Chapter 25: Primordial Spirit Jade Art
1338 Words
The setting sun cast long shadows, staining the sky with fiery streaks of dusk. In the courtyard, the jujube tree rustled softly in the breeze.
“Brother-in-law… there’s something I’ve wanted to say to you.”
Li Jingxue’s voice, clear and sweet like spring water, broke the stillness the moment she stepped into the yard. She wore a simple, pale dress that accentuated her youthful vitality under the fading light, her presence as fresh and luminous as morning dew.
Chen Mo paused, his tone softening. “What is it?”
A flicker of guilt crossed Li Jingxue’s face. “Seven days ago… I was there when Father, Mother, and Uncle escorted Sister to her carriage. I wanted to tell you, but Mother forbade it…” Her voice trailed off, head bowed.
Understanding dawned on Chen Mo. Seven days prior, Li Qingyue had departed for Tianshu Academy. The entire Li family had deliberately excluded him—the live-in son-in-law—from the farewell. Not that he blamed them. His marriage to Li Qingyue was colder than winter. They’d met twice: once at their wedding, once seven days ago. Not a single word had ever passed between them. Strangers would’ve been warmer.
Yet, Li Jingxue had carried this regret like a hidden thorn.
“And that Wei Feng!” she continued, brows furrowing. “Spreading vile rumors about you and Sister. Don’t heed such a petty man, Brother-in-law. Sister is distant, yes, but she’d never stoop to cruelty.” Worry and reassurance bled into her words.
Chen Mo studied her earnest face—the delicate arch of her brows, the translucent honesty in her eyes. A rare warmth stirred in his chest. How many Bodhisattvas have I seen across lifetimes? None radiated kindness like hers.
Memories surfaced: his past self, Chen Xuanyuan, clawing his way to dominance atop mountains of corpses across the Vast Nine Provinces. Even his nine disciples had trembled before him. In this life, as Chen Mo, the neglected bastard son of Great Xia’s Chen clan, bitterness had festered into isolation. At Bishui Sword Academy, his gloom repelled potential allies. When his cultivation shattered, marriage into the Li family felt like plummeting into an abyss. He’d been a hollow shell, adrift in despair.
Throughout it all, only Li Jingxue had offered genuine kindness.
She’d planted Sunward Flowers in his courtyard, hoping their sun-gold blooms might coax a smile. She’d sat patiently beside his silent form, weaving hopeful tales from philosophy books, her voice a gentle balm. She’d cooked elaborate meals, carrying them to his self-imposed prison. Back then, he’d ignored it all. Now, awakened, her relentless care struck him with profound gratitude. This girl possessed a heart as luminous as polished jade.
“Brother-in-law… you truly weren’t angry?” Li Jingxue lifted her gaze, searching his eyes.
He chuckled. “You overthink. Your sister despises this marriage? Understandable. As for the rest…” He shrugged. “Caring would’ve killed me long ago.”
Relief washed over her features. She beamed, crescent eyes sparkling. “Brother-in-law, your heart is vast as the sea!”
Vast?Chen Mo’s lips twitched. Across the Vast Nine Provinces, Chen Xuanyuan was famed for settling everyslight—down to the last drop of blood. But this little sister-in-law? Utterly disarming.
“Jingxue,” he asked, curiosity piqued. “Why? Why did you care when the entire Li family scorned me?”
“Because,” she stated, conviction ringing clear, “I never believed the man Sister married was worthless. And…” Her chin lifted defiantly. “…I refuse to believe my brother-in-law is weak!”
“Oh? Why?”
She scrutinized him for a long moment, then burst into musical laughter. “Simple! Someone this impossibly handsome couldn’tbe useless!”
The sheer unexpectedness of her answer stunned him, then ignited genuine laughter. He gave an admiring thumbs-up. “Perceptive!”
Li Jingxue grinned, radiant.
Chen Mo shifted topics. “The Year-end Competition at Qingyun Sword Academy is next month, yes?”
“Mn.” Her smile vanished, replaced by worry. “My cultivation… reaching the top ten seems impossible. I’ve only trained there a year.”
Top ten meant admission to the elite A-Class Academy—a direct path to Qinghe County’s prestigious Bishui Sword Academy. Qingyun’s reach extended merely to Linfeng City; Bishui influenced nineteen counties across Qinghe County. Worlds apart.
“I forgot your birthday gift two days ago,” Chen Mo said, drawing a slim booklet from his sleeve. “Consider this a belated one. A Breathing Technique. Not supreme, but perfect for your current stage. Practice diligently, and the top ten will be yours.”
Her eyes widened. “Truly?”
He pressed the booklet into her hands. “Would I deceive you? Remember: tell no one. Memorize its essence, then burn it.” His gaze turned stern.
He had no choice. The technique was the Primordial Spirit Jade Art!
Though only its foundation—the Blood Moving Realm—method was recorded here, the complete Art ranked among the Imperial Realm Marvelous Art Ranking’s top ten across the Vast Nine Provinces! Decades ago, Su Xuanyuan had imparted it to his youngest disciple, Lin Yao. She’d soared through cultivation realms, ultimately ascending to the Imperial Realm as the renowned Yaoguang Empress!
Leaking even this fragment could drown Li Jingxue in lethal trouble.
Sensing his gravity, she clutched the booklet tightly. “I promise, Brother-in-law.”
Unaware she held an artifact capable of igniting continent-wide wars, she remained calm. Chen Mo offered no explanation. Such treasures were common in his repertoire. In his past life, Su Xuanyuan’s trove of “thousand methods, ten thousand secrets” was legendary truth, not hyperbole.
“Return every seven days,” he instructed. “I’ll guide you through the Blood Moving Realm’s deeper mysteries.”
Her eyes lit up like captured stars. “I will!”
She knew: though his cultivation base completely lost, Chen Mo had once been Bishui Sword Academy’s Outer Academy Chief, a star blazing across Qinghe County’s sky. With his guidance, the top ten seemed within reach.
“Go now,” he urged, amusement coloring his tone. “Your mother discovering you here would summon a tempest.”
Li Jingxue glanced around nervously, then stuck out her pink tongue. “Understood! Goodbye, Brother-in-law!”
She vanished like a joyful breeze, leaving behind a trail of vibrant energy. Chen Mo watched her go, then turned back to his silent room.
The clamor of Grandmother Li’s birthday feast still echoed through the estate, a world from which he remained utterly excluded.
Li Jingxue didn’t return to the festivities either. Back in her room, she bathed quickly. Wrapped in a robe, she flopped onto her bed, slender legs kicking idly against the covers, flashes of pale skin visible beneath the fabric. Damp hair framed her face, amplifying her fresh, drowsy charm.
Eagerly, she opened the booklet.
Its pages were few, the script fluid and elegant—each stroke radiating a profound, calming energy. Brother-in-law’s handwriting… as captivating as he is,she mused. Then, the profound truths within seized her focus.
The Primordial Spirit Jade Art’s Blood Moving Realm method was inscrutable, layered with profound insights. Even seasoned masters would struggle to grasp its depths immediately. Yet, beside each esoteric passage, Chen Mo had penned lucid annotations. Li Jingxue absorbed them, her initial confusion giving way to dawning awe.
By moonglow’s fading silver, she finished her first reading. Stunned realization dawned.
She was young, not ignorant. The gulf between this technique and the Li family’s ancestral methods—or even Qingyun Sword Academy’s teachings—was like comparing a diamond to gravel. No wonder Brother-in-law demanded secrecy,she thought, warmth spreading through her chest. He was shielding me.
Taking a deep breath, resolve crystallized within her. She pressed a hand to her heart, making a silent vow: No matter the cost, Brother-in-law… I will find a way to restore your cultivation. You’ve suffered enough.
- Writer
