Cultivating Immortality, Starting from Childhood Sweethearts

“Where are you going that’s so dangerous?”

Wu Yanhan’s eyes locked onto Xu Ming, her expression unusually serious.

Xu Ming was someone who deeply disliked troubling others unless he had no other choice. Normally, he would never bring Shen Shengsheng over to have someone else take care of her without a good reason.

The most likely explanation was that Xu Ming was heading to a dangerous place. A place where he felt he couldn’t ensure Shengsheng’s safety, so he entrusted her to someone he trusted—Wu Yanhan.

“Da-dangerous…”

Hearing this cold elder sister’s words, Shen Shengsheng was startled. Her small hand gripped the hem of Xu Ming’s clothes even tighter.

“There’s nothing dangerous about it. Don’t listen to your sister Yanhan’s nonsense,” Xu Ming said, patting Shen Shengsheng on the head.

Over the past few days, Xu Ming had noticed that patting Shengsheng’s head was becoming a habit. He even joked to himself that he might rub her hair bald at this rate. But he didn’t entirely blame himself—whenever Shengsheng accomplished something or wanted a reward, she would run up to him and present her little head, clearly enjoying the gesture.

“Shengsheng, don’t worry. Xu-gege (Big Brother) is just going to visit a friend,” Xu Ming explained. “But this friend of mine lives far away, and the road is filled with poisonous gases. Those gases don’t bother me, but Shengsheng is still young and it wouldn’t be safe for you. Besides, my friend is a bit of a loner and doesn’t like meeting new people. So, Xu-gege can only let you stay with Sister Yanhan for a while.”

“P-poison?” Shen Shengsheng still seemed skeptical, feeling as though her big brother was making excuses.

“It’s true.” Xu Ming crouched down, his gaze meeting Shengsheng’s. “When has Xu-gege ever lied to you? Don’t you trust me?”

“I-I trust…” Shen Shengsheng nodded heavily. “B-but… come b-back early.”

“Don’t worry,” Xu Ming comforted her. “As soon as I’m done, I’ll come back to pick you up. While I’m gone, make sure to listen to Sister Yanhan, okay?”

“Okay…” Shen Shengsheng nodded her head again.

“Hmph,” Wu Yanhan muttered under her breath, pouting slightly. “You’re quite skilled at coaxing little girls, aren’t you?”

Xu Ming looked up. “What did you just say, Yanhan?”

“Nothing!” Wu Yanhan turned her head away.

“…” Xu Ming felt that something seemed off with Yanhan these past two days.

“Anyway, I’ll leave Shengsheng in your care. That’s not a problem, right?” Xu Ming asked, standing up.

Wu Yanhan squinted at him. “Taking care of Shengsheng is fine, but are you sure you’ll be okay?”

“I’ll be fine,” Xu Ming assured her. “When have I ever lied to you? If anything, it’s you who hid your identity for so long.”

“Hmph,” Wu Yanhan scoffed, turning away. “You never asked me. Why would I tell you anything unprompted?”

“…” Xu Ming admitted she had a point.

Back then, everyone thought Wu Yanhan was a bit strange, but no one had asked her directly because they figured it wouldn’t help. Besides, even if he had asked, would she really have told him? Not necessarily.

“Come back soon,” Wu Yanhan said coldly. “If not, I’ll assume you’re dead.”

Having faced countless life-and-death missions together during their time in the Blood Asura Battalion, they weren’t strangers to separation. But this time felt different—it carried an undertone of finality.

Xu Ming smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ll return as soon as I can.”

“Why?” Wu Yanhan suddenly asked, her question seemingly coming out of nowhere.

Xu Ming was taken aback. “Why what?”

Wu Yanhan’s gaze flickered slightly, betraying a hint of guilt. “Why did you leave Shengsheng in my care? Why didn’t you go to that Western Saintess friend of yours? She seems to have a pretty good impression of you.”

Xu Ming: “…”

“Didn’t I already explain? My relationship with her is purely one of mutual benefit. To call us ‘friends’ would be a stretch, let alone entrusting Shengsheng to her care. How could I possibly do that?” Xu Ming had a sneaking suspicion that Yanhan might still be holding a grudge from yesterday when he didn’t help her deal with Mo Zhuer.

“Fine, fine. I was just saying. Why do you look a little guilty, though?” She waved it off, her expression softening considerably.

“…”

To be fair, Xu Ming did feel a little guilty, but was it that obvious? Did he really wear his heart on his sleeve?

“Give me an exact time. How long will you be gone?” Wu Yanhan asked.

Shengsheng also looked up expectantly, waiting for her big brother’s answer.

Waiting without a set time is always the hardest.

Xu Ming glanced at Wu Yanhan, then at Shengsheng. Somehow, he felt like a husband being interrogated by his wife and daughter about when he’d return from a trip.

“Five days at most,” Xu Ming finally said.

In truth, Xu Ming wasn’t entirely sure if he could return within five days. But to reassure them, he felt he needed to set a timeline. He resolved to do everything in his power to meet that deadline.

“Alright,” Wu Yanhan said. “I’ll give you five days. I hope this won’t be the first time you lie to me.”

“I’ll do my best,” Xu Ming thought to himself.

“I’m heading out now. Shengsheng’s appetite is pretty big, so make sure the Tianxuan Sect disciples deliver extra food for her,” Xu Ming reminded her.

Wu Yanhan rolled her eyes. “Do you really think I’d let her go hungry?”

Xu Ming chuckled. “Fair enough.”

“Xu-gege is leaving now, Shengsheng. Make sure to stay close to Sister Yanhan and don’t wander off,” Xu Ming said, saying his goodbyes and repeating his instructions.

Shengsheng nodded reluctantly, her reluctance clear in her expression.

Xu Ming stepped back, clasped his hands, and bowed toward Wu Yanhan—a gesture of both farewell and gratitude. Then he turned and flew off into the sky. Wu Yanhan and Shengsheng watched as his figure grew smaller and smaller, eventually disappearing into a tiny black dot on the horizon. Only then did they both slowly withdraw their gazes.

The courtyard was now left with just Wu Yanhan and Shengsheng.

Shengsheng glanced nervously at the cold elder sister beside her, a slight unease creeping into her heart.

Wu Yanhan, for her part, was at a loss.

She had never dealt with children before, let alone a unique girl like Shengsheng. Now that she was responsible for her, how was she supposed to take care of her? Shengsheng seemed quite afraid of her.

Am I really that scary?

“Should I try smiling?” Wu Yanhan thought to herself.

Facing Shengsheng, Wu Yanhan tried to lift the corners of her lips into a smile.

But her forced smile only made Shengsheng take an unconscious step back.

Wu Yanhan: “…”

“How old are you?” Wu Yanhan crouched down and asked Shengsheng.

Shengsheng answered timidly, “B-baite an’ a haf.”

“Eight and a half?” Wu Yanhan confirmed.

Shengsheng nodded.

“What do you usually do with Xu Ming?” Wu Yanhan tried to understand the little girl’s interests.

“Look at ahnts,” Shengsheng said.

“Looking at ants, huh?” Wu Yanhan gradually got used to Shengsheng’s pronunciation. “What about Xu Ming? Doesn’t he play with you?”

Shengsheng replied, “He does… sometimes.”

“What do you two usually play?” Wu Yanhan asked curiously.

In her opinion, Xu Ming was a rather boring person. What could he possibly play with Shengsheng?

“Look at th-thars,” Shengsheng replied.

“Looking at stars? Anything else?”

“Storytelling.”

“What kind of stories?”

“Just… just…”

Shengsheng lowered her little head, struggling to find the words. She wanted to share the stories her big brother had told her, but she didn’t know how to explain them.

Wu Yanhan noticed Shengsheng frowning, looking troubled, so she changed the subject.

“It’s okay. You can tell me slowly in the future,” Wu Yanhan said gently. “Do you want to practice martial arts?”

“Practice… martial arts?” Shengsheng blinked her big sparkling eyes.

Wu Yanhan nodded. “Yes, like punching and swordsmanship. If you practice well, you can protect yourself and others. If Shengsheng becomes strong, your Xu-gege might even take you along with him, and you could protect him too.”

Shengsheng’s eyes lit up, and she nodded enthusiastically like a little chick pecking at grain. “Yes! Shengsheng… wants to practice… wants to protect Xu-gege!”

“Good~” Wu Yanhan’s lips curved into a faint smile.

Shengsheng stared at the elder sister’s smile, her guard softening significantly. So this big sister’s smile is actually so beautiful…

In another part of the sect, a few disciples of the Wanjian Sect were chatting amongst themselves.

“Hey, don’t you think Martial Aunt Xu has been a bit gloomy lately?”

“Yeah, ever since we arrived at Tianxuan Sect, she hasn’t seemed very happy.”

“No, no, it’s not just since we got here. To be precise, she’s been even more silent since she heard that her younger brother had arrived.”

“Do you think they don’t get along?”

“That can’t be it. Martial Aunt Xu was only a kid when she came to Wanjian Sect. Even if there were childhood grudges, who would still hold onto that now?”

“You’d be surprised. I still remember when a neighbor kid stole my sweets when I was six!”

“Martial Aunt Xu isn’t as petty as you are.”

“Alright, alright. Their sibling matters are none of our business to speculate about.”

“By the way, what’s Martial Aunt Xu doing right now?”

“No idea. Probably practicing swordsmanship?”

“She said she was just going to wander around Tianxuan Sect.”

While the disciples were chatting, Xu Xuenuo stood alone before a waterfall on one of the peaks of Tianxuan Sect.

Before her, the waterfall cascaded down like a silver river, its roaring sound echoing through the mountains and forest.

In front of the waterfall lay a stone. Xu Xuenuo stood on the stone with her eyes closed, holding a slender, translucent sword in her hand.

The sword’s name was Qingming.

The sounds of the falling water, flowing streams, and chirping birds filled her ears.

Xu Xuenuo attuned herself to her surroundings. Then, in an instant, she opened her eyes, raised her sword horizontally in front of her, and casually swung it forward.

The swing seemed slow, but her motion was imperceptible to the eye.

In the next moment, the waterfall before her split cleanly in two.

It was as if the waterfall were a white curtain, neatly severed by Xu Xuenuo’s strike. The rocky wall behind the water was now clearly visible, yet not a single scratch marred its surface.

For a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl, her mastery of sword energy had reached a level that most sword cultivators couldn’t attain in a lifetime.

Xu Xuenuo sheathed her natal flying sword.

The waterfall instantly returned to normal, as though nothing had happened.

Satisfied with her training for the day, Xu Xuenuo turned and began walking back toward the guest peaks.

Suddenly, Xu Xuenuo’s sword began to hum softly, as if resonating with something unseen.

Xu Xuenuo pressed her hand against the trembling blade, turned around, and looked up at the distant sky.

“Where do you want to go?” she asked her sword.

The Qingming Sword quivered even more intensely in response.

“I understand.”

Xu Xuenuo realized what her natal sword was trying to convey. Following its guidance, she took off and headed toward an unknown destination.

She didn’t know where the Qingming Sword was leading her, but since the sword had first developed sentience, this was the first time it had reacted so strongly.

Eventually, the Qingming Sword brought Xu Xuenuo to the base of a towering mountain.

The mountain stood tall, over three hundred zhang in height. At its peak, three enormous boulders jutted out, and the entire mountain exuded an overwhelming aura of sword energy.

Xu Xuenuo didn’t recognize the place, but through her sword, she could sense a sharp and potent sword essence hidden within the mountain. Surrounding the peak, a protective array shimmered faintly, enclosing the entire area.

She descended slowly and landed at the base of the mountain. Standing before it, Xu Xuenuo swung a streak of sword energy toward one of the boulders atop the peak.

Before her attack could land, the protective array activated, obliterating her sword energy in an instant.

The Qingming Sword quivered even more fervently, as if it were an excited girl yearning for a beautiful dress.

“You really want to go in, don’t you?” Xu Xuenuo asked.

The sword hummed again.

“Alright then.” Xu Xuenuo smirked, her expression brimming with confidence. “Let’s take a look!”

With those words, Xu Xuenuo swung her sword downward in a single, unassuming slash.

Despite its simplicity, the ferocious sword energy she unleashed was akin to a rampaging tiger, shattering the spiritual energy in the air and tearing toward the protective array around the mountain.

The array trembled under her attack, and a small crack appeared in its surface.

Though the gap was small, Xu Xuenuo’s movements became ethereal, almost as though she were traversing between two worlds.

She took a single step forward and passed effortlessly through the opening.

On the other side of the mountain, Xu Ming, who had just discovered a field of vibrant phoenix flowers, suddenly paused and looked up.

“Who’s that? Such powerful sword energy…”

Meanwhile, at the main peak of Tianxuan Sect, Sect Master Xia He, who had been meditating in the courtyard, felt the disturbance as the array on the mountain was breached. His eyes snapped open in shock.

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