Watching the Mountain

She walked slowly back to Divine Sword Peak. As she passed the bamboo forest, she subconsciously turned into it.

The bamboo forest was empty, with only the rustling sound of wind blowing through the leaves.

On the ground were bamboo stalks severed by Sword Qi. The cuts were clean and recent.

’He was here?’

Ye Qingxue crouched down, picked up a piece of a bamboo stalk, and stared at it for a long time.

The weight in her heart seemed to lighten just a little.

Three more days passed.

In the evening, Ye Qingxue sat quietly by the spring on the back mountain.

The pool’s water was dyed gold by the setting sun, its surface shimmering. She gazed at her reflection in the water, trying to calm her thoughts.

But as she watched, another person suddenly appeared in the reflection.

He wore a green robe and stood tall. His bangs were a little messy, and his eyes were as bright as if they had just been washed by a mountain spring.

Ye Qingxue’s breath hitched, and she whipped her head around.

Ye Shan stood just a few steps away, a sword in his hand. Its scabbard was stained with dried mud, and the hem of his green robe had a tear that had been crudely stitched up with a few crooked stitches of thick thread.

He looked at her and broke into a grin, revealing a set of white teeth.

"Senior Sister—oh, no, Junior Sister Qingxue." He said it so naturally, as if he had called her that a thousand times. "Spacing out over here?"

His gaze swept over her, and he suddenly laughed. "Junior Sister Qingxue, I haven’t seen you in a month, and your Cultivation still hasn’t improved much. No wonder you’re just spacing out here."

Ye Qingxue opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but no sound would come out.

At that moment, the calm lake of her heart was suddenly stirred by enormous waves.

She looked at him—at his silhouette edged in gold by the setting sun, at the familiar, boyish smile on his face, and at the perpetually self-assured light in his eyes.

’A month.’

’She had waited for a month.’

’Every day, she thought of him, of that scene, of the sound of his voice when he called her Junior Sister.’

Now he was back, standing right in front of her, still wearing that green robe, still smiling so carelessly.

In the past, she definitely would have been annoyed by his comment about her spacing out. She might have shot him a glare, or perhaps just turned and walked away.

But now, she didn’t feel the slightest bit of annoyance.

Instead, she felt a strange sense of peace.

It was as if, so long as he was standing here, the world was still the same world. The mountains were still mountains, the water was still water, the cafeteria’s congee was still bland, and the bluestone on the back mountain was still cool.

’Everything was fine.’

She stared at him blankly for a long time, so long that even Ye Shan started to feel a little awkward and scratched his head.

"Junior Sister?" he called out tentatively.

Ye Qingxue snapped back to reality, took a soft breath, and asked in a low voice, "How... was the mission?"

Ye Shan blinked. "It was what it was. A few Evil Cultivators, their Cultivation wasn’t high, and they weren’t too bright either. I saw through their traps at a glance."

He spoke of it lightly.

But Ye Qingxue was looking at the tear on the hem of his green robe and the mud stains on his scabbard.

"Did you run into any enemies?" she asked, her voice softer than usual. "Were you injured?"

Ye Shan froze.

He looked at her, his eyes widening slightly, as if he had heard something unbelievable.

After a couple of seconds, he suddenly leaned in closer, studying her face with a frown.

"Junior Sister," he said with a serious expression, "did something go wrong with your cultivation?"

Ye Qingxue: "...What?"

"Why else would you suddenly say something like that?" Ye Shan straightened up, crossed his arms, and adopted an all-knowing look. "Worried about me? That’s not like you. Did you rush your training recently and suffer a cultivation deviation?"

He paused, his tone becoming "sincere and earnest." "Junior Sister, don’t be anxious about your cultivation. A steady and solid approach is the Righteous Dao. After all, you’re not a genius like me, so it’s normal for your progress to be a bit slow. Don’t force it, or you might damage your meridians."

His words were both sincere and grating.

In the past, Ye Qingxue would have definitely been angered by him. She might have turned and walked away, or she might have coldly said, ’It’s none of your business.’

But now, listening to his words, she didn’t feel a single spark of anger.

In fact, she almost wanted to laugh.

’See? He’s still the same.’

’A sharp tongue, tactless, and always thinking he’s number one in the world.’

’But this is the real Ye Shan.’

The boy who said no one in this world could be Ye Shan’s opponent. The Senior Brother who actually challenged a Purple Mansion True Inheritance disciple with his Foundation Establishment Cultivation and won. The Junior Brother who would casually toss her some Golden Sore Medicine and tell her to aim better next time.

’He’s fine, uninjured, his mission is complete, and he’s still his same infuriating self.’

’How wonderful.’

Ye Qingxue lowered her head, the corners of her lips curling into the faintest of smiles.

Then she suddenly realized she was smiling and was startled.

’What’s wrong with me?’

’How could his words make me feel so at ease?’

’How could I lose my composure in front of him?’

’How could I be... so strange?’

Panic surged within her, stronger than ever before.

’I can’t stay here any longer.’

’I have to go.’

’Right now.’

She turned, her steps hurried. She wanted to escape this person who left her so flustered, to escape this unfamiliar, heart-pounding feeling.

"Junior Sister."

Ye Shan’s voice came from behind her.

Ye Qingxue’s steps faltered, but she didn’t turn back.

"Are you..." Ye Shan’s voice held a rare hint of hesitation. "Are you unhappy because you had to call me Senior Brother?"

Ye Qingxue’s fingertips trembled slightly.

"If that’s the case," Ye Shan continued, his tone a little awkward, as if he wasn’t used to saying such things, "if you’re unhappy about it, then forget it. I can just go back to calling you Senior Sister. It’s just a title, not a big deal, right?"

He finished speaking and waited for a while, but heard no response.

The mountain wind blew past, carrying the dampness of the pool.

Ye Qingxue stood there, her back to him. The lake in her heart felt as though a giant boulder had been thrown into it, sending waves crashing and making her chest feel tight.

’Unhappy?’

’How could I be unhappy?’

’I was the one who called him "Senior Brother."’

’I called out to him involuntarily when I saw him walking from the Martial Arts Arena, when I saw his searingly bright eyes, and when the long-quiet lake in my heart churned into a monstrous wave.’

’It was the boldest thing I had ever done in my life.’

’But now, he thought I was unhappy.’

’He thought I regretted it.’

Ye Qingxue slowly turned around.

The setting sun fell right on her face, casting a warm golden layer over her fair skin. The faint mole between her brows glowed softly in the light.

She looked at Ye Shan, at his face that was practically written with "I think this is a great solution," and suddenly her panic subsided.

In that moment, all the churning, unfamiliar, and bewildering emotions inside her suddenly settled.

They became clear.

They became firm.

Ye Qingxue clenched the hand hidden in her sleeve, then lifted her head slightly.

Under the sunlight, she gave him a smile and spoke softly:

"No."

"I want you to always be my Senior Brother."

The smile was like moonlight skimming across water—faint, yet clear.

Ye Shan stood there, stunned. He looked at the faint mole between her brows, at the stars reflected in her eyes, and at the very slight curve of her lips.

After a long moment, he slowly broke into a wide grin, revealing a set of white teeth. His smile held the unique, unrestrained boldness of a young man.

"Okay," he answered, then continued, his voice clear and bright, "then you will always call me Senior Brother."

Ye Qingxue watched him smile, and in the vast quietness of her heart, it felt as though something new had appeared.

She couldn’t say what it was exactly.

She only remembered that day at the Martial Arts Arena, the boy’s eyelashes dyed gold by the setting sun, and the matter-of-fact way he had said, "I do what I say."

The mountain wind blew past, carrying the fresh scent of early summer plants.

She lowered her head and smiled softly again.

’So... it can be like this.’

[To be continued]