NEBM Chapter 12: Sprain

On the surface, the master and disciple seemed to be in perfect harmony, but Shen Zhixian knew that the little hedgehog was just hiding his thorns and waiting for the perfect opportunity to poke him.

As they waited for Yan Jin to return from his morning classes, Shen Zhixian and Xiao Caoya lounged in bed together. With a sigh, Shen Zhixian lazily rolled over.

Xiao Caoya, who failed to understand why Yan Jin had to go to classes, also heaved a sigh that echoed Shen Zhixian’s.

Shen Zhixian played with it’s tiny leaves as he murmured, “A’Jin is so hard to coax…”

Xiao Caoya understood his sentiment and immediately shook its leaves in agreement. Super hard to coax. It’d been behaving so coquettishly, all in exchange for the rare opportunity to cling on to Yan Jin’s sleeves.

One person and one grass bud looked at each other for a long time and then sighed in unison.

Xiao Caoya spread out on the bed for a moment, then went out to bask in the sun. Shen Zhixian sat up, hugging the comforter to his chest, and couldn’t help recalling the situation that day.

He clearly saw that Yan Jin’s eyes were red, though it did shortly returned to normal

That cold and beautiful color felt exactly the same as his swordplay, ruthless and indifferent.

At that time, Shen Zhixian was too worried and didn’t think much about it. Later, once he calmed down, he remembered that, in the book, Yan Jin’s eyes would always turn red whenever he became a devil.

In the book, because Yan Jin’s spirit root was severed and he could no longer cultivate into an immortal, he sought out a different path and became a devil. But, now that his spirit root was safe, why were there suddenly signs of the devil in him?

Shen Zhixian was deeply apprehensive, worried that the little hedgehog would perform a show for him by single-handedly killing him, the master.

After a while, he stood up suddenly and grabbed his sword to practice.

He’d recently turned the original owner’s storage space inside out and found a sword manual that the original owner himself had written. As a result, he’d been practicing hard at improving his swordsmanship.

Since he bore the name of a master, he must be proficient enough to be able to teach. Just in case…Yan Jin might see his dedication and decide to forgive him.

The more he practiced, the more he realized how innately talented the original owner was. It was no wonder that the former sect leader would value him so much, and why he was named the best sword cultivator in the sect. Long before his constitution had weakened, he was able to create a rare and insightful set of sword manuals.

Every time Shen Zhixian practiced his swordplay, he felt completely integrated with the sword. It was probably the body’s muscle memory at play.

After completing a set of sword moves, Shen Zhixian stood at the edge of a cliff. He let out a sigh, and the gloominess at the bottom of his heart dissipated, leaving behind only a sense of comfort and satisfaction. It even made him want to take in his fill of the world, to carry his sword and travel the distant landscapes.

The original owner must have been a spirited young man. Unfortunately, after he received his heart injury, all his dreams turned into dust.

The wind was strong near the cliff, blowing the skirt of his robe all about him. Shen Zhixian stood for a while, long enough for his hot blood to cool. At last, he glanced at the bottomless cliff, took a step back, and turned to go back to the house. He stopped short when he saw Yan Jin. He hadn’t noticed when Yan Jin had returned or how long he’d been standing there watching him.

“A’Jin is back,” Shen Zhixin greeted. Noticing that he was carrying a sword, he added casually, “Is the sword suitable?”

Since Yan Jin’s previous ordinary sword had shattered into several pieces, resulting in him being unable to cultivate, Shen Zhixian had deliberately given him the sword he was now currently using.

Yan Jin lowered his lashes, hiding the flash of suspicion within. He bowed respectfully. “Thank you, Master, for gifting this sword to me. It’s very good.”

When Shen Zhixian realized that Yan Jin’s behavior had no hint of vigilance or defensiveness, he nearly broke into a wide smile. After muttering resolutely to himself, he lifted his chin and straightforwardly said, “Practice two moves for me to see.”

Shen Zhixian seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood. His current smiling face was a break from his usually calm and simple elegance. His swordplay had been unconstrained and easy yet overpowering, like a legendary immortal hero of the Jianghu.

Yan Jin felt as if he was seeing him clearly for the first time. For a second, he even felt that this man in front of him was not Shen Zhixian. How could such a cold and dark man have such a free and easy swordplay?.

But this was clearly Shen Zhixian. Although his hatred for Shen Zhixian hadn’t disappeared, he couldn’t deny that his features were beautiful and completely unforgettable. No one could imitate that tear-shaped birthmark.

After practicing for two hours, Shen Zhixian was loath to put his sword away. However, he couldn’t use his spiritual force for long periods of time. No matter how much he wanted to continue, his heart injury would eventually come out to punish him.

“It’s actually very good,” he praised. Seeing that Yan Jin was about to put away his sword, he quickly stopped him. “There’s no hurry. Right now, you only know a few moves. I can teach you more…”

The original owner had never bothered to guide Yan Jin in his practice. As a result, Yan Jin could only go to class with ordinary disciples. However, those disciples had unanimously plotted to secretly isolate and oppress him, even deliberately giving him the worst sword to make him fail his classes.

Because of his frequent absences, Yan Jin was only able to a gain rudimentary knowledge. Fortunately, the protagonist’s halo was too outstanding. Even with the most common sword, he still managed to gain some decent skills.

But, it was only decent. There were still a lot of mistakes, which Shen Zhixian took out one by one to correct for him.

After speaking for some time, Shen Zhixian forgot the estrangement between master and disciple. He took Yan Jin’s sword and personally showed him a set of moves.

“For example, the ephemeral dew technique should not be used in this way. Think of it as the swordsman stepping out in the early morning to see the mayfly soaring past in a single motion. All that is ephemeral is always fleeting. As a result, the sword techniques must be smart and fast, just like the passing mayfly…”

He lifted the sword and swung it down, the blade emitting a sharp sound as the sword cut through the air.

Yan Jin was stunned. He took a step forward and stared closely at the blade.

“The wind blows gracefully pass the swordsman and the darkening sky brought enlightenment. As dusk arrives, the dead leaves reflects the dying sun and the west wind rolls bleakly pass. Meeting a rival, feeling doubtful and irresolute, only to find that death is still so distant.”

A vague figure flickered in Yan Jin’s mind, coalescing into the fuzzy image of a high-spirited man dressed in white, demonstrating his sword techniques while saying something similar. But, at that time, he was holding a dead branch instead of a sword.

Yan Jin blurted out, “Master, can you really imitate the wind in a single stroke?”

“Imitate the wind in one stroke?” Shen Zhixian’s sword tip snapped up, and almost without thinking, he flicked his wrist to perform the move. He immediately said without thinking, “Now, the full moon hangs in the dark twilight, and the west wind sweeps up…”

Yan Jin’s pupils suddenly dilated. The figure in his memory and the person in front of him seemed to overlap into a single individual. A name that had been firmly etched in his mind rose up, and he blurted, “Sui–”

“Aiya!” Shen Zhixian suddenly exclaimed, interrupting Yan Jin’s words. His face slightly shifted, and not bothering to finish the move, he planted the sword into the ground with one hand and used to other to hold his waist. His expression was subtle and helpless. “My waist…”

Throughout the entire demonstration, Shen Zhixian dared not use his spiritual power, only relying on Yan Jin’s sword. However, Yan Jin’s sword was high quality and the weight was somewhat hefty. As it was, the ephemeral dew was still trying to overcome the rising wind, which required opening out his stance. At this important juncture, he didn’t pay enough attention and ended up slightly spraining his waist.

Yan Jin, “…”

He swallowed the name he was about to blurt out back into his stomach, and then instantly returned to his customary state of silence. At Shen Zhixian’s direction, he carefully and steadily helped him back to the house.

To lend Shen Zhixian some strength, Yan Jin allowed him to placed his hand on his wrist. He realized at once that the master’s touch was ice-cold, not the temperature that a healthy man should have. His heart injury had buried his future, leaving him weak and frail. The body had become a waste.

In his past life, Yan Jin also admired Shen Zhixian so he was not resistant to paying respect to him. But, who would have thought that this respect would be paid back with his spirit root severed, resulting in his death.

He pitied Shen Zhixian, but he hated him even more.

Yan Jin lowered his lids, masking the complex emotions at the bottom of his eyes, as he helped the person on to the bed, bowed silently, and retreated just as quietly.

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