“After I took Yan Hua in for three years, she suddenly fell into an unending coma one night.”
“I couldn’t find the cause, and no matter how many methods I tried, I couldn’t heal her.”
“I had no choice but to seal her in a jade coffin that nurtures life, hoping that one day she might wake up.”
“So that’s how it was…”
Mu Chenxi couldn’t help but ask, “Did Master ever seek out a healer?”
“I did.”
Bai Yue nodded lightly, her tone tinged with a bit of sorrow.
“Your grandmaster brought in a senior from Medicine King Valley, but in the end, it was useless.”
“The senior from Medicine King Valley couldn’t find the cause of Yan Hua’s coma, nor did she have any way to treat it.”
“Yan Hua seemed to be in an endless sleep, impossible to awaken no matter what anyone tried.”
“But after careful examination, the senior from Medicine King Valley said Yan Hua was completely normal, an ordinary, healthy little girl…”
As she spoke, Bai Yue sighed, the worry in her eyes growing more pronounced.
Mu Chenxi sensed the heaviness in Bai Yue’s heart and softly comforted her.
“Master, don’t worry. I’ll try to find a way in the future, too. Besides, if Senior Sister Yan Hua’s body is unharmed, maybe she’ll wake up on her own.”
Hearing Mu Chenxi’s reassurance, Bai Yue nodded, feeling that perhaps she was worrying too much.
With that thought, she pushed aside her idle worries and changed the subject.
“By the way, Chenxi, tell me about yourself. Come to think of it, I haven’t really gotten to know you yet.”
She genuinely wanted to learn more about her disciple.
After all, she was satisfied with Mu Chenxi from the bottom of her heart and planned to get along well with her in the future.
“Myself? What does Master want to know? Is there anything in particular you want to ask?”
Mu Chenxi replied without a hint of concealment on her face.
“Let’s start with your background.”
Bai Yue said, then added,
“Of course, if there are things you’d rather not mention, you don’t need to force yourself to tell me. Everyone has their own secrets.”
She would never use her status as a master to pry into her disciple’s personal matters.
“My background isn’t anything I can’t speak of.”
Mu Chenxi answered truthfully.
“When I was an infant, my parents died in the chaos of war. It was a Sword Sect Elder who found me and took me back to the sect to raise me.”
“And I was chosen by the sect because of the guidance of the Heavenly Secrets Stone.”
“Come to think of it, I’m a child selected by the Heavenly Secrets Stone.”
At these words, Bai Yue suddenly understood.
Only now did she realize that Mu Chenxi had grown up in the sect from a young age, raised as one of its saviors.
She asked again.
“Which sect were you in?”
“Sword Sect.”
Mu Chenxi replied honestly once more.
Bai Yue nodded, unsurprised.
She had already suspected as much.
After all, Mu Chenxi’s swordsmanship was astonishing, and Sword Sect was the strongest sword path sect in the world.
She continued.
“Have you trained in Sword Sect since childhood?”
“Yes.”
A trace of confusion appeared on Mu Chenxi’s face.
She didn’t understand why Master was asking such a simple question.
Aside from cultivating in Sword Sect, what else could she have done?
Bai Yue, however, was now certain.
No wonder Mu Chenxi became a cultivation maniac.
She probably wasn’t close with the sect elders, had little companionship, and no one taught her common sense.
She continued to ask.
“Besides cultivation, do you do anything else in your daily life?”
“Other than cultivation, what else is there to do?”
Mu Chenxi looked at Bai Yue with growing confusion, unable to grasp the point of the question.
The sect elders had taught her from a young age to focus on cultivation and make saving the world her purpose.
In her world, cultivation had always been the central matter.
Bai Yue finally understood.
There was a reason Mu Chenxi had become obsessed with cultivation.
She’d been raised as a savior since she was a child.
Sword Sect…
To place such a heavy burden on a young girl, truly…
Bai Yue thought again of the Divine Diviner’s calculations and let out a quiet sigh.
With the Heavenly Tribulation approaching, when the sky collapses, it’s the tall ones who must bear it.
Sword Sect had its own difficulties, too.
Bai Yue gazed at the drifting clouds ahead, her expression melancholy.
“Is there anything else Master wishes to ask?”
Mu Chenxi noticed Bai Yue’s silence and took the initiative to speak.
Though she was naturally quiet, since meeting Bai Yue, she found herself wanting to say more.
This subtle change was something she hadn’t even fully realized herself.
“Chenxi, Master has no further questions for now. Just focus on the journey.”
Bai Yue said, deciding not to ask further.
Her poor disciple, raised in Sword Sect with nothing but cultivation, left nothing more to ask.
There was simply nothing else to say…
“Alright.”
Mu Chenxi replied softly and continued flying by sword.
Even so, as she flew, part of her mind was still aware of the gentle warmth from her master’s closeness behind her.
Her heart continued to race, and her sword cultivation steadily improved.
The two of them soared on their Flying Sword, racing through the air as the scenery sped by, gradually leaving behind the remote Safe Zone in the corner of the Ten Thousand Mountains where Bai Yue had been.
Along the way, they began to encounter more Demon Beasts.
Fortunately, they were all low-level types.
Sensing the powerful aura of the two travelers, the beasts only crouched in the distance, not daring to approach, much less obstruct.
The sun set, and night approached.
“Visibility is poor at night. Let’s stop and rest, and take the chance to cultivate and stabilize our strength.”
Bai Yue’s voice was clear in the night wind, carrying her usual caution.
Mu Chenxi immediately nodded.
“Yes, Master.”
“Let’s land on that mountain.”
“Alright.”
The two landed together halfway up an unremarkable, low mountain.
Bai Yue patted her Storage Pouch and summoned the Princess Moon Sword.
With a flash of sword light, she carved a small cave into the mountainside—a temporary Cave Dwelling.
She cleaned the cave, then embedded several warm, yellow Moonlight Pearls into the stone walls.
Soft light instantly filled the space.
Next, she set up a concealing array outside, blending the Cave Dwelling into the surrounding forest, and nodded in satisfaction.
She had always been this cautious by nature.
Bai Yue turned and called to Mu Chenxi.
“Come in.”
Mu Chenxi entered the cave, taking out a delicate bronze Array Disk and a Supreme-Grade Spirit Stone to set upon it.
Ancient, complex runes lit up on the Array Disk, and rich spiritual energy spread throughout the cave.
Feeling the dense aura, Bai Yue took a deep breath, her gaze toward Mu Chenxi softening with a smile.
“I hadn’t realized you had such good things hidden away, Chenxi.”
“This was a gift from a Sword Sect Elder before I left.”
Mu Chenxi explained quietly.
Bai Yue nodded and spread a soft blanket on the ground.
“Since we have such an excellent Gathering Spirit Array, let’s not waste it. Let’s use the time to cultivate.”
With that, she beckoned Mu Chenxi to sit beside her.
The two sat cross-legged together on the blanket and immersed themselves in cultivation.
Night deepened.
Just as the chill in Bai Yue’s body was about to erupt, Mu Chenxi opened her eyes first.
She had long sensed her master’s body temperature quietly changing.
Bai Yue also exited her cultivation state, opening her eyes to meet her disciple’s worried gaze.