Wanxi Rebirth - Chapter 112

Yue Tingxi spent a whole hour sparring with the little girl.

Although it was their first time facing each other, she could instantly follow the girl’s movements and even predict, in a very short time, what moves Qin Suoliu was likely to use next.

Even more astonishing was that Qin Suoliu could do the same.

—This shouldn’t be possible.

Unless they had grown up together as friends or had been long-time sparring partners, it was nearly impossible to reach such a level.

The sparring had no restrictions, just a desire to “hit without hurting.” When Yue Tingxi realized she had no advantage in either martial arts or magic, she transformed her lower body into a serpent, using it with her long whip to strike Qin Suoliu.

Unexpectedly, the little girl’s purple skirt flared, and she charged at her with impressive speed, passing through the coiling snake body. Her small wooden sword aimed straight for Yue Tingxi’s face!

Yue Tingxi thought she would be surprised, but instead she calmly bent her body backward in a curve only a serpent could manage, easily dodging the tip of the sword, and immediately reached out to embrace Qin Suoliu’s waist.

As if she had touched something ticklish, the little girl suddenly lost her strength and burst into giggles, melting into Yue Tingxi’s arms.

“D-Don’t hug me like that!” she protested, laughing and trying to regain her strength.

But being much younger, just one slip was enough to decide the match.

Since the Qingyu Shanren always took care of newly formed little spirits, Yue Tingxi had plenty of experience with young demons. Seeing Qin Suoliu unhappy about losing, she demonstrated some of her most practiced combat techniques.

She had first learned the long whip, later added a set of sword techniques, and also learned a bit of various other skills—not only from Qingyu Shanren but also from Xie Zhi, who would suddenly pull her aside to teach new things. The guidance from Lu Yanzha and Chan Ying’s elders also counted as half-teaching.

Qin Suoliu was indeed captivated, eyes fixed on every move she made, shining with admiration.

But she couldn’t watch for long; Lan Kongming arrived.

“Sparring has its place; why hide here?” Lan Kongming smiled. Without waiting for her daughter’s explanation, she bent down to lift her up and said to Yue Tingxi, “This child loves combat and doesn’t want to spar in Kaizi Binglun, preferring to truly test her abilities.”

“Mother!” Qin Suoliu protested.

“It’s fine, I can spar with her,” Yue Tingxi had returned to her original form. But the lingering question in her mind grew even stronger. “But you’re right, this isn’t the proper place…”

“I don’t want to be in a place where people are watching.” Qin Suoliu began to make demands.

Lan Kongming softly agreed, then added, “Feng Qing sent a visiting card. The person is already at your guest hall, waiting.”

“Why did she suddenly come?!” Qin Suoliu was both surprised and delighted. Breaking free from her mother’s embrace, she looked at Yue Tingxi. “Can you come with me? I want to introduce my new friend to Feng Qing!”

Children’s friendships formed so easily, Yue Tingxi was surprised but did not refuse. Out of politeness, curiosity, and the unresolved doubt in her heart, she transformed into a large snake, carrying Qin Suoliu to the direction she indicated.

“Feng Qing is the daughter of Qingxu Sect’s head, Lan Fengqing. She specializes in medicine and is easy to get along with!” Qin Suoliu kept introducing her. “But she’s physically weak, and has to sleep on time, so she can’t stay up chatting all night.”

She explained that Lan Fengqing was born with innate weaknesses. Fortunately, centuries ago a wandering sage had visited, calculated her fate, and advised the sect leader to take special care of her. Though there were still some regrets later, at least she wouldn’t spend her whole life confined in Baiyao Valley managing her ailments.

Yue Tingxi listened carefully. As they reached the guest hall, the sound of a zither floated through the air.

“Oh, Lan Miss can play the zither?” Yue Tingxi marveled while enjoying the music. Her snake body stopped moving, coiling in place, waiting for the entire piece to finish.

The piece was “High Mountains and Flowing Water,” a tune she had heard many times in Xishan and Qingxiao City. Its tone was clear and fluid, no less refined for being played by a young girl.

Qin Suoliu urged, “Let’s go! Feng Qing loves having an audience!”

Yue Tingxi approached, passed Qin Suoliu to the ground, transformed back to human form, and prepared to sit cross-legged to listen.

Suddenly, Lin Fengqing jumped up from her zither and pounced onto Qin Suoliu’s shoulder, spinning around with her in a playful circle.

Yue Tingxi: …

Lan Miss played so beautifully that she forgot the girl was still a child.

Fortunately, the two girls only played for a short while before sitting down.

Qin Suoliu couldn’t help but praise Yue Tingxi extensively, from her ability to spar evenly despite the level difference, to her mastery of skills, even her outfit, and finally her serpent form: “I never realized a serpent demon could be so cute, strong, and captivating!”

Lin Fengqing watched quietly, her gaze shifting between the two. She finally concluded, “It’s not that she’s special—it’s love at first sight.”

Yue Tingxi: ?

“No! She really is special, really, really special!” Qin Suoliu insisted loudly.

“I didn’t deny she’s special. I was just speaking my thoughts,” Lin Fengqing explained seriously. “When you introduced her to me, your eyes were shining and you kept praising her—totally different from how I know you. Before, you could always give a balanced view of anyone or any demon.”

Qin Suoliu choked on these words, blushing unconsciously.

“But… she’s really so good…” she whispered, still insisting.

Lin Fengqing nodded knowingly.

Yue Tingxi felt awkward. She knew what “love at first sight” meant, but never expected that after just one sparring session with Qin Suoliu, the girl would already be smitten.

She even thought of leaving, but the lingering doubt made her hesitate. Even if she left now, she would have to come back later to solve it. So she pretended nothing happened, smiling like a wooden snake.

Noticing her discomfort, Qin Suoliu started a new topic.

She explained that Lin Fengqing was the second daughter of Xuming Manor, well-read, and could talk about almost anything. Then she fetched her treasured sheet music, sharing both its origin and her own insights.

Though Yue Tingxi didn’t know much about music, she enjoyed stories, treating Qin Suoliu’s explanation as a series of little tales. By the end, she developed an interest in the piece.

But since she couldn’t play, she asked Qin Suoliu for the sheet music, intending to inscribe it on blank spirit paper to have Qingyu Shanren play for her later.

“How about we play together?” Lin Fengqing suddenly suggested. “I have all sorts of instruments. You pick one you know, we’ll play, and Sister Tingxi can keep the beat.”

She demonstrated by tapping a rhythm on the table. “The sword’s sound is crisp; Sister Tingxi, you play the sword… If you don’t have one, I can lend it.”

Yue Tingxi didn’t know keeping the beat counted as part of an ensemble, but she was happy to participate. “Of course I have a sword.”

When Qin Chuhan came to tell Lin Fengqing to rest, she heard the ensemble of flute and zither, occasionally punctuated by sword tapping.

It seemed that Sister Tingxi was getting along very well with her two “future best friends.”

She didn’t disturb them, waiting patiently until the piece ended before calling Lin Fengqing’s name.

“I have to study the sect master’s alchemy formulas; I have to return tomorrow.” Lin Fengqing told the two before leaving. “Today’s ensemble gave me a lot of inspiration! Can we play more pieces next time? I want to hear them after my exam!”

Yue Tingxi considered it. She came out to relax, and as long as she didn’t practice cultivation, it was fine. Qingyu Shanren even wanted her to interact with others to cultivate mind and body, instead of constantly worrying about competing with Luo Yanzha.

She nodded. “Sure, next time you come, we’ll play again.”

At the very least, she should learn one instrument; just tapping the sword was too half-hearted.

Since the ensemble was a pact among the three, she decided to ask the talented second young lady for guidance.

“If you ask me… flute is easier to start with. Focus on breath and fingerings; the rest will come with practice,” Qin Suoliu advised. “Zither isn’t too difficult either… Or you could play drums; keeping the rhythm is important.”

In the end, Yue Tingxi chose the flute. She had seen Qingyu Shanren play and maintain flutes, so she roughly knew what to do.

After getting permission from Qingyu Shanren and Xie Zhi, she stayed at Xuming Manor.

Every morning, she practiced flute basics for an hour and a half. While Qin Suoliu followed Sister Yin Guang to study knife techniques, Yue Tingxi reviewed Qin Suoliu’s newly copied Introduction to Bamboo Flute and some simple practice pieces.

At lunch, she ate a bit alongside Qin Suoliu, quietly noting the second young lady’s favorite foods. Afterward, they shared a bed—one rested, the other meditated.

Yue Tingxi felt like a guest and knew it wasn’t proper to share a bed, but Qin Suoliu insisted on hugging her serpent form, even if it was just the tip of the tail. Yue Tingxi didn’t mind and let her.

In the afternoon, they usually sparred at a special arena at Qin Chuhan’s place, shielded to prevent observation.

If Qin Suoliu was tired or wanted to practice ensemble music, they went to Lan Kongming’s music room.

This peaceful, regular life passed quickly—an entire year.

Lin Fengqing visited monthly, at first joining in with various instruments—flute, pipa, xun, yangqin, konghou—but later simply listened. Sometimes, inspired by their ensemble, she would compose new pieces overnight for them to play.

“Don’t underestimate an ensemble! It’s a way to train ‘tacit understanding’!” Lin Fengqing emphasized. “No physical effort, no risk of injury, yet you know each other’s temperaments. What a training method!”

“But why do we need such tacit understanding?” Yue Tingxi joked.

“When I and the second young lady grow up, the three of us can explore secret realms!” Lin Fengqing answered immediately, as if she had imagined this future countless times. “I really want to go! But my parents and brother are worried. Even if my brother promises to protect me when I’m older, my mother insists I need a companion.”

“Alright! Then I’ll work harder for that day!” Qin Suoliu agreed, exchanging a knowing glance with Lin Fengqing.

Both girls knew it wasn’t truly a “trio adventure”—it was a setup.

Over the past year, Qin Suoliu had seriously considered her feelings and discussed them with trusted disciples. She concluded: she truly loved Yue Tingxi at first sight, and she wanted to develop a Dao-couple relationship with her.

Her elder sister Yin Guang thought she was too young but didn’t deny the feelings, warning: “You are very young. Pursuing her will take a long time—fast would be a decade, slow a few decades. Feelings fade over time. The world you see now is small; when you grow up, you may like someone else.”

Qin Suoliu didn’t agree but could not explain herself well. “Sister, just wait!” she said.

It would be difficult to win Yue Tingxi’s heart, but she could make Yue Tingxi stay!

They had no grudges, didn’t interfere with each other’s cultivation, and everything they did together was mutually beneficial.

Besides, Xishan wasn’t far from Xuming Manor. Yue Tingxi could always return, so their bond wouldn’t weaken.

Qin Suoliu kept calculating quietly, clinging to Yue Tingxi without being annoying, maintaining a distance that wouldn’t cause offense.

Yue Tingxi realized later that the more time she spent at the manor, the longer she stayed.

Shasha and Chan Ying sent her countless messages asking her to spend more time there—a bit amusing, since Xishan was her real home.

Half a year later, when peaches and grapes ripened in summer, she went to Qin Suoliu, who was copying new study materials, and said, “I’m going back to Xishan to pick fruit. Want to come with me?”

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