The First Venerable of the Prosperous Age

"Where did my senior sister go? In my memory, she never had the habit of getting up at night."

Chang'an, not knowing where to look for her, paced anxiously in the room.

Just as he decided to go out and try his luck like a headless fly, he found a person standing at the door.

She was a stunningly beautiful girl with disheveled hair and dreamy eyes.

"Senior sister!"

With a clang, the longsword in Hua Chan's hand fell to the ground.

There was blood on the sword.

"Senior sister?! Are you alright?" Chang'an exclaimed in surprise.

Hua Chan walked over in a daze, her eyes unfocused, her whole body covered in filth, yet there wasn't a trace of blood.

"Are you... not injured?"

Hua Chan didn't even glance at Chang'an before walking straight to the bed and lying down.

Looking at her, Chang'an suddenly realized: "Senior Sister, did you go to duel with Sister Gongsun?"

"It must be true. The duel tomorrow morning is just a pretext to prevent the Yun sisters and me from interfering in their duel."

"But... did Senior Sister win or lose? If she lost, how come she doesn't have a single scratch on her body? If she won, why does she look so distraught?"

He knew he wouldn't get any answers by asking, so he took the blanket and went back to the roof.

Seeing that Xiaotao was still fast asleep, he covered her with the blanket and left.

He wanted to know why his senior sister was in pain.

The city streets at midnight were deserted; all that could be seen were patrolling soldiers and night watchmen banging gongs.

Suddenly, he saw a beautiful figure leap out from the mansion in the distance, dressed in red, which looked very eye-catching in the night.

Chang'an didn't think much of it and immediately followed.

The woman in red was incredibly skilled at light footwork; no matter how high or fast Chang'an jumped, she could maintain a fixed distance from him.

After a few rises and falls, he found himself at the daytime stage.

The stage is still standing, and a lone figure in red is sitting cross-legged in the middle of the stage.

Two swords were stuck in front of the man, and his blood-red sword robe fluttered in the evening breeze.

"Could it be her?" Chang'an thought to himself, then immediately jumped down and laughed:

"Sister Gongsun."

At this moment, Gongsun Da Niang's limbs were exposed, her snow-white right arm was wrapped in thick bandages, but the wound was still bleeding, staining the white cloth strips red.

But she remained seated cross-legged, her posture upright, looking like a warrior ready to die.

She had been gazing solemnly into the distance, but her expression softened into a gentle smile once she saw Chang'an.

"So it's Young Master Chang'an who has arrived."

"Yes, I'm here."

"It's a pity you arrived too late; your senior sister has already gone back."

Chang'an said, "But I didn't come to see my senior sister."

Gongsun Da Niang's gentle smile did not disappear. She continued, "Yan Shu and Xian Fu have already rested. Young master, please come again tomorrow."

“I didn’t come here to see them,” Chang’an said.

Gongsun Da Niang smiled wryly and said, "Could it be that you've come to see me, young master?"

"I'm here to find the truth," Chang'an said.

Gongsun Da Niang's smile was already somewhat forced.

"That's right... I... and your senior sister did just have a fight here."

Chang'an said, "So, she won, right?"

Lady Gongsun paused, the proud gleam in her eyes slowly fading, and said softly:

"Yes, your senior sister's swordsmanship is truly unparalleled in this world. If she hadn't shown mercy, I probably wouldn't have been able to save this arm."

Chang'an just watched her quietly, looking at the still bleeding wound.

He took out a bottle of medicine from his pocket, stepped forward, and said, "This is the best medicine in our sect. Even if Sister Gongsun doesn't believe me, she should believe in my senior sister's swordsmanship."

Lady Gongsun still wore that professional fake smile: "My wound is not serious, there is no need for you to trouble yourself, young master."

Chang'an laughed and said, "But your wound is still bleeding. If it is not treated in time, you will easily catch a cold, and that will not feel good."

At this point, Gongsun Da Niang's smile finally disappeared.

She closed her eyes tightly, gritted her teeth in resentment, and after a long, long time, finally let out a long sigh:

"This is my punishment for myself."

Chang'an said, "What if I told you that you didn't need to be punished in the first place?"

As he spoke, his hands were already busy tearing off Granny Gongsun's bandages.

Suddenly, a rainbow of sword light burst forth, its silvery-white edge shrouded in the aura of death, tightly enveloping Chang'an.

Chang'an used his finger as a sword, thrusting it out like lightning from under his armpit, and it landed crookedly at Gongsun Da Niang's elbow.

With this impact, the short sword could no longer be swung down, and the sharp sword energy came to an abrupt halt.

Gongsun Da Niang's face changed color in horror.

Chang'an laughed and said, "Thanks to your injury, if your sword was still as sharp as it was during the day, I'm afraid I would have lost my life."

Gongsun Da Niang's beautiful eyes were now wide open like copper bells, and she said in disbelief:

"Your sword..."

Chang'an said, "That's right. If I were holding a sword, you would be in even worse shape."

Lady Gongsun lowered her head, remained silent for a long time, and then slowly said:

"The moves are unpredictable and vicious, yet each sword strike carries a spirit of facing death to live."

Chang'an laughed and said, "This is the Nether Flower Divine Sword, which is also the one my senior sister used to injure you."

Gongsun Da Niang slowly withdrew her hand and stopped speaking.

Chang'an said, "So you don't need to punish yourself. The fact that you were able to force your senior sister to use her Nether Flower Divine Sword means that her Sixteen White Cloud Swords can no longer defeat you. She is the one who has lost."

Gongsun Da Niang said, "No wonder... she only said 'I lost' and ran away without looking back..."

Chang'an sighed and pondered, "It seems that Senior Sister also knows that she lost, which is why she is in so much pain."

Although that sword strike solved many problems, it also caused Gongsun Da Niang to bleed even more.

Blood seeped through the bandages and dripped onto the table.

Chang'an placed the medicine in front of her and said with a smile, "Men and women should not touch each other. Although Sister Gongsun does not want me to touch her, she cannot ignore the injury. So I will give her this medicine..."

Chang'an suddenly fell silent, for Gongsun Da Niang had already extended her arm towards him, her face flushed and her smile radiant.

"Thank you for your trouble, young master..."

Chang'an demonstrated its strength and value, and Gongsun Da Niang naturally withdrew her false reserve.

He applied the medicine to her wound and then rewrapped the bandage.

Gongsun Da Niang, however, remained somewhat sullen, her face devoid of the joy of victory.

Chang'an asked, "Why do you still look so preoccupied?"

Gongsun Da Niang sighed softly, "Although I can defeat her Sixteen White Cloud Swords, I cannot defeat her as a person."

Chang'an laughed and said, "Don't be discouraged. There are very few people in this world who can do this."

Gongsun Da Niang's gaze was firm: "How will I know I'm not one of the very few if I don't try?"

Chang'an stood up and said with a smile, "Then I can only wish you good luck, Sister Gongsun."

Gongsun Da Niang nodded and said softly, "Thank you, Young Master Chang'an, but..."

But I still want to know, why did you help me? Won't your senior sister be sad if she finds out?

Chang'an laughed and said, "Being chivalrous and righteous, and being charitable are the teachings we have been taught. If my senior sister knew this, she would be overjoyed."

Gongsun Da Niang said, "Young Master Chang'an, do we need to exchange such empty words?"

Chang'an said, "Hahaha, then I won't joke with you anymore."

He paused, then said seriously, "Actually, while I'm helping you, I'm also helping my senior sister."

"Oh?"

Chang'an said, "Only by knowing the truth can I truly help my senior sister."

"And one day, my senior sister will definitely defeat you with the Sixteen Swords of White Cloud."

"But if Sister Gongsun had already died from a cold, or was missing an arm or a leg, then Senior Sister would never be happy."