SQLJBFDTW Chapter 57

Chapter 57: First Meeting – The Long-Ago First Meeting of the Eldest Brother and the Youngest Brother…

At this meeting, no one from the Wuwu Sect dared to doze off.

The Sect Leader’s eyes shone with piercing light as he lectured. If he caught any of his disciples not paying attention, he would show no mercy and immediately make them stand as punishment.

Chao Jianxue had slept soundly the night before, so he was relatively energetic, occasionally even taking notes in his scroll.

Until the Sect Leader finished explaining the key points of the first five forms of the Wuwu Sect’s swordplay and suddenly had the idea to have two disciples demonstrate them on the spot.

One, of course, was his own disciple. As for the other, the Sect Leader meant to choose from the disciples of Lord Shen Du or Lord Mu Yuan.

Immediately, someone clamored, “Choose Junior Brother Yu!”

Chao Jianxue also started clapping along.

Who knew the Sect Leader already had someone in mind and called out, “The one next to Yu Wei, Chao Jianxue, you come up.”

He said, “Everyone knows Yu Wei’s swordsmanship. As the eldest brother, you should also have achieved something.”

Everyone tacitly formed a circle, clearing the space in the middle for the two of them.

How was this any different from being suddenly asked to perform a talent show during the New Year?

Although Chao Jianxue felt caught off guard, he had no choice but to walk to the center and greet the other disciple.

Among the onlookers, Nan Shan grimaced at Yu Wei, who looked calm, and whispered, “Can he do it? The Sect Leader wants the Wuwu Sect’s swordplay. If the eldest brother’s performance isn’t up to standard, won’t he get a terrible scolding from the Sect Leader?”

Li Zhenzhen was also very worried, “Everyone knows Jianxue’s cultivation used to be poor. Isn’t the Sect Leader deliberately making things difficult for him?”

From what they usually saw of Chao Jianxue’s cultivation, he didn’t seem to practice his sword very diligently. The disciple opposite him, however, was personally supervised by the Sect Leader and was used to hard work. Chao Jianxue was bound to feel intimidated facing him.

Being watched by so many eyes, Chao Jianxue was indeed a little nervous.

As he walked to the center, he subconsciously glanced in Yu Wei’s direction and saw Yu Wei nodding calmly at him, his gaze resolute and clear.

Chao Jianxue also blinked at him, turned around, paused, and summoned Ming Qianli.

Qiu Shui looked at his back, her brows furrowed with worry, “What does the eldest brother’s wink mean? Is he asking us for help?”

Finally, Yu Wei, who had been silent all along, spoke, “There’s no need to worry. I believe in Senior Brother. You should believe in him too.”

After he said this, the two in the middle had already performed the etiquette of exchanging pointers and simultaneously raised the swords in their hands.

The Wuwu Sect’s swordplay was known for its speed, directness, and stability, but also had a yielding, flexible quality in its attacks, using softness to overcome hardness. Every move and stance seemed to have many variations, but in reality, they all came from the same source, closely adhering to the swordsman’s intent.

Chao Jianxue didn’t usually practice his sword in front of outsiders, but Yu Wei knew.

He had seen the notes his senior brother made on the sword manual long ago. His deconstruction and thinking were very serious. His senior brother wasn’t as lazy as others saw him; he was very serious about things.

Nan Shan and Qiu Shui rarely saw him practice his sword because his senior brother liked to lock himself in the Qingxue House to practice. Several times, Yu Wei had unintentionally passed by and saw him sweating profusely, practicing alone.

Later, he practiced with his senior brother on the Guanyue Terrace.

He knew every move and stance of Chao Jianxue’s swordplay. He also knew how many calluses had formed on his palms in a short period.

Therefore, Yu Wei didn’t worry at all that Chao Jianxue would feel intimidated in front of the Sect Leader’s disciple.

He knew his senior brother, he believed in his senior brother.

Chao Jianxue started with a standard first stance of the Wuwu Sect’s swordplay, his posture like a crane, his temperament also settling down, taking on the appearance of a Wuwu Sect disciple that the Sect Leader liked the most.

The two exchanged blows, their postures light and graceful, a textbook example of the Wuwu Sect’s swordplay. The disciples who had initially doubted Chao Jianxue gradually became stunned, unable to reconcile the heavenly being before them with their preconceived notions of Chao Jianxue.

Whether drawing the sword, returning the sword, or circling each other, Chao Jianxue’s expression was calm, his swordplay seemingly carrying flowing snow in the wind. Although it was the same set of swordplay, for some reason, it was particularly special when he performed it.

The especially good-looking kind.

At the end of the five forms, the two just happened to have their swords touching.

Chao Jianxue sheathed Ming Qianli and nodded to the other. The Sect Leader’s disciple, whom he hadn’t seen much, also smiled at him, “Senior Brother Chao’s swordplay is very exquisite.”

The Sect Leader also said, “Not bad.”

To hear a slightly appreciative “not bad” from his mouth, Chao Jianxue was overwhelmed with surprise.

The Sect Leader lowered his voice, “Quickly return to your positions and continue listening to the lecture.”

Chao Jianxue woke up as if from a dream and quickly returned to his seat.

Nan Shan and Qiu Shui both looked envious, “Senior Brother, how did you do it?”

Finally, it was Chao Jianxue’s turn to put on an air of mystery. He said seriously, “There’s nothing to it, just practice makes perfect.”

His comprehension wasn’t bad; he had only suffered from his soul leaving his body in the past. The first five forms of the Wuwu Sect’s swordplay weren’t difficult, but reaching this level required both talent and diligence.

What he had just performed were the standard first five forms of the swordplay. When he practiced on his own, he liked to add a bit of Ming Qianli’s flamboyance, his movements not as soft.

If Yu Wei were sparring with him, he would choose more unconventional moves.

Chao Jianxue met Yu Wei’s gaze.

No matter how unexpectedly he came up with unorthodox moves, Yu Wei could always connect with his sword. It started with cooperation and guidance, but gradually, it had turned into a joyful sparring match.

“You guys…” Qiu Shui’s gaze shifted between the two of them.

Chao Jianxue turned to look at her with a smile.

Qiu Shui choked back her words.

What was with this strange atmosphere that she couldn’t even get a word in?

Before Qiu Shui could figure out the problem, young Daoist friends had already started coming forward during the break to pass letters to Yu Wei.

Chao Jianxue glanced seemingly casually at them, and it seemed like they had everything, but most of them were booklets with small portraits, asking him to sign and write in detail the year and month of the gift to so-and-so.

However, there wasn’t the thing he was most concerned about.

Chao Jianxue couldn’t help but ask Nan Shan, “Why aren’t there any love letters or anything like that?”

Nan Shan was dozing off on the table, listlessly saying, “There used to be, but Junior Brother seriously rejected them, so there aren’t any anymore.”

“Seriously rejected… how serious?”

“I remember it was a Dan cultivator, that girl followed him all the way, wanting to add his jade token for communication, but Junior Brother actually said he didn’t have one. The girl almost cried. Junior Brother also advised her to cultivate properly and not to be obsessed with impossible things and emotions.”

Chao Jianxue savored these words, “That’s a little hurtful.”

But thinking about Yu Wei’s attitude towards him in the past, it was indeed Yu Wei’s style.

Things that needed to be clarified should be clarified face-to-face. Yu Wei had good manners and etiquette, but he wasn’t a central air conditioner, spreading warmth everywhere.

Thinking carefully…

Chao Jianxue’s thoughts drifted further away. Before he came to the Xuanzhen Realm, why did the original owner—or rather, his half of the soul here—dislike Yu Wei so much?

His memories of this were very vague, Chao Jianxue pondered hard.

Finally, he couldn’t help but lean close to Yu Wei, who was buried in signing autographs, and asked with his chin propped on his hand, “Junior Brother, when was our first meeting? What was the scene?”

Yu Wei raised his eyelids, “Why is Senior Brother asking this? Has Senior Brother forgotten?”

Chao Jianxue said sheepishly, “It’s been so long, help me remember.”

Yu Wei already had a stack of booklets to sign by his hand,just like turning into a book signing event. After all, it was a proper Dao discussion conference, and the disciples didn’t dare to be too flamboyant, waiting for him to finish signing before passing them into the crowd one by one.

His autographing skills were visibly proficient, his pen never stopping. He cleared his throat and said, “My first meeting with Senior Brother was the day I joined the Master’s sect. However, the circumstances of our first meeting weren’t good.”

As he recounted, the vague memories in Chao Jianxue’s mind gradually became clearer.

It was a morning fifty or sixty years ago.

Yu Wei, who had just completed the apprenticeship ceremony, was taken by Master Mu Yuan to the Guanyue Terrace to meet his senior brothers and sisters.

Nan Shan and the others had long heard that a person with extraordinary looks and extraordinary talent was coming to be their junior brother, and they were extremely excited. They dressed themselves neatly and stood seriously on the Guanyue Terrace, waiting.

Chao Jianxue was the exception. He leaned against the corridor pillar as if he had no strength, not caring who was coming. He was just a little annoyed because he hadn’t finished the homework that his master had asked him to do.

Before long, he heard Qiu Shui, who was looking into the distance, say, “He’s here, he’s here.” Chao Jianxue reluctantly raised his head and looked.

The junior brother beside the master was handsome and refined. Before he even got closer, one could already see his clear and ethereal aura. When he got closer, he was even more extraordinary, his eyebrows and eyes like the moon and stars, his expression aloof but with the unique stubbornness of a young man, like a clear ice floe in a winter river.

When his gaze swept over, Chao Jianxue seemed to hear the clear and melodious sound of the ice floe breaking. His back straightened involuntarily.

“Yu Wei, meet your third senior sister, second senior brother, and eldest senior brother,” Mu Yuan introduced.

Yu Wei then walked over and performed the disciple’s salute one by one amidst the gaping smiles of Nan Shan and Qiu Shui. When it was Chao Jianxue’s turn, Chao Jianxue lowered his eyelashes and did not make any expression.

For some reason, perhaps because Yu Wei gave him too distant a feeling, he suddenly felt at a loss when such a person stood in front of him.

There was no awareness of pretense in this half of his soul, so he just had a blank expression and didn’t even return the greeting. He even took a small half step back.

Yu Wei’s clear gaze rose, seeming a little puzzled.

Nan Shan came over to smooth things over, “Junior Brother, don’t mind him…” Because the master was present, they didn’t say much.

But why was Chao Jianxue putting on airs to the new junior brother in this situation!

Mu Yuan said seriously, “Jianxue, quickly return the greeting.”

Chao Jianxue was startled, and he didn’t dare look Yu Wei in the eyes. He just stared at the pendant hanging on his belt. It was a completely transparent jade lotus, hanging with silver tassels, slowly spinning in the morning light.

Chao Jianxue was instantly attracted by it and couldn’t help but reach out and grab the jade pendant.

His palm was only cool for a moment before Yu Wei immediately pulled it away.

The junior brother’s gaze was a little gloomy, and Chao Jianxue belatedly realized that he might have messed up again.

“Hey, what are you doing! Why are you grabbing Junior Brother’s personal pendant for no reason! Don’t you think you already have too many accessories on your body!” Nan Shan shouted, only to be stopped by Mu Yuan.

The master said, “Chao Jianxue, apologize to Junior Brother.”

Chao Jianxue’s dark eyelashes trembled, and he looked around. The master and his junior siblings were all looking at him with displeasure, and the new junior brother must have thought he was going to snatch his pendant, but he just wanted to take a look.

Chao Jianxue opened his mouth, unable to bear the pressure of being accused together. Finally, before the tears fell, he turned his head and ran back to his Qingxue House without looking back, wanting to retreat to his own safe territory.

–Remembered, Chao Jianxue suddenly remembered everything. He was embarrassedly beyond compare and turned his face away, not daring to look at Yu Wei again.

He would be embarrassed to the point of curling his toes at night before going to bed. This half of his soul was really a socially awkward fool to a certain degree!

But for Yu Wei, besides feeling that Chao Jianxue’s behavior was strange, what he could remember now was the slightly frightened and uneasy look in Chao Jianxue’s eyes when he looked at him.

He was quiet and fragile, not at all like the eldest senior brother of a sect.