lianzhi said, "I'm a liar, I don't keep my word, is that acceptable?"
Fu Xiang choked and was about to speak again, but Xu Lianzhi said impatiently, "What are you being so fierce about! Don't think that just because you're the sect leader's disciple you can be disrespectful to me. As long as you're still a member of Yunhua Palace, you have to bow your head in front of me. Get out of my way!"
Fu Xiang was inexplicably scolded by her, and couldn't help but get angry. Seeing that she was about to argue with Xu Lianzhi, Yin Qiu sighed and quickly pulled Fu Xiang back, saying, "Forget it, don't argue with your senior sister."
"What exactly happened?!" Fu Xiang was furious. Leaving Xu Lianzhi behind, she hurriedly asked the elders, "You...you all said you wanted to take Yin Qiu as your disciple, so why are you all ignoring her now?!"
Then several elders said in unison, "We dare not take her."
Fu Xiang looked as if she had seen a ghost, and took a step back, saying, "You..."
After listening to what Xu Lianzhi and the elders said, Yin Qiu, though still confused, couldn't help but reveal a deep sense of disappointment.
She thought, it was bad enough that her martial uncle didn't want her, but now even the elders and her teaching sister didn't want her.
Where should she go?
Yin Qiu held it in for a long time, but finally couldn't hold it in any longer. Her throat tightened, and tears instantly filled her eyes.
Author's Note: Hey, guess where Xiao Qiu will go?
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