Tianxuan Sect’s Guest Peak – The Courtyard of the Wanjian Sect
During the recent upheaval in Tianxuan Sect, the disciples of the Wanjian Sect had only suffered injuries—none of them had perished.
Now that Tianxuan Sect had stabilized, they hadn’t left imdiately but instead stayed behind to help restore order.
After all, the previous sect masters of both sects had a good relationship, though their ties had faded sowhat over the past millennium.
But now that Tianxuan Sect was more or less back to normal, it was ti for the disciples of the Wanjian Sect to leave.
At this mont, they were packing up their belongings.
The chaos they had just experienced had left a deep impression on them.
They had co dangerously close to dying on Baiquan (Hundred Springs) Plain.
But no matter what, they had survived.
And after witnessing life-and-death struggles firsthand, after seeing the battles between top cultivators, their perspectives had changed. Their understanding of the Dao had deepened.
If, before the Zixia Grand Ceremony, they had arrived at Tianxuan Sect with a sense of arrogance—proud to be disciples of the Wanjian Sect—then now, they had grown much more composed.
There is always soone stronger, always a higher sky.
This truth was now engraved in their hearts.
“Is everyone ready? Let’s go.”
The elder of the Wanjian Sect spoke to the disciples.
“Yes.”
The disciples nodded, placing the courtyard key on the table before preparing to descend the mountain and return ho.
But just as they reached the mountainside, a man was making his way up.
Both sides ca to a halt, and the disciples of the Wanjian Sect turned to look at Xu Xue Nuo.
Xu Xue Nuo pressed her lips together slightly, her expression uneasy as she looked at Xu Ming.
“Young Master Xu,” the elder greeted, bowing with his sword in hand.
“Greetings, Senior.” Xu Ming returned the bow. “Are you heading back?”
The elder nodded. “Yes. Now that Tianxuan Sect is stable and preparing to relocate, we no longer have any reason to stay. Besides, with everything that has happened recently, I must return as soon as possible to report to our sect master.”
“That’s only natural.” Xu Ming nodded before shifting his gaze to Xu Xue Nuo. “I was wondering if Senior could wait a mont—I’d like to have a discussion about swordsmanship with your sect’s Sword Immortal Xu.”
The elder smiled knowingly. “We’re not in a hurry. But that depends on Xue Nuo’s wishes.”
He was aware that these two were supposedly older and younger siblings, yet their relationship seed strained.
And Xu Ming’s so-called “discussion on swordsmanship” likely had little to do with swordsmanship at all.
Xu Xue Nuo didn’t refuse. She gave a respectful bow to the elder. “Please wait for a mont.”
“It’s fine, take your ti,” the elder nodded.
Xu Xue Nuo walked toward Xu Ming, and he casually picked a direction to stroll in, with Xu Xue Nuo following beside him.
The two of them walked through the forest. Neither spoke at first, yet there was no awkwardness in the silence.
Both of them simply didn’t know how to begin.
“How have things been at the Wanjian Sect?” Xu Ming finally broke the silence.
“It’s fine,” Xu Xue Nuo replied. “I just practice swordsmanship and cultivate every day.”
Xu Ming glanced at the girl beside him. “Only sword practice?”
Xu Xue Nuo shot him an exasperated look. “What else would I do in the Wanjian Sect if not practice swordsmanship?”
“…” Xu Ming was montarily speechless, then nodded, “True.”
The two continued walking forward, with the sun approaching midday, casting dappled shadows through the leaves. Several squirrels leapt about in the trees, and a gentle breeze rustled the treetops, making a pleasant sound.
Because the sword intent around Xu Ming and Xu Xue Nuo was so intense, most animals avoided them. Even a white-faced tiger, upon sensing their presence, imdiately recognized that these were not people to ss with and quickly scurried away.
“You’ve changed quite a bit,” Xu Xue Nuo remarked, perhaps sensing that her earlier words had made the atmosphere a little awkward.
Xu Ming smiled. “How so?”
Xu Xue Nuo thought for a mont. “You used to be so small, short, and with baby fat on your face… you’re completely different now.”
“Well, of course. Back then, I was just a kid. After all these years, there’s bound to be so change,” Xu Ming replied. “And not just —you’ve changed quite a lot as well.”
Xu Xue Nuo looked at Xu Ming’s side profile. “I thought so. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have failed to recognize back then.”
“But your personality is still the sa as before,” Xu Ming smiled. “Still a bit cold.”
Xu Xue Nuo shot him a glare.
Xu Ming imdiately fell silent.
However, the atmosphere between them was no longer as cold as it had been at the start.
“I heard about that matter. Zhou Wanfeng told ,” Xu Ming casually ntioned.
Xu Xue Nuo’s heart skipped a beat, and she lowered her head, instinctively knowing what matter he was referring to.
“But honestly, I don’t really care,” Xu Ming added.
Xu Xue Nuo raised her head again to look at Xu Ming.
Xu Ming stopped and turned around, eting her gaze directly. “I don’t care about the so-called Xu family bloodline. For , I don’t have much attachnt to the Xu family. What matters to are my mother, your mother, and your brother.”
He paused, looking at her. “To be honest, I couldn’t care less about the Xu family’s situation. On the contrary, I actually wish I weren’t related to the Xu family by blood. That way, things might be easier for .”
Xu Xue Nuo raised an eyebrow. “Why are you telling all this?”
Xu Ming replied, “Because even though you seem cold, you actually care a lot about others and about past relationships. I’m worried this might affect your cultivation.”
He continued, “You can think of it this way—what if I actually have no blood connection with the Xu family? Right?”
Xu Xue Nuo was silent for a mont.
“So, stop thinking about it. If you really care, when I get back, we can secretly take our father’s blood and test it, but no matter the result, I don’t think you need to worry about it.”
Xu Xue Nuo curled her lip. “What’s there to worry about? I’ve already been removed from the family register.”
“Right,” Xu Ming smiled. “I don’t care about my relationship with the Xu family, and you’ve been removed from the family register, so for us, it really doesn’t matter. The Xu family is the Xu family, and we are us.”
“We are us?” Xu Xue Nuo repeated.
“What?” Xu Ming asked.
“Since you say we have nothing to do with the Xu family, then what exactly are the two of us?” Xu Xue Nuo questioned, looking at him.
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