Chapter 65: Still Missing a Knife

At the entrance of the Sword Hall, an elderly man in his sixties, holding a cane, sat drowsily with half-closed eyes.

Ning Changjiu walked up and knocked on the table.

The old man slightly raised his eyelids, glanced at him, and asked, "What do you need?"

"Lu Jiajia asked me to pick up a wooden plaque," Ning Changjiu replied.

"Lu Jiajia... who's that?" The old man thought for a moment, scratched his head, then suddenly widened his eyes in surprise. "How dare you call the acting peak master by her given name?"

Ning Changjiu nodded. "Yes, she told me to."

The old man sized him up. "I just heard some commotion outside. Did the Peak Master bring back another disciple?"

"That's my junior sister," Ning Changjiu said.

"Where is your junior sister?" the old man asked.

"She's currently in the Sword Hall, performing the apprenticeship ceremony with Lu Jiajia," Ning Changjiu replied.

The old man was surprised again. "An inner disciple?"

Ning Changjiu nodded. "My junior sister has excellent talent, so it's only natural for her to be accepted as an inner disciple."

The old man scrutinized him again, then suddenly chuckled. "No wonder you're calling the Peak Master by her given name. So, it's because your junior sister was accepted as an inner disciple, but you're only a nominal one, and you're feeling resentful."

"..." Ning Changjiu explained, "She told me not to call her 'Miss Lu,' so I just called her by her name."

The old man was taken aback, then gave a thumbs-up. "You really have a death wish, don't you?"

Ning Changjiu frowned. "Is that Miss Lu... I mean, the Peak Master, usually very fierce?"

The old man thought for a moment. "Five years ago, that girl was still very gentle and amiable. But ever since the old master passed away, and with this lineage struggling to find successors, she had to take on this heavy responsibility across a generation. Since then, she's become cold, reclusive, and rarely smiles. What can she do? A kind person gets taken advantage of, so she has no choice but to put on a cold facade. Sigh, even so, she's suffered a lot of hidden losses from the other peaks over the years."

Ning Changjiu nodded in understanding. "The Peak Master certainly has it rough."

The old man rummaged through a cabinet, pulled out a wooden plaque and a carving knife, and pushed them towards Ning Changjiu. "Carve two copies. Take one, leave one with me."

Ning Changjiu took the carving knife and inscribed it in an instant.

"Nice handwriting," the old man exclaimed in admiration. "Such powerful strokes, have you practiced calligraphy intentionally?"

"My writing merely reflects my character," Ning Changjiu replied.

The old man's grip on his cane tightened. He stared at the white-robed youth before him and said seriously, "It's a pity you're only a nominal disciple."

Ning Xiaoling had completed the apprenticeship ceremony.

"Sister Lu, is this enough?" Ning Xiaoling asked. Following the mural of her name, she then shakily wrote her name herself in the register.

Lu Jiajia's eyes curved slightly. "You shouldn't call me 'Sister Lu' anymore."

Ning Xiaoling paused, then quickly understood. "Yes, Master," she said seriously.

Lu Jiajia contentedly ruffled her hair.

"What about senior brother?" Ning Xiaoling asked.

Lu Jiajia sighed. "I can't be bothered with him."

Ning Xiaoling's eyes widened. "But you actually care about senior brother a lot, don't you, Sister Lu?"

Lu Jiajia poked her forehead. "Call me Master."

"Yes, Master."

"Hmm, in your future cultivation, you might have less and less contact with your senior brother. If any fellow disciples, senior or otherwise, cause you trouble, just tell me."

"Okay, I understand."

"Sigh, if your cultivation level far surpasses your senior brother's in the future, don't let it bother you."

"Actually, I understand all that. Being able to cultivate properly has always been my dream, and now that I can apprentice under you, Sister Lu, I'm very happy... Senior brother probably has his own things to attend to. Just being able to live nearby, I'm content. Actually... I'm quite clever."

Lu Jiajia stopped walking and looked back at her.

Ning Xiaoling also stood still, her hands clasped behind her back. Her Taoist robe accentuated her fair, delicate skin. She looked at Lu Jiajia, her smile faint, like a spring stream beginning to thaw.

The corners of Lu Jiajia's mouth curved slightly, and she suddenly chuckled. "So, you little imp, you've been pretending to be foolish all this time?"

"Not at all..."

Ning Xiaoling chuckled mischievously.

In the corridor, Ning Changjiu stood quietly waiting. When he saw them, he picked up the wooden plaque and gently shook it.

Ning Xiaoling quickly walked up, happily saying, "Senior brother, we're fellow disciples again!"

Ning Changjiu smiled faintly. "Indeed. And junior sister is now an inner disciple of extraordinary status, so you'll have to protect your senior brother from now on."

Ning Xiaoling's face scrunched up. "Senior brother is making fun of me again."

Beneath the long corridor, dappled in shifting tree shadows, Lu Jiajia approached silently. At the foot of the corridor's steps, she looked at Ning Changjiu and said, "I'd like to speak with you alone."

"Alright," Ning Changjiu replied just as directly.

Lu Jiajia patted Ning Xiaoling's head. "You go meet Junior Sister Yazhu first and let her show you around the mountain gate. Don't think of this place as just a mundane imperial garden; it holds many profound and ineffable grotto-heavens within."

Ning Xiaoling nodded obediently.

After the young girl left, only Lu Jiajia and Ning Changjiu remained in the Sword Hall courtyard.

The long corridor stretched straight as a sword; one side was deep and profound, while the other was bathed in light and wind. Lu Jiajia, carrying her sword, walked gracefully through the dimly lit corridor, her figure ethereal and poetic.

"I know you're just looking for a temporary place to stay, or perhaps waiting here for the Sect Master to return to heal your junior sister," Lu Jiajia began.

"Both, I suppose," Ning Changjiu nodded.

Lu Jiajia said, "Yes, you have done me a great favor, and your junior sister's extraordinary talent is of great significance to the future of Sky Cave Peak. Therefore, I will respect your decision to stay or leave from now on, as long as you don't violate the sect rules while you're here."

Ning Changjiu replied, "Thank you, Miss Lu. However, the favor was repaid when you let my junior sister and me go that day. You don't need to keep it in mind from now on."

Lu Jiajia hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded gently. "If you need anything, you can ask Yazhu to tell me. And if you encounter any difficulties in your cultivation, you can also come to me privately."

Ning Changjiu smiled gently. "I might indeed have many questions for you in the future, Miss Lu."

"What are your plans next?" Lu Jiajia asked.

Ning Changjiu replied, "I need time to think some things through. I might seclude myself in a small hut and only emerge when I've found clarity."

Lu Jiajia looked into his eyes, feeling an unbidden sense of pity. "If you could change your body, with your temperament and talent, your future on the Great Dao would be immeasurable."

"You think it's a shame too, don't you?" Ning Changjiu asked.

Lu Jiajia hesitated briefly, then hummed in affirmation.

Ning Changjiu asked, "Miss Jiajia, I once heard about something called 'stone gambling' among common folk. It means that before a stone is cut open, no one knows whether it's still a worthless piece of rock or an invaluable jade."

Lu Jiajia had heard of it and understood his meaning. She asked, "Are you implying that you believe you are a hidden jade?"

Ning Changjiu gently shook his head. "What I mean is, I lack a knife that can cut open the stone."

After parting ways with Lu Jiajia at the Sword Hall, he walked out. Several disciples watched him from a distance, seemingly whispering something.

He ignored them and walked straight ahead.

Ning Xiaoling hadn't gone far with Yazhu; she had been waiting for him outside the building.

"Senior brother, Sister Yazhu just asked me to choose a room, and I couldn't decide, so I wanted to ask you," Ning Xiaoling said happily, waving to him. Her smile revealed small, porcelain-white baby teeth.

Ning Changjiu smiled. "It's alright, Junior Sister. Any place you choose will be a good one."

"Uh, why?" Ning Xiaoling tilted her head and asked.

Ning Changjiu replied, "Ancient texts say that wherever a white fox rests, that is good ground. So, just pick wherever you like, Junior Sister."

Hearing the words "white fox," Ning Xiaoling immediately thought of the little fox whose demonic nature had been purged, now meekly transformed back into a primordial spirit, resting in her Purple Mansion.

At that moment, her senior brother's words involuntarily reminded her of the strange dream she had before.

In the dream, a tree seemed to be growing on the mound where she lay. If that dream continued, she wondered how tall that tree would become.

"Okay, I'll take Senior Brother to pick a house!" Ning Xiaoling grabbed his sleeve and pulled him forward, running.

Yazhu, standing nearby, smiled serenely as she watched them.

However, the thought that the gap between them on the path of cultivation would widen, and their rare, genuine sibling affection would eventually fade into a mere illusion, made her sigh softly. Such things, after all, had happened too many times.

Outside the Sword Hall, the woman in plain white sword robes pushed the door open. She watched Yazhu lead them away, and in her dazed state, a soft white substance seemed to float down from beyond the layered clouds.

She joined her fingers to catch it, and a snowflake landed on her fingertip, revealing its hexagonal, crystalline shape before quickly melting away.

She withdrew her hand, tucking it into her sleeve, and her gaze traveled past the astral stones floating above Sky Cave Peak, settling on the distant sky.

The sun was still shining brightly, yet snow was falling.

Only then did she realize that winter had arrived once again.