All The Female Disciples Want To Kill Me

"Why is the Sword Maiden here? Weren't you told to practice your dance well?"

The Sword Maiden's eyes sparkled as she looked at the man who had given her redemption. Her jade-like fingers rested gently beside her skirt, and then she began to make hand gestures towards Su Bei.

"The Sword Maiden has been training hard. After the training ended, she felt she should still wash swords for her senior sisters, not forgetting her previous duties..."

"Elder Su has already taken very good care of the Sword Maiden."

In these past few days, as Su Bei often dealt with these disciples with disabilities, he had spent several nights reading by lamplight and had come to a general understanding. He then said with a gentle laugh, "Don't overwork yourself like this; it's important to balance work and rest, or else you won't be able to concentrate during training..."

The sunlight gently brushed Su Bei's begonia moon-colored gown, the gentle breeze playing with the fabric. The Sword Maiden slowly turned her head, her nostrils flaring slightly, giving Su Bei a shy, sweet smile. Everything was dazzling. Before long, several more disciples with apparent disabilities approached Su Bei. He smiled warmly at each of them, giving them high-fives.

Queen Lin stood not far away, silently watching.

Watching the Sword Sect disciples—mute, lame, or deaf—show such affection towards Su Bei, her eyes filled with complex emotions. In a trance, she compared the man before her with the rogue from the previous night and the utter shamelessness he had displayed. In all these years, she had never seen someone show such an expression towards the weak. It wasn't the superficial warmth that wounded self-respect with an air of superiority, but true equality and respect for these disciples. And he was a high and mighty elder of the Sword Sect. She could feel the disciples' deep admiration and respect for Su Bei; it couldn't be feigned... This man is really strange.

Lin Jinyu reached out to catch the snowflakes, her bright red palace attire a stark contrast against the snowy backdrop. She wasn't sure if the Emperor knew him or was interested in him, but watching Su Bei during this visit to the Sword Sect seemed to offer a glimmer of understanding. He was indeed different. Her trip to the Sword Sect was not in vain.

After what felt like an eternity, Su Bei finally extricated himself from the disciples, smiling, and walked towards Lin Jinyu.

Queen Lin was silent for a moment before speaking softly, "Why do you do this? In the Twenty-One Provinces, weakness is a sin in the eyes of cultivators."

Su Bei smiled, placed his hands behind his head, and looked up at the sky with a long sigh, saying, "Yes, murder for profit, deceit, and treachery are common in the Cultivation World. Even with changes over time, secret plots for riches that result in death are still not uncommon."

Lin Jinyu lowered her gaze, pondering for a moment before asking doubtfully, "If you know all this, why bother with these useless acts of kindness? Or should I say, useless gentleness? They will still face these harsh realities. Choosing to become a cultivator means they have accepted this path."

Su Bei turned, looking earnestly at Lin Jinyu, his eyes twinkling.

It was the first time Queen Lin had seen him so serious, and she was a bit startled. As she hesitated, she heard him speak softly, "Nights without the sun are very dark."

Lin Jinyu didn't understand. It was such a simple fact; everyone knew nights were without the sun.

Su Bei hadn't finished. A breeze brushed his sleeve as he looked towards the Sword Sect disciples, who appeared to be frolicking, a hint of a smile on his lips, saying, "Yet even so, the night still has the moon and stars. Although their light is faint and easily hidden by any passing cloud."

He paused, then sighed softly and said wistfully, "There always has to be someone to be that faint glimmer of light in their hearts. To let them know that there is still hope."

Water from the Sword-Washing Pond flowed over the bluestones, BABBLING. The withered leaves on the trees, yet to fall, RUSTLED.

Queen Lin was stunned. In a daze, the figure before her seemed to overlap with Ji Nanjue's for a moment. She had once asked Ji Nanjue why, in this world where the strong were revered, he cared so much about the survival of ordinary people. Why care so much about fostering and integrating relations between immortals and mortals? But Ji Nanjue always laughed it off, never explaining, merely striving relentlessly towards his ideals. And now, Dongfeng had indeed become the prosperous era he had envisioned. So this was another kind of gentleness. Not for her, but for the whole of Dongfeng.

Looking at Su Bei's gentle expression, Lin Jinyu recalled the night she left the empire. In the Imperial Study Room, Ji Nanjue had unexpectedly smiled at her gently—an expression identical to Su Bei's now! So much like him, even their smiles were so alike.

Noticing Queen Lin had suddenly fallen silent, Su Bei turned and saw her looking at him with a very particular gaze. He furrowed his brows, puzzled. "Empress? Empress?"

Lin Jinyu snapped back to reality. Her lips curved into a genuine smile for the first time. Through Su Bei, she finally understood Ji Nanjue.

Su Bei instinctively took a step back, eyeing her suspiciously. What was wrong with this woman?

Queen Lin looked at Su Bei, pursed her lips slightly, and said with dignity and grace, "It's nothing, Elder Su. Please continue telling me about Tu Kuangnu..."

「...」

It had been a tiring day, but fortunately, Queen Lin finally stopped mentioning the bellyband. After Su Bei escorted her back to the attic by the cold pool, he saw her looking at him meaningfully. She said softly, "Elder Su has actually come to the Cold Pool this time!" She emphasized the words "Cold Pool" heavily.

Su Bei sighed inwardly with a wry smile. Sure enough, she hadn't forgotten. He gave a perfunctory response and hurriedly left.

Arriving at Red Dust Peak, Su Bei felt the Spiritual Energy within him replenishing steadily. He knew his Eldest Senior Sister hadn't lied; she was indeed diligently teaching his disciples cultivation.

"Master!"

His two prodigal disciples, who were at Red Dust Peak listening to Wenren Pingxin preach, showed mixed expressions upon seeing Su Bei. Mo Li approached, sniffing Su Bei's scent intently, her narrow eyes thoughtful.

Su Bei, with an odd expression, pushed her away and coughed. "Eldest Senior Sister! Your junior brother has returned."

Wenren Pingxin arched her brows, then looked at him meaningfully and spoke, "Someone came looking for you, didn't they?"

Su Bei gave a wry smile but didn't answer. Knowing he couldn't hide anything from her, he walked forward, took one disciple by each hand, and hurried toward No-Sword Peak.

As soon as he reached the grass hut, he heard Xiao Ruoching suddenly say, "Master, Li Zijun, the daughter of the Confucian Sage, left you a letter!"