Chapter 53: Nonsense
Meng Xueli held a handful of pine nuts and lowered his head to sniff the familiar aroma of oil. Snacks like these weren’t easy to come by, and he couldn’t bear to finish them all at once, so he carefully packed the remainder back into his empty storage pouch, picking out only a few to chew slowly.
The child was too filial, too thoughtful—he felt satisfied just thinking about it.
Ever since Meng Xueli arrived in the Hanhai Secret Realm, every time he taught the three junior disciples of Han Shan how to fight, he would think of his own disciple. And now, looking at his eldest disciple, he felt an even deeper fondness and familiarity. This subtle sense of longing was hard to describe, but it quietly flowed through his heart.
Ji Xiao felt the same. After a brief separation, their reunion made the person before him seem even more endearing.
Inside the quiet and deep cave, only the faint glow of Hundred Generations of Time lit their faces. The atmosphere here was tender and intimate, as if it were a world unto itself, cut off from the dangers outside.
“Tingyun, take a good look at your master. Do you see any changes?”
Meng Xueli turned in a circle, worried his disciple wouldn’t notice, so he tiptoed and raised his hand to measure the difference in their heights.
Ji Xiao thought for a moment, then said seriously, “You’ve gotten shorter.”
“I’ve grown taller! The environment here in the secret realm is good for growth, and I’ve grown taller since I came here!” Meng Xueli said indignantly. “It’s you who grew too fast!”
Ji Xiao smiled, wanting to pat the top of his head, but forcibly held himself back.
Suddenly, Meng Xueli realized something. “Does the sect leader know you’re here? Does Xiao Yu know?”
Ji Xiao took another sugar-roasted chestnut from his storage pouch and peeled the shell. “Only you know. They all think I’m in seclusion.”
He handed over the chestnut. Meng Xueli took a bite and said, “Mmph—how could you lie?!”
Meng Xueli himself could lie without blinking, yet he felt that Xiao Tingyun shouldn’t behave this way.
Xiao Tingyun should be like Ji Xiao—an upright and honorable man whose word was law.
But with his mouth full of snacks brought by the other, he couldn’t bring himself to take the masterly tone. Reluctantly, he said, “This place is dangerous. You should hurry and leave through the teleportation array. I’ll send you—”
Before he could finish, a shout came from the direction of the cave entrance:
“Xueli—”
As he neared the entrance, Jing Di said goodbye to his teammates, “I’ll go in alone first.”
All four of them rolled their eyes and found a place to rest not far from the cave. When they heard Jing Di call out “Xueli,” they were utterly baffled.
“He dares to call him that? Does he have a death wish?”
They assumed the matter was simple—probably the team leader was infatuated and chasing after Meng Xueli because of his looks.
But Jing Di was the eldest disciple of Mingyue Lake, the direct disciple of the sect leader Yun Xuzi—not some immature youth awakening to romance.
He suspected the Han Shan Sword Sect still didn’t know how formidable Meng Xueli was. Otherwise, when Meng Xueli had dual-cultivated with the Sword Sovereign, there wouldn’t have been so much controversy, nor would he have earned the negative reputation of being “worldly.”
If he could bring Meng Xueli back to Mingyue Lake, it would benefit both himself and the sect.
Even if that proved impossible and they were destined to become enemies, it would still be advantageous to learn more about the other side before full conflict broke out—know thyself and know thy enemy, after all.
The cave was pitch dark. The faint light from Hundred Generations of Time softly illuminated Meng Xueli and a figure beside him.
Jing Di saw that person lowering his head, seemingly feeding Meng Xueli something. Their posture appeared intimate. Without a second thought, he charged forward. “Who goes there?!”
“Stop!” Meng Xueli rushed to block Ji Xiao.
Jing Di got a clearer look at the person behind him and paused, withdrawing his sword in a daze.
He had seen Ji Xiao before. Back when he was traveling outside the sect, he had heard that Han Shan had found a youth with the innate sword spirit, and he had rushed over with others, hoping to poach him for Mingyue Lake. They had caught up with Zhang Suyuan and the others at a small town on the border between North and South. After a verbal spar, he realized the boy’s heart was fully set on Han Shan and had no choice but to give up. Later, he had reported the matter to his master upon returning to the sect.
Back then, Xiao Tingyun had looked like a sickly youth, coughing constantly. Now, it seemed his health had improved and his cultivation had progressed rapidly. A sword prodigy indeed.
But what was Han Shan’s sect leader thinking? The boy wasn’t even fully grown, yet they dared to send him out of the sect, into the perilous secret realm for a major competition. This kind of trial seemed far too harsh.
Meng Xueli looked between the two and said, “This is Jing Di, a fellow cultivator from Mingyue Lake whom I met in the secret realm. And this is…” He hadn’t yet figured out how to introduce Xiao Tingyun. Should he tell the truth? If he lied, how should he phrase it?
Unexpectedly, Jing Di cut in, “This is Junior Brother Xiao. We’ve met. It’s been a while—do you still remember me?”
Ji Xiao finally recalled the man and nodded.
“Why didn’t I see Junior Brother Xiao a few days ago? Did you get separated from Xueli? The secret realm’s situation is indeed complex this time, and some have even broken the rules…”
Meng Xueli hadn’t expected Jing Di to come up with an explanation himself and nodded randomly. “Yes, yes. It’s complicated.”
Jing Di continued, “Those of us who are proper participants should unite and resist such behavior. We can’t let ill-intentioned people exploit the situation…”
Meng Xueli: “Right.”
Jing Di: “In these special times, we should set aside sect rivalries and advance together. My teammates and I are sincere and mean no harm.” He smiled. “Besides, I’m pursuing Xueli.”
Meng Xueli nodded. “Right. Pursuing—what?!”
He froze, visibly alarmed, and instinctively looked toward Ji Xiao.
Ji Xiao hadn’t said a word the entire time and was quietly watching them.
Meng Xueli exclaimed, “No, that’s not right!!” He glared at Jing Di. “What nonsense are you spouting?!”
Ji Xiao: “Understood. Then we shall travel together as allies.”
Huge shoutout to @_nyanmaru_ on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
