As the setting sun's afterglow stained the cave walls red, Su Jinxue slowly awoke.
She lay on a bed of grass, a wolf-skin cloak covering her.
Her back stung fiercely, but the spiritual energy within her body had stabilized.
"Awake?" Zhu Yu's voice was as gentle as ever.
She turned her head to look.
Her Master sat leaning against the stone wall, poking at the lit firewood.
His expression was normal, as if nothing had happened.
But the specks of blood on his sleeve, illuminated by the firelight, were particularly glaring.
"Ma-Master… your hand…"
"It's nothing." Zhu Yu's gaze turned to her. "Rather, you, why did you not heed your Master's admonition?"
Su Jinxue's shoulders trembled slightly, and it was a long while before she spoke: "Too slow…"
"What?"
"Too slow…" Her fingers gripped the grass beneath her. "Those demons… won't wait for me to grow stronger…"
"So you chose to commit suicide?" Zhu Yu's eyes were calm. "Do you know that if your Master had returned even a moment later, you would already be a corpse?
Who then would avenge your parents? Who would mourn the lost souls of Shuo Province?"
Su Jinxue trembled all over.
"Look up."
She timidly raised her face, meeting Zhu Yu's profound gaze.
There was no blame in it, only deep concern.
"Silly girl, your Master knows you bear a blood feud, but there are no shortcuts on the path of Sword Dao cultivation. Haste will only destroy you."
"Remember today's pain."
He walked over, raised his hand, and gently stroked her face.
"Don't make the same mistake again in the future."
"Your parents risked their lives to send you out of the city because they wanted you to live, not to become a walking corpse obsessed only with revenge."
"Your Master teaches you the Sword Dao not only for the inheritance of the Sword Sect, but also in hopes that you can protect yourself."
"Your parents, your Master, everyone who cares about you, all hope that you live well."
Seeing her bite her lip and remain silent, Zhu Yu withdrew his hand: "Sleep. Tomorrow, we will practice swordplay as usual."
The more nonchalant his attitude, the deeper Su Jinxue's guilt became.
She recalled the little things from these past few days—
Her Master rescuing her, barely alive, from the snow, warming her frozen body with spiritual energy;
When she stubbornly refused treatment, he forcefully yet gently bandaged her wounds;
Every day, he would find different ways to hunt wild game, just so she would eat one more bite…
In this world, only her parents had ever been so good to her.
But what about herself?
First, she disliked the sword techniques her Master taught, finding them not to her liking…
She also didn't listen to his teachings, feigning obedience…
And then, she presumptuously altered her energy circulation path, causing her Master to expend energy healing her…
She was simply the most unworthy disciple under heaven…
Tears welled up in her eyes.
The emotions surging in her chest hurt more than her wounds, like a dull knife slowly carving at her heart.
Zhu Yu was about to get up when he suddenly felt his sleeve grow heavy.
"Ma-Master…"
"Hmm?"
That single response became the last straw that broke the camel's back.
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"
Stuttering, she sobbed so hard she could barely form a complete sentence: "Your disciple knows her mistake… truly knows her mistake… shouldn't have… shouldn't have disobeyed Master…Woo…"
Her ice-blue eyes brimmed with tears, like melting glaciers.
This girl, as stubborn as a little donkey, could actually cry like this.
Su Jinxue saw his silence and frantically wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, but the more she wiped, the more they flowed.
Zhu Yu was about to help her up, but then she plopped down onto the hard stone ground, her forehead hitting it heavily: "Please, please, Master, don't cast me out! I will definitely be obedient from now on!"
Specks of blood appeared on the stone ground.
"What are you doing?!"
Zhu Yu quickly pulled her up, only then realizing her forehead was broken.
The young girl seemed to feel no pain, only clutching his clothes tightly, as if grasping at her last straw of hope.
"I… I have no home…"
She whimpered intermittently, crying so hard she was out of breath.
"Only Master is left… If, if Master also abandons me…"
Before she could finish, she was embraced in a warm hug.
Zhu Yu gently patted her thin shoulders, his movements tender.
"Silly girl," he sighed, "When did your Master ever say he would cast you out?"
Su Jinxue lifted her tear-filled little face, her nose red: "But, but I…"
Disobeying her master, secretly altering her cultivation method, almost destroying her foundation…
Any one of these was enough to be expelled from the sect.
The more she thought about it, the more afraid she became, and the tears that had just stopped flowed out again.
"Among cultivators, there are not a few who have taken detours," Zhu Yu wiped away her tears. "To know one's mistakes and be able to correct them is the greatest good."
As he spoke, a green light gathered at his fingertips and covered the wound on her forehead.
The cool spiritual energy significantly reduced the burning pain.
"However…"
After doing this, Zhu Yu straightened his face: "If there's a next time…"
"No, there won't be!" Su Jinxue quickly swore, shaking her head like a rattle-drum. "Your disciple, I promise not to make the same mistake again!"
Zhu Yu's heart softened, and he cupped her tear-streaked little face: "It's good that you know your mistake."
"But this time, it's not entirely your fault. Your Master also has shortcomings."
Su Jinxue was stunned, looking at him with tear-filled eyes, not understanding why her Master would blame himself.
"First, your Master shouldn't have skipped basic training and directly taught you the cultivation method."
"Although you have a Sword Bone and have learned to use a sword, you are too young and your foundation is unstable. Your Master was too eager for you to become strong, which instead harmed you."
"Second, your Master neglected to guide your temperament."
His gaze was calm as he slowly said: "In the path of sword cultivation, one must cultivate the heart before cultivating the sword. If the hatred in your heart cannot be resolved, it will surely become an inner demon in the future."
Su Jinxue did not refute, only secretly shed tears.
She listened to everything her Master said.
"Hatred can be your motivation, but it cannot consume you," Zhu Yu ruffled her hair. "Otherwise, even if your swordsmanship reaches mastery in the future, you will be nothing more than a demon in human skin."
Demon…
Su Jinxue's heart trembled violently.
If she truly became like that for revenge, how heartbroken would her parents' spirits in heaven be?
"Third, your Master was negligent," Zhu Yu gave a bitter smile. "You've had distracting thoughts these past few days, and I didn't even notice."
"If not for the spiritual energy rampage within you today, I might still have been kept in the dark by you."
After speaking, he kneaded the young girl's cheeks: "Little girl, you're quite bold, daring to act recklessly behind your Master's back?"
Su Jinxue was made to speak incoherently by him—oh, she already didn't speak very clearly.
"Ma-Master… your dis-ciple… won't do it again…"
If someone had dared to do that to her a few days ago, she would have stabbed them with a sword already.
"Just saying it isn't enough either." Zhu Yu stopped tormenting her cheeks. "Starting tomorrow, your Master will adjust your cultivation plan."
"First, practice basic sword forms, then learn the cultivation method."
"Every morning, first meditate to calm your mind and cultivate your character."
"Also," he narrowed his eyes, "No more secretly adding extra practice! If I find out, you'll be punished with three thousand sword swings!"
Su Jinxue's eyes widened: "Th-three thousand?"
"Too few?"
"No, not few!" She quickly shook her head, her little face scrunched up. "Your disciple will definitely obey!"
Zhu Yu finally nodded with satisfaction: "Good. For today, rest well. We'll start again tomorrow."
Su Jinxue obediently lay down, wrapping the wolf-skin cloak tightly around herself, but still looked at him expectantly: "Master…"
"Speak."
"You… truly don't blame me?" she asked softly, her eyes still filled with unease.
The lonely and helpless young girl lacked a sense of security in her heart.
Zhu Yu chuckled, flicking her head lightly with his finger: "Blame you? Of course I blame you."
Su Jinxue's expression darkened.
"I blame you for being too stubborn, and for not trusting your Master." His tone softened. "But since your Master has taken you as a disciple, I will not abandon you."
"Stop overthinking things, and get some good rest."
Su Jinxue's eyes felt warm, and she nodded vigorously: "Mhm!"
Zhu Yu sat down with his back to her, then heard the muffled voice of the young girl behind him: "Master…"
"What is it now?"
"W-would you… perhaps just scold me a bit…"
She felt truly uneasy having made a mistake without punishment.
"You've already been punished," Zhu Yu shook the bloodstains on his sleeve. "That spiritual energy backlash will make you remember far better than a few scoldings from your Master."
"But…"
"Sleep," Zhu Yu interrupted her. "You still have to get up early to practice swordplay tomorrow."
Su Jinxue could only obediently close her eyes.
But not long after, she secretly opened a slit, peeking at Zhu Yu's back.
Moonlight streamed in from the cave entrance, outlining her Master's tall figure.
She quietly clenched her fists, silently vowing in her heart—
From now on, she would never disappoint her Master again!
After a good while, when Zhu Yu thought Su Jinxue had fallen asleep, he heard a rumbling sound from her stomach.
Turning his head, he saw the young girl, blushing, shyly say: "Master… I'm, I'm hungry…"
Ah, I was negligent.
She hadn't eaten all day.
The rabbit from this morning would come in handy.
"Come, let's roast this rabbit. You can sleep after you're full."
"Okay, okay!"