"Shu Bai, is there something you need from me?" the Second Elder said, wiping his mouth nervously.
Wen Shubai lifted his head, his clear, cold eyes fixed directly on the Second Elder. "Second Elder, Junior Sister has blocked meridians and is unsuited for cultivation. Doing this is only harming her."
Seeing that the Second Elder remained silent, Wen Shubai frowned slightly. "Have you informed the Sect Leader of Junior Sister's presence?"
The Second Elder looked deeply guilty, but still forced a calm front. "The Sect Leader isn't here right now. Once he returns, I will naturally speak to him."
His expression suddenly turned serious. "But Shu Bai, when did the Tianjue Sect become such a mercenary sect? Is it now true that only those with spiritual roots may join?"
"Miss Ji's dedication to the Dao is utterly sincere, and she genuinely has talent. She simply lacks spiritual roots. Why shouldn't she be allowed to stay in Tianjue Sect!"
Wen Shubai stared at the Second Elder in silence.
The Second Elder coughed awkwardly. "If she wants to stay at Tianjue Sect, just let her stay. She has no spiritual roots, so just don't pay her any mind and let her play by herself."
Anyway, Ji Zhaoxi was only here to fool around.
He hadn't dared to say it before, but now he simply gave up caring.
Wen Shubai lowered his eyes and said nothing further.
So that was why the Second Elder had never let Junior Sister receive her jade token — he had never intended for her to become a disciple of Tianjue Sect at all.
He suddenly thought of those hopeful eyes. But Junior Sister... did she know about this too?
The night grew deep. The moon over Tianjue Sect was a full circle larger than the one in the mortal world, and everywhere carried a faint trace of spiritual essence. The wind swept through the nearby bamboo grove, rustling softly.
A knock suddenly echoed through the courtyard.
Ji Zhaoxi, who was eating dinner in the yard, paused, then limped to the door and peered through a crack.
A cool, faint fragrance drifted in through the gap.
Wen Shubai stood outside the door, still wearing that moon-white outer robe. He met her eyes and said gently, "Junior Sister."
"Senior Brother?" Ji Zhaoxi opened the door in confusion. "It's so late. Why are you here?"
She had thought someone had discovered her identity and come to seize her.
Wen Shubai handed her something, smiling. "This is an ointment made from bruise-healing herb and sinew-soothing flower."
"Junior Sister, rub a little between your palms until warm, then gently press it over the bruised areas."
She had fallen onto rocks earlier today, so she should have some injuries.
Ji Zhaoxi took the ointment, her eyes brimming with gratitude. "Thank you, Senior Brother. You're truly kind."
She had known Senior Brother was good, but she hadn't expected him to be this good!
Watching her moved expression, Wen Shubai's eyes curved slightly. "No need to thank me, Junior Sister. This is only what I should do."
He hesitated for a moment, then spoke. "Junior Sister, do you still wish to train tomorrow?"
Ji Zhaoxi nodded firmly. "Of course, Senior Brother! This little injury is nothing!"
Besides, he had said she had talent. She had to work even harder.
Wen Shubai paused briefly, a hint of a smile flickering in his eyes. "Then I'll come call for Junior Sister tomorrow morning."
"Great, Senior Brother!"
Just then, two disciples carrying swords on their backs walked over. When they saw Ji Zhaoxi, both froze for a moment, then bowed with folded hands.
"Senior Brother, we're sorry to interrupt."
Wen Shubai looked at the pale-faced junior brother beside them.
They were filled with anxiety. "Senior Brother, we were practicing a sword formation on the back mountain just now. But every time we reached the Dazhui acupoint, the sword energy flowed backward into us. We really couldn't delay, so we came to disturb you now."
Wen Shubai frowned slightly — his tone gentle but with a touch of severity. "When sword energy flows backward, it means you have privately added spiritual pressure. On the path of cultivation, one must never be impatient for quick results."
He glanced at Ji Zhaoxi beside him and gave her a slight nod. "Junior Sister, get some good rest tonight. I'll bring you to practice swordsmanship tomorrow."
Ji Zhaoxi's eyes lit up. "Yes, Senior Brother!"
If she could practice swordsmanship, maybe one day she could ride a flying sword too.
At this moment, Ji Zhaoxi was completely carried away by Wen Shubai's words about her "talent" from earlier that afternoon.
Liuli, chewing on a braised pork hock, poked her head out. "Miss, I told you you had talent! See — even Senior Brother specially came to bring you medicine. He must think you're a once-in-a-century prodigy."
She had noticed all day that Senior Brother kept looking at their young miss with a very thoughtful gaze.
Must be envy of her talent.
Ji Zhaoxi barely contained her excitement, pressing her hands on Liuli's shoulders with utmost seriousness. "If I ever truly succeed in cultivation, Liuli, I'll bring you along with me on the Dao!"
Liuli thought of how Ji Zhaoxi had suffered through horse stance and meditation all day, and went silent.
She wasn't really sure she wanted to cultivate...
But seeing the eager look on her young miss's face, she nodded anyway.
A thin mist coiled around the stone steps of Tianjue Sect, and the mountain peaks were traced with a golden edge. Across the sea of clouds in the distance, a few cranes spread their wings and soared past.
"Ha!"
The synchronized shouts pierced the sky. Hundreds of disciples stood in the training ground, their movements perfectly uniform — every sword swing cutting through the air with a sharp whistle.
In the shade at the edge of the training field, Wen Shubai held an unsharpened wooden sword. Standing behind Ji Zhaoxi, his tone was calm and even.
"Junior Sister, cultivation begins with the mind. Today, you only need to repeat these four movements."
Wen Shubai raised his own sword, lifted his arm, and slowly performed a single motion. As the blade came down, a breath of sword energy followed.
Ji Zhaoxi copied him move by move.
There were four movements in total — chop, thrust, hook, and lift. They looked simple, but were exceptionally difficult to execute.
Ji Zhaoxi gripped her wooden sword and swung with all her might, shouting "Chop!"
She stole a glance at Wen Shubai, who said nothing, then thrust the sword forward. Her body wobbled, but her voice rang steady: "Thrust!"
From under the shade of a tree, Liuli nibbled snacks while watching intently.
She honestly thought her young miss's movements looked even better than Senior Brother's — no joke.
Ji Zhaoxi was already beginning to wobble. She twisted her wrist — "Hook!"
She nearly sent the sword flying out of her hand.
Wen Shubai's expression remained gentle the whole time, showing not a trace of mockery, simply watching quietly from the side.
"Lift!"
Ji Zhaoxi gripped the wooden sword and snapped it upward — but she used too much force and stumbled backward.
She stood silently in front of Wen Shubai.
Wen Shubai noticed she had stopped and blinked. When he caught sight of her ears turning red, a glint of knowing crossed his eyes.
"Junior Sister, you're practicing with tremendous focus. With consistent effort, you'll keep improving."
Ji Zhaoxi finally gained a little confidence, deeply moved. She was exactly the kind of person who thrived on encouragement.
She began to practice again. Although her movements were clumsy at first, after going through the forms a few times, she began to look half-decent.
Wen Shubai stood beside her. Whenever her form started to break, he would tap her elbow lightly, correcting her technique.
"Junior Sister, keep your hand higher. This thrust needs to be straight..."
Wen Shubai stood by and watched for a while longer. Seeing that she wasn't making any major mistakes, he said softly, "Junior sister, keep practicing. After you've done each of the four moves—chop, thrust, hang, and sweep—three thousand times, I'll come back to check on you."
Ji Zhaoxi didn't register the number at first. "Three thousand times?"
Wen Shubai nodded gently.
Ji Zhaoxi: ...
She gritted her teeth. "Alright, senior brother, go ahead. I'll practice hard."
