Zing—
The sword light, as bright as daylight, slashed across the dark sky with the power to cleave heaven and earth.
Sword energy crisscrossed, Xu Yi's breath hitched, her mind went blank, leaving only that awe-inspiring, earth-shattering sword light.
This was the Heartless Sword, truly peerlessly powerful.
True Lord Qinglian, clad in ragged clothes, descended from the peak muttering curses, stopping before Xu Yi.
No need to say more, one look was enough to know he had been rejected.
Indeed, before Xu Yi could speak, True Lord Qinglian shook his head, "That fellow refused to see you."
Actually, to be more accurate, Bei Canghai didn't want to see anyone.
Heartless Sword, Heartless Sword, the emphasis was on the word "heartless."
The deeper one comprehended the Heartless Sword Dao, the more estranged their familial bonds would become; this was unavoidable.
"It's fine."
Xu Yi felt the lingering sword energy in the air, took a deep breath, and said softly.
Her original intention wasn't to meet True Canghai; she only wanted to feel his sword energy. She thought she might know how to help Bei Xinghan break through his inner demons.
Xu Yi stayed at Xuanqing Sect for a month before Bei Xinghan slowly woke up.
When he opened his eyes, he didn't say a word, staring blankly at the ceiling, his face devoid of any expression. This, however, allowed Xu Yi to glimpse the Bei Xinghan of the future.
Xu Yi understood that this was the beginning of Bei Xinghan's change of heart.
"Bei Xinghan."
Bei Xinghan seemed not to have heard, his eyeballs not even moving.
Xu Yi was not polite; she directly reached out and vigorously ruffled his hair.
"Sister!"
Bei Xinghan was clearly angered. He shielded his head while glaring furiously at Xu Yi.
"What, no more feigning depth?" Xu Yi chuckled.
Bei Xing pouted, wanting to say something, but what finally came out was a sob.
"Waa! You all bully me! Hic, I, I won't talk to you anymore! Hic, sob..."
He cried and hiccuped, looking utterly pathetic.
Seeing him cry, Xu Yi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She had done it on purpose.
It was better for him to vent than to bottle it up.
Because if he kept it bottled up, he would easily fall back into his old ways.
"Don't cry." Xu Yi casually grabbed a square cloth and, with no gentleness at all, pressed it against Bei Xinghan's face and rubbed vigorously.
Bei Xinghan felt a burning pain on his face. He stopped crying and, with all his might, struggled free from Xu Yi's grasp, his small face flushed red.
Xu Yi patted her empty fingertips with regret, lamenting that such an amusing scene couldn't be recorded by a soul-capturing stone.
"Sister, why are you here?"
Only then did Bei Xinghan realize he was at Xuanqing Sect.
If Xu Yi could come here, it meant her existence had been discovered by others.
Bei Xinghan quickly raised his hands, "It wasn't me, I never exposed you."
"I know, I came on my own. You haven't come back for so long, so I came to Xuanqing Sect to see you."
Xu Yi said nonchalantly.
"You came to see me?" Bei Xinghan's eyes sparkled as he looked at Xu Yi.
"Mm."
Xu Yi nodded gently, responding.
Bei Xinghan suddenly buried his face in the quilt and mumbled, "Even you know to care about me, why doesn't he?"
The "he" could only be Bei Canghai.
Xu Yi reached out and rubbed her ear. Why did this sentence sound so awkward to her?
"You care a lot about his opinion?"
"He's my father!"
Bei Xinghan suddenly lifted his head and said very seriously to Xu Yi.
"So what if he's your father? Did he give birth to you? Did he ever hold you? Did he teach you calligraphy and cultivation, and teach you life's principles hand-in-hand?"
With each question Xu Yi asked, Bei Xinghan's head drooped lower until he could no longer lift it.
Xu Yi had been an orphan since childhood, so she had never experienced parental affection. However, she had her Sect Leader master and her senior brothers and sisters; they were all her family.
Xu Yi didn't feel like she was lacking anything compared to others.
Bei Xinghan's inner demons seemed insignificant in her eyes.
It was just that his father didn't acknowledge him, wasn't it?
Then he could also choose not to acknowledge his father.
She felt that True Lord Qinglian was excellent; he was not his father, yet he was better than a father.
"But he is my father."
Bei Xinghan's lips moved, murmuring softly.
Everyone else had a father, so why couldn't he?
"He is your father, but he doesn't intend to acknowledge you." Xu Yi frowned.
"That's because I'm too weak. As long as I become the number one sword cultivator on the Kyushu Continent, he will definitely see me and acknowledge me!"
Bei Xinghan suddenly clenched his fists and shouted loudly.
This was a realization he had after being injured this time.
It must be because he was too weak now that his father wouldn't acknowledge him. As long as he grew up quickly, his father would definitely notice him.
Xu Yi shook her head. So this was how Bei Xinghan had gone astray, step by step.
"Then let me ask you, if you truly become the number one sword cultivator, and he still doesn't acknowledge you, what will you do?"
"Ah?" Bei Xinghan's small face showed confusion. "Why wouldn't my father acknowledge me?"
"It's very simple. What if he never intended to acknowledge you? No matter what you become, he wouldn't care."
Xu Yi's words were sharp and direct, showing no regard for Bei Xinghan's age, speaking plainly and cruelly.
Bei Xinghan was indeed hit hard. The redness on his face receded at a visible speed, as if he couldn't bear this conclusion.
He had never thought that his father might not acknowledge him.
If it were as his sister said, then what was the point of him practicing the sword?
As Bei Xinghan fell into frantic struggle, the ground also began to shake violently.
But Bei Xinghan was oblivious, completely lost in his own world.
Xu Yi stood with her arms crossed, leaning against a pillar, watching him silently.
"Then... I don't want to practice sword anymore."
Bei Xinghan's cheeks puffed out slightly, he said unhappily.
Practicing sword was bitter and tiring. If it weren't for the desire to gain his father's recognition, he wouldn't have persevered.
"That's fine. If you don't want to practice, then we won't." Xu Yi immediately responded.
Bei Xinghan's face showed a moment of stunned silence at Xu Yi's words.
He had expected Xu Yi to stop him, perhaps even scold him, and he had specifically wanted to defy Xu Yi.
But he never expected Xu Yi to agree so readily, without the slightest hesitation.
Bei Xinghan glanced at Xu Yi's expression from the corner of his eye, finding her look indifferent, as if she truly didn't care about his answer. This made him feel even more stifled.
Now he no longer understood what he truly wanted.
"Get up. You've been lying in bed for this past month. I'll take you out to stretch your limbs."
Seeing him lost in thought, Xu Yi suddenly reached out, threw off his quilt, and pulled him up.
Bei Xinghan struggled symbolically a few times, then obediently followed Xu Yi out of the room, a secret sense of smugness bubbling up within him.
He thought his sister must have been speaking in anger just now, and she was definitely taking him to practice sword.
Then, he became Xu Yi's guide, and she led him around Xuanqing Sect.
For three full days, Xu Yi didn't let him touch a sword once. Instead, she dragged him to see the mountains and rivers, which were not particularly noteworthy.
He didn't have to practice sword or cultivate, yet he felt more and more uncomfortable with each passing day.
By the seventh day, he finally couldn't bear it any longer.