Three days later, early morning.
The first dusting of snow this year drifted down sparingly, covering the entire valley......
......
Fang Xuan practiced his swordplay in the courtyard as usual.
The dark little brother in his hand was still heavy, though it was much more subdued than when he had first tamed it.
He had stacked up spirit buns for another two days; he was now in the late-stage Golden Core Realm, and his foundation was absurdly stable.
However, the higher his cultivation rose... the more he found it difficult to suppress his internal desires...
But his senior sister had suddenly become quite serious, saying he was still young... and could not indulge in excessive desire.
Nevertheless, he was in no hurry, because his senior sister seemed even hungrier than he was...
.......
He snapped back to the present.
His sword moves were still the Qingyun Sword Scripture, supplemented by the massive amount of spiritual energy refined by his cultivation method.
As each sword strike fell, though there was no sword light, a heavy, mountain-like momentum condensed upon it.
It stirred the drifting snowflakes in the air, causing them to shatter one after another.
But he still had no lead on sword intent.
That profound and mysterious concept seemed to always be separated by a layer of impenetrable veil.
His senior sister said his talent was excellent and his sword momentum had begun to take shape, and that he would eventually grasp sword intent in time.
But as for how long that time would be, she didn't say, and Fang Xuan had no idea himself.
He stopped his movements, exhaled a cloud of white mist, and looked at the tiny ice crystals forming on the tip of the sword...
How old was his senior sister? She looked to be in her early twenties, yet not only was sword intent natural to her, but her cultivation was even more...
Three days ago, she had only just entered the Void Core Realm, and now her aura was clearly approaching the late-stage Void Core, even giving him the illusion that she was about to break into the Golden Core Realm.
It had only been three days; if it were three hundred days, it would be unthinkable.
As expected, your senior sister was still your senior sister.
While thinking this, his hands did not stop moving.
He focused his mind and practiced once more.
If he lacked sword intent, then he would temper his momentum to the absolute limit.
With a horizontal slash, the heavy sword momentum tore through the air. Without intentionally channeling spiritual energy, relying solely on that condensed momentum itself, he severed a withered bamboo the thickness of a bowl at its root in the distance.
The residual force even continued, plowing a deep furrow into the accumulated snow on the ground.
He had to be careful not to actually split the valley apart.
Fang Xuan muttered to himself. After finishing his routine, he habitually went to toss the sword aside.
He was halfway through the motion before he realized they were going on a long trip today.
He pulled his hand back and, with a thought, stored Yunchang into his storage ring.
On the other side, Ning Xian had already finished packing.
She had changed into a set of moon-white martial attire suitable for travel, which made her figure appear even more upright and slender.
Her cool countenance, reflected by the light of the snow, looked as if it were carved from ice and jade.
She placed some common pills and that old sword manual she always carried with her into her storage ring one by one, her movements orderly.
Now, only the black tai sui, whom Fang Xuan had named "Xiao Hei," needed to be settled.
This little thing just looked quite unsightly—no nose or eyes—but it wasn't otherwise harmful.
Fang Xuan found it quite interesting.
A storage ring could not hold living things.
Ning Xian found a small, breathable cloth bag, gently picked up the shivering Xiao Hei from the corner, and placed it inside.
She loosely tied the bag with a thin string and hung it at her waist.
"Puji..." A faint, aggrieved sound came from the bag.
Ning Xian poked the bag, causing another burst of puji noises from within. It was clearly terrified, but it didn't dare to make any more noise.
.......
This trip to the Tianlan Kingdom would take about half a month. Including the round trip, it would be nearly a month in total.
The few old plum trees in the corner of the courtyard happened to be in bloom, their sparse shadows slanting as a subtle fragrance drifted through the air.
The red petals against the white snow were truly beautiful.
Ning Xian stood under the plum tree that was blooming the best, waiting for him.
Snowflakes landed on her dark hair, but she seemed unaware, merely looking up slightly at the plum blossoms on the branches.
She was staring off to the side, lost in thought, who knew what she was thinking about.
Fang Xuan walked over and took her slightly cool hand.
Ning Xian seemed to return from her contemplation. Her eyelashes trembled as her gaze fell upon his face.
He raised his other hand and brushed away the tiny snowflakes atop her head.
There was one intact little plum blossom, which he did not brush away.
He felt it looked very good that way.
Only then did Ning Xian fully turn her head, his figure reflected in her eyes.
"This trip to the Tianlan Kingdom should be simple. It's mainly to deal with Lu Qingsong's eyes and ears and go through the motions. As for anything else, don't worry about it."
She was clearly referring to the assassination Lu Qingsong had arranged.
"Mhm, okay." Fang Xuan nodded in agreement, then gently rubbed her small head with his palm.
Ning Xian pulled him along as they walked out of the courtyard. "You aren't allowed to touch Senior Sister's head whenever you want."
"No." This time, Fang Xuan did not immediately comply. Instead, he spoke as if he were being unreasonable. "I can't even tie my own hair ribbon now, yet Senior Sister won't even let me touch her head. That's a bit unfair."
Ning Xian's footsteps paused slightly, as if she were genuinely considering the logic in his words.
A snowflake happened to land on the tip of her small nose. The coldness made her instinctively twitch her nose slightly.
That expression of serious contemplation was incredibly adorable in Fang Xuan's eyes.
She thought...
It seemed... that was true?
Since she had allowed him such proximity, yet forbade even touching her hair, was she being a bit harsh?
"Then... you may."
She finally looked away, giving her tacit permission, though the tips of her ears turned red again.
Fang Xuan was delighted. Teasing his senior sister was truly far too interesting.
She was always so earnest; she treated every word he said, even his twisted logic, with such gravity.
Every joke he made seemed to be carefully weighed in her heart to distinguish truth from falsehood...
.......
The two walked side by side toward the path down the mountain.
Snow was still falling—not heavily, just drifting down.
It dyed the mountains, the bamboo groves, and the small path with a layer of clean silver-white.
The world was quiet.
As they passed a slightly open slope, Fang Xuan saw a snowman that had been half-built and then forgotten by him.
Its round body was still there, but its head had slid halfway off because it hadn't been built sturdily enough.
It leaned against the shoulder, looking both comical and pitiful.
He remembered that after he finished piling it, he thought it was too ugly and even gave it a kick. He hadn't expected it wouldn't crumble, remaining there until now.
Ning Xian also saw that crooked-headed snowman, and a hint of a smile seemed to flicker through her cold eyes.
"When we are away, you must listen to Senior Sister, okay?"
She suddenly spoke again, her voice even softer than the falling snow. It was less of a demand and more like a hopeful request.
Fang Xuan turned his head and saw half of her face.
Her expression was a rare display of tenderness, and that faint smile at the corner of her mouth hadn't yet completely faded.
"Sure thing, Senior Sister."
The corners of Ning Xian's mouth rose a bit more, and that smile truly reached her eyes.
Fang Xuan quickly turned his head, pretending to focus on the snowy path ahead, and cleared his throat.
Ahem...
He almost couldn't hold back his urge to lean over and kiss her again.
......
The accumulated snow on the plum tree suddenly slid off, shattering on the ground.
From the distance, words drifted through the snow, becoming faint...
"You... you aren't allowed to kiss Senior Sister's mouth whenever you want..."
......
"You... why are you... still kissing me."
"Senior Sister, I'm suffering such a loss; shouldn't you kiss me back a couple of times too?"
"Oh... okay... alright."
Rate on N.U.
