266: Lightheaded (Bai Ye's Memory)

Lightheaded (Bai Ye's Memory)

That strange feeling confused him a little. Fortunately, it didn't last, and Bai Ye was so enraptured by their mutual practices that he soon forgot all about it.2

Only occasionally, when he found himself staring into her eyes in the same position across the swords, he would remember for a moment that image of her framed in the pink blossoms. And on those occasions, the strange feeling would return, along with stranger thoughts that never crossed his mind before: maybe he was lucky after all that she had awakened from Twin Stars; even luckier that sword spirits lived as long as immortals; and … why did he feel as if he had become addicted to these sparring sessions?

In fact, he was getting so used to spending the morning with her like this that he'd grow anxious when she didn't show up. And that was how he felt on the day when she missed her lesson for the first time in months.

Pacing back and forth in the garden, Bai Ye darted incessant glances toward her room. She was usually on time, even arriving before he did once in a while. But it was almost noon now, with no signs of her anywhere. Bai Ye wondered if he had been a bit too slack with the incentives to make her practice—in addition to flowers, he was planning to promise her more space around the hall for her rescued animals. He just didn't get a chance to tell her about it yet … And from the look of it, he needed to do that soon before she lost all interest in swords again.

Or maybe he should do that right now. Missing a lesson for a day wasn't a huge deal, though it somehow bothered him. He didn't know why, but he wanted to see her, even if it was just to hear her excuses of wanting to take a break. So he turned in his tracks, heading straight toward her room.

The door was half open. Bai Ye stopped over the threshold, hesitating. Should he knock? Or maybe just tell her directly across the hall why he was here? He opened his mouth, though he didn't realize it until then … that he didn't know how to address the sword spirit.

She didn't have a name, and he never needed a name to talk to her. They were the only ones in this hall anyway. But now that he wanted to get her attention from behind a door, it suddenly felt a little awkward.

"A-Are you there?" he finally cleared his throat and asked.

There was no answer. He waited for a while, then knocked. When there was still no answer, he frowned, and he pushed the door fully open.

The room was empty. Twin Stars sat quietly on the table, unsheathed, its blades glinting under the sunlight filtering through the window. Bai Ye frowned further. The sword spirit would never leave the hall without her swords. If she wasn't here, then …

He picked up Twin Stars, gently letting his spiritual power suffuse the blades. "Are you alright?" he asked softly.

Sword spirits could travel freely between the physical world and their swords, and he knew that must be where the girl had gone. But the reason for it evaded him. She was too curious about her new surroundings to want to go back, and she hadn't done it ever since her awakening. So why now? Was she injured and had to return to her true form to recuperate?

Quiet seconds passed. Bai Ye subconsciously tightened his grip on the sword hilt, getting more worried as time went by. "Sword spirit," he called again, wishing once more that she had a name. "Can you hear me? Is everything alright?"

After another excruciating silence, a faint crimson light pulsed along the blades. Bai Ye let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding. Then an arc flashed before him, and the girl materialized behind a halo of wavering light.

She looked paler than usual, her always twinkling eyes now dim and listless. Swaying a bit on her feet, she took a step forward, and Bai Ye quickly caught her before she stumbled into a fall.

"What happened?" he asked, suddenly afraid. "Are you hurt?"

The girl shook her head slightly. "I'm fine. Just lightheaded …" She managed a soft chuckle. "See, I wasn't lying yesterday when I said I was too tired to keep practicing."

Bai Ye felt a wave of guilt hit him. She had indeed been complaining about being exhausted recently, and he had dismissed the comments as mere excuses. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't think— how could your stamina be dropping so drastically? The lessons haven't been any longer than usual."

"I don't know either … But I saw it coming, and it's not just because of the practices. I get tired even if I do nothing at all all day. The only thing that makes me feel better is to go back into Twin Stars and rest for a while."

"To go back into Twin Stars?" Bai Ye contemplated, recalling the ancient texts he had read on sword spirits. "You must be starting to lose your connection to the swords then … It could weaken your body in the long run." He sighed. "I thought learning to wield Twin Stars would be sufficient to prevent that from happening, but it seems like I was wrong. You might have to try binding with it instead … It's the best way to facilitate the power exchange between your two forms."

An anguished whine escaped her. "Binding? Does that mean even more lessons?"

Bai Ye smiled a bit helplessly. "It's a meditation technique. You might actually like it better. But even if you don't …It's for your safety. Wouldn't you rather bear with a few boring hours than risk your health?"

The girl purses her lips. Knowing that she wouldn't be so easy to convince, Bai Ye ventured, "Would a new kennel in the garden help to persuade you? The corner you fenced off before has been getting crowded. I was thinking about extending the east side, so we can get some more space for both plants and animals …"

He trailed off when he noticed the incredulous look she was giving him. "You told me the walls of the garden are hard limits," she said, "because of the spiritual power flow you designed around the hall. How would you extend the east side without a rework on the walls?"

"…" Well, he had indeed told her that before, and it was the truth. What he didn't tell her though was that he'd be willing to sacrifice the perfect design, if that meant making her happy and giving her a reason to do what was best for her safety.

"Master?" she probed again, and this time, a sly smile curled her lips. "Are you making an exception for me … because you're worried about me?" The smile turned into a giggle. "Do you care about me?"

Bai Ye frowned once more. What kind of question was that? Of course he cared about her. She was Twin Stars, and her health meant everything to his cultivation advancements. Wasn't that reason enough?

Before he could put those thoughts to words, however, the girl suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm so happy you do," she breathed, giving him a firm hug. "I don't want to ruin the arrangement of your hall, but I promise I'll take care of myself. I'll make sure to strengthen my connection with Twin Stars, whatever techniques it takes."

Bai Ye froze at the softness of her cheek and her curves snuggled against him. This was totally inappropriate, he thought, and he wanted to push her away, but he felt too lightheaded to do it … Hopefully, it wasn't because her ailments were contagious.

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