262: Undesirable Situation (Bai Ye's Memory)

Undesirable Situation (Bai Ye's Memory)

Bai Ye paused for the third time in shining his sword, scowling as he turned around. "Will you stop staring?" He pinned the girl sitting behind him with an irritated look. He couldn't possibly concentrate on anything with that feeling of being constantly watched.2

The girl blinked her big doe eyes. "Why?" she asked as if genuinely curious. "You are pretty. Isn't it human nature to stare at pretty things?"

Bai Ye tightened his grip on the sword hilt. It had been barely an hour since the spirit of Twin Stars manifested itself—herself, to be more accurate—and she had already tested the limit of his patience. Or sanity, as he remained in disbelief that a demonic sword spirit, who was practically thousands of years in age and born from the blood and flesh of the most evil existences, could be so naive and senseless.

"You don't use the word 'pretty' to describe men," he snarled. "And who taught you anything about 'human nature'? That is not something for a sword spirit to know."

It was meant as sarcasm, obviously. But the girl contemplated thoughtfully. "I don't think anyone has taught me that," she admitted. "Though sometimes I just seem to know things. Sometimes, I'm not even aware that I know a certain word until I've said it. It's like I'm learning everything right as it comes out of my mouth on its own, if that makes any sense."

Bai Ye glared at her. "No, it makes no sense at all. Now, stop staring and leave me alone. Go find something to do or go back into your swords."

"But why can't I stay with you?" she protested. "You are my master, and you've always kept me by your side when I was still asleep in Twin Stars. What's so different now? Why can't I be with you just because I took on a physical body?" She cocked her head. "And … If I can't use 'pretty' to describe you, what word should I use instead?"

"…" Bai Ye fought hard to suppress the urge to gag her. He had no interest in pointless conversations, and no one had ever said so many pointless things to him in a mere hour. "Keep your thoughts to yourself, then you don't need words to describe them." He pointed at the door. "Go, otherwise I can't promise what I might do to Twin Stars just to make sure you don't show up again."

The girl's eyes went wide. For a second, the disappointment rippling through them was so obvious that Bai Ye almost regretted what he said. Fortunately, she nodded in the end. "I'll be in the garden then," she said and hopped down from her perch at the edge of the table. "I can keep looking at you through the window, right?" Without waiting for his response, she smiled brightly and slid out of the room.

Bai Ye watched her disappear behind the doorframe and sighed. His gaze landed on Twin Stars, lying quietly on the bench next to him. He should have been glad that the demonic sword's power had reached such a milestone, enough to awaken a sword spirit. Decades of his effort had paid off, and his cultivation progress would now be moving faster than he could ever imagine. But he didn't feel glad. How could he, when such progress came with the consequence of having such a restless girl stuck by his side all day?

He had always enjoyed solitude. It was one of the main reasons why he left his old life and chose the path of cultivation in the first place. He enjoyed meditating on the quiet peak of Mount Hua, searching for true answers to the questions of dao. But that blissful solitude was now ruined by a sword spirit who wouldn't leave him at peace for a second. A sword spirit who was as curious and feisty as a child. What happened to those legends that claimed sword spirits were supposed to be elegant and elusive like gods?

A loud rustle in the garden interrupted his musings, followed by a cacophony of birds squawking and heavy objects hitting the ground. He grunted, wondering what kind of new trouble the girl had brought on him, and strode out the door. His jaw dropped to the floor when he saw her sprawled between the limbs of a big tree, waving a thick branch in her hands.

"What are you doing NOW?" He wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer though.

The sword spirit grinned and nodded towards some place higher in the tree. "A snake was trying to get to those bird eggs there. I chased it away."

"…" For the one hundredth time today, Bai Ye was speechless. Was this truly the spirit of Twin Stars—the swords that had slain countless demons, drank from myriads of bodies, and knew nothing about the word "mercy"?

It took him a while to find his voice. "Snakes need to eat too. You might have saved the birds, but you've also starved the snake as a result."

He wasn't sure why he said that. Explaining the dao of the world to this ridiculous girl was useless. But for some reason, he surprised himself with the extent of his patience.

She took in the meaning of those words. Though in the end, she shook her head. "I can't let it hurt the babies right in front of my eyes. Maybe if the snake is really hungry, it'll come back for the eggs, and I can't stop it if I don't spot it then. But since fate has let me find out what's happening at the right time, I can't just watch it without doing something about it."

Bai Ye frowned. "Nonsense," he murmured, turning around. And as he trod back into his room, he sighed again about this strange girl with her strange mind that didn't belong in his world. Hopefully, whatever disturbances caused by this undesirable situation wouldn't be too destructive … or too long-lived.

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