I Have A Sword

The girl with a ponytail, accompanied by Si Huo and Feng Dong, swiftly approached the Tianxing Life Tree. They moved with ease, picking fruits and then dashing away.

Before leaving, the girl with a ponytail gently patted the tree. "Life Tree, we'll repay you one day…"

Swoosh!

A fruit suddenly fell at her feet, startling her.

The Tianxing Life Tree spoke. "Take one more, but promise me something, will you?"

"What is it?" the girl with a ponytail asked, blinking.

"Promise that you won't harm me, no matter what. If you must, harm the Reincarnation Ancestral Stone…"

The girl with a ponytail thought for a moment before nodding. "Deal!"

Turning around, she stashed the fruit away and headed out. She handed one to Rong Qiu, who accepted it with an anxious and excited face.

Together, they moved toward the boundary of the Tianxing Life World and got ready to leave. Just as they approached the boundary, a figure suddenly appeared, blocking their path.

The newcomer was close in age to the girl with a ponytail. She was wearing a long white gown with cloud patterns. Her hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her posture was straight and composed, with her hands tucked behind her.

Si Huo, Feng Dong, and Rong Qiu tensed, and their faces paled upon seeing her.

Rong Qiu, in particular, was visibly trembling.

However, the girl with a ponytail remained unperturbed, staring quietly at her.

The lady in the white gown eyed the group, and her gaze lingered on the Tianxing Fruit in their hands. "What were you guys doing here?"

Si Huo, Feng Dong, and Rong Qiu exchanged a quick glance before looking at the girl with a ponytail, who met their gazes and nodded. "You three, go ahead."

The three hesitated, but they shook their heads firmly, indicating their desire to face any consequence together.

Finally, Feng Dong, nervously stealing a glance at the lady in the white gown, stammered, "Si Ying, w-we came here to have a bit of fun…"

Si Ying's brow arched as she retorted, "If you're going to lie, make sure you're not blushing so much."

The girl with a ponytail calmly offered a fruit to Si Ying.

The sight made her companions feel worried about her.

Si Ying accepted the fruit, and her gaze was unreadable as she said, "Next time, avoid breaking the divine law."

"Thank you." the girl with a ponytail turned around, leading the group away. Si Ying sighed, gazing down at the fruit. After a pause, she returned it to the tree, letting it float back to its original spot.

Just then, a lady walked up to her from behind. She spoke in a low, reproachful tone. "Si Ying, you're too lenient on them, especially her… That temperament of hers will become harmful if she can't rein it in."

Si Ying smiled gently, and her gaze was thoughtful as she remarked, "Qing Ci, we're all sisters here. What harm are you talking about?"

Qing Ci frowned. "Keep indulging her, then!"

Si Ying's smile faded as a faint suspicion crossed her mind. "There's something unusual. She just came here yesterday, but she's already back today."

Before Qing Ci could respond, a young girl—perhaps six or seven years of age—came dashing over with her white dress fluttering in the wind. She looked utterly adorable, especially with her tiny face beaming with excitement.

Qing Ci immediately went to scoop her up. "Tianyun, what brings you here?"

Tianyun held out her hand, and a tiny flame ignited in her palm. Her eyes were sparkling as she exclaimed, "Teacher, I've improved my Tianxing Flame!"

Both Qing Ci and Si Ying exchanged a look of awe.

Ruffling the girl's hair, Qing Ci laughed. "Impressive, truly impressive."

Flashing a radiant smile, Tianyun clung to her teacher, basking in the praise.

***

The morning light cast its gentle beams onto Ye Guan's face. He squinted against the brightness, and then he opened his eyes slowly, only to close them again, as the light was too harsh for his eyes.

Just then, a shadow loomed over him. He opened his eyes again to see the girl with a ponytail blocking the sun.

Ye Guan smiled. "What's your name?"

Instead of answering, the girl with a ponytail took out a fruit and handed it to him.

Ye Guan looked at the fruit and moved the branches aside, sitting up. He accepted the fruit with a curious gaze. "Where did you get this?"

"Stole it."

Ye Guan froze, caught off guard. He could tell the fruit was something special.

The girl with a ponytail settled beside him, idly snapping twigs in her hand. "Eat."

After a hesitant pause, Ye Guan asked, "Will you be fine if I get caught?"

The girl with a ponytail glanced at him. "You're the one eating it, not me."

After a few moments, Ye Guan turned to her with a gentle smile. "Thank you."

Ye Guan took a bite of it.

The girl with a ponytail said nothing, still absorbed in breaking twigs.

Ye Guan grinned. "I should return the favor."

The girl with a ponytail looked at him curiously. Then, Ye Guan opened his palm, revealing a skewer of hawthorn candy.

He immediately offered it to her.

"What kind of fruit is this?"

"Dao Hawthorn Fruit."

The girl with a ponytail blinked, puzzled by the unfamiliar name.

Ye Guan chuckled. "Give it a try."

Curious, she peeled back the wrapping and took a small bite. Sweetness and a touch of tartness filled her mouth, and her eyes sparkled at the burst of flavors. She then took another bite, savoring the unique taste.

Ye Guan couldn't help but laugh at the sight of her enjoying the threat.

"How are you?" asked the girl with a ponytail.

Ye Guan smiled wryly. "Still weak."

The previous battle had drained him. Thankfully, the Qingxuan Sword was helping him disintegrate the temporal energy within him. The fruit was mending his injuries and soul. He was also slowly recovering his memories.

The girl with a ponytail nodded in quiet understanding.

Ye Guan broke the silence. "What's your name?"

The girl with a ponytail looked at him, tilting her head. "What's yours?"

"Haha." Ye Guan laughed. "I… don't remember."

The girl with a ponytail remained silent, nibbling on the hawthorn candy. Her quiet demeanor was strangely endearing. Then, she asked, "This fruit… is it from your Milky Way?"

"Yes."

The girl with a ponytail gazed at him. "Is it far?"

Ye Guan thought about it and then nodded. "I think so."

The girl with a ponytail gaze grew distant. "Oh…"

"It's a wonderful place. Plenty of tasty treats and lots of exciting things to do."

Intrigued, the girl with a ponytail glanced back at him. "Better than this?"

"Haha." Ye Guan chuckled. "Of course. It's much, much better than that. There are many things to do there as well."

The girl with a ponytail gazed at the horizon, and a spark of curiosity glimmered in her eyes.

Just then, Ye Guan finished the Tianxing Life Fruit, and a warm, soothing energy flowed through him like a gentle current. Soon, he would fully recover.

The girl with a ponytail finished her hawthorn candy. She picked up a tree branch, walked a few steps away, and began swinging it with surprising fluidity.

Ye Guan found himself captivated.

With each swing of the branch, a faint but unmistakable sword intent would billow out of it.

Ye Guan stared in astonishment. If it weren't for the fact that he had seen it with his own eyes, he would never believe that today was the girl's second time wielding a sword.

How could someone be so phenomenally gifted?

The girl with a ponytail became more and more proficient at the sword. At first, she was simply mimicking, but her swordplay eventually changed, transforming into her own unique movement.

Her sword intent was unmistakably different from Ye Guan's.

Although she started off with Ye Guan's Sword Dao, it was clear that she was already forging her own Sword Dao.

Ye Guan watched, his amazement deepening with each swing.

After some time, the girl stopped and returned to sit beside him.

"Do you need more fruit?" she asked.

"No need. I'm almost healed now."

Ye Guan didn't want her to steal more of that fruit on his behalf.

The girl with a ponytail nodded. "Okay."

Then, she lowered her head, seemingly hesitating.

"Is there something on your mind?"

"Any more Dao Hawthorn Fruit?"

Ye Guan blinked, and then he chuckled. "Yes."

He pulled out another skewer and handed it to her.

The girl with a ponytail accepted it and carefully peeled off the wrapper. She ate a piece and asked, "Is there more?"

Ye Guan laughed, "How many would you like?"

After thinking it over, the girl with a ponytail held up five fingers.

Ye Guan handed her five skewers, which she carefully put away.

"Would you like me to teach you more sword techniques?"

The girl with a ponytail's brows knit together slightly. "You actually need someone to teach you sword techniques?"

Ye Guan froze.

The girl with a ponytail looked at him, genuinely puzzled. "Isn't it easy?"

Ye Guan was at a loss for words.

Just then, she stood up and said, "I'll come see you tomorrow. Don't wander off—this place is dangerous."

Ye Guan raised a brow, "Dangerous?"

The girl with a ponytail nodded, her gaze softening as she said, "You're not a fruit. If you run into other fruits, they'll probably kill you."

Without another word, she turned around and left.

Just then, Ye Guan was struck by a wave of danger, and his face darkened. In an instant, he jumped up, grabbed the girl with a ponytail by the wrist, and slashed forward with his hand, channeling his energy into a fierce sword strike.

The spacetime ahead of him was torn open, and a fist came hurtling out of the rift.

Boom!

The sword energy shattered. Ye Guan and the girl with a ponytail were flung backward. As they neared the ground, Ye Guan twisted in midair, cradling her in his arms to shield her from the impact.

Boom!Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Ye Guan crashed into the ground, absorbing the full brunt of the impact.

Blood spurted from his mouth, but he swiftly pulled himself upright, placing the girl behind him just as another fist smashed into his abdomen.

Bang!

Ye Guan coughed up another mouthful of blood.