Chapter 135: A Beautiful, Beautiful Smile

Half a month later, Jin Xuanzi and his junior sister, Tan Huanhuan, returned to the sect.

Jin Xuanzi had sustained grave injuries. In his state of unconsciousness, he had clung to his final shred of awareness to carry Tan Huanhuan back to the gates of the Nanxuan Sect, only to collapse at the entrance. It was Tan Huanhuan who had sought help from their fellow disciples to carry the Taoist master up the mountain.

They brought back a harrowing piece of news: the barbarians were invading.

The indigenous barbarians of the Northern Province had finally lost their restraint. Driven by a desire for greater territory and expanded power, they saw war as their only path.

Upon hearing the news, Baili Mo rushed to Jin Xuanzi’s residence. His hair was disheveled and his appearance wretched; his hurried state led the passing disciples of the Nanxuan Sect to fear that Master Jin Xuanzi had already passed away.

With a heavy thud, Baili Mo pushed open the door, reeking of alcohol. Yet, the anxiety etched upon his face could not be concealed. For Baili Mo, Master Jin Xuanzi—who had watched him grow from a child, acting as both teacher and father—was a figure of profound respect.

As he entered the room, he saw not only his junior sister, Tan Huanhuan, but also another individual: Yu Qingzi, one of the Twelve Profound Immortals of the Nanxuan Sect. Yu Qingzi was one of the sect’s preeminent alchemists and a close personal friend of Jin Xuanzi.

Dressed entirely in white, Yu Qingzi possessed a kind countenance, delicate skin, and a healthy, ruddy complexion. His eyebrows were as white as snow. Within the Nanxuan Sect, he was renowned for his ability to bring the dying back to life. Despite the reverence held for him by countless disciples, he had never accepted an apprentice, traveling only with a few young attendants.

"Uncle-Master Yu Qingzi," Baili Mo blurted out upon seeing him, then hurriedly asked, "My master—how is he?"

A long silence followed. Yu Qingzi kept his eyes closed, using his spiritual energy to check the pulse of the unconscious, heavily wounded Jin Xuanzi. His expression remained unreadable, offering no hint as to the severity of the injuries.

Baili Mo, being a junior, found it inappropriate to press the matter repeatedly, as his master’s condition was paramount. He could only stand by silently with his junior sister, watching.

After a while, Yu Qingzi let out a long sigh and slowly opened his eyes, concluding the diagnosis.

"Uncle-Master Yu Qingzi, my master, he...?" Baili Mo asked cautiously as soon as the elder finished.

"He is out of danger. They are merely external injuries; the internal damage is not severe. I will prepare some herbs for him to take, and with proper rest for a few days, his Nascent Soul Peak cultivation should allow him to recover fully."

"That is a relief. As long as he is safe," Baili Mo murmured, finally sinking onto a bench and exhaling a long, weary breath.

"Alas, the sect was far too hasty in sending you down the mountain. Had there been more preparation, Jin Xuanzi might not have ended up like this," Yu Qingzi sighed softly.

"It is all my fault, all my fault. Master was only ambushed because he was trying to protect me. If any harm had come to him, I would not know what to do," the junior sister sobbed, rubbing her tear-stained cheeks.

"Junior sister, do not be afraid. It is all in the past. Master is safe, and so are you. This is the best possible outcome," Baili Mo said gently, stroking her hair as he offered his comfort.

"The sequence of events was detailed in the message Jin Xuanzi sent to the sect at the very end. If you wish to know, you may ask your junior sister," Yu Qingzi said, rising slowly. He looked at Baili Mo and added, "I will go prepare some mild herbs to decoct. I shall have someone send them over later. Take good care of your master."

With these soft words, Yu Qingzi opened the door and vanished like mist, gone in the blink of an eye.

"We respectfully see you off, Uncle-Master," Baili Mo and his junior sister said in unison, bowing their heads before standing up after a long moment.

"So, junior sister, what exactly happened? Who had the power to wound our master so severely?" Baili Mo asked urgently once Yu Qingzi had departed.

"Master and I descended the mountain on the sect’s orders to investigate the movements of the Northern barbarians. Among the three great dynasties, the Great Xia has the deepest heritage and is the oldest, so it was bound to bear the brunt of it. For years, they had been trying to resolve the matter with the North with minimal conflict."

"However, the Great Qin and Great Zhou dynasties kept their intentions unclear. They would neither agree to peace talks nor declare war. The Great Xia could not fathom their motives and dared not act rashly—after all, they could not fight the North alone. This eventually caused the North to lose patience, believing the Southern Province was merely playing with them."

"When the first wave of barbarian invasions occurred, Master could not bear to see innocent civilians suffer. He joined the first army of the Great Xia to stop them, as the Nanxuan Sect’s mission is to protect the safety of all, great and small."

"But Master, the Great Xia, and even the Great Zhou and Great Qin underestimated the North. Their first army tore through the lines like a tiger among sheep; the Great Xia forces had no power to resist. It was Master who used his Nascent Soul Peak cultivation to hold back the barbarian advance."

"Yet, one man’s strength is limited. When Master’s energy was exhausted, he was ambushed by those Northern scoundrels while trying to protect me. He was gravely wounded. In his final moments, he risked everything to spirit me away from the battlefield, and that is how we returned to the Nanxuan Sect."

As she spoke, tears flowed again. The thought of her master lying in bed, still unable to wake, pained her heart despite the assurance that he would recover.

"Those Northern cowards! Resorting to such petty tricks! Do they think our Great Xia has no one left!" Baili Mo slammed his fist onto the table. "And those emperors of Great Zhou and Great Qin are no better. They are likely hoping to profit while the snipe and the clam grapple with each other."

"Though the Great Xia is not what it once was and has been reduced to a mere corner of the South, its foundation is far deeper than that of the Great Zhou or Great Qin. I suspect this war is exactly what they wanted to see!" Baili Mo said indignantly.

"Senior brother, please, watch your tongue," the junior sister warned.

"Watch my tongue? If not for them, this war might never have happened! Master would not be in this state! I fear they have lifted a rock only to drop it on their own feet. Now that the North is attacking with such ferocity, no one can remain aloof. I doubt the Great Zhou or Great Qin ever imagined the North could be this powerful."

"Senior brother," the junior sister said, looking at him as if there was more she wanted to say.

"I know. I will not sink into despair. I understand the big picture. Now that war is upon us, our Nanxuan Sect, as the premier power in the South, has a duty we cannot shirk. Every one of us must contribute," Baili Mo said, casting aside his exhaustion, his voice resolute.

"Master always said that a man born in troubled times should take saving the world as his own responsibility. I have never forgotten that for a moment."

"Romantic attachments are but a drop in the ocean of a cultivator’s long life. I will move on from her and shoulder the responsibilities entrusted to us by the Nanxuan Sect."

Baili Mo spoke the last words in a whisper, his expression unreadable beneath his unkempt hair.

Had he truly forgotten the past, or was he merely burying those feelings in the deepest recesses of his heart, suffering in silence? Who could say?

The junior sister watched him with deep concern. She could not discern her own emotions—was it joy or bitterness, heartache or regret? Perhaps it was all of these.

"Don’t worry, I am truly fine. Thank you for the peach blossom wine; I like it very much," Baili Mo said, smiling as he gently tapped her nose—the same affectionate gesture he had used years ago, before she had appeared.

The junior sister smiled softly. Perhaps she herself did not realize that her demands had never been high; to be this close to him was her greatest wish, however humble it might be.

Even if it were only for a short time, even if it could not last, I only hope you could always treat me this way.

I will spend my whole life waiting for you, even if that wait is in vain, even if you only ever see me as a sister. I will not give up.

I will bury these feelings in my heart forever. And perhaps, just perhaps, there will come a day when I can stand before you with true confidence.

And then, I can tell you—openly and honestly.

"Look, have you not fallen for me too?"

In that moment, I think I would smile so very beautifully.

The junior sister thought this and smiled, then began to weep, leaving a bewildered and helpless Baili Mo at her side.