Jiang Wanyin walked to a clearing and stopped.
She glanced back down the mountain, the smile on her face vanishing almost instantly.
A hint of crimson stained the corners of her eyes—perhaps the wind at the peak was simply too strong.
"This is the place," she said.
Then she added, "Give it to me."
Understanding her meaning, Xu Xian silently retrieved a neatly folded, tattered sword robe from the Divine Sword Pool. Holding it with both hands, he lowered his gaze and said, "This is all that remains."
Jiang Wanyin took it, cradling it in her arms. Her gaze was withdrawn, but she suddenly looked up, squinting with a smile. "I told you before, I was picked up by someone when I was very young. The one who brought me back was my senior brother."
Xu Xian had already guessed as much.
He remained silent.
The wind picked up again.
Jiang Wanyin’s red dress lost its color in the blink of an eye. When she appeared again, she was dressed in plain, dustless white mourning robes.
She murmured softly, "To me, senior brother was my master, even more than a father. He had no descendants, so it is only right that I be the one to bury him."
Xu Xian’s throat tightened, his eyes downcast. "I will help you."
Jiang Wanyin did not refuse.
"Mhm!"
The youth used a sword to dig the grave; the girl found a stone to carve the inscription.
The girl buried the azure robe; the youth piled the earth high.
The youth stepped aside; the girl stood a sword at the head of the grave.
On it was written: [Tomb of Yun Zheng, First-Generation Disciple of Wendao Sect]
'Rising straight to the azure clouds, a life of greatness!'
The youth bowed to the sword stele.
The girl knelt and did not rise.
Jiang Wanyin said, "Senior brother once told me that if he died, the fewer people who knew about his burial, the better. In life, he retired to the Ancestral Peak; in death, he wished to be quietly buried at Guidao Slope. With you here, there are no more than three people. It shouldn't be considered crowded, yet it isn't too lonely either."
Xu Xian expressed his understanding.
"Go on. I want to stay with senior brother alone for a while."
Xu Xian hesitated for a moment before saying, "Senior Sister, please take care."
Jiang Wanyin did not respond. Xu Xian turned and began his descent.
Looking back every few steps, he eventually made his way down the mountain. After walking a short distance, he heard the faint sound of the girl sobbing behind him—like the whimpering of a young beast, a soft cry of grief.
The youth took a deep breath and sighed to himself.
'So even a saint can cry!'
He reached up to wipe a stray tear from his own eye and walked away.
As he passed the grass hut, he bowed once more. The occupant still had their eyes closed and gave no response.
Xu Xian left the mountain.
He took to his sword and departed the sect.
Crossing One Sword Gorge, he found Wen Qingxue.
Seeing Xu Xian return, Wen Qingxue asked impatiently, "Little Grand-Uncle, how did it go?"
Xu Xian did not hide anything and told her the truth.
Wen Qingxue nodded thoughtfully. "Sixth Patriarch considered everything thoroughly. Then, Little Grand-Uncle, please wait a few more days until the other Patriarchs and the Sect Master return before we discuss further."
Xu Xian smiled. "I know. Go ahead and get busy; I will take care of him."
Wen Qingxue refused. "I should stay and look after him. Little Grand-Uncle, you should return to the sect and attend to your own affairs."
Xu Xian politely declined. "I have nothing to be busy with. I can't help with the matters in the mountains anyway. On the other hand, you should head back quickly to help your Peak Master. The war has just settled, and the Demon-Slaying Army needs to be formed. He's likely overwhelmed by now."
Wen Qingxue felt that Xu Xian made sense. Regarding the matters of Zhijian Hall, she could indeed be of help.
However, she still teased, "Little Grand-Uncle usually doesn't get along with Peak Master Li, yet at a critical moment, you seem quite concerned about him?"
Xu Xian replied with an air of feigned seniority, "It can't be helped. I only have this one martial nephew. If I don't care for him, who will?"
Wen Qingxue smiled helplessly, bowed, and bid Xu Xian farewell.
"Then, Little Grand-Uncle, I consider my task of escorting you to Zhan Yao City complete. I shall take my leave."
"Go on."
After Wen Qingxue left, Xu Xian glanced at the sky. The sun was at its zenith; noon was approaching.
After all the back and forth, half a day had passed. He couldn't help but marvel at how time slipped through one's fingers.
Next, he truly did have his own business to attend to.
Yao Xiaoxiao’s illness needed to be treated.
The third floor of the Sword Tower still needed to be built.
But before that...
He pulled back his thoughts and fixed his gaze on the red-haired boy.
The most urgent matter was to settle things with this auspicious beast.
Before crossing the Longevity Bridge, Xu Xian needed to establish a contract with him.
Raising him was fine. Raising an ungrateful wolf was not.
Only by binding him with the Beast Control Seal could Xu Xian truly feel at ease.
However, there was a small problem. Although the Beast Control Seal was effective and Xu Xian had grasped its subtleties, it had one drawback: it required both the caster and the subject to be willing.
As the saying goes, 'a forced melon isn't sweet.'
Though Xu Xian didn't care about such things—whether it was sweet or not was another matter; he would twist it first and talk later.
He walked onto the deck and looked down at the boy.
The red-haired boy opened his eyes and slowly looked up.
"What?"
Xu Xian said nothing. He grabbed the iron chain and, with a few leaps, brought the boy to a deserted high peak.
The red-haired boy was dragged along like a dog. Every time the chain jerked, he felt a piercing pain.
When they landed on the mountain peak, his eyes grew redder and his anger intensified. Beneath his thin cheeks, sharp fangs began to show.
Xu Xian didn't mind. He tossed the boy onto the peak and sat down in front of him, not forgetting to straighten his wind-blown robes.
Sitting upright and looking exceptionally serious, he said, "I think you probably know why I brought you back."
"I can also understand the resistance and defiance in your heart."
"I don't even... mind if you hate me, resent me, or even want to kill me."
"That is only human nature."
"Though you are a beast, you have the appearance of a human."
"Though you are newly born, I expect you understand the malice of this world."
"You are innocent, but being born in this era, you cannot blame the Great Dao for being unfair."
"I am in the wrong, yet it is within reason..."
The red-haired boy’s gaze flickered, dimming and brightening in turns.
He did not deny it, nor did he speak.
Xu Xian added, "Blame it on the fact that you are too weak, and I am too strong."
Pausing for a moment, Xu Xian’s voice grew louder as he asked, "Enough nonsense. I ask you: do you want to live, or do you want to die?"
The red-haired boy stared fixedly at Xu Xian, gritting his teeth.
Xu Xian gave a disdainful smile and asked again, "Don't glare at me like that. I'm not joking. Life or death?"
The red-haired boy snapped, "That's a stupid question. Who would choose death if they could live?"
Having received the expected answer, Xu Xian continued, "Good. Since you want to live, I will show you a path—the only path."
"Speak."
Xu Xian got straight to the point. "I have a forbidden art called the Beast Control Seal. Have you heard of it?"
The red-haired boy was visibly stunned. The red light in his eyes seemed to clear slightly.
There was shock, and even more so, disbelief.
"The Beast Control Seal?"
"Yes," Xu Xian confirmed firmly.
The red-haired boy’s throat moved as he rasped, "How do you know that?"
Xu Xian narrowed his eyes slightly. It seemed his guess was correct; the creature before him was not as simple as a newly born auspicious beast. It was highly likely that his bloodline contained certain memories from a previous life or predecessor.
But that wasn't important right now.
He said calmly, "You don't need to know how I know it. But since you can ask that, you likely know its origins, which saves me the breath of explaining. In short: enter a contract with me, and I will let you live. For the rest of your life, I shall protect you..."
The red-haired boy lowered his head, falling into a brief silence.
Xu Xian waited patiently.
After a long while, the red-haired boy looked up and said firmly, "Fine. I agree!"
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