Chapter 3: Scroll and Three Swords

Chen Yin didn't usually live up on the mountain.

He and Xiang'er both stayed in a small cabin he built at the foot of Yushan Mountain. 

After all, their master was quite the neat freak; if he ever messed up her cave dwelling, she'd surely throw a fit. 

Better to live peacefully at the base of the mountain.

When Chen Yin returned to the cabin, he found Xiang'er sitting by the pond in front of it. 

She had taken off her embroidered shoes and was dipping her soft, white feet into the water, idly kicking them back and forth. 

Her face lit up with joy when she saw him.

"You're back, Senior Brother."

Chen Yin smiled and ruffled her hair.

"What did Master call you up the mountain for?"

"To discuss our wedding, of course," he teased.

"…Senior Brother is teasing me again." Xiang'er's eyes shone with a faintly reproachful look.

"Nothing major," Chen Yin replied carelessly. "Just some trivial matter. She probably drank on credit again, and now she wants me to clean up the mess."

Xiang'er couldn't help but giggle.

"Master isn't as bad as you make her sound."

"Senior Brother, be careful, or she'll hear you, and she'll hang you from a tree and spank you." 

After saying that, Xiang'er pouted playfully.

—Though that part was actually true. 

Back when he'd first arrived on the mountain, he'd broken the rules and angered their master several times. 

Every time, he'd end up hanging from a tree, getting a sound spanking. 

Luckily, there were only three of them on Yushan Mountain—Master, Xiang'er, and himself—so no one was around to witness his embarrassment.

Remembering it brought him a bit of irritation, and he turned around, reaching out to grab Xiang'er with a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Oh, my little Xiang'er is ratting me out now?"

"Let's see if I can spank you before Master punishes me!"

"Ah! No, Senior Brother!"

The water was clear and cool as they splashed each other, laughing and playing until both were wet. 

Finally, when Xiang'er was out of breath, cheeks flushed, and begging for mercy, Chen Yin withdrew his "claws" and lay down beside her.

They didn't speak any further, lying quietly by the shore and watching the clouds drift by.

—The past ten years had been full of these peaceful, carefree days—so tranquil that it almost made them reluctant to let go.

"Um… Senior Brother…" Xiang'er's voice broke the silence.

"Hmm?"

"Can you stop teasing me all the time?"

"What do you mean, teasing?" Chen Yin turned toward her, propping his head up with a smile. "What if I really want to marry you?"

Xiang'er's face flushed a lovely shade of pink as she stammered, "I-I don't want to marry you."

"Eh? Why? Don't you like me?" Chen Yin put on a hurt expression. "Back when we were kids, you even promised to marry me when you grew up."

"T-That was just me being childish! It doesn't count!" Xiang'er blurted out, her face growing even redder.

"You're always picking on me, Senior Brother. If I married you, I'd just be bullied to death every day!"

Chen Yin couldn't resist; he loved seeing her all flustered and red-faced like this. 

He reached over and playfully tapped her nose. "You don't get a say, Xiang'er. I've already made up my mind—I'm going to bully you for the rest of my life."

Xiang'er's breath hitched, but then her eyes dimmed briefly, and she turned her head away with a pout.

"Hmph. I don't want that at all."

"One day, when I'm stronger than you, you won't be able to bully me anymore," Xiang'er declared, looking resolute.

Chen Yin's eyes flickered with a hint of sorrow. But he quickly changed the topic, lightening his tone, "Speaking of which, isn't tomorrow market day?"

"That's right," Xiang'er blinked. "We're out of spices and salt, so we should get some in town."

"So that means when we come back, I'll get to enjoy Xiang'er's homemade braised pork?" Chen Yin's mouth watered as he anticipated the meal.

Xiang'er pursed her lips, pretending to be annoyed. 

"I'm not making anything for my naughty senior brother." 

Yet, the corner of her eyes was full of sweetness and laughter.

<+>

Late that night, as the quiet settled around them, Xiang'er's breathing had become slow and even from the neighboring room. 

She was sound asleep.

Chen Yin sat silently by his bedside.

Tomorrow was her market day.

In his previous life, Chen Yin hadn't thought anything of it. 

He only knew that Xiang'er would occasionally enjoy trips to the town market and would often spend the whole day there. 

Though he'd expect her to come back with bags full of things, she'd return with only a few essentials. 

He hadn't thought anything strange of it, chalking it up to her childish love for wandering.

Now, however, as he reflected on everything, he realized: if his beloved Xiang'er had even the slightest tie to the demonic paths, her only possible contact could be through these market trips.

He resolved to follow her tomorrow. 

He needed to know what was happening to Xiang'er, what her connection to the demonic paths was—and whether it was still possible to rewrite fate.

Chen Yin reached into his robe and slowly drew out a scroll.

The scroll was dark and ancient, as though it had been salvaged from smoldering ashes. 

This scroll was the item he had brought back from a secret realm long ago. 

After he'd bound it with a drop of his blood, it had remained hidden within his core, unseen by anyone else.

The scroll had only one unique feature: it contained a separate space within it, accessible solely by someone with an Immeasurable Root like himself. 

Inside this space, time was frozen. 

He couldn't even control his own body within it. 

There was only one thing he could do there—train with a sword.

The scroll held only three sword techniques, along with some miscellaneous, mostly useless techniques. 

Each of the three sword strikes appeared simple and unremarkable, with no hint of anything special.

But when he had first been trapped inside the scroll's space, he had no sense of time. 

Perhaps he'd been there only a few months, or maybe it had been a thousand years. 

Only when he'd barely mastered all three strikes was he finally released, free to leave or enter the space at will as its master.

He didn't know the exact extent of the three strikes' power; he hadn't dared test them out. 

But he suspected that if he did manage a full demonstration, it would be… quite absurd. 

There was no doubt his master would hang him up to be spanked if he messed up her cherished Yushan Mountain.

But considering the possibility of Xiang'er encountering demonic forces tomorrow, he knew he had to prepare himself to wield these techniques, should things go south.

With a sigh, Chen Yin muttered to himself, "Master, forgive me. I'll buy you some fine wine as an apology later."

Then he quietly slipped up the mountain.

<+>

Yushan Mountain was especially peaceful at dusk. 

The stars sparkled overhead, and the ethereal Yushan Flowers swayed in the breeze. 

Chen Yin crept to a small artificial hill outside the cave dwelling, carefully performing a spell before it. 

A moment later, his figure vanished from the hillside and reappeared in a dimly lit room.

The room was filled with large, dusty chests, untouched for a very long time.

—This was his master's treasury.

Over countless ages, Immortal Yu Ling had collected an impressive assortment of rare treasures, all of which had been tossed into this treasury. 

To her, these treasures held little value, as they were merely items she had gathered with a collector's whim, treating them like toys.

Once stored here, they were mostly forgotten.

As a child, Chen Yin had heard about this vault and its incantation from his drunken master. 

He'd snuck in a few times, driven by mischief, taking small trinkets to amuse Xiang'er. 

But this time, he was here with a genuine purpose.

He rummaged through the piles of chests, finally locating the first item he sought—a sword case. 

To use his sword techniques, he would need a proper weapon. 

His own swords, cheaply purchased by his master at the rate of ten for a single spirit stone, could never withstand his techniques.

He brushed the dust off the case, opening it to reveal a jade sword, its body crystal clear, like translucent glass. 

The sword was named Changming.

After training for so long, he'd developed a connection with swords, and he could tell this one was sufficient. 

After binding it with his blood, Chen Yin stowed the sword and moved on to find the second item.

He remembered it from his childhood—a mask, one that could alter appearances. 

Back then, he'd only seen it as a toy, something fun to use to impersonate his master and tease Xiang'er. 

But later, he'd realized that such an item was extremely rare, even in the cultivation world. 

A small-time cultivator like himself could never hold on to something so valuable. 

So, after playing with it a few times, he had dutifully returned it to its place.

Now, though, it was time to retrieve it.

Once he had everything he needed, Chen Yin slipped out of the treasury and returned to his room, quietly awaiting dawn.

<+>

At daybreak, while Xiang'er was still half-asleep, Chen Yin had already prepared water for her morning wash.

"Come on, sleepyhead. Get up, or you'll miss the market," he called gently.

Xiang'er opened her eyes blearily, then immediately burrowed back into her blankets when she saw him. "Don't come in, Senior Brother! I–I haven't washed up yet, and my hair is a mess…"

"At this rate, the vegetables you wanted will already be wilted," Chen Yin teased, patting her head with a smile after setting the water beside her.

"Water's ready for you, so hurry up, wash up, and make breakfast. I'm starving."

"Let yourself starve!" she huffed, glaring at him before storming off to wash. Chen Yin could only shake his head with a helpless smile.

After breakfast, Xiang'er changed into a light yellow dress, turned to him, and said, "I'll be going now, Senior Brother."

"Come back soon," Chen Yin replied, waving.

She looked at him, her lips parting slightly as if she wanted to say something. But then, she thought better of it, gave a carefree smile, and left.

As her figure disappeared into the distance, the warmth in Chen Yin's smile faded.

"Alright. Now," he murmured, pulling the mask from his robes and placing it over his face. In just a few breaths, his form transformed into a cloaked figure dressed in black, his face cold and aloof.

"Let's see who's behind all of this," he said, stepping out to follow her, intent on uncovering the truth.