Chapter 831 - 465: Pear Blossom Scroll (Double Length, Part 2)

"Ah Li, you... are not wrong."

At least, Wen Li sees the sword as a tool to achieve her goals, and having no reverence for it, only using it, is correct.

However, Li Zhibai cannot express it so bluntly. She remained silent for a while, then softly spoke.

"Ah Li, no matter how mysterious the Sword Dao is, no matter how glorious it once was, in the end, it is just one of the Three Thousand Great Dao. What people pursue is not precisely the Sword Dao, but rather using the Sword Dao to glimpse the full picture of the Heavenly Dao."

"To see a part and understand the whole, to stand in one corner and view the entire landscape, this is the purpose of our cultivation."

So, if Wen Li’s mindset is to explore the Heavenly Dao, it cannot be considered wrong.

"Hmm." Wen Li nodded, evidently sharing the same thought.

Yet, Wen Li sought not the Heavenly Dao, but Chang’an, as for a cultivator, the so-called Heavenly Dao is too distant.

Li Zhibai, on the other hand, felt it wasn’t far.

She used to think Wen Li was a child of Sword Dao, favored by the Sword Dao.

But seeing Wen Li’s complete lack of reverence, from the core treating the Sword Dao as something to be utilized, even replaced if ineffective, yet the Sword Dao remained steadfastly loyal to her... Li Zhibai started to agree with Zhu Pingniang.

This girl might not be a Sword Child, but a Sword Master.

The Master of Sword Dao.

At least, the demeanor Wen Li now is showing confirms that she doesn’t need the Sword Dao, instead, the Sword Dao needs her?

Li Zhibai’s blinking rate gradually quickened.

This girl... might also be someone extraordinary like Chang’an in a past life.

Reluctant to believe in reincarnation, faced with incomprehensible events, Li Zhibai couldn’t help but entertain such thoughts.

Two... little monsters.

"Ah Li, Chang’an... did he mention anything to you? About... you bringing up the sword with him." Li Zhibai finally asked.

Her tone carried deep concern.

It was concern for Xu Chang’an.

Li Zhibai initially thought Xu Chang’an had enlightened Wen Li, but now it seemed that Wen Li hadn’t changed her view of the Sword Dao as a tool. Who had been changed... wasn’t it Chang’an?

The act of seeing the Three Thousand Great Dao as mere tools and speaking it out loud, only she could have done it.

No one else should dare learn it.

Li Zhibai was deeply worried that if Xu Chang’an was influenced by Wen Li and came to view Sword Dao as ’a mere weed with value,’ then his path in Sword Dao could very well end.

Out of a teacher’s worry, Li Zhibai couldn’t hold back and thus probed further.

"Junior brother?"

Feeling Li Zhibai’s deep concern for Xu Chang’an, Wen Li’s tone paused slightly as she looked at the woman in the red dress before her.

For the first time, she saw a faint emotion on her teacher’s face, an emotion named anxiety.

She shook her head.

Wen Li remembered something.

The same words, the same view on Sword Dao, she had naturally shared with Xu Chang’an before.

In fact, back when Xu Chang’an first started learning the sword, Wen Li was the first to share her thoughts with him.

The answer she received caused Wen Li to remember it to this day.

It was similar to what the teacher had just spoken about having a tool to observe the Heavenly Dao, but with a slightly different interpretation.

"Master Li."

"Hmm."

"Junior brother is currently learning the Six Arts, do you know about this?" Wen Li seemed to bring up a completely unrelated topic.

"The Six Arts... I’m aware of some." Li Zhibai nodded, despite her worry, remaining patient.

Music, chess, calligraphy, painting, singing and dancing, and tea, Xu Chang’an has already learned some basics.

In music, Xu Chang’an is somewhat initiated.

In chess, although always losing, upon sitting down without falling into the Inner Realm, he has already won.

In calligraphy, it was Ms. Yun who taught him the basics, and Li Zhibai particularly likes Xu Chang’an’s handwriting now.

In painting, she doesn’t quite understand, but the painting Xu Chang’an made of ’Zhu Pingniang’ of Yihua Street greatly captured her vulgar charm.

Then singing and dancing, Li Zhibai is very curious, but she thinks Xu Chang’an likely cannot, or even if he can, doesn’t have the opportunity to show it.

Regarding singing and dancing, Li Zhibai feels the most relevant thing Xu Chang’an does on the mountain is perhaps drawing a salary and watching the girls perform.

And drinking a cup of tea along the way.

Thinking of this, Li Zhibai continued to watch Wen Li, unsure of what she intended to say.

Wen Li, however, recalled the still-unfinished scroll depicting her junior brother.

Self-awareness and self-doubt?

How did she get through that period? Well... it was actually very simple.

"Master Li, when junior brother was learning Danqing, I asked him about the meaning of the sword... but those words, saying them to you... is unnecessary." Wen Li gently lifted the long hair beside her ear, and at that moment, the Sword Intent swirling around her seemed to acquire warmth.

The words Xu Chang’an had uttered back then, Wen Li didn’t want to share with her respected teacher.

Without any particular reason, she simply felt... it was something very childish, saying it might affect her teacher’s perception of junior brother’s brilliance.

"...?" Li Zhibai watched as Wen Li stopped mid-sentence, her eye twitching slightly.

This girl, if you don’t want to say it, don’t mention it.

But Li Zhibai could feel that Wen Li’s emotions were visibly improving.

Wen Li’s fingers gently pinched together.

Yes, junior brother’s words were very childish, even carried a touch of absurd grand theory. But to Wen Li at that time, she... truly liked it.

At that time, while practicing sword by the lakeside, junior brother painting with Li Hua by his side told her, just like this painting he was working on, when paint falls on paper and light casts upon it, you’d think the painting is set. But what determines the painting’s essence isn’t the light, nor the paint.

But the initial image he wished to capture.

Back then, Xu Chang’an even pressed Li Hua’s paw dipped in paint onto the scroll, leaving her unsure of his point.

But Wen Li felt, when Xu Chang’an, who was just beginning to delve into Danqing, began clumsily turning the cat paw imprint into ’Pear Blossoms,’ he should have seen her confusion.

Clumsy junior brother didn’t know why she was confused, thus could only use his own way to enlighten her.

Indeed, artwork is akin to life.

Junior brother should have meant to say.

No matter if now the painting’s form wasn’t what she wished, as long as she was willing to strive, it will eventually conform to her heart’s desire.

The half-demon’s life isn’t significant, what matters is... the kind of person she wants to become.

Wen Li is truly a very calm person, countless times she has thought that junior brother’s words are too naive, too ridiculous.

Such idealistic thinking, as if by mere effort, the world will inevitably give you positive feedback, how did it come about?

Even those living in peaceful times wouldn’t have such naive thoughts, right?

Yet she absolutely loved them.

Loved them excessively.

Later, perhaps embarrassed by the naive notion of ’effort’ talk, Xu Chang’an seemed to adopt another approach.

At least, Wen Li thought it’s something she could say to others.

"Ah Li." Li Zhibai looked at Wen Li in her daze, a trace of emotion surfaced in her eyes.

She wasn’t Wen Li’s teacher now, didn’t need to hide her dissatisfaction.

"Master Li." Wen Li shook her head, "Junior brother is a very brilliant person, there’s no need for concern about him being negatively influenced by me."

Or rather, anyone might get confused by her Dao, but not Xu Chang’an.

Wen Li was convinced of this.

Li Zhibai realized she was letting concern cloud her judgment, admittedly, she had to acknowledge Wen Li’s words.

"Ah Li, how do you see Chang’an." Li Zhibai asked seriously.

"Like a reader."

Wen Li’s reply surprised Li Zhibai.

"Reader?" Li Zhibai didn’t understand.

"Hmm." Wen Li nodded.

Li Zhibai didn’t quite grasp it, instinctively feeling the child wasn’t particularly bright.

So, Wen Li meant... Xu Chang’an needs to read more?

Wen Li didn’t say more.

Junior brother is a reader.

Essentially, the book’s content is merely a jumble of words, yet with a reader’s thoughts, these words can come alive in his mind.

Then who is the book?