Watching the Mountain

Ye Qingxue mulled over those two words.

Conceding, it turned out, could also be a form of judgment.

After that small competition, she remained quiet, but she began to truly *see*.

She watched water flow around rocks, watched bamboo leaves change color, watched ants carry food.

Her cultivation was still not fast, but her steady Spiritual Power had gained a touch of enduring resilience.

Spring passed and autumn came. Ye Qingxue grew at her own pace, like a plant in a secluded valley.

She grew more and more beautiful, yet her temperament became ever more serene and clear.

She was still not the most outstanding of her peers, but no one simply called her sluggish anymore.

When the instructors mentioned her, they would say, "That child has built an excellent foundation. Her temperament is too stable for a child."

She still went to the spring on the back mountain occasionally, and sometimes her Master was there too. Their conversations were brief:

"Master, why do some people cultivate quickly at first, only to slow down later?"

"Because they rush too fiercely and are prone to exhaustion later. Or their hearts are weighed down by empty fame."

"Why is there always conflict within the Sect?"

"Wherever there are people, there is conflict. Wherever there are interests, there is strife. If you stay true to yourself, all this conflict is nothing more than wind and rain."

"Master, what is the Dao?"

"For you and me, the Dao is the path beneath our feet and the heart with which we walk it."

Each question and answer was like a pebble tossed into the lake of her heart. The faint ripples would settle and become a part of how she understood the world.

She no longer obsessed over speed, but instead contemplated direction and meaning.

Her steadiness gradually transformed from a passive trait into an active choice.

Time flowed on as clouds gathered and scattered.

One day, Nine Profound True Monarch returned from visiting a friend and came straight to Ye Qingxue’s small courtyard.

She was sitting in meditation beneath an old plum tree and slowly opened her eyes.

Though a hundred years old, her face was as it was in the prime of her twenties. The mole between her brows had deepened slightly, lending her a cold, detached beauty. Her gaze was clear and serene.

"Qingxue, come." Her Master’s face held a rare delight.

Ye Qingxue rose and walked over, seeing a young boy standing just behind and to the side of her Master.

He looked to be about ten years old, dressed in an ill-fitting new disciple’s uniform. His hair was messy, but his eyes were astonishingly bright, and he stood as straight as an unsheathed sword.

His gaze met Ye Qingxue’s without a hint of shyness, filled with brazen curiosity.

Nine Profound True Monarch patted the boy’s shoulder and smiled at Ye Qingxue. "This is a new disciple I have just taken. Your Junior Brother."

The boy took a step forward, tilted his head up, and broke into a wide, carefree grin that held a touch of wild arrogance.

"My name is Ye Shan."

His voice was crisp, echoing by the cold mountain pool.

Ye Qingxue watched him quietly, gazing into those bright, burning eyes. Time seemed to stand still.

The cold pool reflected her cool serenity, as well as the boy’s vibrant, fiery passion.

The snow falls in silence; the mountain stands firm.

*

*

*

「Two: Ripples」

Only after the third sounding of the morning bell did Ye Qingxue emerge slowly from behind a pillar on the veranda of the Divine Sword Peak disciple quarters.

She wore a plain white dress. Her features were faint, as if sketched with the finest, water-dipped brush. Just below the center of her brows was a pale mole, like a single, frozen drop of ink.

She walked lightly, as if afraid of disturbing the unseen dust motes in the air.

Life had been like this for a long time.

The discussions among her peers in the Instructor Hall, the debates about the speed of cultivation, even the occasional concern from her elders—to her, it was all as if heard through a layer of gauze. She could hear the sounds, but they never reached her heart.

Her world was vast and quiet, until the junior brother named Ye Shan appeared.

The first time she noticed him was in the plaza outside the Instructor Hall.

A group of new disciples was gathered around an instructor, learning the Basic Sword Form. Only one boy in a green robe stood at the edge of the crowd, watching with his arms crossed and the ghost of a smile on his lips.

Ye Qingxue was merely passing by, but she heard the instructor shout at the boy, "Ye Shan, you’re not watching, and you’re not practicing. What are you doing just standing there?"

The boy turned his head, his eyes as bright as stars reflected in the back mountain’s pool.

"I already know all this," he said.

His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried clearly to Ye Qingxue’s ears.

Her steps faltered for a moment.

’He already knows it?’

But this batch of disciples had only joined the Sect three days ago.

The instructor clearly didn’t believe him either, snorting, "Then demonstrate it for us."

Ye Shan didn’t refuse. He casually pulled a Wooden Sword from a nearby weapons rack.

Opening stance, turn of the wrist, step forward, returning slash—his movements were as smooth as flowing water, even a degree more fluid than the instructor’s own demonstration moments before.

The plaza gradually fell silent.

Ye Qingxue stood under the veranda, watching the boy finish the form and stand tall. There was no trace of pride on his face, as if he had just done something utterly ordinary.

The instructor opened his mouth, but in the end, all he could manage was, "...Next time, remember to stand in the front row."

Ye Shan nodded, hung the Wooden Sword back on the rack, and as he turned, his gaze met Ye Qingxue’s.

He blinked, then suddenly grinned, revealing a set of white teeth. "Hello, Senior Sister."

Ye Qingxue was taken aback for a moment. She gave a soft sound of acknowledgment and continued on her way.

But a faint ripple spread through her heart. ’This junior brother... he seems different.’

After that, Ye Qingxue gradually discovered that Ye Shan was indeed different.

In the Sect-wide competition, he took first place in the Qi Refining Stage division. The prize was a bottle of Third Grade Healing Elixir.

When it was over, a few disciples he knew gathered around to congratulate him. Someone joked, "Ye Shan, you’d better hold onto that Elixir. You can use it if you get injured in the future."

But Ye Shan just shook his head and casually tossed the Jade Bottle to the side, right toward Ye Qingxue, who was just walking past the edge of the arena.

She caught it instinctively and looked up at him.

The boy scratched his head, smiling a little sheepishly. "I won’t need it. You should keep it, Senior Sister."

The surrounding disciples were all stunned.

A Third Grade Elixir wasn’t top-tier, but for someone in the Qi Refining Stage, it was a rare resource. Who would just give something like that away so casually?

Ye Qingxue clutched the cool Jade Bottle and asked softly, "Why won’t you need it?"

"Because I won’t get hurt," Ye Shan replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.