Chapter 29: The Spring River Flows Deep and Heavy, Marring a Human Heart

The spring river flows deep and heavy, with twin bamboo forests above.

Bamboo leaves mar the water's color, and the young man likewise mars a heart.

……

Maidong rested her head on the table, staring out the door, yet her gaze was unfocused; her thoughts had drifted to who knows where, and from time to time, she would giggle twice.

Lingxiang shot her a look of disdain and casually pruned a long, forked branch from a potted plant.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk... oh my~" she sighed deeply, "In the cold days of winter without flowers, the plum blossoms bloom better than spring~"

……

Having lost her balance, it was too late to gather her internal energy; Maidong had expected a miserable fall, thinking her lovely face would surely be ruined, and in an instant, her heart churned with a hundred worries and sorrow, her eyes squeezed shut, refusing to face it, yet she never expected to land firmly in an embrace mid-air.

When she felt her feet touch the ground, she opened her eyes to see: the person was like a cypress, standing gracefully in the wind; looking up, his brows were like long swords, his eyes like bright stars, standing amidst the mundane world, elegant and imposing.

"My apologies." Seeing that Maidong had steadied herself, Xinyi released her and bowed with cupped hands.

But Maidong seemed not to hear, staring straight at Xinyi.

"No apology needed, no apology needed," Lingxiang, seeing this, hurried forward and nudged Maidong with her elbow, "You are saving someone; in an emergency, one must act with flexibility. Do not mind those pedantic doctrines."

Maidong came to her senses, instantly blushing to the roots of her hair, and lowered her head to thank him: "Th-thank you, Young Master..."

Seeing Maidong like this, Lingxiang understood immediately; do not be fooled by her seemingly careless appearance, for she was actually as sharp as a needle: the two had grown up together since childhood, and this dead girl had always been unconstrained—when had she ever been so coy? Her heart must have been stirred, ripples of spring flowing within.

This good-for-nothing! It was merely saving you once, and you have already secretly pledged your heart?

Seeing Lingxiang constantly seeking to strike up a conversation with Xinyi, Long Qi felt a sourness rising in his gut.

"Why have you come to the Yuanqing Sect?"

"This is my home to begin with, why can I not come?" Lingxiang said, dragging Maidong to the side.

"Your home?" Long Qi knew she had a deep connection with Yuanqing, but he did not know her true identity, and she could even command the Sect Leader like this; hearing Lingxiang say this, he became even more suspicious.

"Rumors often circulate in the streets that there is a woman at Youran Abode who can make spring return with a touch, yet I never imagined it would be Miss Lingxiang, and that you study under Yuanqing—this truly leaves me stunned," Liu Xia said in surprise.

"Oh, these are small matters not worth mentioning; heroes do not ask where one comes from, let alone a woman like me."

"Since it is your home, why have I never seen you in all the time I have been here?" Long Qi asked, full of doubt.

"The mountains are deep and vast, when have you been everywhere?" Lingxiang smiled, "Besides, I only came up the mountain yesterday, so naturally you wouldn't have seen me."

"No wonder you told me to fetch Spirit Vein Water from this Jiuque Mountain to water the Spirit Plants; I was wondering how one could just fetch Spirit Vein Water at will—so it was because of this connection," Long Qi finally resolved the doubt in his heart.

"Oh, no need to dwell on such details," Lingxiang nudged Maidong again, but received no response at all; turning her head, she saw her looking shy, head bowed and silent. She had intended to let her state her purpose, but now it seemed she could not be counted on.

Forget it! As her master, she would have to speak up herself; who told her to be her own disciple anyway.

"Look, if it weren't for you, I would have almost forgotten the purpose of this trip!" Lingxiang chided.

Long Qi looked bewildered—wasn't she the one who started chatting with others the moment she arrived? Why blame it on him? This woman is truly...

Huh? Clearly, she was the one ignoring him, yet he was the one being blamed? What kind of logic is that?

"Then what is your purpose?" Long Qi asked, looking displeased.

"Isn't it for you?" Lingxiang blurted out.

What? For him? *Cough, cough*...

"What could I possibly have that would make you run a trip even if it meant breaking the sect rules?" Long Qi turned his head and rubbed his nose, hiding the corners of his mouth that were curling upward.

This... considering she was thinking of him...

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, you actually have the nerve to ask," Lingxiang said, full of mockery, "It is because your aptitude is mediocre, and you cannot even use the Talisman Art, that I entrusted you to Senior Brother Shangqing. But watching your sword-wielding methods, it is simply unbearable to look at; even an outsider like me cannot stand it, which is why I had no choice but to show myself."

What? His swordsmanship is bad? That was clearly a problem with the sword!

Wait! What did she just say?

In an instant, the small courtyard was like a pot that had boiled over.

"Master!?" Liu Xia asked in shock: "Long Qi, you actually took Miss Lingxiang as your master!?"

"Senior Brother Shangqing!? The Sect Leader True Person is actually your senior brother!?" Long Qi was beyond astonished.

And Zhao Wuyang's jaw dropped: Miss Lingxiang was so young, yet she was a fellow disciple of the Yuanqing Sect Leader!

Only Xinyi remained calm, as if this were an everyday occurrence, and he patted Zhao Wuyang's shoulder expressionlessly.

"Did I not mention it to you before? The *Guiyuan Sutra* you practice is the Yuanqing heart method?"

Long Qi stared at her, forgetting how to speak, only shaking his head: No wonder this "mother tigress" was so fierce; it turns out there was this connection. But at the Sect Leader's age, how could he be Lingxiang's senior brother? It was truly hard to believe.

"Oh, it is not too late to know now; for now, let us talk about your Sword Technique," Lingxiang lamented, "Although a cultivator does not necessarily have to use a sword, if you were to display such sword forms at the Martial Arts Tournament, wouldn't that lose face for me, your master, and let that old stubborn Shangqing laugh at us for nothing?"

Liu Xia and Zhao Wuyang were still in shock, but Long Qi was not happy to hear this: so she came for this reason, he had thought...

Before he could think more, Lingxiang spoke again: "It is thanks to me running specially to the City Lord Mansion to beg for a gift for you, yet I never thought you wouldn't even be able to learn a sword style."

She went specially to the City Lord Mansion to get a gift for him?

If one were to talk about the most turbulent heart tonight, it would be Long Qi's, yet he seemed not to realize that his own heart was constantly changing with every word and action of Lingxiang.

Just like how he had felt she didn't care about him a moment ago, but upon hearing she had been away for so long and had specifically sought a gift for him, his heart suddenly became incomparably joyful again.

"Who... who said I couldn't learn it!" Long Qi picked up the light sword he had tossed aside, feigning to hide the joy on his face, "It is just that this sword is too light, and the sword style is too ethereal, completely different from what I learned before, so I couldn't adapt for a moment; once I get into the swing of things, I will definitely make you look at me with new eyes!"

Hearing him say this, Lingxiang took the sword from his hand and weighed it; she didn't feel it was that light, but compared to the Seven-Star Longyuan, it was indeed quite different. If it were truly as he said, this Sword Formula was definitely not a good fit for him.

Sword Formulas are mostly based on the sword in the practitioner's hand, written only after much trial and error, and the Sword Manual used by the Yuanqing Sect for Outer Disciples is indeed of the light and agile type; if someone like Long Qi, who was used to heavy fists, were to use it, he would certainly be unable to adapt.

Thinking of this, Lingxiang had a plan in mind, though she did not reveal a hint of it on her face.

"Since that is the case, then I shall wait and see." She said this and prepared to leave, but saw Maidong standing to the side, head bowed and silent, occasionally glancing at the man who had just saved her.

This good-for-nothing!

Forget it, since it has come to this, I might as well help him out while I am at it.