Across the Long Bridge

Xu Xian: "..."

Xu Xian: "Not sincere enough!"

Tu Kongkong: "..."

Tu Kongkong: "I'm begging you!"

Xu Xian's expression softened slightly as he nodded.

"Fine."

With a wave of his sleeve, the small concealment spell vanished into thin air. The young man stepped aside, clearing the path, and smiled. "Go on."

Tu Kongkong was deeply bewildered. She looked at Longevity Bridge, then back at the young man. Her sobbing had long since stopped, but as the wind blew, her eyes felt a bit dry.

Xu Xian narrowed his eyes. "Why aren't you moving?"

Tu Kongkong asked tentatively, "If I go onto the bridge, will I be hacked to death?"

Xu Xian laughed. "No!"

Tu Kongkong emphasized, "But you just said I'm not human?"

"You indeed aren't human."

"Then?"

"But I'll look out for you."

Tu Kongkong blinked, looking like she wanted to say something but hesitated. Finally, she asked, "What's your name?"

"Xu Xian."

"Xu Xian... Xu Xian wouldn't lie to a child, right?"

Xu Xian didn't answer directly. Instead, he asked with a hint of provocation, "What, are you scared?"

Tu Kongkong didn't speak.

Xu Xian gave a warm smile. "If you're scared, then go back. People are free to come and go as they please in the Wendao Sword Sect."

Tu Kongkong stopped hesitating and said stubbornly, "I'm not scared."

With that, she jogged toward the bridgehead, not forgetting to wipe her face with her sleeve—though the more she wiped, the more smudged it became. "Chu Yi, I'm coming!"

The young man stood with his hands behind his back, a slight upward curve to his lips and a flash of cunning in his eyes.

'Tu Sisi...'

'How interesting...'

The North Sea was mysterious, a place where many demons resided. Rumor had it that there were five great sacred lands located among the five island groups.

One of them was Qingqiu.

In Qingqiu, there was a mountain called Tushan.

In Tushan, there lived a demon, the Nine-Tailed Immortal Fox.

Her name was Tu Sisi.

Legend had it that this demon was so powerful she could rival a true dragon. It was unexpected that the legendary demon immortal would actually have a child with a human and that the child would end up at the gates of the Wendao Sword Sect.

A coincidence?

Or was it tacitly permitted?

Or perhaps someone was secretly pulling the strings, acting with deliberate intent...

None of that was very important.

Xu Xian only knew that by letting this little thing enter the mountains, Tu Sisi in the North Sea would have to owe him some gratitude.

Furthermore, if there ever came a day when the North Sea and the Wendao Sword Sect had a falling out, the Nine-Tailed Immortal Fox probably wouldn't dare act recklessly with her daughter in his hands.

Besides, Tu Kongkong was a silly child with a pure heart and decent talent. With a little guidance, she might very well become a sharp sword in the hands of the Wendao Sword Sect.

In short, no matter how he calculated it, Xu Xian wouldn't lose on this deal.

Shifting his gaze from the two children, Xu Xian looked back toward the area outside the mountain gates.

He scanned the sky, the mountains, and the water, as if searching for something.

With a faint smile, he took a step forward and, in the blink of an eye, stood at the peak of the long bridge.

His divine sense descended into the deep gorge.

The Demon-Slaying Sword was already beginning to stir restlessly. However, after sensing Xu Xian's divine sense, it grew quiet again, albeit very reluctantly.

It was as if, in a place unknown to others, a conversation between a man and a sword had just concluded.

['Can we discuss something?']

['You again?']

['Do me a favor?']

['Fine!']

As the Master of the Sword Mound, he had plenty of influence. However, the Demon-Slaying Sword was uncharacteristically agreeable today, giving its consent quite readily.

At this moment, just as before, the long bridge was empty. All the children had reached the other side of Longevity Bridge and were now waiting anxiously beneath the mountain gates at the bridgehead.

The disciples inside the sect who were watching the spectacle stared out at the long bridge, waiting with bated breath and whispering among themselves.

The variant spirit root hadn't come over yet.

The fire spirit root hadn't come over yet either.

Just like fifteen years ago, the ones they wanted to see most were the ones who were late to appear.

Except fifteen years ago, they were waiting for Xu Xian. Today, they were waiting for Xu Xian's niece.

Some couldn't help but think that they truly were family. They had the exact same habit of dawdling.

On Longevity Bridge, Xia Chu Yi and Tu Kongkong walked side by side.

Xia Chu Yi strode forward with her head held high, perfectly composed and not at all flustered. Tu Kongkong, however, was shrinking back, looking around in confusion and feeling very nervous.

Xia Chu Yi comforted Tu Kongkong, telling her not to be afraid. Tu Kongkong told Xia Chu Yi that she wasn't afraid.

Xia Chu Yi asked, "Weren't you just crying?"

Tu Kongkong nodded. "Mhm."

"Why were you crying?"

"That man scared me."

Xia Chu Yi said indignantly, "Don't be afraid. Later, I'll have my uncle help you teach him a lesson."

Tu Kongkong refused. "No need. He's actually quite nice. He even said he'd look out for me."

Xia Chu Yi was amused. "He's got a lot of nerve, saying he'll look out for you."

Tu Kongkong giggled. "Hehe, I guess it's okay."

Xia Chu Yi asked casually, "By the way, did you ask him what his name was?"

Tu Kongkong: "I did."

Xia Chu Yi: "What is it?"

Tu Kongkong: "Xu Xian."

Xia Chu Yi stopped in her tracks, refusing to move another inch.

Tu Kongkong was puzzled. "What's wrong?"

Xia Chu Yi swallowed hard. "My uncle is also named Xu Xian."

Tu Kongkong's eyes went wide.

"Ah!"

After a brief silence...

Xia Chu Yi took the initiative to grab Tu Kongkong's hand and continued walking as if nothing had happened. "My uncle is handsome, isn't he?"

Tu Kongkong nodded muddle-headedly. "Mhm, mhm."

Xia Chu Yi said earnestly, "My uncle was scaring you for your own good, you know?"

"Mhm."

"He even said he'd look out for you. To look out for someone he just met... my uncle is really, really good, right?"

"Right."

"...."

Xia Chu Yi's tone had changed abruptly, leaving Tu Kongkong a bit dazed. She hadn't really disliked Xu Xian to begin with, and now she couldn't bring herself to dislike him at all.

He was a good person, handsome, and powerful...

Most importantly, Xia Chu Yi said Xu Xian was one of them, family...

So, Xu Xian wasn't trying to bully her; he was doing it for her own good. She made a mental note of it. Her mother had said that one must know how to be grateful.

Conclusion: Xu Xian was a good person. A very, very good person.

The two of them crossed Longevity Bridge together. Tu Kongkong let out a long sigh of relief, patting her small chest, feeling lucky to have survived the ordeal.

At the mountain gates, countless gazes fell upon them, and a wave of discussion rose up.

"Which one is the Little Grand-Uncle's niece?"

"The one without the mark on her forehead."

"Tsk tsk, as expected of someone from the Little Grand-Uncle's family. That little vibe of hers..."

"....."

As promised, Xu Xian landed before the crowd at the end of the bridge. Xia Chu Yi's eyes visibly brightened, and she refused to look away from him even for a second.

Following the standard procedure, Xu Xian first congratulated everyone on passing the Three Inquiries, then didn't forget to give them a few reality checks, telling them not to become arrogant.

Finally, he introduced the sword stele to everyone, told them how to obtain sword aura, and gave a few more pretentious lectures before letting them go.

The children did their best to restrain their excitement as they stepped forward one by one to touch the sword stele. After obtaining their sword aura, they rushed joyfully toward the center of the square.

There, a group of elder representatives from the various peaks and halls were already waiting expectantly.

Xia Chu Yi bounced over to Xu Xian. Dropping her usual rowdiness, she greeted him formally, "Uncle."

"Mhm."

"It's me, Chu Yi."

Recalling the little girl's previous behavior, Xu Xian decided to tease her. He kept a straight face and said solemnly, "In the sect, you must address me by my title."

"Huh?"

"Call me Little Grand-Uncle."

Xia Chu Yi looked a bit unhappy. She pouted her small lips, looking aggrieved. "Little Grand-Uncle."

Xu Xian chuckled. He leaned down slightly, reached out, and rubbed the little girl's head. "I'm just teasing you."

Xia Chu Yi was stunned for a moment, then snapped out of it. She squinted her eyes and bared two small tiger teeth in a grin.

"Hehe!"

"You've grown so much."

"Mhm!"

"Is everyone at home doing well?"

Xia Chu Yi said crisply, "They're doing great."

Xu Xian rubbed her little head again, his eyes full of tenderness. "Alright, go touch the stone stele first."

Xia Chu Yi replied obediently, "Okay."

She went skipping off to touch the stone stele.

Tu Kongkong stole several glances at Xu Xian before chasing after Xia Chu Yi. "Chu Yi, wait for me!"

Xu Xian watched them with a benevolent gaze, looking very much like a doting father figure.

"They're all good children!"

Lu Yuan suddenly popped up out of nowhere and said cryptically, "It's a good thing you didn't let that sword skewer her. Otherwise, the Wendao Sword Sect would have been quite lively today."

Xu Xian was confused. "What do you mean?"

Lu Yuan rubbed the bridge of his nose and shrugged. "Nothing."

Xu Xian rolled his eyes at him and said disdainfully, "You're crazy."

"You're the one who's crazy."

"You are."

"You are."

Xu Xian flicked his sleeve, and Wait unsheathed its blade. "Draw your sword!"

Lu Yuan's throat bobbed as he turned to leave. "I'm going back to take my medicine."