8 Dao Companion

Lu Qi looked up to see Lu Wenshu, dressed in white and carrying a sword on his back, standing on the eaves' corner.

Lu Wenshu had arrived in a hurry this time, and the wind in the courtyard was stronger than usual.

The bell hanging there swayed more vigorously than ever, jingling loudly because of him.

"Young Sect Leader..."

"Brother Wenshu!"

Lu Wenshu’s gaze first swept over Lu Qi, then he restrained the coldness in his eyes and swiftly leapt down.

He landed between Lu Qi and Lu Chanji. Lu Chanji was about to approach him, but Lu Qi was quicker.

Lu Qi strode forward, bowed to Lu Wenshu, and said, "Young Sect Leader, has the Sword Trial ended? How did it go? Did you claim the top spot?"

Lu Wenshu responded with a soft "Hmm," and Lu Qi’s face instantly brightened with joy and excitement. The frustration from his recent defeats by Lu Chanji vanished entirely. He looked even happier than Lu Wenshu himself.

He knew it all along! He had long said that the heavy burden of restoring the glory of the Sword Sect should fall on the Young Sect Leader!

Lu Qi remained jubilant, while Lu Chanji seized the opportunity to step forward and pull Lu Wenshu’s arm.

Seeing Lu Wenshu return eased her heart, but since he hadn’t contacted her as promised, a lingering unease remained. She asked, "Were the competitors at the Sword Trial formidable? Were you injured? Why was there no news for so long?"

Lu Chanji asked three questions in a row, but Lu Qi scoffed quietly.

"You mortal, you don’t know. Those people aren’t even worthy to carry the Young Sect Leader’s shoes."

Lu Qi was about to say more when Lu Wenshu’s cold voice cut through the air: "Lu Qi, why are you here?"

The question was like a splash of cold water, dousing all of Lu Qi’s remaining words and leaving him speechless.

"I... I..." Lu Qi stammered. He had left the Sword Trial midway without informing Lu Wenshu. Now that Lu Wenshu had caught him at Lingchun Pavilion, where Lu Wenshu’s mortal servant resided, Lu Qi felt guilty and secretly regretful. He regretted leaving too early and missing the chance to witness Lu Wenshu’s victory firsthand.

Lu Qi said with mixed feelings, "I was defeated on the eighteenth day of the Sword Trial, so I came back early."

"I asked you..." Lu Wenshu’s words grew firmer, "Why are you here?"

Why here—here, at Qingfeng Lingchun Pavilion. Lu Wenshu was asking why he was here with Lu Chanji.

Lu Qi suddenly realized what Lu Wenshu meant. He wanted to reply that he was here to practice swordsmanship, but a sudden thunderclap echoed in his mind, recalling what another disciple had said back at the Sword Forging Valley: "Maybe the Young Sect Leader likes her and wants to become her Dao partner?"

Lu Qi’s face turned pale and then flushed. Only now did he realize how strange it was for him to stand between Lu Wenshu and Lu Chanji.

The last time he saw Lu Wenshu was in the inner disciples’ dormitory. He had asked why Lu Wenshu protected Lu Chanji, a mere mortal, so fiercely. After spending these days with Lu Chanji, and now sensing the unyielding atmosphere between the two, Lu Qi seemed to understand why.

Lu Wenshu spoiled Lu Chanji with good food and drink, nurtured the flowers and trees in the courtyard with spiritual energy, and likely even taught her the sword techniques superior to his own—the answer was clear. Lu Wenshu was deeply entangled with Lu Chanji.

No matter that she had no divine destiny, no spiritual roots, no hope of cultivation—she was only a mortal.

A bitter feeling welled up inside Lu Qi’s heart, though even he couldn’t identify its source. Perhaps it was disappointment in his Young Sect Leader. If he was a man entangled by love, even if he was the best swordsman, what kind of leader was he truly?

Lu Qi’s tone grew bleak as he asked Lu Wenshu, "I shouldn’t have come here... right?"

He already knew the answer.

Lu Wenshu said, "Since you know your mistake, then go accept your punishment."

"Still twenty lashes?" Lu Qi asked.

"No, go to the Sword Forging Valley and hammer iron for three months," Lu Wenshu said. "Leaving the Sword Trial early, abandoning the sect’s cause, acting on your own—this punishment is only fitting. Any objections?"

...Yes!

He felt Lu Wenshu was merely settling a personal score, using a grand excuse to punish him for coming to see Lu Chanji.

But Lu Qi had no strength to argue; it was true he left Penglai early.

Hammering iron in the Sword Forging Valley was grueling and exhausting work.

The lava fire of the Sword Sect was the lingering embers left in the world after Gonggong shattered Mount Buqu. Swords forged in this fire could slice iron like mud and sever hair with a breath.

Only Kunwu Stone from Liuzhou could withstand such fire. It was incredibly hard and required spiritual energy to control the flames and endure countless hammerings before becoming usable metal.

Many sect disciples said that when cultivation stalled, going to the Sword Forging Valley to hammer iron could expand one’s spiritual veins, strengthen immortal bones, and advance cultivation.

Though said in jest, it showed that no disciple wanted to do this chore.

Lu Qi had tried once and after a day of hammering, his tiger’s mouth throbbed painfully despite spiritual protection, and his energy felt drained.

Compared to that, lashes, though painful, could be endured with grit.

Hammering iron for three months, though sparing flesh pain, was even harder to bear in Lu Qi’s eyes.

But since Lu Wenshu was determined, what could he say?

"I have no objections," Lu Qi lowered his head.

Before leaving, Lu Qi cast a deep look at Lu Chanji.

Today, she had promised to spar with him—a promise he would return to fulfill.

Though he could not defeat Lu Wenshu in his lifetime, he was determined to win against Lu Chanji at least once.

---

Disciple of the Sword Sect must not be defeated by a mortal, even one who had received the Young Sect Leader’s true teachings.

Lu Wenshu shifted slightly, blocking Lu Qi’s gaze from behind.

Once Lu Qi left, he looked at Lu Chanji standing beside him, about to speak when she bombarded him with three questions again:

"What exactly happened these last few days at the Sword Trial? Were you hurt? Did anyone bother you?"

Her tone was anxious, her eyes full of concern.

Lu Wenshu’s gaze softened inch by inch. "Achan, did you hear? I won the Sword Trial."

“That doesn’t matter.” To Lu Chanji, winning or losing was no big deal. Winning was good, but if not, she could just train more later. What mattered was...

"Why didn’t you contact me sooner?" she asked.

Without spiritual energy, she couldn’t use the telepathic stone and had to wait passively for it to light up or ring.

Like the bell under the eaves, she could only wait for it to sound.

If Lu Wenshu didn’t come or use the telepathic stone to find her, she wouldn’t know where he was.

She was as anxious as a famished kitten; when Lu Wenshu didn’t speak, she had endless questions.

He answered one by one: "Nothing bad happened, I wasn’t hurt, and no one troubled me. The reason I didn’t contact you earlier was because I wanted to tell you in person that I won the Sword Trial."

"Three days," Lu Wenshu said, stroking her hair. "I returned from Penglai in just three days. Isn’t that timely enough?"

"But you made me worry for three whole days," Lu Chanji finally relaxed, muttering.

Since Lu Wenshu was safe, his winning the Sword Trial was great news.

She asked, "Did you record the more exciting matches with the projecting stone? Were there swordsmen stronger than Wei Shengming? Any killing moves more powerful than 'Annihilation'?"

Lu Wenshu shook his head. "The projecting stone will arrive in ten days, but since you’ve already broken Wei Shengming’s killing move, those minor tricks will bore you."

Lu Chanji pursed her lips, already expecting this.

Perhaps it was time for her to stop studying how to break others’ moves and begin creating her own.

Just then, the hand stroking her hair slowed considerably.

"Achan," Lu Wenshu said, "tell me, why did you want to spar with Lu Qi? I thought you’d only practice swordsmanship with me."

Lu Chanji hesitated. She saw no wrong in agreeing to spar with Lu Qi, but his question made her feel guilty.

Even though Lu Wenshu’s tone was gentle and not accusatory.

She lowered her eyes, stammering, "He came to spar... I saw he was sincere... so..."

She felt like she was being interrogated.

Lu Wenshu’s next words relieved her: "I don’t blame you, Achan."

But then his tone turned colder: "You grew up on Qingfeng Peak and rarely interacted with outsiders. I feared he would trouble you when I wasn’t around at the Penglai Sword Trial. Have you forgotten how he treated you at the Sword Forging Valley?"

"He can’t trouble me," Lu Chanji snorted. "Even if he’s three years older, he still can’t trouble me."

"Can’t trouble you?" Lu Wenshu reasoned patiently. "Simple sword moves can’t, but what if he uses spiritual power?"

Lu Chanji’s face paled.

If Lu Qi used even a trace of spiritual energy, she would be powerless.

Mortal strength compared to a cultivator’s spiritual energy was like clouds against mud.

"When I’m not around, you must learn to protect yourself," Lu Wenshu’s tone softened as she listened. "If you can’t protect yourself when I’m away, I might not make it back in time. What do you want me to do?"

He murmured, "Achan, promise me you won’t see Lu Qi again and don’t easily trust others. You promised to stay with me, so don’t see others."

His tone was a request, not a threat, but Lu Chanji’s heart ached strangely. She nodded, "I’ll listen to you."

—

Since Lu Qi was punished and sent to the Sword Forging Valley, he never sought out Lu Chanji again. On Lu Chanji’s Star Ruin chart, the star representing Lu Qi grew dimmer day by day.

Seeing this, Lu Wenshu finally felt at ease.

As long as he prevented their interactions, over time all memories and entanglements would fade to dust.

Naturally, the entanglement would dissolve.

Still, Lu Wenshu remained uneasy.

He visited Lingchun Pavilion more often and stayed longer each time. After the Sword Trial, many cultivators sought him for duels or to glimpse his true self, but he turned them all away.

The dignified Young Sect Leader had practically made Lingchun Pavilion his home.

In the past, Lu Chanji would have been glad to have him accompany her, so she wouldn’t feel lonely on Qingfeng Peak.

But she had busied herself with other matters.

With the desire to create her own new sword technique, she had much to do.

She wanted to invent a unique sword move, one that belonged to her alone. Her hundred years of life were fleeting, and after death, she would leave nothing behind. But if she could leave a brilliant sword move—one she might never use herself, but that others could wield to slay even a single demon—then her journey through the Ten Continents of the Great Sea would not be in vain.

So that even after her death, when Lu Wenshu used her move, he would think of her.

If this move was powerful enough, perhaps cultivators across the Ten Continents would study it as they did Wei Shengming’s killing move.

Lu Chanji threw herself into it wholeheartedly.

Her thoughts were pure. Aside from contact with Lu Wenshu, swords, and puppets, she had nothing else. When she focused, she would work through the night, forgetting to eat or sleep.

—

Because of this, she paid less attention to Lu Wenshu.

She even found him troublesome.

Lu Chanji began to push him away. "Don’t come looking for me anymore. Just pretend I’m in seclusion."

Cultivators often entered seclusion when stuck at a bottleneck—sometimes for years, sometimes decades or centuries.

Hearing this, Lu Wenshu couldn’t help but smile. She was a mortal; what kind of seclusion could she enter?

But on second thought, if she stayed hidden and saw no one, it would save many troubles.

He said nothing more, nodding in agreement with her claim.

"I’ll strengthen the protections around your courtyard so no one can enter. I’ll prepare Zhu Yu Grass for you; it will stave off hunger. Then you won’t have to see others and get distracted."

Lu Chanji naturally agreed.

Lu Wenshu smiled.

He arranged everything and spent three days accompanying Lu Chanji.

During these three days, he answered all her requests and spoiled her more than ever.

Afterward, Lu Chanji stayed peacefully in Lingchun Pavilion, refining her sword moves.

—

Months passed like a blink of an eye.

Snow fell again over Yanzhou.

Lu Chanji hugged the sword manual she had drawn, jumping with joy before patting her puppets, battered from training her sword array.

"Thank you for your hard work," she said.

The puppets, of course, did not respond; they stood quietly, their swords lowered to the ground.

Lu Chanji smiled, content.

She now had a set of sword moves that belonged uniquely to her, created and named by her.

To create something new was a joy beyond compare.

Eager to share the good news with Lu Wenshu, she donned her cloak and stepped into the biting wind and snow, heading beyond Qingfeng Peak.

The snowstorm cut like knives, but her heart was full of joy.

She hurried to Lu Wenshu’s residence, where celestial attendants stood guard. Lu Chanji had never been here before and found these attendants unfamiliar, unsure if they would let her in.

But she had a plan.

She took out the invisibility talisman Lu Wenshu had given her, which could last about half an hour. She applied one to herself and strode boldly inside, clutching the sword manual.

When she finally found Lu Wenshu’s room, her steps faltered.

"Yanzhou’s winters are truly harsh," a soft female voice spoke inside.

It was a voice Lu Chanji had never heard before but sounded familiar in tone.

The woman continued, "When will you come back with me to Fengxi Valley? Let’s spend the winter there."

Lu Wenshu’s cold voice answered, "There are many matters to attend to in the Sword Sect. I have no time to accompany you. If you really want to return, I will send someone to take you."

"I don’t want that. I want you to come with me! You say you’re busy, but you go outside Qingfeng every day. If you have time for that, you have time to come with me. I see you’re not busy at all—you just can’t bear to leave that mortal on Qingfeng Peak!"

Lu Wenshu said nothing.

The woman pressed on, "Thirteen years ago, when she was injured by the snow demon’s aura, you took her to Fengxi Valley to get the Wind Ling Pill from my father to warm her. You’ve cared for her all these years. I think no one in the Ten Continents of the Great Sea is more chivalrous than you."

"Ever since she came to the Sword Sect, you haven’t let me come to practice swordsmanship with you," she said angrily. "Or is it... that you really like that mortal?"

The room fell silent for a long moment.

Lu Chanji held her breath, her heart pounding rapidly.

Inside the room.

"Linger," Lu Wenshu sighed, "she’s just a mortal."

His tone was full of helplessness. "Compared to you, she has a short lifespan, like a shooting star. Soon she will vanish from the world, never to be seen again. Why do you bother with her? Let her go."

A buzzing filled Lu Chanji’s ears, and the conversation inside grew indistinct.

Sensing something, Lu Wenshu glanced briefly toward the window.

When Lu Wenshu finally left, no one remained in the courtyard, only a trail of messy footprints in the snow.