11 Come, let us gaze upon the moon.

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Recently, Fu Qin had been feeling that her junior sister was acting strangely. She seemed unusually fond of spending time with Jiang Xuan—whether discussing the Dao, practicing swordsmanship, or competing. Though her face showed reluctance, her actions were inseparable from his. Fu Qin didn’t understand this, but she decided to intervene.

Cui Huai, twitching as if possessed, always debated the Dao with Jiang Xuan, so she insisted on joining them. Cui Huai was willing to eat dirt and practice swordplay again at Yellow Sand Slope with Jiang Xuan, so she joined in the training. Cui Huai repeatedly defeated Jiang Xuan in competitions, and she rescued him from danger, sparred with him letting him win occasionally, then challenged Cui Huai herself, with wins and losses evenly matched.

Their study group of three gradually expanded. The second senior sister also joined, and the fifth junior brother strongly requested to watch. The private meetings between Cui Huai and Jiang Xuan unknowingly transformed into a grand gathering for the sect.

Cui Huai remarked, “Does Fu Qin have some mental problem? She clearly doesn’t want to be with me; can’t she see that?”

Growing frustrated, she asked the system, “In your male-oriented story, is Fu Qin a villain or just cannon fodder? Why is she so annoying?”

The system replied, “She’s not in the male-oriented plot. In the original story, this sect only had four people: Master Qing Yan, Master Le You, Jiang Xuan, and Zhao Zhixu.”

“Then where did Fu Qin and Zhu Yu come from?”

If the system had a physical form, it probably would have rolled its eyes at Cui Huai: “I was curious before and used my divine sight to investigate. It turns out it’s all because of you.”

Cui Huai was puzzled and asked why it was her fault.

The system said, “Ha, it’s not even because you dropped the signpost. They were all supposed to go to the Lost Traces Pavilion.”

Learning that Fu Qin was a huge problem she had personally caused, Cui Huai longed to have a time-reversal technique to nail that signboard firmly so that Fu Qin, this troublemaker, could be sent back where she came from.

“Do you know who Fu Qin really is?” That third senior brother looked young, a cultivator of magic arts, yet his swordsmanship was extraordinary and his background rich—he was likely the scion of some prestigious family.

The system answered decisively, “I don’t know.”

When Cui Huai doubted this, it answered boldly, “I am just a system, not omniscient. I only know the original storyline and some things happening around the host.”

What a useless thing—it probably only served to limit her own abilities.

Cui Huai knew Cui Huai’s clinging to Jiang Xuan was because of missions. Besides the simple “Common Language” task, the system had given Cui Huai another: “Growing Affection Over Time.” In short, she had to spend more one-on-one time with Jiang Xuan.

Due to Fu Qin’s sabotage, progress stalled, and Cui Huai had no good way to deal with her for now.

She had to be Jiang Xuan’s shadow while trying hard to shake off Fu Qin, who was her shadow too. This strategy was far harder than cultivation.

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Cui Huai could only sneak away to steal some moments alone.

Under the misty night sky, with the moon hanging high, she and Jiang Xuan crouched among the wild grass on the back mountain. Jiang Xuan asked, puzzled, “Junior sister, why did you choose this time and place to meet me?”

Naturally, it was because Fu Qin was inside the house, and this place was secluded enough that Fu Qin wouldn’t find them anytime soon.

“Because last time I admired the moon here and had a sudden insight in cultivation, I wanted to share this secret with senior brother.”

“Then why not call everyone to come and progress together?” Jiang Xuan’s eyes sparkled with sincerity as he looked at Cui Huai.

Those words made Cui Huai lose focus. Before she became the Spirit Flame Sword Sovereign, she had endured many scheming days in the Boundless Sect. The world’s greatest sect was fiercely competitive; from a single incantation to various secret realm qualifications, if something could be monopolized, it would never be shared.

She had always been cautious, walking on thin ice.

She listened attentively in class because missing even one crucial phrase meant no one would remind her.

Before contests, she never ate, unsure if the food was laced with poisons that could disrupt one’s spiritual energy.

In secret realms, after dealing with external enemies, fellow disciples became the greatest threats.

Cui Huai was not skilled in strategy; all she could do was grip her sword tightly.

Be stronger. Stronger still.

Before absolute strength, others’ schemes and insults could be cut down with a sword.

But Jiang Xuan was different. Whenever he discovered something good, he would ask if others had it, and if not, he shared it immediately.

He was a rare fool and a kind person in the cultivation world.

Because of this, despite knowing that killing him would cause the system to disappear due to task failure, Cui Huai felt compassion and could not bring herself to do it.

She wanted to rid herself of the system but didn’t want to wield the sword against an innocent.

“This moonlit enlightenment can’t have many people—one at a time. Today I brought you; next time, I’ll bring others.” Cui Huai had lost count of how many times she had lied to Jiang Xuan.

“Alright. Junior sister, it’s too troublesome to bring everyone one by one. I’ll try to have insights myself so that next time I can bring people and share the burden with you.”

As before, he foolishly believed her and earnestly looked up at the moon.

He raised his head, eyes wide open, unwilling to blink even as tears welled up. After a moment, he blinked, and tears slid down his cheeks.

“Junior sister, I think I’ve realized something.”

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“What?” This whole trip was just Cui Huai’s nonsense. Even she didn’t know what he had actually realized.

Jiang Xuan choked up and said, “It expresses the author’s homesickness.”

Cui Huai: “...”

What nonsense! So the faint sense of emotion just now was an illusion after all.

***

The next morning, Jiang Xuan missed class. This time, the excuse was no longer oversleeping, forgetting to come, or not learning the last incantation well.

“Your senior brother suddenly had an enlightenment last night,” Master Qing Yan said. “I’ve set up a formation in his room. He’ll likely be in seclusion for ten days to half a month. You needn’t worry; he should improve one or two realms when he emerges.”

He praised Cui Huai: “Before he went into seclusion, your senior brother expressly thanked you, saying that your contribution was the greatest in his enlightenment.”

While everyone congratulated Jiang Xuan, Cui Huai was bewildered.

So that boy really saw through it yesterday? He wasn’t just babbling nonsense?

The system spoke in Cui Huai’s mind, “Of course. I said Long Aotian is no ordinary person. He can become very strong, just lacking some磨炼 (refinement or tempering).”

Cui Huai, who had never been very interested in the story’s plot, surprisingly asked, “What’s Jiang Xuan’s ending in the story?”

“He becomes as strong as you once were.”

Cui Huai was less concerned with strength than usual: “So in the end, is he alone too?”

“Yes. High places are lonely; those at the peak often walk alone. You, having been through it, should understand.”

Cui Huai shook her head: “I see. Then he really isn’t much.”

He had such earnest eyes, yet in the end, became like her.

Because she was once that strong, standing alone at the top. She knew deeply that such strength was not something to be rejoiced over. Now Jiang Xuan lived so carefree, getting excited over trivial things the size of a fingernail. In that story, he would only be lonelier than her.

She had no choice; as a powerless lamb to the slaughter, she had to walk the solitary path step by step. But what had led Jiang Xuan to that fate?

He clearly had a sect, filled with friends and family, a hometown he missed even across the moonlight. How did he end up the same as her?