Chapter 225

Chapter 225: Why Don’t You Ask Mo Zhu’er for Help? (4000 words, combined chapters)

“Why are you going somewhere dangerous?”

Wu Yanhan’s gaze locked onto Xu Ming with utmost seriousness.

Xu Ming was the type who disliked troubling others unless absolutely necessary.

So logically, Xu Ming wouldn’t randomly bring Sheng Sheng over to ask for help watching her.

The most plausible reason was that Xu Ming had somewhere to go, a place perilous enough that he couldn’t properly care for Sheng Sheng. Thus, he brought her along to entrust her care to Wu Yanhan.

“Dangerous…”

Hearing the stern older sister’s words, Shen Sheng Sheng became frightened and clutched Xu Ming’s clothes even tighter.

“There’s no danger; don’t listen to your Sister Yanhan exaggerating,” Xu Ming said while patting Sheng Sheng’s head.

Over these days, Xu Ming realized he’d almost made it a habit to pat Sheng Sheng’s head, as if he might rub it bald soon.

But Xu Ming didn’t think it was entirely his fault.

Whenever Sheng Sheng wanted a reward, she would come running for him to pet her little head.

She seemed to really enjoy it.

Xu Ming explained, “Sheng Sheng, don’t worry. Brother Xu is just visiting a friend.”

“However, my friend lives far away in an area filled with various toxic gases. These gases won’t affect me, but since Sheng Sheng is still young, it’s not safe for you to come along.”

“And this person prefers solitude and doesn’t want to see anyone else.”

“So, Brother Xu will let you stay with Sister Yanhan for a bit.”

“Hmm…” Sheng Sheng remained somewhat skeptical, feeling like Brother Xu was trying to fool her.

“I swear,” Xu Ming squatted down so his eyes were level with hers, “When has Brother Xu ever lied to you? Do you not trust me, Sheng Sheng?”

“Wo… I trust you!” Sheng Sheng nodded vigorously. “Hehe… early… grey hair?”

“Don’t worry. I promised I’ll be back to pick you up once I’m done.” Xu Ming consoled her. “You must be good and listen to Sister Yanhan, alright?”

“Awooo…” Sheng Sheng nodded again.

“Hmph!” Wu Yanhan stood nearby, pouting slightly and muttering under her breath, “You’re quite skilled at coaxing girls.”

“What did you say, Yanhan?” Xu Ming looked up.

“It’s nothing!” Wu Yanhan turned her head away.

Xu Ming: “…”

Xu Ming felt Wu Yanhan’s mood had been off these past few days.

“Could you watch Sheng Sheng for me? Is that okay?” Xu Ming stood up.

Wu Yanhan narrowed her eyes. “Taking care of Sheng Sheng isn’t a problem, but are you sure everything is fine?”

“Absolutely fine,” Xu Ming replied. “Have I ever lied to you? On the contrary, you concealed your identity for a long time.”

“Hmph!” Wu Yanhan turned her head away again. “You never asked me, why should I have told you?”

Xu Ming: “…”

Xu Ming admitted there was some truth in what Wu Yanhan said. He hadn’t questioned her before because everyone thought it would be pointless anyway.

And even if he had asked, would she have answered honestly? That was uncertain.

“Come back soon, or I’ll assume you’re dead,” Wu Yanhan coldly said.

Back during the Blood Floating Pagoda missions, they undertook many life-or-death tasks, so this separation wasn’t like a permanent farewell.

Xu Ming smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely return soon.”

“Why?” Wu Yanhan suddenly asked, seemingly out of context.

Xu Ming paused. “Why what?”

Wu Yanhan’s gaze hinted at some unease. “Why do you leave Sheng Sheng in my care? Why not seek help from your girlfriend, the Holy Maiden from the Western Region? She seems to have a decent impression of you.”

Xu Ming: “…”

“I already told you, our relationship is purely one of mutual benefit. Calling us friends would be a stretch. There’s no way I’d leave Sheng Sheng in her hands,” Xu Ming responded, wondering if Wu Yanhan was comparing herself to Mo Zhu’er. Could she still be upset about him not helping her fight Mo Zhu’er yesterday?

“Alright, alright, I was just saying. Why do you look so guilty?” Mo Zhu’er waved her hand, relaxing a bit.

“…”

Truthfully, Xu Ming was indeed feeling a bit guilty, but had he been so transparent?

“Give me an exact timeline—how long will you be gone?” Wu Yanhan asked.

Shen Sheng Sheng also waited anxiously for Xu Ming’s reply.

Waiting without a timeframe could feel endless.

Xu Ming glanced at Wu Yanhan and then at Shen Sheng Sheng.

It felt like they were his wife and daughter asking when he’d return from an outing.

“At most five days,” Xu Ming stated.

In reality, Xu Ming wasn’t certain he’d be back within five days.

But to ease their worries, he needed to set a deadline—and he would do his best to return within that timeframe.

“Fine, I’ll wait five days. Hopefully, this isn’t the first time you’ve lied to me,” Wu Yanhan said.

“I’ll try,” Xu Ming muttered internally.

“Anyway, I’m leaving. Sheng Sheng eats a lot, so make sure the Heavenly Profound Gate disciples send more food.”

Wu Yanhan rolled her eyes. “Do you think I’d let her starve?”

Xu Ming chuckled. “True.”

“Brother Xu is leaving now. Sheng Sheng, stay close to Sister Yanhan and don’t wander off,” Xu Ming bid farewell, reiterating his instructions.

Sheng Sheng nodded reluctantly.

Xu Ming stepped back, bowed to Wu Yanhan as both a goodbye and a thank-you, then turned and flew away. Only when his figure disappeared into the horizon, shrinking into a black dot, did Wu Yanhan and Shen Sheng Sheng slowly turn away.

The courtyard now held only Wu Yanhan and Shen Sheng Sheng.

Seeing the cold older sister beside her, Shen Sheng Sheng began to feel nervous.

Wu Yanhan looked at Shen Sheng Sheng, unsure how to proceed.

She rarely interacted with children, let alone someone like Sheng Sheng.

Now, she had to take care of her. How exactly was she supposed to do that? Did Sheng Sheng fear her?

Was she really that intimidating?

“Should I smile?” Wu Yanhan wondered.

Facing Shen Sheng Sheng, Wu Yanhan forced a smile, trying to appear friendly.

But her strained grin caused Shen Sheng Sheng to instinctively step back half a pace.

Wu Yanhan: “…”

“How old are you?” Wu Yanhan squatted down and asked Shen Sheng Sheng.

“Eight years and a half,” Shen Sheng Sheng timidly replied.

“Eight and a half?” Wu Yanhan confirmed.

Shen Sheng Sheng nodded.

“What do you usually do with Xu Ming?” Wu Yanhan tried to understand the girl’s interests.

“Watch ants,” Shen Sheng Sheng said.

“Watch ants, huh?” Wu Yanhan gradually got used to Shen Sheng Sheng’s pronunciation. “What about Xu Ming? Doesn’t he play with you?”

Shen Sheng Sheng: “Sometimes…”

“What do you usually play?”

“Watch stars.”

“Only that?”

“Tell stories.”

“What kind of stories?”

“Just… just…”

Shen Sheng Sheng lowered her head.

She wanted to recount the stories Brother Xu told her, but found herself unable to express them clearly. Wu Yanhan noticed her furrowed brows and changed the subject.

“It’s fine, you can tell Sister later,” Wu Yanhan said gently. “Do you want to practice boxing?”

“Boxing?” Shen Sheng Sheng blinked her big eyes.

“Yes, boxing. If you train well, you can protect yourself and others. In the future, if you become strong, Brother Xu will take you along, and you’ll be able to protect him too.”

Shen Sheng Sheng’s eyes sparkled, nodding fervently. “Yes! Sheng Sheng wants to… wants to box… wants to protect Brother Xu!”

“Good~” Wu Yanhan smiled faintly.

Seeing this smile, Shen Sheng Sheng’s guard dropped significantly.

So this older sister could smile so beautifully, huh?

“Speaking of which, hasn’t Uncle Xu been a bit gloomy lately?”

“Yeah, ever since we came to the Heavenly Profound Gate, Uncle Xu seems a bit unhappy.”

“No no no, not after coming here. To be precise, after hearing that his younger brother arrived, he became even quieter.”

“Could it be that Uncle Xu and his younger brother have a bad relationship?”

“That shouldn’t be the case. Uncle Xu was only a few years old when he came to the Ten Thousand Sword Sect. Even if they had issues as kids, who would remember?”

“Not necessarily. I still remember when I was six, a fat kid next door stole my candy.”

“Uncle Xu isn’t as petty as you.”

“Stop chatting. Their sibling matters aren’t ours to judge.”

“By the way, what is Uncle Xu doing?”

“I don’t know. Probably practicing sword techniques?”

“Uncle Xu said he’d stroll around the Heavenly Profound Gate.”

As the Ten Thousand Sword Sect disciples chattered in the courtyard, Xu Xuenuo stood by a waterfall on one of the peaks of the Heavenly Profound Gate.

Before Xu Xuenuo, the waterfall cascaded down like a river of silver, its splashing sound echoing through the forest.

There was a rock in front of the waterfall.

Eyes closed, Xu Xuenuo stood on the rock, gripping her clear and slender immortal sword.

Its name—Qingming.

The sounds of falling water, flowing streams, and flying birds all entered her ears.

At one moment, Xu Xuenuo opened her eyes, holding the sword horizontally before her chest, casually swinging forward.

This swing appeared slow, yet you couldn’t actually see her draw the sword.

In the next instant, the waterfall before Xu Xuenuo split into two halves.

The waterfall resembled a white cloth neatly cut by Xu Xuenuo, allowing you to clearly see the rock wall behind it.

Strangely, there wasn’t a single scratch on the rock wall.

Though merely a teenage girl, her mastery of sword qi had reached a level most sword cultivators would never achieve in their lifetime.

Xu Xuenuo sheathed her Life-Bonded Flying Sword.

The waterfall instantly returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.

Today’s cultivation was nearly complete. Xu Xuenuo turned around, heading back toward Guest Peak.

Suddenly, her longsword began to resonate faintly, as if responding to something.

Xu Xuenuo gripped the sword tightly, turned around, raised her head, and gazed at the distant sky.

“Where are you going?” Xu Xuenuo asked her sword.

The Qingming Sword resonated even more intensely.

“I understand.”

Xu Xuenuo comprehended the meaning of her Life-Bonded Flying Sword and followed its guidance, flying toward an unknown destination.

Xu Xuenuo didn’t know where the Qingming Sword intended to lead her.

However, since the sword had developed consciousness, this was the first time it reacted so strongly.

Eventually, the Qingming Sword led Xu Xuenuo to the base of a towering mountain peak.

This peak was incredibly high, reaching three hundred zhang, with three massive rocks atop it.

Xu Xuenuo didn’t recognize the place.

But through the Qingming Sword, she sensed an extremely sharp sword qi emanating from the mountain peak. Moreover, it seemed that a magic array surrounded the peak, enveloping the entire mountain.

Xu Xuenuo slowly descended to the foot of the Three Stone Peak and swung a strand of sword qi toward the mountain.

As the sword qi approached a rock of the Three Stone Peak, the magic array activated, instantly destroying the sword qi.

“Woosh woosh woosh”

The Qingming Sword vibrated incessantly, like a girl who spotted a pretty dress and kept pestering.

“Do you really want to go there?” Xu Xuenuo asked.

“Woosh woosh…”

“Alright then.” Xu Xuenuo smirked. “Let’s take a look inside!”

With that, Xu Xuenuo slashed her longsword downward.

A simple slash unleashed her violent sword qi, akin to a daytime tiger, shattering the surrounding spiritual energy. The sword qi surged toward the magic array of the Three Stone Peak, aiming to tear apart everything in front of her!

The magic array cracked slightly under the assault.

If it were just a small crack, Xu Xuenuo wouldn’t have been able to enter.

But her posture suddenly became ethereal, as if existing between two worlds.

Xu Xuenuo took a step forward and walked straight in.

On the other side of the Three Stone Peak, Xu Ming, who had just discovered a large patch of phoenix flowers, lifted his head. “Who’s that? Such powerful sword qi.”

Simultaneously, on the main peak of the Heavenly Profound Gate, the sect leader Xia He, meditating in the courtyard, sensed the disturbance of the Three Stone Peak’s magic array and abruptly opened his eyes.

[The typhoon passed, and it barely rained this afternoon. The evening breeze was quite pleasant.

I impulsively rode my bike to a park, enjoying the cool night wind.

It felt like all the pressure just dissipated.

Indeed, sometimes you need to take the time to walk around and explore…]