Zhu Xian: They've all been reborn

The sword light faded, landing solidly.

Beneath their feet was no longer the wind in the void, but a huge, hard, flat plaza surface with a slight luster of jade.

A breeze, carrying the scent of morning dew, the fragrance of distant pines and cypresses, and the warm, vibrant atmosphere brought by the gathering of many people, swept over me, along with various hushed conversations, soft laughter, and the buzzing of magical artifacts, instantly filling my ears.

Jiang Xiaochuan swayed for a moment before regaining his balance.

The Snow River Sword obediently flew back into his body, leaving a cool aftertaste flowing through his meridians. He looked up, and his vision suddenly cleared.

It's a huge square.

It truly resembles the sea, paved with white, warm jade stones, gleaming with a soft, clean light under the rising sun, stretching all the way to the horizon, connecting with the distant palaces and pavilions hidden in the light clouds.

A number of handsome men and beautiful women had already gathered in the square, in twos and threes, some standing, some sitting, some talking in hushed tones, and some looking around curiously.

The clothing is mostly in the colors common to the Qingyun Sect, such as blue, white, gray, and cyan, but there are subtle differences in the characteristics of each lineage, such as the patterns on the cuffs, the style of the belt, and the accessories for the hair bun.

Looking around, a sea of ​​heads, sleeves fluttering, young and old faces, filled with excitement, nervousness, anticipation and curiosity, were vivid and lively in the bright sunlight.

The "human presence" in the air mingled with the faint fluctuations of spiritual energy, creating a unique atmosphere that was both lively and solemn.

This is the Tongtianfeng Cloud Sea Square.

Just as I imagined, no, even more... expansive and more populated than I imagined.

Jiang Xiaochuan took a deep breath; the air was clean and crisp, like that of the mountains, which calmed the slight turmoil in his heart.

The group from Dazhu Peak gathered in a relatively secluded corner.

As soon as Tian Buyi and Su Ru landed, a middle-aged Taoist priest dressed in the robes of a senior disciple, with a composed face, strode over and bowed respectfully.

"Uncle Tian, ​​Uncle Su, the Sect Leader and the other senior disciples are waiting in the Jade Purity Hall. Please come forward to discuss the final details of this martial arts competition."

Tian Buyi nodded and told the disciples, "Don't run around. Listen to your senior brother's instructions." He glanced at the dejected Da Huang, who was following Su Ru around but curiously looking around, and snorted, "Keep an eye on this guy." Then, together with Su Ru, he followed the senior disciple toward the majestic palace at the end of the square.

The remaining nine disciples of Dazhu Peak, along with a dog, stood on the ground, looking at each other in bewilderment.

Song Daren coughed lightly, trying to adopt the air of the eldest disciple: "Um, everyone, please wait here for a while, don't stray too far, and don't..."

Before he could finish speaking, his gaze inadvertently swept over a group of pale figures walking towards him in the distance. His voice stopped abruptly, and his body stiffened almost imperceptibly.

He Dazhi, with his sharp eyes, immediately followed his gaze. His eyes behind his glasses lit up, and the corners of his mouth habitually curled into a mischievous smile.

Just then, a woman's voice, gentle yet tinged with joy, rang out clearly:

"Senior Brother Song, it's been a long time!"

The sound wasn't loud, but it seemed to have a magical power, instantly silencing the chattering on Dazhu Peak.

The crowd looked in the direction of the sound and saw a group of women dressed in matching moon-white Taoist robes, with elegant and refined demeanor, walking gracefully towards them.

The leader was a woman in her early twenties, tall and slender with a graceful figure and beautiful features. Her beauty was not the kind that was dazzlingly gorgeous, but rather as gentle and graceful as the misty rain of Jiangnan.

Her eyes crinkled into crescents, a smile playing on her lips, her gaze fixed on Song Daren, whose body was visibly stiff and whose face had instantly flushed a suspicious red.

He was Wen Min, the eldest disciple of Master Shuiyue, the abbot of Xiaozhu Peak.

Behind her followed four or five young female disciples, all dressed in moon-white Taoist robes. Each of them was beautiful, with a lively or quiet demeanor. They all looked at Dazhu Peak with curious and kind smiles, their gazes shifting back and forth between Song Daren and Wen Min, their eyes sparkling with gossip.

Upon hearing the sound, Song Daren felt as if he had been struck by a tiny electric current. He awkwardly and clumsily turned around to face Wen Min, who had already approached, and the group of smiling junior sisters behind her.

He opened his mouth, but his throat seemed to be blocked by something. His usual honest and steady demeanor vanished, replaced by an embarrassed and helpless expression. A fine layer of sweat even appeared on his forehead, glistening in the sunlight.

"Junior Sister Wen... It's been a long time..." He struggled for a long time before finally managing to squeeze out this dry sentence, his voice trembling slightly.

He Dazhi, who had been impatiently waiting for this moment, darted forward, his face beaming with an almost overflowing smile. He cupped his hands in greeting to Wen Min and spoke in a loud voice:

"Haha, Senior Sister Wenmin! What a coincidence! It's been so many years since we last met, hasn't it? How have you been lately? Look at your complexion, your radiance, you're becoming more and more... uh, beautiful and charming!"

He had intended to say "He's increasingly showing the demeanor of the chief disciple," but upon seeing Song Daren's expression, he changed his words, his tone almost overflowing with teasing.

Wen Min's gaze shifted from Song Daren, who was practically melting from embarrassment, to He Dazhi's face, a face brimming with shrewdness and a penchant for stirring up trouble. After a moment, she smiled broadly, a smile as gentle and generous as a spring breeze across a lake.

"This must be Senior Brother He Dazhi, right? It's been many years, but you're still as charming as ever, and as eloquent as ever."

He Dazhi immediately seemed to have received a tremendous compliment, straightening his back slightly and nodding repeatedly in an exaggerated tone:

"It is indeed me, it is indeed me! Senior Sister Wen has such a good memory! You flatter me, you flatter me!"

We only met once, at the Seven Peaks Martial Arts Tournament sixty years ago. For my senior sister to still remember my meager skills and…and this mouth of mine…I’m truly…hehe, flattered, utterly flattered!”

He deliberately emphasized "a brief encounter" and "I remember," and glanced at Song Daren.

Wen Min smiled slightly, her tone sincere, seemingly oblivious to the teasing in his words:

"Senior Brother He is too modest. In the previous Seven Peaks Martial Arts Tournament, in the first round, Senior Brother He faced Senior Brother Zeng from Feng Hui Peak, who was known for his strength. He fought hard for dozens of rounds and was still honorable in defeat. I certainly remember his tenacity and his ability to adapt to changing circumstances."

He Dazhi's face immediately turned red.

In the previous tournament, he did indeed encounter a formidable opponent in the first round, and despite his best efforts, he still lost, which could be considered a minor "dark history" for him. Now, being brought up by Wen Min in person, although it was a well-intentioned compliment, still made him a little embarrassed, after all, it wasn't exactly a glorious achievement. He touched his nose and chuckled dryly twice.

However, he reacted quickly, his eyes darting around, and he immediately chuckled, cleverly changing the subject and turning his attention back to Song Daren, who was trying to cower like a quail.

"Let's not dwell on those old stories, let's not dwell on them! My meager skills are nothing compared to those of you, Senior Sister Wen, and our [unnamed person]..."

He deliberately dragged out his words, glancing slowly and mischievously at Song Daren beside him, who was practically burying his head in the ground, and raised his voice eight octaves:

"...Compared to our usually taciturn senior brother, whose eyes light up whenever Xiaozhu Peak is mentioned, and who always thinks of you, you're far inferior! Completely inferior!"

Upon hearing this, two faint blushes immediately rose on Wenmin's fair cheeks, as if she had applied the finest rouge.

She didn't answer directly, but instead glanced at Song Daren quickly and secretly with a shy look in her eyes, the meaning of which was self-evident.

The young junior sisters from Xiaozhu Peak behind her were not so reserved. They immediately burst into a series of low, bell-like laughs, each of them winking and glancing at Wen Min, then at Song Daren, whose face was flushed and who was dumbfounded. The teasing and curiosity in their eyes were almost tangible.

Song Daren, a burly man, was now as embarrassed as a seven or eight-year-old child caught stealing candy and surrounded by a crowd. His face was flushed, he waved his hands frantically, and his voice was so stammering it was almost incoherent.

"Fourth brother! What nonsense are you talking about! No, nothing like that! I don't always... I, I just... just occasionally..."

"What?! Senior Brother Song—" Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a bold young female disciple behind Wen Min, who had her hair in double buns and had round, bright eyes.

The woman stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at him with feigned ferocity. Her voice was as clear as a nightingale's, but her question sent Song Daren's soul flying: "You mean, you don't care about our Senior Sister Wenmin at all? You haven't even thought about her once?"

In a moment of panic, Song Daren was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on; the string of "reason" snapped in his mind, and without thinking, he blurted out, his voice so loud it startled even himself:

"No, no! I've been thinking about it! I think about it every day... I..."

As soon as the words left his mouth, he suddenly realized what he had said, and was immediately dumbfounded. His mouth opened wide, and the rest of the words got stuck in his throat. His eyes widened as he looked at Wen Min's face, which turned even redder in an instant, and at the group of junior sisters behind him whose eyes suddenly lit up. He wished he could bite off his tongue right away.

"ha--!"

At this moment, the two groups, led by He Dazhi and Du Bishu on Dazhu Peak and the young junior sisters on Xiaozhu Peak, burst into even louder, uncontrollable laughter!

Du Bishu laughed so hard he slapped his thigh. Wu Dayi, Zheng Dali, and Lü Daxin also couldn't help but laugh. Lin Jingyu turned his face away and shrugged his shoulders. Zhang Xiaofan smiled innocently, not quite understanding but finding it very funny.

The young women from Xiaozhu Peak laughed so hard they were doubled over, their bodies shaking with laughter. Their clear, melodious laughter drew curious glances from disciples from other sects nearby, who pointed and whispered with smiles on their faces.

He Dazhi laughed until tears almost streamed down his face. He raised his hand and wiped his eyes with his sleeve. After the laughter subsided, he took a deep breath, tried to straighten his face, and stepped forward to greet the female disciples of Xiaozhu Peak, especially the round-eyed junior sister with her hands on her hips, with a cupped-fist salute:

"Dear senior sisters and junior sisters, please listen to me. Please calm down, please calm down."

He paused, noticing that everyone's gazes, especially Wen Min's shy and confused look, and Song Daren's desperate yet hopeful gaze (hoping he could save the day), were all focused on him, before slowly, in a tone as if announcing a major discovery, continuing:

"Actually, what our senior brother said just now might have been a bit... well, inappropriate in wording, which caused misunderstanding among the senior and junior sisters."

"Misunderstanding?" The round-eyed junior sister blinked, asking curiously, "What misunderstanding? Senior Brother Song clearly said he 'thinks about you every day'!"

"Yes, that's right, Senior Brother did say 'longing'." He Dazhi nodded, then changed the subject, revealing a profound and enigmatic smile as if he had grasped the truth of the universe, and said loudly.

"But what he meant might not be the 'constant' concern you understand it to be."

Think about it, what does "时时" mean?

Every moment, right?

That's an exaggeration. Our senior brother still has to cultivate, handle affairs within the peak, and teach us good-for-nothing junior brothers. How could he possibly be thinking about us "all the time"?

He glanced at Song Daren, whose face showed a confused expression that said, "You're right, but something still feels off."

He Dazhi didn't give him a chance to think, and immediately and forcefully threw out his conclusion:

"So, what the eldest brother really meant was—he didn't think about it 'all the time'!"

Everyone was taken aback, even Wen Min blinked, somewhat puzzled.

He Dazhi immediately followed, his voice suddenly rising, carrying an undeniable certainty:

"He—every fifteen minutes later, he would remember Senior Sister Wen in his heart; another fifteen minutes later, he would silently recite her name in his heart. This cycle repeated itself day and night, he thought of her while eating, while practicing his skills, while sleeping... well, he probably even thought of her in his dreams. So strictly speaking, it wasn't exactly 'constantly' on his mind..."

He drew out his words, watching the expressions on everyone's faces gradually shift from realization to amusement, before uttering the last few words, each one deliberate and resolute:

"It should be 'constantly' on your mind!!"

"puff--!"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

"Senior Brother He! You...you're really exaggerating!"

"I think of you constantly! My goodness, Senior Brother Song, I never imagined you were so...so affectionate!"

The laughter that had just subsided erupted again, louder and more joyful than before!

Even some disciples from other branches who were originally just curious onlookers couldn't help but point in this direction and laugh so hard they were bent over.

This corner of the square instantly became the focus of joy.

Song Daren trembled with rage, glaring fiercely at He Dazhi with eyes that seemed to want to devour his fourth junior brother alive. Yet, his lips twitched uncontrollably; he wanted to curse, but then hesitated, thinking about what He Dazhi had said…

Although it's exaggerated to the extreme, it seems, perhaps, vaguely... hit the nail on the head?

He stole a glance at Wenmin and saw that her pretty face was flushed, all the way to her ears. The corners of her mouth couldn't help but curve upwards, and her eyes were brimming with water. She glanced at him quickly, seemingly both happy and annoyed, before immediately lowering her head and half-covering her face with her sleeve. But her slightly trembling shoulders showed that she was struggling to hold back her laughter.

The anger in Song Daren's heart instantly dissipated, turning into sweetness that made him dizzy, but he still had to maintain a facade, stammering as he tried to make a final, futile attempt at explanation:

"Junior Sister Wen, they...they just love to talk nonsense, they're just joking, you...you don't need to take it to heart. I...I didn't...didn't..."

Wen Min couldn't help but burst out laughing. She turned around and playfully stopped her junior sisters behind her, who were laughing so hard they were almost doubled over and tears were streaming down their faces.

"Alright, alright, you lot, stop making fun of Senior Brother Song."

Then he turned back, gave Song Daren a deep look, his eyes filled with a hint of cunning and a barely perceptible tender expectation, and asked softly, his voice only audible to a few people nearby.

"So... Senior Brother Song, what are you really thinking?"

"I...I...I..." Song Daren stammered, his face turning red, and large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

After stammering for a while, I felt like my tongue was tied in knots, and my mind went completely blank. The image of the usually kind and honest senior brother who was clear-headed when teaching his junior brothers completely collapsed, leaving only a big, clumsy guy who awkwardly confessed to the girl he liked (although he was forced to).

His anxious yet unable-to-utter a complete sentence drew suppressed, good-natured chuckles from the female disciples of Xiaozhu Peak. Even on Dazhu Peak, apart from Jiang Xiaochuan still feeling awkward about the "liveliness" on his side, everyone else couldn't help but shake their heads and chuckle.

Seeing his expression, Wenmin was both amused and annoyed. The shyness and anticipation in her heart turned into even more tenderness.

She shook her head, glared at him as if she were angry, but there was no anger in her eyes, so she stopped pressuring him.

Her gaze swept around and finally landed on Jiang Xiaochuan, who was standing a little behind the disciples of Dazhu Peak, trying to minimize his presence and wishing he could hide behind his senior brothers.

She walked slowly to Jiang Xiaochuan.

Jiang Xiaochuan was staring down at the tips of his shoes, trying to pretend he didn't exist, when suddenly a pale white hem caught his eye, carrying a faint, elegant fragrance similar to, yet different from, that of Lu Xueqi. His heart skipped a beat, and he stiffly looked up.