Zhu Xian: They've all been reborn

Du Bishu was so frightened that his legs went weak and he almost knelt down. His face was as white as paper, and he stammered in defense:

"Master... I... I didn't... I didn't... I just... I just... before the New Year, in the south, by the Chishui River, I stumbled upon a thousand-year-old Three Pearl Tree. That tree had a spirit, so I took a little... a little essence... On a whim, I... I carved this... I swear! I absolutely didn't intend to use it to do... to do any filthy things! I just felt... felt it was convenient..."

"Just doing it?!" Tian Buyi roared, his spittle almost landing on Du Bishu's face.

"You casually crafted this thing?! A gambling device! This is a gambling device! Du Bishu! In a month, the Seven Peaks Martial Arts Tournament will be held, with thousands of eyes from the entire Qingyun Sect watching! And you, you're going to go on stage with these three dice?! What about my reputation, Tian Buyi's reputation, and the reputation of Dazhu Peak?! I might as well find a block of tofu and smash my head against it!"

Du Bishu was so terrified by his shout that he shrank back and didn't dare to say another word. He could only steal glances at his teacher's wife, Su Ru, with pleading in his eyes.

Su Ru looked at the three exquisitely carved dice on the table, which seemed to exude a subtle spiritual aura. Then she glanced at her sixth disciple, who was trembling with fear, and at her husband, who was furious. She sighed softly.

She reached out and placed her hand on Tian Buyi's hand, where the veins were bulging. Her voice was gentle, like a breeze that dissipated some of the pent-up anger.

"It's not easy," she said softly. "Never mind. What kind of magical artifacts the children forge is ultimately their own destiny. Dice... let them be dice. It's not like they're going to use them to cheat or do evil. If they like them and find them convenient to use, then it's not a bad thing."

Tian Buyi suddenly turned his head and glared at her: "You're still speaking up for him? Is that even reasonable?!"

Su Ru shook her head slightly, her voice lowered, tinged with a wistful reminiscence: "Don't be so angry. You can't force things. Do you remember... what Senior Brother Wan did back then..."

Tian Buyi shuddered, as if pricked by a needle. His furious expression froze on his face, his eyes shifting complexly before finally settling into a heavy, helpless sigh.

He slumped back into his chair, no longer looking at the three dice or Du Bishu. He simply picked up the now-cold tea and took a big gulp, as if swallowing something unpalatable.

Su Ru then turned to Du Bishu, her tone still gentle, yet carrying an undeniable solemnity: "Bishu, listen to me. Your master and I have never forced you to follow the path of other disciples, or for everyone to refine those immortal swords and magical treasures. There are countless paths to cultivation, and magical treasures are matters of life and death. You chose this path yourselves, so you must bear the responsibility, be careful, and don't go astray. Do you understand?"

Du Bishu felt as if he had been granted a pardon, nodding repeatedly, his voice trembling with tears: "I remember, I remember! Master's wife, I remember! I will definitely be careful and never bring shame to Master, Master's wife, and Dazhu Peak!"

He secretly glanced up and looked at Tian Buyi's expression.

Master still had a dark face and turned his head away, sulking, but the murderous rage had finally subsided a bit.

Du Bishu finally felt a huge weight lifted from his heart, his back soaked with cold sweat.

Jiang Xiaochuan watched from the side, his feelings indescribable. He wanted to laugh, but also felt a pang of emotion.

The wheels of history keep rolling forward; what's meant to happen, can't be avoided.

I just wonder what number Lao Liu's "divine wood dice" will roll at the Seven Veins Martial Arts Tournament.

Compared to the farce orchestrated by Du Bishu, Tian Buyi has recently had a genuinely happy event.

Jiang Xiaochuan has broken through to the fifth level of Jade Purity.

Just a few days ago, after a routine breathing exercise.

After his breathing stabilized, he ran to Shoujing Hall to report.

At first, Tian Buyi didn't believe it, thinking that the kid had messed up his breathing again. It wasn't until he personally examined Jiang Xiaochuan's meridians and Qi Sea and felt the solid and firm Jade Purity Level 5 cultivation with its chilling aura and subtle thunderous intent that a rare and huge smile slowly bloomed on his chubby face. His mouth was almost stretched to his ears. He patted Jiang Xiaochuan's shoulder and said "good" three times.

"Good! Good! Good! Seventh brother, I haven't let you down... I haven't let all your hard work over the years go to waste!" Tian Buyi was truly happy.

He knew Jiang Xiaochuan's aptitude. Reaching the fourth level was already a testament to Lu Xueqi's excellent teaching. He never expected that Jiang Xiaochuan would advance another level right before the martial arts competition!

Moreover, this true essence is solid, sharp, and carries an indescribable charm, definitely not just an ordinary fifth level of Jade Purity.

He knew that this was probably all thanks to Lu Xueqi again. That girl really cared about the Seventh Prince, and somehow she managed to carve out the luster of jade from a stubborn rock.

He felt both grateful and somewhat intimidated by Lu Xueqi.

This debt of gratitude is too heavy. Seventh Brother will probably never be able to repay it in his lifetime.

Jiang Xiaochuan himself was extremely grateful to Lu Xueqi and admired her to the extreme.

Without Lu Xueqi, he'd probably still be wandering around on the third floor, and forget about the Snow River Sword.

The cultivation insights and techniques that Lu Xueqi imparted to him were so exquisite that they were beyond comprehension. They were not something a teenage girl could figure out; rather, they seemed to be the work of a master who had been immersed in this field for hundreds of years.

And the occasional sword move she would point out, seemingly simple, actually pointed directly to the essence of swordsmanship and was incredibly powerful.

Sometimes, while he was practicing, he couldn't help but wonder how Lu Xueqi cultivated.

Where is her limit? The eighth level of Jade Purity? The ninth level? Or...? He dared not think about it.

Lu Xueqi seemed like a bottomless, icy pool, its surface calm and serene, but beneath it lay countless terrifying things.

Besides her cultivation level, Lu Xueqi herself was also making it increasingly difficult for him to cope.

Seventeen-year-old Lu Xueqi has fully grown in stature, shedding the last trace of girlish immaturity. Her figure is as upright as a bamboo stalk, with no curves missing. Wrapped in a moon-white Taoist robe, her movements and postures create breathtaking undulations.

That face was so beautiful that it was hard to look directly at it. Its skin was like jade, its eyebrows and eyes were like paintings, especially its eyes. When they were clear and cold, they were like cold stars. When they looked at him intently, they seemed to contain thick ink that could not be dissolved, as if they would suck him in.

She's getting closer and closer when she's "giving him pointers."

Correcting his posture was no longer just a simple touch of wrists; sometimes she would almost wrap her arms around him from behind, her cool hands supporting his waist, her warm breath brushing against the skin behind his ear, carrying her unique cool fragrance.

Jiang Xiaochuan would tense up like a stone every time, his heart would pound like a drum, his blood would rush to his head, and a certain part of him would be uncontrollably aroused.

He was afraid—afraid of making a fool of himself, afraid that she would see through his filthy thoughts, and even more afraid…afraid that he really wouldn't be able to control himself.

He asked her about it. One evening, after practicing swordsmanship, the two of them sat by a pool to rest.

The setting sun dyed the water surface orange-red, and Lu Xueqi's profile looked unreal in the afterglow.

Looking at his reflection in the water, he suddenly asked in a low voice, "Junior Sister Lu, why...why are you so good to me? Why have you helped me so much? How...how can I ever repay such a great kindness?"

Lu Xueqi was looking at the clouds on the horizon that had been scorched by fire when she heard this, and slowly turned her head.

The sunlight danced on her long eyelashes as she looked at Jiang Xiaochuan for a long time, so long that Jiang Xiaochuan thought she wouldn't answer.

Then, she smiled very faintly, a smile that contained something profound that Jiang Xiaochuan couldn't understand.

"In the future," her voice was soft, like a dream, "I'll pay it back slowly. There's a long life ahead of me."

She would pay it back slowly, for all eternity.

Use your whole being, your whole heart, and all the years to come to slowly repay me.

She knew everything about him. His background, his secrets, his naivety, his kindness, and the subtle stirrings in his heart that he himself was unaware of.

She can wait, and she can afford to prolong the wait.

Jiang Xiaochuan felt a tremor in his heart upon hearing this, sensing that behind her words "pay back slowly" lay something he couldn't bear.

He lowered his head, not daring to ask any more questions.

The cultivation levels of the other people on Dazhu Peak were basically finalized during this last month.

Under immense pressure (or perhaps jealousy), Tian Ling'er surprisingly reached the sixth level of the Jade Purity Realm, much to the delight of Tian Buyi and Su Ru. However, amidst their joy, they couldn't help but feel worried.

My daughter's progress is alarmingly fast. I'm worried that her foundation isn't solid, and I'm even more worried that she's under too much pressure.

Tian Ling'er herself was full of fighting spirit, looking at Jiang Xiaochuan and then at the direction of Xiaozhu Peak, her eyes shining brightly.

Lin Jingyu fought steadily and surely, reaching the fifth level of Jade Purity. With the Dragon Slayer Sword, his combat power was not to be underestimated.

Song Daren is still at the fifth level of Jade Purity, but his foundation is the most solid. He Dazhi is at the fourth level of Jade Purity, Wu Dayi, Zheng Dali, and Lü Daxin are all at the third level of Jade Purity, and Du Bishu has just entered the fourth level, and his magic weapon is still a die.

Zhang Xiaofan is barely at the second level of Yuqing, and it's estimated that he won't be any different when the martial arts competition comes around.

The list of nine participants from Dazhu Peak to join the Seven Peaks Martial Arts Tournament was thus finalized: Song Daren, Tian Ling'er, He Dazhi, Jiang Xiaochuan, Wu Dayi, Zheng Dali, Lü Daxin, Du Bishu, and Lin Jingyu. Zhang Xiaofan was not among them.

On the day the list was announced, Zhang Xiaofan was kneading dough in the kitchen, preparing steamed buns for dinner.

Upon hearing the news, he paused in kneading the dough, then said "Oh," before continuing to knead vigorously, as if trying to put all his strength into the dough. His head was bowed low, obscuring his expression.

That evening, Jiang Xiaochuan sneaked into the kitchen.

Zhang Xiaofan was tending the fire in front of the stove, the orange-red flames illuminating his silent profile.

Jiang Xiaochuan walked over, squatted down next to him, and added a piece of firewood to the stove.

"Xiao Fan".

"Yeah, Senior Brother Jiang," Zhang Xiaofan replied listlessly.

"Um... don't take the martial arts thing to heart," Jiang Xiaochuan racked his brains for an answer.

"You're still young, it's okay if your cultivation is a little slower. The most important thing is to build a solid foundation. Look at me, I was very slow back then too. If you don't succeed this time, there's always next time. In sixty years, you'll definitely be able to advance!"

Zhang Xiaofan turned his head and looked at Jiang Xiaochuan, his face illuminated by the flickering firelight.

He twitched his lips, wanting to laugh but failing. In the end, he just nodded, his voice a little hoarse: "I know, Senior Brother Jiang. I didn't think much of it. I just... I just felt useless, that I'd let Dazhu Peak down. Master, Mistress, and all the other senior brothers and sisters are so amazing..."

"Nonsense!" Jiang Xiaochuan patted him on the shoulder.

"Why are you useless now?"

Without you, we'd all have to eat bamboo to survive!

The food you cook is even more delicious than the best restaurant in Heyang City!

Cultivation is spiritual practice, but cooking isn't?

A calm mind, steady hands, and perfect control of the heat—isn't that the way?

Xiao Fan, you have your strengths, don't always compare yourself to others.

Who knows, next time the Seven Peaks Martial Arts Tournament, we might need your food to replenish everyone's energy!

Zhang Xiaofan was taken aback by his words, and a genuine smile finally appeared on his dark face, though it was still a little bitter. "Senior Brother Jiang, you're just good at comforting me."

"I'm serious!" Jiang Xiaochuan said earnestly.

"Everyone has their own destiny. Your path might just be right here in this kitchen. Keep up the good work, the stomachs of Dazhu Peak depend on you!"

Zhang Xiaofan nodded emphatically, his eyes brightening slightly: "Yes! Senior Brother Jiang, I understand. Don't worry, I'll definitely take good care of everyone so you all have the strength to fight in the martial arts competition!"

Seeing Zhang Xiaofan regain his composure and focus intently on the stove fire, Jiang Xiaochuan felt a sense of relief, yet also a pang of unease.

Ugh, where has this damn plot gone?

About ten days before the martial arts competition, one afternoon, Lu Xueqi suddenly sent a telepathic message to Jiang Xiaochuan, inviting him to a certain place.

It wasn't the back mountain, nor was it Little Bamboo Peak; it was a secluded peak deep within the Qingyun Mountains, nameless and sparsely populated. The telepathic message was simple, just a few words: "If something happens, come quickly. Don't disturb anyone else."

Jiang Xiaochuan wondered to himself, what's going on?

Are you afraid of alerting others, or are you afraid that Tian Ling'er will follow?

He glanced at Little White, who was sunbathing on the windowsill. Little White's ears twitched, but its eyes remained closed. He gritted his teeth, summoned the Snow River Sword, and headed towards the approximate location given to him by Lu Xueqi.