TDSDE 8

8. Falling Out

Only then did Bai Yuanxiu remember—when the two of them had fought earlier, they had practically turned the house upside down. It went without saying that the jujubes, covered only by a thin cloth, must have been scattered everywhere.

For some reason, an image flashed through Bai Yuanxiu’s mind: Xiao Qing crouched in the wreckage, picking up the scattered dates one by one. Suddenly, his chest tightened as if stuffed with cotton soaked in ice water.

He wanted to say, Don’t bother, they’re all broken and dirty—inedible now. But though his lips moved several times, no sound came out.

Just then, Xiao Qing shot him a glance. “Why are you still here?”

The look was full of disdain. Then, Xiao Qing turned away, folding his arms. “You already wrecked my place not long ago. Are you planning to destroy this one too?”

His tone was far from pleasant, carrying the same razor-sharp sarcasm he’d always used as the Left Protector. He lifted a hand, fingers pressed together as if flicking away dust. “Can’t be bothered to fight you. Get lost.”

A surge of inexplicable anger rose in Bai Yuanxiu. He snorted loudly and stomped out of the bamboo hut. Only after trudging a good distance did it hit him—Wasn’t I supposed to be apologizing to him?

The memory of those battered jujubes resurfaced. Muttering a curse under his breath, Bai Yuanxiu, still clad in his white robes, leaped down from Yunhua Mountain.

The Right Protector had vanished again. But given that his prolonged absences from the sect were the norm, the Demonic Sect members barely batted an eye. However, one member of the Vermilion Bird Hall let out a despairing groan.

When asked why, it turned out that after news spread of the Demonic Sect’s relocation to Yunhua Mountain, various martial sects had expressed their eagerness to “join the celebration.” Among them were many who had previously been beaten up by the Right Protector—they had now sent him letters full of threats.

Upon hearing this, the White Tiger Hall Master sighed. “I wonder how the Yunhua Sect Leader will handle this.”

The Vermilion Bird Hall Master, busy sorting through her chests of hairpins and jewelry, didn’t even look up. “This is going to be fun.”

They all knew that this so-called “celebration” was really just an excuse to size up the competition.

Yunhua Mountain was a unique place—it had always been the territory of the foremost orthodox faction in the martial world.

It wasn’t that the top sword sect had arbitrarily named itself the “Yunhua Sect.” Rather, it was because their strength was unmatched, allowing them to reside on Yunhua Mountain, that they were called the Yunhua Sect.

Now that the Yunhua Sect had handed over half the mountain to the Demon Sect, the orthodox sects were none too pleased. They undoubtedly planned to use this opportunity to gauge the Yunhua Sect’s current strength. If the Yunhua Sect was no longer up to par, well—time to replace them.

As for the sects labeled as “heretical,” they were purely there to watch the orthodox factions make fools of themselves.

—

Three days later, just as Bai Yuanxiu reached the foot of Yunhua Mountain, a middle-aged man with a thick beard called out to him, “Hero Bai! It really is you!”

The moment he heard that title, Bai Yuanxiu knew trouble was coming. He glanced over and saw, standing not far from the bearded man, a lanky young man, an elderly woman, and a little girl. The child ran up to him, tilting her head back with a sweet smile. “Big brother! We get to play together again!”

The thin young man also stared at Bai Yuanxiu, his cheeks flushing slightly. “Brother Bai, are you here for the martial gathering too?”

Bai Yuanxiu, who had been about to take a step back, froze.

What gathering?

The bearded man laughed heartily. “Why even ask? Hero Bai’s reputation is soaring—of course he’d be invited!”

After listening for a while, Bai Yuanxiu finally pieced it together. Upon hearing that various sects were coming to “celebrate” the move, the Yunhua Sect—occupying the other half of the mountain—had proposed: Since you’re all here, let’s fight.

The sects, already eager to assess the Yunhua Sect’s current strength, saw this as an opportunity. They happily agreed and rushed to Yunhua Mountain without delay.

But this time, aside from the sects, the Yunhua Sect had also invited renowned heroes listed on the Mysterious Talents Ranking. The people before Bai Yuanxiu were all top names from that very ranking.

Yet that wasn’t the pressing issue right now!

Bai Yuanxiu shot a glance at the disguised Vermilion Bird Hall member selling dumplings nearby. Seeing the sly grin on her face, he felt his vision darken.

This is bad.

“HAHAHA—” The Azure Dragon Hall Master roared with laughter, slapping his thigh so hard it echoed—thwack, thwack—painfully loud.

The White Tiger Hall Master silently pushed the hand away. “Brother Ye, you’re hitting my leg.”

Bai Yuanxiu clicked his tongue. “Alright, enough. Keep laughing like that and you’ll pass out.”

Ye Nanxun switched to slapping his own leg this time, wincing at the sting, but he couldn’t resist adding, “Who would’ve thought? Our Right Protector, a hero?”

The White Tiger Hall Master spread the register on the table, frowning. “What do we do now?”

Right Protector Bai Yuanxiu was never around. When they’d first compiled the list, they hadn’t known he was the famed “Hero Bai.” Now, the martial gathering’s register listed both the Hero Bai and the Right Protector. They couldn’t exactly split Bai Yuanxiu in two, could they?

The Black Tortoise Hall Master, who had been quietly eating an orange in the corner, spoke up abruptly: “Ye Nanxun isn’t competing anyway.”

Everyone’s eyes turned in unison toward him, and Ye Nanxun, the Azure Dragon Hall Master, abruptly stopped laughing.

Right! The identities of the Left and Right Protectors were a complete mystery to everyone except the sect leader. Even the hall masters didn’t know the details, let alone outsiders.

—

Meanwhile, on the other side of Yunhua Mountain, in a corner of the battered bamboo forest, a simple bamboo hut stood alone. A fiery red figure leaned against the window, peering inside with curiosity. “What’s got you so happy?”

A young man dressed in white, his hair loosely tied with a silk ribbon, fiddled with a plump, round jujube. “Nothing.”

The blue cloth bag beneath the jujubes was still slightly damp, matching the wet imprint by the window.

The Vermilion Bird Hall Master blinked, then hopped over to Xiao Qing in two or three steps. “Where’d you get jujubes this season? Let me try one!”

Xiao Qing didn’t even turn his head. “No.”

“Stingy,” she pouted, staring at Xiao Qing’s face for a long moment before her eyes slowly widened. “Wait—don’t tell me these are from that sweetheart you mentioned before!”

Xiao Qing’s fingers stilled. He said nothing.

“Well, well,” the woman in red, radiant as a blooming flower, grinned. “To actually get something delivered all the way here—they must have some skill.”

The Vermilion Bird Hall Master’s eyes curved with amusement, lending her youthful face an almost motherly warmth. “Didn’t you say last time you’d bring them to the sect? When they come, remember to give me a heads-up.”

Xiao Qing’s fingers trembled slightly, but in the end, he replied, “Alright.”

With the martial gathering approaching, the Vermilion Bird Hall Master, responsible for intelligence, had plenty to do and soon took her leave.

Silence returned to the hut. Xiao Qing stared blankly at the small cabinet in the corner, lost in thought. After a long while, he finally picked up a jujube and placed it in his mouth, chewing slowly.

—

The martial gathering was a grand spectacle. The Yunhua Sect was swamped, running off their feet, while on the other half of the mountain, the Demonic Sect disciples lounged like well-fed cats, their laziness almost irritating to behold.

Bai Yuanxiu flashed a row of white teeth in a cheery grin as he addressed the Yunhua Sect Leader. “I’m not going.”

Dressed in violet robes, ethereal as a celestial maiden, Sect Leader Zi Yuan smirked coldly. “Oh? Should I tell everyone about that little gentleman of yours, then?”

Bai Yuanxiu’s eyes bulged. “You’re shameless!”

Zi Yuan lifted her chin. “Not as much as you.”

The Yunhua Sect was no pushover, of course, and had uncovered the connection between Bai Yuanxiu and the famed “Bai Swordsman.” And in the process, they’d stumbled upon something interesting.

Over the past three years of the Bai Swordsman’s exploits in the martial world, a beautiful young man in white had been by his side more often than not—gentle, delicate, and clearly close to the swordsman.

Yet now, Bai Yuanxiu was conspicuously alone. There had to be a story there.

Out of courtesy, Zi Yuan hadn’t dug deeper. But judging by Bai Yuanxiu’s reaction, either he’d hidden the young man away, or the two had fallen out and gone their separate ways.

Either way, the identity and whereabouts of that pretty gentleman were secrets Bai Yuanxiu was desperate to keep. Otherwise, given his status as a Demonic Sect protector, who knew what trouble might follow?

Half an hour later, thoroughly cornered, Bai Yuanxiu sprawled on a daybed, lazily flicking a fruit pit. Clang! The pit struck a short sword, the impact so strong the wielder—a young girl—staggered.

“Too high.”

Hearing his half-hearted critique, the girl threw her sword to the ground, its purple tassel swaying. “I quit!”

“Perfect,” Bai Yuanxiu stood, flashing a brilliantly fake smile. “Be sure to tell your master the truth—you didn’t want to practice, not that I refused to teach.”

He stretched, ready to return to the Demonic Sect’s side of the mountain for a nap, when the girl bent down, picked up her sword, and began swinging it in furious strokes.

Defeated, Bai Yuanxiu sat back down. As he watched, the girl’s figure blurred, replaced by another.

He could almost see that young man in close-fitting martial attire, lifting his sword in a thrust, glancing up to ask, “Yuanxiu, is this form right?”

Bai Yuanxiu shook his head, trying to dispel the memory. But his mind refused to obey. Bathed in the winter afternoon sun, his thoughts drifted inexorably back to the summer of the previous year.

By then, they’d known each other for exactly a year since their first meeting. Bai Yuanxiu, nursing unspoken feelings, had wanted to take the young man to Drunken Immortal Shade—a renowned restaurant famous throughout the empire.

The owner of Drunken Immortal Shade made his name with the “Three River Delicacies” and later opened this restaurant, where he still personally cooks those three dishes.

But since he was the only one who cooked them, the restaurant accepted only thirty customers a day—no reservations, no holds. Anyone beyond that had to line up again the next day.

Back then, Bai Yuanxiu, worried the sun would bother Xiao Qing, had found him an inn to rest in while he waited outside the Drunken Immortal Shade alone.

Yet even as the sun climbed high, the owner still hadn’t appeared.

Then, the hot-tempered man at the front of the line shoved past the waiter and barged inside. Half a breath later, a bloodcurdling scream tore through the air.