Extra: Santaki Ao x Gin Aka
"Have you heard? Wanqi Si is not the first in this sect competition!"
"Really? Are you kidding me? He wins the competition every year. Among us of the same age, who is better than him?"
"You might not know this, but a few days ago, the Sect Master accepted a female disciple. I think her name is Yu or something. She was the one who narrowly defeated Wanqi Si in the sect competition and won first place!"
“So powerful?!”
“…”
Wanqi Si didn't care about winning the championship, having always considered it a matter of convenience. But now, a girl suddenly appeared whose spiritual power was on par with his, which was a rare sight. He lost to her only because she had taken advantage of him.
He leaned lazily against the tree trunk and looked at the girl.
The girl's hair was down, making her face look only the size of a palm. She looked back at him without any fear.
"New here, what's your name?"
She did not answer, but pointed to the big words on the bulletin board: Winner of the sect competition, Yu Heyi.
Wanqi Si used his spiritual power to write his name on the bulletin board, just below the three big words "Yu Heyi", and then raised his eyebrows at her, as if to inform her.
Remember his name.
Wanqi Si was gifted and self-taught, his superb swordsmanship even allowing him to fight against the Sect Master. But she was different. She was accepted as a disciple by the Sect Master and taught with great care.
His sword intent was unbridled and fierce, bringing gusts of cold wind with every swing, making people shiver; her sword intent was gentle and pure, without a trace of malice, yet it could fill those with evil intentions with fear. For a moment, he suspected that this person might be a goddess who had descended from the divine realm.
Only the status of a god is worthy of her.
-
He suddenly discovered that Yu Heyi was followed by a series of followers, all of whom were male disciples attracted by her appearance, and some of whom admired her strength.
In this regard, the only word in his mind was "waste".
If you can't even beat a girl, yet you still follow her around, what are you if not a waste?
Most people had witnessed her swordsmanship and were envious of it, pestering her daily under the pretext of dueling. However, no one could last more than three strikes under her sword.
Wanqi Si hid in the tree and sneered.
He waited until the crowd had dispersed and she was standing there alone before he came down from the tree.
He smiled ostentatiously, "Those losers can't beat you. Choose me for sparring in the future. At least it's meaningful and not a waste of time."
She paused and agreed.
Because of his words, everyone who came to see her was rejected one by one.
The disciples could only watch her and Wanqi Si dancing with swords in the woods from time to time. Their movements were intimate, and although the doers were unintentional, the spectators were intentional. Many people could only feel jealous secretly.
This includes Qi Xizhi.
Qi Xizhi's aptitude is not too bad, and he is quite outstanding among this group of disciples. Unfortunately, it is still not even one-fifth of Wanqi Si's.
Why was he so gifted that he could win the favor of the clan leader and be so close to the girl he loved? Qi Xizhi was dissatisfied.
In order to destroy their relationship, he decided to tamper with Yu Heyi's iron sword. The next time she picked up the iron sword to spar with Wanqi Si, she would find that he said "friendship first" but ruthlessly broke her sword, and she would definitely feel resentful.
Over time, you will become distant from him.
When the time comes, I will give her a brand new spiritual sword. She will definitely be filled with gratitude, which will bring them closer together.
Just do it!
One day, when Yu Heyi went to the Sect Master's Pavilion, Qi Xizhi sneaked into her yard and saw the iron sword hanging on the wall at a glance.
He held his breath and walked inside.
Little did he know that there was a pair of dark eyes in the tree, already staring at him.
…
When Yu Heyi returned, Qi Xizhi had already fled. However, she never glanced at the iron sword, but sat down facing the spirit tree.
Wanqi Si whistled and jumped down from the tree.
"Your sword is broken. Do you want to know who did it?"
"I don't want to. It's just a pile of iron, not worth worrying about." She said calmly, "There is a fairy sword in the world that is overflowing with spiritual energy. It fell under a thousand-year-old tree in the human world. I want to find it."
"You don't even have the iron sword?"
Yu Heyi shook his head.
Carrying a tampered piece of scrap metal will only add weight and is useless.
He shrugged and followed her like the little followers before her.
-
There are not many old trees alive in the world, and even fewer that have lived for thousands of years. Therefore, the two quickly found the old tree that suppressed the spiritual energy.
Just as the rumors said, even though he was pressed under the roots of the old tree, he still couldn't stop the spiritual energy from overflowing everywhere.
To reach the roots of the tree, you need to pass the test of the old tree.
As to what the test is, no one knows until now, because those who fail the test will be "swallowed" by the old tree and become nutrients for the roots.
Yu Heyi walked in front, tilting his head slightly: "If you are worried about being eaten by the tree, you can stay here and wait for me."
How could Wanqi Si be afraid?
He raised his head, smiled and said, "Then just protect me, okay?"
She turned around and resolutely approached the old tree.
Suddenly, a strong wind blew, and the branches of the old tree turned into vines thicker than arms, which attacked the two invaders heavily.
Yu Heyi had no sword in his hand, so he dodged sideways and threw the sword in Wanqi Si's hand far away.
Wanqi Si:?
"Don't offend it."
She tiptoed to Wanqi Si's side, and without waiting for his reaction, she grabbed his wrist and pulled him to her side.
He was stunned for a moment before coming to his senses and chuckled.
What came before the old tree's murderous aura was the unique fragrance that belonged to her.
After a round of attacks, the vines transformed back into branches. Silence fell all around, except for scattered leaves on the ground, as if nothing had ever happened.
She loosened her grip on him.
Two elixirs appeared under the tree, one was dim and the other emitted a faint golden light.
At this time, the old tree spoke: "These are two different elixirs. One is tasteless and non-toxic. After taking it, you will be safe and sound. The other is full of poison. After taking it, you will suffer severe pain and eventually die from the poison. You have to give up in order to gain. Please make your own decision."
Yu Heyi paused and set his eyes on the two elixirs.
Generally speaking, poison can make everything lifeless and dull, but there is also poison that can disguise the appearance to be bright and beautiful, like the elixir that emits golden light.
Moreover, the old tree concealed the aura of the elixir, and she could not see the internal structure of the elixir.
In other words, you can only gamble.
If the bet succeeds, you will have the opportunity to obtain the magic sword. Otherwise, you will die of poison and become nutrients for the old tree.
Wanqi Si raised an eyebrow and looked at her: "Want to bet?"
“…”
No, something's wrong!
She raised her eyes coldly: "This old tree lied."
Two elixirs, one of which is poisonous.
The fame of the Immortal Sword has garnered countless admirers, yet why, after all these years, has no one succeeded? Knowing they're risking their lives for a chance, some might hesitate, but others, unable to resist the allure of the Sword, will undoubtedly give it a try.
But the magic sword still remains in the same place and no one has ever been able to get it.
Rather than saying that the opportunity presented itself with a more difficult test, it was more accurate to say that both pills contained a deadly poison, their different appearances merely intended to confuse the viewer. This wasn't a gamble; it was a death sentence.
There was an endless stream of people coming to get the sword, and the old tree also received an endless supply of nutrients.
All those who take the elixir out of self-righteousness or with a hope of getting away with it become nutrients for the old tree, so that it can grow big and have deep roots and last for hundreds of years.
The old tree was immediately furious when his lie was exposed.
"I never thought that after all these years, I would be exposed by a little girl!" Lao Shu's voice was filled with anger, but also with sarcasm. "I have lived for so long, and my greatest skill is to see into people's hearts. Do you think you can hide it from me? Your sword is already broken, and it was damaged by someone. I am afraid you have resentment in your heart?"
"I can see that you desperately want the Immortal Sword, but it's buried beneath tree roots. Only by swallowing the elixir can you clear the way. As I said, there's gain only when there's sacrifice."
As expected of an old tree, he can speak bewitching words with a powerful voice.
Yu Heyi waved his hands, his eyes revealing an unconcealed sneer.
She must be mentally ill to have committed suicide by taking poison. She didn't even get the magic sword, and she also lost her life in vain to that old tree who told all the lies.
I wanted to leave, but Wanqi Si took three steps forward and picked up a magic pill and put it into his mouth.
His face turned pale at a speed visible to the naked eye, and his lips were bloodless, which were obvious signs of poisoning.
"Make way," he said.
She just wanted to get a sword, so he helped her.
"Wanqi Si, are you sick?"
Seeing this, Lao Shu burst into laughter, and his laughter was particularly harsh to Yu Heyi's ears.
"Look, even if you don't believe what I say, there are still many people who do."
It then said to Wanqi Si, "Open a path? Open what path? If you take the magic sword, how will I attract other nutrients in the future? You two ignorant little kids, what a wild idea!"
Yu Heyi's face turned cold instantly.
She didn't want a sword, and it couldn't take anyone's life from her.
"Give me the antidote."
"You still want the antidote? Just sit here and watch your companions being devoured by me! But you have to look carefully, you might be able to pick up some missed souls..."
Before Lao Shu finished speaking, he suddenly realized that Yu Heyi was very close.
She had an angry look on her face, and her expression was gloomy and terrifying.
No, that's not right. It's an old tree that has lived for thousands of years. How could it feel "scary" about a little girl?
It turns out that even if it has lived for thousands of years, it will still be frightened of a little girl.
She smiled, a very light smile.
While using her spiritual power to protect Wanqi Si's heart meridian, she stretched out her hand and grabbed at the void. The old tree in front of her suddenly felt dizzy, like a landslide or tsunami.
"What do you want to do?"
She didn't answer.
All the spiritual power in her body was gathered in the hand she stretched out. Even the spiritual energy of the immortal sword in the air was taken away by her. Her palm was stretched to be almost transparent by the spiritual power.
A crack suddenly appeared at the place closest to the trunk.
A giant hand stretched out from the void, tightly gripping the old tree's trunk, making it almost unable to breathe. However, this was not the end, as the giant hand actually tried to pull it out of the soil!
"I'll tell you the antidote! I'm telling you! Don't pull it out!!" The old tree was in tears.
How could it have imagined that this seemingly ordinary little girl could not only see through its lies, but also have the ability to uproot it?
"Where is the antidote?"
"The thirty-third greenest leaf on the top of the tree, counting from the left to the right!"
She flashed to the top of the tree, took off the green leaf and fed it to Wanqi Si.
Feeling the poison in his pulse dissipate, Lao Shu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but found that Yu Heyi had not stopped moving.
"You've got the antidote, let me go!"
She said with a half-smile: "Why are you in such a hurry? I'm going to send you to death."
“You have no integrity!!”
She didn't care about honesty or dishonesty. This old thing was a disaster if it stayed here. It had already harmed many people. Killing it would only help the people get rid of the harm.
"Boom——" a loud noise resounded through the sky.
The roots left the ground and were burned to ashes by her spiritual fire. The old tree was no longer able to howl like a ghost.
After a moment, it turned into a handful of sand and dissipated into the sky and earth.
Once the old tree died, the immortal sword that had been suppressed under its roots was exposed.
But she didn't even look at him. Instead, she half-knelt in front of Wanqi Si and pulled his ear mercilessly.
"Didn't I tell you that those two elixirs were poisonous? You still rushed over to eat them. Were you the reincarnation of a starving ghost in your previous life?!"
"I just thought it was worthwhile to trade half my life for a handy sword for you." He raised the corner of his lips despite his pale face. "I didn't expect you to be so powerful."
"I told you to protect you."
Although he had taken the antidote and the poison had dissipated, his life was no longer in danger, but his body was extremely weak.
He yelled that he felt weak all over and couldn't use his spiritual power until Yu Heyi carried him on his back.
She reasonably suspected that this guy was just too lazy to walk.
When she was about to leave, she remembered the magic sword. It was lying alone in the same place, and she took it out.
After all, this sword was obtained by his stupid fellow disciple at the cost of his life, so she should cherish it a little.
But this stupid fellow disciple was still not obedient even on her back.
Yu Heyi threatened him: "If you move again, I will throw you down."
Wanqi Si complained, "...I'm too tall, my legs are dragging on the ground."
"Then go on your own!"
She stopped where she was, turned her head and glared at him fiercely, but the two of them were too close to each other, so there was no deterrent effect at all.
Wanqi Si thought about it and quickly kissed her on the cheek.
Yu Heyi:?
Who the hell allowed you to take advantage of me in broad daylight?
He even shamelessly said, "Fellow disciple, I think I like you a little bit."
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