Chapter 29: Azure Cloud (7)

In the Sword Pavilion, the preliminary test measured talent, while the re-test measured temperament. After a brief night’s rest, before dawn on the second day, an assessing senior brother carried a copper gong and banged it around the courtyards for a quarter of an hour, waking everyone up to climb the mountain.

At this time, it was misty and pitch dark. When He Tingtong came out of the courtyard, he saw several pale white lanterns floating in the apricot blossom forest.

Basically, everyone who entered the re-test came out. Counting them all, there were no more than twenty-odd people. Several were still limping, having been beaten by the Guili Sword Master puppet, and their injuries hadn’t fully healed.

A group of ragtag people gathered together, some putting on boots, some tying belts, and some running out with tangled hair and combs stuck in it. A chaotic crowd, simply a mess.

The official uniform of the Sword Pavilion at Azure Cloud Academy was martial robes, half black and half white, with narrow sleeves and wrist guards, neat and dashing. Four senior brothers from the Sword Pavilion stood outside the hall with lanterns, like a row of Black and White Impermanence ghosts. Looking at the crooked row of teenagers in front of them, they didn’t say anything, just pointed to the majestic high mountain above their heads. “Starting from today, run back and forth along the mountain path every day.”

Someone immediately protested, “Senior brother, my injury hasn’t healed yet, I can’t run!”

The leading senior brother of the Sword Pavilion sneered, “If you can’t run, you can walk. If you can’t walk, go home and lie down. Who spoiled you?”

Another burst of copper gong sounded, and the academy senior brother clapped his hands. “Everyone move! No Divine Travel Talismans, no sword riding, and no playing tricks. Gather at the gate at dawn. I want to see your shadows here!”

“Those who don’t make it back don’t need to come over.”

Amidst wails, the crowd finally moved. Then someone took off and rushed, leaving others in the dust, accompanied by a few curses from behind, shouting things like “Why run so fast, are you in a rush to reincarnate?” But in the end, they quickened their pace.

He Tingtong and Fu Fengyan were mixed in the crowd. They went to bed late last night and were somewhat sleepy. However, the two of them had trekked over mountains and waters a lot recently, and Qin Tan often woke them up in the middle of the night for a fight, so they accepted it well.

Only others suffered.

For example, Zhang Duixue, whose daily necessities like food, clothing, housing, and transportation, and even combing hair were taken care of by someone.

Last night, no one let down his hair for him. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. When he woke up, his hair was knotted, with several tangles hanging on the exquisite small braids, which couldn’t be combed out. He tried to pull it all up into a ponytail, but unfortunately, the comb also got stuck in the braids.

At this moment, while running, he was still fighting with his hair strands.

The Young Palace Master of Yuanchen Palace wanted to keep someone, so naturally, he piled up gold and jade, raising him delicately. Zhang Duixue’s food, clothing, housing, and transportation were all taken care of personally by someone. He wore the most luxurious and expensive clothes among everyone. The material of his robes was delicate and fluffy, and the soles of his boots were made of comfortable soft sheepskin. In the dark night, the hem of his clothes was like a fluffy soft flower, sweeping over the rugged, hard mountain road covered with gravel.

Although the mountain roads of Azure Cloud Academy weren’t all mud, running on the bluestone slabs like this, the soft-soled shoes couldn’t withstand the wear and tear.

An hour later, Zhang Duixue threw away his long robe that always got caught on branches. Another half an hour later, the soles of his shoes were worn out. At this time, they had just reached the summit and were about to start descending.

The night road was inherently slippery, not to mention this mountain road was long, narrow, winding, and changeable. He fell on the path, clutching his knee as he stood up. His hem was tattered, sweat dripped from his forehead. Looking at the shoes that were completely unwearable, he gritted his teeth and ran barefoot on the ground.

Someone made sarcastic remarks nearby, “Hahahaha, look at that fool, coming to learn swordsmanship dressed like a zongzi (sticky rice dumpling).”

“His shoes are gone. Does he plan to run down barefoot?”

“I don’t know? Maybe he’s some young master who hasn’t run on mountain roads?”

“Hey! Stop running. Going down barefoot from here, the soles of your feet will be worn out!”

Zhang Duixue: “…” He clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and didn’t utter a word.

People passed him one after another. In the dim morning light, he could only see the light-colored path in front of him, long and slippery. The soles of his feet hurt, and he would fall if he wasn’t careful.

It was almost dawn, and he might not necessarily be able to get down the mountain.

Zhang Duixue’s eyes were red. He probably really wasn’t suitable to stay here. Thinking that the Young Palace Master would have to pick him up then, and then find connections to enter the Langhuan Pavilion, his face burned, and his heart felt sour.

He always caused trouble, was disappointing, and embarrassed the Young Palace Master.

Turning another corner, his vision blurred, he couldn’t see the road clearly, and bumped into someone. Hearing a muffled groan, there was someone in front!

He instantly lowered his head, hiding his eyes under his hair, and said in a muffled voice, “Sorry.”

The person staggered from his bump, stabilized his figure. He was probably tired from running too and was walking slowly. Being bumped from behind like this, he almost slid off the path.

“Do you plan to run down like this?” A very plain voice, without a trace of mockery.

Zhang Duixue said stubbornly, “Otherwise? Roll down from the top of the mountain?”

A pair of boots were thrown in front of him. “Lending them to you, remember to return them.”

The light was really dim. Zhang Duixue focused his eyes and realized that the person standing in front of him was his roommate, seemingly the one called He Tingtong.

The other party put the shoes on the ground, turned his head and left, his figure quickly disappearing behind the mountain road.

Zhang Duixue looked at the pair of black boots, sobbed a little, put on the shoes, jumped on the spot. They didn’t fit well, but it was close enough. So he strode forward and caught up.

Fu Fengyan and He Tingtong ran side by side. Both wore light robes, their long hair wet with dew, and it was unknown whether it was water or sweat on their foreheads.

“Is the re-test this simple? Just running?” Fu Fengyan’s breathing was relatively steady.

He Tingtong looked ahead. “The difficulty of the re-test isn’t here.”

When Heaven is about to confer a great office on any man, it first exercises his mind with suffering, and his sinews and bones with toil. It exposes his body to hunger, and subjects him to extreme poverty¹.

The re-test compared endurance. Getting up at 3 AM to run a lap was just to wake them up. More grueling things were yet to come. Was the hand holding the sword steady enough? was the heart asking the sword firm enough? It wasn’t just about root bone talent; temperament was also very important.

These fifteen days would be very difficult.

But he still had to let Zhang Duixue enter the Sword Pavilion smoothly, give him the means to protect himself, so that he wouldn’t be molded and discarded at will by Xie Xuanxiao in the future.

Or even if he was discarded in the future, at least he should have the ability to slap him in the face, right?

Running back and forth took more than four hours. The morning dew was heavy at 7 AM, and half of He Tingtong’s clothes were soaked. A group of teenagers gathered together again, supporting their knees, lying on the ground panting heavily.

The senior brothers of the Sword Pavilion counted heads. No one fell behind or quit. They nodded and gave them an hour to rest and eat.

Gather at the training ground in an hour.

The group dispersed in an uproar and returned to their respective small courtyards to stay.

There was no time to eat, so they could only rely on Bigu Pills. He Tingtong swallowed one with water, and then saw Zhang Duixue rummaging through boxes and chests in the room.

Clothes all over the floor, silk and satin, light gauze like clouds, brocade like water, colorful enough to arrange dozens of shades, all wide robes and big sleeves, looking fairy-like, very beautiful, and very impractical clothes.

That jade comb was still hanging on Zhang Duixue’s head. He stared at the clothes all over the floor with a face full of disbelief.

It seemed he wanted to find clothes to change into, but couldn’t find a suitable one.

He Tingtong knocked on the door: “Looking for clothes, lend you some?”

Zhang Duixue: “…”

He Tingtong always dressed simply, neatly, and plainly. When Su Tan went shopping in Tumi Prefecture, she bought a few sets of clothes for both of them as backup. He Tingtong’s body shape was similar to Zhang Duixue’s. If he wore his, it wasn’t impossible.

He looked at the clothes on the floor, then at the ones on He Tingtong. Yesterday he ate someone else’s food, this morning he wore someone else’s shoes, and now wearing his clothes… Although this person provoked him last time and seemed talkative and rascally, he wasn’t that bad.

Gritting his teeth, he reached out to He Tingtong, “I won’t wear them for free! I owe you a favor. If you have anything later, you can come to find me, I will definitely help.”

He Tingtong threw the clothes to him, “Okay.”

For the next half month, they were beaten until they cried for their parents, dizzy from hunger, couldn’t eat enough, couldn’t sleep well. Even a cultivator’s body couldn’t withstand such high-intensity training.

There were twenty-seven people in the Sword Pavilion in total, and another ten were eliminated.

He Tingtong was among them, not outstanding, not lagging behind, steadily stuck in the middle, inconspicuous, but not to be looked down upon.

Fu Fengyan followed suit and disguised himself with him. The two secretly watched Zhang Duixue from behind, like two gloomy mushrooms.

Once Zhang Duixue had the thought of giving up and retreating, they would poke him from behind, a little ridicule, plus some encouragement, and secret help, enough to make him regain his fighting spirit and forcibly endure these fifteen days.

Among the several branches of Azure Cloud Academy, the re-test of the Sword Pavilion was the hardest.

Xie Xuanxiao also knew that the Sword Pavilion was the hardest.

His Xiao Xue had been soaked in a honey pot by him for two years. Two years of pampering were enough to soften a person’s mind. What’s more, he still had a way out. No matter what he did, there was someone behind him to shelter him from the wind and rain.

The array techniques in the Langhuan Pavilion were boring. The master taught shallow and boring things. He made an array on paper. The light in the array turned, making up a beautiful and active little figure, wearing beautiful and gorgeous clothes, jumping around inside.

He was waiting.

Waiting for Zhang Duixue to come to him with red eyes.

Xie Xuanxiao didn’t like Zhang Duixue leaving him too far. If possible, he wished he could tie the person to his side every day and not let him leave half a step.

He knew he was sick. This extreme thought was not the conduct of a gentleman. He would restrain himself. He was a gentle lover. He would compromise on what his lover wanted.

However, that road, he had to be able to reach it himself.

So bitter, so tired, when would his Xiao Xue come to find him?

It took an hour to walk from the Langhuan Pavilion to the Sword Pavilion, and Zhang Duixue always ran to see him.

Xie Xuanxiao waited and waited, waited for fifteen days.

He couldn’t help going to the Sword Pavilion, alone, quietly, stepping through the flying apricot blossoms all the way, stopping in front of the half-open wooden door, pushing it gently, and seeing three dusty teenagers squatting at the door gnawing on steamed buns.

Cold, hard steamed buns, half a mouthful at a time, then stretching their necks to drink water desperately, like three starving ghosts.

One of the black-faced cats with long and short hair turned his head to look, his eyes lit up, “Young Palace Master! I passed the re-test!”

Xie Xuanxiao’s vision went black, and he took a step back.

Where is his Xiao Xue?

Where is his fragrant, soft, obedient, and beautiful wife?