Since the day of her sixteenth birthday when she chose to maintain her identity as the "Second Young Master," Xingqiu's life seemed to have returned to its original track.
However, beneath this calm, subtle waves surged that only she knew of.
Her reflections on the future, her guilt toward her friend (especially a certain Little Daoist Priest), and her occasional questioning of her true self all transformed into more intricate and moving martial arts stories under her pen, or sharper and more focused sword light under the moon.
This night, the moonlight was like water, pouring onto the training grounds in the backyard of the Feiyun Commerce Guild.
Xingqiu was dressed in neat, short-sleeved men's attire, holding a longsword, her figure moving fluidly—it was the Guhua Clan's swordplay. The sword's edge pierced the air, sometimes like a gentle drizzle, sometimes like a torrential downpour, sword light and moonlight intertwining, reflecting her focused and slightly cold face.
She needed moments like this to temporarily empty her thoughts through physical exhaustion, allowing that bound soul, yearning to stretch, to find a sliver of release in the sword dance.
"No, in this move 'Raincutter,' the strength in the wrist rotation is still a bit off." Xingqiu withdrew her stance and furrowed her brows, whispering to herself.
She had always been strict with herself.
Just as she was deep in thought and preparing to practice again, faint footsteps came from the corner of the courtyard wall. Xingqiu turned back alertly, her sword tip slightly raised, only to see a familiar figure standing there somewhat awkwardly, still holding half an unfinished popsicle.
"Chongyun?" Xingqiu breathed a sigh of relief, a smile then playing on her lips. "So late at night, instead of meditating at home, the Lord Taoist Practitioner has come to the backyard of my Feiyun Commerce Guild. Could it be that you've sensed some 'evil presence'?"
Chongyun's ears turned slightly red at her teasing, and he quickly waved his hands. "No, no! I... I was passing by during my nightly cultivation and saw the sword light flashing here. I figured it must be you practicing your swordplay, so... so I wanted to come and observe."
He paused, trying to make his tone sound serious. "Your swordplay seems... well, to have become even more refined."
Xingqiu chuckled inwardly; this Little Daoist Priest's ability to make excuses was still as clumsy as ever. Without exposing him, she twirled her sword and said, "Just as well, I was just feeling that one move wasn't quite smooth. Why don't you come and take a look for me?"
Chongyun was naturally happy to spar with Xingqiu. He set down his popsicle, drew his personal sword, and the two began to trade blows under the moonlight.
Chongyun's swordplay was grand and sweeping, carrying the righteousness and vigor unique to a Taoist Practitioner, while Xingqiu's was agile and elegant, unpredictable and mysterious.
For a time, sword shadows flew through the courtyard, the sound of clashing metal constant and exhilarating.
However, an accident happened in an instant.
To avoid a direct thrust from Chongyun, Xingqiu tapped her foot and drifted backward, intending to land gracefully on the rockery by the pond. Unexpectedly, after days of drizzle, the moss on the rocks was slippery. Her foot slipped, and she lost her balance!
"Watch out!" Chongyun cried out, instinctively reaching out to grab her.
But it was already too late.
With a "splash," water sprayed everywhere as Xingqiu fell into the ornamental pond in the courtyard.
[Chapter 7: A Vision by the Pond]
The pond wasn't deep, only reaching her waist, but the sudden fall left Xingqiu instantly soaked.
The early spring pond water carried a bone-chilling cold, making her shiver.
Worse still, the thin men's clothing she wore for the convenience of practice clung tightly to her body after being soaked. Those exquisite curves, deliberately suppressed by a chest binder but ultimately different from a man's, were now almost completely exposed.
Xingqiu's head buzzed. Her first reaction wasn't the cold, but immense panic and embarrassment.
She hurriedly wrapped her arms around herself, trying to cover up, while instinctively looking up at the dumbfounded Chongyun on the bank.
Chongyun was indeed completely stunned.
Just now, seeing Xingqiu fall into the water, he had been anxious and immediately rushed to the edge of the pond to rescue her. But when his gaze fell upon the person in the water, he seemed to be frozen by a binding spell.
Under the moonlight, the figure outlined by the soaked clothes... was clearly...?!
That face, usually handsome and elegant, was now covered in water droplets, with black hair messily clinging to her cheeks. It lacked some of its usual heroic spirit but gained a touch of never-before-seen panicked and helpless feminine beauty.
Water droplets rolled down her long eyelashes like tears, causing Chongyun's heart to feel as if it had been struck hard by something.
The Pure Yang Constitution seemed to lose control at this moment, an indescribable heat surging from his dantian and instantly rushing through his entire body.
His cheeks, ears, and even his neck turned bright red, much more severe than any previous 'evil presence flare-up' or hot weather. He felt his heart beating so fast it seemed ready to burst from his chest, and his breathing became rapid.
"You... you..." Chongyun pointed at Xingqiu in the water, his lips trembling, but he couldn't even get out a complete sentence. His mind was in chaos; the scene before him was too bizarre, almost overturning all his past perceptions.
Looking at Chongyun's shocked expression, as if his soul had flown away, Xingqiu's panic strangely settled down.
The secret... can it no longer be hidden after all?
She saw Chongyun's flushed cheeks and bewildered eyes, and a bitter yet helpless smile appeared on the corners of her mouth.
So be it; he would have found out sooner or later. She just hadn't expected it to be under such pathetic circumstances.
She sighed, her voice moist with water vapor, softly yet clearly reaching Chongyun's ears. "Chongyun... did you... see everything?"
This voice was no longer the deliberately lowered, clear boyish tone of usual days, but the spring-like voice of a Damselette, stripped of all disguise.
[Chapter 8: Intertwining Ice and Fire]
This question was like a thunderclap, completely waking Chongyun up.
It was true! It wasn't a hallucination!
Xingqiu... no, she!
Xingqiu, the Second Young Master of the Feiyun Commerce Guild, was actually a girl!
All the past doubts instantly flooded his mind: Xingqiu never played half-naked with them, she often avoided discussing topics about girls, and she would occasionally show a delicacy inconsistent with being a 'boy.'
And, every time he approached her, that inexplicably restless Pure Yang Constitution... so, everything had an explanation!
The so-called 'evil presence,' the uncontrollable 'heart-fire'—the root of it all was right here!
After the immense shock, an indescribable emotion swept over Chongyun. There was a bit of anger at being kept in the dark, but more than that, a sense of sudden enlightenment and ecstasy, along with the bewilderment of facing this startling truth.
(To be continued)
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