CHAPTER 11

— The Hidden Sword Tomb —

"Alright, alright, let's not dwell on these sad things! The old witch told me to take you to the Sword Tomb to pick a sword! Better to seize the opportunity now. The big iceberg is giving a lecture today, so why not wait for him after class and go together?" Scratching the back of his head, Ding Ding tentatively suggested.

"Se... Senior Brother Su?" Tong Tong's listless spirits perked up, her eyes gleaming as she looked at him.

"Yeah... that's right... I can't think of anyone else who could open the Sword Tomb's door alone..." It seemed the old witch had originally intended to take Tong Tong herself but was probably angered by her...

Forget it, even though he wasn't keen on asking the big iceberg for a favor, this should be a trivial matter for him, and he likely wouldn't refuse... right?

Ding Ding glanced at Tong Tong, who was covering her face in a daze, estimating how much of a chance she'd have if she tried acting cute and pleading in front of the iceberg.

Looking up at the sky, he saw it was almost time for the lecture to end, so he called out to Tong Tong, "Let's go, hurry to the lecture hall and wait. Don't let him slip away!"

The pink bubbles surrounding Tong Tong instantly popped. She sighed helplessly, looking at Ding Ding, who seemed to be facing a formidable enemy. "Please, don't make it sound like I'm some kind of criminal..." Suddenly remembering something, her eyes lit up, and she turned to run into the room. "Wait for me a moment!"

"What's so mysterious..." Muttering to himself, Ding Ding crouched down to examine the pool on the ground. Around its edges were scorched red marks, still warm to the touch, like a natural induction cooker.

Intrigued, he wanted to lean over the edge of the pool for a closer look when he heard Tong Tong's light, skipping footsteps approaching. Before he could even stand up, a high-pitched scream rang out: "Be careful!"

Startled, his supporting arms gave way, and he lost control, pitching forward headfirst into the pool...

They say birds of a feather flock together, and so, like Tong Tong, he too experienced a life-or-death ordeal—fortunately, just as he was about to drown, Tong Tong arrived in time and pulled him out of the water.

Compared to the innocent young girl Tong Tong, Young Master Ding possessed a more melancholic and sentimental temperament.

Thus, this unfortunate incident of falling into the water dealt him a heavier blow, shattering his fragile young heart into pieces. He urgently needed the gentle comfort of a caring older sister—or so Young Master Ding claimed.

And so, with acting skills rivaling those of an Oscar-winning actor, he successfully moved Su Yan, who was preparing to return to the mountain after class. After entrusting Tong Tong to her care, he eagerly hurried off to Lichen Peak to find his dream lover.

Watching Ding Ding's retreating figure standing on his sword from afar, Tong Tong noticed no trace of weakness in him. She couldn't help but doubt whether he was truly as "severely frightened by the fall and in need of spiritual comfort" as he claimed.

However... sneaking a glance at the expressionless Su Yan standing beside her with her hands clasped behind her back, Tong Tong's lips curved into a faint smile. Hidden behind her, her hands fidgeted, her ten fingers almost tangling into knots.

After hesitating for a long while, she finally mustered the courage to hand over a jade vial—the very one Su Yan had gifted her that day—and said with a blush, "This... is a gift for you."

Noticing her choice of words—it was "gift," not "return"—Su Yan changed her mind about refusing. She gazed steadily at the girl's flushed cheeks and silently reached out to take the bottle. Behind her, Jiya's round golden eyes fixed on the jade bottle, flickering with eager curiosity.

Seeing that Su Yan hadn't rejected her gift, Tong Tong beamed with joy, feeling that even Su Yan's cold and indifferent features seemed to soften a little. Emboldened, she suggested, "Try it... it's delicious!"

—She didn't even realize the hint of a coquettish tone in her own words.

Frowning slightly, Su Yan paused. Just as Tong Tong's heart began to flutter with anxiety, she leisurely uncorked the bottle, poured out a green sugar pill, and placed it in her mouth under Tong Tong's expectant gaze.

"How is it? How is it?" Tong Tong asked eagerly, afraid that the other might show the slightest discomfort. She almost felt like wagging an imaginary fluffy tail behind her.

The green sugar pill was Tong Tong's homemade peppermint candy.

During breaks from her medicinal baths, she had discovered a small patch of peppermint grass around the courtyard, much to the delight of her food-loving nature.

After picking and grinding the leaves into powder, she added white sugar and water, simmering it over low heat. Originally meant to ease her depression over not having chocolate toffee, the candy was unexpectedly praised by Yuan Qiongshuang, who happened to taste it. She hailed it as a treasure, claiming it had miraculous effects in clearing the mind and refreshing the spirit for cultivators. Keeping one in the mouth while meditating or overcoming tribulations, she said, could be greatly beneficial.

A thought struck Tong Tong—she saw a business opportunity in this.

After offering two-thirds of her finished product to Yuan Qiongshuang and promising a steady supply, she finally managed to keep a pitifully small portion for herself.

Recalling Su Yan's kindness in gifting her elixir, the foodie Tong Tong wrestled with her thoughts for a long time before finally making a painful decision. She reluctantly parted with some of her precious candies, placing them in a jade vial to give to Su Yan in return.

The emerald-green sugar pill slowly melted on her tongue, transitioning from an initial slight bitterness to a lingering sweetness. It was as if a gentle, flowing melody played upon her taste buds, accompanied by a refreshing coolness that spread through her throat and mind, invigorating her spirit like a warning bell ringing in her ears.

Su Yan's slightly furrowed brows relaxed, and the line of her lips softened, easing the anxiety in Tong Tong's heart.

Noticing the change in her expression, Su Yan felt a gentle ripple stir within her heart, like a tranquil lake touched by a breeze. She nodded slowly and said softly, "It's delicious."

"Really? Then I'll make more for you in the future!" Delighted by the praise, Tong Tong felt her heart soar—though she couldn't tell whether it was because someone appreciated her craftsmanship or simply because of that faint, gentle curve of Su Yan's lips.

"Mhm." Pushing away Jiya, who was drooling with envy, Su Yan carefully placed the small vial of mint candies into her storage pouch, storing it alongside her most precious elixirs. Her earnest and serious demeanor struck Tong Tong as unexpectedly endearing.

"Get on." Tong Tong, who had been daydreaming with her cheeks in her hands, looked up in a daze. A seven-foot-long crimson greatsword hovered beside them, emitting a soft hum. Su Yan stood steadily on the sword, extending a slender, pale hand.

A gentle breeze, a bright sun, a clear blue sky, fluffy white clouds, and pink petals dancing in the air. The crimson sword stood majestic and imposing. Her "Prince on a Red Horse," leading a chestnut steed, dressed in a dashing and handsome suit, with a face as fair as jade and a noble bearing, his beautiful eyes sparkling like stars, stood high upon the awe-inspiring sword and asked her tenderly, "Will you marry me?"

His voice was soft and deep, utterly captivating.

Tong Tong's cheeks flushed, and she couldn't help but grasp the hand before her, moved to tears. "Yes! I will!"

And so, the prince and Cinderella lived happily ever after... The End.

—Of course, that didn't happen.

The above was merely a fleeting fantasy that flashed through the young girl Tong Tong's mind.

The reality was—the person dressed in a dark ink-black robe wore an indifferent expression. Seeing Tong Tong hesitate, she decisively formed a hand seal, moving Tong Tong onto the sword without a word. Without any warning, she soared into the air on the sword, showing no patience or consideration for her companion.

Fortunately, her cultivation was far superior to Ding Ding's, and her sword-riding skills were naturally impeccable. By the time Tong Tong, still lost in her daydreams, reached out only to grasp empty air and realized she was already a thousand meters in the air, letting out a terrified scream, Su Yan merely glanced at her coldly, snapped her fingers, and sealed her mute acupoint.

"..." Ahhh! So what if you know magic? How infuriating!

Unable to vent her tension through screaming, Tong Tong simply closed her eyes and clung tightly to the nearest reliable object—Su Yan's waist.

The soft and slender texture beneath her touch made her envious, while the person she was clinging to wore a frosty expression, wishing she could kick Tong Tong off the flying sword.

Su Yan's face darkened as she accelerated the speed of the sword, paying no mind to whether the novice Tong Tong might suffer any adverse effects—after all, as long as she clung tightly to her waist, she wouldn't fall off.

A moment later, Su Yan clenched her fists, suppressing the urge to shake off the sticky figure clinging to her, and said coldly, "Let go."

Feeling the fierce wind that had been howling past her face vanish and her feet firmly planted on the ground, Tong Tong finally sheepishly released her grip on Su Yan. She let out an awkward chuckle and explained softly, "It was a moment of panic, just panic... sorry about that."

She couldn't help but grumble inwardly: The ancients had all those sayings about men and women not sharing the same mat after the age of seven, about avoiding physical contact between the s3xes... But even if this guy was a bit better-looking than her, he was still a man at the end of the day... No matter how you looked at it, she was the one at a disadvantage! So why was he acting as if he were the one who had been taken advantage of? Although his waist was indeed slender and nice to hold... Ahem.

Before her eyes, mist and clouds swirled, waves of fog rose, and endless clouds veiled the mountain range, making it appear illusory and hazy, blurring the line between reality and illusion. Surrounded by green mountains and clear waters, dense forests and birdsong, only this mist-shrouded landscape stood out as abrupt and chilling, yet faintly alluring, tempting one to explore its mysteries.

Glancing at Tong Tong's wind-tousled hair, which resembled a bird's nest, Su Yan's cold, stern expression softened slightly, though the corners of her mouth remained stiff and unsmiling as she said calmly, "Step back."

"Oh, okay." Seeing her solemn expression, Tong Tong wisely took small, quick steps backward.

"Further back." Su Yan's brow twitched as she looked helplessly at Tong Tong, who was still only a few steps away, and spoke again.

"Still further... Oh, alright." Tong Tong trembled at the chill in Su Yan's eyes and reluctantly took two more steps back.

"..." Su Yan's face remained cold as she stared intently at Tong Tong's bright, lively eyes, saying nothing, as if she might draw her sword at any moment.

Under the pressure of her gaze, Tong Tong retreated until she was twenty zhang away.

*T/N: [In the world of cultivation, a Zhang (丈 - Zhàng) is a traditional Chinese unit of measurement. While the exact length has changed throughout history, in Xianxia novels, it is almost always treated as roughly 3.33 meters (or about 11 feet). Therefore, twenty zhang is approximately 66.67 meters (or about 218 feet).]

"Hey... is this far enough?" Cupping her hands around her mouth like a megaphone, Tong Tong shouted loudly, secretly fuming: 'If she makes me step back again, I'll never make her peppermint candy again! Hmph!'

Without answering, Su Yan turned away as if nothing had happened, flicked the hem of her robe, and sat cross-legged on the spot. Her hands moved swiftly, forming several complex hand seals. With her eyes half-closed, she murmured a sword incantation in a low voice: "Resplendent Blade of Demon-Bane, purge the vile to anchor the Great Derivation. As heavy clouds weep celestial rain, let the Ten Directions bathe in Radiance."

After reciting the incantation, she rose and pointed with a single arm. A surge of powerful true essence slashed toward the stone wall of the cloud sea, causing it to rumble and crack open from the middle, splitting apart and moving to either side.

The mist and clouds gradually dispersed, revealing a deep and vast canyon.

Upon closer inspection, the canyon lacked lush, verdant vegetation and even the slightest trace of living creatures. Only a heavy, boundless emptiness remained.

Within this emptiness, countless shimmering points of light flickered like stars scattered across the sky, each gleaming with radiance—each point of starlight was a sharp, gleaming longsword.

Looking out across the vast canyon, there were at least ten thousand swords!

This was the renowned treasure vault of the Chonghua Sword Sect—the Great Derivation Sword Tomb.

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