Chapter 2 Junior Sister

“Open your eyes wide and look properly—is my young mistress a Demon Ghost?”

Lengmian’s expression was icy cold as he scolded the boy before him, who was rubbing the back of his head. He had been pushed to the outskirts of the crowd, and when he finally found Sang Ying, he had just witnessed her being attacked by the boy who mistook her for a Demon Ghost. His heart had nearly leaped out of his chest.

Sang Ying was physically weak and had a low cultivation base. She couldn’t even endure the faint chill of Wanbing Valley for long. If she had been struck by that Magical Artifact, he didn’t dare imagine the consequences.

The boy hung his head in embarrassment, his two pigtails sticking up even higher. Hearing Lengmian’s words, he thought to himself, Do you even dare to take a proper look yourself?

He didn’t dare lift his eyes to glance at Sang Ying beside him, instead repeatedly apologizing, “I’m truly sorry, fellow cultivator. I didn’t expect your young mistress to be so… uh, distinctive.”

To avoid causing a disturbance, the three of them had moved far from the competition grounds, standing in a remote, deserted corner of Wanbing Valley.

Sang Ying wasn’t listening to their conversation at all. She sat on a nearby rock, her gaze lowered as she stared at the blue-and-white sword sheath in her arms, lost in thought.

Had Xie Lingyu recognized her or not?

It couldn’t be… They were so far apart, with mist obscuring the view, and she had even disguised her appearance. She could only see a tiny figure from her vantage point, let alone from his perspective. Standing amidst the sea of people, she probably appeared as nothing more than a small black dot in his eyes.

Yet he had indeed intervened. Even while engaged in a duel, he had spared the effort to help her.

But then again, Sang Ying’s thoughts drifted. He was the Qingyu Sword Lord, revered by the world as an immortal of noble character—aloof, upright, and principled. Wasn’t it perfectly normal for him to act bravely for a just cause? Absolutely! Even if he saw an elderly woman trip, he would surely help her up!

…Never mind. Running away was the priority.

Whether he had recognized her or not, staying here any longer would inevitably lead to discovery.

Having made up her mind, Sang Ying lifted the sword sheath in her arms. “Pigtails, I won’t hold today’s incident against you. The two of us have urgent matters to attend to. After the competition ends, please return this to the Qingyu Sword Lo—”

A slender, jade-like hand reached out and took the sheath, fingers lightly clasping its end.

The word “Lord” caught in her throat. Sang Ying stared at the elegant, bamboo-like young man in white robes before her, her eyes widening in shock.

Wasn’t he still in the middle of the competition? Such a serious and formal duel couldn’t possibly conclude in just a few days—how had he already emerged?!

The boy with the pigtails beside them scratched his head and spoke awkwardly, “Um… I guess I don’t need to handle this anymore, right? Should I just go now?”

Lengmian, expressionless, grabbed the back of the boy’s neck and dragged him away. “You think you can just leave? You’re not going anywhere until you learn how to identify a Demon Ghost.”

In the blink of an eye, Lengmian and the boy vanished, leaving only the two of them behind.

Sang Ying tensed up, her mind racing.

Her first instinct was to flee, but her ankle, twisted earlier, throbbed with pain, making it impossible for her to stand. She could only glare resentfully in the direction where Lengmian had disappeared. How dare he run off on his own? I’ll dock his monthly pay when we get back!

The young man in white, however, remained calm and composed. He slid the sheath back onto the sword with a fluid motion of his fingers.

Sang Ying stole a glance at him, but his impassive face revealed nothing.

How infuriating, she thought. When he was younger, his emotions were written all over his face—whether he was angry or upset, she could always catch a glimpse of it. But at some point, he had grown increasingly silent and reticent, and she found it harder and harder to see through him.

After a moment of contemplation, Sang Ying tightened her grip on her powder-scented handkerchief and assumed a posture of gratitude, testing the waters. “Thank you for your assistance earlier, Sword Lord.”

The young man seemed to pause slightly, his dark eyes glancing at her. After a few seconds, he slowly spoke, his voice clear and cool, “No need for thanks.”

He really hadn’t recognized her.

Sang Ying breathed a small sigh of relief. “Isn’t Sword Lord still in the competition? Why have you come out?”

A light, cheerful female voice suddenly rang out, “Naturally, because the competition has already ended.”

Sang Ying looked toward the source of the voice. Two figures, a man and a woman, dispersed their sword light and descended.

A young female cultivator in pink clothes smiled brightly. “Congratulations to Qingyu Sword Lord for winning first place! That final move just now, overwhelming as mountains and rivers, was truly spectacular. It left your opponent utterly defenseless!”

The male cultivator beside her gave her a helpless look before turning to Xie Lingyu with a gentle smile. “Fellow Daoist Xie, congratulations.”

Sang Ying recognized him—he was Xie Lingyu’s opponent from earlier. She hadn’t paid attention before, but seeing his face now reminded her she had met him once.

Ever since the sect master, her father, passed away three years ago, Grand Elder Xu Bin had temporarily taken over the sect master’s duties, managing all major and minor affairs within the Wu Wen Sect. This man was Xu Bin’s son, Xu Baishen. The female cultivator beside him, who seemed close to him, was clearly his younger sister, Xu Xuan.

Sang Ying watched the two of them, her fingers tightening slightly around her handkerchief.

“So this is the woman who was mistaken for a Demon Ghost and whom Sword Lord saved during the match earlier.”

Xu Xuan merely swept a glance over Sang Ying, who was sitting on the rock, before looking away, paying her no mind. In her heart, a woman like this could not possibly have any connection with Sword Lord, so there was no need to pay her any attention.

She nudged Xu Baishen with her elbow and laughed, “Brother, look, Sword Lord could still spare the effort to save someone while fighting. Why can’t you do the same?”

Xu Baishen also smiled, unbothered by his sister’s teasing, and replied in a gentle tone, “Xiao Xuan, didn’t you have something to say to Fellow Daoist Xie?”

Xu Xuan’s cheeks flushed instantly, tinged with a maidenly shyness.

Xu Baishen was very understanding and tactfully stepped aside to give the two some space.

…Or rather, three people’s space.

Sang Ying couldn’t leave due to her injured foot and remained seated on the rock.

Sang Ying fell silent.

This scene, this atmosphere, and Xu Xuan’s slightly flushed face—what a beautiful picture of a young maiden confessing her feelings to the one she admired.

Hmm… if only she weren’t the original wife.

But clearly, Xu Xuan didn’t care about Sang Ying’s presence at all, treating her as if she were air. With her back to Sang Ying, she fixed her gaze firmly on Xie Lingyu.

“Xie… Senior Brother Xie,” she took out a beautiful and exquisite sword tassel, took a deep breath, and mustered her courage. “I noticed Senior Brother Xie’s sword doesn’t have a tassel—it looks a bit bare. I made this for you, Senior Brother Xie. If you don’t mind…”

Sang Ying pressed her lips together tightly, staring at the sword tassel. It was clearly made with great care, exquisitely crafted from rare and precious materials.

She couldn’t help but curse inwardly, Hmph, he really knows how to attract admirers.

Sang Ying turned her gaze to the young man who had remained silent, wanting to see his reaction, but unexpectedly met his deep, quiet eyes. She was taken aback.

…Why was he looking at her?

Could it be that he felt too embarrassed to accept it with someone else watching?

As this thought surfaced, a surge of frustration rose in her heart, burning with a sharp pain.

Unconsciously, Sang Ying bit her lip hard, abruptly turned her head away, and, as if fueled by some sudden strength, forgot the pain in her ankle. She stood up and walked away without looking back.

“…”

The young man watched her figure disappear into the snowy valley, then gently lowered his eyelashes, deep shadows obscuring the emotions in his eyes.

“Senior Brother Xie?”

Xu Xuan lowered her head, and after a long while without hearing a response, she grew puzzled. She looked up to inquire, only to hear the young man’s indifferent voice.

“I don’t recall ever having another junior sister.”

With that, he didn’t even glance at her before turning to leave.

Xu Xuan was taken aback. Clutching the sword tassel tightly, she was about to chase after him when a pale green sword flew out, blocking her path.

The sword housed a spirit, and a youthful voice emerged.

“Don’t you know my boss already has a Dao Companion?”

Xu Xuan halted, her brows furrowing. “I know, but everyone knows Senior Brother Xie married her only to repay her father for saving his life when he was young. He has no feelings for her at all! Senior Brother Xie is loyal and righteous, but he shouldn’t be trapped like this. I’ll help him repay this debt in another way…”

The Sword Spirit didn’t listen at all and exploded instantly. “You know, yet you still gave my boss a sword tassel? What do you mean by that? This kind of behavior is being a homewrecker, you know! And you’re fully aware of it! Shameless!”

Xu Xuan was stunned by the scolding and flusteredly argued, “I’m not a homewrecker…”

The Sword Spirit snorted coldly. “A vixen who ruins others’ marriages! How could I ever wear your sword tassel? Don’t even think about it in your next life!”

Xu Xuan flushed with anxiety. “I’m not… and the sword tassel was for Senior Brother Xie…”

……

Having run out in a moment of anger, Sang Ying soon regretted it.

She didn’t recognize the roads here at all. Everywhere was covered in ice and snow, the paths slippery and difficult to walk on, and her ankle hurt terribly.

Reaching into her pocket, she realized she hadn’t brought the Glazed Mirror for communication in her haste to leave, so she couldn’t contact Lengmian.

…Why had she been so kind as to leave space for the two of them? She should have made Xie Lingyu suffer instead.

Sighing, Sang Ying found a low rock to sit on, waiting for Lengmian to return, notice her absence, and come looking for her.

Pulling out a green jade sword tassel from her sleeve, Sang Ying looked down at it. She was only skilled at drawing talismans and not good at handicrafts. In comparison, the jade carving wasn’t as exquisite as others’, and the tassel was slightly crooked—it looked very ordinary at a glance.

Clutching the sword tassel in her palm, Sang Ying kicked a pebble, her mood gloomy and her voice muffled.

“Xie Lingyu, you annoying ghost.”

A faint, almost imperceptible sigh came from above.

Sang Ying heard the soft crunch of footsteps on snow and abruptly looked up, just in time to see the aloof young man in white crouch down in front of her. His slender, pale fingers lifted the hem of her skirt.

Startled, she instinctively pressed down on her skirt and blurted out, “You pervert, don’t lift my skirt!”

“……”

Xie Lingyu raised his eyes, his dark gaze calm, and spoke softly, “If merely examining an ankle injury makes one a scoundrel, then what does it make you, junior sister, for watching me bathe?”

Sang Ying’s ears instantly flushed red. “That was so many years ago! I didn’t know you were bathing back then—I accidentally walked in, okay? And I didn’t see anything… Wait, when did you recognize me?”

Sang Ying tore off the Disguise Talisman, revealing her delicate, fair face. Compared to before she left, the faint hint of illness had worsened slightly. Her nose was red, and her small face was nestled in the fox fur.

“I transformed into this—how could you still recognize me? That’s not reasonable. Even Lengmian didn’t dare to look at me like this for long. How on earth did you…”

A warm touch brushed against her ankle bone. Sang Ying paused, realizing it was his fingers. She averted her gaze, her eyelashes trembling like tiny fans.

Muttering vaguely, she added, “And who asked for your help? That guy was so foolish—I could have handled him on my own.”

Warm, gentle fingers massaged the swollen ankle bone, infused with Spiritual Power to dissolve the bruising. The once cold ankle gradually grew warm, and her body slowly heated up as well.

The young man remained silent, and Sang Ying gradually quieted down too.

After a while, Sang Ying secretly turned her head.

She gazed at the young man before her, his eyes lowered, and stared for a moment before shifting her focus to the sword at his waist. The hilt was bare.

…Had he not accepted Xu Xuan’s Sword Tassel?

Pressing her lips together, Sang Ying opened her mouth to speak.

“Xie Lingyu, you…”

“Why did you come today, Junior Sister?”