Under the dark moon and high winds, Zhang Ze slipped quietly into his cloak for a night adventure, carrying fine wine and meat to knock on the Sword Spirit's door.
"Senior, are you here?"
"What are you doing here at midnight instead of sleeping?"
The Sword Spirit appeared behind Zhang Ze.
Zhang Ze was a bit puzzled seeing the Sword Spirit standing outside the Heart Refining Cave.
"Didn't you say you couldn't leave the cave, Senior? You..."
Before he could finish, Zhang Ze was kicked inside.
"I'm just bound within a ten-li radius here, it's not like I'm actually imprisoned.
Tell me, why are you here at night."
The Sword Spirit floated before Zhang Ze, scrutinizing this oddball.
"Senior, my master has told me everything." Zhang Ze sat down on the ground, pouring two cups of wine on the silk he placed in front of him.
"Told you what?"
"Told me everything, about that woman..."
"Sigh..." the Sword Spirit sighed deeply.
[Outer Sect's only hidden task, Spirit of Confusion, in progress, 85% complete]
[Side hidden task, Recalling the Past, 15% complete]
Zhang Ze, having been trained, didn't let out a laugh when he saw the task progress bar change.
Actually, Zhang Ze knew nothing.
The mouths of the two old men were sealed as if welded.
Li was even more irritable, with an expression that said if you dared to ask more, you'd see the rules of the sect.
But when he turned his back to the sky, the kind of sorrow, reminiscence, and sadness couldn't be faked.
It was just like the embarrassment and unease of a greasy middle-aged man exposed for his public QQ Space literature.
Zhang Ze could swear by the everlasting lights of the Martial Arts Hall that there's a woman involved in this matter, definitely a woman.
"My eyes are like rulers, I wouldn't see wrong."
There's certainly an unspeakable middle-aged love story here.
Plus, there's a Sword Spirit who awakened and advanced because of a certain woman, sitting in the cave for a hundred years.
Three hundred years of love and hate, where did that woman go? Did she leave the Sword Sect wielding her sword across the world or did she pass away young, or was she trapped by love...
Zhang Ze only found himself sleepless at night, feeling like thousands of ants were crawling inside him.
After long contemplation, he decided to risk getting beaten for three days by Li to get to the bottom of this.
It was all for the task, not for gossip.
Zhang Ze thought Li and Wang didn't seem like diary-writing people.
So he decided to start with the Sword Spirit.
Senior Sword Spirit seemed imposing but was actually kind of naive.
Also, someone sitting alone in a cave for a hundred years must have a lot to say.
So he boldly tried to bluff, surprisingly successfully.
Zhang Ze took his own prepared food and drink, entering the mode of watching silently.
"That year, I met her."
This felt right, just this beginning, as Zhang Ze took a bite of pig head meat.
"At the time, my consciousness hadn't awakened, just a low-tier Sword Spirit capable of replicating one's Qi Cultivation.
During my bout with her, I felt a kind of battle intent I never had before.
I was awakened by her overwhelming battle intent, gaining consciousness.
That feeling is unforgettable in my life.
This is the grace of enlightenment.
I want to battle her one more time as thanks."
[Outer Sect's only hidden task, Spirit of Confusion, 99% complete]
[Side hidden task, Recalling the Past, 99% complete]
Zhang Ze held his wine cup waiting for a long time, yet the Sword Spirit just reminisced with closed eyes, not speaking further.
The final 1% progress was delayed.
"Is it done?" Zhang Ze asked.
"Done." the Sword Spirit replied.
"That's it?" Zhang Ze felt deceived.
Where's the promised heroic sentimentality, the ancient sword longing, the hundred-thousand-word ancient romantic story?
"Then why did you malfunction, Senior?"
"Because at first, I was indeed broken by that woman."
"Why did you pretend to malfunction when you attacked me, Senior?"
"You guys are annoying. If found not broken, I'd have to be your sparring partner."
"Then why are you better now, Senior?"
"Because fighting with you is more annoying."
"What did you want me to ask Elder Li, Senior?"
"Ask what that woman's name is, I don't know what her name is."
"Why don't you ask yourself!"
"I'm not ready yet. Although I want to battle her again, I'm afraid of getting broken again, as it would affect my cultivation if my sword heart is unstable."
Zhang Ze now felt empty, empty enough to join a monastery.
Just like downloading resources all day expecting something exciting.
Only to find out at midnight when everything was ready to pull the curtain and open the player, it was truly bland.
10 gigabytes of Windows desktop images.
Looking at the Sword Spirit's unruffled eyes, not pure but emotionless.
Zhang Ze stood up, bowed, "Rest early, Senior, I'm going to sleep."
"Come back!" the Sword Spirit floated in front of Zhang Ze, blocking his way.
"Do you really know nothing..."
"How could I not, Li told me everything." Zhang Ze quickly walked toward the exit, bypassing the Sword Spirit.
"Stop! You were bluffing me?"
The Sword Spirit raised its hand, a Flying Sword of Spiritual Qi appeared before Zhang Ze, pointing at his forehead.
"Well, that... Elder Li, with me, um... you understand, it's not that we don't know, it's that he..."
"What's that woman's name?" The Sword Spirit's voice sounded in Zhang Ze's ear, "If you truly asked your master, he wouldn't refuse to tell you."
Zhang Ze thought about arguing but decided against it.
He posed sticking out his chest and hips with his back to the Sword Spirit.
"Kick here, Senior, it's the thickest part."
The next day.
Zhang Ze skipped his morning classes again.
His body was too painful to bear, only getting up from bed in the afternoon.
He couldn't go to the Martial Arts Hall, or he'd get beaten by Elder Li again.
The safest place left was Grandpa Wang's Library Pavilion, perfect for sipping tea and organizing the new cultivation technique Golden Armor Soldiers.
"How come you're so proper today, kid. Before, you'd lie down here instead of sitting."
Wang was lounging in the recliner, sipping hot tea.
"Awakened by a dream last night, I felt my cultivation too low, shameful toward the sect. Hence, I got up and cultivated through the night, now reminiscing about that feeling."
Elder Wang chuckled lightly at Zhang Ze's limping state.
"Did you go ask the Sword Spirit or ask Li?"
Zhang Ze tossed his pen, handing the cultivation booklet he wrote standing to Wang.
"I went to the Sword Spirit. Senior was delighted and guided me through the essence of swordsmanship all night."
Elder Wang took the booklet, skimmed it over, and found nothing wrong other than the ugly handwriting.
"You're clever all your life but foolish for a moment. Why didn't you ask me about this?"
"You know?"
"Of course. Even if I didn't, I wouldn't hit you."
Frankly, Zhang Ze didn't believe it.
Though the plot was bland water with the Sword Spirit, given he didn't care about key passions, purity was normal.
But Li, three hundred years ago, was a robust man; being stuck in it surely meant some intrigue.
As for Grandpa Wang, looking at his quintuple-layered chin, Zhang Ze always felt he had nothing to do with that middle-aged romance.
Wang, with hands behind his back, gazed out the window with an air of wisdom.
"In the Seventh Sword Pavilion, there was a saying.
Spectate silently, don't provoke Jing Chun.
Do you understand now?"
Not a clue, Zhang Ze grumbled internally.
But then he quickly realized, looking incredulously at Grandpa Wang.
[Outer Sect's only hidden task, Spirit of Confusion, 99.91% complete.]
[Side hidden task, Recalling the Past, 99.91% complete.]