Chapter 479 460: Master, Can You Give Up on That Woman and Let Me Be Your Only Yueqiu?

Pei Yuhang had noticed something very strange recently.

Little Yueqiu, who had always been so devoted to practicing the Sword Dao, suddenly didn't want to touch a sword anymore.

The once-obedient Little Yueqiu had even grown weary of the Sword Dao. Whenever Pei Yuhang told her to practice, the little silver-haired girl would find all sorts of ways to slack off.

Even when Pei Yuhang punished her—making her copy scriptures or face the wall in reflection—the little silver-haired girl remained stubborn, simply refusing to practice her swordplay seriously.

Later, Little Yueqiu even went to Pei Yuhang herself, saying she wanted to learn Qinggong and Fist Techniques... In short, she was looking for any excuse she could to get out of her Sword Dao lessons.

Pei Yuhang felt that something was very wrong.

'Why? Why would Little Yueqiu, who was once so passionate about the Sword Dao, suddenly refuse to practice?'

'Something must have happened...'

An instinctual, bad feeling crept over Pei Yuhang. He decided he had to find Little Yueqiu and get to the bottom of this.

...

...

The last of the autumn heat had passed, and the weather grew increasingly cold. It seemed winter had arrived.

On this day, a gentle white snow began to fall over the small town.

Pei Yuhang stood at the mouth of a bluestone alley, watching the familiar white snowflakes drift through the desolate, empty town. He reached out, catching a flake and watching it slowly melt in his palm as an indescribable sense of loneliness washed over him.

But thankfully, the presence of that lively girl added a touch of vitality to the scene.

"Master, look at the flower I planted! It broke before, so I buried the broken upper half in the soil. I can't believe it not only survived, but it bloomed again!"

Her crisp voice shattered the snowy silence.

Little Yueqiu was crouched in a corner of the courtyard, her long, silver hair dotted with a few snowflakes that glittered delicately.

Hearing familiar footsteps behind her, she immediately turned and pointed to a trembling wildflower, looking up at Pei Yuhang as if presenting a priceless treasure.

'Amazing. For a little flower to survive so tenaciously in this cold...'

But Pei Yuhang's gaze traveled past the flower to the sword Little Yueqiu had tossed onto a stone bench. Its scabbard was already covered in a thin layer of snow, a clear sign it hadn't been touched in a long time. This made Pei Yuhang's brow furrow involuntarily.

Still, he suppressed his feelings and asked in the gentlest voice he could manage:

"Yueqiu, why haven't you been practicing your swordplay lately?"

Seeing Pei Yuhang approach only to ask about the Sword Dao, the light in Little Yueqiu's beautiful crimson eyes dimmed for a moment before she forced a smile and replied.

"I... I just think sword practice is boring now."

"How can it be boring? I thought you loved practicing more than anything."

Seeing Little Yueqiu's nervousness, Pei Yuhang gently stroked the top of her silver hair, hoping to help her relax.

At his softened tone, Little Yueqiu's shoulders gave an almost imperceptible tremble.

Her eyes downcast, the girl bit her lower lip, her voice so faint it was nearly swallowed by the wind and snow.

"I just liked it before... I don't like it anymore."

"Because... because I've already gotten very good. I can't compare to you, Master, but there's almost no one left in the world who can match my skill in the Sword Dao.

If that's the case, there's no reason for me to keep practicing..."

As she spoke the last few words, Little Yueqiu's voice trailed off. Her crimson eyes darted upward, but she quickly averted them the moment they met Pei Yuhang's, like a startled fawn.

Pei Yuhang could tell Little Yueqiu was hiding something from him.

He wanted to press her for answers, but after seeing the pitiful look in her eyes, he hesitated and sighed.

"Yueqiu, did something happen recently? No matter how difficult it is... you can tell me.

I'll do everything in my power to fix it... as long as you're willing to talk."

With that, Pei Yuhang turned to leave, intending to give Little Yueqiu some time to think.

"Master, wait..."

Little Yueqiu suddenly called out, stopping Pei Yuhang.

She looked at the wildflower trembling in the cold wind, her voice dazed, as if she were speaking to Pei Yuhang yet also to herself.

"Master, this is the flower I broke and replanted in the soil. Now, it has bloomed again...

Tell me, this whole wildflower that grew back from a broken stem... is it the same as the flower that existed before it was broken?"

'A flower, broken, then growing and blooming anew.'

Pei Yuhang watched as Little Yueqiu brushed a silver strand of wind-blown hair from her ear, and he suddenly felt a suffocating pressure.

His pupils constricted. He felt as if the snow around them was falling heavier, the wind growing more bone-chilling.

'Could it be...?'

"That's right, Master. I know everything now."

Little Yueqiu smiled at Pei Yuhang, but shimmering tears trembled in her eyes.

"I'm sorry... I used to think that you had lost your mind, Master, that you'd been driven mad with grief after your disciple disappeared. I even pitied you. I thought, since you helped me so much, that I would become your true disciple. I would replace the 'Qing Yueqiu' who was gone, and I would take care of you...

But... but then, as I delved deeper into the Sword Dao, I found that I was becoming less and less like myself.

So many... so many memories that don't belong to me started appearing in my mind...

So it turns out you weren't mad... I'm the one who's sick. I'm the one who's broken. You didn't find the wrong disciple—I *am* your disciple... You made me practice the sword because you wanted... you wanted the *real* Qing Yueqiu to come back, didn't you?"

Little Yueqiu gave a wretched smile as she wiped away her tears, her beautiful crimson eyes now dull and lifeless.

"After all, I'm the broken flower. Even if I grow to look just like the one before, I'm not her. I'll never have... the owner's love."

Everything had happened far too suddenly.