Be Gentle, Immortal Master

The cave was warm and comfortable in the dead of winter, free from the snow and icy gale outside. Bai Ye lit the room with his spiritual power, and the pale light glowed off of the cave walls, casting a faint shadow over the etchings.

He ran his fingers across the edges of the symbols, no longer sharp after being washed over time by condensation. "You carved these three hundred years ago." His voice echoed softly in the small space.

I nodded. "Twin Stars showed me visions of it," I said. Something that I hadn't shared with him before. "It showed me the day when she told you that she had perfected the technique. Though I thought you were still in your old hall on the main peak at the time?"

"I was," he said wistfully. "The main peak was the only populated peak at Mount Hua back then. But to practice the bonding technique, one needs an environment with a spiritual power flow that matches the sword. You found this cave quite early on, and that was why I had built the new hall at this location after … after you left."

A hard edge returned to his voice, and I knew he was remembering those dark memories again. My heart clenched. Our past had left too deep of a wound in him, and it pained me to think how long it'd take for that to fully heal. Trying not to let him lose himself in those gloomy thoughts again, I held his other hand between my palms. "How did I manage to improve these techniques?" I asked. "Did you teach me that as well?"

He smiled then. "No. Every demonic sword calls for a different type of bonding technique, and only the person bonded to it is able to use that connection to feel the necessary steps. It took you fifty years to work out these details. I was so proud of you when you succeeded … And if not for all the other changes that resulted from it, I would've been so happy as well."

I squeezed his hand. "You can still be happy for me, Bai Ye. It's not too late to change things yet. We are both still alive, and we still have a chance to rescue all those trapped souls from Twin Stars."

Seeing my obvious concern over his melancholy, he chuckled a little. "Don't worry, I didn't bring you here to reminisce about the past. If you look closely, you'll notice that the carvings actually carry your spiritual power on them. That was how you were able to follow such simple instructions and perform a much more complicated meditation routine accordingly."

Surprised at what he revealed, I stepped closer to the wall, and as I stared into the etchings, I started to see tiny flows of energy trickling through the illustrations. "H-How did I never notice this before?" I gasped. What was even more shocking was that, without ever noticing these signs of energy flow, I had somehow figured out how to move the spiritual power in my body precisely in that pattern.

"It is a technique to record thoughts and actions by leaving a trace of your spiritual power on the writing. The effect can reach the reader's subconsciousness even if they might not realize or notice its influence. I'll teach you this technique someday, but for now, what we need to do is to obliterate these etchings. Since your spiritual power has been sealed within them, you will have to be the one to do it."

"Obliterate these etchings?" I repeated, still marveling at the technique and instinctively feeling reluctant at destroying it. "Why? Twin Stars can't bond with anyone else in its lifetime. Even if someone were to stumble upon these illustrations, what harm would it cause?"

"None if they don't know you are the one bonded with Twin Stars. But if they do, then these drawings reveal too much about how the different sources of spiritual power within your body function and balance with each other. A malicious person might be able to use that information against you."

"That sounds quite unlikely," I chuckled. "Not to speak of the fact that no one else can open that sealed door outside, what can they do to use this information against me anyway? They don't have any control over my spiritual pow—"

Then a realization dawned on me. "So that was how you were able to combine a dual cultivation technique with this meditation routine?" I asked. "That was how you managed to move the demonic influence out of me?"

Nodding somewhat guiltily, he pulled me into his arms before I could question him further. "I'm sorry, Qing-er. I told you back then that this wasn't a dual cultivation technique, and I wasn't completely honest with you by saying it. Forgive me …"

His embrace was careful, as if he was really worried that I might be mad at him for lying to me. A little annoyed by his foolishness, I pounded a fist against his chest. "Idiot," I mumbled. "That's not the part that you need to beg forgiveness for! Don't even think about doing anything like this again to hurt yourself. If there is ever a next time, I swear I'll never forgive you."

"There won't be a next time," he promised promptly. Letting me out of his arms, he planted a kiss on my forehead. "Besides, I'm not familiar enough with this routine to remember all of it … Once you destroy the etchings, I won't be able to rework an alternative even if I wanted to."

Smiling in satisfaction, I moved to stand in front of the wall. "You are sure then?" I asked. He gave me a firm nod. Raising my hand, I summoned my spiritual power and pressed my palm against the wall, letting the bright glow suffuse the patterns over the stone surface. The light burned like a roaring fire, and when I lifted my palm, the wall was smooth and clean, with no more traces of the illustrations left.

Another part of our past gone, I thought.. Though this time, it was all for the best.