Moonlight on the Sword - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

My newly revived body was still extremely weak.

I lay in bed for three days before I finally felt a little more at ease.

Over those three days, not a single person came to visit me.

The comments laughed gleefully.

[Well, well, well. If it isn’t our beloved white moonlight everyone adores. How did you end up this pathetic?]

[The female supporting character still doesn’t know. That day, Master saw at a glance that all her spiritual power was gone. The moment he walked out, he breathed a sigh of relief and immediately shared the good news with the entire sect.]

[Now everyone knows the female supporting character is crippled. If she had any sense, she’d get out on her own instead of stubbornly staying here and making everyone sick of her.]

I looked at the screen full of mockery.

My brows furrowed slightly.

Then I decided to go outside for some air.

On the road, I ran into several junior brothers and sisters.

The moment each of them saw me, their eyes lit up, and they asked with concern how my recovery was going.

But after a few more words, they all made excuses that they still had things to do and had to leave first.

They also reminded me that Xuanchen and Xuanwei were handling all the sect’s affairs.

All I needed to do was rest and recuperate at Zhuju Residence.

Something was wrong.

I kept feeling that they were hiding something from me.

[Sigh, the female supporting character really has no sense at all. Isn’t this just them despising her for being useless, but being too embarrassed to drive her away outright?]

[Anyone with skin even a little thinner would already know to pack up and get lost.]

[Does she have to see with her own eyes that everyone is on darling girl’s side and humiliate herself before she’ll leave?]

[I really want her to know that the master and junior brother she’s been thinking about so obsessively are currently teaching darling girl swordsmanship hand in hand.]

[Oh, right. The sword darling girl is using is the female supporting character’s old Qingming Sword.]

[She nearly died over and over again and nourished it with her heart’s blood for forty-nine days before the sword spirit agreed to form a contract with her. But darling girl didn’t do a thing, and the Qingming Sword automatically acknowledged her as its master.]

[She’s lost all her spiritual power, been abandoned by her fellow disciples, and even her bonded sword looks down on her. What right does the female supporting character have to compare herself to darling girl, who is loved by everyone?]

My expression darkened.

In my heart, I called out softly several times, “Qingming.”

There was no response.

I was a sword cultivator.

To a sword cultivator, a bonded sword meant everything.

Ever since my revival, I had tried countless times to summon the Qingming Sword.

Not once had it responded.

I had thought I failed because I had lost all my spiritual power.

But now, it seemed…

Following the comments’ directions, I walked to the peach grove on the back mountain.

Amid a rain of petals drifting through the sky, Xuanwei held the Qingming Sword.

Innocent and carefree, she whined coquettishly.

“Master, Senior Brother, I’m so tired.

“Can we not practice swordsmanship today?”

Master, who was usually flippant and utterly lacking in dignity despite his age, was now patiently guiding her.

“Good disciple, once your master is gone in a hundred years, our sect will be handed over to you sooner or later.

“Every bit of hardship you endure today, every drop of sweat you shed…

“You will see the rewards in the future.”

Xuanchen was clumsy with words, but he said earnestly,

“Little Junior Sister, however long you practice, I’ll keep you company for just as long.

“When two people share the burden, it won’t feel so difficult.”

The Qingming Sword trembled faintly.

As if it, too, were encouraging Xuanwei.

So she pouted and nodded.

“All right, then I’ll practice a little longer today.”

[Ahhh, darling girl really is beautiful and hardworking. Who wouldn’t fall for her?]

[I already told the female supporting character not to humiliate herself. Now she’ll behave, won’t she?]

[White Moonlight Sis is still pretending to be calm. She’s probably going crazy with jealousy inside!]

Sensing my arrival, all three of them looked somewhat surprised.

Xuanwei politely called me Senior Sister.

Master and Xuanchen, however, both looked guilty and didn’t dare meet my eyes.

I swept a cold gaze over them, then looked at the sword in Xuanwei’s hand.

“Qingming, come here.”

There was no movement at all.

[Hahaha, now this is what you call the self-cultivation of a white moonlight. Even at this point, the female supporting character is still pretending.]

[The Qingming Sword doesn’t want a useless master with no spiritual power.]

[Hello? Did you not hear me? I said the Qingming Sword doesn’t want a useless master with no spiritual power.]

Is that so?

I raised a brow.

That was not up to it.

The contract Qingming and I had formed was a blood pact, tying our lives together.

Unless I died, it would forever be my sword.

Expressionless, I removed the dagger at my waist.

Then I aimed it at my heart and stabbed it in viciously.

In that instant, Master and Xuanchen rushed toward me at the same time.

“Xuanheng-”

“Senior Sister-”

They didn’t even notice that they had knocked Xuanwei to the ground.