Xuanxiao Gate (Part 2)
Ling Qingqiu, the chief disciple of Xuanxiao Sect, has been a disciple of the sect leader, Immortal Venerable Canghe, since he was a teenager. It has been more than two hundred years now.
When people talk about Ling Qingqiu, they often say that he is a young talent.
As the foremost disciple of his generation, Ling Qingqiu became the object of admiration and adoration from the other disciples. Unfortunately, his senior brother was aloof and dignified, like a flower on a mountaintop, and could not be offended.
Canghe is an irresponsible master. After accepting Lin Zhuo as his disciple, he directly threw her to the eldest and second disciples.
Ling Qingqiu and You Jingjia had lived for over a hundred years and had never even touched the hands of a member of the opposite sex, yet were forced to take care of a baby who was only a few years old.
The elders from the Elder Hall would occasionally come to help, and despite the ups and downs of the two brothers and sisters, they were able to support Lin Zhuo and Xie Zhitiao, who joined later.
Even though he was raised by the eldest senior brother, Lin Zhuo was still a little scared when facing him. He would not be like this even when meeting his master.
It's nothing, Ling Qingqiu talks too little and always has a cold face. Lin Zhuo has been closer to the second senior sister since childhood.
The message sent by Ling Qingqiu disappeared very quickly. Lin Zhuo quickly sent a reply, saying that he knew about it and asked when he would return to the sect.
She was a little puzzled. Did the eldest brother need to tell her before returning to the sect? Could she still not let him come back?
The jade slip rang a few times, and Lin Zhuo's breathing stagnated. He paused for a few seconds before daring to answer the call.
“…Senior Brother.”
The sound of the wind was quite loud on the other end, but it soon disappeared, probably because it was blocked.
Ling Qingqiu was silent for a while, and finally said, "I will return to the sect around 9:00 a.m. tomorrow." He paused, wanting to ask her if there was anything she wanted, but he opened his mouth and no sound came out.
Lin Zhuo responded and waited for a few more breaths. Seeing that he had no intention of hanging up, he hesitated and said, "Senior Brother."
"Um."
"Master has come out of retreat today."
Over there, Ling Qingqiu was riding his sword towards the back door of his house. Upon hearing this, he was rarely stunned.
He clearly remembered that his master was not supposed to come out of retreat today. Although he felt doubtful, he did not show it. He simply responded calmly and hung up the jade slip.
He stopped casually at a patch of woods, no longer in a hurry to return. After finishing his conversation, the young man sat upright under a tree, wiping the back of his sword and stroking the tiny scratches on the hilt, wondering what he was thinking.
The next day, a barrier was erected outside Xie Zhitiao's courtyard. Lin Zhuo took a look and walked towards the main hall.
The main hall was empty. She didn't see Canghe. She thought he had probably left the sect again.
Lin Zhuo lowered her eyelids, pinching the fabric of her sleeves. Her expression froze for a moment. Then, in an instant, she returned to her usual gentle and kind demeanor as the young master of Xuanxiao Sect.
Guzhao Peak was the residence of the headmaster and his disciples, with the other elders each occupying a different peak. Now, apart from Xie Zhitiao who was in seclusion, she was the only one left at Guzhao Peak.
What did it matter? She was the only one on the huge mountain, and she had long been accustomed to it.
As she turned to leave, the jade slip on her waist rang. Lin Zhuo was startled, and Cang He's voice came out: "Why are you here so early?"
It was only the middle of the morning now, and he thought she would not get up until at least the morning.
Lin Zhuo shook his head, then suddenly realized that he couldn't see, so he asked him, "Disciple, nothing happened. I woke up early, so I just got up."
Cang He put away the demon core he had just obtained, and thinking of the senior disciple who was returning to the sect today, he replied: "Qing Qiu will be back at Si time, right? I will probably be back later, so there is no need to ask him to see me."
Lin Zhuo replied yes and then hung up the jade slip.
She clenched the jade slip tightly, her fingertips turning white. After a while, she raised her legs and walked down the mountain.
Xuanxiao Sect had many disciples, and the uniforms for inner disciples and direct disciples were slightly different. Along the way, Lin Zhuo encountered many inner disciples.
When the disciples saw Lin Zhuo, they all smiled and bowed, calling her "Junior Sister".
Lin Zhuo is good-looking and gentle. She always speaks softly and occasionally gives guidance to the younger disciples. She is never biased when it comes to the affairs of the sect. All the disciples, whether from the inner or outer sect, like this little senior sister very much.
Lin Zhuo smiled and nodded one by one.
When Ling Qingqiu returned to the mountain gate, Lin Zhuo was explaining sword techniques to the young disciple beside him. He didn't say anything to interrupt, but simply stood silently by the side, watching Lin Zhuo's slightly curved brows.
After solving the young disciple's problem, Lin Zhuo walked to Ling Qingqiu's side, looking puzzled and surprised: "It's only noon now, and you're back so early, Brother?"
Ling Qingqiu looked at the girl and clearly saw the faint joy in her eyes. He breathed a sigh of relief for no apparent reason.
It’s still early, she is only 113 years old, and she is not the Lin Zhuo in her previous life who refused to call him senior brother until her death.
He raised his hand slightly, wanting to touch her head like he often did with You Jingjia. But thinking of the look of fear in the girl's eyes when he touched her head when she was little, Ling Qingqiu withdrew his hand.
"I was just thinking that I've been training for a few years and it's time for me to return to the sect." Ling Qingqiu brought out the excuse he had prepared early in the morning. It had been more than three years since he left the sect to train.
Lin Nuo was a little surprised.
Three and a half years was but a blink of an eye for a cultivator who had been active for hundreds or even thousands of years. She had assumed that someone like Ling Qingqiu, who was solely devoted to cultivation, would need at least a hundred years of experience.
After all, before he left the sect, his senior sister had asked him how long he would be gone. Lin Zhuo remembered clearly that at that time, Ling Qingqiu's brows were slightly furrowed, and he lectured like a teacher on a daily basis:
"Those who practice Taoism should take the Tao as their foundation. Moreover, a hundred years for you and me is but a moment."
He was so cold and heartless that Lin Zhuo almost thought he was practicing the ruthless way. In the end, she just pursed her lips and nodded silently.
There must be a reason why my senior brother did this.
The brother and sister walked up the mountain. There were still many disciples on the road, but no one dared to ask questions.
Lin Zhuo glanced at the young man beside him, his expression as cold as ever. Sure enough, the eldest brother was still the eldest brother, still like a lotus on the mountain.
Ling Qingqiu's words turned over and over in his stomach, and he kept swallowing them back every time he tried to spit them out. He was secretly annoyed, but when he saw the house in the distance, he finally couldn't help it and pretended to clear his throat.
"Zhao Zhao."
Lin Zhuo turned his head to look at him.
"I came back to the sect this time because of you." He said it with unexpected bluntness.
Lin Bo:?
She was a little stunned and could hardly control her expression.
The strange feeling that I felt from my master appeared in my senior brother.
Seeing her stunned and bewildered, Ling Qingqiu stopped and asked her seriously, "Are you dissatisfied with my brother?"
Lin Zhuo's expression became increasingly terrified, her cheeks flushing with anxiety: "Brother! What are you talking about!"
She was just a little afraid of him, but so what? This was the senior brother who had brought her up.
Ling Qingqiu breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good." He paused, then added, "Zhao Zhao, Senior Brother has never disliked you."
He still had no expression, but his words seemed so sincere.
Lin Zhuo was completely stunned this time.
She remembered that a long, long time ago, when she was less than ten years old, she had left marks on her senior brother's Wuxia sword.
At that time, she had heard that obsidian, the forging material for famous swords, was incredibly hard. It so happened that Second Elder Jingqi had given her a piece of obsidian, and since she didn't have a sword, she carved a few floral patterns on the hilt of the Wuxia Sword.
Later, when Ling Qingqiu discovered her, he was teaching an inner sect disciple. That was the first time he had called her by her full name, and after ordering her to reflect in the Master's Hall, he left without looking back.
The whispers of the inner disciples present at the time reached Lin Zhuo's ears.
She thought that Ling Qingqiu no longer loved her because of this incident.
Even today, more than a hundred years later, she still remembers the feeling of being turned away after that day when she wiped her tears and went to apologize to him.
Lin Zhuo came back to his senses and looked at him with a forced smile: "Zhao Zhao knows. I was raised by my senior brothers and sisters."
Seeing her like this, Ling Qingqiu guessed she didn't take his words to heart. He drew his sword and held it out in front of Lin Zhuo.
"Wuxia is certainly important to me, but Zhaozhao, no sword, no matter how precious, can compare to you. When you came looking for me, I had just come back from exterminating the demon, and I was afraid that my injuries would scare you, so I wouldn't let you in. Zhaozhao, whether in the past, present, or future, Senior Brother will never blame you, so why not say I hate you."
On the hilt, there were scratches left by Lin Zhuo in his childhood. The Wuxia Sword also hummed, as if to say that it didn't blame her.
Lin Zhuo still didn't speak. She took the Wuxia sword and stroked the hilt carefully.
Ling Qingqiu naturally had a way to remove these marks, but why didn't he? Lin Zhuo didn't know. She opened her mouth but couldn't ask.
She remembered that when she returned the sword to her eldest brother, she said it was the flower she gave him.
She looked up at Ling Qingqiu again, her smile more sincere.
"Brother, did you come back just to tell me this?" she asked softly.
Ling Qingqiu nodded without saying a word. Lin Zhuo's smile widened. She rubbed her eyes, and when she let go, her eyes were slightly red.
"Let's go back, brother."
This is her senior brother, the eldest brother who raised her from a toddler to an independent person, and the relative who named her "Zhao Zhao" and hoped that her life would be bright and glorious.
When Canghe came back, Lin Zhuo and the other man were waiting in the main hall.
"Qingqiu seems to have gained a lot from this experience." Canghe praised lightly, "What are your plans this time?"
Ling Qingqiu pondered for a moment and said, "Master, now that I've returned, I don't plan to leave the sect again in the short term."
Canghe raised his eyebrows. As the eldest disciple, was he no longer focusing on cultivation?
Lin Zhuo was also a little surprised. She knew very well how much Ling Qingqiu valued cultivation.
Canghe did not try to persuade him, but nodded: "It's better not to leave. Stay and help Zhaozhao more. Atiao should not slack off in his practice, and encourage him more." He paused and turned to look at Lin Zhuo.
"Also, look at Zhao Zhao. You are not allowed to leave the sect unless it is an urgent matter. Even if you have to go, you must be accompanied by someone." His tone became more serious.
Before Lin Zhuo could react, Ling Qingqiu had already responded in a deep voice.
Lin Bo:?
She hesitated to speak, the strange feeling in her heart growing stronger. Was she leaving the sect, was she accompanied by someone... was it something important?
Looking at his master who didn't care about the sect's affairs at all, and his senior brother who no longer focused on his cultivation, Lin Zhuo worried about the sect's future for the first time in his life.
At night, Lin Zhuo's jade slip began to ring again. She was a little surprised, and even her voice was a little more excited: "Senior Sister!"
"Zhao Zhao, do you miss Senior Sister?" You Jingjia teased her, "Senior Sister misses you so much."
Lin Zhuo was much more reserved. Before he could say anything, the other party continued, "What a pity! Senior Sister is going back to the sect before we even find a live-in son-in-law for our little Zhaozhao."
It was hard to tell whether her tone was one of regret or relief.
Lin Zhuo felt strange and subconsciously asked, "Are you coming back too?"
You Jingjia paused, and Lin Zhuo continued, "Master left retreat yesterday, and Senior Brother rushed back today. ... Is something big going to happen?"
You Jingjia was silent for a few seconds, and then she spoke again in that nonchalant tone: "It's adults' business, kids, don't meddle in it. Go to bed early." After that, she hung up the jade slip.
The red-dressed girl, who was far away, put away the jade slip, looked up at the full moon, and muttered to herself, "Was it recently? Why don't I remember?"
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