Fairy, Don’t Be Afraid, I’m Blind

Chapter 115: My Home; Flowers Between the Peaks

He Shutong sat in the water, pressing her hand tightly against her rapidly beating chest.

“No need to say more. I understand what you mean…”

“I’m glad Master understands. You Su only hopes that Master can focus on her seclusion and trust me a little more. No matter what happens during these seven days, I will definitely get through it smoothly and not bring shame to Lotus Peak.”

You Su also nodded, solemnly making his promise.

“It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s just that you’re still too young. Those trials aren’t aimed at you—they’re aimed at me.”

“If they don’t dare to confront Master directly, it means they’re still afraid of you. Since I’m Master’s disciple, I naturally won’t be afraid of them either.” You Su raised his fist, brimming with confidence.

As You Su’s words fell, the mist between them thinned, as if He Shutong no longer wanted to look at this young man, who held such significance for her, through the haze. Her eyes were deep, like flowing water, and she spoke softly:

“It’s excellent that you have such determination. But you must promise me that if you encounter insurmountable difficulties, don’t force yourself to prove a point. Because you will go further than anyone else, you don’t need to prove to anyone that you’re worthy of being my disciple. As Lotus Sword Venerable’s disciple, you are the only one.”

The only one…

These words carried immense weight. You Su felt incredibly fortunate to be held in such high regard by his master. This sense of uniqueness that Master had given him, he would cherish deeply.

“Master, I can promise you that, but I also dare to hope that Master can promise me one thing.”

For a junior to ask a senior to make a promise was undoubtedly presumptuous, but even at the risk of angering his master, You Su had to voice his thoughts.

He Shutong, of course, couldn’t bring herself to be angry with You Su and asked gently, “What is it?”

“I hope Master can promise me that she won’t end her seclusion to help me.”

He Shutong sighed softly, thinking to herself that it was indeed about this.

“I promise.”

Hearing this, You Su’s face lit up with joy. What pleased him most wasn’t the agreement he had reached with his master, but the fact that this conversation had brought him closer to her.

Seeing You Su’s genuine smile, He Shutong’s lips also curved into a gentle arc. A soft sound of water rippling echoed as He Shutong raised her hand, her jade-like fingers brushing against her slightly warm cheeks. 

This must be the emotion called joy… It’s truly intoxicating.

And so, the two of them, in tacit silence, immersed themselves in this shared happiness. When You Su finally came back to his senses, he realized he had been standing there for a long time.

Logically, since their conversation had reached its end, You Su should have bowed and taken his leave. But the faint, warm, and elegant fragrance that lingered in the air, unique to his master, made him reluctant to move. He couldn’t help but want to savor it a little longer.

Though his mind held some strange fragments of memories, at his core, he was still a blind orphan who had grown up longing for love. In his heart, his master and his master’s wife had come to replace the roles of parents.

Unfortunately, unlike his unreliable but caring and attentive master, his master’s wife had spent eight years coldly rejecting his expectations. But just as he was on the verge of despair after her sudden departure, she had returned to save him, and she had changed.

You Su was captivated by this change in his master’s wife, as if trying to make up for all the affection he had missed in those eight years. So he decided to be a little selfish this time. As long as his master’s wife didn’t tell him to leave, he wouldn’t go.

Coincidentally, he wanted to stay, and He Shutong also didn’t want him to leave.

She gazed at the young man, who stood as straight and noble as a pine tree, and felt increasingly fond of him. It was as if the heavens had been exceedingly kind to her, always bestowing her with gifts of fate. This time, she would hold on tightly to the warmth she had missed before.

Perhaps because they had both been lonely for so long, neither wanted their little thoughts to be discovered, so they tried to prolong their time together through conversation.

“Master…”

“You…”

The two of them spoke simultaneously, as if their hearts were in sync. You Su scratched his head awkwardly and said, “Master, you go first.”

He Shutong took a moment to gather her thoughts before asking, “Are you settling in well on Lotus Peak?”

“Very well. It’s no different from the Mandarin Duck Sword Sect. I really like it here,” You Su replied honestly.

“That’s good. Don’t be reserved. You can make any requests to your Senior Sister or come directly to me. Treat this place like… like home.”

“I will, Master. Lotus Peak is my home,” You Su said firmly.

He Shutong was deeply moved. She was about to ask what You Su wanted to say when she suddenly sensed a change in the formation outside the pool. She frowned slightly, annoyed that the Third Elder had come again. Although she knew You Su couldn’t see anything, being so exposed in front of an outsider still felt strange. Even though she was grateful to the Third Elder for inadvertently bringing her closer to You Su, she still found it hard to accept.

“It’s good that you feel that way. Alright, you can go now. The Third Elder is here,” He Shutong said softly, feeling guilty for having to ask the young man to leave.

Hearing that the Third Elder had arrived, You Su immediately bowed and bid farewell to his master. In his mind, Master’s mention of the Third Elder was a subtle way of telling him that she had important matters to discuss with the elder and that he should take his leave. But for some reason, You Su felt that his departure was more like sneaking away, afraid of being caught…

On his way back, he inevitably ran into the Third Elder. You Su stopped to greet her, feeling inexplicably nervous.

The forest was filled with falling petals, and an unnamed pink flower drifted down, landing in the slightly open collar of the Third Elder’s robe. It seemed to be drawn to the majestic peaks beneath her clothes, half-buried in the soft valley. The Third Elder raised an eyebrow, loosened her collar further, revealing a dazzling expanse of snowy skin, and plucked the flower with two fingers, casually tossing it away.

At that moment, a gentle breeze blew, and the lucky petal happened to land on You Su’s lips.

Feeling the strange sensation on his mouth, You Su quickly spat it out, muttering in disgust, “What kind of garish flower is this? The scent is so cloying.”

Wait, you brat, how dare you complain?! And you even called me cloying?! I’ll…

The Third Elder glared at him, both embarrassed and furious. She covered her exposed skin, trying to calm the heaving mountains of her chest.

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to suppress the urge to lash out. She knew that You Su, relying solely on his spiritual sense, could only see her as a blurry light and wouldn’t have noticed what had happened to the flower.

Her eyes filled with resentment, as if to retaliate against You Su’s blindness, she muttered softly, “You really are blind!”

Her voice was soft, but You Su heard it clearly. He replied earnestly, “Absolutely true.”

The Third Elder gritted her teeth, too annoyed to argue further with the blind boy. She narrowed her eyes and scrutinized You Su.

She was surprised that the conversation between master and disciple had lasted so long. She had even uprooted and replanted the peach tree three times, exhausting what little trust Heavenly Maiden Wangshu had in her, and yet they were still talking. She even had the feeling that if she hadn’t come in to check, the two of them might have continued for much longer.

The Third Elder shook her wine gourd and asked, “How did it go?”

“I’ve shown my determination, and Master has promised not to end her seclusion for my sake,” You Su replied truthfully.

The Third Elder nodded slightly, her gaze finally softening, no longer filled with disdain:

“That’s good. It shows you have some sense of responsibility. Go back now. If anything happens, I’ll keep an eye out for you.”

“Thank you, Third Elder.” You Su bowed and prepared to head back.

“By the way, these trees are called Half-Summer Blossoms. They’re a rare treasure I personally cultivated. Outside, many people beg for a single sapling but can’t get one. Even though you’re blind, you’re still the Thirteenth Elder’s disciple. You should improve your taste a bit so you don’t embarrass yourself in front of others.”

The Third Elder spoke casually, catching two falling petals and sprinkling them in front of You Su. She then glanced at him and walked past.

You Su bowed slightly. The fragrant breeze brought by the Third Elder’s passing made him feel that the floral scent wasn’t from the flowers but rather from the Third Elder herself.

He raised an eyebrow but still replied respectfully:

“You Su will take your advice to heart.”

…

When You Su returned to the courtyard, Heavenly Maiden Wangshu had been waiting for him for some time.

She was visibly happy to see him return, calling out “Junior Brother!” from a distance, even though she knew he couldn’t see her waving.

You Su, in high spirits, shouted back, “Senior Sister!”

Wangshu seemed completely uninterested in what You Su and Master had discussed. She didn’t ask a single question, as if his return was all that mattered to her.

She led him to the peach tree. The freshly turned soil was darker, clearly having been dug up and refilled. You Su couldn’t see the changes in the tree’s appearance, but he could feel that the profound energy surrounding it had become more abundant.

He thought to himself that while the Third Elder might not act like a dignified elder, her skills were undeniable. As the master of Emerald Glorious Peak, specializing in spiritual plants, she had undoubtedly elevated the tree’s grade.

“Junior Brother, do you like peaches?” Heavenly Maiden Wangshu asked.

You Su nodded. “I do.”

This wasn’t just to please his Senior Sister. You Su genuinely loved peaches. They were pink, plump, and round. Even if he couldn’t see them, they felt wonderful to touch, and biting into one released a burst of sweet juice. Who wouldn’t love them?

“The Third Elder said she improved Little Peach Blossom’s roots. The fruit it bears in the future will be big and round, but it will also grow slower. It won’t ripen until next August. Can you wait until then?”

You Su smiled. His Senior Sister had already assumed he would want to taste the peaches she had grown. He replied:

“If it’s grown by Senior Sister, I’ll wait as long as it takes.”

Heavenly Maiden Wangshu’s blue eyes sparkled, and she nodded firmly.

You Su marveled at how simple his Senior Sister’s happiness was. He asked, “Why did Senior Sister want to plant a peach tree?”

“Because I was lonely.”

Heavenly Maiden Wangshu always answered questions with complete honesty. This peach tree had grown from a pit the Third Elder had given her years ago, when she was drunk and explaining what loneliness was. Wangshu had treasured it and nurtured it ever since.

You Su was deeply moved. He knew his Senior Sister wasn’t seeking sympathy, but he couldn’t help comforting her: “It’s okay. Senior Sister won’t be lonely anymore.”

In his heart, he was already thinking about what kind of gift he could give to repay his Senior Sister, who had patiently taught him despite her loneliness.

“Thank you, Junior Brother,” Heavenly Maiden Wangshu said sincerely.

“I should be thanking you, Senior Sister. I’ll go back to my room to cultivate now. If I have any questions, I’ll come to you.”

“You don’t need me to read to you anymore?” Heavenly Maiden Wangshu’s voice carried a hint of disappointment.

You Su took out the Righteous Sun Sword Nurturing Art from his robe and smiled. “I can understand this book. I can’t keep troubling Senior Sister.”

Heavenly Maiden Wangshu wanted to say it wasn’t a bother, but she could tell that You Su genuinely didn’t want her to keep reading to him. Reluctantly, she let it go, watching with a hint of sadness as You Su returned to his room.

Inside the room, You Su placed the special sword-nurturing art in his Dimensional Bag and began reading it using his spiritual sense.

He didn’t start from the first page but instead flipped to the blank page where the golden paper was.

He examined it repeatedly, but the blank page showed no reaction, no longer displaying the spiritual vitality it had when he first saw it in the Book Mountain Pavilion.

The origin and purpose of the golden paper were still a mystery. You Su wasn’t sure if he should tell anyone about it. If it was connected to the True Sovereign power within him, it could lead to trouble.

But whether the golden paper was completely dormant or simply waiting for the right moment, now wasn’t the time to study it. For the challenges he would face in the next seven days, the sword-nurturing art that housed the golden paper was far more valuable.

You Su flipped back to the first page. Righteous Sun Venerable didn’t dive straight into the techniques but instead began by explaining his philosophy of the Dao.

After reading it several times, You Su began to understand the Venerable’s perspective. This book, while titled Sword Nurturing Art, was more about nurturing the person. Whether it was the sword in one’s hand or the “sword” on a man’s body, they were merely external manifestations of this philosophy of nurturing.

In the eyes of this legendary Venerable, every person was like a piece of firewood—some thick, some thin, some long, some short, some durable, and some that burned out in an instant. Profound energy was the flame that ignited the firewood.

To burn brighter and longer, one needed to nurture themselves—in other words, learn to accumulate. When not needed, one should reduce their reliance on profound energy but not lose their familiarity with it. Only then could one become the best piece of firewood when the time came to burn.

You Su was captivated by this novel idea and became engrossed in the book.

As he focused on reading, no one disturbed him. A day passed quickly, and then several more. The communication token remained silent, and his days were filled with reading, practicing sword techniques, and occasional chats with his Senior Sister.

The food he had stored in his Dimensional Bag soon ran out. When he asked his Senior Sister, “Is there any food on Lotus Peak?” she brought him a basket of various spiritual fruits, which were not only delicious but also filling and hunger-resistant. You Su was deeply moved, so much so that when the Third Elder came to check on his cultivation on the third day and saw the basket, she angrily called him a thief. Yet, he didn’t betray his Senior Sister.

As he practiced the sword-nurturing art, You Su began to feel something unusual—a sense that something had been building up inside him for a long time and needed to be released.

Finally, on the fifth day, Elder Liu’s voice came through the token…