That was a vast and boundless world.
The sky was gloomy, the land desolate; there was not a single person in the wilderness, only the howling of the wild wind.
Yun Heng stood in that world, looking around blankly.
Then, she saw a person.
A woman.
She stood with her back to Yun Heng, her posture straight as a pine tree, her long hair lifted by the wind and whipping wildly behind her.
There was a sword in her hand.
The blade was long, its tip pointing toward the ground, yet it seed capable of piercing the heavens at any mont.
Yun Heng looked at her and suddenly felt unable to breathe.
Not because of nervousness, and not because of fear.
It was because she felt her sword bone resonate with that sword.
The woman moved.
She raised her hand, and the tip of the sword slowly left the ground.
The rotation of her wrist, the lift of her arm, the tilt of the sword, even the rhythm of her breathing and the changes in her gaze, all of it was deeply branded into Yun Heng’s eyes.
She swung her sword.
That sword intent was incomparably sharp, carrying with it an aura capable of sweeping away all malice as it tore across the sky; Yun Heng felt even her soul tremble.
Draw the sword.
The sword had already fallen.
One strike, and then another.
Every slash was extrely simple, without any flashy technique or complicated variation. Yet every slash contained the very essence of the sword path—slashing.
Cut down treachery and evil, cut down demons and monsters, cut away all injustice and filth in the world.
Yun Heng raised her hand and gripped the sword in her own hand tightly.
Her body reacted before her mind did.
Lift the wrist, turn the sword body, slash downward.
One strike.
Two strikes.
Three strikes.
At first, her movents were still sowhat clumsy, like a child who had only just learned how to walk.
But with every swing of the sword, Yun Heng felt her sword bone begin to heat up.
It was not a scorching heat.
It was warm, joyful, and tinged with a trace of urgency.
As though it were urging her on.
Faster.
A little faster.
Yun Heng’s sword grew faster and faster, and her sword intent grew sharper and sharper.
Wherever the blade passed, even the air let out shrill cries.
Sharp sword qi gathered around her, and she felt her ridians rejoicing.
Every strand of spiritual power surged in delight, flowing smoothly in the direction guided by her sword bone.
She felt that she herself had beco a sword.
That figure continued swinging the sword, the moves linked together in one uninterrupted flow. But Yun Heng no longer needed to look at her.
She closed her eyes and let her body move on its own, letting the power surging from the depths of her sword bone lead her forward.
That sword intent spread over heaven and earth like frost and snow.
The figure finally stopped.
She stood there, quietly watching Yun Heng.
Yun Heng opened her eyes. Although she could not clearly see the other party’s expression, she could feel the satisfaction in that gaze.
The woman’s figure slowly dispersed like smoke, and in the end returned to nothingness.
*
In the courtyard, Lu Fengmian stood quietly.
From the mont Junior Sister Yun began to swing her sword, he knew—the choice of this sword seal had been the right one.
He made no sound and did not disturb her. He rely stood silently to one side, playing the role of her protector.
The night wind blew past, brushing across his moon-white robe.
He watched the figure within the beam of light wielding the long sword, watched the increasingly sharp sword intent, and the corners of his lips involuntarily lifted.
Worth it.
That one hundred million spirit stones had been worth it.
The beam of light dispersed, and moonlight once again covered the small courtyard.
Junior Sister Yun stood where she was, her sword hanging at her side, the sword qi lingering on her body not yet fully dissipated.
She lifted her head and saw Lu Fengmian standing at the courtyard gate.
He had been standing there waiting for her the entire ti.
She did not know how long he had already been standing there.
Junior Sister Yun opened her mouth, wanting to say sothing, only to discover that her throat had tightened.
She had never been soone good with words to begin with, and at this mont, with hundreds of emotions surging into her heart, she could not say a single word.
Three years ago, the person before her had caught hold of her when she had been covered in blood and barely clinging to life.
Now, he had given her a sword seal.
A sword seal capable of restoring her sword bone.
Junior Sister Yun did not know where that sword seal had co from, nor did she know what price he had paid.
But she knew how precious that thing was; the mont she touched it, she had known.
This was a gift from Ancient tis, an incomparably precious opportunity. And he had simply given it to her.
Junior Sister Yun tightened her grip on the sword hilt.
“Senior Brother,” she finally said, her voice hoarse.
Lu Fengmian looked at her, that sa gentle and elegant expression still resting on his face.
“How do you feel?” he asked, in a tone as though he were asking whether her sword practice had gone smoothly today.
Junior Sister Yun pressed her lips together tightly.
She had many things she wanted to say.
She wanted to say that her sword bone no longer hurt, that the blockage of so many years had finally cleared, that she felt as if she had co alive again.
But when the words left her mouth, they turned into: “Much better.”
After thinking for a mont, she added, “Thank you, Senior Brother.”
Lu Fengmian looked at her lowered eyelashes and waved a hand. “What is there to thank for? You’re my biological younger sister.”
My younger sister.
Those four words were as light as dust, brushing past gently.
Yet Junior Sister Yun felt those four words were so heavy that they pressed against her chest and made her feel suffocated.
She raised her head and stared at him without blinking.
Under the moonlight, those eyes that were usually cold now surged with burning emotion.
“Senior Brother,” she called again.
Lu Fengmian glanced at her and raised a brow slightly. “Hm?”
“I...” Junior Sister Yun seed to be struggling to organize words she was not good at using. “I want to repay you.”
Lu Fengmian froze for a mont, then laughed.
He walked forward and rubbed the top of her head.
“Silly girl,” his voice was very gentle, carrying a trace of helplessness, “I’m your Senior Brother. Isn’t it only natural for to give you these things? What is there for you to repay?”
Junior Sister Yun shook her head.
She was a stubborn person; once she had made up her mind to do sothing, she would not change it.
As Lu Fengmian looked at her like this, he suddenly felt like sighing.
Once this child beca stubborn, she really was frighteningly stubborn.
He thought for a mont, then said in a joking tone, “All right then, let’s settle it this way: if one day sothing happens to , rember to co save .”
Junior Sister Yun suddenly lifted her head and glared at him.
“I will.”
Lu Fengmian was stunned by her gaze; before he could even say “I was joking,” he heard her add, “I definitely will.”
She spoke softly.
But in that gaze, there was clearly a force even firr than the sword light from just now.
What she did not say aloud was—even if she had to risk her life, she would definitely go.
Lu Fengmian was stunned by her serious expression, then smiled helplessly.
“I was joking,” he said, quickly waving his hand. “Don’t take it seriously, don’t take it seriously.”
He shifted his gaze away, as though rembering sothing, then reached a hand into his sleeve.
“Oh right, there’s one more thing.”
Junior Sister Yun looked up at him.
Lu Fengmian took out that hairpin, and his movents suddenly beca sowhat unnatural.
Clearly, he had been calm when handing over the sword seal just now, but now that he was offering this little hairpin, he felt a bit awkward.
“Um...” He pushed the hairpin slightly forward. “I noticed that you didn’t have any accessories, so I bought this hairpin for you.”
After thinking for a mont, he added, “This thing isn’t precious.”
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