Luo Luo closed the old booklet in her hands.
Her chest felt heavy, weighed down by emotions so dense they threatened to spill over.
She should have been happy, yet for some reason, her eyes stung, her nose tingled, and her heart ached with bitterness.
"Li Zhaoye."
"So you secretly liked me too."
He had hidden it so well—no one had known.
Yet in a way, he hadn’t hidden it at all. He’d been brazen, leaving the booklet right there, unafraid she might see it.
Not that she would dare mention it even if she did. She’d only pretend not to notice.
Luo Luo turned her gaze to the sky beyond the sandalwood window, blinking slowly.
The setting sun cast layers of golden-red light, gentle and unobtrusive. She turned away, stifling a yawn.
Exhausted, she decided not to return to Liuguang Pavilion. She would stay here tonight—after all, he wouldn’t be back.
Passing through the partition, she entered the bedroom.
The bed was neatly made, the whole room carrying the stale scent of disuse, an unfamiliar, almost unwelcoming air.
He hadn’t slept here since returning.
Luo Luo pushed the window shut with a creak, a splinter pricking her finger. A tiny bead of blood welled up.
She pinched it lightly, and the droplet grew, the sharp sting confirming this wasn’t a dream.
With the window closed, she stood before Li Zhaoye’s bed for a long moment.
Her heart raced, as if she were doing something illicit.
Steadying herself, she took a deep breath, then lay down on the edge of the bed, still fully clothed.
The wooden pillow was hard and cold, but when she pressed her cheek against it, she caught his scent.
Distinct, bold—enough to make her flush and her pulse quicken.
She had expected to lie awake, but wrapped in Li Zhaoye’s presence, she fell asleep the moment her head touched the pillow.
Her dreams were chaotic.
One moment, she was by the little river near her home.
Her village had always been short of water, so when the creek swelled, its waters rushing over pebbles with a sound like "Luo Luo, Luo Luo," the villagers knew good days of plenty were coming.
Then, her parents’ smiling faces appeared.
"Let’s name her Luo Luo. Luo Luo, Luo Luo—she’ll be our village’s little lucky star."
Suddenly, the scene shifted to a dusk stained blood-red, cold and desolate.
That dusk…
Just as her breathing grew ragged and her body tensed, Li Zhaoye barged into the dream, knocking her flat with a single strike of his sword. The blade rang sharply as he pointed it at her nose.
"Get up. Fight me."
He was as arrogant as the sky itself.
Gazing at him in the dream, Luo Luo’s eyes burned, her heart blazing.
Under the radiant sun, she scrambled to her feet, leaving that crimson dusk behind as she ran toward him.
She missed him so much—wanted nothing more than to throw herself into his arms.
But though he stood still, the distance between them never closed.
"Li Zhaoye?"
Confused, she ran harder, yet he only grew farther away.
"Li Zhaoye!"
A frigid, suffocating darkness seized her. Her body turned icy, the soul mark on her wrist throbbing with pain.
"Don’t go!" she pleaded.
He didn’t answer. His silhouette blurred like ink dissolving into a haze of peach blossoms.
Luo Luo lunged forward desperately, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t reach him.
Struggling between dream and wakefulness, her chest ached as if drowning, breath coming in ragged gasps.
Don’t go, don’t go, don’t go…
The pain spread—from her heart to the soul mark on her wrist. Once again, she felt the lifeblood of her soul slipping away.
She didn’t try to stop it.
It hurt. It hurt so much…
Then, she heard his voice.
Weak yet defiant, like a whisper against her ear—"Stop crying. I’m not dead yet. Wait for me."
Luo Luo jolted awake, the dream shattering as her eyes flew open.
Moonlight spilled across the windowsill.
The loft was empty, silent. Only she remained.
After a long moment, she slumped back, murmuring, "...Li Zhaoye, my neck’s right here. Come and take it."
At Laojun Peak—
"This is wonderful! I’m so happy for Brother Li!"
Upon hearing that Li Zhaoye had gained the recognition of the Taiyi Divine Sword, Gu Meng’s sorrowful expression vanished. She immediately rolled up her sleeves and headed to the kitchen, preparing a feast of date cakes and sweet wine. "Please deliver some to the other peaks as well… if the elders don’t mind."
"Mind? Of course not!"
The inner disciples, long accustomed to fasting, were practically drooling. Gu Meng’s treats were met with overwhelming praise.
The sect buzzed with celebration, and indulging in long-forbidden delicacies only added to the joy.
Stepping outside, Gu Meng was met with a chorus of admiration.
"Though this is Senior Brother’s own fortune, we mustn’t forget it was Miss Gu who saved him. Who knows what might’ve happened otherwise?"
"Miss Gu has done a great service. She deserves to be an inner disciple herself!"
"Such skill in the kitchen, and such kindness too!"
Gu Meng, flustered, waved her hands. "Please, honored elders, don’t say such things… I’ve done nothing worthy of praise. Anyone would have done the same. Truly, I beg you, no more compliments!"
Yet the worry hidden between her brows didn’t escape notice.
"Is Miss Gu concerned about the junior sister?"
"Come to think of it, hasn’t the junior sister seemed unhappy about Senior Brother gaining the divine sword?"
"Well, Qiushui and Changtian were twin blades. It’s natural she’d feel a little lost."
"But Changtian’s already shattered. Did they expect Senior Brother to keep using a broken sword? Becoming the master of Taiyi is an incredible destiny! What’s there to be upset about?"
Someone concluded firmly, "If the junior sister is throwing a tantrum over this, she’s being unreasonable!"
Luo Luo took Qiushui and left Zhaoye Pavilion.
She descended the wooden steps, pausing in the empty courtyard to stare at her own shadow.
Her chest felt tight, her sword spirit hollow and aching.
Finally, she turned back and retrieved Changtian as well.
Leaving it alone here would be too cruel.
When she arrived at the Hall of Heart’s Reflection, Master Qingxu was fuming, his nonexistent beard practically bristling.
(He had no beard—but he made the motion anyway.)
Earlier, Master Qingxu had quarreled with Master Lingxue over their respective ages. Refusing to yield, they had engaged in a childish contest, using magic to shift their appearances—first aging into elderly figures, then regressing to toddlers, before finally settling back to their thirties.
Master Qingxu later boasted to his disciples, "A man at thirty is a flower, while a woman at thirty is like spoiled tofu. Lingxue thinks she won, but she’s just rotting away without realizing it."
Hearing this, Luo Luo rolled her eyes—an act of blatant disrespect.
Li Zhaoye rolled his twice.
Since then, the immature Master Qingxu had kept his appearance fixed at thirty.
He was, in truth, quite handsome—slender phoenix eyes often half-lidded, a refined nose and lips lending him an air of lazy elegance. But his insufferable personality made it easy to forget he was attractive.
Now, as he stomped around in a tantrum, any trace of dignity was gone.
Luo Luo remembered her purpose. "Master, earlier… I heard Li Zhaoye call my name."
Master Qingxu let out a sardonic chuckle, his tone dripping with mockery. "He called for you? Oh my, now that he’s the master of the Taiyi Sword, he’s so impressive, isn’t he? As if he’d have the time to call for you! With the Taiyi Divine Sword in his grasp and two guardians at his side, the only thing left is for him to ride on my head and make me call him ‘Master’!"
Luo Luo: "…"
Her master must have been provoked somewhere.
If she had to guess, he’d probably been mocked by one of Master Lingxue’s disciples.
After all, Li Zhaoye’s sword mansion had been forged by Daoist Xuan Yi, and his fusion with the lifebound sword was overseen by others. Her master, the rightful teacher, had been sidelined—how utterly… humiliating.
Luo Luo tried to console him. "Master, Senior Uncle Lingxue and Senior Uncle Yuan are both steady and reliable. You don’t need to worry."
Her words only made things worse. Master Qingxu’s face darkened like a burnt pot.
"Ha! That’s exactly what Xuan Yi said. So I’m unreliable, am I? Not as dependable as that damned nun, right?"
Luo Luo: "…"
She really had a talent for riling him up—now he was even referring to the Daoist by name.
Though she knew she shouldn’t, she couldn’t help it—amusement sparkled in her eyes.
"You’re laughing? You dare laugh?" Master Qingxu immediately retaliated. "Rumors are spreading outside that they’ll let that mortal straight into the inner sect! That damned nun would do anything to oppose me—she’d probably take her in just to spite me! And you still have the nerve to laugh!"
Luo Luo paused. "Miss Gu?"
Master Qingxu snorted.
Luo Luo thought it over and found it rather agreeable. "With the sect leader overseeing her, it’s fine. I’d feel at ease."
Master Qingxu: "…"
Whose kind-hearted fool of a disciple was this? Oh right—his.
Master Qingxu was thoroughly displeased. "That mortal is no good!"
Luo Luo gave him a disapproving look.
Irritated, Master Qingxu flicked his robes and sat down on the steps, schooling his expression into a stern lecture. "She calls Li Zhaoye ‘Brother Li,’ doesn’t she?"
Luo Luo nodded. "Yes."
Master Qingxu scoffed. "Li Zhaoye remembers nothing. So how does she know his surname is Li? Never thought about that, did you?"
Luo Luo admitted honestly, "No."
Master Qingxu sighed. "My fault, all my fault. I always taught you to solve problems with brute force—beat up whoever you dislike, and if you can’t win, come back and call for reinforcements. And now I’ve raised such a simpleton."
"That’s not true," Luo Luo protested. "Master, if you can win by fighting, why waste time talking?"
Master Qingxu: "…"
He snapped, "Are you listening or not?"
Luo Luo muttered under her breath, "You’re the one who went off-topic."
Master Qingxu took a deep breath, struggling to regain his train of thought. "It’s obvious—when that mortal met Li Zhaoye, he must have had our sect’s token on him."
Disciples of the Tai Xuan Sect always carried their identity tokens when on missions.
First, to prove their affiliation. Second, to identify their remains in case of disfiguring accidents. Third, as proof for claiming merits.
Luo Luo caught on immediately. "So, Miss Gu knew Li Zhaoye was from the Tai Xuan Sect."
"Exactly," Master Qingxu sneered. "She didn’t notify the sect, didn’t tell him the truth, and even kept the token for herself—what else could she be after but personal gain? My disciple, your master doesn’t dislike people without reason. Trust my seasoned judgment!"
Luo Luo still had doubts. "Then why did Miss Gu insist on leaving?"
"That’s called retreating to advance!" Master Qingxu jabbed a finger in the air. "Did she actually leave? Don’t listen to what she says—watch what she does."
Luo Luo fell silent for a moment, choosing not to mention the medicine.
She only said, "I asked Miss Gu to stay in the outer sect, but she refused."
Master Qingxu burst into laughter. "And that’s my doing!"
Luo Luo: "?"
Master Qingxu stroked his imaginary beard smugly. "I told her—her spiritual roots are trash. Even if she stayed in the outer sect to cultivate, by the time she reached the Golden Core stage and could preserve her youth, she’d be old enough to be Li Zhaoye’s grandmother!"
Luo Luo: "…"
"Master," Luo Luo said, "Miss Gu did save Li Zhaoye. Judge actions, not intentions—no one is flawless. I still owe her gratitude."
Master Qingxu glared. "You even took on the poison for her! Did she show an ounce of gratitude? How did I end up with such a naive, forgetful disciple?"
Luo Luo clung to his arm playfully. "All thanks to your excellent teaching!"
"Get lost!" He kicked at her. "Out! Out!"
Seven days later, Li Zhaoye successfully fused the Taiyi Divine Sword as his lifebound sword.
At that moment, ten thousand swords in the Tai Xuan Sect resonated in unison. A vast surge of sword intent illuminated half the sky—a spectacle witnessed by both the cultivation world and the mortal realm.
The phenomenon lasted for a full incense stick’s time.
Then, the divine light withdrew into Li Zhaoye’s sword mansion. The immense sword intent and surging spiritual energy coursed through his meridians. Within his dantian, golden chimes rang out until—with a crisp sound—his Golden Core shattered, giving birth to a Nascent Soul.
Master Lingxue and Master Yuan, who had been safeguarding him all this time, finally exhaled in relief.
Not a single mishap had occurred. The fusion of the lifebound sword had gone smoothly, and he had even ascended to the Nascent Soul stage in one leap.
Master Lingxue murmured, "For the cultivation world, this is nothing short of a seismic shift—its implications are profound."
The three great sects had maintained a delicate balance for centuries. Now, at last, a variable had emerged.
Master Yuan chuckled. "This kid, Li Zhaoye, really is like the chosen one from those storybooks."
Having survived a near-death ordeal, ascended to Nascent Soul, and now wielding the Taiyi Divine Sword—even against an early-stage Divine Transformation cultivator, he might stand a chance.
The two elders gazed fondly at Li Zhaoye, who lay on the jade couch.
He opened his eyes. The sharp glint of the divine sword flashed briefly in his gaze before vanishing entirely. Rising, he bowed to the two seniors in gratitude.
Master Lingxue and Master Yuan exchanged glances, impressed—despite such a grand opportunity, he remained humble and composed.
Master Lingxue asked, "Have your memories returned?"
Li Zhaoye shook his head.
Master Lingxue admonished sternly, "Even so, do not forget your master’s kindness!"
Li Zhaoye inclined his head. "I dare not forget."
His brow furrowed slightly as he glanced down at his left wrist.
The Soul Mark flickered faintly, and his qi stumbled slightly when it reached that point.
"Since you’ve severed emotions, the Soul Mark is nothing but a burden," Master Lingxue said coolly. "Sever it as soon as possible, lest you harm both yourself and others."
Master Yuan instinctively glanced at Master Lingxue’s wrist.
A frosty glare from the latter made him quickly avert his gaze, pretending to study the floor.
Master Lingxue continued, "Our sect repays both kindness and enmity. Once the true culprit is uncovered, we will avenge you. As for Gu Meng, I will take her as my disciple. Go and speak with her."
Li Zhaoye bowed in acknowledgment.
Li Zhaoye arrived at Laojun Peak but found no trace of Gu Meng.
A plump junior disciple, tears in his eyes and clutching his swollen shoulder, informed him, "Little Martial Sister took Miss Gu away. She said she’d be waiting for you at Liuguang Pavilion."
When the celestial phenomenon appeared, everyone knew Li Zhaoye was emerging from seclusion.
Miss Gu had been overjoyed, immediately rushing to the kitchen to prepare Brother Li’s favorite jujube cakes.
That was when Little Martial Sister barged in.
"I told you—you won’t be meeting Li Zhaoye."
"You can’t—"
"I can."
And just like that, Miss Gu had been taken away.
Spring had deepened.
Luo Luo’s sleeves and hair ribbons fluttered in the warm breeze.
Before the Flowing Light Pavilion, Li Zhaoye finally arrived.
He stood at a distance, tall and poised, the Taiyi Divine Sword hanging at his side, its aura restrained and serene.
Luo Luo slowly raised her eyes, her expression calm. "I hear you've grown strong. Come, let's spar."
With a sharp "clang," her sword left its sheath.
The cold, gleaming blade reflected in her eyes as her fighting spirit surged, her aura rising relentlessly.
It was a sword intent brimming with unyielding resolve, a pride that brooked no retreat.
She fixed her gaze on him—not with coquetry, nor with tears or dramatics.
"Draw your sword," she challenged, her defiance burning brighter. "Dare you unsheathe your Taiyi and face me in battle?"
