It seemed to sense the existence of the sword sheath and Lu Xiaochan’s mood, and the sword actually flew into the sword sheath by itself.
There was a light sound, and the sword body perfectly fit into the sheath, without even a hair’s breadth of difference, as if it was born to exist for each other.
Lu Xiaochan held the sword sheath and turned it around, and the Wuhen Sword did not slip out, which made him extremely happy.
He hung the sword at his waist and looked at Shu Wuxi, saying, “How is it? Isn’t this lord elegant and extraordinary?”
Shu Wuxi responded with an “Mm”.
Lu Xiaochan laughed. He knew that Shu Wuxi didn’t understand what “elegant and extraordinary” meant, and would just nod at whatever he said.
With the sheath, only a suitable sword hilt was missing.
Lu Xiaochan and Shu Wuxi continued toward Xiyuan.
Along the way, they encountered many immortal sect disciples heading to Xiyuan. To avoid drawing attention, Lu Xiaochan also traveled by sword, with Shu Wuxi accompanying him from behind. Lushu was “released” by them.
At parting, Lu Xiaochan was originally a bit melancholic, but Lushu wagged its tail and seemed very happy.
This made Lu Xiaochan mischievous. When Lushu turned to leave, he deliberately grabbed its tail.
Lushu unhappily raised its hind leg to kick him. Lu Xiaochan’s other hand used his thumb to nudge the Wuhen Sword out of its sheath. With just a slight spiritual tremor, Lushu immediately became obedient, looking at him pitifully.
Lu Xiaochan chuckled and said, “Kneel and take your leave!”
He let go of his hand, and Lushu then flew away.
Moreover, it tucked its tail in, afraid Lu Xiaochan would play another trick.
Lu Xiaochan had just learned sword flight not long ago and would occasionally wobble.
Some immortal sect disciples, seeing him young, thought he was a junior disciple from some sect and would offer guidance.
Lu Xiaochan would deliberately engage them in conversation.
After chatting, Lu Xiaochan finally understood that so many immortal sects were heading to Xiyuan to watch the Xiyuan Realm Heaven’s sword master selection.
Sword Master Haofu had three inner disciples: Lord Chen Jie, Lord Qing Zhe, and Lord Zhao Lan.
These three had over a thousand years of cultivation, but none of them were convinced by the others.
Since Haofu went into closed cultivation, they had been competing overtly and covertly for over a thousand years, failing to nurture new talents, which led to Xiyuan Jingtian’s current strength being far inferior to Nanli Jingtian.
Moreover, during this sword master selection, disciples from other sects were allowed to challenge.
If any sect had disciples who had entered the “borrowing power” realm, they could compete with each other on the Immortal Inquiry Platform in Xiyuan.
Of course, the premise was to officially issue a challenge to the other party.
Many unresolved grievances between sects could be resolved through challenge letters on Xiyuan’s Immortal Inquiry Platform.
It was said that the largest dispute resolved on the platform was when Kunwu from Tailing Pavilion challenged Yang Cang from Wuyi Jingtian over a thousand three hundred years ago.
Lu Xiaochan was shocked to hear this gossip from over a thousand years ago.
“Although Kunwu is from the Medical Sect, isn’t his cultivation far below Yang Cang’s? Did he take the wrong medicine?”
The immortal friend revealed a gossipy expression, speaking not loudly but without restraint. “Wasn’t it because of Kunwu’s junior brother Liche? Back then, Yang Cang inexplicably wanted to find Liche. Kunwu refused to hand him over, so Yang Cang sent a sword qi that split Tailing Pavilion in half!”
Lu Xiaochan was stunned, swallowed, and slowly turned his head to look at Shu Wuxi behind him, who remained silent.
Shu Wuxi, who had cast a Blocking One’s View spell, was almost imperceptible.
But just imagining his sword strike back then made Lu Xiaochan break out in cold sweat.
Fortunately, Kunwu had hidden him at that time, or he would have been caught by Yang Cang…
The bed in that inn that had collapsed…
Oh, his little heart was racing!
“And then?” Lu Xiaochan asked.
“Liche wasn’t in Tailing Pavilion, but Yang Cang wouldn’t give up, and even uprooted the spiritual vine ‘Thousand Li Chanjuan’!”
Lu Xiaochan scratched his chin: Damn… Yang Cang was truly ruthless back then!
“Four Directions Sword Master tried to mediate, but it was useless! Kunwu issued a challenge to Yang Cang to resolve this matter!”
Lu Xiaochan’s eyes widened. “Kunwu must have been beaten terribly, right?”
“Of course! His elixir core almost shattered! Although Kunwu was defeated, he still refused to reveal Liche’s whereabouts. Eventually, if this continued, Tailing Pavilion might have been destroyed. Liche couldn’t hide anymore and returned to Wuyi Jingtian.”
“Oh, so that’s how it was…” Lu Xiaochan nodded, nudging Shu Wuxi with his elbow, “Brother Wuxi, is that right?”
“It wasn’t Kunwu who issued the challenge,” Shu Wuxi said only this.
“Then who was it?” Lu Xiaochan tugged Shu Wuxi’s sleeve and asked softly.
“Me.”
Lu Xiaochan covered his mouth and laughed. “How did you come up with issuing a challenge to him! Isn’t this bullying the weak?”
“By defeating him in front of all the immortal sects, he could no longer avoid the issue.”
Lu Xiaochan continuously imagined Kunwu’s expression upon receiving the challenge, thinking he might have spat blood nine thousand miles away!
This made Lu Xiaochan extremely curious about Xiyuan’s Immortal Inquiry Platform.
After all, this was where Kunwu had fought Yang Cang!
Lu Xiaochan leaned back against Shu Wuxi’s chest and said, “Brother Wuxi, according to reason, we should inform Sword Master Haofu before taking the ‘Earth Listener’ tree heart from Xiyuan Jingtian, right?”
“They can’t stop us,” Shu Wuxi replied.
Lu Xiaochan paused, realizing that from beginning to end, Shu Wuxi never intended to “take”, but to “steal”.
“This… isn’t very good. What if after we get the tree heart, the Xiyuan Jingtian disciples chase us day and night, demanding we return the tree heart… wouldn’t that be troublesome?”
If disciples of Haofu came charging in the middle of an intimate moment, wouldn’t that ruin the mood?
“There’s another way.”
“What method?”
“Issue a challenge and defeat all the immortal sects in Xiyuan. Then they’ll have nothing to say.”
Lu Xiaochan tentatively asked, “Do you mean you’ll personally make a move?”
“If you want me to act, I will.”
Lu Xiaochan thought about it. If Shu Wuxi made a move, wouldn’t he cause a huge uproar in Xiyuan?
“Let’s first see the situation. But all immortal sects are entering Xiyuan with invitations. Brother Wuxi, do you have an invitation?”
“They should have sent me an invitation, but I wasn’t there. If I go back to retrieve it, it would waste some time.”
“Don’t go back to get it!”
Lu Xiaochan thought that Shu Wuxi’s invitation would definitely have a name on it. If discovered by Xiyuan’s disciples, they would be respectfully received and attract much attention. By then, even if Lu Xiaochan wanted to secretly take the tree heart, it would be inconvenient.
As they approached Xiyuan Jingtian’s Chongluan Palace, they would need to present an invitation upon entry.
Lu Xiaochan turned to Shu Wuxi. “Brother Wuxi, let’s stay near Chongluan Palace first and see if we can find anyone we know from the immortal sects.”
Like Brother Jiang! How could he not come for such a big event?
Having him bring them inside would be both low-key and safe.
But he wondered if they would even meet him.
Kunwu would probably also come, so he had to be careful not to be seen. Because once Kunwu saw Lu Xiaochan, he would guess that he didn’t come to Xiyuan just to watch the excitement. If Kunwu knew he was here to “take” things, he would definitely try to stop him!
Oh, if only he hadn’t left Zhang City. Perhaps Zhang Rongxiu also had an invitation. He could have asked him to bring them into Chongluan Palace!
Lu Xiaochan’s expression changed multiple times, tilting his head, furrowing his brows, then relaxing again.
Shu Wuxi lowered his head and tapped the tip of his small nose.
Lu Xiaochan and Shu Wuxi stayed at an inn in the small city below Chongluan Palace.
Although Chongluan Palace was large, there were too many immortal sects visiting this time. Many lower-ranked disciples had also come, so the palace couldn’t accommodate everyone, forcing them to stay in the city.
Because of this, the small city was much livelier than usual, with immortal sect disciples flying on swords through the streets and alleys.
Lu Xiaochan pulled Shu Wuxi around, following this person and then that, but none of these disciples had invitations.
“The invitation for each sect is naturally with the sect master,” Shu Wuxi reminded him.
Lu Xiaochan sighed. “What should we do? Should we disguise ourselves as disciples from another sect and sneak in?”
“Mm.”
Lu Xiaochan knew Shu Wuxi didn’t care about this at all. In his view, he could simply draw his sword, defeat everyone, take the tree heart. These small fries, he would defeat one when one came, two when two came, killing gods if gods blocked him, killing Buddhas if Buddhas blocked him. No one could stop Shu Wuxi.
But Lu Xiaochan didn’t want future troubles. If possible, he hoped to obtain the “Earth Listener” tree heart openly and legitimately.
Fine, fine. He would watch here and see which sect’s disciples would be easiest to infiltrate.
In a teahouse in the distance, a man sat by the bed, propping his chin and watching Lu Xiaochan and Shu Wuxi’s figures.
“Oh my, oh my, these two are bound by the Immortal-Locking Ribbon, quite troublesome,” the man said, holding an infant and laughing heartily.
A young woman nearby, seeing the adorable baby, couldn’t help but reach out to play with it.
Unexpectedly, the infant bit her finger, causing her immense pain. She could barely retrieve her hand.
The baby laughed at her, but the woman felt dizzy, her face turning pale and bloodless.
The more she looked, the more she felt the baby’s smile was sinister, and she quickly backed away.
The man lowered his head and pinched the baby’s nose.
“We’re near an immortal sect’s sacred ground, so you must be good,” he said.
To his surprise, the infant spoke, “Lord Lianyue Yuan, you must also behave. Complete the task, or your heart won’t be comfortable in purgatory.”
Though the voice was tender, it carried an eerie tone.
The man chuckled lightly. “Let me go and undo the Immortal-Locking Ribbon.”
At that moment, Shu Wuxi suddenly looked up toward the teahouse window.
But the window was already empty.
“Brother Wuxi, what’s wrong?” Lu Xiaochan asked.
“Xiaochan, don’t wander away from me,” Shu Wuxi said in a low voice.
Just then, a crowd surged forward, as if some immortal sect’s spiritual beast had been startled, charging recklessly and scattering the passersby.
A person wearing a wide-brimmed hat lowered his head and passed by Lu Xiaochan’s side. Lu Xiaochan felt something slide across his wrist. He turned to grab Shu Wuxi’s hand, but unexpectedly, he grabbed a young woman instead.
The woman initially thought Lu Xiaochan was trying to harass her and was about to strike him. However, seeing Lu Xiaochan’s fair and handsome face, which didn’t look like that of a lecher, her hand froze midair – striking him seemed inappropriate, but not doing so felt awkward.
Lu Xiaochan quickly withdrew his hand and pushed through the crowd, trying to find Shu Wuxi.
But someone else grabbed his wrist and pulled him forcefully. Lu Xiaochan immediately realized this was not Shu Wuxi’s hand and tried to break free.
When he looked up at the figure, though the person had used a leaf-blocking technique, Lu Xiaochan could tell from their spiritual energy exactly who it was. “Lord Lianyue Yuan!”
“Oh, I’ve been discovered. How unfortunate.”
On the other side, Shu Wuxi had already gripped Lord Lianyue Yuan’s shoulder, coldly saying, “Let go.”
The spiritual energy pressed on Lord Lianyue Yuan’s shoulder, instantly crushing his shoulder bone.
Lord Lianyue seemed to feel no pain, smiled slightly, and suddenly a pure white sword emerged from under his armpit, directly stabbing toward Shu Wuxi’s chest.
Shu Wuxi’s fingertips immediately formed a sword formation, blocking Lianyue’s sword.
Lord Lianyue Yuan smiled. “I don’t want to fight you, but…”
Suddenly, a spiritual beast swooped down from the sky, its claws grabbing Lu Xiaochan’s shoulder and lifting him up!
With his feet off the ground, Lu Xiaochan heard the whooshing wind!
“Draw your sword!” Shu Wuxi called out loudly.
Lu Xiaochan finally reacted, and the Wuhen sword at his waist suddenly flew out, stabbing toward the spiritual beast. The beast released its claws, and Lu Xiaochan fell.
The Wuhen sword immediately flew toward Lu Xiaochan, positioning itself underneath him.
As Shu Wuxi was about to move forward, he was trapped by Lord Lianyue Yuan’s sword formation and had to dispel it.
Lord Lianyue Yuan did not linger in battle, stepped onto his sword, and flew thousands of meters away.
Shu Wuxi raised his hand and discovered that the Immortal-Locking Ribbon on his wrist had been undone.
“Xiaochan!”
“I’m fine! That Lianyue fellow undid my Immortal-Locking Ribbon! Brother Wuxi, I’ll chase him!”
Just as Lu Xiaochan was about to ride his sword to pursue Lianyue, Shu Wuxi shouted. “Don’t go!”
Not only was Lu Xiaochan no match for Lianyue, but Lianyue had undone the Immortal-Locking Ribbon precisely to separate them. If Lu Xiaochan went to chase him, he would fall right into the trap!
Unable to stop Lu Xiaochan, he sent a spiritual energy pulse onto the Wuhen sword.
The sword trembled, and Lu Xiaochan lost his balance and fell, crashing through a tea house’s roof.
With a “crash” and Lu Xiaochan’s surprised cry, he thought he was done for!
Unexpectedly, an elegant and handsome man sat at a table, leisurely drinking tea. When the ceiling suddenly cracked open and tiles crashed down, the man’s expression remained calm. His spiritual energy surged, repelling all debris, and he caught the falling Lu Xiaochan.
Lu Xiaochan tightly closed his eyes, thinking he was truly finished this time! But he felt no pain.
He seemed to be held in someone’s arms.
“Brother Wuxi!” Lu Xiaochan happily opened his eyes, only to realize the man before him was not Shu Wuxi.
However, his surrounding spiritual energy was soft and elegant, like clouds drifting in an immortal mountain. His features were like ink-brushed silk, momentarily leaving Lu Xiaochan stunned.
After clearly seeing Lu Xiaochan, the man’s originally composed eyes suddenly contracted.
Shu Wuxi had already arrived, calling out “Xiaochan—”
Lu Xiaochan came to his senses and tried to move out of the man’s embrace.
But unexpectedly, the more he moved, the tighter the man held him.
“Xiao…Xiaochan?”
After the initial shock came an indescribable, overwhelming joy.
It was like a long-awaited reunion, a recovery of something lost.
Lu Xiaochan was infected by his emotions and momentarily froze.
Only when Shu Wuxi’s spiritual energy burst open the room’s door did Lu Xiaochan push more forcefully against the man’s embrace.
“Brother Wuxi!”
Lu Xiaochan stood, about to rush toward Shu Wuxi.
Unexpectedly, the man suddenly wrapped his arm around Lu Xiaochan’s waist, pulling him back.
Lu Xiaochan fell back into his embrace, while Shu Wuxi, with fully activated spiritual energy, launched a sword formation with intimidating power.
The man holding Lu Xiaochan pushed him behind, drawing his own sword and countering with another formation.
Lu Xiaochan was shocked. He never expected Shu Wuxi to use the “Heaven’s Palace” sword formation, nor did he expect this man’s cultivation to be on par with Lord Lianyue Yuan, actually blocking the formation!
The entire tea house trembled.
Shu Wuxi’s sword formation relied on resonating with his Wuxi sword. With his cultivation, defeating ordinary sect masters was easy, but against the Four Directions Sword Master near the great power or top-tier leaders, it was not simple.
Like the former Sword Master of Nanli Jingtian, or this high-level master before him.
Lu Xiaochan could feel the man’s elixir core was abundant, his spiritual energy thick and pure, just a step away from the Four Directions Sword Master’s great power realm.
They were at a stalemate. Shu Wuxi’s gaze grew colder, and his sword formation suddenly changed, shattering the opponent’s formation.
Yet the man blocking Lu Xiaochan showed no fear, instead drawing his sword.
His posture was elegant, his sword technique crisp and carrying an indescribable dignity.
“Give him back to me.”
Shu Wuxi’s voice was low but resonated throughout the space, causing the surrounding walls to crumble like powder.
This was the first time Lu Xiaochan had seen Shu Wuxi truly angry.
“He doesn’t belong to anyone.”
The man launched a sword formation that Lu Xiaochan, despite knowing Shu Wuxi’s capabilities, anxiously called out about.
“Brother Wuxi——”
The sword formation was mighty, like a high mountain collapsing, but was blocked by Shu Wuxi’s spiritual energy.
The Wuhen sword, sensing Lu Xiaochan’s thoughts, suddenly stabbed toward the man blocking him.
The man’s eyes flashed a hint of surprise, raising two fingers to pinch the sword’s tip.
Shu Wuxi’s second sword formation came destructively, as if wanting to destroy everything in the world.
The man’s sword formation was broken, about to be severely wounded by Shu Wuxi’s formation, when another sword formation appeared before him, blocking the remaining power of the “Heaven’s Palace” formation.
Lu Xiaochan quickly left the man’s embrace and rushed toward Shu Wuxi.
“Brother Wuxi!”
He tightly hugged Shu Wuxi’s waist.
Shu Wuxi gripped his back, holding him closely.
But Shu Wuxi had no intention of stopping. The man also stood up, his spiritual energy swirling like a whirlpool, ready to clash.
At this moment, a teasing voice with a laugh rang out.
“If you two truly intend to fight without restraint, this small city might vanish into smoke.”
It was Mo Qianqiu, sitting on his sword, supporting his chin on his knee.
“Pavilion Master Qianqiu!” Lu Xiaochan’s eyes brightened, finally seeing a familiar face!
Mo Qianqiu laughed and waved at Lu Xiaochan.
It was his sword formation that had just blocked the man and protected the surrounding citizens of the tea house.
“Villa Master Ling, I see this little fellow is quite happy staying with the Sword Master. If you care about him, why make him unhappy?” Mo Qianqiu said.
Villa Master Ling… Lu Xiaochan’s eyes widened. This was the master of Zhiwu Mountain Villa, and Jiang Wuchao’s master – Ling Nianwu!
When he had seen Lu Xiaochan earlier, his expression seemed… nostalgic?
Mo Qianqiu stood up, positioning himself between Shu Wuxi and Ling Nianwu.
Ling Nianwu’s originally gentle expression had turned cold and stern.
“Happy? Suffering from chaos’s karma fire is no happiness!”
Mo Qianqiu looked at Lu Xiaochan and raised his chin. “Lu Xiaochan, are you willing to stay with Shu Wuxi?”
“Of course!”
“Aren’t you afraid of the karma fire consuming you?”
“Not at all!” Lu Xiaochan responded immediately.
Ling Nianwu’s teeth clenched. His eyes held a sense of sorrow and pain.
“Xiaochan, you don’t understand how truly painful karma fire can be… You cannot be with him, because eventually…”
Lu Xiaochan patted Shu Wuxi’s hand, and Shu Wuxi slightly loosened his embrace.
“Villa Master Ling, though I don’t remember you, I can see you care about me. Xiaochan thanks you!”
Lu Xiaochan cupped his hands and bowed to Ling Nianwu.
“Xiaochan, I don’t want your thanks. I only want you to be safe.”
Ling Nianwu’s voice softened, becoming melodious.
Lu Xiaochan smiled. “I am safe. Villa Master Ling, I’ve already experienced the pain of karma fire. Brother Wuxi went to the Northern Sea, wore the bone-clinging garment for me, so you don’t need to worry about me suffering from karma fire again.”
Ling Nianwu slowly closed his eyes, his brow furrowing deeper.
“I didn’t expect… you still feel this way about him…”
Mo Qianqiu laughed. “Villa Master Ling, how can you know a fish’s joy if you are not a fish?”
Ling Nianwu slowly opened his eyes, his gaze sharp and solid as a rock. Looking at Shu Wuxi, he said, “If Xiaochan suffers the slightest harm because of you, I will hunt you down to the ends of heaven and earth!”
“If you have the ability.”
After he finished speaking, Shu Wuxi then embraced Lu Xiaochan and left.
Throughout their journey, Lu Xiaochan could sense the murderous atmosphere around Shu Wuxi.
He harbored killing intent toward Ling Nianwu.
After all, Shu Wuxi was indifferent to everything in the world, but he held murderous intent toward the master of Zhiwu Mountain Villa.
