Nangong Ning

Nangong Ning looked at Xu Xian in surprise, feeling as if she had just seen pearls of wisdom emerge from the mouth of a babe...

The night before their departure.

Wen Qingxue had somehow caught wind of the trip and visited late at night. She specifically urged Nangong Ning to look after the Little Grand-Uncle and, if possible, to communicate and interact with him more during this journey.

Simply put.

The Little Grand-Uncle came from a small, secluded mountain village; he was inexperienced, lacked worldly knowledge, and had a simple mind.

Since he had never seen the real world and was ignorant about many things, Wen Qingxue wanted her to secretly instill some values in him, explain the principles of the world, and discuss the bigger picture...

To this, she had naturally agreed.

This was a compulsory course for every disciple of the Wendao Sword Sect.

To recognize the world, recognize oneself, understand the meaning of the Wendao Sword Sect's existence, and be clear about the value of one's own existence.

Cultivation in the Wendao Sword Sect never stopped at mere realms; tempering the heart and tempering the body were equally important focuses of their practice.

She had gone through the same process herself.

From lack of understanding at the start, to disdain later on, growing through battle after battle until finally realizing the truth, slowly coming to understand, gradually gaining respect, until one day, she was willing to risk her life and dedicate her entire existence to it.

She clearly remembered a phrase her master had said.

'Principles are found in books, but being human is found beneath one's feet.'

Knowing a principle and understanding it are two different things.

Explaining a principle and being a principled person are also two different things.

The difference between the two might not be heaven and earth, but it was like a firefly compared to the bright moon, or a tired horse compared to a qilin.

The Little Grand-Uncle before her.

Perhaps he wasn't a 'principled person' just yet, but he certainly knew how to speak principles.

'When turbidity becomes the norm, purity becomes a sin.'

Indeed.

The whole world was turbid, while only the Wendao Sword Sect remained pure. Thus, in the eyes of all of Fanzhou, the Wendao Sword Sect became the outlier.

Slander, exclusion, and rumors—they might not flourish on the surface, but they never ceased in the shadows.

This was exactly what she wanted to take the opportunity to tell Xu Xian.

The current situation of the Wendao Sword Sect.

The role the Wendao Sword Sect played in all of Fanzhou.

She had talked in circles quite a bit, but the core was simple: the Wendao Sword Sect was different from the world outside, so a disciple of the Wendao Sword Sect had to be different from the cultivators in that outside world.

One had to be mentally prepared.

One also had to hold oneself to stricter standards.

Xu Xian really did understand.

She didn't believe these were words a child from a small mountain village could say.

One had to remember that Xu Xian was only eighteen, and for four of those years, he had been in a state of epiphany before the sword stele. Never having left the Wendao Sword Sect, he had not seen the cruelty of the outside world.

Where the weak were prey to the strong.

Where interests were paramount.

Back then, she had a much better environment to grow up in than Xu Xian, yet it was only much later that she understood these principles.

She stared blankly at Xu Xian, momentarily unsure how to continue her lecture...

Xu Xian felt a bit uncomfortable being watched. He leaned his face closer, staring back at Nangong Ning, and asked, "Why are you looking at me like that? Am I wrong? Is that not what you meant?"

Nangong Ning snapped out of it and instinctively shrank back. Her eyes darted away as she waved her hand with a smile. "No, no. I just didn't expect the Little Grand-Uncle to see things so clearly at such a young age."

Xu Xian smiled and recited, "The rise and fall of a hundred years is but a passing dream."

Nangong Ning tilted her head, her phoenix eyes shimmering like clear pools. She asked knowingly, "What does that mean?"

Xu Xian gave a mischievous grin. "It means I once had a dream where I lived through a hundred years of growth and decay. Therefore, I have long since seen through the mortal world."

Nangong Ning smiled. She wasn't stupid; she knew what he meant.

However, she didn't expose the youth. She figured that during his four years of meditation, the Little Grand-Uncle must have experienced the passage of time within the dreamscape of his epiphany, just as he said. Thus, he saw things more clearly than ordinary people.

This explanation was quite reasonable—at least enough to convince herself.

She praised him somewhat perfunctorily. "I see. It seems the Little Grand-Uncle is not only exceptionally talented but also well-traveled and vastly knowledgeable."

Xu Xian shared an unspoken understanding and teased, "Honestly, I thought you were lecturing your grand-uncle just now."

Nangong Ning denied it righteously. "How could I? Absolutely not. The Little Grand-Uncle is an elder; how could a junior have the right to lecture an elder?"

"Then why did you say so much?" Xu Xian asked slowly.

Nangong Ning tried to patch things up. "Little Grand-Uncle, you've misunderstood. I said all that just to tell you not to be too nervous. These so-called demonic cultivators are just paper tigers in front of our Wendao Sword Sect—one poke and they collapse. The ones who should be afraid are those demonic cultivators. Yes, that's exactly what I meant."

Xu Xian chuckled.

"Heh."

Nangong Ning tried to take control of the conversation. "Does the Little Grand-Uncle not believe me?"

Xu Xian gave her a meaningful look and answered with a question of his own. "Someone came to see you, didn't they?"

Nangong Ning hummed in affirmation. She blinked guiltily, pretending to be innocent. Her charming eyes reflected the white light of the stars and moon, clear and gentle.

Xu Xian leaned both hands on the railing and said softly, "It's fine. I'm actually quite interested in what you were saying."

The thirst for knowledge was a human instinct.

Especially when living in a world that felt like a fantasy.

Xu Xian desperately wanted to know and understand everything about the Wendao Sword Sect.

Even though the more he knew, the more he felt it was too fake—too beautiful, like a dream. He was afraid it would burst with a single prick, and afraid the dream would truly end.

Nangong Ning thought about it and confessed, "Alright, I admit Xiao Xue came to see me last night."

"Oh?"

Nangong Ning continued her self-exposure. "She urged me to take good care of you and, while I was at it, explain some principles to you."

"Oho..."

"...The things I said just now were also intentional. Xiao Xue said that the Little Grand-Uncle seemed a bit resistant to completing sect missions."

"Oh!"

Nangong Ning pouted slightly and tested the waters. "The Little Grand-Uncle surely wouldn't be so petty as to be angry with me, right?"

Xu Xian, however, answered with an unrelated question. "You call Little Wen 'Xiao Xue'? It seems you two are quite close."

His eyes were full of heavy gossip...

Nangong Ning said frankly, "Yes, Xiao Xue and I are very close. We joined as disciples in the same year. However, her talent is a tiny bit higher than mine, so her realm is also higher. I am only at the fifth stage, the nascent soul realm, while she reached the seventh stage decades ago."

Xu Xian didn't dare comment. A 'tiny bit' higher, yet two major realms apart?

His gaze drifted over the girl as he boldly asked, "May I ask the lady, what is your honorable age?"

Nangong Ning's expression darkened, and she chided, "Little Grand-Uncle, that is very impolite of you."

"I was just asking. Forget it if you don't want to say."

Nangong Ning hesitated for a moment, took a deep breath, and confessed, "Over two hundred years old, I suppose. I can't remember the exact number."

Xu Xian wasn't surprised.

A mid-stage nascent soul at two hundred years old could be considered to be in her youth.

Although within the Wendao Sword Sect, ten years to reach foundation establishment was the passing grade and reaching core formation was just average, the gap between realms on the path of cultivation was as difficult as reaching the heavens.

Even for geniuses.

Core formation was easy to obtain, but a nascent soul was hard to form.

He clicked his tongue. "Hmm, you don't look it."

"Look like what?"

Xu Xian said seriously, "To me, you look like you've just turned eighteen. You should be the same age as me."

Nangong Ning was stunned for a moment before she burst into laughter. "Pfft, I didn't realize the Little Grand-Uncle was such a smooth talker."

Women were strange creatures.

Regardless of age, regardless of whether they were immortals or mortals, if you praised them for being young and beautiful, they would definitely be happy even if they knew it was a lie.

"Xiao Ning."

"What is it, Grand-Uncle?"

"Since we've got nothing else to do, why don't you tell me more about our Wendao Sword Sect and the Northern Borders?"

"Sure, as long as Grand-Uncle doesn't find it boring."

"Not at all, not at all."

"Let me think... Then let's start with how our Wendao Sword Sect supervises the Northern Borders..."