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12. Ashes of a sword

  Su Jing couldn't help but sigh, a slight headache gnawing at her nerves as she thought about this character.

  Gu Jinsheng was, without a doubt, one of the best disciples in the Heavenly Clouds Sect. Yawen hadn't exaggerated. By the time Feng Zhihao crossed paths with the sect, his reputation would have soared even higher, earning him the grand title of "Genius of the Millennium", like a usual male lead.

  And, of course, what kind of prodigious figure didn't come with a dark, mysterious backstory?

  In Gu Jinsheng's case, it was no different. Beneath his flawless exterior, he hid a truth that could shake the cultivation world - his blood wasn't purely tied to the Immortal Realm.

  Gu Jinsheng was actually a half-demon!

  That's why, his role in the story began when his demonic powers, which had been locked inside his Dantian, suddenly broke free. To avoid being discovered, Gu Jinsheng had to flee the sect.

  To make matters worse, Gu Jinsheng was ambushed by a group of Silver Sword Sect disciples who quickly noticed his unusual weakness. Outnumbered and disadvantaged, he was forced to retreat to a place no cultivator would dare venture lightly-the Grey Skies Forest, the very place which Feng Zhihao happened to cross through.

  The Grey Skies Forest seemed as if it had been ordained by the heavens themselves to be the foundation of their affection-a sanctuary hidden from the watchful eyes of cultivators and demons alike. Here, stripped of their worldly facades, they were nothing more than two souls running from their own chains: Feng Zhihao, from the burdens imposed by the Mortal Realm, and Gu Jinsheng, from the unyielding fate dictated by the Demon Realm.

  It was no surprise that their destinies intertwined.

  Doubtful at first of his identity, Feng Zhihao first encountered Gu Jinsheng in an unconscious state. He lay wounded and in a hot fever in the cave she chose to rest, clearly desperate to survive after a long and tedious fight with the beasts outside.

  She recognised him to be a cultivator, yet when she saw the strange Qi sprouting around his wounds, it wasn't difficult for her to guess the position Gu Jinsheng was in - he was a runaway demon!

  Still, that didn't shake her that much either. Why would she hate on a demon when even the humans around her were treating her the same?

  She let go of such racist thoughts and thought of him as any other patient she had, nursing him out of his fever and treating his deep wounds. Like that, they spent days together, side by side, as she steadily tended to his healing.

  For Gu Jinsheng, this marked a turning point. His ties to the Demon Realm had always been a source of deep trauma, something he constantly ran from in this world which hated demons. Yet, once he woke up he saw someone who didn't judge him for that part of himself, someone who looked beyond his nature and offered genuine aid.

  That alone was enough to spark his interest in Feng Zhihao.

  So it was no surprise that he later helped Feng Zhihao pass over the forest centre, fighting the most powerful beasts and gifting her their extra-powerful cores. Feng Zhihao's cultivation improved even more thanks to him, making her reach the Seven Level of Qi Refinement.

  Su Jing was unsure if this part would be exactly the same. Feng Zhihao didn't pass the Fifth Level of Qi Refinement on the Shu Mountain in the Mortal Realm because of her careless intervention. But with Gu Jinsheng's help, Su Jing had a hunch that Feng Zhihao's power scale would be restored, with no effects whatsoever on the main plot.

  Not that it mattered to Su Jing anymore. Her current goal had shifted to ensuring Yawen's removal from Feng Zhihao's next story arc, thus making some changes anyway.

  After all, if she did nothing, things might not end that well for her. Qingwu looked respectful for now, but with Yawen gone, would he continue to waste his time with an annoying mortal? There was the Immortal Guild too and those guys weren't that nice either.

  Su Jing continued to think about Gu Jinsheng's involvement.

  Before parting, Gu Jinsheng left Feng Zhihao near the border of the forest, where Feng Zhihao would later reach Still Waterfall - the place from which the arc with Qingwu and Yawen would begin. Gu Jinsheng would have stayed, but he had to teleport back to the sect since he had been missing for far too long.

  If Su Jing would have had the balls, normally someone like her who knows the plot might have wanted to seize an opportunity to steal the attention of the male lead. But when it came to Gu Jinsheng, Su Jing felt somehow resistant to that idea. Just the thought of dragging herself into so much trouble for the sake of a man made her grimace.

  Su Jing has no way to save him from his demonic powers - and she also doesn't have the means to protect herself from his so many enemies and love interests. They were such a hassle in the whole story, and Su Jing couldn't ignore the fact that she had met already one of his suitors.

  That was Bai Xiuying, the girl who gave Su Jing the medicine at the Disciple Selection in the Mortal Realm.

  Bai Xiuying was young and naive, making her actions stand in stark contrast to the maturity and power of the female lead. Her wanting to be a swordsman was fruited by Gu Jinsheng himself, when she saw him win the Swordmastering Section of the Seven Sects Tournament.

  She joined the Heavenly Clouds Sect with the hope of being closer to him. However, eventually, when the female lead, Feng Zhihao, would be publicly seen with Gu Jinsheng, Bai Xiuying's jealousy would flare up, no matter how sweet her appearance.

  Su Jing was already overwhelmed dealing with Ya Wen, who had both a sub-male lead and a vengeful cannon fodder villainess on his trail. Bai Xiuying could simply do her thing alone.

  That is why, Su Jing hoped that her time mopping the floors of the Heavenly Clouds Sect would be as dull and uneventful as it sounded because there was no way someone like Bai Xiuying or Gu Jinsheng, with their lofty statuses, would ever stoop to join her.

  Su Jing smiled politely, her mind already spinning with ideas. "If Senior says so, then it must be true. Once I reach the sect, I'll make sure to keep an eye on Gu Jinsheng."

  From as far away as possible, she thought grimly. No way was she getting involved in that level of drama.

  Yawen seemed to relax at her response, his lips curving into a faint but genuine smile. "Gu Jinsheng is a senior worth admiring, He's diligent and devoted to his cultivation, and even outsiders have started to see him as a role model."

  Then, as if remembering something important, his expression grew more serious. "That being said, I recommend avoiding any mention of Gu Jinsheng's name around the Silver Sword Sect disciples. Lord Qingwu ensured our safety because I met him before the conflict began, but others may not share his tolerance. Cultivator Wo and Mei, for instance, are quite proud of their sect."

  Su Jing had to give Gu Jinsheng credit for his charisma - his name alone seemed to stir up enough controversy to spark conflicts among the disciples. Though regarding her own safety, Su Jing wasn't about to place too much trust in Qingwu.

  "Is Young Master Wu a close friend of yours, senior? It is good he overlooked the sect conflict for your friendship."

  Su Jing was determined to dig for information about Qingwu from Yawen. Qingwu wasn't just another random cultivator-he was a sub-male lead, destined to climb the ranks alongside the female lead!

  Yawen shook his head lightly, answering without hesitation, "We don't actually know each other well if that's what you're asking. I first met Lord Qingwu during the last Seven Sects Tournament, and this meeting is only our second."

  That... was basically being strangers!

  "You mean the same tournament where Gu Jinsheng participated?" Su Jing was curious. "Now that I think about it, since he's a swordsman, did he face Gu Jinsheng in the Tournament? Their duel must have been spectacular to watch."

  Two male leads fighting - that was surely a rare sight.

  Different from her expectations, however, Yawen had paused for a short moment, his expression thoughtful before he shook his head. "No, Lord Qingwu and Senior Gu Jinsheng never fought each other in the Tournament. Actually, Lord Qingwu retreated from the Tournament before he could get matched with Gu Jinsheng."

  Qingwu... retreated?

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Su Jing stared at Yawen, barely managing to keep her composure. The story never clarified what Qingwu had done in the tournament, and she certainly hadn't expected this.

  "Was there a reason why for his sudden decision?" she asked, "Young Master Wu certainly doesn't look like someone too weak to compete!"

  He was a sub-male lead, for Heaven's sake! He couldn't possibly embarrass himself!

  "It wasn't a matter of strength, Cultivator Su," Yawen replied calmly. "People in the Silver Sword Sect were expectant for him to win, but before he could compete against Gu Jinsheng, he had a different opponent."

  Yawen raised his hand slightly as if to gesture to something. Su Jing's brow furrowed at first, confused by it, but the realization hit her like a bolt of lightning when she followed the movement.

  "Was it you, Senior?" she blurted, taken aback.

  Yawen nodded at her, only adding to her surprise.

  "But, but how did Senior fight Young Master Wu if you're a talisman disciple?" Su Jing asked, unconsciously frowning, "Wasn't that unfair to you?"

  The Seven Sects Tournament had the scope to nominate the best disciples based on their respective skills. That in thought, Yawen and Qingwu couldn't have possibly encountered each other!

  Yawen put his hand behind his neck, averting his eyes. "Normally, yes," he explained plainly. "But as I said before, the Elder I mentioned only had one disciple from our Peak, my sword senior, and when he was injured during an expedition, the Elder had no one else to represent us. Of course, the Elder could have simply retreated... but some things happened and I was put to play in his place."

  Su Jing was stunned.

  "So that means you fought as a swordsman."

  He shifted awkwardly when he heard her, as if slightly embarrassed now that he had told her. "Well, you could say that. I had been visiting the inner training grounds without permission for months since I knew my sect senior brother's schedule and he invited me there sometimes. When he would be off, I would switch his place and train with my sword, without anyone knowing. However, when he got wounded I got unprepared by the arrival of the Elder."

  Su Jing remained quiet, processing Yawen's explanation. So, this was what he meant by being "rebellious.", a thing which was difficult for her to portray to Yawen since he was now so docile! She couldn't help but rummage through her thoughts, trying to piece together the situation with the Elder he mentioned-one whose own disciple had been dismissed from the Tournament. Something told her this character wasnt that simple.

  Her brows furrowed as her gaze returned to Yawen.

  He continued.

  "Thankfully for me, the Elder didn't press the issue when he noticed me. Instead, he allowed me to continue and even permitted me to visit the training grounds whenever I wanted. It felt like a second chance at the time─a lifesaving one.” he paused, looking down, ”After all, I had always hidden my sword practice because of my poor constitution."

  "But doesn't that mean that the Elder didn't take into consideration your health?"

  Su Jing cut him immediately, aware she was rude. She understood that Yawen had been deprived of his passion, but it was a bit irresponsible of the Elder to not protect him.

  Yawen's smile faltered slightly when he heard her. His fingers tightened around the cane he carried. "It's true that the Elder didn't care about what might happen to me," he admitted softly, "But he told me that I was talented and with potential. If I also performed well in the Tournament, he guaranteed me that he could even train as a swordsman. At that time, that was all I ever wanted to hear as my master was kind, but he never truly believed in my potential as a cultivator."

  The words rolled up a bit coldly off his lips.

  Su Jing kept thinking of the whole issue as a whole. She actually had assumed Yawen was an inner disciple, but it seemed that wasn't the case. If his master was subordinated to the Elder, then he was likely more of a teacher for the Outer Door disciples, someone of much lower standing.

  No wonder Yawen had mentioned knowing a way for her to enter the sect. His master probably had connections with the people responsible for hiring workers or servants for the sect.

  She wetted her lips as she felt them dry and slightly painful.

  If Su Jing had been in the place of the master she would have had a stroke in fury since basically Yawen straight showed how he wanted to change his master without even talking to him. Even now, looking at how he was talking, their relationship must not be that good. But still, she couldnt comment on their relantioship when she is simply someone external to the whole issue.

  It was something which could only be resolved by either Yawen or his master.

  Yawen only had a small smile on his face, his eyes falling slowly to the ground. Su Jing looked at his cane silently. Yawen continued as if this matter had been impoverishing him for a long time in his mind.

  "When the Tournament finally began, I was excited and trained almost the entire night with the Elder. I had a new polished sword from him, my cultivation was stable and the Elder was closely monitoring me." He paused, "The other inner disciples weren't really close to me, but that didn't really matter as I had never been before inside their circles, so it was bound for me to be isolated by them."

  Su Jing wasn't surprised to hear that. A backdoor disciple between inner ones would never be a good combination, no matter how much the cultivators preach about the conduit of acceptance of benevolence. After all, the greatest hypocrisy often comes from those who claim to be the most righteous.

  Yawen continued to narrate, "Lord Qingwu became my adversary by pure chance as we extracted the same slote number. I was aware he was stronger than me because he trained since little in his clan, but I still wanted to try my best. That's why, eventually, when I was trying to control my Sword Qi for my sword to become enchanted, it suddenly escaped and turned against me. I didn't really understand how to calm it down, since it behaved differently from how the Elder taught me, so it injured my meridians in the meantime. Lord Qingwu risked his place and helped me stabilise, even though it is prohibited to intervene during a match to help your adversary."

  His finger played rhythmically on the cane, making Su Jing's eyes drop towards them.

  Su Jing had a vague idea of how things must have played out for Yawen afterwards. With such a severe injury, his standing among the other disciples likely took a hit. It wasn't hard to imagine how they must have felt-jealous and resentful that an outdoor disciple like Yawen had managed to catch the attention of an Elder, a privilege they might have thought undeserved.

  And then there was the Elder himself. He had gone out on a limb to bring Yawen into the spotlight, only for the gamble to fail. The Elder couldn't have been pleased with the result, and Yawen must have borne the brunt of that disappointment.

  She could not help but trace Yawen's expression behind the veil, as his eyes were dropped down. Surely, that was quite hard for him to confess to Su Jing, a total stranger, but even so, Su Jing couldn't wrap her head around why Qingwu didn't kill Yawen when that was the perfect moment to mask it as an accident. Since that didn't happen, Su Jing could only conclude that there was maybe much more to the story, which Yawen might have omitted or didn't know.

  Su Jing could only sigh. She looked for a few seconds at the lost-in-thought Yawen.

  Seeing him like that, she approached him and then beat Yawen two times on his shoulder through the veil. That made him shudder and look startled at her.

  "Senior, you really do not need to have such an expression. Since you reached so far in the Tournament, I imagine you were a great swordsman, as you are now a talisman disciple, thanks to your resilience and determination. That is something to be admired, in my opinion, and your master probably feels like that too, even if he doesn't show that. He may be worried that you push yourself too hard."

  Su Jing patted him again a few more times, wanting to make sure he understood her message. This character's fate was already so bleak so praising him a little bit was the the least she could do to encourage him.

  In response, Ya Wen had his body tense, staring at her for a few seconds. He then dropped his head, standing still as he accepted her pats.

  "Thank you, Cultivator Su."

  Su Jing could only imagine it must have been tiring to stay like that in the sect. She retracted her hand when she saw Yawen feel better.

  But he again shook his head.

  "I really appreciate your words. But the fact that I challenged my master still remains unchanged. I can only be grateful Lord Qingwu saved me from further injuries."

  Su Jing stared at his half smile, noticing also how he clenched his hand around the cane. Of course, Su Jing might have scraped only the surface of the problem so she couldn't do now too much either. Wouldn't she then say something insensitive by mistake since she is not well versed with the things in this world?

  She was about to respond, but she noticed Yawen suddenly shift into a defensive position, as he quickly looked around.

  "Something is approaching us."

  The sound of footsteps was heard, alerting both of them.

  Su Jing scanned the surroundings, but she was lost as she couldn't really pinpoint where the sound came from. However, soon Yawen's figure relaxed, and she turned her gaze forward just as a figure emerged from the bushes.

  "Cultivator Mei."

  Yawen greeted her, and Su Jing just now remembered they were supposed to wait for her. Her nervous feelings didn't disappear. Mingmei had her clothes all changed, her dress being blue with silver strings.

  Mingmei's expression immediately soured once she saw Su Jing.

  Su Jing, seeing that, could only step closer to Yawen, hiding behind his veil. She tried to bow towards her, wanting to apologise, but Mingmei quickly cut her.

  "Where are Brother Wu and Sect Sister Wo?"

  Unsurprisingly, Mingmei totally ignored Su Jing, asking towards Yawen.

  Yawen showed the direction they left, the earlier look on his face fading to his normal self, "Both of them went to search for Cultivator Wo's sword. It had been a while so it would be better to search for them now since you are ready."

  Mingmei nodded her head and then turned around immediately once she received the answer from Yawen. Yawen and Su Jing could only tag along behind her, their previous discussions getting swallowed up by the silence of the forest.

  The path was on an abrupt slope, gradually descending towards a valley. Su Jing stood between the two of them since she was the only one without skills. Looking in front at Mingmei's beautiful back, Su Jing couldn't help but be extra careful to not fall down. If she really did, Su Jing was sure Mingmei would only push her harder down as revenge. Her dantian would then be not the only one fissured, but her neck and back too!

  Just like that, the long grass and hard rocks coveted by fallen leaves made way for small little flowers on the ground. Su Jing looked into the distance and was amazed at how those small plants made the ground look as if covered by fresh snow.

  She and the others stepped on them but they looked to be harmless since nothing happened around them.

  Even more, because they were crushed, some of the petals began flying around, making a beautiful picture. Su Jing couldn't help but stagger as she looked around, nearly falling down if Yawen hadn't caught her by the forearm.

  "Careful, the Dew Flowers make the path slippery."

  Su Jing thanked Yawen, however, Mingmei didn't stop walking as she continued her path. Yawen and Su Jing quickly tried to catch up to her, but as they again approached her, they saw her prompted on the ground as she looked down.

  "There's someone fallen down."

  Su Jing couldn't help but look with curiosity towards the place pointed by Mingmei. They quickly walked towards the body and Su Jing was surprised when she saw the face of the person.

  ”Cultivator Wo.”

  Yawen tried to shake her shoulders but to no avail.

  Chunwo was lying down with her eyes closed on the flowers, clearly asleep.

  Su Jing noticed that she had no wounds, however, her body was strangely still, barely even breathing.

  Chunwan (春晚) to --- Chunwo (春暮) !! I did some research and I think this name suits her better.

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