"What’s wrong?"
Seeing Duan Mingyu, who had been resting in bed, suddenly sit up with a restless expression, Xu Yehua asked with concern.
Duan Mingyu touched his chest worriedly, murmuring, "I don't know. I just suddenly felt a hollow sensation in my heart... as if something has been lost."
Xu Yehua knew Duan Mingyu was a sensitive person by nature. He assumed the youth simply felt lonely because no one was by his side when he woke up. Sitting down beside him, Xu Yehua patted his back. "Am I not right here?"
Duan Mingyu relaxed slightly, yet the flustered feeling persisted.
The battle between Lingfeng Mountain and the Soul-Summoning Valley had concluded. The result couldn't exactly be called a mutual defeat, but there was no true winner either. Lingfeng Mountain had lost many disciples, whose souls were refined into yin spirits by the Soul-Summoning Valley. In the end, the Soul-Summoning Valley was forced to relocate their entire sect, moving far away from their original site.
Rong Lü had also sustained some minor injuries. Duan Mingyu had looked after him with meticulous care, and the two had spent quite a bit of intimate time together at Lingfeng Mountain. Once Rong Lü’s injuries were mostly healed, Xu Yehua had whisked Duan Mingyu away.
"I haven't been in contact with Senior Brother for a while... He was in a bad mood before he left, and I was afraid of disturbing him," Duan Mingyu sighed. "Do you think this sudden panic in my heart means something has happened to him?"
"He’s a grown man; what could possibly happen to him?" Xu Yehua naturally didn't care much for his love rival. He wrapped an arm around Duan Mingyu’s slender waist and said, "He won't be back for a while anyway. Why don't you come back to Red Rock Cliff with me first?"
"But I haven't returned to the Reflecting Moon Sect in a long time. Master must be displeased with me..." Duan Mingyu looked somewhat melancholy, hesitating.
Seeing his knitted brows, Xu Yehua felt a pang of heartache. "Then go back to the Reflecting Moon Sect for a few days, and then sneak out again later."
"That sounds fine." Remembering the passion they had shared at Red Rock Cliff, Duan Mingyu’s face flushed. He leaned into Xu Yehua’s embrace, temporarily pushing the feeling of unease to the back of his mind. "Then you go back first and wait for me."
Soon, the two were entwined once more.
Meanwhile, the Senior Brother who had been briefly remembered was currently fast asleep.
Zhai Bairong and Nie Shiyun, whose relationship had finally taken a step forward, did not wait for the flower festival to end before heading back. After their lingering kiss concluded, they couldn't resist returning home early. Most people in Flower City were out enjoying the festivities, leaving the rest of the city darker and quieter than usual. The two hurried into the house and, unable to restrain themselves, fell into another kiss. Naturally, the bed curtains were soon drawn, and they became as inseparable as glue and lacquer.
Afterward, Zhai Bairong fell asleep leaning against Nie Shiyun. Nie Shiyun, however, remained awake for a long time, sorting through his thoughts in the dark.
Life in Flower City was so wonderful that even he occasionally entertained the thought that "it wouldn't be bad to stay here forever."
However, the sensation that never left his chest constantly reminded him that the shackles of his original destiny had not yet been broken. If he chose to escape, he would only gain a temporary peace.
Furthermore, would the Heavenly Dao allow a member of the protagonist's harem who had "shifted his affections" to live peacefully? Nie Shiyun looked at the person beside him, unconsciously reaching out to twirl a strand of hair that was pressed against Zhai Bairong’s cheek.
Zhai Bairong did not wake; he seemed to be sleeping very deeply.
With the ceasefire between Lingfeng Mountain and the Soul-Summoning Valley, the various characters had returned to their respective sects to recover. Nie Shiyun knew all too well that this was merely the calm before the storm. At the upcoming Great Cultivation Assembly, Duan Mingyu’s group would each shine brilliantly, and Duan Mingyu was about to meet the final member of his harem. After that, the Cold Heaven Secret Realm would open. Duan Mingyu would find a celestial artifact there, along with a mountain of ice-attribute treasures and spiritual herbs, pushing his cultivation close to the late stage of Foundation Establishment. After he emerged, his Heavenly Yin Body would become increasingly difficult to suppress. Qu Zhanmeng of the Reflecting Moon Sect, acting on the orders of the Transformation Stage Ancestor above him, would move to seize the celestial artifact and simultaneously prepare to capture and refine Duan Mingyu. That was when the plot would reach its climax.
Nie Shiyun was determined to seize that celestial artifact. Not just to sever Duan Mingyu’s path to immortality, but for himself.
Which cultivator didn't ultimately desire to achieve immortality and enter the Upper Realm? Nie Shiyun candidly admitted that he wanted to strive for it.
Even if Zhai Bairong had broken ties with Duan Mingyu, he was still a member of the Reflecting Moon Sect, constrained by Qu Zhanmeng and the Transformation Stage Ancestor. Knowing that Zhai Bairong surely desired a path to ascension as well, Nie Shiyun didn't dare reveal what he knew to anyone yet, lest it lead to endless trouble.
The events were all interlinked. Nie Shiyun felt his head throb with the increasing pressure, letting out a soft sigh. There was nothing he could do at the moment but take things one step at a time.
However, he had originally thought he would have to walk this difficult, calculated path alone until the end. Perhaps now, someone could accompany him for a part of the journey.
Nie Shiyun closed his eyes, feeling his restless heart settle down slightly.
The next day, although the road ahead wasn't entirely clear, they had at least confirmed their mutual desire to take their relationship further. The atmosphere in the house was pleasant, and the two, having just woken up, inevitably spent a while longer in intimate nuzzling and whispering.
Following this, Zhai Bairong cultivated for a few days before suddenly feeling a flash of insight. He told Nie Shiyun that he needed to enter closed-door cultivation for a longer period.
"Are you planning to push all the way to the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment in one go?"
Zhai Bairong nodded. "I suddenly feel that the time is right."
Nie Shiyun naturally agreed. Cultivators placed great importance on such feelings. Sometimes the sensation was inexplicable, but it was truly effective.
"However, this place isn't ideal for a breakthrough. Don't try to advance your stage all at once. If you reach Great Perfection, stop there. We’ll find a suitable place later, set up a formation, and then face the Lightning Tribulation."
"I understand." Zhai Bairong told Nie Shiyun not to worry; he knew his limits.
Zhai Bairong refined extra pills in advance for Nie Shiyun to take if he went out, leaving the rest to be sold in the shop. He then began his seclusion within the house, intending not to emerge until he reached the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment.
Realizing that Zhai Bairong would be just one step away from the Golden Core stage upon his return, Nie Shiyun pondered whether he should prepare a celebration. However, a celebration for just two people didn't offer many options. After much thought, he decided he could forge a new set of magical treasures for Zhai Bairong.
He knew Zhai Bairong was very fond of the Willow Sword. It was agile, light, slender, and sharp—Zhai Bairong used it with great proficiency. However, once he advanced to the Golden Core stage, a single ordinary sword like the Willow Sword would be at a slight disadvantage. Wood-root cultivators were mostly agile, capable of both offense and defense, but their offense couldn't match Metal or Fire, and their defense couldn't match Water or Earth. While steady, they were somewhat mediocre.
Nie Shiyun flipped through his inventory of materials, comparing and contemplating. Although he didn't have something as precious as thousand-year willow wood, he had accumulated many good things over the past two years. Gradually, a plan formed. He realized that if Zhai Bairong finished his seclusion, he wouldn't have time to prepare this gift in advance. To give him this surprise once he reached the Golden Core stage, Nie Shiyun immediately dove into the forging room.
Cherry, smoketree, pine, upas, and willow—Nie Shiyun selected spiritual branches or roots from five types of five-hundred-year-old trees as fusion materials. He used ink crystal for the hilts and Silver Moon Ore as the base for the blades, forging five swords of varying lengths and details. Silver Moon Ore, which emitted a faint silver-white glow, wasn't exactly rare, but it was considered precious compared to common copper or iron. By forging these five swords together, Nie Shiyun completely exhausted the supply of Silver Moon Ore he had saved over the past year.
Silver Moon Ore was beautiful and light, but it lacked weight, so many cultivators liked it but wouldn't use it for their primary weapon. However, after adding the refined spiritual wood essence, the blades that originally felt a bit flighty became steady. While they certainly couldn't match the raw offensive power of materials like profound iron, they would be very handy for Zhai Bairong.
In fact, as a set of swords, Nie Shiyun felt he was capable of producing seven complementary blades in one go. However, he had only found those five types of wood over five hundred years old. Using other lower-grade materials might make the final product look more impressive, but it would actually drag the set down. He decisively chose the more practical approach.
Zhai Bairong’s attire was always elegant and simple. Instead of using gemstones, Nie Shiyun slowly heated jade, melting it into extremely fine jade silk. Before it could cool, he quickly and accurately fused it onto the formed blades. Each sword bore an individual formation—some for offense, some for defense, and some for gathering spiritual energy. Any two could be combined, or all five could be brought together, merging into a higher-level new formation. It was a truly exquisite "formation within a formation" set.
Thankful that he had spent the last six months cramming formation techniques, Nie Shiyun was quite satisfied with the result. He activated his spiritual power, and the five spiritual swords flew out, slowly rotating around him. With a thought, one of the swords flew out, performed a circle, and finally, all five swords merged into one, leaving only a single physical blade that returned to its scabbard.
He remembered how Zhai Bairong’s face had lit up with joy when the Willow Sword was repaired. He wondered what kind of expression he would make upon seeing a gift like this.
Nie Shiyun smiled at the memory.
He stayed in the forging room for a full five days. The heat inside was stifling. If not for his fire root, Nie Shiyun would likely have had to swallow several Frost Pills to cool down or step out for air; otherwise, he couldn't have stayed so long.
After finishing the Star-Moon Spirit Wood Sword Set, Nie Shiyun tucked it away carefully and reopened the shop. After a long time, he returned to a solitary life—opening the shop, forging, and occasionally checking on the egg in the Primordial Chaos Space.
A month later, Zhai Bairong reached the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment and emerged from his seclusion.
