Miss Fairy, Please Hear Me Out

While Qin Mo’s corpse was still cooling, his Sage master went straight to the Xu brothers, Xu Yuan and Xu Changge, and offered them a deal.

This remnant soul, who had lived for untold years, did not put on any airs. He knew full well that in his current state, he was no match for this strange second rank brat. He also knew very well that he was now a prisoner. So he laid out a proposal for the Chancellor’s Manor, direct and to the point, with terms they could hardly refuse.

Information, cultivation arts, secret arts, and the hidden entrances to certain secret realms. Beyond that, if needed, he could also provide the Third Young Master with protection and guidance in cultivation.

In exchange, all the Chancellor’s Manor needed to do afterward was use its influence to find him a suitable heir to inherit his mantle. Or, more accurately, a candidate body for possession.

When he finished speaking, the Sage’s remnant soul and Xu Yuan both looked toward Xu Changge.

The dusk over the ruins carried a strange, desolate beauty.

Xu Changge sat on a large rock, eyes lowered, expressionless as he considered the proposal. He had not expected this Sage to be so sensible. But now, he found himself beginning to understand what his father had told him before he left the capital.

A Sage? Nothing more than a stray dog terrified of death.

Silence stretched for a long while before he made up his mind.

Xu Changge slowly rose to his feet. His azure robes stirred though there was no wind, and at some point, a three-foot blade of cold steel had appeared silently in his hand. The slender tip of the sword scattered crimson light beneath the last glow of the setting sun.

The Sage’s remnant soul saw this, and his pupils shrank slightly. He realized what the boy intended to do. But it was too fast.

No, Xu Changge’s movement was not fast. It simply could not be dodged.

Even with Xu Yuan’s cultivation, he could clearly see this strike from Xu Changge. It was an utterly ordinary thrust.

Yet the moment Ran Qingmo saw that sword, her jade-like hand gripping the black blade began to tighten uncontrollably, trembling despite herself. The look in her beautiful eyes grew solemn.

Raise the hand. Thrust. Then strike true. Everything seemed as natural as breathing. However, it was a sword that could not be avoided.

The blade fell, and the oppressive aura from a moment ago vanished into nothing.

The Sage’s remnant soul, now pierced, lifted a hand and touched the space between the brows of his soul body. Then, as though he had accepted his fate, he grinned lightly and spoke with remarkable ease.

“Second rank brat, it’s not like this old man was refusing to let you place a restriction on me. Was all this really necessary?”

The three-foot sword in Xu Changge’s hand vanished, and his aura was clearly a little disordered. He gave a light laugh and replied, “Sir, you were a Sage in life. I could hardly afford to take you lightly.”

The Sage’s remnant soul shook his head. He gave Xu Changge a long, deep look, then sent his voice over with a meaningful tone. “Heh, boy. This thing you’re cultivating will drag you into eternal ruin if you take even one wrong step. You do know that, don’t you?”

Xu Changge’s narrow eyes narrowed slightly when he heard this. He glanced at him, his tone neither warm nor cold. “My affairs need not trouble you, sir.”

The Sage’s remnant soul was tactful enough not to say more. He only shook his head and laughed. “The restriction has been placed. Are you planning to have me follow this Innate Dao Physique brat now? Your whole family really is a nest of monsters.”

Xu Changge did not deny it. “But before that, my father should have many things he wishes to ask you. Please come with me, sir.”

Judging from Xu Changge’s reaction just now, Xu Yuan figured the soul ring had probably been obtained. But what occupied his mind even more at that moment was the sword strike Xu Changge had just unleashed. He had seen that sword before. Only, that had been in his previous life.

It was Xu Changge’s ultimate skill when he appeared as a boss. A heaven-defying ultimate skill, plain and simple. No matter how far the character controlled by the player ran, as long as they were still inside the boss room, the moment Xu Changge raised his hand, gripped his sword, and slashed downward, the damage would land directly.

A sword that could not be dodged. There were two ways to survive it. The first was to stack your health high enough and tank it, since Xu Changge would only use that freakish skill once during the boss fight. The second was to dodge it by abusing the invincibility frames from Step-Forward Slash.

Xu Yuan had been a high-level player, so he usually preferred using I-frames to dodge it.

At that thought, Xu Yuan suddenly froze. Then his heart gave a very interested little thump.

Step-Forward Slash, invincibility frames, Sage’s remnant soul... Maybe later, he could ask the old grandpa to teach him the secret sword art for abusing I-frames. After all, with the Sage’s insight, learning something like that should not be too difficult. And besides, maybe he could even learn his big brother’s sword strike.

It’s worth a try. Xu Yuan made up his mind, then glanced sideways at the girl beside him. A moment later, he paused in surprise.

This iceberg of a woman was still frozen in the same posture as before, staring blankly at the place where Xu Changge had thrust out that sword.

Xu Yuan raised a hand and waved it in front of her face.

Ran Qingmo came back to herself and looked at him.

Xu Yuan asked softly, “What’s wrong?”

Ran Qingmo bit her lip and clenched her fists. “Your brother is very strong.”

Xu Yuan glanced at the hand she had wrapped around her sword and chuckled softly, trying to comfort her. “Xu Changge is more than ten years older than you. When you reach his age, who’s stronger and who’s weaker won’t be so easy to say.”

Ran Qingmo lowered her beautiful eyes slightly. She shook her head without saying anything, her gloom plain to see.

When Xu Yuan saw this, however, his gaze sharpened. He suddenly realized what this iceberg of a woman was thinking.

The Celeste Sword Sect. From the very beginning, Ran Qingmo, as the Imperial Preceptor’s disciple, had captured him for the sake of threatening his old man.

Although her personal relationship with him was now quite good, Xu Changge was still an enemy in her eyes. Ever since she had arrived at this Xu residence, she had carried a vague, flickering hostility toward his eldest brother.

And if that eldest brother faced an enemy... Xu Yuan shivered slightly. He understood where Ran Qingmo’s despondence came from.

According to the timeline of the plot, the destruction of the Sword Sect should happen within the next two years.

Ran Qingmo no longer had time to grow. And with her current strength, if she went up against Xu Changge, there was no room for discussion. She would be killed in an instant.

After thinking for a moment, Xu Yuan sighed and looked up at Ying’er, who was standing off to the side. “Ying’er, you can leave for now. I want to spend some time alone with Miss Ran.”

Ying’er glanced at Ran Qingmo, then nodded and withdrew.

Only after Ying’er had completely disappeared from view did Xu Yuan glance at the setting sun on the horizon and say in a low voice, “Ran Qingmo, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Mhm. Go ahead,” Ran Qingmo said with a nod.

Xu Yuan gave a light cough, glanced in the direction Xu Changge had left, then stared at Ran Qingmo.

Ran Qingmo also glanced in the direction Xu Changge had left. Then she tilted her head and looked back at Xu Yuan with confusion in her eyes.

Xu Yuan suddenly felt a headache coming on. He sighed. “Do you know how to set up a soundproofing formation?”

“Oh.” Ran Qingmo nodded. Source qi surged, and in the blink of an eye, a thin, translucent film of ice formed around the two of them.

Seeing this, Xu Yuan let out a long breath. “Ran Qingmo, you came to find me because you didn’t want those forty thousand disciples of the Sword Sect to die, right?”

“Mhm.” Ran Qingmo nodded.

“Can I ask why?” Xu Yuan asked quietly. He remembered that in that hidden Easter egg timeline, Ran Qingmo had not cared whether the Sword Sect lived or died. She had simply gone overseas.

Ran Qingmo thought for a moment, then said in an earnest voice, “Because Master said that I will become the Sword Sect’s sect master in the future. Protecting the Sword Sect is my responsibility.”