Martial Cultivator

Yu Xiyi stared at Chen Chao in silence.

Feeling uneasy under the gaze, Chen Chao said awkwardly, "If you don't want to talk about it, then don't. I don't want to hear it either."

Yu Xiyi reached his hand hand.

Chen Chao quickly clutched the wine gourd and cursed, "Your Father barely has any wine left!"

But soon after, Chen Chao still handed the wine gourd to him anyway, saying helplessly, "A genius sword cultivator, trapped by love. If word got out, wouldn't people laugh their heads off?"

Yu Xiyi took the gourd, asking curiously, "Does cultivation really require one to focus solely on it?"

Chen Chao shook his head. "Of course not. Take Yun Jianyue for instance, he likes his Senior Sister, doesn't he? But liking someone doesn't cause any issues, right? I just didn't expect that a woman could cause you to stagnate in your cultivation and lose all your motivation. It's a little strange."

Yu Xiyi took a sip of the wine and said softly, "I can't understand either."

Chen Chao rolled his eyes. "If you could figure it out, you wouldn't be drowning your sorrows in alcohol here, would you?"

Yu Xiyi remained silent for a moment, then glanced at Chen Chao, as if wanting to say something but hesitating.

Chen Chao glanced outside the cave. The wind and snow were still relentless, and he smiled bitterly as he said, "This doesn't seem like the best time for storytelling."

However, Yu Xiyi continued talking to himself, "She has been married for many years now."

Chen Chao gave Yu Xiyi a strange look and frowned, "Was she just an ordinary woman, not a cultivator?"

Yu Xiyi said softly, "When I was sixteen, I left the Sword Sect to roam the world alone. I fell for her at first sight. After traveling together for half a year, we developed feelings for each other. But I never managed to bring her back to the Sword Sect. Heartbroken, she left me and I didn't stop her. The next time I saw her, she was already married."

Most cultivators, once they begin their path of cultivation, devote themselves entirely to it. But not every cultivator in the world is like that, and not everything in life follows that path.

Chen Chao asked, "Was it because someone from the Sword Sect disapproved, thinking it would affect your Sword Dao?"

Yu Xiyi's fame shook the world when he came roaring into existence, taking the Sword Qi Mountain's Hundred Year Sword of this century, Wild Grass. He was a true genius sword cultivator, this kind of sword cultivator would naturally be a remarkable genius in the Sword Sect too. In Chen Chao's view, the entire Sword Sect must have pinned high hopes on him. It would have been reasonable for them to not want him to be distracted by emotions, but Chen Chao did not necessarily think that was the right way to handle it.

To his surprise, Yu Xiyi shook his head and said softly, "The elders did not interfere. It was my own decision."

As he spoke, there was pain in his eyes and a lingering sense of confusion that he could not shake off.

"When I first entered the mountains, my master told me that among the Sword Sect disciples of my generation, I was unquestionably the number one. My future was boundless, and the Sword Sect's future likely rested on me alone. So I devoted myself to sword cultivation, emerged early to roam the world, and learned from countless experiences to shape my Sword Dao. My journey in cultivation wasn't difficult, progressing quickly, and always moving forward. But after meeting her, my sword heart wavered, and my cultivation stalled..."

Yu Xiyi said softly, "I'm very lost. I don't know what to do."

Chen Chao nodded. "You felt the weight of responsibility, that you couldn’t let down your sect, so you had to let down the woman you loved."

Perhaps feeling his words were too harsh, Chen Chao quickly apologized, "Sorry, it must have been a difficult choice."

"It might not have always been like that. Maybe if I hadn't let go, I could have still moved forward. But at the time, I didn't understand these things, so I let her go."

Yu Xiyi gave a self-deprecating smile and tilted his head back, chugging a lot more alcohol.

Chen Chao raised an eyebrow and asked, "Do you regret it now?"

"Afterward, I returned to the Sword Sect in despair and asked my elders to use the sect's secret techniques to seal away that part of my memory. For many years, I didn't think about her. But recently, I saw her again by chance, and all those memories came flooding back. That's why I am the way I am now."

Yu Xiyi said softly, "Regret is useless. She's married now."

Chen Chao asked, "Can’t you seal those memories again?"

Yu Xiyi shook his head, "It won’t work anymore."

Chen Chao sighed.

He really did not know how to console Yu Xiyi. Many things in this world were like that, no amount of advice helped. Only Yu Xiyi could come to terms with it himself.

Ordinary people who could not work things out might just remain troubled for the rest of their lives. But for a genius sword cultivator like Yu Xiyi, if he could not resolve this, his cultivation will stagnate, and he would have no hope of reaching the sword immortal realm in this lifetime. This would be a difficult outcome for both Yu Xiyi and the Sword Sect to accept.

Chen Chao asked, “Do you regret not being with that woman, or do you regret that because of her, you've ended up with nothing?”

"Is there a difference?" Yu Xiyi looked at Chen Chao, seemingly confused.

Chen Chao nodded, “Of course there's a big difference.”

Yu Xiyi frowned deeply.

Chen Chao did not want to say more. These were things Yu Xiyi had to figure out on his own. If he could resolve it, great. If not, then it would remain unresolved.

In truth, Chen Chao had a similar problem to Yu Xiyi, though Yu Xiyi's issue involved love, while Chen Chao's was more significant, because it had become a heart demon.

Everyone has their own struggles, each with their own pain.

No one else can save you, only you can save yourself.

Chen Chao said softly, “It would be a real pity if you couldn't become a sword immortal.”

Yu Xiyi drank a mouthful of alcohol in silence.

Chen Chao said joyfully, “At least the girl I like also likes me, and there haven't been any unexpected twists.”

Yu Xiyi glanced at Chen Chao with a hint of resentment, seemingly puzzled by how this guy could still be adding fuel to the fire and gloating at this moment.

Chen Chao patted his shoulder, “If you can't figure it out, go see her again, sit down and have a proper talk. Maybe once everything is said, you'll come to terms with it. You're trapping yourself like this, when will it end?”

Yu Xiyi thought for a moment but said nothing. After handing the wine gourd back, he glanced at the sky outside and finally said, “We should go.”

Chen Chao nodded. He was well aware that given their current situation, they should not stay in one place too long. If they lingered, they would likely be tracked down, and by then, it might be too late to escape.

The two of them walked out of the cave and slowly descended the mountain. Chen Chao suddenly laughed, “Given the state we're in now, even if some young demon cultivators show up, it wouldn't be too big of a problem. Yuan Ling's dead, and Autumn is heavily injured. Knowing her temperament, she probably wouldn't want to team up with anyone else, so she likely won't make a move. As for the other young demon cultivators, the two of us teaming up shouldn't have much trouble getting away.”

Yu Xiyi nodded, “The worry isn't the young demons, but if those great demons come.”

Chen Chao glanced around nervously and whispered, “Are you a jinx?”

Yu Xiyi remained silent.

Seeing that nothing was happening around them, Chen Chao finally breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled, “Lucky. But even if a great demon shows up, so what? The two of us might still be able to kill it.”

However, just as the words left his mouth, Yu Xiyi had already looked toward the distance, where a demonic cloud was gathering, heading in their direction.

"Seems that you're the jinx."

Yu Xiyi summoned his flying sword and grasped Wild Grass.

Sword qi built up, awaiting release.

Chen Chao looked up too. After noticing the scene in the distance, he pulled a long face. “Why is it always like this?!”