TVIRAD – Chapter 20

Arc 2
Flawless Sword (3)

A bonus chapter thanks to Vis~

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Ye Chen was looking forward to the meal when she heard the system answer.

Although her feelings for Gu Jianan had been completely erased, the taste of sweet and sour ribs made by Gu Jianan was deeply engraved in Ye Chen’s mind. She excitedly took a small bowl and put it on the table, waiting for Jun Yan. After a while, Jun Yan brought the food to the table.

It was a plate of dark mass. Ye Chen stared blankly at the plate. Jun Yan was straight-faced and calm, “Eat.”

Ye Chen couldn’t suppress her disappointment and let out an aggrieved cry in her heart.

It was challenging to hold back the tears on her face. She covered her mouth. Trying her best not to cry. Jun Yan was a little guilty and explained, “I haven’t cooked for nearly 300 years. You’ll make do with this first. I’ll cook for you a few more times. By that time, I’ll remember how to do it.”

“Okay…”

Ye Chen was wronged but reluctantly eat the ribs.

She tentatively put it in her mouth.

……

It tasted so bad that she didn’t want to eat anymore.

She ate a few bites at random and put down her chopsticks. She took a deep breath, “I’m full.”

“Mn.” Jun Yan nodded, “It’s late. Review the lessons today and have a rest.”

Ye Chen responded nonchalantly, and Jun Shisan took her to her room.

The room was remarkably simple. With a bed, a table, an empty bookshelf, and a dresser. There was nothing else. Too simple. Jun Shisan stood at the door and pointed to the bed. Before he left, he spat, “Spoiled Miss!”

With that, Jun Shisan slammed the door.

Ye Chen snorted. He was undoubtedly the worst servant she had ever seen.

Even if she had only Auntie Ba as her housemaid in her last life, she still had never seen such a fierce servant as Jun Shisan before.

After Jun Shisan left, Ye Chen contacted the system.

“Do you have any food?”

“I ordered a Golden Mushroom and Jade Tofu rice^[1] today. Want some?”

“Yes.” Ye Chen accepted the offer right away, “Can you order a Twice-Cooked Pork^[2] for me?”

“Alright,” 38 cheered, “1 point!”

Hearing 38’s voice, Ye Chen obviously realized that 38 must have charged a lot of intermediary fees for buying her the takeout. Fortunately, after the last task, the system rewarded Ye Chen with 300 points. She could afford a meal, so she decided, “Buy it.”

Soon, a bowl of Twice-Cooked Pork appeared from the air. Ye Chen began to eat. As she ate, she chatted with 38, “I don’t understand a single thing of what Jun Yan said today.”

“Easy.” the system ate the golden mushroom, “I understand it. I’ll teach you later. Your setting is Mary Sue. You don’t need to worry about it, I’ll make you become super powerful this time.”

“Thank you so much.”

Ye Chen ate her meat and expressed her heartfelt gratitude. She questioned, “What is my task in this world?”

“Don’t let Jun Yan destroy the world.”

The system munched, “In fact, whatever you are going to do in this world, the objective is the same. To achieve the ultimate goal. All the tasks issued are for us to save the Villain’s poor worldview and not let him destroy the world. As long as you can complete the ultimate goal, the process is not important.”

“Then why are there so many tasks in the previous world?”

“I’m afraid you’re too stupid and can’t finish it without instruction,” the system reasoned, “When we assign tasks, we rely on our system simulation to calculate the plan with the greatest possibility of success and let you do it.”

“Then, what plan do you set for me for this world?”

“Just… Let Jun Yan and Dan Yan be together,” the system gave Ye Chen an unexpected answer.

Ye Chen blinked, “Won’t that mean the Female Lead and the Male Lead don’t end up together? Won’t it affect the world’s stability?”

“It won’t.” The system was confident, “Whether a factor affects the stability of the world mainly depends on whether it is the main theme of the world. The main theme of the previous world is love, and the main theme of this world is the journey of the Female Lead and the Male Lead to becoming a God. As long as the Female Lead and the Male Lead become a God, it will be alright. In the original world, the reason why the Villain destroyed the world was that he liked the Female Lead, but the Female Lead liked the Male Lead. For him to not destroy the world, just let the Female Lead be with him. Simple, no?”

“So…” Ye Chen thought deeply, “My task is…”

“Seduce the Male Lead. You are the White Moonlight in the Male Lead’s heart. If you don’t want to die like the original Ye Chen, you should be with the Male Lead. With this world’s Villain exemplar qualification, as long as the Male Lead doesn’t seduce the Female Lead, it’s highly possible for the Villain to end up with the Female Lead.”

Ye Chen agreed, “Good. But, there is something else. The most important thing. The key to the success of this plan一 Is the Male Lead handsome?”

The system, “……”

Ye Chen answered her own question, “The Female Lead would rather abandon the Villain and be with the Male Lead. He must be very handsome. Alright! I accept your proposal!”

With a goal, Ye Chen stopped worrying about it and devoted herself to eating the Twice-Cooked Pork.  After she was done eating, the bowl was recycled by 38. Ye Chen burped, and 38 instructed, “Now, sit cross-legged.”

“Mn.” Ye Chen followed its instruction. A moment later, Ye Chen felt a stream of air flowing through her Meridian and the appearance of stars began to appear in her mind. 38 calmly commented, “I’m giving you Qi to open up your Sea of Knowledge. Qi is the Spiritual Power you use to practice in the future. There are many Spiritual Auras in heaven and earth. You can understand it as a special kind of power. Everyone has a Spiritual Root. Spiritual Roots can absorb Spiritual Aura. Save Spiritual Aura and release it when needed. The Sea of Knowledge is where you store it. It is the manifestation of your Divine Power. What do you see now? ”

“The universe.”

Ye Chen spoke calmly.

38 was taken aback, then he composed himself, “The size of the Sea of Knowledge depends on the size of the Qi drawn for the first time. How big the Qi is drawn, how big the size is. You saw the universe…”

“I understand,” Ye Chen answered, full of pride, “My journey is smooth sailing on the sea of stars!”

“Calm yourself” 38 disdained, “Now, I’m worried whether the cheat I gave you is too much…”

“Okay, I’ll shut up. Don’t worry! It’s not too much. You can give me all the good things! I’ll accept it!”

As soon as Ye Chen finished, she felt a burst of Spiritual Power surging in and instantly washed away her muscles and veins. She felt that her muscles and veins seemed to be flooded in by a torrent, which was painful. The surrounding Spiritual Aura surged rapidly and rushed in towards her body. Severe pain wrapped around her. Ye Chen had an idea in her heart——

Hold on! She must hold on!

She didn’t have time to blame 38. She had to work hard to control the Spiritual Auras that were constantly pounding her body. She felt that her consciousness became a force. She wound it around the Spiritual Auras and tried to restrain them. The two forces intertwined and fought fiercely in her body. At this time, a cold hand was placed on her head, A cool breath came over, and the Spiritual Aura in her body instantly calmed down as if they were a mouse that got caught by a cat. It began to flow steadily in her body.

She opened her eyes, saw Jun Yan’s beautiful face, and said weakly, “Shifu…”

“Sit up.” Jun Yan said calmly, “Think about the Spiritual Aura in your body, feel its flow direction and guide it.”

His voice was as clear as a spring of water hitting a stone, which made people calm down involuntarily. Those violent Spiritual Powers were controlled by it. Under his guidance, Ye Chen desperately wanted to control those Spiritual Powers.

She guided the Spiritual Power to flow in the direction she wanted as Jun Yan said, flowing through her muscles and veins in circles. In every circle, Jun Yan slightly released his control over her Spiritual Power, Ye Chen focused and strengthened her control over the Spiritual Power. She didn’t know how long it took Jun Yan to completely release his control over her Spiritual Power. Ye Chen didn’t feel the Spiritual Power riot in her body anymore. She slowly opened her eyes.

It was already bright and the sun shone on every corner of the room. Ye Chen sniffed the smell on her body and didn’t know when so much dirty things had been discharged from her body. Jun Yan looked at her with a complicated look. She couldn’t tell what his mood was. There were joy, surprise, worry, and unspeakable affection.

Ye Chen had an ominous premonition. After the last world’s dog blood script, she pretended to be calm and said, “Shifu, is there something wrong with me? You can tell me.”

“It’s not like that,” Jun Yan said slowly. “You already broke through to the Foundation Establishment Realm.”

Ye Chen was amazed. Jun Yan then added, “The first step in cultivating immortality is to draw Qi into the body. Then, progressing through each cultivating realm. They are Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Apotheosis, Crossing Tribulation, and Mahayana Realm. Each realm is particularly difficult to achieve. Many people spend all their lives and may not be able to even make any progress. Now you have broken through the Foundation Establishment, you have taken the first step to cultivate immortality.”

With that, he waved his hand and cast a dust-cleansing spell. Ye Chen’s body was cleaned in an instant. Jun Yan stood up, “I’ll let Shisan prepare water for you. You take a bath.”

Just after that, Jun Yan paused again. He examined the girl less than half his waist in front of him. He frowned and said uncertainly, “You can take a bath yourself, right?”

Ye Chen quickly nodded, “I can!”

Jun Yan hummed. This child was easier to raise than he thought. He originally thought, because of the method of raising children by Ye Wenshan and Yin Chunhua, Ye Chen must be a child who was arrogant, couldn’t bear hardships, and couldn’t do anything. To his surprise, not only she did not complain about anything, but she also reached the Foundation Establishment Realm easily.

Jun Yan still remembered the pain of introducing Qi into his body. Introducing Qi into the body was a step toward getting familiar with Spiritual Aura. The Foundation Establishment’s goal was to expand muscles and veins. Together, they mean that a person who has never been in contact with Spiritual Aura must use Spiritual Aura to expand the Meridian at the same time. Jun Yan recalled the pain and cold sweat at both times. Today, although Ye Chen was only five years old, she only bit her lips and didn’t shout in pain at all. Yet, he could clearly see that her body and lips trembled.

After experiencing such pain, she didn’t shout and could take a bath by herself. Jun Yan retracted his first impression of Ye Chen. Unexpectedly, this child raised by Ye Wenshan was quite good.

Jun Yan instructed Jun Shisan to prepare the bathwater, and then went back to his cave. Before long, Song Yi rushed over, “I feel that your Spiritual Aura fluctuates a lot just now. What’s wrong?”

“Mn?” Jun Yan was pouring tea, “It’s not me. It’s Ye Chen. She broke through the Foundation Establishment Realm”

“Ye Chen?!” Song Yi was surprised, “Didn’t she just arrive here?!”

“Mn.” Jun Yan nodded, “It’s not appropriate to make a public announcement at this time.”

A Sword Spiritual Root with a Supreme Sword Body. She also reached the Foundation Establishment Realm in one day.  If Ye Chen became a prodigy in the future, announcing this would be the glory that made her proud. If Ye Chen was ordinary in the future, announcing this would be a tragedy that ruined her life.

Once a person started running, they wouldn’t be able to stop. Everyone would put expectations that this person should run all their life. When they were tired and slowed down, gossip would follow them.

Jun Yan was not a person who paid special attention to his surroundings, but he was especially concerned about this first disciple of his. He even cared about whether she would be gossiped about or not.

Song Yi understood Jun Yan’s meaning, and nodded, “Don’t worry, she will grow up like any other ordinary disciple.”

While Jun Yan was talking to Song Yi, Ye Chen supported herself and climbed into the bath bucket.

Her body was entirely sore and she felt like a survivor. She was lying in the hot water to recover her strength. She eventually spoke, “38. Explain to me. What just happened?”

“Host, didn’t you say something like ‘You can give me all the good things!’?” 38 didn’t feel guilty in the slightest, “So I didn’t control the Spiritual Power and gave all the good things to you.”

Ye Chen,“……”

This system must have been a system sent by her enemy to torture her.

“38,” Ye Chen was solemn, “If someday you are going to kill me, notice me about it first.”

“Aiya, don’t be like that,” 38 diverted the topic, “You are now a genius who shocked Jun Yan’s outlook on life. Aren’t you very excited to show off in front of that beauty?”

Ye Chen sarcastically laughed.

She was a yandog, not a fool. She didn’t want such limelight.

After taking a long bath, Ye Chen lay down and slept. When she woke up again, she saw Jun Yan standing at the head of her bed and called softly, “Get up. Sword training.”

Ye Chen clenched her teeth. She wanted to cry.

She shortly realized that her last task was frankly a vacation.

Jun Yan also seemed to notice her grievance. After thinking about it, he rubbed her head, “You are very good.”

“Mn?” Ye Chen raised her head and saw the man quietly examining her. His clear eyes seemed to be gentle because of the morning light wrapping him from behind, “There are very few people who could be like you at your age. You don’t have to feel wronged. Everyone will experience this kind of day. It is just that you experienced it far too early compared to them. You hurt so much because you are excellent.”

She never expected Jun Yan to praise her. Ye Chen stared at Jun Yan.

Jun Yan looked at her expression and thought she couldn’t understand what he said. He averted his gaze and stared into the distance, “Ye Chen, don’t run around in the future. Be good, just follow Shifu and stay close to Shifu, okay?”

“Why?” Ye Chen was puzzled. In her memory, the system’s description of Jun Yan was that he was an extremely apathetic person. He would never ask her to stay close to him.

“Your qualifications are exemplary. There’ll be many who envy you. I’m afraid you will be prone to accidents.”

Jun Yan didn’t know if she could understand what he meant. After that, he repeated, “Do you understand?”

“Understand.” Ye Chen nodded and brazenly boasted, “I’m such an excellent person, people will be jealous of me because of that.”

Jun Yan was silent for a second, “Be modest.”

Ye Chen caught his sleeve and tugged it, like a small animal. She didn’t say anything, but Jun Yan’s heart softened.

“Ai, 38,” Ye Chen sighed, “I don’t think he is as scummy as you said.”

“That’s right…” 38 thought, “In fact, Jun Yan wasn’t scummy at first. He became a scum only after he met the Female Lead.  Before meeting Dan Yan, he was so good to Ye Chen that Ye Chen became infatuated with him.”

“That is to say,” Ye Chen pondered for a moment, “Just because he is good to me now doesn’t mean he will be good to me in the future? There’s a chance he will turn his face when he sees the Female Lead?”

“It’s possible,” the system thought carefully, “After all, he is such a person in the original world line.”

“Why,” Ye Chen enunciated painfully, “do you give him such a good-looking face just to make him such a scum?”

The system was powerless, “We can’t control how they look. If the scum looks good, it’s not our fault.”

The system was reasonable. 

Ye Chen also was helpless. She must control her feelings so she wouldn’t be disappointed when Jun Yan killed her for Dan Yan in the future.

So Ye Chen did brainwashing every day. 

Recite it silently every morning一 Jun Yan is a Scum.

Recite it silently every night一 Jun Yan is a Scum.

But, apart from Ye Chen repeatedly brainwashing herself because of the thorny road ahead, Jun Yan was currently not a Scum. An excellent Shifu, even.

He brought Ye Chen everywhere.

When other Shifus brought their disciples. The Shifu was in the front and the disciples were in the back. Jun Yan wasn’t. He always held both a sword and Ye Chen in his hand.

When others saw it, they often inquired, “Jun Yan-daojun, your daughter?”

Jun Yan put on a straight face and denied, “My disciple.”

The others would laugh and say awkwardly, “It’s so good for a disciple ah…”

Sometimes, Ye Chen also felt it was a little strange, so she asked Jun Yan, “Shifu, why do you hold me everywhere?”

Jun Yan’s brows furrowed and he answered, “You’re too small. I’m afraid you’ll get lost.”

However, Ye Chen had observed around and knew that she was about the same size as other people’s disciples.

After brooding about it, she reasoned with herself. Maybe Jun Yan was taller than other Shifu, and she was smaller than other disciples…?

Except for taking Ye Chen outside, Jun Yan usually dwelled in Wen Jian Peak with Ye Chen. Wen Jian Peak was the first Peak of the Tian Jian Sect after the main peak. A hundred years ago, Jun Yan succeeded his Shifu and became the Peak Lord of Wen Jian Peak. Wen Jian Peak’s practice was brutal in the past, so there were few disciples. In addition, Jun Yan was not a good-tempered Peak Lord. Disciples automatically avoided where Jun Yan lived. Therefore, when Ye Chen was beside Jun Yan, she could hardly see anyone except Jun Shisan.

In a life without friends, Ye Chen could only gaze at Jun Yan every day. Her daily life was incredibly boring. Every day was only practice, eat, sleep, and back to practice.

If it weren’t for Jun Yan’s good looks. She wouldn’t bear it to this day.

With such monotonous life, it was easy to make progress. Ye Chen’s accomplishments grew rapidly, and Jun Yan’s cooking skills also improved rapidly.

Ye Chen was a remarkably satisfactory child all in all. Jun Yan didn’t have to worry about anything. She also didn’t have any other hobbies. The only exception was her love for eating.

Jun Yan felt slightly guilty about it. She should have lived a life like a little princess in Ye Wenshan’s hands. Yet, she became a Sword Cultivator in his hands, and even eating has become extravagant since then. The difference was too stark.

So Jun Yan meticulously cooked for Ye Chen every day.

On Ye Chen’s eighth birthday, Jun Yan cooked a lot. Ye Chen was in a daze when she put the sweet and sour ribs in her mouth.

The taste was exactly the same^[3] as the one in her memory. Ye Chen stared blankly at Jun Yan.

Jun Yan guessed she wanted to eat with him. He picked up chopsticks and said plainly, “Let’s eat, Shifu will eat with you.”

“Shifu,” Ye Chen couldn’t resist, “Do you think people have previous lives?”

“People who cultivate immortals have to focus on their present lives. Why talk about previous lives?”

Jun Yan replied calmly. Ye Chen supposed his word was warranted.

The previous life and the present life. Both lives didn’t have any relation to each other anymore.

She ceased worrying about it and gleefully ate the sweet and sour ribs. That night, she touched her little belly and lay in bed, “38, I’m almost tempted by his sugar-coated shells. I really think Jun Yan is pretty good…”

“Host, you forgot your daily brainwashing today.”

“Oh.” Ye Chen opened her mouth and recited, “Jun Yan is a…”

The word was on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it. She sighed and whispered, “Forget it. I won’t say it in the future. I can’t say it.”

“I’ll just stay away from him,” Ye Chen decided.

She didn’t plan to capture Jun Yan’s heart, so the farther she was from him, the better.

Ye Chen believed so and implemented it earnestly. Jun Yan detected that his disciple became more silent each day.

There was no other activity except practice, eating, and sleeping every day.

If it was the same as before, she would at least have some other actions, such as chatting with him, asking him to tell stories, painting him in silence, or watching him peacefully.

His little disciple always liked to rely on him, and he knew the reason very well. Because of his face.

However, after the age of 8, Ye Chen began to talk less and less, becoming more like him.  Jun Yan pondered about it and deemed that there was nothing wrong with it. She wasn’t playing around anymore, as a Sword Cultivator, it wasn’t a bad thing. But Jun Yan felt a little uneasy in his heart because of it.

He has always been introverted and used to being alone. He wasn’t used to showing his feelings. Occasionally brushing Ye Chen’s head was already his biggest concession.

When Ye Chen was nine years old, Jun Yan decided to take Ye Chen when he taught other disciples. So he led the disciples to the Northwest to subdue demons. This was originally a simple thing, but someone leaked the news that he went out with his disciple that has a Sword Spiritual Root with Supreme Sword Body.

The combination of Sword Spiritual Root and Supreme Sword Body in Ye Chen’s body was a Sword Demon’s favorite. If Ye Chen was taken as a furnace, they would break through a big realm overnight. It was a small matter to expel the little demons, but it was not when it comes to three Sword Demons in Apotheosis Realm.

The three Apotheosis Sword Demon dared not to kidnap Ye Chen from Jun Yan directly. They dispatched a group of demons to attract Jun Yan’s attention and then kidnapped all the disciples brought by Jun Yan from Tian Jian Sect.

They were the Head Disciples of each Major Peak. The three Sword Demons directly demanded to exchange Ye Chen with those Head Disciples.

As soon as those disciples were caught, the Peak Lord of each Major Peak came and held an emergency meeting. Ye Chen stood next to Jun Yan and listened. When she heard of the accident, she glanced at Jun Yan. She knew that her Supreme Sword Body was rare, but those captured disciples were all Tian Jian Sect elites, such as Yin Sheng, a person with Heavenly Spiritual Root and Samadhi True Fire on his body.

Just as she opened her mouth, she heard Jun Yan say, “I’ll take you there.”

Ye Chen, “……” Ha. ha. ha. ha! This Shifu of hers is really a Scum!

Ye Chen’s heart was sour. Even though she had done brainwashing many times, Jun Yan’s way of saying it directly to her face still made Ye Chen upset and bitter! It’s one thing that she wanted to go, but it’s another thing to be forced by others!

She gazed at Jun Yan quietly. Jun Yan squatted down and tidied her clothes.

He wanted to tell her something, but he didn’t know how to tell her. After pondering, he raised his hand and put a wisp of his Divine Consciousness into Ye Chen’s brain.

“Don’t be afraid.” he pursed his lips. A moment passed and he continued, “Shifu will protect you.”

Ye Chen didn’t respond. Her heart was brimming with grievances, she felt immensely wronged.

“How would you protect me?” Her gaze was clear. She tried her best not to reveal her emotions, “Why did you put a wisp of your Divine Consciousness in me?”

“This is a Tied-Soul Seal.” Jun Yan wanted to explain, but when he thought about it, Ye Chen wouldn’t understand what it was. Even if she understood it, she might not understand his reason and felt more wronged. So he didn’t say much. He stroked Ye Chen’s hair, stood up, and went to discuss the situation with the others.

The three Sword Demons wanted Ye Chen. Upon request, Jun Yan alone was allowed to take Ye Chen there.

Among the Peak Lords, there was one who was good at concealing her presence, Hong Luan. They decided to let Hong Luan follow Jun Yan. During the exchange, they would rescue those disciples together.

The meeting point with the three Sword Demons was at their cave. More than a dozen disciples were locked in cages. The three Sword Demons sat on the throne, looked at Ye Chen, and said with a grin, “Give her to us. We will count to three. Each side would deliver the goods.”

Ye Chen was expressionless. In fact, the three Sword Demons were good-looking. Although they couldn’t compare with Jun Yan’s peerless beauty,  the beauty was superimposed three times, which made it visually impactful.

Ye Chen quietly checked the three people and was eager, “Be a furnace for three handsome people? It seems exciting! I’d like to!!”

But, she would never say those words out loud. She walked towards them with a straight and solemn face. The other party also let go of the cage and the disciples ran out. One Sword Demon stretched out his hand to catch her. At that moment, Hong Luan’s sword stabbed them fiercely!

Ye Chen saw Hong Luan coming out and stepped back to a safe distance. However, how could the Sword Demon let her go? The other grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms. Hong Luan’s sword followed. Jun Yan was quick-witted. He stuffed more than a dozen disciples in a Qiankun Pouch and threw them directly to the Teleportation Array prepared in advance.

When the Sword Demons saw that the Teleportation Array was activated, they also activated the array in their cave. As soon as more than a dozen disciples were sent out, the cave turned blood red. The three Sword Demons flung Ye Chen aside and the array was directed at Jun Yan and Hong Luan. Jun Yan jumped out with a long sword in his hand, and Hong Luan held her sword in her hands. They sliced at the three demons.

However, the moment the sword tip touched the three Sword Demons, the three Sword Demons turned into a blood mist and dissipated in the air. Jun Yan’s pupils constricted, he clenched his sword and impaled it into the ground. Blue lines appeared on the ground and the three demon’s bodies gradually appeared from the blood mist. Hong Luan rushed out with her sword. Jun Yan pulled out his sword and attacked them.

Both sides were equal. After hundreds of moves, a Sword Demon ran in front of Ye Chen and grabbed her. He laughed, “Ha! A Tied-Soul Seal!”

Ye Chen didn’t have time to react, in a blink, she was stabbed through!

Unexpectedly, she didn’t feel anything. The sword didn’t seem to stab her. She was in a daze. She saw Jun Yan spit out a mouthful of blood. He knelt down and his abdomen bled.

“Shixiong!”

Hong Luan shouted loudly. A Sword Demon took the chance and slashed at Hong Luan. Hong Luan’s face changed greatly. She cried out as if she were in great pain and wanted to roll desperately on the ground.

The situation changed in an instant. The Sword Demon, who was holding Ye Chen, wiped the blood from his mouth and sneered, “How unexpected. You put a Tied-Soul Seal on a disciple. Jun Yan-daojun, how come I never knew you are this foolish?”

Ye Chen may not have known what a Tied-Soul Seal was, but from her observation alone, this seal should be able to transfer damage. Her gaze was on the man in front of her, with white clothes and blood in his mouth, kneeling on one knee with a sword. She was left without words.

Jun Yan stood up with difficulty, supporting himself with his sword. The Sword Demon stabbed Ye Chen again and Jun Yan’s face paled and another blood spot appeared on his body.

This time he didn’t fall down. He glared at the Sword Demon’s hold on Ye Chen, “Let her go.”

“System,” Ye Chen called in a panic, “What should I do? Think of a way!”

“10 points.” the system instantly offered, “10 points and I’ll give you a knife to restrain this Sword Demon. It’s up to you if you want to stab it to death.”

“Deal.”

Ye Chen didn’t hesitate. As soon as she agreed, Ye Chen sensed that there was a dagger in her hand. The Sword Demon was laughing at Jun Yan and didn’t notice her movements at all. However, Jun Yan noticed that she had raised her hand and inserted a dagger into the Sword Demon’s body. In a flash, Jun Yan’s sword flew towards the Sword Demon nearby, instantly cutting their throat. At the same time, he strode forward and snatched Ye Chen from the Sword Demon who began to convulse!

Ye Chen was holding the dagger, the moment she was snatched, the dagger lost its grip on the Sword Demon’s body and the blood splashed on her hand. She was trembling. Jun Yan hugged her in his arms, “Don’t be afraid, it’s okay. Don’t be afraid.”

Jun Yan was covered with wounds. He raised his hand and the sword flew back into his hand. Hong Luan was competing for control of her body with the last Sword Demon. Jun Yan walked towards her and was about to help. He saw Hong Luan’s eyes were bloodshot and there was anger in it, “I want you to die!”

The earth shook with Hong Luan’s scream, and Jun Yan’s face changed drastically. He accumulated all his strength on the sword in his hand and ran it through Hong Luan’s body.

The shrill wail rose into the sky, and the trembling cave ultimately calmed down. Ye Chen lost her strength and collapsed to the ground. She saw Hong Luan raise her head and look at Jun Yan with shock.

“Shi…xiong…”

Jun Yan stared at the blood on his hands. With a hoarse voice, he apologized, “I’m sorry…”

“Life and Death are already predestined. Shixiong, don’t blame yourself.” Hong Luan smiled, and her expression started to dull, “It’s not shixiong’s fault…”

As soon as the voice fell, Hong Luan’s body shattered into fragments and dissipated in the air.

The cave regained its original appearance. Jun Yan lifted his hand and put Hong Luan’s soul into the soul-locking bag. He stood there motionlessly. Ye Chen’s whole body softened and she shook involuntarily.

This was her first murder. She’s scared. She now understood why Gu Jianan was trembling at that time. She wanted to stand up, but she couldn’t feel her legs.

With tears in her eyes, she tried to stand up again and again.

It’s too dangerous here. She must keep calm. She must stand up and remind Jun Yan to escape.

But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stand up.

Cold sweat fell down from her temple. Jun Yan finally moved. His face was expressionless. He squatted down in front of her. No words left his mouth. 

His wounds were still bleeding, but he picked her up carefully, “Did it hurt?”

Ye Chen shook her head and hugged Jun Yan’s neck. Jun Yan’s temperature and breath reassured her. Jun Yan nodded and didn’t say more.

Outside, everyone gathered around him, “Where’s Hong Luan?”

“She has fallen.”

Jun Yan spoke calmly. Everyone was stunned. Song Yi rushed out of the crowd, “What did you say?!”

“Hong Luan was possessed by a Sword Demon. The Sword Demon planned to kill us in the array. I couldn’t guarantee that I could control the situation if the array was activated, so I did it.”

“What do you mean ‘you did it?” Song Yi’s eyes were red.

Hong Luan was his fiancée. They were preparing for their wedding. Even if Jun Yan grew up with him, his weight couldn’t be compared to Hong Luan’s.

Jun Yan’s voice was calm, “I killed her.”

As his voice fell, Song Yi hit him with a fist. Jun Yan was severely injured. He was beaten by Song Yi, but he choose to protect Ye Chen in his arms. There was a tint of red in his eyes.

“You killed her…” Song Yi trembled, “Jun Yan, she grew up with us! How could you kill her!”

Jun Yan couldn’t speak.

The others immediately calmed him,  “Sect Leader, it was unintentional. Jun Yan probably didn’t want to一”

“Unintentional?!” Song Yi laughed out loud, “Yes, he is indeed unintentional. A person like him who cultivated the Ruthless Dao, of course, he can only be unintentional^[4]! He is the only Mahayana Sword Cultivator in this world. A Mahayana cultivator fighting with only three Apotheosis Sword Demons, how could they be worthy to be his opponent? If he could spare an effort to save Hong Luan, will Hong Luan die?!”

“I really have tried my best.”

“Excuses!” Song Yi roared, “Jun Yan, I knew there would be such a day like this since you cultivated the Ruthless Dao! Sooner or later, everything will be worthless in your heart. What kind of brotherhood! What kind of friendship! If you even hold half of the same affection for Hong Luan as she had for you, you wouldn’t stab her!”

Jun Yan listened quietly. He carried Ye Chen in his arms. Even if he explained, if Song Yi didn’t want to believe him, it was no use no matter what he said.

He has been cultivating the Ruthless Dao that he himself sometimes thought that he indeed has no emotions.

But he understood himself. He was only in the Second Stage of Ruthless Dao, with no desire to seek fame and wealth. He was still far away from the last stage of Ruthless Dao, Supreme Forgetfulness^[5]. There are still four big Stages that he has not broken through.

Ruthless Dao has never been completely ruthless. They had feelings and knew emotions, it just… they could give up on those things.

Without being born into the world, how could someone talk about birth?

Without knowing emotion, how could someone talk about ruthlessness?

He has been indifferent since childhood. His Shifu said, for people like him, the easiest way to cultivate seemed to be the Ruthless Dao. But, in fact, for people like him, the hardest way to cultivate was Ruthless Dao.

Because it was too hard for people like him to have deep and sincere feelings.

If they couldn’t even experience it, how could they forget it? That’s why it was hard for people like him to break through the Last Stage of Ruthless Dao.

There was a reason why he chose the Ruthless Dao. At his time, people were devoted to cultivating to become Immortal, and the easiest way has always been the Ruthless Dao That’s why he chose it. And now, it has been more than 300 years since he cultivated Ruthless Dao.

300 years. Everyone had assumed he had become a daojun without feelings. Even he himself assumed so too.

Yet, when Hong Luan died, he almost cried. Shouldn’t those emotions already disappear from his heart?

If he had a way to save her, no matter how slim the chance was, he wouldn’t choose to personally ruin his xiao shimei^[6]’s life.

But he had no way and had no choice.

He was seriously wounded. Inside the cave was a God-Killing Array that was enough to kill ten Mahayana cultivators. If the Sword Demon successfully sacrificed himself to activate the array, none of them would come out alive from the cave. He didn’t care about his life, but then what about Ye Chen’s?

What Song Yi said was not unreasonable. He still could be so ruthless at that time may be because he cared too much about Ye Chen.

Hong Luan was exceedingly good to him. He was not worthy of the kindness she had given to him.

So he endured Song Yi’s scolding and said nothing. People around him threw him a judgemental look. A person that cultivated Ruthless Dao personally killed his shimei who grew up with him, of course they were terrified of him.

Song Yi shouted and scolded him for a long time, and was eventually dragged away. Everyone dispersed, leaving Jun Yan standing in place with Ye Chen.

When they left, Jun Yan glanced at Ye Chen.

Ye Chen has been hugging him. This small person has been burying her face in his chest and holding him tight. It gave him the strength to stand.

He pushed down his feelings and expressed plainly, “I’ll take you back.”

Ye Chen hummed and continued to bury her face in his chest, her action soothed Jun Yan’s emotions.

She understood Ju Yan’s action because the system had explained it to her.

He had tried his best to protect the others.

Ye Chen understood it as plain as day.

He promised to protect her, so he gave her a Tied-Soul Seal and let all her wounds fall on him.

He tried to save Hong Luan, but the array in the cave was enough to bury all of them. At that time, Hong Luan was controlled by the Sword Demon. It was either the Sword Demon killed Hong Luan to activate the array or he killed Hong Luan and the Sword Demon at the same time so the array wouldn’t activate.

From the very start, he never had a choice.

This man cultivated the Ruthless Dao. Yet, even if he looked cold, he had been treating the world gently in his own way.

But his Dao made everyone prejudiced against him.

This was a person who cultivated the Ruthless Dao. He was destined to be a cold and ruthless person.

Ye Chen listened to the systematic explanation and stared up at him from his arms.

He was pale with a mark of blood on his face. Catching her staring at him, he bowed his head, “Is it cold?”

Ye Chen shook her head. She leaned her head against his chest and held him tighter.

Jun Shisan was called away by Song Yi long before they arrived at Wen Jian Peak. Song Yi deliberately wanted to embarrass Jun Yan. Jun Yan’s wound wasn’t light and it would take some time to heal, but no one was there to treat Jun Yan’s wound or give him medicine. 

When they arrived at Wen Jian Peak. Jun Yan instructed Ye Chen, “Go out and play by yourself. There is a Bigu Pill in the room. Shifu wants to have a rest. Don’t disturb me, okay?”

Ye Chen nodded, watching quietly as Jun Yan walked back to the room with only himself as support.

After a few steps, Jun Yan faltered. Ye Chen hurried up, and supported Jun Yan up, “Shifu?”

Jun Yan was awakened by her. He saw Ye Chen’s panicked face in the haze. He propped himself up and comforted, “Shifu is just a little dizzy. Don’t worry.”

Ye Chen pursed her lips, “I’ll send Shifu in.”

With that, she escorted Jun Yan inside.

She was too small, not even half of Jun Yan’s height. She could only hold Jun Yan’s hand. Jun Yan looked at the small person in front of him. She appeared especially solemn. He couldn’t help but want to laugh.

Ye Chen pulled him to the bedside, “I’ll treat Shifu‘s wounds.”

Jun Yan regarded it as a joke and gently refused, “The wounds could frighten you. Shifu can do it by myself.”

Ye Chen ignored him and directly opened Jun Yan’s clothes. She took out the medicine and cleaned his wounds. Jun Yan saw that she did a good job. Knowing that she really wanted to help him to take care of his wounds, he let her be. Ye Chen bandaged his wounds, “I know Shifu has worked hard.”

Jun Yan was taken aback. Ye Chen then resumed, “I know Shifu had to kill Hong Luan-shigu[7]. I know Shifu is not without feelings. I know that although Shifu cultivated the Ruthless Dao, he is actually gentler than anyone else.”

Jun Yan didn’t speak. He set his gaze on Ye Chen. Ye Chen inspected his wounds once again. She told Jun Yan carefully, “I know that Shifu is good to me, so I will repay Shifu’s kindness.”

Jun Yan still stared at Ye Chen. There was a turbulent emotion in Jun Yan’s heart, but Jun Yan didn’t know the name of that emotion.

Others always told him that because he cultivated the Ruthless Dao, he was also ruthless in character. Everything that happened to him, all the good and the bad, was deserved by him.

He never asked someone to return his kindness, but in the corner of his heart, he also had some vague expectations that others would also treat him kindly like he treated them, even a simple ‘thank you’ was enough.

But it never happened.

For the first time, he heard someone say that he was a gentle person. He was inexplicably saddened by it.

He couldn’t resist hugging Ye Chen close in his arms.

“Thank you.” he thanked dully, “Xiao Chen, Shifu will be nice to you in the future.”

Ye Chen hummed. She hugged Jun Yan back. She was sad for him.

How could someone be so cruel to such a good-looking person!

Jun Yan’s injury lasted for a month.

Jun Shisan didn’t come back after being called away by Song Yi, so Ye Chen was left to take care of him alone. Jun Yan didn’t need to eat and he could take care of himself. Ye Chen was there only to accompany him and change his dressing every day.

Jun Yan was a person who seldom spoke, and even if he spoke, he wasn’t articulate enough. Ye Chen also didn’t want to deliberately get close to him by communicating. He was injured because of her, so she accompanied him. She wanted him to live well, but she couldn’t think of a way for her to take care of him that wouldn’t send a wrong signal to him.

So more often, the two of them sat quietly, reading their own books.

Sometimes when reading was too boring for her, Ye Chen would watch Jun Yan quietly.

Jun Yan was the best-looking person she has ever seen in her life. It wasn’t only because his facial features were similar to Gu Jianan, but also because he has an immortal aura that ordinary people like Gu Jianan couldn’t afford. 

Jun Yan noticed Ye Chen’s boredom. One day, he said, “Go and pick some leaves for me. A wide and long leaves.”

Ye Chen couldn’t guess what Jun Yan was going to do, but because he wanted it, then she would search for it. She picked a lot of leaves for him. Jun Yan took the leaves and folded them.

His hands were nice to look at. It was like jade carving, wrapped in a layer of brilliance from the light. His fingers, especially. It has an unspeakable beauty that Ye Chen couldn’t describe. 

The leaves danced on his fingertips and soon became a small praying mantis.

“Do you like it?” He put the leaf mantis in her hand. Ye Chen only blinked at it. Jun Yan frowned, “Would you prefer I fold you a small rabbit?”

“Mn…” Ye Chen was not interested in such things. After all, she was already in her twenties. She didn’t refuse Jun Yan’s kindness, though. She bowed her head and said, “I like it.”

Jun Yan brushed her hair and said softly, “That’s good if you like it. Shifu will fold you a lot of things. After a while, Shifu will make you a kite.”

“Emm… Shifu…” Ye Chen said shyly, “If you have time, could you make me some Twice-Cooked Pork? Or if it’s too much, Braised Pork is also fine.”

Jun Yan was powerless,  “How can someone who is cultivating to become immortal be so greedy over food?”

“Shifu,” Ye Chen sighed, “If you don’t let me eat something, I won’t be able to cultivate properly.”

“Nonsense.” Jun Yan shook his head with fondness, “Don’t say such childish words.”

No, I’m not a child anymore.

Ye Chen wanted to argue. But, when she thought about it, facing Jun Yan who was more than 300 years old, she was indeed comparable to a child in front of him.

Jun Yan got better and better each day. Not long after, Song Yi came to visit him.

“Shixiong,” Song Yi was a little embarrassed, “That day, I was too much…”

Jun Yan listened quietly. His face was calm, “It’s alright. You are deeply in love with Hong Luan. I understand.”

“Shixiong,” Song Yi swallowed, “I went to see the cave. I know it’s really impossible for you to save her.”

“Mn.” Jun Yan didn’t say much. 

Song Yi sighed, “Shisan…”

“He doesn’t have to come back.” Jun Yan said lightly, “You are fond of him, just let him stay with you.”

Jun Yan had said it like that, Song Yi couldn’t insist otherwise. After Song Yi left, Ye Chen scooted over and said, “Why didn’t Shifu scold the Sect Leader?”

“Scold him for what?” Jun Yan’s face was flat. 

Ye Chen frowned, “He made Shifu sad.”

Jun Yan’s movement paused slightly when he heard it. A moment later, Jun Yan replied in a serene tone, “Shifu has Xiao A’Chen[8] now, and because of it, Shifu is no longer sad.”

Ye Chen was taken aback. Jun Yan continued, “Have you practiced with your sword today?”

“Practice, practice.”

Ye Chen dare not neglect her practice. 

Jun Yan nodded, “Continue to practice. Shifu needs to retreat^[9] for the next 4 years. Don’t play around.”

“Okay.” Ye Chen bobbed, “Shifu doesn’t need to worry.”

Jun Yan kept glancing at Ye Chen. As if he wanted to say something but couldn’t say it. Finally, he just caressed Ye Chen’s messy hair gently, “Take good care of yourself.”

“Mn-mn.” Ye Chen nodded quickly.

Jun Yan already said things that needed to be said, so he turned and left.

After Jun Yan left, Ye Chen let out a sigh of relief.

“38,” she said reluctantly, “He retreated for four years. Do I really have nothing to do except wait for him to be done with his retreat?”

“Well, actually, you can do other things.”

“For example?”

“Ascending to become an Immortal!”

“Do you see me as such a diligent person?”

“There’s another thing.”

“Speak.”

“Eat, drink, and have fun!”

That plan was in accordance with Ye Chen’s idea. As soon as Jun Yan retreated, she began loitering around.

She was already in the Third Stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm. There wouldn’t be any problem for her if she wanted to go outside by herself. She sneaked down the mountain every day. She bought a chicken and named it “Hua Ji”, ate lots of sweets, and then went back to the mountain.

Those were really a test for her skills, sneaking back and forth the mountain.

With all her fanfare to sneak down the mountain, Ye Chen soon became a popular figure in Tian Jian Sect. The little disciples of Tian Jian Sect handed over their belongings to Ye Chen and in turn, they asked Ye Chen to help them bring things from the outside. As time passed…

Ye Chen has become their salesman.

Ye Chen became rich by purchasing on their behalf. She bought beautiful clothes and hairpins, ate many delicious things, and went to interesting places. She even learned to drink and planned to go to the Red Light District to broaden her world when she reached 18.

At the age of 13, Ye Chen became a well-known flaneur of the Tian Jian Sect.

She always wore a qingshan^[10]. Her hair was tied casually with a twine. A wine gourd plus a long sword always hung on her waist. She often joked around. She would look at people with a smile and ask, “Do you want to purchase something?”

She broke the rumor that “Wen Jian Peak was a bunch of warmongers” in Tian Jian Sect. Now, not only Wen Jian Sect was known for its bunch of warmongers, but it also was known for her, a money-worshipper一 A money-worshipper who was in Foundation Establishment and nearly broke through Golden Core smoothly.

The last day of Jun Yan’s retreat collided with the Qixi Festival^[11]so she went down the mountain to purchase things.

There was a Lantern Festival to celebrate Qixi Festival down the mountain, it was very lively. She bought something and put it in her Qiankun Pouch. She also downed her wine gourd. While she was on the way back to the mountain, she passed through an alley. There were footsteps behind her.

The footsteps were loud and erratic. Not long after, a young man rushed past her.

At that moment, a string of words flashed in her mind and 38 screamed hysterically.

“Urgent Task!! Save the Male Lead from getting captured!! The person just now was the Male Lead! Save him! Save him! Save him! Something important must be said three times!!!”

Ye Chen’s ears were pierced by the system’s scream. Behind her, a group of people was running to catch up to the young man. Ye Chen was done rubbing her ears. She lazily scanned those people and put her hand on her sword, “Sirs, please don’t step any further.”

Those people narrowed their eyes. The leader said coldly, “Who are you?”

“Dear Sirs,” Ye Chen’s tone was lazy, “Do you want to purchase something?”

“To hell with your nonsense!” A man shouted angrily. He inspected Ye Chen and found that she was only in the Fourth Stage of the Foundation Establishment. He sneered, “This is Hua Qing Sect’s affairs, I advise you to get out of the way, otherwise don’t blame us for being rude!”

Ye Chen smiled and counted.

Seven people in Foundation Establishment Realm.

Well, compared to Tian Jian Sect’s Sword Array, they were nothing.

She tilted her head and smiled sweetly, “Then, let me see. How is Sirs going to be rude?”

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Footnotes

1. 份金针菇玉豆腐饭 – fèn jīnzhēngū yù dòufǔ fàn. Golden Mushroom and Jade Tofu rice.  Image in Attachments.↵

2. 回锅肉 – huí ɡuō ròu; Twice-Cooked Pork. Image in Attachments.↵

3. 一模一样 – yī mú yí yàng; lit. peas in a pod. Exactly the same; Striking resemblances; Match each other as if cut from the same piece of cloth; Not a fraction of difference (between)↵

4. “无心? 对，他的确是无心。他这种修无情道的人，有什么心?!”; lit. “Unintentional? Yes, he is indeed unintentional. A person like him who cultivated the Ruthless Dao, what heart do he have?!” I changed this sentence because it’s a play on words. 无心 is unintentional, but it can also mean “No Heart” or “Heartless”. So, Song Yi actually said “No Heart(无心)? Yes, he indeed has no heart(无心). A person like him who cultivated the Ruthless Dao, what heart(心) do he have?!.” In addition, in the last chapter footnotes, I had said Ruthless Dao is often interlinked to ruthlessness even though it’s not. Jun Yan is already prejudiced as a ruthless person because he cultivated the Ruthless Dao.↵

5. 太上忘情 – tài shàng wàng qíng. Unmoved by emotion and indifferent to everything except for the Dao.The Last (Sixth) Stage of Ruthless Dao↵

6. 小师妹 – xiǎo shīmèi; Little Junior Martial Sister. As I had said in the former chapter, 小 is a term of endearment, that can be used for someone you care/are close to, it doesn’t have to be taken literally as “Little”.  师妹 is Junior Martial Sister.↵

7. 师姑 – shī gū. Senior Martial Aunt. In the original text, it is 师叔 – shī shū; lit. Senior Martial Uncle. But Hong Luan is a woman, so I guess it’s a typo.↵

8. 小阿尘 xiǎo āchén. Little Ah Chen. Both 小 and 阿 were endearments. Usually using one is enough, using both is overkill. It is a blatant show of affection/favoritism.↵

9. 闭关 – bìguān; Retreat. Closed-Door Cultivation. This means to close the door, as a metaphor for not interacting with the outside world. Retreat in Daoism means that Cultivator needs to practice their Dao quietly, not interact with anyone, and go out only after they have completed their work or completed the specified time. ↵

10.  青衫 – qīngshān; 青 – blue/green/black. 衫 – shirt. The robe was worn by students/scholars in ancient times. Can be in a color of Blue, Cyan, Green or Black.↵

11. 七夕节 – qīxī jié. Qixi Festival/Double Seventh Day. Qixi is equivalent to Chinese Valentine’s Day. Qixi celebrates the annual meeting of the cowherd and the weaver girl in mythology, celebrating their deep love. Qixi is known as the Tanabata Festival in Japanese.↵

Attachments

Ry’s Corner

Have a Happy Monday~

From 18k in Mandarin to 8k in English.

I swear those terms sound better in Mandarin. It’s me who sucks.

I am soft for Jun Yan, I hope he stays pure… _(´ཀ`」 ∠)

Oh wait, I shouldn’t jinx it…

Anyway, there’ll be another bonus chapter this week~

Please consider checking ‘The Memory Lost in Space‘ in case you like a good read(feels)! I’m gonna always put this here because I’m obsessed with it! No thanks needed.

If you like what I do please consider buying me ko-fi! Who needs sleep, anyway. I don’t offer Advanced Chapters like Lyre yet, but you are free to water this thirsty cat!

Words count (excluding title, footnotes, TL’s corner): 8723

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