Jade Shakes the Thousand Mountains - Chapter 8: Cultivation Partner

Chapter 8: Cultivation Partner

“You promised me you’d always stay by my side, so don’t…”

Lu Qi looked up and saw Lu Wenshu standing on the eaves, dressed in white with a sword on his back.

Lu Wenshu had arrived in haste this time, making the wind in the courtyard stronger than usual.

The wind chimes stirred by his presence rang more vigorously than ever.

“Young Sect Leader…”

“Brother Wenshu!”

Lu Wenshu’s gaze swept over Lu Qi first before the coldness in his eyes receded as he descended gracefully.

He landed between Lu Qi and Lu Chanji. Just as Lu Chanji was about to approach him, Lu Qi moved faster.

Striding forward, Lu Qi bowed to Lu Wenshu and asked, “Young Sect Leader, has the Sword Trial Tournament concluded? What were the results? Did you claim the championship?”

Lu Wenshu gave an affirmative hum. Lu Qi’s face immediately lit up with exhilaration, his earlier gloom from repeated defeats by Lu Chanji completely vanishing. He appeared even more thrilled than Lu Wenshu himself.

He knew it! He had always said that the heavy responsibility of restoring the Sword Inheriting Sect’s glory should fall upon the Young Sect Leader!

While Lu Qi was still celebrating, Lu Chanji seized the opportunity to approach and grasp Lu Wenshu’s arm.

Seeing Lu Wenshu return had settled her heart, yet since he hadn’t contacted her promptly as they had agreed, unease still lingered within her. She asked, “Were the participants at the Sword Debate Tournament formidable? Were you injured? Why have we heard nothing from you for so long?”

Lu Chanji fired three questions in succession, earning a soft scoff from Lu Qi.

“You’re just a mortal you wouldn’t understand. Those people aren’t even worthy of tying the Young Sect Leader’s shoes.”

As Lu Qi was about to say more, Lu Wenshu’s icy voice cut through: “Lu Qi, why are you here?”

The question poured over Lu Qi like cold water, dousing all his remaining words and leaving him speechless.

“I… I…” Lu Qi had left the Sword Debate Tournament early without informing Lu Wenshu.

Now caught by Lu Wenshu having returned to the Sword Inheriting Sect long ago and appearing at the Listening Spring Pavilion where Lu Wenshu sheltered his mortal, Lu Qi felt both guilty and a secret regret. He regretted leaving too early, missing the chance to witness Lu Wenshu’s victory with his own eyes.

With mixed emotions, Lu Qi explained, “I was defeated on the eighteenth day of the Sword Trial Tournament, so I returned ahead of time.”

“I’m asking you…” Lu Wenshu emphasized each word, “why are you here?”

Why he was here here, at the Listening Spring Pavilion on Azure Peak. Lu Wenshu was questioning why he was with Lu Chanji.

Suddenly, belatedly realizing what Lu Wenshu meant, Lu Qi initially thought to reply that he was practicing swordplay. But then, like a thunderclap in his mind, the words of another disciple at the Sword Casting Valley flashed back unexpectedly: “Perhaps the Young Sect Leader fancies her and wishes to make her his Cultivation Partner?”

Lu Qi’s face turned pale then flushed. It dawned on him abruptly how out of place he was, standing between Lu Wenshu and Lu Chanji.

The last time he saw Lu Wenshu was at the inner disciples’ dormitory, where he had asked why Lu Wenshu would protect a mere mortal like Lu Chanji so fiercely. After these days spent with Lu Chanji and now witnessing the atmosphere between the two that left no room for a third person, Lu Qi thought he finally understood why.

Lu Wenshu provided Lu Chanji with the finest food and drink, nourishing all the flowers, plants, and trees in the courtyard with spiritual energy even her swordsmanship, which surpassed his own, was likely taught by Lu Wenshu. The answer was crystal clear: Lu Wenshu was deeply in love with Lu Chanji.

Even though she lacked Immortal Affinity, had no Spirit Root, and held no hope of cultivation even though she was merely an ordinary mortal.

An inexplicable bitterness welled up in Lu Qi’s heart. He couldn’t even discern the source of this bitterness, attributing it merely to disappointment in his young sect master. What did it matter if one was the Number One of Sword Way if they were ruled by emotion? How could such a person bear the responsibility of leading an entire sect?

In a despondent tone, Lu Qi asked Lu Wenshu, “I shouldn’t have come here… should I?”

He already knew the answer.

Lu Wenshu replied, “Since you recognize your mistake, go and receive your punishment.”

“Twenty lashes again, is it?”

“No. Three months of forging iron in Sword Casting Valley,” Lu Wenshu declared. “Abandoning the entire sect to leave the Sword Debate Tournament early and acting without authorization do you have any objections to this punishment?”

…Yes!

He felt that Lu Wenshu was simply using his authority for personal revenge, punishing him for seeking out Lu Chanji under a pretext of righteousness.

But Lu Qi had no strength to refute it after all, he had indeed left Penglai ahead of schedule.

Forging iron in Sword Casting Valley was an extremely arduous task.

The volcanic earth-fire of Sword Inheriting Sect was a remnant ember left in the world after Gong Gong shattered Mount Buzhou. Swords forged in this fire could slice through iron like mud and sever hair with a breeze.

The only material capable of withstanding Sword Inheriting Sect’s earth-fire was Kunwu Stone from Liu Zhou. Kunwu Stone was exceptionally hard, requiring controlled fire fueled by spiritual power, followed by thousands of hammer strikes and repeated refinement only after such labor could a usable piece of iron be produced.

Many disciples in the sect joked that when their cultivation stalled and progress halted, they should go to Sword Casting Valley to forge iron. Doing so would broaden their Spirit Veins, strengthen their Immortal Bones, and advance their cultivation.

Though said in jest, it illustrated well that forging iron in Sword Casting Valley was a task no Sword Inheriting Sect disciple wanted to undertake.

When inner sect disciples attended forging lessons, Lu Qi had tried it himself. After a single day, even with spiritual power protecting his body, the base of his thumb ached from the vibrations, and his entire reserve of spiritual power felt completely drained.

Compared to that, the whip punishment, though painful, was over in the blink of an eye if one gritted their teeth.

Three months of forging though it spared him physical wounds seemed to Lu Qi even harder to endure.

But since Lu Wenshu was determined to punish him, what could he possibly say in rebuttal?

“I have no objections,” Lu Qi lowered his head.

Before leaving, Lu Qi cast a deep glance at Lu Chanji.

Today, she had agreed to spar with him a promise he would return to claim someday.

He might never defeat Lu Wenshu in this lifetime, but he was determined to defeat Lu Chanji at least once.

A disciple of Sword Inheriting Sect could not lose to a mortal not even a mortal who had received the true teachings of their young sect master.

Lu Wenshu shifted slightly, blocking Lu Qi’s backward glance entirely.

Once Lu Qi had left, he turned to look at Lu Chanji standing beside him. Just as he was about to speak, she fired off three questions in rapid succession: “What exactly happened during the final days of the Sword Debate Tournament? Were you injured? Did anyone cause trouble for you?”

Her tone was anxious, her brows knitted with concern.

Lu Wenshu’s gaze softened gradually. “A-Chan, did you hear? I won the Sword Debate Tournament.”

“That’s not important.” Winning or losing a match was never a major concern for Lu Chanji. Winning was certainly good, but if she didn’t win, she could always come back and practice more. What truly mattered was…

“Why didn’t you contact me sooner?” Lu Chanji asked.

Without spiritual power, she couldn’t use the Sound Transmission Stone herself. She could only hold it, passively waiting for it to light up and ring.

Just like the bell under the eaves Lu Chanji could only wait for it to chime.

If Lu Wenshu didn’t come, if he didn’t use the Sound Transmission Stone to speak to her, she had no way to reach him.

Her anxiety was like that of a starving kitten. The moment Lu Wenshu fell silent, she would brim with questions and things to say. Lu Wenshu had no choice but to answer each one: “Nothing bad happened, I’m not injured, and no one gave me trouble. The reason I didn’t contact you sooner is that I wanted to tell you in person, face to face, the good news that I’ve won the championship at the Sword Debate Tournament.”

“Three days.” Lu Wenshu patted Lu Chanji’s head. “It only took me three days to return from Penglai. Isn’t that soon enough?”

“But you made me worry for three whole days.” Only then did Lu Chanji fully relax, unable to resist muttering under her breath.

But since Lu Wenshu was fine, his victory in the Sword Debate Tournament was truly joyous news. Lu Chanji asked, “Did you record any of the more exciting matches with the Shadow Projection Stone? Were there any Sword Cultivators stronger than Wei Shengming? Any killing moves more powerful than ‘Annihilation’?”

Lu Wenshu shook his head. “The Shadow Projection Stone will arrive in ten days, but since you’ve already broken Wei Shengming’s killing move, I’m afraid those lesser techniques would bore you.”

Lu Chanji pursed her lips. She had expected as much.

Perhaps, rather than studying how to break others’ moves, it was time to create something of her own.

As she pondered this, the hand stroking her hair gradually slowed.

Lu Wenshu said, “A-Chan, tell me, why did you practice swordplay with Lu Qi? I always thought A-Chan would only spar with me.”

Lu Chanji paused. She hadn’t thought there was anything wrong with agreeing to spar with Lu Qi, but Lu Wenshu’s question suddenly made her feel guilty.

Even though Lu Wenshu spoke gently, without any accusation in his tone.

Lu Chanji lowered her eyes and stammered, “He came to spar with me… I saw he was sincere… so…”

She felt she had done something wrong, as if she were being interrogated.

But Lu Wenshu’s next words relieved her: “I’m not blaming you, A-Chan.”

Then his tone shifted, growing noticeably colder: “It’s just that you’ve lived on Azure Peak since childhood, rarely interacting with outsiders, unaware of how treacherous people can be. While I was competing at Penglai, I noticed his absence and feared he might come to trouble you. Have you forgotten how he treated you at Sword Casting Valley?”

“He can’t trouble me.” Lu Chanji snorted. “Even if I were three years younger, he still couldn’t trouble me.”

“Couldn’t trouble you?” Lu Wenshu guided patiently. “With mere sword moves, of course he couldn’t trouble you. But what if he used spiritual power?”

Lu Chanji’s face paled.

If Lu Qi used spiritual power even the slightest bit she would have no way to resist.

The strength of a mortal compared to a cultivator’s spiritual power was like clouds and mud.

“While I’m away, you must learn to protect yourself.” Seeing that Lu Chanji had taken his words to heart, Lu Wenshu’s tone gradually softened. “If you fail to protect yourself while I’m away, and I can’t rush back in time, what would you have me do?”

Lu Wenshu murmured: “A-Chan, promise me – don’t meet with Lu Qi again, and don’t easily trust others. You promised you would always stay with me, so don’t go seeing other people.”

Though his tone was merely requesting rather than threatening, Lu Chanji felt an inexplicable ache in her heart. She nodded: “I’ll listen to you.”

–

Since Lu Qi had been punished and sent to Sword Casting Valley, he had not come looking for Lu Chanji again. On Lu Chanji’s Star Ruin Fate Chart, the star representing Lu Qi had been growing increasingly dim compared to before.

Seeing this, Lu Wenshu felt relieved.

As long as he could prevent the two from interacting, given enough time, all their past encounters and experiences would turn to dust.

Their entanglement would naturally cease to exist.

Even so, Lu Wenshu remained uneasy.

He began visiting Listening Spring Pavilion more frequently and staying longer. After the Sword Debate Tournament, countless cultivators either wanted to spar with him or catch a glimpse of his true appearance, but he refused them all.

The esteemed young master of the sect was practically making Listening Spring Pavilion his home.

In the past, Lu Chanji would have been delighted to have his company, as it would ease her loneliness of being the only living soul atop Azure Peak. However, she had become occupied with other matters.

Once the idea of creating her own new sword move took root, Lu Chanji found herself with plenty to do.

She wanted to create a sword move that belonged solely to her – something unique. Her hundred years of life passed like a fleeting white colt crossing a gap – when she died, nothing would remain. But if she could leave behind an exquisite sword move, even if she couldn’t wield it herself, as long as some cultivator could use it to kill even one demon, then her journey to the Great Ocean Ten Continents would not have been in vain.

This way, even after her death, when Lu Wenshu used the sword move she created, wouldn’t he remember her?

If the technique was impressive enough, perhaps the cultivators of the Giant Sea Ten Provinces might study her sword move just as they studied Wei Shengming’s killing moves.

Lu Chanji threw herself completely into this pursuit.

Her mind was pure, her daily life consisting only of contact with Lu Wenshu, swords, and puppets. When she focused on her research, she would often work through the night, forgetting to eat and sleep.

Consequently, she had little time for Lu Wenshu.

She even began to find him bothersome.

Lu Chanji started shooing him away, saying: “Don’t come looking for me anymore. Consider me in seclusion.”

Among cultivators, when facing bottlenecks, they would often enter seclusion – short ones lasting half a year, long ones spanning decades or centuries.

Hearing this, Lu Wenshu couldn’t help but find it amusing – what seclusion could a mortal possibly need?

But upon second thought, wouldn’t this mean she would live in isolation and stop seeing people?

This would actually save much trouble.

So he said nothing in response, merely nodding to acknowledge her claim of entering seclusion.

Lu Wenshu said: “I’ll strengthen the Restrictions around your courtyard to keep others out, alright? I’ll prepare Zhu Yu Herbs for you – eating them will ward off hunger. Then you won’t need to see anyone else and can avoid distractions.”

Lu Chanji naturally agreed.

Lu Wenshu smiled.

After making all the arrangements, he spent three final days with Lu Chanji.

During these three days, he granted her every request, indulging her even more than usual.

Afterward, Lu Chanji settled peacefully in Listening Spring Pavilion, contemplating her sword move.

–

Time passed in a flash, several months gone by.

Flame Continent was snowing again.

Lu Chanji hugged the sword manual she had drawn, hopping with joy a few times before patting the puppets covered in scars from practicing sword formations and feeding her moves. “You’ve worked hard,” she said.

The puppets naturally didn’t respond, standing silently with their swords drooping to the ground.

Lu Chanji smiled with utter satisfaction.

She now possessed a set of sword moves that belonged to her created by her, named by her.

Something had been born because of her, and the joy this brought was incomparable to any other feeling.

Lu Chanji wanted to share this good news with Lu Wenshu immediately. She grabbed her cloak, wrapped it around herself, and plunged into the wind and snow, heading out from Azure Peak.

The wind and snow lashed against her face, stinging like blades.

Yet Lu Chanji’s heart was filled with immense joy.

She hurried to Lu Wenshu’s residence, where immortal attendants stood guard at the entrance. Lu Chanji had never been here before, and these attendants looked unfamiliar. She wasn’t sure if they would let her in.

But Lu Chanji had her own methods.

She took out the Invisibility Talisman Lu Wenshu had given her earlier it could last for about half an hour and applied one to herself. Hugging the sword manual, she swaggered inside without a care.

When she finally found Lu Wenshu’s room, Lu Chanji’s steps faltered.

“Your Flame Province’s winter is truly unbearable,” a soft female voice sounded from inside the room.

It was a voice Lu Chanji had never heard before, spoken with familiar ease.

The female voice continued, “When will you accompany me back to Wind Breath Valley? How about we spend the winter there?”

Lu Wenshu’s cold voice replied, “The Sword Inheriting Sect has numerous affairs to attend to. I have no time to accompany you. If you truly wish to return, I can send someone to escort you back.”

“I don’t want that! I want you to come with me! If you’re so busy, how come you find time to visit outside Azure Peak every day? With that effort, you could surely accompany me back. I think you’re not busy at all you just can’t bear to leave that mortal on Azure Peak!”

Lu Wenshu remained silent.

The female voice added, “Thirteen years ago, because she was injured by the Snow Demon’s demonic energy, you took her to Wind Breath Valley and asked my father for the Wind Soaring Pill to drive out her cold. You’ve kept her in the Sword Inheriting Sect all these years. I think no one in the entire Great Ocean Ten Continents has a more chivalrous heart than you.”

“Ever since she came to the Sword Inheriting Sect, you haven’t let me come to practice sword with you anymore.” She flared up, “Or… do you actually like that mortal?”

The room fell silent for a long time.

Lu Chanji unconsciously held her breath, her heart pounding rapidly.

Inside the room.

“Ling’er,” Lu Wenshu sighed, “She’s just a mortal.”

Lu Wenshu’s tone was filled with helplessness, “Compared to you, her lifespan is as brief as a shooting star. She will soon vanish from this world, never to be seen again. Why bother competing with her? Let her be.”

A buzzing filled her ears, and after that, Lu Chanji could no longer make out the conversation between the two inside.

Sensing something.

Lu Wenshu slightly raised his gaze and glanced toward the window.

By the time Lu Wenshu stepped outside, the courtyard was empty, with only a trail of chaotic footprints left in the snow.