Watching the Mountain

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Lately, Ye Shan had often mentioned that Junior Brother Xu, which made Ye Qingxue want to meet the man.

However, the Sect was in turmoil during this period. The dispute with the Four Major Sects over the Secret Realm had reached a critical point.

Before long, Ye Shan took the initiative and went to the Secret Realm.

She wasn’t worried about Ye Shan.

He was invincible. He could do anything.

So, she waited quietly for him to return with news of his victory.

This time, however, things did not go as they always had.

She didn’t receive news of his victorious return. Instead, she received news that he was gravely injured and had fallen into a coma.

The news arrived in the early morning.

First, the rhythm of the bell in the Steward Hall faltered. Then, like a stone dropped into a still lake, ripples of unrest spread through the entire Sect.

The disciples on the Sword Training Field froze. The smoke in the Alchemy Rooms hung still. Even the servants sweeping the corridors leaned on their brooms, gazing toward the main peak.

"Senior Brother Ye Shan... in the Secret Realm..."

Whispers spread, only to be quickly suppressed, as if even uttering the words required immense courage.

Shock, followed by a deathly silence. ’How could this be possible?’

This was Ye Shan, the one who always forged ahead, the one who seemed like he could never be brought down.

Then came the disbelieving questions and regretful sighs from the corners, but mostly, there was just a dazed confusion.

The brightest blade in the Sect had suddenly dimmed.

When Ye Qingxue heard the news, she was tending to the herb garden. The water ladle in her hand fell to the ground with a THUD. The splash soaked the tips of her shoes.

She didn’t bother to pick it up. She just stood there, a buzzing sound filling her ears.

Secret Realm... Gravely injured... Golden Core shattered.

Each word was like an ice pick stabbing into her heart.

But her first thought wasn’t shock or regret. It was a wave of heartache. ’A shattered Golden Core... it must be agonizing, mustn’t it?’

She could almost imagine the sensation of his Spiritual Power scattering, his meridians tearing apart.

’For someone as proud and driven as Senior Brother, how unbearable must it be?’

The thought made her heart clench. She spun around and rushed away, her steps frantic and unsteady.

She had to see him. Immediately.

But her feet stopped of their own accord just as she stepped out of the herb garden.

A cool wind blew along the mountain path, the chill of it snapping her back to her senses.

She stood there, her fingers unconsciously tightening around the fabric of her sleeve.

She knew him.

’If I rush over there now, with tears in my eyes, asking if it hurts or how much he’s suffering, he’ll just be stunned. Then he’ll force a careless smile, wave his hand, and say, "It’s nothing, Junior Sister. Just a scratch."’

’Or, more likely, he wouldn’t know what to say at all. He’d just scratch his head awkwardly and hide all his pain behind that nonchalant facade.’

’I don’t want to see him like that.’

She took a deep breath and slowly unclenched her fist.

She turned, walked back to the herb garden, picked up the ladle, and resumed watering the remaining Spirit Grass.

Her movements were slow and steady, but her knuckles were white.

Ye Shan awoke many days later.

When she went to see him, he was propped up on a couch. His face was still pale, but his eyes had regained their usual spark. He even tried to sit up straighter when he saw her enter.

She said nothing, simply walking to his bedside and looking at him in silence.

She took in his features, the way he tried to hide his weakness but couldn’t, the slight, unconscious furrow of his brow.

The softest part of her heart felt like it was being brutally squeezed—an ache so intense she could barely breathe.

But her face betrayed nothing.

Her stare made Ye Shan a little uncomfortable. He shifted, breaking the silence first. "Junior Sister..."

She cut him off. Her voice was calm but intensely serious. "Senior Brother, will you always be invincible?"

Ye Shan froze, clearly not expecting such a question.

Then, the corners of his mouth lifted in his habitual smirk. It was a pride and certainty carved into his very bones; even with his Spiritual Power still gone, that light in him had not been extinguished.

"Of course," he said, each word heavy with conviction. "I’m Ye Shan."

She looked at him for a long time. Then, softly, she gave him a faint but clear smile.

"I believe you."

「A few days later.」

Sword Qi soared into the sky from the back mountain.

Above the Cave Mansion where Ye Qingxue was in seclusion, clouds of energy gathered and a spiritual luminescence washed over the area.

A new, perfectly formed, and resilient aura stabilized, all traces of obstruction gone.

She emerged from her seclusion, robes fluttering, her spiritual aura perfectly unified.

She had reached the Golden Core Stage.

No one knew what kind of determination lay beneath that serene breakthrough.

She simply gazed toward the main peak, her eyes as calm as still water.

Her path was that invincible figure. He had fallen now, but that hadn’t shaken *his* path.

Because Ye Shan had said he would always be invincible.

’In that case, I have to walk faster. Even faster.’

’At the very least, I can’t fall too far behind you.’

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「Six months later.」

People from the Four Major Sects arrived.

They made a grand show of their apology. Spirit Medicines and Magical Treasures were piled up before the main hall of the Profound Pure Sect, and the leading Elder spoke with flawless diplomacy.

He claimed their "juniors" had been ignorant and had "offended" the "worthy nephew Ye Shan." Then, he changed his tune, requesting to see Ye Shan and apologize in person, only then could their "hearts be at ease."

The atmosphere in the hall instantly turned icy. Breaking the rules to launch a vicious attack had been dismissed so lightly as a mere "offense."

Who couldn’t hear the probing hidden beneath the apology?

Ye Shan had been out of sight for half a year. The Four Major Sects wanted to see for themselves just how severe his injuries were, and how much of his Cultivation remained.

Several of the Sect’s Elders looked grim, and the younger disciples clenched their fists until their knuckles turned white. But their opponents were perfectly courteous and their words seemingly earnest, leaving no immediate grounds for a forceful refusal.