In the courtyard, a gentle breeze blew, and the emerald bamboo leaves swayed in the wind. As a flash of cold light streaked across, fallen leaves froze into ice and shattered into foam before Yannian's crimson eyes.
Putting away his wooden sword, Yannian let out a sigh. These past few months of seclusion had significantly improved his swordsmanship. It was worth the thousands of points he spent from the mall to exchange for "The Art of Immortality Flowing Swordplay: A One-Month Intensive Course."
"No mind, no thought, eternal aversion to the ephemeral illusions of the world, seeking the pure land and the eternal Way."
"What a unique style," Yannian recalled the first sentence on the scroll, filled with loneliness. The final move was a strike of "no thought," requiring a draw from the chest and an instantaneous slash. Yannian pondered such a scene, thinking it would be more suitable for his sister. For him, the path ahead was clear and unobstructed, making the draw lack any aesthetic appeal.
Tomorrow was the preliminary Cloud Cavalry assessment. It was time to begin his journey, to show Jǐng Yuán his will and determination, and to conquer the future General with his achievements.
Yannian clenched his fist, his crimson eyes narrowing slightly.
"That was a good swing."
"To possess such skill with so little guidance, Jing Nian, your talent far surpasses mine—" Under the eaves, Jing Liu appeared at some unknown time, arms crossed, leaning lazily against a pillar.
Her white hair fluttered, and her eyes were soft.
"I'm still far behind compared to you, Sister. I need to work much harder."
Yannian raised an eyebrow in surprise, not at Jing Liu's sudden appearance.
But rather because her words didn't include the usual 'foolish' admonishment.
"For whom?"
"That little girl named Jǐng Yuán," Jing Liu's lips curved upwards, a hint of teasing in her voice.
"What, Jǐng Yuán, he— a girl?"
Yannian choked, his expression bewildered. He was caught off guard by this astonishing statement, freezing him stiff.
Before he could even explain, Jing Liu stepped forward, placing a hand on Yannian's head, her eyes curving into a smile. "Don't pretend in front of me. The other day, you swore to the wall that you would become a good Cloud Cavalry member, win Jǐng Yuán's favor, and make him look at you with new eyes."
"And hinted at using some stratagem or other. Your attitude was so firm, you even moved me."
"Practicing swordplay harder than me these past few months was excellent. This determination, the word 'foolish' no longer befits your original intention."
Seeing Yannian's look of disbelief, Jing Liu instinctively assumed he was being shy. She withdrew her hand and produced a sword from behind her back, handing it to Yannian.
The sword was about three feet five inches long, its blade as bright as frost, engraved with intricate patterns.
"This sword is called Moon Chaser. It was my beginner's sword back then. Good luck tomorrow."
Jing Liu smiled faintly and vigorously patted Yannian's shoulder, almost sending him into the ground.
Yannian grunted. Being a Sword Master was different; the force was irresistible.
However, he needed to clarify things regarding Jǐng Yuán to prevent Jing Liu from misunderstanding.
"Uh, Sis—"
"If there's nothing else, I'm going to your sister Baiheng's place for the night."
Without letting Yannian finish, Jing Liu executed a series of acrobatic moves and vanished into the night. Yannian couldn't help but complain, "Others stay the night because it's raining or the night is too deep."
"You, on the other hand, decide to stay over at someone else's place just because you feel like it, with unyielding purpose. It's obvious you have ulterior motives!"
"And why do you visit her place more often than you stay at home?"
Who is your real family!
Also, I know you're in a hurry, but could you just let me finish speaking? My temporary sister—
Yannian rolled his eyes and sighed. Forget it, it wasn't a big deal. When Jǐng Yuán became Jing Liu's disciple, this misunderstanding would eventually be resolved.
The next day, before the preliminary Cloud Cavalry assessment, Yannian spent a large sum of money to hire a large number of people within a kilometer radius of Jǐng Yuán's home, especially along the route to the school and at various key locations.
He didn't even spare the public restrooms.
This was Strategy One: The Emotive Ploy, an enhanced version of the Bitter Ploy, employing a mass-appeal tactic with paid actors.
All they needed to do was spread rumors and exaggerate daily, indirectly portraying Yannian's arduous yet inspiring progress in his training, thereby moving Jǐng Yuán.
For example, "Did you hear? The Sword Master's younger brother, Jing Nian, was beaten terribly in the preliminary assessment match. Ah, he was black and blue."
"Indeed. He lost his memory before, and now he's barely even dabbled in swordsmanship again after just a few months."
"But he managed to endure and pass in the end, muttering about proving himself to someone. Who was it? It must be the Sword Master, how touching."
Yannian envisioned this, a smile spreading across his lips. He believed that if he persistently broadcast his miserable yet inspiring rise to Jǐng Yuán every day, especially ending each time with 'to prove it to you,' even a heart of stone like Jǐng Yuán's would be touched.
For you, I'd turn into a wolf.
For you, I'd burn with madness.
Stroking his chin, Yannian felt confident and proceeded to participate in the preliminary Cloud Cavalry assessment.
The assessment was much easier than he had imagined. Yannian passed effortlessly and was officially accepted a month later, soon to be deployed to the front lines.
These hired crowd actors, after being embellished with hardship and tears, began to spread the stories like wildfire.
Jǐng Yuán, as usual, went out to school in the morning, purchasing a Jianbing from a steaming stall. At a nearby table, a few people were eating peanuts and chatting about the recent Cloud Cavalry assessment.
He vaguely heard Jing Nian's name and couldn't help but prick up his ears.
Upon hearing that the other person fought desperately due to amnesia, but still remembered to say, "I must become a good Cloud Cavalry member and prove myself to him with my life."
"This, what kind of words are these!"
"Truly… utterly absurd," Jǐng Yuán blushed, finding Jing Nian's behavior incomprehensible in Xianzhou, where subtlety was prized.
What did he mean by proving himself to me? Cloud Cavalry should prioritize Xianzhou. If he wants to prove himself, it should be to the people of Xianzhou.
— Such a narrow-minded outlook.
Jǐng Yuán lowered his head and hurried past the crowd, only to find that almost everyone on the street was discussing this matter. The phrase "I will prove myself to him with my life" had become a hot topic.
"I'm really curious, who is the 'him' that Jing Nian mentioned?"
"Who knows? But it's clear they have a good relationship."
"The last match was evenly matched. Without the 'him' standing behind Jing Nian to provide moral support, it would have been difficult to achieve first place."
The gossip grew increasingly outlandish. Jǐng Yuán's eyes darkened with annoyance. Who had a good relationship with Jing Nian? That guy was full of flaws and adept at disguising himself.
He couldn't forget one day, in an empty training ground, he was exhausted and collapsed on the ground.
Jing Nian stood before him, crimson eyes filled with arrogance, a mocking smile on his face.
The youth deliberately used his sword to lift Jǐng Yuán's chin, raising an eyebrow. "Isn't it better to just obey?"
"You don't really think effort alone can defeat me, do you?"
"Learning swordsmanship also depends on talent, Jǐng Yuán. The weak have no right to resist the strong. And you, right now, are weaker than me."
After bullying him, he then hypocritically took him to the infirmary, acting like a model senior student in front of the staff.
It won't last long. When Jing Nian realizes how cruel the battlefield is, he'll definitely give up. He definitely… will reveal his true colors.
Jǐng Yuán took a bite of his Jianbing, a dark glint flashing in his eyes.