A Friend (Extra Deep-Water Update)

Bai Chuli let out a scream and grabbed Yun Jie’s shoulders, shaking her hard.

They were all gone!!! All gone ahhhhh!!

The moment Yan Jue fell into Yun Zhen’s arms, she immediately caught an extremely rich, lush floral fragrance, along with the pressure of an eighth-realm powerhouse.

Yan Jue’s scalp went numb. “Pfft—” She actually coughed up a mouthful of blood mist, which splashed onto Yun Zhen.

Everyone: “......”

The exquisite embroidery on Yun Zhen’s clothes was instantly stained red.

At once, someone seemed unable to bear watching and closed their eyes.

Everyone knew Immortal Lady Yun Zhen prized cleanliness; ordinarily, even disciples who were only a little dirty couldn’t enter her Qiuli Pavilion.

And this time, Yan Jue, of all people, had landed right in Yun Zhen’s arms.

She was in real trouble.

Qi Xianqing’s pupils contracted, and she quickly took two steps forward.

Yan Jue was dizzy. By the time she came to her senses, she was already lying in an exceptionally soft embrace.

Yun Zhen immediately held her close, patting her cheek affectionately. “Good strike, good strike. That really was an excellent strike.”

Yan Jue stared at her in terror, her body instinctively shrinking back; her pale face had already been kneaded into a lump of dough.

Yun Zhen: “A pupil can be taught! I just watched Xiao Yan’s swordsmanship. She did very well, much better than Xianqing did back then.”

Everyone: “......”

Qi Xianqing’s gaze crossed the martial arena and landed directly on Yan Jue.

Her hands, hanging at her sides, tightened before she could stop them.

Yun Zhen then frowned at Qi Xianqing below the arena. “Such a sweet little girl. How could you bear to be so ruthless?”

The moment she said that, the crowd erupted into an uproar.

Everyone knew Yun Zhen doted on her disciples as if their lives were her own.

No one had expected her to publicly reprimand Qi Xianqing like this.

And somehow, that reprimand felt a little strange...

Yun Zhen’s clothes were smeared with Yan Jue’s blood, but she didn’t seem disgusted in the least. Instead, she simply lifted Yan Jue with one hand.

She walked toward the edge of the plaza. “Your sword is gone? It’s fine. Master will forge you a new one right now.”

Qi Xianqing raised a brow, her lips moving as a word caught in her throat. “Mas—”

Yan Jue was completely numb. She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and forced out an awkward smile, clutching Yun Zhen’s shoulder. “Immortal Lady! No—”

The word “no” hadn’t even left her mouth when she saw a cloud of purple mist, bright as rosy dawn, gather beneath Yun Zhen’s feet.

Yun Zhen formed a hand seal with one hand and, like a fairy taking flight, rode the clouds away while carrying Yan Jue with her.

At the same time, Qi Xianqing on the martial arena leapt into the air, stepped onto the immortal sword Zhuying, and sped off.

Everyone: “......”

This was the first time that, as soon as the competition ended, both the winner and the loser ran off.

-

Yan Jue was carried along by Yun Zhen, with drifting clouds filling her vision until she could barely open her eyes.

When she finally managed to open them again, she was already standing in Yun Zhen’s courtyard.

The courtyard was deep, with white clouds curling through the air.

A plaque hung on the dark-red gate, and on it, the three characters “Qiuli Pavilion” were written in forceful, penetrating brushwork.

Yun Zhen led Yan Jue into the courtyard.

What came into view was a vast lake, its water clear to the bottom; a small boat rocked in the center, and beyond it, in the white clouds, green grass spread out like a mat.

A white deer was leisurely grazing in the grass.

Yun Zhen set Yan Jue down on a stone bench in the pavilion and pressed two fingers lightly against the top of her head.

Yan Jue froze. She only felt a trace of extremely faint spiritual energy unfold from the crown of her head, a cool, distant current flowing through all her limbs and bones; the tightness in her chest instantly loosened.

Yun Zhen was healing her.

After touching Yan Jue’s forehead, Yun Zhen lazily sat down across from her, her tone carrying a hint of seriousness. “Xianqing has always been like this. If you feel wronged, I’ll properly teach her a lesson.”

But Yan Jue really didn’t feel that way.

Qi Xianqing had always been fierce when it came to cultivation; Yan Jue had seen that with her own eyes.

Though her iron sword, which she’d grown attached to over a full ten days, had been shattered.

Yan Jue was indeed a little unhappy.

She shook her head and smiled at Yun Zhen. “It’s fine.”

Yun Zhen stared at Yan Jue, finding her more and more interesting.

Everyone knew Qi Xianqing cared about face above all else and, in order to win at the Five-Dragon Summit, would often strike ruthlessly.

This was the first time she had shown mercy to someone.

The two sat facing each other in silence for quite a while. When Yan Jue’s gaze repeatedly drifted to the carefree white deer grazing on the lawn, Yun Zhen suddenly spoke.

“Xiao Yan, I want to talk to you about something.”

Yan Jue immediately listened attentively. “Please speak, Immortal Lady.”

For Qi Xianqing’s master, Yan Jue was genuinely respectful from the bottom of her heart.

After all, there were only a handful of eighth-realm experts in Five Dragons Mountain, and Yun Zhen had treated her quite well.

Yun Zhen: “I think you have quite a talent for cultivation. Are you interested in being recorded under my name as a direct disciple?”

Yan Jue paused. Meeting Yun Zhen’s gaze, she actually felt a chill run down her spine. “Immortal Lady, this disciple cultivates ice-element arts, and it may not be proper for me to enter Thunderflame Sect.”

Yun Zhen: “A master opens the door; cultivation depends on the individual. I’d only be helping you break through your meridians. After that, I’ll provide you with scriptures and resources; everything else will still depend on you. We at Five Dragons Sect don’t divide the branches of divine arts so strictly.”

Yan Jue really felt like crying without tears.

Yun Zhen was being so enthusiastic, and she had put it so plainly already; refusing now would seem far too disrespectful to Immortal Lady Yun Zhen.

And truthfully, Yan Jue was a little tempted by Yun Zhen’s conditions.

What made her especially torn was that she would eventually have to pack up and run away.

If she became Yun Zhen’s direct disciple, would she still be able to run?

At that thought, Yan Jue couldn’t help sitting there on pins and needles.

Yun Zhen: “If you don’t speak, I’ll take that as your agreement.”

Yan Jue: “......”

She hadn’t expected that after fighting Qi Xianqing once, she’d end up with a master.

...

In truth, Yun Zhen really thought highly of Yan Jue.

At first, she had thought Yan Jue was just an unremarkable little disciple.

She hadn’t expected her talent to be this good.

Yan Jue was an outer disciple of Watercloud Sect; judging by Yan Yue’s temperament as sect master, she certainly wouldn’t properly teach an outer disciple.

Yan Jue had learned everything on her own, yet she had still managed to grasp most of the most basic sword formulas. Though she was still far behind Qi Xianqing, the circumstances of their teaching were simply not the same.

Yun Zhen had taught countless disciples over the past few thousand years; she could tell the strengths and weaknesses of talent at a glance.

If Yan Jue were brought under her wing and carefully taught, there was no telling whether the champion and runner-up of the next Five-Dragon Summit would both come from Thunderflame Sect.

If anything could be blamed, it was only that Thunderflame Sect’s situation had truly been declining lately. Aside from Qi Xianqing, most of the others had been eliminated by the fourth round; Yun Zhen had been furious enough to go mad.

She absolutely could not let that old man from Mystic Escape Sect get ahead.

The sky gradually darkened. Yun Zhen was still enthusiastically talking to Yan Jue about the Great Dao of heaven and earth.

If Yan Jue were in her normal state, she would indeed have had the leisure to listen to Immortal Lady Yun Zhen expound on the Dao.

But she had just overexerted herself in the competition and been injured...

She was already very sleepy.

Yun Zhen quickly noticed it, then waved Yan Jue over to follow her.

Yan Jue blinked and then followed behind Yun Zhen.

Yun Zhen brought her to a small loft deep among the white clouds of Qiuli Pavilion and swept her right hand. The loft’s door opened at once.

Yan Jue paused.

The loft was spacious but bare, containing row after row of small wooden boxes.

It seemed no one had touched them in a long time; each box was covered in dust.

Yun Zhen: “Xiao Yan, today is our first proper meeting. Your master doesn’t really have anything to give you, but the things in these boxes are all cultivation resources and magical tools. Whatever is useful to you, just take it.”

Yan Jue had long since grown used to Yun Zhen’s enthusiasm; she could only smile bitterly. “Thank you... Immortal Lady.”

Yun Zhen glared at her. “You’re already my direct disciple now. I’ll send a flying crane letter to Yan Yue later and tell her to transfer you to me. If you call me Immortal Lady again, I’ll be angry with you.”

Yan Jue paused, then hurriedly imitated Qi Xianqing and said with an awkward smile, “Master.”

After Yun Zhen left, Yan Jue began rummaging through the wooden boxes on her own.

As expected of one of the biggest figures in Five Dragons Sect, the resources inside made Yan Jue dizzy with choices; she really didn’t know what to pick.

Her head was heavy, and with some effort she opened a small box covered in dust. Waving a hand to clear it, she saw what was inside and couldn’t help widening her eyes slightly.

The box was full of swords.

There were gleaming golden swords, sharp silver swords, and even long swords of deep violet and sky blue.

Yan Jue looked until her eyes were practically spinning; she had no idea which one to take.

Taking something too valuable didn’t seem appropriate. After all, this was only the beginning, and she still wasn’t sure whether Immortal Lady Yun Zhen had taken her as a disciple on a whim... or whether she had been serious.

But taking nothing at all seemed even less appropriate.

Yan Jue stared at the glittering pile in the box and felt her brain almost stop working.

She couldn’t help wondering what Qi Xianqing was like every time she spent time with Yun Zhen.

She was too tired.

If circumstances allowed it, Yan Jue really wanted to lie down beside the box and sleep for a while. Her drowsiness also made her mood sink. Suddenly, for no reason at all, she thought of what had happened earlier at the Five-Dragon Summit, when Qi Xianqing had knocked her out of the arena.

That iron sword had become so familiar to her, and yet Qi Xianqing had shattered it with a casual swing...

Her mood turned a little bad.

Yan Jue chose for a long time before finally finding, on the wall, a sword that was somewhat similar to the iron sword she had used before.

Only, the patterns on this iron sword were a little more elaborate than those on the standard-issue iron swords given to outer disciples of Watercloud Sect.

Yan Jue lowered her head and looked at it for a long while. Were these patterns chrysanthemums? Or orchids?

...

Holding the sword in her arms, Yan Jue slowly walked out of Yun Zhen’s Qiuli Pavilion.

Thunderflame Sect’s scenery really was beautiful; compared with the gentle, elegant Watercloud Sect, it had a completely different style.

Yan Jue carried the sword as she walked, sleepy and hot all at once. Halfway along, she suddenly felt that this iron sword was utterly unfamiliar.

Thinking of the long road of cultivation ahead, and of how much effort she would have to spend getting used to a new magical tool, and of how exhausting the future looked, her nose couldn’t help stinging.

Yan Jue was lost in her own thoughts when she suddenly bumped into someone.

She instinctively stepped back, only to catch a familiar cold fragrance brushing against the tip of her nose.

Qi Xianqing came over and looked down at her. “Let me see.”

Qi Xianqing was still dressed in white. Her cool fingertips emerged from her sleeve and took Yan Jue’s wrist.

The moment Yan Jue saw her, she got angry all over again. She shook her hand off at once and gritted her teeth, aggrieved. “Why did you break my sword on the martial arena today?”

Hearing her say that, for some reason Qi Xianqing felt a sharp twist in her heart. She unconsciously pressed her lips together.

If she had seen another opponent on the field, she might well have struck even harder than she did today; but this was the first time that, after the match ended and Yan Jue was taken away by her master, Qi Xianqing had felt guilty.

Under the dim moonlight, Yan Jue’s pale face was flushed red; her narrow phoenix eyes narrowed slightly. “You cheated. Your sword was so good, and I didn’t even have a sword..."

Qi Xianqing lowered her head and checked whether there were any wounds on her wrist.

There weren’t. It seemed Master had already helped Yan Jue expel the stagnant blood in her body.

Qi Xianqing’s gaze shifted, and the tip of her tongue pressed against her teeth. “How about this, then.”

Yan Jue froze.

Qi Xianqing looked at her, her tone gentle. “Hit me back.”

Yan Jue: “......”

Since Qi Xianqing had said so, Yan Jue was naturally not polite. She punched her in the shoulder.

That impact didn’t hurt at all, yet in that instant Qi Xianqing’s heart softened completely.

Yan Jue was already a little dizzy. She had been injured during the competition to begin with, and then Yun Zhen helped her expel the blood stasis from her body; she had spent far too much energy and was already extremely tired.

Qi Xianqing noticed the sword in her arms. “This was given to you by Master?”

Yan Jue rolled her eyes at her. “Mm. What else?”

Qi Xianqing: “......”

Yan Jue couldn’t help but go a little slack. “I was used to the old iron sword. It took me a long time to get used to its patterns. I’m so tired.”

“Now I have to get used to this new sword too. I’m really—so—tired!” Yan Jue felt that Qi Xianqing ought to be her best friend in this world.

She could say some honest things to Qi Xianqing just like she would to a real friend.

Qi Xianqing stared at the iron sword in her arms for a long while, then suddenly reached out.

Slowly, she drew the new sword out of Yan Jue’s embrace.

Qi Xianqing: “Then let’s not get used to it.”

Yan Jue blinked slightly.

Qi Xianqing lifted a hand and gently rubbed her head, looking at her deeply, her tone serious. “I’ll give you a better one.”

TL Note:

A pupil can be taught (孺子可教) = compliment meaning this student is promising.