"You—!"
Just moments ago, Li Hanyi was upset over her broken sword.
But hearing Xiao Se's unintentional compliment, her pretty face flushed bright red.
She stomped lightly, turned away, and lowered her head—
the very picture of a girl's shy anger.
Just then—
"Brother Xiao, apologies for the wait. The tea is—"
Zhao Yuzhen returned with freshly picked leaves.
But the moment he saw Li Hanyi, he froze completely.
Just like in the original story, he was instantly enchanted by her eyes.
It took him a long moment to recover.
He pointed at Li Hanyi, turned to Xiao Se, and whispered:
"Brother Xiao, this young lady is…?"
"Ahem."
Xiao Se cleared his throat and gestured toward her.
"This is Li Hanyi of Snow Moon City.
She came to spar with you.
But she mistook me for you."
Zhao Yuzhen's expression shifted—realization cutting away all laziness from his demeanor.
He stepped forward and bowed politely.
"I am Zhao Yuzhen of Qingcheng Mountain.
It is an honor to meet Miss Li Hanyi."
"See? This is the real Zhao Yuzhen," Xiao Se added dryly.
"I've been telling you my name is Xiao Se.
You believe me now, right?"
…Except the moment Xiao Se looked at her, he knew.
He had… accidentally intercepted her.
Sure enough—
Li Hanyi spared Zhao Yuzhen only a single glance—
and instantly lost all interest.
Instead, her eyes drifted back to Xiao Se.
Her gaze, faintly red from emotion, flickered with an odd light.
"Once I become a Sword Immortal," she said softly,
"I will return to challenge you again.
You should train diligently…
otherwise, when my realm catches up, you may not be able to withstand me."
After saying this, she looked deeply at Xiao Se one more time,
picked up her broken sword,
tapped the ground lightly,
and vanished out of the courtyard.
Zhao Yuzhen stood stiff as stone.
He had just experienced… a tragedy identical to Dan King Gu He's.
In his ears, it felt as though a mournful song was playing:
Snow drifting…
North wind wailing…
This was the day—
• the future Taoist Sword Immortal and Snow Moon Sword Immortal missed their destined encounter.
• the future Taoist Sword Immortal's love story ended before it even began.
• and the future Snow Moon Sword Immortal met someone she was never supposed to meet—
someone who would alter her tragic fate.
Xiao Se walked over and patted Zhao Yuzhen's shoulder.
"Brother Zhao… my condolences.
I swear I didn't mean to."
And before Zhao Yuzhen could respond, Xiao Se took off after Li Hanyi.
If destiny had offered him a chance to correct a tragedy—
He wasn't going to let it slip.
Between Mountain Paths—Li Hanyi in a Daze
Halfway down Qingcheng Mountain, a slender white-clad figure wandered absent-mindedly.
Her steps were slow.
Her gaze unfocused.
"Yo, Miss Li—
Fancy seeing you again."
That familiar voice made her heart tremble slightly.
She looked up.
Ahead, in a small pavilion, sat the same young man—already brewing tea.
"You shouldn't be here yet," Li Hanyi said as she walked closer, eyes subtly avoiding his.
"It's nowhere near the time of our next duel."
"It's nothing."
Xiao Se smiled faintly.
"I broke your sword earlier.
I felt bad, so I wanted to compensate you."
He poured her a cup of tea and motioned.
"Please, sit."
"I don't need—"
Her tone was cold, but she still sat down and lifted the cup.
"You're not even curious what the compensation is?"
Xiao Se chuckled.
He reached into his ring and brought out a sheathed long sword—
pure white, radiating cold.
At its guard was inlaid a polished third-rank ice attribute magic core.
He had originally bought it to practice Across the Eight Directions together with Hundred-Step Flying Sword.
Later, after gaining the Ice Dragon King's soul bone, he even upgraded it with a better core.
Now, it couldn't have been more perfect for her.
"This sword…"
Li Hanyi's eyes lit up the moment she saw it.
Even at a glance she recognized its exceptional nature—
especially the faint glow of the inlaid magic core, which stirred her instincts.
"Try it."
Li Hanyi didn't refuse.
In a heartbeat she unsheathed the blade and leapt from the pavilion.
The moment she swung—
a wave of icy sword qi swept out, coating the ground in glimmering frost.
Snow-white arcs flashed across the air as she danced lightly, sword weaving like winter wind.
Within moments, the entire clearing turned into a breathtaking frozen sculpture.
When she landed softly back in the pavilion, Xiao Se was staring at her—
truly stunned.
It was… beautiful.
Absolutely beautiful.
"An elegant sword style," Xiao Se said sincerely.
Li Hanyi's cheeks reddened.
Then she quickly composed herself.
"It's… too valuable."
Xiao Se waved it off.
"A fine sword belongs in the hands of a beautiful woman."
"It should be 'a fine sword belongs to a hero,'" she muttered, unable to hide her smile as she glared at him lightly.
"It's the same, it's the same—
you're easily heroic enough," he laughed.
She stroked the blade once more, then asked quietly:
"If I wish to challenge you again in the future…
where should I go to find you?"
Xiao Se shook his head.
"You won't be able to.
I'm not from this world."
Li Hanyi paused.
"…From overseas?"
"Farther than that.
Even if you reach your realm's highest heights, you still wouldn't find me."
His expression grew serious.
"And now I need you to listen carefully.
In the future, you will face a great disaster.
Even as a Sword Immortal, surrounded and outnumbered… you will be unable to escape tragedy."
He pulled out a jade box and a simple storage ring.
Left eye closing—
right eye opening—
his Sharingan spun.
Through a brief illusion, he conveyed everything.
When the illusion ended, Li Hanyi stared at the items on the table, stunned.
Now she understood.
"...I see."
She nodded gently, though her eyes dimmed with faint loss.
Xiao Se smiled.
"I've already passed you my footwork and horizontal sword techniques through the illusion.
The herb inside the jade box will accelerate your rise.
The ring is filled with healing pills—unless you're missing a limb, they should save your life."
He met her eyes.
"So before our next duel, grow strong—
strong enough that even multiple Mystic Realm experts cannot corner you.
When you reach that point…
I will accept your challenge for real."
"I'll wait for you in Snow Moon City," Li Hanyi said firmly.
A soft chime echoed—
[Ding. One hour has passed. Youth Song Travel Ticket expended. Returning host to Dou Qi Continent.]
Xiao Se rose.
"Well then—until next time."
The space around him distorted—
and under Li Hanyi's glowing gaze,
he vanished.
(End of Chapter)
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