"It seems it will take at least nine hundred years..."
"Perhaps nine hundred years from now will be my turning point; then I shall know the truth."
Reclining there, her delicate face flushed slightly with a Liúlí glow, a sudden look of determination crossed her features. Her worry vanished, replaced by a faint smile.
The moonlight grew even brighter, as if radiating ten thousand beams of Liúlí light that illuminated the entire Xiuxian Continent. Flowers blossomed in unison, bathed entirely in the radiance of the Liúlí light.
A strange atmosphere rippled through the Ming Xuan Hall. She suddenly rose with a loud laugh, stumbling and drunk as she collapsed back onto the couch, brushing aside the wine stains and murmuring drunkenly while her radiant little face bloomed with smiles.
"Fine wine."
Sipping her wine, she felt a sudden wave of comfort. Her tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly, and a great weight seemed to lift from her mind. She stretched out casually on the floor, hugging her little jar of wine in her arms, her immortal hair scattered in disarray as she drifted into pleasant dreams.
The next morning. The sky was glittering with clear light, the morning sun just right. Biluo gently shook Chen Liushang's flushed, half-drunken face, brushing her glowing, translucent pulse-point while casting a worried look.
"My lady, my lady. How are you feeling? Why did you drink so much wine again?"
Lifting her half-conscious form, she slowly fed her a few sips of clear wine tea.
"Hm?"
"So sweet." As the tea poured in, she was suddenly struck by its refreshing sweetness.
Slowly opening her sleep-heavy eyes, the sleeping woman rubbed them and sat up abruptly, looking earnestly at Biluo before her. With a flushed face and a gentle, half-drunken smile, she placed her translucent hand gently on Biluo's left hand and spoke softly:
"Biluo, I have something for you."
With that, she waved her small hand, and a Liúlí jade qin materialized, floating in mid-air. The jade qin emitted a colorful Liúlí radiance, filling the hall with its luminous glow.
"This is for you."
Chen Liushang suddenly turned serious, speaking earnestly to the astonished Biluo with an expression that brooked no refusal.
"This is for me?"
"Mm-hmm."
Chen Liushang nodded slowly, her expression completely earnest.
"Think of it as repayment for your kindness."
She smiled happily, her face glowing entirely with Liúlí light.
"Isn't this far too valuable?"
Looking at the Liúlí jade qin resting on the couch, radiant with Liúlí light, Biluo wore a look of utter disbelief on her delicate face.
"Accept it. This truly belongs to you anyway."
"Hm?"
Biluo looked with a puzzled expression at Chen Liushang, who seemed entirely unconcerned, and gently stroked the jade qin with her jade-like fingers.
"Very well then."
Seeing Chen Liushang's completely earnest expression—not joking in the least—and realizing she could not refuse, she weakly accepted the Liúlí jade qin.
"Thank you, my lady."
Seeing her accept it, Chen Liushang broke into a silly grin, wearing a dazed, foolish look as she thought to herself:
"As long as you accept it, that's enough."
In the Cultivation Hall of the Qianchen Pavilion.
"Xuan'er!"
The Great Elder sat prominently on the dais, vigorously instructing the disciples below in the methods of immortal cultivation. He sternly scolded Ming Xuan, slamming his old desk and looking thoroughly furious.
Finding it boring to lie down, Chen Liushang had cast an invisibility spell and stood at the entrance of the hall, sipping her wine and watching with casual boredom.
"I never imagined the life forms I inadvertently nurtured would actually be so amusing." She teased, taking a sip of her wine.
"Pay attention to the lesson."
"Master, when will you finish? I want to go practice swordsmanship."
The Great Elder's expression suddenly shifted, turning gentle once more.
"Very well then. We shall head to the Trial Ground right now; I'd like to see how well you all have mastered your master's swordsmanship."
"Thank you, Master!"
Radiant and overflowing with golden light, Xuanjing was the first to speak, a joyful expression on his face at the thought of finally being released to display his skills and engage in a sparring match with his junior brother, Ming Xuan.
"Let's go, Senior Brother!"
The dark-robed youth Moran, holding his treasured sword with a bright, handsome youthful vigor, grabbed Xuanjing's golden sleeve and strode out the doors of the Cultivation Hall.
"Senior Sister, let's go watch too."
A bright young maiden dressed in pink with golden ornaments happily addressed Zheyue, her ethereal and beautiful purple-robed senior sister standing beside her.
"Very well."
Zheyue spoke faintly and rose slowly. She cast a shy glance at the tall figure of Moran, the young master of the Xiuxian Continent's Moxuan Pavilion standing before the hall doors, then took her junior sister Fendai by the hand and followed closely behind them.
Watching them file past her one by one, Chen Liushang memorized each of their faces. But when she saw the purple-robed woman, her interest was piqued. Licking a drop of spilled wine from her hand, she assumed a roguish expression and said somewhat drunkenly, "It seems that purple-robed woman's beloved is that dark-clad youth—Moran, is it? He certainly is blessed with remarkable fortune."
Seeing that they had already walked some distance away, she drunkenly stumbled along behind them, curious to see what else these interesting little creatures would get up to.
Soon, they arrived at the Trial Ground. Chen Liushang immediately stepped up onto the high platform and looked around. It was indeed a secluded cultivation sanctuary, surrounded by mountains on all sides and sparsely populated; even if they kicked up a massive commotion, no innocents would be harmed. She decided in her heart that the old man actually had quite a bit of method and forethought.
Before she finished observing, the group began preparing to practice their swordsmanship. She shifted her gaze down to the circular arena below, where Ming Xuan and the golden-light youth Xuanjing were preparing to test their skills.
Growing somewhat interested, she lowered her wine flask and watched closely.
"Senior Brother, I'm coming!"
Ming Xuan's stern little face was dead serious as he drew his sword to spar with his senior brother, Xuanjing.
In an instant, blades flashed and swords crossed in the air; the two were evenly matched.
Chen Liushang thought to herself, "That Xuanjing is indeed good material, but his swordsmanship is a bit too aggressive, and his temperament lacks calm detachment. He's simply too straightforward and doesn't know how to adapt; I'm afraid he will hit a bottleneck in the future." She watched their exchange and offered a casual critique.
"Senior Brother, fine swordsmanship!"
At that moment, Ming Xuan gripped his sword hilt laboriously, locking eyes with him. His hands trembled as their blades clashed mid-air, filling the sky with sword shadows.
Ming Xuan took a light, nimble step backward, crouching laboriously on the trial ground as sweat beaded on his stern little face.
Suddenly, his gaze shifted, and a phantom image as faint as a starry night flashed in his eyes. With a flick of his right hand, a golden sword projection materialized in mid-air, emitting a sharp, ringing sound.
"Swish!"
The long sword hung suspended in the air, and Xuanjing slipped up, his precious sword clattering to the ground.
"Hahahaha..." Watching Ming Xuan down in the arena—so loyal and affectionate, possessing superb swordsmanship yet always holding back from delivering a fatal blow—Chen Liushang clapped and burst into loud laughter. He was good material; one day he would surely become a great master of the sword. She felt that the life forms she had casually awakened truly were quite amusing.
Indulging her mood, she took a few reckless sips of wine, her cheeks flushing.
"Hahahaha..."
Xuanjing broke into a wide smile and laughed heartily. He hadn't expected Ming Xuan to possess such natural talent in swordsmanship, and he truly felt a bit ashamed of his own inferiority.
"Junior Brother's swordsmanship has improved quite a bit these past few days."
"Senior Brother, you flatter me! I yield, I yield!"
Ming Xuan maintained a respectful posture, cupping his hands together and panting slightly as he smiled happily at his senior brother.
"Junior Brother is truly exceptional!"
"Mm."
"I wouldn't have thought these two martial brothers were so loyal to one another," Chen Liushang thought silently to herself.
"Senior Sister, look! Isn't my cousin Ming Xuan amazing?"
"Hmm... Junior Brother is indeed quite good."
Chen Liushang turned her gaze again toward the two little fairies beside her, the pink-clad girl and the purple-robed girl. Seeing that the purple-robed girl was indeed hopelessly infatuated, her eyes locked unwaveringly onto Moran as if she wanted to devour him whole.
Feeling somewhat helpless, she thought that having lived through so many years, she had long since grown detached from the affairs of romance between men and women.
"Jingle, jingle..."
Suddenly, a familiar silver bell-like sound rang out in her ear. Looking once more toward the purple-robed girl's heart, her speech instantly faltered.
"That is... the Flower of Love Poison. If this flower takes root, one loves without being loved in return, and the object of affection is unworthy; it inevitably brings a trial of love—death or injury is certain."
She frowned, her heart twitching. She felt that the existence of this Flower of Love Poison was rather troublesome. Since the girl looked only seventeen or eighteen, so tender and young, a sudden wave of pity washed over her as she sighed: "What a pity that your deep devotion will ultimately come to naught. I'm afraid this Moran won't even understand your feelings in the end. To encounter a trial of love at such a tender age—though your cultivation has already reached this level, the hardships can only be weathered alone. If I get the chance in the future, I will certainly lend a hand to help you pass this trial of love early."
Frowning with a measure of resolve, she took another sip of wine and prepared to resume watching the battle.
"My turn!"
At that moment, the dark-robed youth Moran, brimming with high spirits, drew his sword and stepped onto the trial platform to spar with his junior brother Ming Xuan.
Chen Liushang involuntarily glanced over at the purple-robed girl, Zheyue. Sure enough, Zheyue's face was flushed with shyness, and the Flower of Love Poison glowed brightly against her chest.
Sighing softly, Chen Liushang felt that it was better not to watch this scene. She tossed her head back in helpless resignation; she had no desire to burden her mind or watch such a heartbreaking spectacle. Catching sight of the Great Elder beside the pink-clad girl not far away, she decided the funny little old man was much more entertaining and drifted over in his direction.
She made a playful face behind the little old man's back. Seeing that he didn't notice, she found it immensely amusing. After teasing him for a little while, she went back to watching the battle with the rest of them.
"Swish, swish, swish." The air was filled with the sound of clashing blades. Flashes of sword light and afterimages streaked across the sky, and Moran was now being pushed into a disadvantageous position by Ming Xuan.
Zheyue subconsciously tugged at Fendai's sleeve and said worriedly, "Senior Brother Moran... will he be all right?" She frowned, looking both shy and anxious.
"He'll be fine!"
"Senior Sister, there's no need to worry. We have Master!" Fendai glanced toward the Great Elder beside them, feeling a profound sense of security. With the Great Elder around, no matter how many sword flashes the two of them produced, the Great Elder could easily handle it.
Meanwhile, the Great Elder, clad in an carved black robe, sat with a placid, elderly demeanor on the viewing platform, stroking his beard and sipping clear tea. With an utterly relaxed expression, he watched the sparring disciples, long since accustomed to such minor skirmishes of flashing blades.