Wen Shubai’s voice-transmission jade finally made contact with the Heaven's Fall Sect.
“Big Senior Brother, can we return to the sect today?” Ji Zhaoxi was drowsy with exhaustion.
Every marrow-cleansing ritual left her utterly drained.
Wen Shubai looked at her — wilted yet stubbornly trying to pack her things — and couldn’t help but ruffle her hair: “That’s right, Little Junior Sister. You rest for a bit. I’ll handle the packing.”
Ji Zhaoxi had only made a half-hearted attempt at tidying up anyway. She’d been waiting for him to say exactly that.
The moment those words left his mouth, she shoved everything into Wen Shubai’s arms.
He let out a soft chuckle and began folding her clothes one by one.
All these clothes had been bought in the town — a place that held lantern festivals constantly, each one with a different theme. The ready-made garment shops along the streets would display different outfits to match each festival.
Ji Zhaoxi would drag Wen Shubai to stand in front of those shops, staring longingly with wide eyes, until she got every piece of clothing she wanted.
“Big Senior Brother, do you treat all your junior brothers and sisters like this?”
Wen Shubai paused at the question. “Like what?”
Ji Zhaoxi buried her face in her arms and said nothing.
After a long moment, Wen Shubai said softly, “No.”
Truthfully, he didn’t know why either. Whenever he was with Little Junior Sister, he felt an instinctive urge to take care of her.
Maybe it was her special kind of magic.
Ji Zhaoxi dozed off for a bit. After Wen Shubai finished packing, they got ready to set out.
She stood cautiously in front of the Zhongli Sword — which had transformed into a massive blade in midair, its body flowing with cyan light.
“Big Senior Brother, but this is your bonded sword. Can I really control it?” Ji Zhaoxi hesitated.
She knew the other disciples of Heaven's Fall Sect all rode their own swords. She’d never heard of anyone using someone else’s.
Wen Shubai stood behind her without offering a hand. He said gently, “Don’t worry, Little Junior Sister. Try channeling your spiritual power into the Zhongli Sword.”
Hesitantly, Ji Zhaoxi extended her spiritual power into the blade. She was terrified the Zhongli Sword would suddenly go berserk.
The moment her energy touched the sword, it let out a resonant ring, and a faint blue glow rippled across its surface.
Wen Shubai furrowed his brow slightly and let out a low grunt.
But Ji Zhaoxi felt the sword’s response to her and was thrilled — wasn’t this exactly the sword-flying she’d always dreamed of?
Her courage swelled. Under her command, the Zhongli Sword arched through the air in a wide, sweeping arc.
“Big Senior Brother, the Zhongli Sword listens to me!” Ji Zhaoxi’s face flushed with excitement.
She could actually control her senior brother’s sword! A genius!
Maybe that was why Big Senior Brother was so good to her — because he saw her talent.
Just as she began to wobble and lose her balance at the edge of the blade, Wen Shubai caught her waist with a light arm. Ji Zhaoxi leaned back against his chest, grabbing his hand and swinging it back and forth.
“Big Senior Brother, does that mean I could control other people’s swords too?”
This question was crucial to her!
The answer would determine exactly how she planned to mess with Liu Fuyin once they got back.
Wen Shubai let her hold his hand, watching her sparkling eyes. Smiling, he tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
“Does Little Junior Sister want to control other swords too? The Zhongli Sword might get jealous.”
Ji Zhaoxi looked confused. “Big Senior Brother, does the Zhongli Sword have a consciousness?”
She’d always thought it was just a sword.
“Then I’ll make sure to praise the Zhongli Sword more from now on.”
Wen Shubai watched her deadly serious expression, then turned his head away and couldn’t hold back a laugh.
Ji Zhaoxi stared at him, completely bewildered. Then it hit her.
“Big Senior Brother, you tricked me! The Zhongli Sword doesn’t have a consciousness at all!”
He looked at her puffed-out, annoyed face, and his eyes brimmed with even more amusement. He gently rubbed her head. “Sorry, Little Junior Sister.”
He’d never considered himself the type to joke around.
But every time he saw Little Junior Sister’s earnest expression, he couldn’t help wanting to tease her.
The price of that joke, however, was that Wen Shubai had to put in a great deal of effort to coax her back into good spirits.
Ji Zhaoxi was not easy to appease — especially when she realized she held a special place in someone’s heart.
Meanwhile, back at Heaven's Fall Sect, there was a ruckus.
Second Elder’s head was throbbing in chaos.
First came the threatening letter from Ji Yingjin and Liu Dazhuang, warning that if they didn’t receive a reply from Ji Zhaoxi soon, the couple would march straight to the Sect Master to demand justice.
And then there was the person standing right in front of him…
“Second Elder! If our young lady doesn’t come back soon, I’m going to bring all her pigs up here to Heaven's Fall Sect!”
Liuli’s eyes were red with righteous fury.
With all that abundant spiritual energy at Heaven's Fall Sect, it would be perfect for pig-raising!
The mere thought of the smell of pig dung gave Second Elder a headache. On top of that, Liuli kept shaking him by the shoulders — the whole world was spinning.
“Liuli, Heaven's Fall Sect has already picked up Shubai’s voice-transmission jade. They’ll be back within a few days…”
“Really?!” Liuli shrieked in delight.
She shook Second Elder even harder. “Really, Second Elder?!”
Second Elder’s eyes went glassy: “If you shake me one more time, it’ll turn false…”
Liuli immediately let go. She needed to get back to writing her biography — when her young lady returned, she would get to read it.
The Zhongli Sword cut through the clouds, and with every mountain peak it grazed, it stirred up a swirl of air.
Ji Zhaoxi stood at the blade’s tip, occasionally reaching out curiously to touch the damp mist around her. The chill on her fingertips was fleeting — blown away in an instant by the wind.
The Zhongli Sword was fast. Ji Zhaoxi felt ill at ease at first, but by the end, she’d completely settled into it. Now she even harbored a desire for her own bonded sword.
Two cranes lingered in the clouds, hovering near a distant mountain peak. Ji Zhaoxi and Wen Shubai knew they were drawing closer and closer to Heaven's Fall Sect.
Several disciples stationed at the sect’s entrance stared in disbelief when they spotted the pair, then erupted in excitement.
“Big Senior Brother, you’re finally back!”
“Big Senior Brother, where did you go? The elders have been searching for you everywhere…”
A crowd of disciples swarmed around them, faces flushed with joy.
They recounted everything that had happened during their absence to Wen Shubai — but as they talked, something felt off.
“Little Junior Sister, that’s too heavy. I’ll send it to your courtyard later.” Wen Shubai’s voice was gentle as he stopped her reaching for the bundle.
Ji Zhaoxi was more than happy not to carry that heavy weight. Wen Shubai looked at her and smiled: “Little Junior Sister, go ahead and find Liuli first.”
She’d been talking about it the entire journey.
Ji Zhaoxi hesitated for a moment. “Then thank you, Big Senior Brother.”
These past few days, she’d been asking Wen Shubai to do this and that constantly — she’d gotten used to it. But in front of the other disciples, she suddenly felt a bit shy.
After Ji Zhaoxi left, a trace of warmth lingered on Wen Shubai’s face. He turned to the disciples before him: “I apologise for making everyone worry.”
The disciples stared at him in silence.
At this point, whether they were worried or not might not be the issue…
