A/N: In this chapter, we wrap up the tournament and the four semi-finalists gather themselves to start the journey. We finally leave QingYun.

I managed to find some time to give this chapter a proofread and upload it. Unfortunately, I'm still a bit busy so the next one might not come immediately.

As for XueQi, she seem a bit strange and cruel - putting it mildly. Unfortunately, her reasons are her own and Shirou is nowhere near the stage at which the girl will trust him with her secrets. That's like a bond 4/5 conversation or, using FE terms, an S rank support conversation.


Seven Peaks – 3

The night was late.

Tian BuYi walked alone; ascending the steps of Crystal Hall.

Headmaster Dao XuanZhen had called the masters for another meeting tonight. He urged that it was of utmost importance; attendance would be necessary. Thus, after his conversation with Shirou, the pudgy master walked up the steps to Crystal Hall for the discussion. It seemed that he wouldn't be able to retire early tonight.

In the hall, only one ebony chair was left unoccupied. Tian BuYi had been the last one to arrive. The other house heads glanced in the direction of approaching footsteps; their eyes annoyed by both his lateness and the headmaster's decree. Tian BuYi was long used to these menacing eyes; ignored them and sat down in his seat.

Master ShuiYue couldn't help but comment: "Tian shixiong, how nice of you to join us. Our bodies seem to be only half asleep; you've made good time."

Tian BuYi rolled his eyes. The woman's acidity towards him was legendary, so none of the other heads, even XuanZhen, commented.

Tian BuYi replied: "Shui shimei, I was warning my seventh to be careful in his match tomorrow. Your disciple, XueQi, is no joke; she defeated LingEr like my daughter was a fourth-rate cultivator. I simply fear for the health of the only disciple I have left in this Seven Peaks Tournament."

Mentioning LingEr seemed to make the cold woman's face soften: "Yes, it is a shame what happened to LingEr shizhi. I have already scolded XueQi for her actions after she returned."

Tian BuYi nodded; his face apathetic. One could see the resentment that the two masters had for each other. The tension between the two was thick; they continued to stare at each other without speaking. It was as if they were speaking a language that only they could discern.

Headmaster Dao XuanZhen saw this interaction and sighed. He coughed into his hand; this seemed to break the two out of their silent contest. The main-house head put up a genial smile on his face and waited for both Tian BuYi and ShuiYue to settle back into their seats.

At this time, Sunrise Peak's master, Shang ZhengLiang, asked: "Headmaster, what did you want to talk to us about? It must have been of dire importance to summon us this late in the night."

Relieved that the meeting could finally begin, XuanZhen's face smiled; however, his eyes were serious and cold. The headmaster began: "Yes, yes. It's about that business with Master Spirit; that evil presence he felt. Master Spirit was able to remember something; there has been a breakthrough."

All of the other house heads' eyes widened; this was quite a serious topic. Any discord between the gathered masters disappeared; their faces turned stoic and serious. Seeing the other heads react like this made XuanZhen slightly happier. He coughed into his hand and started his recount.

"A few days ago, Master Spirit was able to sense a foul presence in our very own QingYun's Widow's Peak; it's unacceptable for such evil objects to burrow into our noble clan. Thus, I used the psychic arts to communicate with Master Spirit. Unfortunately, it seemed that at the time, Master Spirit had just woken up from a nap. He was able to tell me that he felt an evil sensation, but his mind was still hazy and couldn't remember the specifics."

The heads all nodded; this was old information.

"After the announcement of the semi-finals today, I had immediately gone back to Master Spirit's pond in front of Crystal Hall. He was already awake and seemed to be waiting patiently for my arrival. I used the psychic arts again and what I learned shocked me."

Headmaster Dao XuanZhen's eyes narrowed and his face turned cold: "Although Master Spirit was still not able to tell me where he originally felt this evil sensation, he was able to tell me where it currently was: QingYun's Crystal Hall. I was greatly startled that an evil item could make it into a QingYun holy site. Unfortunately, as much as I trust my shixiongdi, I cannot allow this to continue due to my duties. No one individual can be above this suspicion."

The entire hall was silent. XuanZhen stared at each of the branch-house heads' eyes. Suddenly, a cough came from one of the chairs to the headmaster's right. It was CangSong.

The head of Dragon Head Peak coughed into his hand twice and met the steely eyes of Headmaster Dao XuanZhen. Without any fear or anxiety, he said: "Headmaster, I believe that there has been a grave misunderstanding."

XuanZhen's expression didn't change, but his eyes looked slightly curious: "How so CangSong shidi? Please, enlighten us about this overlooked fact."

CangSong nodded and began his explanation: "I believe that the evil sensation that Master Spirit sensed was indirectly by my accord. Before the Seven Peaks Tournament, a few of my disciples had gone on a training exercise to eradicate a few Mo followers near our noble house.

"Recently, these disciples have finished their mission and arrived at our main house Widow's Peak in order to deliver their reports to me. The stragglers that they killed were part of the GuiDao clan; a group of individuals engaging in heresy to discover the borders between life and death. They brought back a relic from their site called Netherworld Stone.

"Netherworld Stone is said to be able to fully resurrect an individual given that there is still a physical body for the returned soul to inhabit. My disciples feared that this property would be abused by the GuiDao clan to revive one of their elders from the war a thousand years ago. Thus, I also felt that this treasure would be safer in our hands rather than those of the Mo factions."

There was quite the bit of surprise at CangSong's admission. Netherworld Stone was quite the rare treasure; it's said that there were only five ever in existence. Three of the stones had already been used in the past; though, the degrees of success for its usage were unknown. Thus, an evil relic like this must be quite potent, enough for QingYun's Water Kirin to notice its presence.

At this, XuanZhen let out a sigh: "CangSong shidi, you have made an excellent and prudent decision. We cannot allow such an artifact to remain in the hands of the Mo. However, you have still overstepped your boundaries. If you receive such an item, be sure to inform your shixiongdi about it. We were all quite concerned with Master Spirit's behavior."

CangSong lowered his head in apology: "Headmaster is far too kind. This foolish master has made a grave mistake. I will accept any punishment that the rest of the house heads deem necessary."

XuanZhen shook his head before any smart replies could be made: "No, no. There is no need for such an action CangSong shidi. You have been a loyal and valuable member of QingYun for a very long time. We don't question your actions; they were made with good intentions."

CangSong folded his hands in front of him: "Headmaster is indeed far too kind."

The QingYun headmaster waved off his apology: "If that is the case, then we have nothing more to discuss. Please, shixiongdi, get some rest for tomorrow's festivities."

With that, CangSong and the other five observing masters got up from their seats and bowed towards XuanZhen. They walked back to their rooms.


Standing on the stage, the early dawn sun shone upon Shirou. Its soft rays warmed his body and heart against his frigid opposition. He stood there expressionless, staring at the fairy like XueQi.

From a distance, floating in the sky, the frosty lady's scorn was so obvious; yet, Shirou couldn't help but remember those emotional gazes. Her countenance may have been one of cold apathy, but, underneath, he was able to see a soft personality. Strangely enough, these curious gazes were seemingly always directed at him.

'What an impossible woman.'

Behind XueQi, Aeolian Steel was glowing brilliantly with blue light. Shirou looked at the legendary item and thought to himself: Is that what I'm going against.

Compared to the divine sword, his constructs were brutish and ugly. When compared to Aeolian Steel, how could he call a simple nondescript iron blade a sword when they appeared no more than shaped lumps of metal compared to his opponent's sword. He then shook his head; to him, the appearance was unnecessary and superfluous. The simple gray blades that he conjured with Celestial Tear were simply tools.

There were only two platforms left in the Cloud Sea. QiHao and ShuShu had been assigned to the western platform for their battle; however, not even a third of the attending disciples decided to watch their match. Instead, the majority of the viewers were surrounding the eastern platform, the one where XueQi and Shirou would fight.

Almost everyone was drawn by the ever popular XueQi and the enigmatic Shirou. As for the QingYun elders, most of them shared the same sentiments as the younger generation and had also attended Shirou's match.

Even Headmaster Dao XuanZhen was watching.

Naturally, the entirety of Bamboo Peak was here for Shirou's match. Tian BuYi's seventh disciple was the last one remaining from his house after all. A chair had been brought out for DaRen by the Widow's Peaks disciples at the behest of Tian BuYi; his first didn't want to miss his shidi's fight.

Similarly, LingEr had also come to watch her love's battle. The willful girl had denied the other disciple's requests to stay inside the room and recover. Her usual clothing was gone; instead, she wore some loose-fitting red garments. Her body was still bruised and bandaged underneath; her normally tight clothing would have caused her additional pain.

The girl had denied a seat when her father had offered to beckon for one. She still hated to be seen as weak and defeated. The beautiful woman stood tall behind her parents with pride despite her injuries. Her emerald eyes searched the stage for Shirou; she found him quite easily. Shirou seemed to notice the additional attention and turned towards her. Their eyes met and the two shared a small smile.

Eventually, XueQi had arrived onto to the platform. With her arrival, the entire platform burst into cheers. The viewers were now in discussion about how fast Shirou would lose; would it be in a second or in the blink of an eye.

Below the stage, Tian BuYi frowned. Despite what he said the previous night, he knew that Shirou's cultivation was far below XueQi's. However, he also knew that SuRu had religiously trained him for the better part of two years. Unfortunately, the battle was not set in stone; Shirou would have to work hard and endure for a victory today.

SuRu, who was sitting next to him, noticed her husband's concerned visage and placed her hand on top of his. She smiled as Tian BuYi turned his head to meet her. She said: "Don't worry. Shirou will win."

Tian BuYi snorted: "He better. I told him I won't allow a weakling to see LingEr."

SuRu rolled her eyes and slapped his arm playfully: "You know you don't mean that. You're just concerned."

Tian BuYi didn't respond to his wife anymore. SuRu also turned her attention back to the stage. It seemed that the fight was about to begin.

Shirou had turned his attention away from LingEr and the rest of the Bamboo Peak residents. Instead, he gazed indifferently at his opponent, XueQi. While he was still angered from the cold girl's treatment of LingEr, anger would cloud his judgement and only make the fight harder. From what he saw, he had his work cut out for him. Today, he would need everything at his disposal to win. His mind thought back to LingEr's match and the various techniques he saw.

Under the rising sun, XueQi's angelic face was shining. She felt Shirou's eyes on her and turned her cold gaze towards him. Like the other times, her expression seemed to soften at the sight of the red-haired boy.

However, XueQi quickly discovered that Shirou was only using his eyes to look at her. Shirou's eyes seemed empty and indifferent; he was thinking of something else and ignoring her existence. It was her first time experiencing such a hollow gaze from anyone. Normally, people gazed at her with restrained affection or lust. Her eyes showed a hint of surprise.

"Ding!"

The bell rang and echoed throughout Widow's Peak. The viewers surrounding the eastern platform quickly quieted down.

XueQi straightened her body and took a deep breath. She only needed to win two more battles – only two more – and she could make her dreams a reality and reach her master's expectations. It was a shame that she had to defeat someone who understood her pain. Nevertheless, Aeolian Steel brightened up behind her back

"Bamboo Heights' disciple Lu XueQi: please impart your wisdom."

Shirou's mind returned from his analysis. His eyes lazily flicked back towards his opponent for the day. He suppressed the underlying anger when he saw XueQi's cold eyes.

Shirou slowly turned his head to the girl; his eyes were like steel. He said lightly: "I am Bamboo Peak's disciple Shirou. Shijie, please don't hold back."

XueQi startled. People normally said polite things before each of the battles. Shirou gave her a weird feeling though; who says don't hold back? It sounded like sarcasm but his expression made it seem the opposite. Even though she had prior thoughts and feelings about her opponent, she erased them from her mind. Such affections and considerations would only inhibit her. Her lips curled into a slight smile; perhaps Shirou had said those worlds intentionally.

However, XueQi was the favored disciple of Master ShuiYue; her mind was strong. Her face quickly schooled itself into one of cold apathy. Not speaking anymore, she reached behind her back to grasp Aeolian Steel. She felt that she would need to start prepared against her opponent.

Shirou looked at that bright blue light growing ever brighter and more intense. The glow had turned his entire body blue now. At that point, he couldn't feel any traces of nervousness; instead, he was filled with a sense of anticipation.

In his hand, he rapidly conjured a simple gray sword.

Questioning gazes and even laughter broke out from below the stage. Compared to the noble and beautiful Aeolian Steel, his plain sword was like an ugly steel worm. At this point, it was a dead, ugly worm; not even a hint of celestial light leaked out from his construction.

A warm sensation began to fill his body much like that day where he had traveled to the ancient valley with LingEr in pursuit of XiaoHui. For some reason, PuZhi's bead seemed excited today. Though he had only felt it once prior, the circulation of the warm energy seemed to be more vigorous than usual. Shirou felt that if the bead wasn't strung on a piece of red string that it would have already charged at XueQi.

No, it wouldn't charge at XueQi; it would go to Aeolian Steel. This strange feeling was like two hated enemies meeting each other for the first time in a thousand years.

At that moment, XueQi's face also changed a little. The glow from Aeolian Steel was too bright; even she was puzzled by it.

Yet, on the stage, another unexpected thing occurred. Shirou and XueQi didn't make a move. The two of them just stared at each other.

The crowd began to murmur.

XueQi realized that Aeolian Steel was acting slightly weird. She had used her eyes and mind to check, but there was nothing abnormal. Aeolian Steel just seemed a little overly excited.

Feeling the numberless eyes below the stage, XueQi frowned and focused her mind. She snorted and kicked out all of her prior thoughts. They would only distract her mind. Aeolian Steel brightened; its glow insufferable. The blade still had its sheath on.

Since the beginning on the Seven Peaks Tournament, Aeolian Steel had become the main focus and attraction for many of the disciples. Until now, XueQi had defeated all of her opponents without ever having to unsheathe the sword. Naturally, this caused many people to wonder who could possibly make XueQi actually draw out her blade. Many people guessed that it would be during the final match; with QiHao's cultivation, he should be able to do it.

The blue light from the sword shined on Shirou's face, but it was unable to reflect any of his expression. The gray sword stayed in his hand, muted. He shifted his feet into a defensive stance.

Even though SuRu had already seen Shirou fight, it was the first time that the rest of the Bamboo Peak residents watched him. LingEr frowned in concern for the golden eyed boy. She had noticed the difference between the two blades. Why hadn't he used his Esper for something better?

BiShu had just snorted: "If it weren't for him being on the semi-final's stage, I would have believed he was destined to be knocked out in the first round."

Now, on the stage, XueQi twisted her left hand into an incantation seal. Aeolian Steel shifted in her right arm; her limb tightening for a fight. Her form seemed to be filled with an unearthly strength. The cold girl charged at Shirou with unstoppable momentum.

Shirou saw this girl move, of course, and immediately started to prepare for a counterattack at the last moment. His opponent was arrogant and most likely expected herself to be stronger. Thus, he raised his nameless blade to the appropriate height and braced his body.

"Clang!"

Unfortunately, he didn't expect for her entire blade, sheath and all, to simply demolish his construct. The gray steel blade splintered into a thousand fragments where XueQi had struck her blow. The segment above the point had already dissolved into motes of golden light.

Thus, Shirou was left wide-eyed and holding a fragment of the weapon that had existed not a moment prior. It was at this moment that he was truly grateful XueQi hadn't unsheathed her blade yet. The cold girl's eyes widened in shock when she barreled through the nameless blade; however, the expression quickly morphed into one of disappointment. The girl had clearly expected him to have something more.

At the next moment, under the stunned eyes of the audiences, Shirou was now exposed and vulnerable; he received a hard blow. His body had been launched backwards from the strength behind the girl's swing.

The Bamboo Peak people rose up, some screamed out like BiShu. LingEr placed her hands over her mouth in shock. She knew that his Esper was not that low-quality blade, so she wondered why had he been so insistent on using it.

Shirou's back hit one of the pillars around the platform and his body then fell to the floor. Blood spurted out from his mouth and landed in a mess in front of him. The audience had expected this. In their eyes, he was another victim of XueQi's ruthless tactics. The frosty girl had destroyed his Esper, it was only natural that he would be heavily injured.

The various elders and master all frowned at the sight. Clearly there was something amiss. Even though Shirou had been let through two rounds for free, he shouldn't have been this pathetic.

Tian BuYi's eyes narrowed into a frown; SuRu just sighed.

The audience was silent; the power of Aeolian Steel had shocked everyone.

Nevertheless, XueQi's cold face showed not a drop of hesitation. Her opponent was still standing and she had not won. Thus, there was another flash of blue light and the Aeolian Steel heartlessly chopped at Shirou. However, her assault was stopped when she encountered another mundane looking gray blade. This time, it hadn't broken from her strike.

Her eyes widened as she felt a sudden surge of might from her quarry.

Shirou had seen how downward flash and hastily created another blade using Celestial Tear. This time, he poured his prana into both its creation and its Reinforcement. He had seen what happened to the previous iteration; luckily, the Reinforced object managed to hold strong.

However, judging by the damage accrued from the exchange, it would only last another strike – maybe two – at most.

If that was the case, Shirou judged that he would have to go on the offensive. He couldn't allow his opponent to control the flow of battle and, subsequently, when he would have to reconstruct his blade. It would be too much to handle; he would eventually make a mistake.

Thus, he created an identical blade in his left hand, reinforced his legs, and charged towards XueQi.

The girl's eyes only widened for an instant as he created his second weapon. She quickly focused and met the first strike. Fragments of sharp steel exploded from the contact. The mundane gray sword had only a single strike left in it; Shirou's judgement had been proven correct. However, the girl was unable to capitalize on the opening due to another strike coming from his other arm.

It was quite vexing. The two arms covered for one another. Since the second blade had been created after the first had already been damaged, their breaking points were staggered. Thus, there was no obtuse moment where Shirou was without any weapon. He was constantly reforming his weapon and keeping his assault at a demanding pace.

The weapons also dissolved once they had served their usefulness. There was no extended opening to take advantage of. As soon as the blade vanished from his hand, he was able to reposition his limb without any awkwardness.

XueQi knew this was a bad situation; even though she was a capable swordswoman, her opponent was definitely her superior in that department.

Thus, she couldn't help but feel relieved when she managed to finally disengaged from Shirou's onslaught. She swung her blade and created a hail of ice to cover her retreat.

The blue light had drifted across the platform with a mesmerizing view. Even though they had just exchanged physical blows, the giant, hard wooden planks of the platform were drifted away like paper scraps. Each clash of steel was like the thunder's roar.

Not a single member of QingYun could remain normal. Since the beginning of the contest, there was no battle as tense or exciting as this one. Just after crossing swords, the entire platform was already sunk.

Nevertheless, once XueQi had created a distance, she instantly set herself to work. Time was precious and she would not waste a second. Her left hand scrunched into a different incantation seal and Aeolian Steel throbbed with ice cold energy.

She repeated the same motion and technique from her battle with LingEr. Her opponent was fast and a close ranged fighter; Frostblade would help alleviate those two issues. Even though she was able to fight with a sword, her magic was far superior.

Yet, she didn't stop at this technique. She quickly swung her blade again, repeating the same technique as before now that she was hidden behind a wall of ice. Thus, two claws of ice, with chilling energy between them, surged towards Shirou.

The red-haired boy didn't seem distraught. He reinforced his limbs to the maximum and swung at each claw with incredible force. He had also used the beginnings of Brahman Wisdom to supplant his reinforced strength. Each strike felt as though they could rip mountains.

XueQi was nowhere to be seen; he frowned in concern.

His instincts then told him to dodge; he quickly followed. A shower of sparks and lightning spears converged on his previous location and caused the platform to crackle and smoke. Turning his head upwards, he found his opponent. She had already sent out another volley.

He was not without long ranged attacks; melee was not actually his specialty. Rather, anything relating to the concept of swords strangely was.

Shirou poured his magical energy into Celestial Tear and, from behind him, a set of twenty or so nondescript gray blades flashed into existence. With a wave of his arm, the assembled steel flew towards XueQi and her spears of lightning. The blades met their opposition and the clash canceled both techniques. The remaining swords flew to the girl.

Instantly, XueQi willed the cloud she was standing on to move; narrowly missing the hail of blades. She dodged and weaved in between volleys of blades; Shirou had not stopped his attack. Naturally, she readied her attacks in between these dances.

It appeared that the two were at an impasse again.

Just after this brief while, the entire platform had already been completely destroyed from their fight. Cracks and burns from lightning; gouges and slashes from deflected swords. The surrounding audience had backed up from the platform for quite a distance.

Even with these brief exchanges, Shirou suffered more than the audience could tell. The divine nature of Aeolian Steel was far greater than he could ever imagine. Every time his blades clashed against XueQi's, the magical and spiritual channels of his body were shocked. If it weren't for his reinforcement and his practice with Brahman Wisdom, he would have already been dead.

On the other hand, XueQi did not seem to feel a thing except for annoyance and frustration. The light that Aeolian Steel emitted grew brighter and brighter every passing second. It seemed that she was biding her time for a finishing technique.

The heavens continued to crack with lightning and ice; the ground kept releasing a torrent of steel. With each subsequent technique, Aeolian Steel's light now eclipsed the brightness of the sun. With a roar, XueQi summoned her strength into a single attack. Eight bolts of lightning flashed towards her opponent.

Nothing was unexpected at this point. Shirou had blocked the attack by forming what seemed to be an interlocking dome of steel.

XueQi's frustration only grew and had passed the critical point. She could feel the blood rushing towards her mind and almost lost her balance in mid-air. She became angry and anxious. From the battle, she could tell that her opponent's cultivation in Pure Essence was far behind her own, but his skills were so strange and powerful. Even Aeolian Steel cold only gain the upper hand on a surface level.

The beauty gritted her teeth; face flushed with pink. Her clothes started fluttering without the wind. Seeing the wall of steel that separated her from her opponent, she conjured another set of lightning to break them down.

Aeolian Steel was grasped tightly in her left hand. XueQi held out her right hand and held the handle. At the instant her hand touched the divine weapon, its blue light glowed so bright that it swallowed her body. The sky-blue sword let out a loud bang like a dragon's roar. The cloud below XueQi disappeared, but both her and Aeolian Steel rose straight into the sky.

Shirou had already forgotten about everything else around him. The battle had set a wave of adrenaline to his heart and mind. He had only experienced this sensation from his shiniang's training. That paled in comparison to this. Some primitive, savage, part of his brain couldn't help but be excited.

Subconsciously, he sent more power into Celestial Tear; with his cultivation, he rose to the sky. The hiss of drawn steel and the rings of dancing steel echoed through the air from his ascent. An ensemble of blades appeared behind his back, waiting for a command from their master.

The sounds had shocked the earth; the heavens themselves had changed!

Suddenly, the blue light flashed, the wind began to whistle and grew in volume. It became deafening; no one could hear any other sound. The blue light concentrated together and formed a giant pillar and struck Shirou from above the head. It seemed like it would cut Widow's Peak in half.

Shirou's face twisted as he was engulfed in the light. His eyes, nose, mouth and ears were bleeding. Yet, his eyes had no sense of fear; only a sense of resolved determination. He held his swords, but they broke. Pair after pair shatter under the strain. Such common steel would not be able to face retribution from the heavens themselves. If only he was able to create something better.

The warm sensation on his chest was scalding hot. It sent a torrent of energy with each pulse. His very soul felt as if it were on fire; blood began to heat up like molten iron. With each second, the blue light became more oppressive.

Then, he felt his mind snap.

A wave of new information entered his brain; a blueprint for a pair of swords. He didn't process where it had come from or why it had entered his mind. Anything to stop this attack would be welcome at this point. It seemed that these two blades were of a substantially higher quality than his own mundane toothpicks. After witnessing these two wonderful crafts, he couldn't dare call his ugly things blades.

Celestial Tear responded to his woes. From his own magical energy, he formed two blades. His Esper had enhanced them.

They were a set of short falchions. Their quality was unparalleled due to being made with the best materials and a human sacrifice. Their grips were large and heavy. Identical in shape; their only difference was their color. The first was a black sword representing the life-energy, Yang, and covered in a hexagonal pattern like a tortoise's shell. The second was a white sword representing spirit-energy, Yin; it was hazy like a cloud, its edge billowed with a wavy pattern.

With a human sacrifice, they had engraved their name into the realm of the Gods. They also felt strangely comfortable in his arms. GanJiang and MoYe – Kanshou and Bakuya – felt like long lost friends.

With a roar, Shirou swung the two swords; his strike parted the sea of blue light.

The QingYun disciples held their breath. No one dared underestimate Shirou anymore. The elder' looks had changed.

Tian BuYi frowned and asked his wife: "Did you give him those blades? I believe I would have remembered a pair like those."

SuRu shook her head: "No, this is my first time seeing them too. I wonder where he came across such fine works."

This contest – a semifinals match – had become a battle of life and death.

Yet, why had no one come to stop the fight?

"Beng!" It was like a boom of thunder. The entirety of Widow's Peak seemed to shake under the deafening sound. The blue light, now parted, began to back up. XueQi reappeared in the sky, holding Aeolian Steel, a stream of blood flowed out slowly from her mouth.

Below the stage, Master ShuiYue stood up.

In mid-air, Shirou could only hear the wind next to his ears. His eyes were blurred; the blood almost covered his eyes. If he could hear, he would have heard the screaming from the residents of Bamboo Peak from below. Yet, he didn't care; this was a fight that must win.

LingEr could only watch the spectacle feeling utterly powerless. The pain that Shirou felt, she could do nothing to assuage it.

XueQi felt extreme pain throughout her body. Her magical energy was in a constant state of flux. It felt like her very life was about to leave her body.

It was a moment of life and death.

It was an instant that had lasted for an eternity.

That beautiful lady stood alone in the wild wind. She let the wind blow at her face like her opponent's blades. She still didn't back up. She lifted her head; looked at the sky.

The billowing wind suddenly stopped; frozen in the air.

The world was suddenly quiet; stopped at that exact moment.

A low roar seemed to come from the heavens; resounding through the earth.

XueQi drew out the divine sword, Aeolian Steel.

The blue light disappeared; her sword greedily sucking in the light. The clear blade's edge absorbed the dazzling display.

Widow's Peak was utterly silent!

The thousand-year-old Aeolian Steel was finally unsheathed!

XueQi's face was cold as frost. Her hand held the incantation marks; shifted between seven forms. She walked forwards seven steps in mid-air. The sword in her hand pointed directly to the sky. Her face was completely pale, her mouth began to move:

"Rage of the nine skies, turn thyself into divine thunder."

"Might of heaven, fill my sword!"

Then, the originally clear sky turned dark. Black clouds appeared in the great expanse. The roars of thunder echoed through the square; lightning flashed at the edge of threatening clouds. A fierce wind blew.

Shirou opened his mouth and gritted his teeth. This scene, it had appeared in his mind; a memory from a long time ago. On the ground, all the elders and even Headmaster Dao XuanZhen stood up, turned and looked at Master ShuiYue with an unbelievable look on their faces.

After a moment, Tian BuYi said: "You have raised a good disciple!"

ShuiYue ignored everyone. Her cold face eventually showed her worry as she continued to watch the two contestants.

"Thunderblade!" Headmaster Dao XuanZhen slowly moved his eyes away from the dazzling technique. His heart was shocked. Never in his imagination did he think that, among the young QingYun disciples, there would be such an extraordinarily talented cultivator.

But he looked at XueQi's face. Although she was able to cast this kind of amazing magic, her body was shaking; face was pale. It seemed that her strength had reached its limit.

The howls of thunder were getting more rapid. Shirou could feel the purple bead on his neck burning his skin with energy the moment that Aeolian Steel was unsheathed. The object had shouted from the depths of its being.

It was like it had waited for this moment for a thousand years!

The sky was getting even darker and the black clouds now covered overhead. A swirl then appeared in the thick overcast.

It was like the path to one of the hells; the dark, bottomless, giant swirl hanging upside down in the sky. A demon had opened its mouth and was about to swallow everything in the world. The fierce gales were freezing; wind gathered the clouds closer. Thunder howled; lightning flashed.

Shirou willed his body forward and flew to XueQi. The splendid forms of Kanshou and Bakuya were shining brilliantly with life and energy; very noticeable under the dark clouds. XueQi looked at the figure of Shirou and the two beautiful swords in his hands; she paled.

Thunderblade was the highest level of QingYun magic. Using a normal body to summon the might of heaven and earth, it was clear that XueQi was under an extremely heavy pressure. Aeolian Steel was a divine weapon, a perfect conduit for casting Thunderblade. Even with that, XueQi's cultivation was not high enough to perform such a technique.

She could feel it coming from the dark clouds; wave after wave of energy rushed into her body like an angry tide. Much like Shirou from earlier, no one could see anything weird on the outside. Her blood was boiling, swelled by the great force. If it wasn't for Aeolian Steel constantly absorbing her energy, XueQi would probably already fallen unconscious.

The wind whistled and the thunder continued to roar. She stood in mid-air, feeling as powerless as grass in the wind. The next moment, she recalled what her master said when she was taught this skill.

'XueQi, you possess a potential that I've only seen in one other in my entire life. But this incantation is too strong, the backfire from the technique is hard to withstand. Your cultivation is still basic. Though you can manage to cast it, never use it if it not necessary. Otherwise, you are risking your life."

"Bang!"

A thunder burst right above Widow's Peak. Everyone could feel the earth below them slightly shaking. It was like the ancient god of thunder was awoken from sleep and roared in anger.

Everyone's faces paled.

Shirou was only twenty feet away from XueQi. By looking at the situation, everyone knew once XueQi was finished with her channeling, he would turn into dust. However, Shirou stopped; it was like he hit a soft wall. He couldn't advance any farther.

Shirou's face turned deathly pale. Thunderblade is one of the final-tier QingYun spells; so amazing that it forms an invisible barrier while channeling. Shirou couldn't advance.

The purple bead around his neck was getting brighter, but he still couldn't advance. In comparing magical strength, the bead around his neck and the swords in his hands were definitely not weaker than Aeolian Steel. However, the difference in cultivation was far too great. He would not be able to match XueQi's supreme art that had been refined by QingYun masters for a thousand years.

At that hopeless moment, just when the swirl of clouds became more rapid; lightning flashing; the light of Aeolian Steel getting brighter; the moment that this supreme art was about to be complete, XueQi's body suddenly shook. Her white face turned red and she spat out a large amount of blood.

The light of Aeolian Steel became unstable; XueQi gritted her teeth and closed her eyes. She focused her mind and magic on Aeolian Steel. After a moment, the light became stable. It was getting even brighter; so bright that one had to avert their eyes.

A bang came from the dark clouds. A light came from the deepest parts of the giant swirl. It was a cluster of numerous bolts of lightning. They were all aimed at XueQi's Aeolian Steel.

But, a wave of hopelessness rose in XueQi's heart. Just as she had expected, a sharp whistle came. She was too focused on protecting Aeolian Steel and ignored the barrier. Without the barrier, Shirou had charged forwards.

The Sinister Orb around his chest felt content to help him again; magical might surge into his frame. He poured every once of strength and prana into the two blades in his hands. With the great influx of magic, the two of them shattered and elongated. No longer were they a pair of short falchions; they were as large as longswords. Their spines had turned into a mess of crystalized energy and the two of them seemed like steel wings.

Shirou and those two beautiful blades charged at that lovely lady in the wind.

Is that it?

Everything ends here?

XueQi's heart calmed down; her mind played with these thoughts lightly.

At that instant – just at that short instant – the world was quiet, frozen; everything was fixed. Only she was standing in mid-air; her clothes and hair fluttering. She reopened her eyes and watched as the crystal steel wings approached her.

That moment felt like an eternity!

Shirou saw her and her eyes!

She stood there alone in the storm, so quietly facing the might of heaven on her lonesome. Only her face was a bit pale. Her eyes were dowsed in sorrow and a bit of panic.

The wind screamed. The world was lonely. That beautiful lady, quietly stared at him.

Shirou met her sad eyes, his face molded into a solemn smile.

The crystal steel blades entered the light of Aeolian Steel. No one could see the two figures anymore. At that moment, a giant bolt of lightning came from the sky and landed on the divine sword.

The whole world, all the gods, seemed like they had sung together.

The giant light pillar refracted and twisted from Aeolian Steel. With earth crushing momentum, it struck at Shirou. At that critical juncture, the two steel wings rose up and blocked in front of him.

At the next moment, Shirou had been swallowed by the light.

It had been a long time.

The dark clouds scattered and the light disappeared.

The QingYun people stared at the sky and watched the beautiful woman holding her sword fall, like a rock covered with blood. Two slashes across her chest

She did not fall onto the floor. ShuiYue swiftly approached below her and caught her falling body with the gentlest of embraces. She disappeared without saying a word.

Thus, a lone figure stood in the air.

Those beautiful twin blades, representing Yin and Yang, expanded into crystal wings, shattered. Motes of golden light billowed behind him, carried by the whispering wind. His body fell forwards; falling to the ground.

Tian BuYi was already there at the platform like Shirou's own shadow. He caught his seventh disciple. Immediately, he opened Shirou's mouth, took out a vial and poured some yellow pills into his disciple's mouth.

The pills dissolved quickly in Shirou's mouth. Tian BuYi didn't say anything. He jumped up and Flame Spirit rose up below him. He flew away. He didn't look back at the square. Judging by the direction he was heading; he was going towards Bamboo Peak.

SuRu and the rest of the residents of Bamboo Peak soon followed.

At that time, XueQi was already being carried by her master. She silently looked at the sky; looking at that red light in the sky. Her face lit up in a beautiful, small smile. She drifted into the realm of unconsciousness.


He was asleep for what felt like a thousand years.

Shirou slowly opened his eyes.

Soft light shined onto his face. There was a familiar scent floating inside of the room.

Resting on his bandaged chest was LingEr. The girl had fallen asleep on his body.

He smiled and slowly sat up. Just when he was about to raise his hand to rub away the sweat from his forehead, a heart tearing pain came from his shoulders, chest and stomach. He gasped and his face turned pale.

The beautiful girl in red started awake at the sound and her eyes immediately turned to him. They were red and puffy as if the woman behind them had been crying her heart away. She opened her mouth in shock but then her eyes filled with horror. She gestured Shirou to lie back down in the bed. The moment that he was lying peacefully back in his bed, the girl let out a sigh of relief. Never did she smile.

"LingEr… I…"

"Don't."

"…"

There was a moment of silence. The girl sniffled; fresh tears leaked from her beautiful eyes.

"Do you know how painful it was to sit there, powerless?"

"LingEr…"

"Do you know how it felt to see your bloody body and only be able to stare on with horror?"

The girl lifted her head; a face full of sorrowful anger.

"Do you know that you almost died?"

"…"

"That technique you used; it almost destroyed your entire spiritual network. If it weren't for my Dad's medicines, you would have died in you sleep in complete agony."

"LingEr, I'm sorry…"

"Sorry? Sorry for what? If you're going to make a shitty excuse like for a promise, then forget it, Dad already told me."

Shirou eyes widened; LingEr continued, her face murderous but her eyes tender and concerned: "If you ever in a situation like that again, you will surrender. Understood?"

"LingEr, I can't just do that… I need…"

"No! You don't understand Shirou! You almost died!"

Shirou sighed: "If it is for a promise, I'd gladly die."

LingEr's eyes widened, her voice trembling: "You… You can't possible mean that!"

"I fully mean it."

"You, insufferable, wood-brained…"

Shirou took the verbal assault with a stoic face. Eventually LingEr calmed down enough to begin speaking again.

"Shirou, have you ever thought of what will happen if you die?"

Shirou's brow furrowed: "I… I can't say that I have."

"Shirou if you die, you are gone – forever. You will leave us alone until we die. With how long we live as cultivators, we will carry this grief until we too die.

"You've considered only your own feelings about death. Have you ever considered what we would think?!"

"LingEr…"

"Dad would be distraught; his dreams ended in an instant. Mom adores you; she would be devastated. The other disciples of Bamboo Peak all think of you as a brother; how do you think your death would affect them!

"Most of all, how do you think I would feel! I've loved you for so long now and I've only been able to share a little bit of it with you so far! You cannot think of yourself that lowly – we've all told you this before. You're important to us; important to me!"

"…" Shirou had no words

At his shocked look, LingEr's face turned into a sad smile: "If you can't live for yourself, then live for us. It must be selfish, but I don't want you to leave. I'd rather die than see your grave.

"Please, Shirou. If you can't live for yourself, then live for me."

Having said her piece, the woman in tight red clothing rose up from Shirou's bedside and walked out of the room. Her face had been full of tears, her eyes red and swollen. Her voice was hoarse from the sheer emotion placed into her words. She could only hope that they had reached and stirred something in the man she loved.

Shirou heard her fading footsteps and looked at the wooden ceiling.

There were many thoughts on his mind. Perhaps, he really did need to change his perspective.


It was afternoon now. The door was closed; the two windows were opened. He could faintly see the green bamboo in the courtyard. XiaoHui and DaHuang were not here; perhaps they were off playing with each other again.

He stared. In this empty room, he was alone with his thoughts.

The door was pushed open, SuRu came in. Shirou moved a little and said, "Shiniang." He didn't stand up; his face was already twisted together in pain.

Like her daughter prior, SuRu quickly walked to him and supported his body. She sat on the bed and softly said: "Don't move, Shirou."

Shirou waited for the pain to ease a little and said: "Apologies, shiniang. This disciple didn't know that shiniang was coming…"

SuRu cut him off with strong glare: "You're basically half dead and you still have the heart to remember that! Don't talk nonsense; sit up."

Shirou chuckled but winced in pain. SuRu examined him and said: "Your outer injuries are almost recovered but your insides were seriously damaged. They won't recover if you don't rest well."

"Yes. This disciple has disgraced both master and shiniang with his loss. I am so sorry…"

SuRu cut in: "You've made your master extremely proud. For three hundred years, besides your master, no other disciple was as remarkable as you in the Seven Peaks Tournament."

"That's because I had a good teacher."

SuRu smiled and gently place her hand on his shoulder: "Also, you didn't lose the bout. You actually won."

Shirou's eyes widened. "Eh? Then why are we back at Bamboo Peak? Is there not a final to fight?"

SuRu rolled her eyes: "You've been unconscious for five days and five nights. Even though you won your fight against XueQi, you were unable to attend the final. Dragon Head Peak's QiHao won by default."

"What about XueQi shijie?"

SuRu smiled: "You still care for your opponent, even though she hurt you like this?"

Shirou nodded.

SuRu sighed: "Master ShuiYue told me that she suffered the same extent of injuries as you. She thinks that XueQi will wake up any day now."

"I see. That's good to hear."

SuRu heard his tone and seemed reminded of something. She sighed again and changed the topic: "Your injuries this time are not light. Your master used a lot of effort to save you. According to him, even though XueQi's cultivation was not strong enough to properly use Aeolian Steel to cast Thunderblade, if it weren't for your two swords blocking the brunt of the attack, even the gods wouldn't have been able to save you."

Shirou felt around him and couldn't find the chain that held his Esper.

SuRu saw him and lightly said: "Celestial Tear is on the table in your room."

Shirou nodded: "Yes. Shiniang, where is master by the way?"

"Your body was very weak after your match; it had only stabilized last night. Today, the head of the main-house, Widow's Peak, sent a letter here and asked for your master to go there. He should be at Widow's Peak now."

SuRu looked at him strangely and then smiled: "I was surprised by your battle. Even though I helped you train, I do not believe I ever showed you such magnificent swords."

Shirou shook his head: "I'm still confused about them myself, shiniang."

There was silence between the two of them. Even though SuRu looked as if she had a million questions, she didn't push the topic. Shirou's body and mind must have been quite tired.

Finally, SuRu said: "You just woke up; don't tire yourself. Rest. I instructed the other disciples not to bother you. BiShu will bring your meals here."

Shirou said: "Thank you, shiniang."

SuRu nodded: "Rest then. I will tell BiShu to bring a meal to you."

Then, she turned and walked towards the courtyard outside. When she was about to leave the room, Shirou called.

"Shiniang."

SuRu turned: "What?"

Shirou looked at her and hesitated for a moment. He said: "Shiniang, I want to ask, do you know where JingYu ended up placing? At Widow's Peak I didn't have enough time to ask him."

SuRu looked at him curiously again: "He entered the top eight, but he lost to his shixiong, QiHao."

Shirou nodded: "Thank you shiniang."

SuRu shook her head and said: "Rest."

The woman then turned and left.

Shirou slowly laid himself down and continued staring at the ceiling. Even more thoughts swarmed in his addled mind.


At QingYun's Widow's Peak; inside Crystal Hall.

Headmaster Dao XuanZhen sat at the center; the other six house heads were also there. Other than that, there was no one else in the hall.

Everyone was silent. XuanZhen lowered his eyes and closed them in deep thought.

"Tian shidi," XuanZhen broke the silence, "What do you think?"

Tian BuYi pondered for a moment and replied: "When Shirou was adopted, he did not have those two masterful blades. It's most likely because of coincidence and chance that he got those treasures."

Master CangSong said coldly: "Those swords were a match again Aeolian Steel; a divine weapon. But across the world, there is nothing that mentions those two swords."

Tian BuYi's face darkened: "How large the world is. There are countless treasures unknown to us. You and I are just the frog in the well."

CangSong was angry. He didn't get to speak; Bamboo Heights' Master ShuiYue beat him and said coldly: "Of course, we are frogs in the well. However, these two swords are like the fundamentals of Dao. It is clear that these swords are a lost treasure. Not sure why Tian shixiong didn't see this."

Tian BuYi snorted and said: "So a black and white pair of swords is an ancient treasure? Just because they are like Yin-Yang means that they are sacred? If I go back and paint half of my face black, are you going to make me a saint or slay me like I'm an evil heretic?"

XuanZhen frowned and said: "Tian shidi, don't say such a thing. Why are you calling yourself an evil heretic!"

Tian BuYi snorted and turned his head away. He had nothing more to say.

Headmaster Dao XuanZhen sighed: "Today, I asked all of you to come discuss Bamboo Peak's disciple Shirou's strange performance during the Seven Peaks Tournament. His two swords have an unknown history and extremely strong power. Also, we need to discuss about the top four disciples we are sending to investigate KongSang mountain's Cave of Fangs. Three of them have earned your approval, however, Shirou is still a subject of debate."

CangSong snorted coldly: "I do not think that we should send him. With such strange and exotic weapons, he could not have found them naturally. He was given these by an external party; I believe that he was placed in our QingYun by the Mo faction."

Tian BuYi was mad: "If really did have such an evil heart, then why did he use the two blades in front of the eyes of thousands of people at the Seven Peaks Tournament? And besides, if he really is a Mo spy – he, he – CangSong shixiong, I fear that your precious JingYu isn't clean either!"

CangSong was stabbed by the words. He stood up and angrily said: "What did you just say? How can my JingYu compare to your traitorous, lucky disciple?"

Tian BuYi's face darkened even more. He snorted and glared at CangSong. He said: "Yes, my disciple was lucky, but I've heard that he entered the semi-final. I fear my memory fading with my age. I cannot remember what place CangSong shixiong's 'prodigy' JingYu got."

CangSong replied angrily: "He was just unfortunate to face his shixiong, QiHao. If it weren't for that, he would have definitely entered the semi-final!"

Then, he paused and laughed coldly. CangSong continued, "But he is not lucky like someone else who relied on people to give up in order to advance. Both master and disciple still feel no shame talking about that!"

Tian BuYi shouted: "So the battle between him and XueQi was also luck?"

CangSong said: "Correct. Because he didn't have enough luck, he was unable to fight in the final. That's why he couldn't win. He ran out of luck in the semi-final and almost died!"

Tian BuYi was getting angrier, but his tongue wasn't as deft or sharp as CangSong's. His rage caused his face to turn red: "What do you want? You want to see if I am as good as my reputations says too?"

CangSong had no sign of stepping back. He stood up and said proudly: "Then I need to test Tian shixiong's Flame Spirit sword!"

Tian BuYi didn't both responding anymore. He stepped forth with his right hand held in an incantation. The air in the hall seemed frozen in time.

"Impudent!" A loud hit. Headmaster Dao XuanZhen's hand smacked on the teapoy. His face was angry. He stood up and shouted: "You two are really pretending that this headmaster is dead, is he?"

Headmaster Dao XuanZhen had occupied the position of main-house head for three-hundred years now. He was highly honored and respected. Usually, he was kind, but now he was enraged. It surprised both Tian BuYi and CangSong.

They both stepped back and quietly said: "Yes. Headmaster, please calm down."

XuanZhen looked at the two. The anger in his face took a while to fade. After pondering for a moment, he said: "Tian shidi."

Tian BuYi stepped forward and said: "Headmaster."

XuanZhen looked at him and said, "The history of those two swords are unclear. If they're Mo items, then Shirou has something to do with the Mo and we cannot keep him in QingYun. Do you understand?"

Tian BuYi lowered his head and was quiet for a moment. He responded: "Yes."

Headmaster Dao XuanZhen said again: "Tian shidi, I know that you don't like it, but this is very important. We cannot take this lightly. You go back first and wait for Shirou to recover. You will then question him thoroughly and find out if he has any relation with the Mo faction. Afterwards, you bring him back here. We are going to discuss about that afterwards. Understood?"

Tian BuYi's face paled and then flushed in anger. He stamped his feet and nodded. He didn't say anything else and left.

A sharp whistle came from outside of the door; he probably used his sword to fly back.

In the hall, the head of Wind Peak, Ceng ShuChang, said to XuanZhen: "Headmaster, Tian shixiong's Bamboo Peak has had a hard time finding such a talented person. But with this argument happening, it is natural that he is not happy about it. Please, don't mind him."

XuanZhen sighed and shook his head: "Of course I don't mind. I know Tian shidi. I can trust him."

The, he seemed to remember something and turned towards Bamboo Heights' Master ShuiYue: "ShuiYue shimei, your female disciple XueQi. These days…"

ShuiYue lightly said: "Thank you for headmaster's worry. XueQi's body is almost fully recovered. If it weren't for Tian BuYi shixiong picking up a powerful person with a strange Esper, she wouldn't have lost."

CangSong's face changed. XuanZhen waved his hand and said: "Aye! This thing is in the past, no need to argue about it."

CangSong and ShuiYue glared at each other and then turned their heads away. Headmaster Dao XuanZhen sighed and turned his eyes onto the teapoy. The surface was slightly cracked from his earlier strike.


DaHuang laid on the floor with his eyes half closed; his tail swinging back and forth frequently. XiaoHui laid on the bed; the monkey's bright eyes looked at Shirou's stoic face. Shirou tiredly smiled at him and scratched the Monkey Phantasm's head.

"What are you looking at?"

Of course, XiaoHui didn't understand what Shirou meant so it just went, "creak, creak" twice. Its master was injured, but if one looked at this monkey's face, it had no signs of worry; it seemed happy to see Shirou suffer.

SuRu had been true to her word. With the exception of LingEr, the other disciples had come to visit Shirou only once. LingEr of course was by his bedside when he first woke up and BiShu delivered his meals. Other than these these interactions, he hadn't been disturbed from his rest. LingEr hadn't visited after the initial encounter for a while. Eventually, her anger dissolved and she regularly visited him.

Of course, that didn't apply for DaHuang and XiaoHui. They seemed to be happy that the person who cooked such delicious meals was still alive.

Shirou heard footsteps coming from outside the door. He was roused from deeper thoughts and stared at the entrance. He expected sixth BiShu to appear, delivering one of his meals.

His eyes widened all the sudden when he saw Tian BuYi's stout body come in from the door. Shirou was surprised. Only BiShu came to his room and sent him his three daily meals. He didn't expect Tian BuYi to appear.

He startled and then realized who was at the door. He was about to get off the bed; about to salute. Tian BuYi's heart was depressed and volatile. The short master waved his hand and said: "No need."

Shirou answered and then stood up at the side. He watched Tian BuYi sit down next to the table.

Tian BuYi looked at his disciple's reaction. Even though he was injured and weak, he still possessed strong loyalty and respect. There was no way that he could be a Mo spy. Tian BuYi chucked wryly at the situation. He said: "Well, you did keep your promise."

Shirou was confused and asked, "Master?"

Tian BuYi shook his head and sighed: "Seventh, come here and sit."

Shirou nodded and slowly made his way over to the table and the empty chair beside it. He sat down as quickly as he could without paining his body.

Tian BuYi smiled bitterly and shook his head. He said: "How is your body?"

Shirou respectfully said: "In response to master: since we've come back from Widow's Peak, due to master, shiniang and all of the shixiong's care, it is almost fully recovered."

Tian BuYi looked at him and said: "The Seven Peaks Tournament has already passed for more than a month. It seems like you're almost recovered. I have a few questions that I need you to answer right now."

Shirou nodded: "Yes, master, please ask them."

Tian BuYi said slowly: "Those two swords, where did you get them?"

Shirou's eyes widened, but he was unable to respond. How would he be able to tell his master that he didn't know? Thousands of thoughts swirled in his mind, but he couldn't make a sound.

Tian BuYi's face darkened and said: "Say it!"

"Master… I do not know."

Seeing his confused and despondent expression, Tian BuYi only got angrier: "What do you mean you don't know! Do you think I am a fool!"

"Master, it is the truth! Before the tournament, you know how shiniang gave me the Esper, Celestial Tear?"

Tian BuYi frowned; his anger not quelled: "Yes. Continue."

"Shiniang told me that the Esper would allow me to bring whatever I imagined into the physical plane. That is how I made so many normal gray blades. However, when I was against XueQi shijie's overwhelming power, I couldn't help but think that they weren't sufficient.

"I felt my blood boil and my body scream. For some reason, the entirety of the details of the two swords was planted into my mind. I used Celestial Tear and my spiritual energy to form them afterwards. I hadn't given it much thought at the time."

Tian BuYi frowned. It seemed like a half-assed excuse. However, Shirou's face was still saddened and disheartened. With a sigh, Tian BuYi touched two fingers to his seventh disciple's forehead.

He sighed yet again. This time, he smiled: "It does not seem like you are lying. There are no gaps in your mind where you could have met the Mo. It seems like our suspicions were unfounded."

Shirou's eyes widened in surprise: "Master! I would never do such a thing. I've lived at Bamboo Peak since that day."

Tian BuYi waved him off: "I am not saying that you are a traitor. There was a snake that implied that you were; I had to prove your innocence. I would like to think that I made a good judge of character, entrusting LingEr to you."

Shirou smiled in surprise. In the month, he had come to terms with his feelings for his shijie. The undeniable attraction, the quickened pulse and his happier mood whenever she was nearby was all too much to ignore. He felt that he truly loved her in the same way that LingEr loved him. Thus, even if he didn't value his life, he valued LingEr's. If he died then that would be catastrophic for the girl; he would live for her sake.

Tian BuYi saw his expression and chuckled: "Even if you have both your master and shiniang's approval, LingEr still has the final word. If I find out that you ever harmed her in any way. I will thoroughly burn you with Flame Spirit such that not even your ashes will remain."

Shirou paled and quickly nodded his head.

Tian BuYi looked at him and then nodded his head. "Stand up. Follow me to Widow's Peak. Even if I believe you are innocent, you must still convince the other fools. If you are successful, you'll even come out alive.


In the sea of white clouds, it was a peaceful landscape; quiet, like the heavens that people dreamed of.

Widow's Peak: Crystal Hall.

QingYun's seven heads were all gathered here once more. Their eyes were on the kneeled young man.

Headmaster Dao XuanZhen watched Shirou kneeling there. His mind remembered the figures of two children from seven years ago. Time passed in the blink of an eye; they were already grown up.

His heart sighed and his eyes left Shirou. He turned to the other masters: "Everyone, what Shirou just said, what is your decision?"

They were quiet for a while, then, Master CangSong's voice suddenly rose and said with certainty: "This boy's words cannot be trusted."

Shirou's body was motionless; he didn't lift his head.

XuanZhen frowned: "Why is CangSong shidi so certain?"

CangSong peered at Shirou and said: "He did not display any usage of QingYun arts and techniques; preferring to use his two swords like a savage. If he is this comfortable with those swords, then he must have been taught by a Mo. Thus, this person must be a Mo spy, we cannot let him live.

CangSong was in charge of QingYun's punishment and had a very high position and reputation. His voice was so certain. Even though Shirou was convinced of his innocence, his face turned pale and he couldn't breathe.

No one said anything. Tian BuYi's face darkened. He slowly said: "If you are calling his techniques Mo, then you are insulting my wife and I both. If he is was really deliberately placed into QingYun from the Mo, then why did he use the swords during the Seven Peaks Tournament under the eyes of thousands of people?"

CangSong snorted: "Mo heretics are already so difficult to understand. Doing such stupid and outlandish things is not unusual."

Tian BuYi said angrily: "Isn't that too far-fetched? Irrational even?"

CangSong said coldly: "Me, irrational? Excuse me Tian shidi, but have you ever seen those two weapons belong to QingYun? I think we would have remembered a set of divine weapons."

Tian BuYi couldn't say anything. His face flushed. Anyone could see that Tian BuYi was standing on his disciple's side. At that embarrassing moment, an icy cold voice came. It was the head of Bamboo Heights, Master ShuiYue.

"Then, excuse me CangSong shixiong, you said that these weapons belong to the Mo. Why do you say that these weapons cannot be on our side? Are they vicious and evil? Do you really want to kill this boy?"

CangSong looked at ShuiYue aggressively and said: "Oh, ShuiYue shimei, what do you mean?"

ShuiYue said coldly: "Shixiongs, firstly, I don't know much about Mo techniques or weapons. Even if we raise him to be like the rest of QingYun, he is still able to develop his own style and skills. This can really happen by chance. Tian shixiong already said that his background was clear. Saying that he is a Mo follower; that is just too illogical."

CangSong squinted his eyes. His gaze was sharp: "Why is ShuiYue shimei behaving so abnormally today in order to help this boy. It's really hard to understand."

Anger flashed on the woman's face: "I am just stating facts. I am not like someone else. I do not see that another house has a talented and gifted disciple and fear that he will be a danger to my own position. I don't find some small matter to get rid of him, animal!"

No one here was as sharp or prickly as Master ShuiYue. CangSong was enraged and swiftly rose up.

Before they could begin, Headmaster Dao XuanZhen immediately interrupted: "Okay, okay, why are you two arguing again. Sit down, sit down."

CangSong didn't dare to disobey the headmaster's orders and sat down. ShuiYue's face was stoic as if nothing had happened. She sat quietly in her chair.

XuanZhen shook his head and turned towards the other masters: "Everyone, what do you think?"

The other heads were quiet for a moment, then the head of Wind Peak, Ceng ShuChang, said: "Headmaster, I think ShuiYue shimei is right. The boy's background is clean and he has never left the mountains before. Maybe it is really just a coincidence that he found these treasures. It is our QingYun's fortune."

XuanZhen nodded and turned to the head of Sunset Peak, Master TianYun. TianYun looked at CangSong and said: "I agree with CangSong shixiong's decision."

CangSong got an ally. He nodded to Master TianYun.

Now, only the head of Sunrise Peak, Shang ZhengLiang, was left. He looked at Tian BuYi then at CangSong and TianYun. Lastly, he looked at XuanZhen. He pondered for a second and said: "I think ShuiYue shimei is right."

Tian BuYi was relieved while CangSong snorted. Headmaster Dao XuanZhen nodded and said: "Everyone has said their piece; then, I should say my own." Then, he said to Shirou, who was still kneeling, "Shirou, stand up first."

Shirou was shocked, he lifted his head and looked at all the masters. He slowly rose up.

Headmaster Dao XuanZhen looked at him intently, like he wanted to get a clearer image of the golden-eyed boy. He said to the other heads: "Everyone, I actually think that Shirou doesn't seem like a Mo follower. Even though his weapons are as unique as his fighting style, he did not severely injure any of his opponents; though, XueQi is an exception, their fight had been on another level."

CangSong couldn't help himself and said: "Headmaster, Mo heretics are dangerous and vicious. It is better to kill the wrong person than potentially let him loose!"

XuanZhen's face changed into one of anger. He looked at CangSong and shouted: "CangSong shidi, do you even know what you are saying?!"

CangSong understood he said the wrong thing. He lowered his head in deference to XuanZhen. He was silent.

XuanZhen's face was serious and his voice lowered. He said slowly: "CangSong shidi, you have been in charge of QingYun's justice and punishments for two-hundred years already. I respected your fairness. But these years, you're getting more aggressive; filled with anger. I really worry for you. Do you understand?"

CangSong quietly said: "Yes, shixiong."

XuanZhen said: "To kill the wrong person than let them loose is what the Mo heretics would do. We QingYun follow the path of righteousness; we would rather let him loose than kill an innocent. Otherwise, what is the difference between us and the Mo heretics? Your cultivation is strong and deep, but you still need to study the essence and meaning behind it."

CangSong held up his hand in a respectful gesture and said: "Thank you for shixiong's guidance. This CangSong understands."

Headmaster Dao XuanZhen was relieved and said: "It's good that you now know." He turned towards the other heads for their input. They responded, "Headmaster can decide."

XuanZhen nodded and said to Shirou, "You hear this?"

Shirou was thankful and quickly answered: "Yes thank you. Thank you ZhengLiang shishu, ShuiYue shishu." He turned towards Tian BuYi: "Thank you, master."

Tian BuYi waved his hand and didn't respond.

XuanZhen nodded his hand and smiled genially: "Good. It would be a shame if QingYun lost such a bright and promising disciple. I have high hopes for you in the future."

The headmaster clapped his hands three times and a disciple from Widow's Peak appeared from the rear hall. XuanZhen instructed him on a few things and the disciple nodded his head and went outside.

A while later, he arrived with three other people and led them into the hall. Shirou looked at them. There were all people that he knew. QiHao and ShuShu walked in the front. When his father, Ceng ShuChang wasn't looking, ShuShu made a face towards Shirou. Walking behind the other two was the cold beauty XueQi of Bamboo Heights.

The four young disciples in Crystal Hall were the top four from QingYun's Seven Peaks Tournament.

QiHao and ShuShu saw Shirou; they smiled and greeted him. Only XueQi's face was unconcerned, but her eyes peered at Shirou with a strange mixture of fondness and some other mysterious emotion. It disappeared quickly.

Headmaster Dao XuanZhen looked at the four disciples and smiled: "Today, I've asked for the four of you to come here in order to let you leave the mountain to obtain some experience.

QiHao and the others were excited.

XuanZhen then told them about KongSang mountain's Cave of Fangs. He told them: "This mission is very important. You four are my clan's elites; that is the reason why I am sending you there to investigate. However, Mo heretics are evil and vicious; you must be cautious."

They all answered: "Yes."

The headmaster nodded: "Also, besides QingYun, both FenXiang and TianYin Temple are also sending their best disciples to help the investigation. You must not be rude and bring shame to QingYun. Additionally, main-house disciple Xiao YiCai shixiong has already gone there to investigate this thing. If you can find him, discuss the matter with him before doing anything."

The four people looked at each other and then answered in affirmation.

XuanZhen carefully looked at the four disciples, then his eyes landed on QiHao. He waved his hand and said: "QiHao, come."

QiHao startled and stepped forth. XuanZhen looked at him closely and then turned to CangSong and smiled: "Shidi, your Dragon Head Peak has a worthy successor!"

CangSong had been in a bad mood, however, he couldn't help but smile: "Shixiong is kidding."

XuanZhen smiled and took out an item from his clothes, then handed it to QiHao. He said, "Even though you had not fought in the finals, you were still the only one who arrived at the platform. You have earned this; take it."

QiHao took the item and saw that it was a small mirror. It looked old; its edge was bronze. A dragon was carved at the top while a tiger sat on the bottom. The Bagua was carved around the mirror. The glass didn't seem like a normal bronze mirror. It was hazy and unclear.

QiHao still hadn't reacted. CangSong was very pleased and shouted: "Silly child, why are you still shocked? Hurry, kneel down and thank the headmaster."

QiHao then immediately realized that the item was most likely the Esper Union Mirror. He quickly knelt down and said: "Thank you, headmaster."

Headmaster Dao XuanZhen smiled: "No need, no need. Please, stand up." He gestured towards the other three disciples in the hall: "Go outside first."

The three people knew that he was going to teach QiHao the incantation for Union Mirror. They went outside.

Outside of the hall, Shirou went to Tian BuYi. Tian BuYi looked at him and lightly said: "You bear the heavy burden of great responsibility now; can't return to Bamboo Peak. After a moment, you will leave the mountain with them. I will tell the people of Bamboo Peak about it for you."

Shirou lowered his head in gratitude and said quietly: "Yes, master."

Tian BuYi said: "While you were recovering from your wounds for the past month, I heard that you have reconciled the distance with LingEr. Is this true?"

Shirou nodded his head: "Yes, we have resolved our quarrel."

Tian BuYi turned away and said slowly, "That's good. Remember this: you are a proud member of Bamboo Peak. My daughter seems to favor you; perhaps I will even pass this to you and make you my successor. Do not embarrass us out there."

Shirou widened his eyes and smiled: "Yes, master. This disciple will definitely make you proud."

Tian BuYi snorted but had a slight smile from his face. With his back already turned, Shirou was unable to see his expression; but, from the tone, he didn't seem to have any anger. After a while, Tian BuYi sighed. He turned back and looked at Shirou one last time. He had nothing to say. The stout master waved his hand, summoned his sword and left.

Shirou stoically watched his father figure turn into a red light and disappear into the sky. Suddenly, someone hit his shoulder. Surprised, he turned around and found out that it was ShuShu with a grin on his face. He looked around and saw that all the house heads were already gone. Only the two of them and XueQi, who was standing far away, were left.

ShuShu laughed: "You're so lucky. I was afraid that you weren't going to pass that trial."

Shirou visibly relaxed when talking to ShuShu. He smiled: "Yeah, I was scared half to death."

ShuShu patted his shoulder and looked behind his friend. He quietly said: "Why didn't you bring XiaoHui here?"

Shirou deadpanned: "Master brought me here today. I didn't expect that we were also going to leave the mountains the same day. I brought nothing with me; how was I supposed to remember XiaoHui?"

ShuShu smiled: "It doesn't matter. I can lend some clothes to you, or we can just buy some in Sunstream City." Then, he winked and whispered, "Ho, ho, we get something nice this time anyways."

Shirou was puzzled and raised an eyebrow. He said, "What?"

ShuShu wiggled his eyebrows, peered behind Shirou's back and chuckled: "A beauty is coming with us!"

Shirou didn't know if he should've laughed, sighed or been mad. But he had still turned his attention towards XueQi. At the same time, XueQi seemed to feel their stares and turned to look at them. Shirou could feel her coldness even from far away. Their eyes met and he quickly turned away.

They chatted for a while. When ShuShu was talking about what he was going to say to XueQi along their way, Shirou's smile suddenly froze. His eyes stared behind ShuShu.

ShuShu was puzzled. He turned around and saw a man walk down from the steps. He seemed around forty years old. His clothes were clean enough, but his face was sluggish. His mouth spouted random nonsense.

"It's raining. The sky turned dark. Stupid mom. Immortal, immortal – heh, heh – immortal."

Under the stares of both ShuShu and XueQi, Shirou walked slowly – very slowly. The beauty's face fell briefly into one of pity, but it quickly faded. It seemed like forever before Shirou reached that strange man.

It was like revisiting the past!

"Uncle Wang, how are you?" Shirou said softly.

But the man's eyes didn't seem to notice Shirou's existence. He kept murmuring and walked straight past Shirou. He walked away and disappeared behind the hall.

"Who is he?" ShuShu stood next to Shirou and asked.

Shirou stared at the spot where Uncle Wang disappeared. He said sorrowfully: "A mad man…"

ShuShu looked at him. From his friend's face, he understood and didn't pry anymore. After a while, QiHao walked out from the hall happily and greeted the three people.

Shirou absent-mindedly returned QiHao's greeting and followed ShuShu; gathering with the others. After some discussion, they decided to go to Sunstream City first.

ShuShu smiled at QiHao: "Qi shixiong, the Union Mirror that headmaster gave you, is it truly that powerful?"

QiHao smiled: "Union Mirror is our QingYun's treasure, of course it's powerful. I only fear that my cultivation is not enough to handle it! Ha, ha, okay, this place is the mountain's peak, disciples cannot fly here; only the seven heads can. We will walk to the Cloud Sea and then fly to Sunstream City."

XueQi was expressionless. Shirou blankly nodded. Only ShuShu was smiling. Seemed like he was happy to leave the mountains.


From the QingYun clan, the four outstanding disciples of QingYun were flying towards Sunstream City. It was very relaxing.

Shirou had long since learned how to fly from SuRu. When he had first broken through YuQing's third level about two years ago, SuRu passed him the instruction. It was really easy; all you needed was a high enough cultivation and an Esper of an acceptable quality. Using the incantations and one's mind, flight was surprisingly easy to achieve.

He saw the other people summon their swords first. QiHao's was the white Frozen Melody; XueQi's was the blue Aeolian Steel; ShuShu's was a sword with purple gas. Shirou simply summoned the simple steel blade. He didn't feel like those two beautiful swords would appreciate being used as simple transportation.

QiHao and ShuShu stared at the sword curiously. XueQi, having seen the married swords, frowned.

The group spent around half the day journeying through crossing clouds and mountains. At sunset, the four reached Sunstream City. Shirou and the others didn't want to stir and create any unnecessary attention, so they found a quiet place near the city to land. Their bodies were all wet due to the clouds and their faces were pale. It seemed more tiring than the tournament the month prior.

The four rested to regain their breath and then entered the enormous Sunstream City under the sunset's glow. Shirou walked at the rear and he occasionally felt the curious eyes of both QiHao and XueQi. QiHao was interested because he wasn't able to fight his final opponent in the Seven Peaks Tournament. XueQi was still wondering why Shirou hadn't summoned the two swords he had used in their match; sticking with the pitiful gray sword.

ShuShu was happily walking besides Shirou, his mind ignoring all of the questions about his enigmatic friend. His mouth kept moving, introducing Sunstream City to Shirou:

"Within a hundred-mile radius, this is the largest and most prosperous city. There are at least two or three-hundred-thousand people living here. It's also in a good location; many merchants pass by here."

Shirou was impressed by ShuShu's knowledge and said: "ShuShu, how do you all of this?"

ShuShu said proudly: "It's nothing unusual; it's natural to know this if you read more books. Then he gave an evil smile and whispered: "Actually, I've already sneaked out here many times."

Shirou was surprised: "What, you…"

ShuShu curled his lips: "What kind of face is that? It really isn't a big deal. When I was practicing the art of Skyblade, I, of course, needed some practice flying around. Fly and fly and fly and somehow, I arrived here. Then, when I was tired, I took a walk in the markets to rest. It's not a big deal!"

Shirou couldn't say anything.

As the two of them murmured and talked to each other in the back, QiHao smiled and said to XueQi: "Lu shimei, the sky is getting dark. We are going to spend a night in Sunstream tonight; tomorrow we continue."

XueQi's face was still cold. Without any change in expression, she nodded.

Because the four wanted to avoid any trouble, they had already changed out from their QingYun robes. No one would suspect anything. However, XueQi's stunning beauty had drawn some attention. Shirou peered at XueQi, her face was still cool, but anger flashed in her eyes. He couldn't help but be worried for the people passing by. He shuddered and remembered the column of blue light.

If Aeolian Steel was unsheathed, half of this ancient city would be destroyed.

But, XueQi's resolve and temperance was better than Shirou's expectation. She still hadn't made a move as the four of them walked into an inn called ShanHai Yuan. QiHao had the most experience out of QingYun, so he was deferred to as the leader within the small group. He checked into the inn and they were given the finest rooms in the back.

ShanHai Yuan was quite large. In the back, there were four separate gardens. The four of them were located at the west garden. Each of them had a separate room. After resting for a while, QiHao called all of them to go to a teahouse and eat dinner.

The inn had a teahouse and was located on the busiest street. Despite this, the third floor, the special guests' hall, was quiet. Out of the ten tables, about only five of them had customers sitting down and eating. QiHao summoned the serving girl and ordered a couple of dishes. It seemed like he was quite familiar with this place; perhaps he came here a lot.

Shirou's mind was thinking. He was born into a woodcutter's family in the countryside; never been to such a luxurious place like ShanHai Yuan. When he passed the second floor, he saw the magnificent hall. But, when he got to the third floor, the wall was carved with dragons and phoenixes. The beams were made out of red wood. It looked very traditional; completely different than the second floor.

The four sat at a small table next to a window. ShuShu looked around at the floor's decorations. He turned and asked QiHao: "Qi shixiong, this place isn't cheap, is it?"

QiHao smiled: "This is the best teahouse in all of Sunstream, of course it's not cheap. But QingYun is quite famous here; the boss earnestly wishes for us to come here. They won't charge us too much.

ShuShu exclaimed in affirmation and nodded his head.

After a while, the serving girl came and served several dishes. The last one was a fresh braised fish. The fish was long, dark brown, and had a round head with a pair of whiskers. Most importantly, its smooth white meat filled the table with a delicious smell.

Shirou had always been interested in cooking and he hadn't seen this kind of fish before. He couldn't help but ask the serving girl: "Lady, what is the name of this fish, and how do you cook it?"

The girl laughed: "You really have a good pair of eyes. This dish, Braised Mei Fish, is our ShanHai Yuan's most famous dish. Its fresh smell, smooth and sweet taste is known within a hundred miles of Sunstream."

Shirou swallowed in anticipation, picked up his chopsticks and took a piece of the fish into his mouth. He closed his eyes and nodded: "Ah, the quality of the meat is great, but the way it was cooked is even better. A bit of sugar and some ginger to get of the fishy smell. Um, the taste of fried scallion; must be fresh small onion. Ah, there is also pepper and some other spices, err… right, sesame oil used perfectly. Wow!"

QiHao and ShuShu were stunned. Even XueQi was looking at him again with a strange expression. The serving girl was really impressed and said loudly: "Wow, you're is such an expert; exactly correct!"

Shirou noticed that the others were looking at him. He blushed and put down his chopsticks: "May I ask, where are Mei Fishes from?"

The serving girl didn't respond. A female voice from the nearby large table had already said: "Mei Fishes are a special local product of the ZhuGou Mountain to the south, thousands of miles away from here. How can they get them here; isn't your inn lying to us?"

They four were surprised. They looked at that large table; eight people were sitting there. Six were men dressed in yellow clothing. The last two were females. One wore a long, light purple dress; a soft veil covered her face. The other girl who just spoke was quite young; she seemed to be around Shirou's age - seventeen or so. Her entire dress was watery green. With a pair of large bright eyes, beautiful face and snowy white skin, her beauty was comparable to XueQi's.

Shirou nodded and said: "Ah." But after the girl had finished speaking, her eyes landed on XueQi. She too seemed to be surprised by the cold girl's beauty. Even XueQi couldn't help but look back at the girl in green.

The serving girl only smiled at the response: "This customer is right. You are right, a hundred years ago, Mei Fishes only lived at ZhuGou Mountain; but, one day QingYun's Headmaster, Dao XuanZhen, passed by and brought some Mei Fishes here to HongChuan River. The fishes flourished here. It is thanks to that good deed from QingYun's XuanZhen, the Celestial, that we have such good food today."

Shirou and the others smiled; but that girl in green only looked at the serving girl with a vile face.


After that delicious dinner, Shirou and the others returned to the west garden. QiHao said to the others at the entrance: "Tonight, everyone will rest here. Tomorrow morning, we will head to KongSang mountain."

Shirou and ShuShu nodded in affirmation. XueQi didn't bother responding; she returned straight into her room and shut the door. QiHao blinked and then smiled bitterly: "Shidis, you should also rest."

Shirou looked at QiHao's handsome face. Under the glow of the sunset, QiHao was still energetic as always. Shirou suddenly felt tired, he said his goodbyes to the two and returned to his room.

ShuShu laughed and talked with QiHao for a bit. Then, they both returned to their rooms.

That night was the first time Shirou left the QingYun mountains in seven years. He couldn't go to sleep. When he was finally able to rest at midnight, strange visions began to enter his mind. Words, feelings and events that he had never experienced began to filter in. A vast brown plain; he stood alone and empty. It was quite the sad sight.

"Ah!"

Shirou woke up from his dream. He sat up and gasped. His entire body was sweating; his blood felt like fire. After a long while, his heartbeat finally slowed down.

He sat in the dark for a while. The dream was completely different from his previous nightmares. Before he had only had the visions of Grasstemple to disrupt his rest; what was another strange dream atop of that? Yet, the scene was frighteningly familiar. He thought back to the farce of a trial only a few hours ago. Tian BuYi had said there were no gaps in his memory; however, Shirou couldn't help but wonder what it was he saw.

Quiet; darkness everywhere.

Shirou crossed his legs, straightened his back and took a deep breath. He held both of his palms together in front of him.

Darkness was like a gentle lady; softly surrounding him. A layer of faint golden light came out from his body. Solemnness covered Shirou's face.

After a long time, the golden light disappeared. Shirou opened his eyes in the dark. His heart was calm. Every time he felt troubled, he would use Brahman Wisdom to control his body and think of the kind monk, PuZhi.

However, he wasn't sleepy and his mind was besieged with questions. He went outside of the room. The other rooms were dark; QiHao and the others should have been asleep by now. In ShanHai Yuan's backyard, there were four gardens in the cardinal directions. Shirou left the west garden and went to the central courtyard.

The night was dark and stars filled the sky. A round moon hung from the black tapestry. The night wind was breezy and carried a faint fragrance. The narrow path of the courtyard was dark, leading to an unknown place. On either side, there were bushes and flowers all over the ground.

Shirou followed and walked down this narrow path. The soft wind hit his face and chilled him slightly.

In the silent night, a young man walked alone in the gardens, thinking of both the past and future.

On the side of the road, a small flower trembled in the night wind. Crystal dew was already on its white petals. Shirou stopped, his busy mind enchanted by that flower.

The soft fragrance came.

Suddenly, a soft hand came out from the eternal darkness. A grave beauty, marked with the light of the moon and stars; a hand reached for the flower.

And picked it.

A bang in Shirou's mind. It was like the moon lost its color. The garden fell into darkness.

A girl in a green dress was standing there. It was like she had taken all the light from the heavens. She softly put the flower in front of her nose and smelled it.


A/N: We're done with the tournament. Shirou instinctively knew how to trace Kanshou and Bakuya and his Esper only enhanced them. XueQi knows Thunderblade and is quite the spellcaster. Divine Weapons are a pain to fight and quite the commodity.

LingEr also seemed to at least break though a bit of Shirou's pigheadedness when it comes to his own safety.

Well, we finally get to move on from QingYun. I'm sure all of you can already guess what this green girl will become to Shirou.

Next Time: Cave of Fangs - 1. We meet some people and some other not so friendly people.