The feeling of holding different swords in your hand is different.
You Su wielded the Mo Song Sword, his movements as swift as the wind. This confidence from within was something a wooden sword could not give him. You Su thoroughly enjoyed this feeling of confidence, and he relished having such certainty.
As the sunlight shifted, You Su was absorbed in his sword practice, with only his shadow changing direction from west to east.
Ji Lingruo rubbed her drowsy eyes and stepped out of the door. The sunset was like blood, dyeing her emerald skirt with a unique color, beautiful like a thick watercolor painting.
She noticed that her senior brother was exceptionally diligent today. Even though it was time for dinner, he was still tirelessly practicing his swordplay. She wanted to shout and tell her senior brother to stop and make dinner, but seeing his sweat-soaked clothes, she hesitated to disturb him. Just at that moment, Ji Lingruo's stomach grumbled noisily. She bit her lip gently and suddenly had an idea.
She decided to show off a little and let her senior brother taste her cooking skills. So, she quietly sneaked into the kitchen.
You Su didn't realize how long he had been practicing until the setting sun completely disappeared behind the mountain. He suddenly realized it was already night and remembered he hadn't prepared dinner for his junior sister. Quickly, he put away the Mo Song Sword and rushed to the kitchen.
The sky grew dark, and the kitchen was lit by an orange oil lamp. Ji Lingruo's skin seemed to emit a faint glow. Her dress was stained, whether with water or oil was unknown. She rolled up her sleeves, scooped the fried eggs from the pan, and with a long sigh of relief, reflected on her struggles. Then, she hurried to fetch water, pour it into the pot, and, once done, placed the lid on. With the back of her hand, she wiped away the fine sweat on her forehead.
You Su stood quietly outside the door. Although he could not see, he seemed to be able to see everything in the kitchen with his mind's eye.
When the water boiled, Ji Lingruo lifted the lid and tossed in a handful of washed cabbage and two bunches of noodles, not forgetting to season them during the process. After a while, Ji Lingruo, filled with anticipation, served the noodle soup into two bowls, obviously serving more in You Su's bowl. She then divided four fried eggs into the two bowls, exactly two for each. She hesitated for a moment and then moved one of her eggs into You Su's bowl, her lips curling with a hint of satisfied pride.
Having set the dining table, she was about to call the sword-obsessed senior brother to eat. This was the only dish she excelled in and made herself. In her heart, she had already given You Su the directive to drink the soup to the last drop.
Just as she turned her head, she was startled by You Su standing at the door. Ji Lingruo patted her developing chest and complained:
"Why didn't you make a sound? Come in and eat."
You Su walked in with a faint smile: "Junior sister has grown up and knows how to honor her senior brother now."
"Hmph, I accidentally made too much. It's a pity your broken sect doesn't rear pigs, or I'd rather feed it to a pig," Ji Lingruo said with a charming scowl as she sat down.
You Su also sat down, lifted the bowl of noodles, and took a small sip of the broth, lamenting: "It's a good thing we don't rear pigs, or they'd starve because of you, junior sister."
"What do you mean?" Ji Lingruo glared at You Su and then stuffed a large mouthful of noodles into her mouth, mumbling, "Is it…hard…to…eat?"
But after just one bite, she nearly gagged. It was indeed not easy to make noodle soup taste this bad.
She quickly drank a mouthful of tea and exclaimed in frustration, "I didn't do well today! You are not allowed to eat anymore!"
Nonetheless, You Su ignored her, picked up the noodles, and started eating heartily.
"Hey, I told you to stop eating. Didn't you think it was bad?"
"Did I?"
"Didn't you say you'd starve a pig to death?"
You Su took another sip of the noodle soup and smiled, "When I said you'd starve a pig, I meant how could you cook so little and expect it to be enough for anyone?" Having said that, he looked at Ji Lingruo's untouched noodles and tentatively asked, "If you're not hungry, junior sister, why not give yours to me?"
"No way!" Ji Lingruo looked at You Su's longing expression, feeling sweet inside, and also started eating, finding the noodles not so hard to swallow after all.
Until the two couldn't resist raising their cups of tea simultaneously did they exchange a knowing smile.
...
The round moon hung high, and the porcelain-white moonlight bathed the earth. The hour of the third daybreak in the arrangement with Mr. Ling was approaching.
You Su noted the date, realizing today was the fifteenth of August. In his previous life, today was the Mid-Autumn Festival, a time for family reunion.
Regrettably, there was no such festival on this continent, but You Su still wanted to infuse today with a sense of solemn ritual—he intended to rescue his junior sister and master and then unite with them.
Told his junior sister not to practice swordsmanship today, urging her to quickly finish writing "The Legend of the White Snake" in her room. He lingered for a moment outside his master's room, where it remained deathly silent, deciding not to disturb her and quietly retreated.
You Su took out several items Mr. Ling had given him and placed them on the table: a lamp, seven wicks, and three sticks of Dragon Sandalwood. He closed his eyes, meticulously recalling every detail associated with Mr. Ling, and the more he reflected, the firmer his resolve became.
He only needed to recite the sixteen-word incantation, and he could help Mr. Ling form an array, trapping the malevolent spirits within the Ten Thousand Ghosts Concealment Array, making them like fish in a barrel for Mr. Ling.
It sounded like a simple task: these few steps, and he could rescue the deeply entrapped junior sister and master.
Yet You Su hesitated, not because of indecision but because he was waiting.
Meanwhile, at the foot of the mountain half a mile away, Mr. Ling, clad in white robes and stroking his long beard, watched the changing moonlight and stars, weighing the time silently. He held four yellow talismans in his hand, and in front of him rested an old redwood table with a censer filled with burning sandalwood incense.
This configuration was replicated eleven times within a half-mile radius centered on the Mandarin Duck Sword Sect.
Mr. Ling had expended great effort to silently set everything up. Fortunately, the Mandarin Duck Sword Sect was naturally situated in a remote location, which eased his plans significantly. To ensure nothing went wrong, he even went to great lengths to set up a sound insulation array of the same size.
Yet he had not received any response from You Su lighting the incense, making him somewhat anxious. The effectiveness of the array was also reliant on timing and location; once the hour of the third daybreak passed, its power would be greatly reduced.
Mr. Ling was a bit concerned that something might have gone wrong on You Su's side, but he hadn't sensed any disturbances, indicating that You Su hadn't been exposed.
Could it be he had realized?
The more Mr. Ling pondered, the more alarmed he became. If this young man had already seen through him and continued to feign ignorance for so long, what a terrifying temperament he must possess!
Mr. Ling didn't believe he would fail, only feeling angered at being deceived. Unable to bear it any longer, he stepped within half a mile of the perimeter.
Simultaneously, You Su ceased his mental countdown.
With half a quarter-hour left until the third daybreak passed, he finally lit the seven sticks of incense.
"Heaven is round, the earth is square, the Commandments in Nine Commandments, I command... Ten Thousand Ghosts..."
You Su recited sincerely, then extinguished the incense and picked up the Mo Song, quietly stepping out of the sect.
Under the moonlight, his shadow stretched long behind him; he was going to rescue them.