Chapter 36 Spring Fruit
Chapter 36: Spring Fruit
“Hmm…”
The sword in Luo Hongyu’s hand was knocked high into the air, falling straight to the ground.
She clutched her hand, staring blankly in the direction where the sword had fallen.
The grape vines on the trellis had completely covered the entire frame, bearing grapes for five years.
This year, Luo Hongyu was fifteen.
Dressed in a blue-white sword outfit, Luo Hongyu sat dejectedly by the pond. In the gentle sunlight, her delicate face gleamed through the gaps in the light.
“Luohe, how exactly do you practice your swordsmanship? You’re so skilled…”
“Tell me, is Senior Sister Gu secretly giving you extra training?”
“She certainly isn’t.”
Luohe retrieved the sword for Luo Hongyu and put it back in its sheath, then sat down beside her.
As soon as he sat down, Luo Hongyu unceremoniously leaned to the side and fell straight into Luohe’s arms.
She looked up, unable to see the dazzling sun, only the beautiful eyes of the person who was blocking the sunlight for her.
“Get me a bunch of grapes.”
“Here you go.”
With a flash of sword energy, a translucent bunch of purple fruit appeared in Luo Hongyu’s hand.
She hummed a little tune as she slowly peeled off the skin, watching the translucent flesh refract in the sunlight.
Then, teasingly, she passed the grape by Luohe’s lips. When Luohe gave her a sidelong glance, she laughed and pulled her hand back.
She had grown accustomed to this way of interacting with him.
Over these nine years, they had practically eaten and lived together. Every blade of grass and tree on Stillwater Peak bore traces of the two of them.
At first, Luo Hongyu didn’t like this wild boy that Senior Sister Gu had brought back from outside.
Deep down, she was somewhat shy around strangers, always feeling there were parts of herself she didn’t want others to see.
But soon, Luo Hongyu changed her attitude.
Although it might not be entirely appropriate, Luo Hongyu often felt that the person before her seemed to have been born just for her.
He always managed to precisely capture her emotions, appearing from some unknown corner exactly when she needed him most.
Before, Luo Hongyu believed that only she knew how delicate and sensitive her inner heart was.
Her mother’s early death and her father’s long absence during her formative years—if Luohe hadn’t been with her all along, she would have grown tired of Stillwater Peak long ago.
Now, she lived quite happily.
Except that people often thought her cultivation and talent weren’t worthy of her title as the Sword Sect’s Young Master.
She didn’t really care about being the Sword Sect’s Young Master, but she did care about something else…
She felt that as Luohe became more skilled, he grew more distant from her.
“Luohe.”
“Yes?”
“Will you become a very powerful cultivator in the future?”
The young Luo Hongyu spoke in a very crisp voice, with the coquettishness unique to young girls.
Her question was innocent and romantic, her thoughts pure and singular—a sight that would have been completely impossible to see in the Luo Hongyu of before.
Luohe’s expression remained unchanged, the smile on his face the same as it had been for years.
“If I want to, I probably will.”
“Hmm…”
This answer troubled the young girl.
“Why don’t you become the Sword Sect’s Young Master instead… sigh…”
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
Luo Hongyu’s head received a light tap.
“What’s wrong with that? Whether it’s Senior Sister Gu or the other senior brothers and sisters…”
“They all… think highly of you.”
Her voice grew softer as she spoke, her brows increasingly furrowed.
In the end, she was simply muttering to herself.
Luohe looked at her and suddenly covered her eyes with his hand.
“Hey, what are you doing…”
“I want to tell you about someone.”
“Go ahead.”
Luo Hongyu allowed his hand to remain over her eyes.
“I used to know a very powerful sword cultivator—she was a genius.”
“She entered the Golden Core stage at twenty-two, shocking the world, becoming the youngest cultivator with the fastest progress in hundreds of years.”
“Golden Core at twenty-two? I’m fifteen and still at Qi Gathering… Wait, when did you meet someone so impressive?”
“I knew her before.”
“…Was it a woman?”
“Yes.”
“Her name was Luo Hongyu.”
“…”
Luo Hongyu was silent for a moment, then pinched Luohe’s arm hard.
“Are you teasing me?”
“No.”
Luohe’s tone remained unchanged as he continued.
“If things go as expected, Luo Hongyu will reach the Divine Transformation realm within a hundred years, and in both the celestial and demonic factions of the world, there are fewer than a hundred cultivators at the Divine Transformation level.”
“People believe she will usher in another era of glorious prosperity for the immortal world, perhaps even breaking through Divine Transformation, stepping into Feather Transformation, and treading the long stairway to immortality.”
Luo Hongyu was both annoyed and amused by his nonsense. She traced her finger along Luohe’s palm and, following his lead, continued enthusiastically:
“Really? Is Luo Hongyu that impressive?”
“Yes.”
“Does this Luo Hongyu have a little follower by her side?”
“That’s right.”
“And is this little follower’s name Luohe?”
“You guessed correctly.”
“Pah, you pest!”
Luo Hongyu suddenly pushed away Luohe’s hand and jumped up from his arms, making a face at him.
“If Luo Hongyu is really that impressive, then her little follower must be an unfortunate soul.”
“She would work him like an ox and bully him to death, hmph.”
Luohe smiled.
“You’re right.”
“Luo Hongyu really does dislike her little follower. He gets bullied to death by her.”
“…”
Luo Hongyu stared for a long time, unable to discern Luohe’s meaning.
Was he teasing her? But it didn’t seem like it. How could she possibly dislike Luohe…
Never mind. Regardless, Luo Hongyu had already felt the good intentions of her little follower.
The melancholy in Luo Hongyu’s heart was swept away by this banter. She smiled and pointed at Luohe, declaring loudly:
“Since this Luo Hongyu in your words is so impressive, I’ll become her for you to see.”
“Luohe, remember this: one day my swordsmanship and cultivation will surpass yours, and then I’ll make you sincerely call me ‘sister’!”
Luohe looked at her without speaking.
“Alright, no more fooling around with you. I need to go work hard on becoming your sister!”
“…”
Luo Hongyu walked away with a cheerful step, while Luohe remained seated.
That gentle, serene aura and the peaceful smile on his face gradually disappeared, like they were being carried away by a river.
“Luo Hongyu’s core nature is still one of strength and ambition. Even though your dream has tried its best to file away her claws and fangs to deceive me, this fact will never change.”
“So, she’s actually looking forward to me encouraging her to progress.”
Luohe spoke toward an empty space.
“Well, it seems you’ve made the right choice again.”
Confusing Heart’s voice rose at the appropriate moment.
Her tone no longer carried the confrontational edge it had nine years ago. Now, the atmosphere when they spoke was like that between old friends who had known each other for a long time.
They were now playing a game—a life simulation game.
Luohe had to make choices that aligned with their subconscious minds and the current scenario in this script fabricated from their memories, for the plot to continue.
Otherwise, they would have to start over.
So far, Luohe hadn’t experienced a single failure.
He had already succeeded halfway.
Luo Hongyu at twenty-four would be the time of the Ascension Ceremony.
When they reached that point, this dream would end, which meant he still had another nine years to go.
…