"Did I transmigrate again?"
Xu Xian’s head felt like it was about to explode.
Li Qingshan saw through Xu Xian’s thoughts and asked, "Do you know how long your epiphany lasted?"
"How long?" Xu Xian asked subconsciously.
Li Qingshan held up his hand, bending only his thumb, and said nothing.
Xu Xian’s Adam's apple bobbed. "Four... months?"
He had already guessed on the high side.
After all, this was a fantasy world where people could cultivate toward immortality. Sleeping for four months was not impossible.
Li Qingshan shook his head and said softly, "Four years."
Xu Xian’s eyes widened. "What the..."
Four years?
But he clearly remembered only spending a brief moment inside that sword stele.
First seeing the sword tower.
The sword tower becoming a book.
The youth reading it.
And then waking the book spirit.
All told, the passage of time in his memory couldn't have exceeded half a day, and yet...
Half a day by the sword stele, four years upon the mountain. Was this the so-called 'the world is but a great dream, how many cold autumns does a life endure'?
"No wonder, no wonder... it all makes sense now..."
He calmed his thoughts and gradually accepted the fact.
Li Qingshan lowered his gaze, a hint of confusion surfacing in his eyes as well. People often spoke of a dream lasting a thousand years. Logically, during an epiphany, the dreamer should feel as though a vast amount of time had passed in the dream...
Just like the Book Immortal.
A century of comprehending the Dao; once he woke, he often told others that he had traveled through a sea of stars for ten thousand years.
Why was it the complete opposite for Xu Xian?
It was no surprise. After a four-year epiphany, his cultivation hadn't changed at all upon waking. Other than his body growing larger, he remained stuck at the stage of someone who hadn't even begun—the mortal stage...
A sixteen-year-old mortal was a first in the history of the Wendao Sword Sect.
"Let's go."
Xu Xian looked up blankly and said listlessly, "Where to?"
Li Qingshan didn't explain. Just like when they first met, he used his qi to create a wind that swept Xu Xian up, and they left Wendao Square...
Xu Xian didn't resist.
Instead, he accepted it readily.
However, his spirits remained low. Even as they streaked across the sky, he forgot his fear of heights and felt no tension at all.
The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became. He couldn't help but let out a mournful wail into the open air.
"My youth! It’s gone just like that!"
Four years. That was four whole years. He had just had a dream, and four years had passed. Over a thousand days and nights—think of how much he could have done, how much food he could have eaten.
How many four-year periods does one have in a lifetime?
Just the thought of it gave him a heartache.
Cultivation? What kind of cultivation was this? He hadn't even started, and he had already lost four years of his lifespan. His heart was filled with bitterness.
Seeing him like this, Li Qingshan looked smug, feeling a secret sense of satisfaction. 'Even you, Xu Xian, have your bad days...'
A moment later, Li Qingshan brought Xu Xian to a creek in the mountains and arrived at a deep pool.
Xu Xian lowered his head and scanned the surroundings listlessly. "Why did you bring me here?" he asked weakly.
"Someone wants to see you," Li Qingshan said.
"Where?"
Li Qingshan flipped his hand beneath his sleeve. A faint, nearly imperceptible spiritual glow flashed from the storage ring on his finger. As if by magic, a neatly folded set of clothes appeared in his palm.
He said, "I see your height is now similar to mine. These clothes should fit you. Take a bath first, then change into these. I'll take you there afterward."
Xu Xian didn't think much of it; he truly needed a wash. He was practically caked in grime. It was only because his clothes were made of beast hide that they hadn't rotted away over four years.
He took the clothes and muttered, "Why so formal?"
Li Qingshan didn't respond, walking toward the shore with his hands behind his back.
Xu Xian shouted at him, "Aren't you joining?"
Li Qingshan said calmly, "I'll wait for you over there. Call me when you're done."
The youth curled his lip and grumbled as he entered the deep pool, creating a large splash.
He washed for a full fifteen minutes before finishing.
He climbed onto the shore, changed into the new clothes, tied his long hair back casually, and went to find Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan was drinking again.
The moment he saw Xu Xian, he paused slightly. "Hmm?" After a brief moment of surprise, his gaze lingered on Xu Xian for quite a while.
"Tsk, tsk."
Feeling the strange look, Xu Xian asked, "What?"
Li Qingshan said nonchalantly, "You actually look like a decent human being."
Xu Xian raised an eyebrow. "What’s that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing. I'm saying you finally look like a person. Let's go."
Xu Xian was speechless. "That's a great compliment. Don't do it again."
Li Qingshan ignored him.
He led Xu Xian straight to the peak of the main mountain of Sword Inquiry Peak. There was a large courtyard at the highest point of the main peak; it was the residence of the successive sect masters of the Wendao Sword Sect.
The estate was filled with the fragrance of flowers and the singing of birds. Trees provided ample shade, and a stream ran through it with koi swimming in the water.
The spiritual energy was dense, and the air was thick with floral scents. Xu Xian followed Li Qingshan up the bluestone steps, looking around curiously. He briefly forgot his previous unhappiness.
Life had to go on, after all. As for the lost years, he would just have to win them back with his own hands.
They arrived at a side courtyard.
The yard was filled with flowers and grass, and butterflies flitted between them. A swing hung from the only tree, and there was a stone table surrounded by several stone stools. On the swing, a woman was slowly swaying in the breeze.
The wind played with her long hair and her skirt, making them dance. The unknown song she hummed sounded like heavenly music.
Li Qingshan walked straight to the stone table and sat down, saying flatly, "Master, I've brought him."
The woman turned her head.
Their gazes met. The youth was slightly stunned. She was a fleeting shadow of elegance, like an immortal from a painting.
This girl had an incredible figure, extremely fair skin, and a face of supreme beauty.
In short: gorgeous.
She looked like a classical beauty generated by AI.
She stepped off the swing and glided over on the wind. When her feet landed, not a flower broke nor a blade of grass bent, as if she were weightless. She walked right up to Xu Xian, her deep, bright eyes studying the young man carefully. Her brow furrowed slightly as she pointed at Xu Xian and tilted her head toward Li Qingshan.
"And who is this?" she asked.
Li Qingshan turned his body away, pretending not to see.
Xu Xian straightened his back and said in a formal tone, "I am Xu Xian, the 'Xian' as in 'idle person'."
Upon hearing this, Ye Xianyu feigned surprise.
"Ah, you're Xu Xian?"
Xu Xian remained silent.
Ye Xianyu narrowed her eyes and gave a graceful smile. Her gaze swept him from head to toe and back again. She smiled and said, "A man truly changes after three days apart. Well... I didn't expect you to grow up so handsome. Not bad, not bad at all."
Xu Xian felt it was all very strange. He didn't feel the pleasure of being complimented; instead, he felt like he was being teased.
However, Ye Xianyu couldn't be blamed.
During those four years of sitting still, Li Qingshan had been nourishing Xu Xian's body with spiritual energy. He hadn't stopped growing. At twelve, Xu Xian had already been tall and sturdy; now that he had fully grown, he was even more robust.
Furthermore, being encased in a layer of mud for four years meant his skin hadn't seen a lick of sun. His complexion was fair and delicate, making him look like a refined scholar, yet his brow retained the spirited aura of a youth.
His thick eyebrows were like swords, and his deep eyes were like stars.
Paired with his white sword robes, he truly gave off the impression of a 'gentleman of jade, peerless in the world.'
To say he had undergone a complete transformation was no exaggeration.
Ye Xianyu walked past Xu Xian toward the exit of the courtyard, laughing as she said, "Follow me."
Xu Xian was dazed. He glanced at Li Qingshan, but seeing no response from the latter, he knitted his brows.
Without overthinking it, he turned and followed her.
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