After that stupid banquet, all I wanted to do was take a couple of days to mess around and relax. However, Xiao Qiang didn't let me off, bothering me into getting up before dawn the next day.

Your plan is to quickly grow stronger and leave this place as soon as possible. You must also improve our reputation enough for Rong Yutang to grant permission for a trip to Mt. Mian in the summer. How will you do that while lying in bed?

I was a little worried that I would wake up to find that Xiao Qiang could control the body while I slept, or something, but that didn't seem to be the case. He was a little more talkative, and I wasn't sure if that was good or not. Also, even though he said it was pointless, Xiao Qiang really did try to help me to learn a few forms before my first martial arts lesson.

Widen your stance. Wider. Think about where your weight is centered. Straighten your waist. Why are your shoulders so tense?

“What's going to happen if I go to the studio and I don't know anything? Will I have to run laps? Will they realize that I'm not…” you?

Stop worrying. Instructor Yao isn't much of an instructor at all. He serves the Yu family, and Yu Qianqian ordered him to go easy with me. Xiao Qiang paused. But Rong Xiujian might notice something, and if Rong Xiumei comes by the studio…

She had applied for four days of leave from the sect, and she'd used two days so far. She would probably stay here tonight as well. “She's going to be looking into that matter, so she'll be busy,” I reminded Xiao Qiang, trying to be optimistic. I was pretty sure I'd managed to raise her impression of Rong Xiugang yesterday, and I didn't want to turn right around and disappoint her the next morning.

I wonder if she really will. His tone was dark.

I tried out the form he'd been showing me while talking. “Hey, you know, she’s mostly a good person. She never wanted to be involved in the plot against you.”

Don't you know what she did to me?

“She just spread some rumors, blame the idiots that listened to her. Anyway, if those fanboys of hers hadn't brought you to the treasure realm, what do you think your life would have been like?”

You’ll even defend those people? I nearly died because of them!

I groaned. “I don't mean it like that… but really, what do you think your life would have been like if you'd never gone into that realm? Would you have done well within the Mt. Guo sect?”

Like his sister before him, Rong Xiugang went to join the Mt. Guo sect at the age of fifteen. Everyone had already known that his aptitude was poor, so to give Rong Yutang some face, the sect elders exempted Rong Xiugang from the admissions test. The only part that was essential was the Wall of Swords.

Iron of a high enough grade to be used for spiritual weapons was not easy to come by; within the Mt. Guo sect, there was a practice of recycling swords across generations. Whenever a member of the sect passed away, all of their spiritual weapons would be collected and stabbed into this natural rock wall which has the power to seal each blade’s spirit. Weapons could only be pulled out by someone whose energy was a close enough match to awaken that weapon's spirit in spite of the wall’s pressure.

Others had to try to draw out a sword while surrounded by peers and an audience of elders, but things were arranged so that Rong Xiugang could approach it privately. There were sometimes people that were rejected by every single sword, and some elders were afraid of what might happen next if Rong Yutang's son had such an embarrassing moment. Anyway, he would be accepted into the sect even if he couldn't pull a single weapon; the Rong family was one of the few that could afford to have a new weapon forged.

Indeed, the wall of swords was a difficult trial for Rong Xiugang; he tried out every one of the four hundred weapons embedded into the wall before one responded to him. Of course, as it was chosen by the protagonist it couldn't be a normal weapon; what he pulled out was a deceptively rusty saber that none of the elders recognized. There were no records for it, and an elder even wondered aloud if it was placed in the wall by mistake. Rong Xiugang wasn't happy with it, of course, and the Rong family still had to forge a new sword for him. Since the saber wouldn't go back into the wall after coming out, and the elders were annoyed with him for fussing, Rong Xiugang was pressured into keeping it with him.

His days in the Mt. Guo sect were all like that. Nothing good happened at all; he didn't make any friends and only made enemies.

Since Xiao Qiang didn't respond, I spoke again. “I don't want you to think I'm defending the person that left you to die in the treasure realm, but the real perpetrator had nothing to do with Rong Xiumei.”

Even if she didn't personally give the order to Fu Zixuan -

“It wasn't Fu Zixuan that took you into that cave.”

Then who?

“Umm… you have to remind me of someone's name. When you began studying at Mt. Guo, who was the first person you offended? Among the students,” I hastily added.

Because he took a second to respond, I wondered if I had upset him further, but - Do you mean Lü Xiang?

Right, it was Lü Xiang. The novel described him as a young talent from the other side of the mountains, belonging to the Lü clan that had a deep relationship with the Mt. Guo sect. He was also a bit spoiled, and was bullying a classmate from a lesser clan.

Because Lü Xiang said something about superior and inferior, Rong Xiugang jumped into the conversation and dropped his father's name, pointing out that if anyone was superior, it's the Rong clan. If the son of the Rong family doesn't say anything about superiority, how can others dare to say anything?

It was that kind of stupid argument where the two just started boasting at each other. If Rong Xiugang wasn't chubby and lacking in talent, he would have come off as a little hero, but instead people thought he was nosy and arrogant as a result of his clash with Lü Xiang.

Both boys became laughingstocks, and soon the Lü head came to the Rong family to complain about it. Rong Xiugang felt that he was in the right, so he didn't bother to explain himself; his father ended up apologizing to the Lü family.

“That young man had an older sister. She entered the treasure realm with you, right? Her name was..?”

Lü Xiaoxiao.

“Right. Um… so you know that Fu Zixuan used his connections to give you one of Mt. Guo’s six seats to enter the treasure realm. Once you entered, he beat you up while his two friends kept watch, and they told you about the rumors they'd heard.” Things like how Rong Xiugang bullied children in Guoyang town, how he disrespected his family members and was lazy in his studies. It was also said that he looked down on his siblings because they had different mothers, and that he intended to make trouble for them when he became the head of the Rong family.

“Fu Zixuan had a crush on Rong Xiumei and wanted to impress her, but he wouldn't have risked making trouble for her Rong family by harming you too much. After you fell unconscious, he propped you up against a tree by the realm’s exit.

“However, that Lü Xiaoxiao had hid herself nearby and saw everything. Her little brother was mocked because of you, and more than that, it was originally Lü Xiang that was chosen as the sixth person to enter the treasure realm. That's why…” that's why she carried the unconscious Rong Xiugang deep into the treasure realm, dropping him into a cave that reeked of malevolent qi.

I see.

I had hoped for a little more of a reaction. Maybe some guilt for punishing the wrong person? After time-traveling, Xiao Qiang reanimated the corpses of several monsters within the treasure realm and had let them tear Fu Zixuan to pieces, only stopping them when Fu Zixuan had lost three limbs. For just beating him once, that was much too excessive.

Since he didn't say anything, I brought the topic back around, making my voice more gentle. “If we can get along with Rong Xiumei, it'll be much easier to advance, right? And… I always felt sorry for her.”

Her? Xiao Qiang sounded incredulous.

“Just a little. I mean, wasn't she also wronged..? No matter how hard she works, no matter how good her achievements, her parents hardly notice. But on the other hand, even when you and Xiujian made mistakes, you two got coddled. All children need attention and feel envious when their siblings get more for less.”

You're making excuses for her?

I sighed. “Okay, fine. But she cares about her reputation, so we can at least trust her to help Nie Yilian.”

Hmm. Nie Yilian’s name seemed to give him some remorse now, which I took as a good sign.

However, my bad luck struck soon after. As soon as I passed the gate to the Rong family's outdoor studio area, I met eyes with Rong Xiumei. I had tried to arrive a little early to my first martial arts lesson, and had succeeded. She and I were the only ones there, which was more awkward than if there had been a crowd.

“Dajie, good morning.” I greeted her. She nodded and looked away, starting to stretch. Moving onto the tiles, I copied her, and we spent several minutes in silence. This body breathed loudly, making me feel a little rude, but I reminded myself that trying to exercise while holding my breath would only harm my progress.

“Hey. Later on, come with me.”

“Um?” I hadn't expected her to speak so abruptly. “You mean… to see the Yu and Nie families?”

“Just the Nie family,” she corrected. That was a little bit of a relief for me. I had already expected that she would want me to talk to Nie Yilian, but things would get difficult quickly if she brought me to the Yu family and allowed me to hear her tell Yu Sheng just what his little sister tried to do.

If she knew that I knew, Xiumei would definitely expect me to confront Yu Qianqian directly. I didn't want to do that at all. Thankfully, Xiumei still wanted to keep the matter secret and cover for her mother.

“Let's meet at noon,” she decided, and we agreed on a location. This being day two for me in this world, I wasn't sure if Rong Xiugang had plans already or not, but it was probably fine.

Instructor Yao took his sweet time, and I was nervous as I waited. However, Rong Xiumei didn't comment on anything I did, focusing on herself. When he finally arrived, Rong Xiujian was with him, and they were laughing together.

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“Miss Xiumei, you've come today! Oh-! And young master Gang is already here! How are you feeling?” Instructor Yao, contrary to my expectations, was a cheerful man with round cheeks and a long goatee. “We missed you yesterday!”

I greeted him properly, not sure if I should be sorry or cheerful myself. A friendly guy might be even worse than a strict one, since he might know Xiugang better. Thankfully he didn't notice anything about me, leading us in a few exercises before he addressed Rong Xiumei again.

“I've heard that Miss Xiumei was able to draw out the infamous Monsoon Sword upon entering the sect. I wish I could take any credit at all for your success,” he said, and I felt that there was an awkwardness between him and Rong Xiumei. “Truly, a natural talent!”

She bowed and politely said, “Not at all. I'm very grateful for all of Instructor's support until now.”

“Since you've come today, would you be willing to do a demonstration for your younger brothers?”

“Forgive me, Instructor. I just came to see how far they've come while I've been away.”

Instructor Yao nodded, seeming to expect that she would refuse him. He took this chance to call Xiujian out. “Come, come! What you were working on these past few days, let's show it to your older sister!”

“Yes, Instructor!”

Xiumei moved to the side, looking bored, and I moved to stand beside her. Rong Xiujian started from a low stance, his left foot forward; he began to move, punching at an imaginary enemy, spinning, kicking. I found his serious expression very cute, and even found it funny how he exhaled sharply, controlling his breath. I didn't know what kind of opinion to have beyond that.

This is an early version of the great golden pheasant style that made him famous during the second demon border campaign. How pathetic it looks now. Xiao Qiang commented. His tone was casual, but I could feel how our fists wanted to clench.

When Rong Xiujian turned to look at me, his little face expectant, I gave him a grin. “You're working hard when I'm not looking,” I said, and he flashed me a smile so big that I could count his teeth. I wanted to squish his little face, but I turned to look at Rong Xiumei instead to see what she would say.

My look startled her slightly, although I didn't know why. But she stepped forward, asked Xiujian to repeat one part, and began to give him some advice. His balance was off here, wouldn't his opponent catch his foot if it was like that, and so on. Xiujian pouted a bit, but tried to adjust himself according to his sister's words. Afterwards, Xiumei suddenly made a vague excuse about forgetting to do something and then left.

“Dajie is so strict,” Rong Xiujian complained after she was out of sight. “Can't she say something nice?”

“Her words and advice will definitely help you,” I said, and then noticed that Instructor Yao also looked a little disgruntled.

Nonetheless, he was an adult, so he agreed with me. “Right. Miss Xiumei is incredibly talented, very perceptive. It's not strange for her to notice the flaws that I couldn't see.”

Ah, I understand now why they were acting like that. This older man, feeling so insecure; that teenage girl, trying not to step on anyone's toes. What an annoying situation.

Lucky for me, though, that she left before it was my turn. “Young master Gang, I know you weren't able to come the last few days, but have you been able to practice the fifth form?”

“Well, a little,” I hedged. Xiao Qiang had mentioned something called the fifth form, actually, but following verbal instructions was… Hm. I thickened my face and said, “Begging Instructor to demonstrate it again for me!”

“Of course!” he said. Taking the sheathed sword from his hip, he began to move; maybe it was because everyone was practicing without qi, but I kind of felt like it was all just the same as dancing. I tried to memorize the movements, but I'd never been good at dancing. Or sports.

Thus, when it was my turn, I could only remind myself of what Xiao Qiang said - Instructor Yao had already been paid off by Yu Qianqian. It was a good thing for him if I sucked. With that in mind I bumbled through the fifth form, using a wooden sword, mostly just trying to make sure my balance was solid, since everyone kept bringing that up.

“Not bad,” Instructor Yao praised, and then promptly moved on. While he gave some Xiujian attention, I tried it a couple more times, slowly, trying to figure out the point of each step. Some of them just seemed so silly.

We only spent a couple of hours at the studio before returning to the main house for lunch. My stomach had been rumbling for a while, but I'd been pinching the excess flesh of my arm to reassure myself.

As we entered a small dining room, Yu Qianqian jumped up, coming to grab my hand; I braced myself, but she just said, “Dear, have you been training all this time? You missed breakfast! That serving girl couldn't tell me where you were! I was worried!”

“Sorry, mother. I wasn't feeling hungry,” I said. My stomach grumbled, so I added, “I definitely am now. What are we having for lunch? And will Dajie be joining us?”

“Ah, that girl, she's eating with my brother today,” Yu Qianqian said. I might have imagined the tightness at the corner of her lips. “Alright, sit, sit!”

Lunch was a bit of a challenge. We were eating rather informally, serving ourselves, but Yu Qianqian still made sure I overate by personally adding more meat to my plate. I was uncomfortably bloated as I walked the long way around to the front gate to meet up with Rong Xiumei.

The Nie family home was pretty small, and looked newer than nearby properties. It was on the outskirts of Guoyang, with the forest surrounding it on three sides, and the front gate was open already; that felt a little strange to me. Rong Xiumei and I had walked here side-by-side, but approaching the entrance, I fell back a little to let her lead.

From the gate, Rong Xiumei called out a greeting and then waited. I tried to remember if the Nie family had any cultivators; ordinary people might not have heard her from this distance.

“Young miss Rong… young master Rong.” Nie Yilian came out to greet them personally. She had regained her peaceful aura, but it was slightly affected by the faint bruising under her eyes. She hadn't slept well.

I bowed deeper than her, trying to convey remorse and sympathy with face and body. Rong Xiumei brought out a pouch and offered it toward Nie Yilian. “The Phoenix Fire herb,” she said shortly, and it was accepted with trembling fingers. “May we come in?”

There didn't seem to be people around, but it wasn't good to have this kind of talk outdoors.

Nie Yilian nodded, and led us in to a room with a table with space enough for about four people. Then, she began to prepare us tea.

Rong Xiumei said, “You have no servants?” This seemed like a rude question to me, but it's not like I could stop her.

“I gave them the day off,” Nie Yilian replied, her eyes a little evasive as she came and poured tea for us. I took a sip when Xiumei did, and found the taste unpleasant.

Nie Yilian seemed unsure whether to drink any herself. None of us seemed to want to start speaking.

“So we have guests,” a hoarse voice came from the doorway, and Nie Yilian startled.

“Father! You shouldn't be walking…”

Rong Xiumei and I stood up to greet the man. Nie Xiyong really didn't look well; his skin was yellowed and waxy-looking, and he was hunched under at least four layers of clothing, using a cane to drag himself along. Xiao Qiang didn't seem to like seeing him this way; an uncomfortable feeling made its way through our body.

“Mr. Nie, I spoke with the Yu family this morning. I learned a little more about your condition, and obtained the Phoenix Fire herb from them. I hoped to meet you today and talk with you about this.”

“I see. Young miss, may we speak privately?” he was gesturing behind him, towards a different room.

Rong Xiumei's eyes swept from me to Nie Yilian, then returned to Nie Xiyong as she stood up. “Yes.”

Xiumei gestured for me to stay put, which I was only too happy to do. Then, I realized that Nie Yilian was also staying.

Augh. I was going to have to say something to her, wasn't I? This was so awkward. “Yesterday…” my voice squeaked a little as it came out. I felt a deep annoyance with it that might have come from me or Xiao Qiang. “Miss Nie, I know that some of our cousins came to speak with you. Please don't mind anything that they said.”

I hoped to come off as comforting, but I forgot how I currently looked made anything seem a little more threatening. “I won't tell anyone.”

“That's not -! I didn't mean…” I grit my teeth a little. “Miss Nie, those three were definitely wrong to harass you, and will be punished. I should have - if I knew they would do this, I would have stopped them.”

But you did know, Xiao Qiang pointed out. I pinched my arm under the table, as I couldn't currently tell him to shut up.

“Thank you, young master.”

What else could I say to reassure her? Nothing came to mind. “Do you already have someone to make the pill from the Phoenix Fire herb? If not -”

“We do. Thank you.”

This is so uncomfortable.

I ducked my head, pressing my lips together. Yeah, if I had known I would have to have this conversation, I would have definitely stopped the Yu family yesterday.

We sat in silence for some time; I thought it would last until Rong Xiumei returned, but unexpectedly, Nie Yilian asked a question. “Young master Rong, yesterday, the three young masters of the Yu family showed me a flower, white, with black stripes. The young miss seemed surprised to see it. Could you tell me about this?”

So she was curious about that. “It’s a white tiger-face azalea. These flowers grow in my birth mother's courtyard.” I hesitated to elaborate, wondering if I would look guilty by saying this, but, “My mother passed away many years ago, and her courtyard was sealed. Only my father and I should be able to enter. I don't know how those three got their hands on one.”

“... are there perhaps servants or gardeners that have access?” Nie Yilian ventured to say. I would have been grateful for her willingness to speak with me if my arm didn't spasm in response.

Right. Xiao Qiang and I hadn't talked yet about this matter, and we didn't have time now. I changed the subject slightly. “I did think that someday I would send those flowers to a person I like. Those three heard that somehow and had such a bad idea. I'm sorry for the trouble.”

“Ah, no. Um…

“Oh.” I realized that maybe my words had come off as a confession, putting her in a rough position. “Don't misunderstand, please! I'm not interested in women.”

What? Xiao Qiang was even more shocked than Nie Yilian. Hey, what words are you saying with whose mouth?!

I’d already blurted it out, so ignoring him, I continued. “Actually, I pretended to show interest in you for my mother’s sake. I - if she knew…”

“I understand!” Her understanding was a little more passionate than I expected, and Nie Yilian also seemed to have startled herself. Despite this, she reached out to pat my hand, treating my confession very seriously.

“... Thank you.” I said. Someone else's rage was building under my skin, so I added, “If you tell people about the Yu family bullying you, I understand, but, if you could please keep this secret for me…”

“I will. Please don't worry.” She'd started speaking in a more familiar way at some point.

Ah, I'd dug myself into a hole. But thankfully, Nie Xiyong and Rong Xiumei soon returned, after which Xiumei and I left quickly.

Halfway home, Xiumei commented, “you two seemed very friendly.”

“She accepted my apology,” I said. Thankfully I'd known she would notice, expected her to bring this up. “I'm not going to try to pursue her, not after what happened, but I wish we could become friends. Miss Nie is surprisingly mature and understanding.”

“Hmm.” Rong Xiumei seemed to accept me at my word. “Do you want to know what I talked to Nie Xiyong about?”

This kind of question again. “If Dajie wants to tell me,” I answered, privately worrying. The real Rong Xiugang, what would he have thought they were talking about? Himself, probably. As for me, I was a little afraid that the conversation might be about Yu Qianqian; I prayed that Rong Xiumei wouldn't confront me with her mother's scheming.

“Uncle Sheng let me know this morning how Nie Xiyong came to be poisoned,” she revealed to me. “It seems he trespassed on the Yu family property, looking for a spirit beast to protect his daughter, and was bitten by a hundred-year frost snake there.”

“Really? Wait, but… then shouldn't he be punished?”

“Normally, he would be. But he and Uncle Sheng entered the sect together and knew each other. He would have forgiven the trespass and given over the cure, but both men are too proud. That's why Uncle Sheng asked for that girl to perform at the banquet in order to pay for the herb, so that Nie Xiyong wouldn't feel indebted.”

Something had to be missing; I knew that Yu Qianqian was somehow involved. “Oh! I see,” I said anyway, acting relieved.

I had paid close attention to my body to keep the tension from seeping through, but eventually we parted, and I was alone again in Rong Xiugang's room.

You. Xiao Qiang’s fury had cooled a little by now, and he sounded more whiny than anything. Are you ever going to explain yourself? Aren't you planning to get your own body? Putting me in a position like this, what do you expect me to do in the future!

“Hey, look, even if you came back to Guoyang and married, do you think she would dare to tell your wife what I said?”

That's not the point! No matter where I go, I will know what she's thinking of me!

“Okay, okay! I'm sorry, I was wrong. I didn't mean to say it. It just slipped out. Later I can tell her it was a little lie, okay?”

It wasn't easy to calm the childish time traveler down, but I was just thankful that the matter of his mother's courtyard seemed to have slipped his mind. Of course, no sooner had I thought this than I noticed that the flower by the pillow had disappeared.

Our room had been cleaned while we were out, the furniture moved. It seemed like most of Rong Xiugang's things were managed personally by Sisi, but I was a little afraid to check with Xiao Qiang about this. However, if the wrong person had that flower, wouldn't I be framed again?

I couldn't think of a good way to look for it without tipping off Xiao Qiang, so uneasily I put it in the back of my mind.