Legacy of the Blade

Fu Nanhua originally found it amusing. The elegant fairy, Tai Xianzi from Yunhe Mountain, who seemed pure and untouchable, stepping on a pile of dog poop—who would believe it?

But soon, Fu Nanhua's voice turned stern as he shouted, "Tai Jin Jian, stop!"

Song Jiuxin, standing on the dirt wall, narrowed his eyes slightly and clenched the jade carving of a dragon in his palm.

In the alley, Tai Jin Jian seemed to take a single step and suddenly appeared in front of Chen Ping'an. Her translucent, jade-like hand was about to strike the boy wearing straw shoes on the crown of his head. At the very moment Fu Nanhua's voice echoed to stop her, she abruptly paused. Instead of striking, her hand gently landed in what seemed like a doting pat.

After performing this strangely affectionate gesture, she bent down, gazing into the boy's eyes. His clear and bright gaze, like a pure spring, seemed to reflect her own face. For a brief moment, Tai Jin Jian's expression darkened. She forced a cold smile and said, "Kid, you must have noticed how I deliberately slowed down when speaking to you."

Fu Nanhua let out a sigh of relief. If Tai Jin Jian had dared to kill someone here, it could lead to her being expelled from the town, dragging Yunhe Mountain's reputation into the mud.

His face turned somber as he warned in refined tones, "Tai Jin Jian, think carefully before you act. If you continue behaving impulsively, I may be forced to disregard our pact. I won't allow you to ruin everything we've worked for."

Turning her back to Fu Nanhua, Tai Jin Jian muttered under her breath, "The highest virtue meets the Buddha swiftly, the lowest crawls. Truly, there are pure lands, truly, there are lotus ponds…"

Then, she turned around with an apologetic smile. "My mistake. I promise this kind of incident won't happen again."

Fu Nanhua sneered. "Are you sure?"

Tai Jin Jian chuckled awkwardly, making no further promises. Once again, she looked down at Chen Ping'an, and in a refined tone commonly used by scholars, she murmured, "Yunhe Mountain's teachings emphasize controlling one's restless mind and stabilizing wandering thoughts. Yet before coming here, I had no idea what those truly meant. Even the elders in my family offered no guidance, leaving me to figure it out myself. Who would've thought that stepping on dog poop in this little alley of yours would offer me a clue?"

Chen Ping'an calmly remarked, "Miss, since you stepped in dog poop, why haven't you cleaned it up by now?"

The fairy-like woman, who had thought herself calm and enlightened, immediately felt her composure crumble. Her face turned green with frustration. Despite Fu Nanhua's warnings echoing in her mind, she reached out to flick Chen Ping'an's forehead hard.

"Kid, hasn't anyone ever told you that a bad temper leads to an early death, and a sharp tongue will rob you of good fortune?"

Chen Ping'an, unfazed, turned his gaze to Song Jiuxin in the distance, saying nothing.

Song Jiuxin stomped his foot and yelled, "Chen Ping'an, why are you looking at me? What bad luck!"

Fu Nanhua, observing all this, noticed Tai Jin Jian's foul mood had yet to subside. He sarcastically quipped, "Amazing. To think someone would let dog poop delay their pursuit of immortality."

Surprisingly, Tai Jin Jian didn't respond with anger. She gazed deeply into the thin, ordinary-looking boy's eyes, then turned and walked away.

But before she left, Chen Ping'an spoke again. "Sister, your eyelashes are very long."

A mere mortal dared to tease a celestial woman?

Tai Jin Jian's face turned red with fury, and she spun around. She resolved to teach this cunning country boy a lesson, even if it meant expending a bit of her spiritual energy.

Although the local restrictions suppressed her powers, her years of cultivation gave her the edge she needed. With just a casual touch, she could inflict long-term damage on his vitality.

However, as she moved closer, the dim alley seemed to grow darker. All she saw was a boy with sun-darkened skin and bright, unwavering eyes.

In his eyes, Tai Jin Jian felt as if she saw the reflection of a full moon over the sea.

For a moment, her anger faded, replaced by a fleeting sense of pity. Then, that pity dissolved as quickly as it had appeared. Her smile grew wider, as though she had come to a revelation.

She thought, Perhaps this boy is the key to suppressing the restless mind and wandering thoughts.

With a swift motion, she pressed her palm lightly against Chen Ping'an's chest. The action was quick and fluid, and even though Chen Ping'an tried to step back, he couldn't avoid it.

Fu Nanhua, watching her graceful movements, felt no admiration. Instead, his killing intent surged. Suppressing his fury, he yelled, "Your earlier flick to his forehead was bad enough, cursing him with illness for years! Why escalate things now? Have you lost your mind, Tai Jin Jian? Are you really willing to risk everything for this boy?"

Tai Jin Jian ignored him. Fu Nanhua lowered his voice and mocked, "Imagine this: the famous Tai Jin Jian of Yunhe Mountain, squabbling with a mere street kid. Aren't you afraid of becoming a laughingstock?"

Tai Jin Jian smiled faintly. "This alley truly is destined for me. Who would've thought I'd find a small yet significant opportunity here? Even if it's just a scrap, it's still something. Now, I'm even more confident in young Cang Shan."

Fu Nanhua was stunned. Could she truly be having a breakthrough?

Tai Jin Jian glanced at the filth stuck to her shoe and laughed. "Guess I really did step in good fortune today."

Song Jiuxin, still standing nearby, wore a dark expression, his thoughts unreadable.

Meanwhile, Tai Jin Jian's quiet maidservant, Zhi Kui, stood motionless. In a fleeting moment, her golden double pupils shimmered faintly before returning to normal.

Fu Nanhua, sensing something amiss, quickly scanned the surroundings but found nothing unusual. Shaking off his unease, he attributed it to Tai Jin Jian's earlier antics.

As for Tai Jin Jian, her mood had lifted entirely. The stagnant thoughts clouding her mind flowed freely, like a river breaking through a dam.

This was no minor opportunity—it was a turning point.