Before Shu Fu stepped into the "Sun and Moon in a Gourd," Liu Ruyi had only said one thing to her.
"The Master said, if you ever need him to stand up for you, just call his name. No matter when, no matter where, he will come immediately."
He lifted the corner of his mouth slightly, imitating Jiang Xuesheng's casual tone, "Otherwise, what use is he as her Master?"
Shu Fu couldn't help but laugh. "A teacher is one who transmits the Way, imparts learning, and resolves doubts. What else could it be?"
Calling out and having someone rush over immediately—that's not a Master, that's a summoned beast.
Having a heavyweight like Jiang Xuesheng act as a summoned beast was something Shu Fu felt she couldn't possibly accept, nor was it necessary.
However, Jiang Xuesheng's words still warmed her heart.
No matter how capable and strong one is, having someone wholeheartedly support you, think what you think, and share your urgency is always a comforting thing.
Holding onto this secret comfort, Shu Fu, in her light furs and loose belt, her long sword held inverted in her hand, walked forward calmly and unhurriedly.
High above the clouds, Master Jinghai noticed this scene, his brow imperceptibly twitching. "So young, yet her temperament is quite resolute. Tanhua may be arrogant, but he has some discernment in judging people."
Master Huaigu snorted coldly, disapproving. "To be noticed by him, she must have some extraordinary qualities. However, daring to enter the Sun and Moon in a Gourd is one thing; whether she can come out completely unscathed is another matter entirely."
Master Jinghai's eyes grew deep. "Martial Uncle, are you planning to..."
"Ha, I have no plans."
Master Huaigu waved a large hand, feeling magnanimous as he lifted his chin. "Just a junior, I wouldn't stoop to making things difficult for her. Jiang... what was her name again? Jiang Ruoshui, right? Since she accepted the trial, it's up to her own fate. The demons and monsters in the Purple Jade Gourd are at least at the seventh layer of Qi Refining or above; they are not easily dealt with."
"What if... she has an accident?"
"An accident? Impossible."
Master Huaigu waved his hand with full confidence. "Jinghai, you might not know this yet. That Qi family youngster you think highly of is said to have once had a marriage pact with her. The Qi family values righteousness above all. Even if they argued and broke off the engagement, they wouldn't simply abandon her; they'd at least ensure her life is spared."
"......"
Master Jinghai was silent for a long moment before slowly speaking. "But I heard from the Sect Leader that a branch of the Qi family conspired with Lingxiao City to kill over thirty members of Jiang Ruoshui's maternal clan, including her birth mother. The reason Jiang Ruoshui broke off the engagement was precisely because Qi Yuxuan is the nephew of her mother's murderer."
"Martial Uncle, do you think this is just a matter of 'arguing'?"
Master Huaigu: "......"
"......"
"Should we... let her change gourds?"
"She's already inside, Martial Uncle."
"This..."
Master Huaigu rarely showed a hint of embarrassment and couldn't help but complain, "I was secluded refining pills recently; why didn't you tell me earlier? So it seems I've foolishly believed rumors and done something stupid?"
Master Jinghai responded indifferently, "I merely thought Jiang Ruoshui's temperament resembles Master Tanhua's—excessive arrogance, lacking steadiness, not truly suited for the path of cultivation. Having her suffer this trial to temper her sharp edges might not be a bad thing."
"If she cannot endure this trial... well, then her strength is barely adequate, and it is simply her fate. She cannot blame you, Martial Uncle."
"......"
Liu Ruyi happened to be passing by and said quietly, "Master Jinghai, the meaning of 'barely adequate' is..."
Master Jinghai: "Silence!"
Meanwhile, inside the "Sun and Moon in a Gourd"...
"......"
Shu Fu opened her eyes to find herself falling from mid-air.
"Ah."
Falling.
In the physical sense, falling headfirst in a straight line towards the ground from an altitude of roughly one thousand meters.
At this speed, in about ten seconds, her skull would collide with the ground and explode like a loud bang snap.
Shu Fu: Hmm, don't panic, standard procedure.
...Still a little panicked.
Well, you old man, starting off with something big!
Fortunately, among the "365 Standard Opening Moves for Cultivation Trials" she had envisioned beforehand, "falling from a great height" was one of them.
Thus, Shu Fu's inner panic lasted only an instant.
In the next instant, she performed a swift flip mid-air, her long sword leaving its sheath, drawing a smooth, sharp semi-circular arc that happened to come to a steady stop right beneath her feet.
"Just as I thought."
Shu Fu stepped nimbly onto the sword's body and sighed quietly. "Basic skills like sword flight really should be learned early."
She looked up at the sky and added, "You never know when some unscrupulous character might just toss you off the sky."
Guguang emitted a faint hum, as if responding to her muttering.
"Thanks."
Shu Fu looked down and smiled. She always felt this sword could understand human speech.
Such a capable, protective sword, and Qi Yuxuan had heartlessly snapped it. It showed he truly had no heart.
The heartless Qi Yuxuan had not been thrown from the sky like her. Instead, he had landed steadily on a patch of grass not far away.
He lowered his gaze, his expression and tone infinitely gentle. "Wanqing, are you alright?"
"Mhm, I'm fine."
Fang Wanqing nestled close to him, her whole person like a soft, boneless vine, winding around his arm once, then again.
"......"
This pose Shu Fu remembered. In the original story, Miss Fang would intentionally or unintentionally show off their affection like this, handing out dog food as if it were free, tormenting the female lead to the point of agony.
This time, however, in front of Shu Fu, her showing off could no longer be considered "tormenting a single dog"; it could only be called "playing the lute to a cow" or "showing a romantic movie to a blockheaded straight man."
"Miss Fang, I think... you're kind of hindering Young Master Qi from using his sword."
The blockheaded straight man sheathed her sword, planted herself like a blunt club in front of them, and spoke bluntly, "Although you're slender, as a shoulder accessory, you're still a bit too large."
Fang Wanqing: "......"
This wasn't how it was supposed to go!
Of course, Shu Fu hadn't made any agreements with them and actually didn't want to talk much more.
After habitually making a snide remark, she left the inseparable lovebirds aside and began observing the surroundings.
At a glance, the scenery here was no different from outside the jade gourd. Similarly layered peaks, green waters and blue mountains, a paradisiacal landscape one could linger in.
Currently, they had landed in a valley, somewhat similar to Yaoguang Peak. A murmuring mountain stream wound its way through, with flowers, trees, and lush grass lining both banks.
The stream made a bend in front of them, flowing into a narrower gorge. One couldn't see its end at a glance, nor tell where the water came from or where it led.
Shu Fu thought for a moment. The gorge seemed too cramped for a proper fight; better to head upstream. Following the usual trope, the big demon serving as the boss was likely at the source.
Having come all this way, how could one not fight a boss?
"Yuxuan, let's follow the stream downstream."
At the same time, she heard Fang Wanqing suggest to Qi Yuxuan. "I have a feeling that if we pass through it, something good will definitely happen."
Qi Yuxuan naturally nodded in agreement. Turning his head and seeing Shu Fu, his face darkened as he spoke coolly, "Miss Jiang, you—"
"Yuxuan."
Fang Wanqing gently interrupted him in her soft, coaxing tone, "I want to be with you."
This "be with you" naturally meant a "world for two."
Shu Fu was amused by this young lady's possessiveness. She tilted her head to size her up for a moment, then smiled and cupped her hands in a salute. "Then I wish you both a pleasant vacation. I'm a rather unromantic person, a real mood-killer, so I won't disturb you further."
"Wait!"
Qi Yuxuan called out to stop her from behind. "You... Miss Jiang. Although I have no feelings for you, and what happened with my third uncle is something I cannot let go of, my father is very concerned about you. He told me to take good care—"
"Take care?" Shu Fu blinked. "Well, you've certainly taken 'good care' of me. Rumors about me being unfaithful have spread throughout the entire Lecture Hall, and I didn't hear you utter a single word to stop them."
Qi Yuxuan was instantly choked up. "I... you... I was because..."
Shu Fu: "Because you didn't want others to call you a heartless scoundrel, call Fang Wanqing a homewrecker, or say your third uncle was a beastly scum, so the only option was to throw all the dirt on me. Got it. You're dismissed. The stench of trash on you is starting to choke me."
Qi Yuxuan: "..."
Shu Fu truly couldn't be bothered with his pretenses of harmony. After delivering that combo, she felt refreshed and invigorated, as if she could take on ten more with the same momentum.
The Gu Guang Sword had been buzzing incessantly in its scabbard, seemingly eager to start chopping people. Shu Fu simply drew it out, holding it loosely in her hand as she turned and began walking upstream.
"Jiang—"
Qi Yuxuan wanted to say more, but the word got stuck in his throat, unable to fully form.
First, because Fang Wanqing had linked her arm with his, subtly stopping him.
Second, because...
"Whoa."
On the rugged mountain path leading upstream, right in front of Shu Fu, there had silently appeared—
A bear.
A massive black bear, three meters tall, standing on its hind legs. At first glance, it looked four times as burly as Shu Fu, capable of smashing her skull with a single swipe of its paw.
Shu Fu had been walking briskly and couldn't stop in time, nearly crashing headfirst into the fur on the bear's belly. She looked up just in time to meet the bear's gaping maw. A wave of hot, sour, foul breath washed over her face, almost making her black out.
Shu Fu's first thought was: This bear has serious halitosis. It definitely doesn't brush after eating people.
"Jiang Ruoshui!"
Seeing the black bear chomp down with an "awoo," Qi Yuxuan, still mindful of his father's instructions, shouted sharply, "Don't be reckless! You can't handle it alone—"
Before he could finish.
Shu Fu tilted her head, narrowly avoiding the bear's open jaws. Then, with one hand gripping its upper jaw and the other tightly clutching her longsword, she thrust the blade into its mouth with lightning speed.
The black bear: "..."
Qi Yuxuan: "..."
The seemingly sentient Gu Guang Sword: "..."
If Gu Guang had a sword spirit, and that spirit had senses, it might have already fainted from the smell by now.
But Shu Fu paid no mind. For the past three months, she had sparred daily with the disciples of Tianxuan Peak. Her strikes were now fast, steady, precise, and ruthless, almost muscle memory. Every move targeted vital points, lethal upon contact.
A sword thrust that doesn't threaten the throat is no sword thrust at all.
Although, her method of "threatening the throat" was a bit unconventional.
"Be careful now."
Shu Fu pressed the sword tip against the soft flesh in the bear's throat, lifting her chin slightly, her eyes narrowing into a cunning slit. "If you close this mouth, you might not be able to eat anything for the rest of your life."
The bear made a muffled sound: "Eee wu wu eee."
Shu Fu: "I don't understand."
Bear: "Eee wu wu wu wu wu eee!"
Shu Fu nodded with a benevolent smile. "I know, I know. The Jiuhua Sect uses either mindless magical beasts or demonic beasts that have strayed onto evil paths and harmed human lives for disciple trials. You've eaten people out there, haven't you?"
The bear, eyes welling with tears, desperately opened its mouth wider: "I wuz wong, I wun't doo it agen!"
"Look at you, you can't even speak standard Mandarin. You talk like you're typing in Martian. Bears really should read more books."
Shu Fu smiled even more kindly, reaching out to pat the bear's cheek. "Don't worry. Humans eat cattle and sheep, bears eat humans—it's all part of nature. I don't plan to hold it against you. As long as you don't eat me, I won't make things difficult for you."
The bear seemed to understand. Holding back two pools of tears, it nodded pitifully.
True to her word, Shu Fu gave a slight nod, deftly pulled the sword out with a backhand motion. The blade was as clean and shiny as new, not a drop of blood on it.
Of course, saliva was unavoidable.
The Gu Guang Sword buzzed and trembled twice, then suddenly dragged Shu Fu's arm down, as if going into seclusion.
"Brother Sword, look on the bright side."
Shu Fu consoled it gently. "Look at me. Half my head was in its mouth, and the smell was like unwashed hair for three years. How about I give you a good scrub later too?"
Muttering to herself, she took a step forward, sword in hand, only to see Qi Yuxuan standing opposite her, his face ashen and stiff. His lips opened and closed like a fish out of water, but no sound came out for a long moment.
"Jiang... you..."
"Yuxuan."
Fang Wanqing clung tightly to his arm, looking utterly devoted, as if trying to melt herself into his body.
"Hmm?" Shu Fu raised an eyebrow. "Young Master Qi, what did you want to say?"
Qi Yuxuan was a man of some experience. Her swordsmanship, while fast, shouldn't have left him utterly dumbfounded.
So his expression must have had another reason.
Of course, Shu Fu knew what that "reason" was.
Just as Qi Yuxuan was hesitating, torn between speaking and staying silent, she suddenly halted her steps. With a flick of her wrist, she thrust the sword behind her at an impossibly tricky angle, without even turning her head.
Squelch.
The sound of a sharp blade piercing flesh rang out, and a spray of warm blood splattered onto her hand.
"Urk—"
Behind Shu Fu, the black bear she had spared had not left. Instead, it had raised its sharp claws, attempting to tear apart this frail human cultivator's body when her guard was down.
The reason for Qi Yuxuan's stiff expression was precisely because he had seen this clearly. He had intended to warn her, but was hindered by the sensitive Fang Wanqing beside him. In front of Fang Wanqing, he wasn't sure if he should warn his "ex-fiancée." In that moment of hesitation, he missed his chance to speak.
Fortunately, Shu Fu was observant and alert. She didn't need his warning.
Just before the bear could strike, her sword tip had already pierced through the thick hide, striking straight into its heart, the point emerging from its back.
The black bear let out a agonized roar, but was firmly pinned by the longsword, unable to move like meat on a skewer. No matter how it struggled and roared, it couldn't stop its life force draining away with its blood.
"I knew you were lying to me."
Shu Fu spoke to it softly, still not turning around. "Makes sense. The Jiuhua Sect is usually lenient towards demonic beasts. If you weren't incorrigibly evil, why would you be imprisoned here?"
"But luckily, I was lying to you too. From the very beginning, I never intended to let you go."
"..."
The bear's eyes widened. Only ragged, "heh heh" gasps came from its throat; it couldn't utter a single word.
"Goodbye. Thanks for the points."
Shu Fu curled the corner of her mouth with a light, brisk motion. She spun on the spot and drew out the razor-sharp sword.
The blood drawn out by the blade cascaded down like a torrential downpour, instantly and unavoidably drenching half her body and leaving several stark streaks across her cheek.
Amidst the spray of blood, not only Shu Fu herself, but even Fang Wanqing's meticulously applied makeup and expensive dress nearby were not spared, spattered with several scattered crimson dots, startling her into stumbling backward.
""
Shu Fu lifted her head, half her body draped in blood, and flashed Qi Yuxuan and Fang Wanqing a grin that was almost friendly.
"Young Master Qi, what was it you were trying to say earlier?"
Her smile was friendly enough, but paired with her current appearance, she looked for all the world like a deranged serial killer.
Qi Yuxuan: "Nothing. My apologies for disturbing you."
For some reason, it was as if he heard a voice in his head saying:
Young Master, times have changed.
He suddenly felt a strong urge to go home. Remember to bookmark the site or keep the site address in mind. The site is free, no theft, no anti-theft. Report errors in chapters, look for books, and chat with fellow readers about books.
