Watching the Mountain

Ye Qingxue sat on the familiar green rock at the back of the mountain, gazing at her reflection in the pool.

The water rippled slightly, reflecting the faint mole between her brows and something in her eyes she couldn’t quite define herself.

Half a month had passed since she last told Ye Shan, "I want you to always be my senior brother."

Ever since she’d said those words, the tranquility in her heart had been completely shattered.

During this time, Ye Shan’s face would often appear in her mind unbidden—confident, spirited, along with the infuriating words that would spill from his mouth.

These images would flash through her mind involuntarily.

She seemed to have realized what was happening to her.

’She had fallen for Junior Brother Ye Shan.’

’No, senior brother.’

Ever since that moment at the Martial Arts Arena when he won eight consecutive matches, walked up to her, and made her call him "senior brother," he had become her senior brother.

But now that she understood her feelings, she didn’t know what to do.

’Go find him and confess?’

The thought had barely surfaced before she pushed it down.

’How would I even start?’

Besides, she could almost imagine Ye Shan’s reaction.

He would probably blink, look at her in confusion, and say, "Junior Sister, has your Cultivation gone awry again? Why are you spouting such nonsense?"

Or, even more infuriatingly: "You want to be my Dao Companion? Junior Sister, that won’t do. Your cultivation speed is too slow. I might have already attained the Dao by the time you even manage to break through to the Nascent Soul Stage."

’He’s always like this.’

’A sharp tongue, no filter, always thinking he’s the best in the world.’

And yet, it was precisely this version of him that made the lake in her heart ripple, never to be calm again.

That evening, Ye Qingxue went to the Instructor Hall to return a mission’s Jade Scroll.

The disciple managing the Jade Scrolls saw her and greeted her with a smile, "Junior Sister Ye, back to turn in another mission? You’re so diligent."

Ye Qingxue hummed a quiet assent and handed over the Jade Scroll.

As the disciple registered the scroll, he said casually, "Oh, by the way, Senior Brother Ye Shan accepted a mission a few days ago to wipe out an Evil Cultivator stronghold. He came back today."

Hearing this, Ye Qingxue subconsciously asked a question.

"His... mission, was it successful?"

The disciple let out a laugh and said, "Junior Sister, you’re overthinking it. We’re talking about Ye Shan. What could possibly happen to him?"

Ye Qingxue paused, slightly taken aback. ’That’s right, how could anything happen to him? She truly couldn’t imagine anything in this world that could ever stump him.’

She then shook her head, took back her token, and turned to leave.

As she reached the foot of Divine Sword Peak, she saw Ye Shan emerge from a bamboo forest in the distance.

He had changed into a clean set of green robes. His steps were light as he walked, and his face wore its usual expression.

Seeing this, Ye Qingxue stopped and watched him approach.

Ye Shan saw her too and broke into a grin. "Junior Sister Qingxue, what are you up to?"

"I heard you came back from your mission," Ye Qingxue said, her voice soft as she looked at him.

Ye Shan waved his hand dismissively. "It was nothing. Just a few Evil Cultivators with low Cultivation and even lower intelligence. I saw through their trap in a single glance."

He spoke of it nonchalantly.

"You..." She opened her mouth, wanting to tell him to be more careful next time.

But the words died on her lips, and she swallowed them back down.

She couldn’t say it.

She had never said such words of concern to anyone before.

Seeing her hesitate, Ye Shan blinked. "Junior Sister, are you about to ask me how the mission went and if I got hurt?"

He paused, a knowing look on his face. "Don’t worry. When I, Ye Shan, do something, I never let myself get the short end of the stick. Those Evil Cultivators are probably nothing but dust now."

Ye Qingxue looked at him, suddenly feeling a sense of helplessness.

’This man is always like this.’

’Always thinking he’s the best in the world, never taking danger seriously.’

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.

"Ye Shan," she said his name.

"Hm?"

"You..." She looked at him for a long time, but in the end, she still couldn’t say it. "Never mind."

With that, she turned and walked away.

Her steps were hurried, as if she were fleeing from something.

Ye Shan stood where he was, scratching his head as he watched her retreating figure.

"Strange," he muttered under his breath. "Junior Sister has been acting like this a lot lately, always stopping mid-sentence."

He then shook his head, didn’t give it much more thought, and turned toward his own small courtyard.

His green robes fluttered gently in the evening breeze, his figure as tall and straight as a pine.

Ye Qingxue returned to her residence, pushed open the door, and looked at the empty room.

’I can’t think about it anymore.’

She needed to be alone and clear her head.

A few days later, the Instructor Hall posted a mission to patrol the Array on the outskirts of South Slope Mountain.

The mission wasn’t difficult: just to inspect the Sect’s Defense Array on the outskirts of South Slope Mountain for any damage and, while there, clear out some Low Tier Demon Beasts.

Ye Qingxue accepted the mission.

She needed to be alone and clear her head.

Lately, the image of Ye Shan constantly filling her thoughts had left her flustered and distracted.

She wanted to get away from the sect for a while, to see if she could quiet her heart.

The weather was beautiful on the day of her departure.

Sunlight spilled through the clouds, brightly illuminating the mountain path.

With her sword on her back, Ye Qingxue walked alone along the mountain path.

She was meticulous in her inspection, carefully examining every Array Hub and recording the operational status of the Array.

The first few locations went smoothly. The Array was intact, with only a few minor cracks, which she mended with her Spiritual Power before moving on.

When she reached the fifth Array Hub, she stopped in her tracks.

The fluctuations of the Array here were abnormal.

She crouched down to carefully inspect the Spiritual Power patterns around the Array Hub.

The patterns were a mess, as if they had been forcefully damaged by something.

She frowned, stood up, and looked around warily.

The mountain forest was quiet, with only the rustling sound of wind blowing through the leaves.

Too quiet.

Abnormally quiet.