Only One Blade Short
That night, Shu Fu and Jiang Xuesheng said goodbye to Shi Xiaolou (who had been thoroughly plucked) and returned to the inn where they were staying to take a short rest.
Shu Fu had always been frugal when traveling. She usually booked a room at the most ordinary cultivators’ inn—just a roof over her head, nothing more. Jiang Xuesheng had originally been content to follow her example, but after seeing Shi Xiaolou’s accommodations, he seemed to take it as a personal challenge. The moment they returned, he tossed out a scroll and told Shu Fu, “Open it.”
Shu Fu did as instructed. The scroll contained a painting of pavilions, towers, covered bridges, and waterside terraces. Exotic flowers bloomed everywhere, strange beasts roamed between them, and every detail was elegant and exquisite. It looked like a celestial paradise.
The moment her fingertip touched the surface of the painting, a tremendous force swept over her. Her entire body transformed into a streak of light and was sucked into the painting in an instant.
Shu Fu: “……”
She looked around at the luxurious residence that was identical to the one in the painting, then glanced at Jiang Xuesheng, who appeared as calm as ever but whose entire face practically screamed, “Tell me how awesome I am.”
Big brother, really, there was no need to go this far.
“This painting is called ‘Langyuan.’ It’s just a little trinket I made in my spare time. I’ll give it to you from now on.”
Jiang Xuesheng kept his expression neutral and his tone casual, as though he had merely handed over a doodle he’d made while idling. “If there’s anything else you’d like to add, just bring it to me and I’ll modify it.”
Shu Fu: You people really have a very different definition of “little trinket”!
Given Jiang Xuesheng’s personality, there was no way he would ever take back something he had given away. Shu Fu could not be bothered to decline, so she accepted it without fuss.
They were family, after all. It really made no difference whose pocket held the key to the villa.
Er… family?
The thought surfaced far too naturally, as though it had long since taken root in her heart. Now that it had risen to the surface, it felt as effortless as the words she had spoken earlier: “You’re not as good-looking as my master.” Neither thought seemed the least bit strange to her.
“……”
Shu Fu raised both hands and patted her cheeks, giving a quiet, rueful laugh.
In the end, she had still failed to escape it.
Over the past few days, there had been clues, roundabout probing, and even meaningful glances between them—though admittedly, those had not been especially obvious. Shu Fu was not ignorant of matters between men and women. She had long since stopped doubting the vague suspicion that had previously hovered at the edge of her mind.
Jiang Xuesheng probably did have feelings for her.
The phrasing sounded somewhat like Kong Yiji, and if one examined it closely, it might even be considered grammatically awkward. But that was exactly how the situation felt.
She said “did have feelings” because, however she looked at it, Jiang Xuesheng’s intentions seemed genuine. Though he was shamelessly flirtatious while secretly showing off and convinced that he had hidden it all perfectly, once Shu Fu started paying attention, she could always sense the difference.
She said “probably” because although he clearly had feelings for her, he had yet to say anything outright. It seemed he had some other concern.
Shu Fu vaguely suspected that there were still secrets she knew nothing about concerning the demon-sealing formation from three thousand years ago.
According to Jiang Xuesheng, as long as they gathered the descendants of the five-colored chickens—no, the descendants of the Five Phoenixes—and cast the spell together, they would be able to purify the demonic energy sealed within the earth’s ley lines and completely ruin the demon cultivators’ ambitions.
Jiang Xuesheng was originally Lord Yinglong’s primordial spirit. If everything went smoothly, he would also be able to recover his physical body and return to his true dragon form.
But…
Would things really go that smoothly?
The Heavenly Demon Zhao Jiugé was no easy opponent. In the original novel, he had managed to keep his intelligence intact—which was no small feat. Surely he had some backup plan.
Unfortunately, in Shu Fu’s hazy memories, the original novel did not seem to describe Zhao Jiugé’s methods in any detail.
After all, it was an angst novel whose main plot revolved around tormenting the heroine. Compared to the final villain, the tangled romances between the male and female leads and all the various supporting characters were the real highlight.
Take the Demon Realm arc, for example. It basically revolved around the heroine and the Cringey Demon Lord’s “The Domineering Villain Falls for Me” storyline. The scene that appeared most frequently was the heroine being pinned against a wall and kissed. It had nearly given Shu Fu PTSD.
A serious demon lord who devoted himself to his ambitions and never got involved in romance?
Who cared about that?
He was merely a tool for advancing the romance plot.
The original novel never explained how Zhao Jiuge would break the seal, where he would begin, or what exactly the heroine’s final self-detonation had accomplished to stop him.
Because the author had never written it.
And what about Lingxiao City? It called itself part of the righteous path, but had long since abandoned its original ideals. What role would it play in the conflict between the righteous and demonic factions?
That was even more impossible to know.
She could not think about this any further. The more she did, the more her head hurt.
The great crisis had yet to pass, a fierce battle was imminent, and life and death remained uncertain. This was hardly the time to dwell on romantic feelings.
Shu Fu thought that she and Jiang Xuesheng were probably both too career-minded.
Besides, a thousand years still lay between them.
Compared to the long and boundless lifespan of the dragon race, she was no more than a tiny mote of stardust in the Milky Way.
Perhaps he had been drawn to the unique light she gave off, but she had never seen the entirety of his galaxy, and so she could not help holding something back.
His past, his loves and hatreds, his thoughts, the three thousand years he had lost…
She wanted to understand more about him. More, and still more.
Because they knew each other too little, she did not dare speak lightly of love.
Then again—
What, exactly, had this Old Dragon seen in her?
……
In the end, Shu Fu gave up trying to figure it out.
Feelings were a matter for two people. No matter how much she analyzed them on her own, she could never untangle them completely.
The original plot would reach its end someday, and the villains would eventually be killed. She also believed that one day she would soar through the nine heavens and look down upon the same mountains and rivers as the Dragon God.
Perhaps by then, their feelings would become clear on their own.
There was no need to rush.
For now, the most important thing was figuring out how to chop off Ling Big Dog’s head!
Shu Fu shut herself inside and laid out all the magical artifacts she had on hand in a neat row. The Solitary Light Sword, the Po-Moon Zither, and the Carefree Flute were placed at the front.
Over the years, she had devoted herself to the sword path. She had also asked Jiang Xuesheng to teach her the basics of music cultivation, allowing her to use the Po-Moon Zither instead of wielding the ancient instrument like a giant hammer every day.
But her talent for music was truly abysmal. Jiang Xuesheng had declared that even if she practiced day and night, she might not achieve even a tenth of Liu Ruyi’s skill.
Shu Fu had therefore decisively played to her strengths and resolved to walk the sword cultivator’s path all the way to the end.
The flute, like the zither, served as a spiritual energy amplifier for her. It allowed her to launch attacks over a wide area and catch her opponent off guard when they were busy guarding against her sword qi.
As a side note, although Solitary Light and Po-Moon had yet to develop complete spirits, they had already begun to show faint traces of “self-awareness,” far more clearly than they had three years earlier.
For example—
Sensing the arrival of a new companion, Po-Moon’s strings suddenly trembled violently, producing a series of buzzing sounds, as if it were eager to express some grievance.
When Shu Fu showed no reaction, it abruptly rose into the air, spun halfway around, and delivered a great-hammer-like sweeping blow, smacking the jade flute straight into the wall!
The jade flute landed in the corner with a clatter, looking small, pitiful, helpless—
And utterly bewildered.
Shu Fu: “……”
Po’er, that was a little unfriendly, wasn’t it?
By contrast, Solitary Light silently extended its hilt toward her hand, displaying the obedient eagerness of a giant dog begging to be petted.
Three years had passed in the blink of an eye, and these two spiritual artifacts had certainly developed more and more personality.
Who knew what kind of opportunity Tong Yao had stumbled upon? The moment Shu Fu arrived, she took to them as if they were old friends, wielding them as naturally as her own limbs. If she really did have the protagonist’s halo, then these zither and sword were probably the extent of it.
Of the two, Shu Fu clearly favored the Guguang Sword. Her swordsmanship had indeed flourished, allowing both her and Guguang to hold their heads high. Sure, she occasionally used it to skin beasts or shave someone’s hair, but compared with the feat of splitting open a mountain with a single stroke, what did those little things matter?
As long as it could reach the peak of the sword path together with Shu Fu, nothing else was a problem!
Poyue’s loyalty was no less than Guguang’s. Unfortunately, it had all that passion but nowhere to vent it. Under the strain, a faint tendency toward “jealous rivalry” had begun to emerge.
Thinking of this, Shu Fu felt somewhat embarrassed. That was why she hadn’t argued back against Xie Fangnian’s cutting sarcasm. This time, she had even deliberately swiped a xiao flute from Shi Xiaolou, hoping to share the burden with Poyue and let it feel that “I’m not fighting alone.”
But she never could have imagined that, in Poyue’s mind, her actions were tantamount to taking on a mistress, preparing to “abandon the zither for the xiao” and “listen only to the new xiao’s laughter, never the old zither’s tears”!
How could that be allowed?
Even if one of them had to be bullied, it could only be Poyue!
Shu Fu tried to placate it. “Poyue, it’s not what you think…”
However, the jade xiao from Shi Xiaolou was no pushover either. Containing a strand of his spiritual power, it automatically reacted to Poyue’s attack. It sprang into the air on the spot, shooting forward like an arrow loosed from a bow and stabbing straight toward Poyue’s body!
Shu Fu: “??????”
This was the first time I’ve encountered such an intense love triangle, and the participants weren’t even men—they were my weapons!
Was this the destiny of an iron-fisted woman?
At the same time, the Guguang Sword was secretly poking at her palm. It spun around on the spot like a spoiled child showing off, as if to say, “See? I’m still the one who’s most considerate.”
Shu Fu sighed and gripped Guguang in her hand. At the same time, she began circulating her spiritual sense, preparing to forcibly stop Poyue and the jade xiao from engaging in hand-to-hand combat.
She was certain that if this were a palace-intrigue story, Guguang would definitely be the last one standing.
…
The next morning, at dawn.
A love triangle was always a headache, even when none of the participants were human.
After spending considerable effort pacifying the two spiritual weapons, Shu Fu devoted herself to meditating and regulating her breath while devising a battle plan. The night passed in the blink of an eye, and before she knew it, the eastern sky had begun to pale.
“…”
She slowly raised her eyelids, exhaled a long breath of pent-up foul air, and rose with her sword in hand.
The time for the decisive battle had come.
Based on Shu Fu and Jiang Xuesheng’s deductions, Ling Fengqing would choose the third day’s spell competition to make his move against Wei Cheng. With the crowds and confusion, it would be easy for demonic cultivators to disguise themselves and infiltrate the area, making it the perfect opportunity to strike.
Of course, Shu Fu wasn’t going to let him live until the third day.
In a contest on the arena, blades and swords had no eyes, and everyone was responsible for their own life or death. Today was the best opportunity to kill Ling Fengqing.
Rather than relying on Jiang Xuesheng to act, it would be better for “Jiang Ruoshui,” who bore a blood feud, to finish him herself. That would give her the moral high ground and prevent the Jiuhua Sect and Lingxiao City from going to war.
If Ling Shanhai flew into a rage and wanted to avenge his eldest son, he could come straight to her.
Before heading to the competition venue, Shu Fu first took a detour to another place.
—The Wei City Flower Child Temple.
No, it should be called the “Hua Family Ancestral Hall” now.
In truth, after learning the truth about the underground palace, Shu Fu had finally figured something out.
Why was Yao City plagued by a vengeful ghost, while the Flower Child Temple in Wei City contained only a weak, powerless spirit—one that couldn’t even assume human form and could only relay messages to her in dreams?
The answer was simple.
Of the two Hua brothers, only one had become a vengeful ghost. As for the other, he had long since ceased to be there.
The Flower Child Temple in Wei City had never retained a complete soul.
Perhaps he had been free of resentment from the very beginning. Or perhaps he had already found release after “Not Worthy of Big Brother” made his move. In any case, the soul of one of the Hua brothers had long since been reincarnated, bidding farewell to this nightmare forever.
The one who still remained in the Flower Child Temple and had guided Shu Fu was merely a remnant soul.
Shu Fu stopped in front of the ancestral hall and took another magical artifact from Shi Xiaolou’s treasury, gently holding it in her palm.
—It was a soul-guiding lantern.
It could communicate between yin and yang and guide human souls across.
She had said she would take the Flower Child out with her, and she would keep her word.
“Hua Wangchou.”
Shu Fu raised the soul-guiding lantern high and softly spoke the name of the younger Hua brother.
“You should know that your elder brother was used by others. He became trapped in a quagmire, weighed down by karmic sin, and even after death, he has been unable to find release for a thousand years.”
“If you wish to save him, come with me.”
Silence reigned. No one answered.
And yet, that did not mean there was no response.
Within the stillness, countless tiny points of light suddenly appeared, like fireflies on a summer night or flickering reflections of stars upon a lake.
The lights formed a flowing river. Slowly and gently, they gathered around Shu Fu, circled her once, and then sank entirely into the soul-guiding lantern in her hand.
As the points of light swept past her ears, Shu Fu seemed to hear a child’s tender sigh.
“…Thank you.”
—I have waited here for a thousand years, hoping that someone would come and dissolve my brother’s deep resentment and obsession, guiding him into reincarnation once more.
Thank you for remembering us.
Thank you for wanting to save us.
It’s only a pity that we never met you while we were alive, and that we never met…
“It’s done.”
Shu Fu put away the soul-guiding lantern. Suddenly, she felt a wave of heat spread throughout her body. The spiritual power contained within Zhong Bukui’s diary was inexplicably stirred, flowing into her meridians like a river pouring into the sea, without the slightest obstruction.
In an instant, her meridians were cleansed and her marrow refined, all things returning to unity.
Only at this moment did she truly gain the recognition of the Yuezhuo.
The Yuezhuo was steadfast and loyal by nature—though a little thickheaded—and its spiritual power was fiercely powerful. It harmonized with Shu Fu’s cultivation better than that of any other divine beast.
Without warning, she felt a warm current surge through her dantian. Her final bottleneck began to tremble, and her abundant, pure spiritual power slowly gathered at a single point, condensing into the embryonic form of a golden core.
She was half a step from forming her golden core. That “half step” was already vanishingly small.
Ling Fengqing might have surpassed her in cultivation and experience, but what did he truly have over her besides cultivation?
Thus, when the still-injured Ling Fengqing encountered her beneath the arena, he couldn’t help but feel shaken. Even his normally lowered eyes lifted a few degrees higher than usual.
“You’re about to form your—”
But he quickly regained his composure and sneered. “So what if you form your golden core? Even if you formed it right here, a newly advanced golden-core cultivator with an unstable foundation would still be far inferior to me. Even though your master ambushed me and left me wounded, I still won’t lose to a snot-nosed little girl like you.”
Ambushed you? That was a perfectly fair and honorable frontal screw-you.
Shu Fu rolled her eyes.
But she didn’t waste any more words on him. She merely rested a hand on her sword hilt, her gaze as cold and piercing as sword intent itself.
“Yes. I’m not very strong either—just strong enough to kill you. Young Master Ling, I look forward to your guidance.”
