Chapter 1564 - 1560: Ye Zhi and Ye Qiu

When Ye Zhi and her brother were in elementary school, they went to a nearby dojo to practice, but influenced by their mother who worked in the computer magazine industry, Ye Qiu preferred the keyboard over Sword Dao and quit the dojo by the second year. However, unlike her brother who was just a beginner, Ye Zhi had a natural affinity with Sword Dao and kept holding onto the bamboo sword even after their grandfather passed away.

Ye Zhi is fifteen years old this year. Last year, in the final tournament of middle school, she achieved a high national ranking and was recommended by the school in spring to a well-known high school in the county.

But—

Previously, she wasn't confused about where she was heading. She originally liked Sword Dao, and being able to meet the expectations of those around her made her happier than anything else.

Yet, two years ago, her brother got involved in an incident that shook Japan, causing confusion within Ye Zhi. She was very regretful, one could say. When she was seven, her brother gave up on Sword Dao, creating a deep rift between them, and the failure to close this gap really made Ye Zhi regretful.

Her brother, who abandoned the bamboo sword, is still deeply engrossed in computers as if seeking healing. For Ye Zhi, it was like the bond she had with her brother had suddenly severed.

In elementary school, he had already made machines with parts and completed programming with their mother's help. For Ye Zhi, this was like a foreign language. She always thought perhaps Ye Qiu was a so-called genius.

Of course, the school taught some computer operation knowledge, and Ye Zhi had a small computer in her room as well. But, all she could do was send emails and do some searches; she couldn't understand her brother's world. Especially when he became obsessed with online RPG games, she felt a huge sense of discord. She was just a newbie when it came to computers.

So she put on a mask of disguise, but even with that, she couldn't close the gap with someone else wearing the same mask through conversation.

Since childhood, Ye Zhi and her brother had always been as close as friends. And now, as her brother ventured into another world, far from her, Ye Zhi invested herself wholeheartedly into Sword Dao as if to dispel the loneliness. The distance between them kept widening, and daily conversations decreased, and before they knew it, their relationship became ordinary.

To be honest, Ye Zhi often felt lonely. She wanted to talk more with her brother. She wanted to understand his world and wanted him to come watch her matches.

However, just when these feelings were about to be expressed, the incident occurred.

The nightmare VR game incident. The consciousness of ten thousand young people across Japan was trapped in an electronic cage, sleeping there for a long time.

The first day Ye Zhi visited the large-scale hospital where her brother was held.

Seeing her brother lying in bed, entangled in many data cables, wearing that calamitous helmet, sleeping soundly, Ye Zhi cried for the first time since she was born. She hugged her brother and wailed loudly.

Perhaps she could never talk with her brother again. Why hadn't she tried harder to close the gap with her brother before? It wasn't such a hard thing to accomplish; she should have been able to do it.

It was also at this time she reconsidered whether to continue with Sword Dao, her true feelings being confused. Without meeting her brother during the age of fourteen to fifteen, Ye Zhi, persuaded by those around her to continue her education, kept grappling internally with the uncertainty of whether to continue down this path.

Her brother has come back, and this time, she is set on speaking to him about many things. She wanted to dispel all her troubles and confusion during the conversation. Ye Zhi resolved, and then two months ago, a miracle happened. Her brother freed himself from the shackles and awakened.

– However, this meant a huge change occurred in the relationship between her brother and herself. She learned from her mother Cui that Ye Qiu was not her biological brother but her cousin.

Her father Feng Song was the only son, and her mother Cui had a younger sister who died young, a fact Ye Zhi had never known. So, upon suddenly learning that Ye Qiu was the child of her mother's sister, she was left clueless and uncertain about what kind of relationship to maintain with her brother.

Should she distance herself or maintain the status quo? She couldn't express this relationship in words.

Hmm. But there's one thing that will not change.

Ye Zhi silently recited this in her heart and, as if to cut off her thoughts, fiercely swung the bamboo sword in her hand. Without thinking any further, lest it grows too frightening, she swung the bamboo sword again and again as if diverting her consciousness elsewhere.

After reaching the prescribed number of times, the angle of the morning sun had changed. She wiped off the sweat on her forehead, put down the bamboo sword, and turned to head home—

"Ah"

As she gazed down the road leading home, Ye Zhi suddenly froze in place.

At some point, wearing a sweater, Ye Qiu stood in the corridor with hands on hips, looking this way. His eyes squinted with a smile, he spoke:

"Good morning."

As he spoke, he handed over a bottle of mineral water in his right hand. Ye Zhi caught it with her left hand and said:

"Good, good morning. You could have called me if you saw me."

"No, you looked so serious."

"I'm always like this."

In these two months, being able to engage in such a natural conversation made Ye Zhi genuinely happy, and then she sat down at a subtle distance on Ye Qiu's right side. Placing the bamboo sword beside her, she opened the bottle and drank the cold water, which entered her heated body, making her feel very refreshed.

"I see, you've been practicing all along."

Ye Qiu picked up Ye Zhi's bamboo sword and sat there, gently waving it with his right hand a few times. Quickly, he turned his face to Ye Zhi and said:

"It's light."

"Eh?"

Ye Zhi moved her mouth away from the water bottle and looked at Ye Qiu.

"It's actually made of genuine bamboo, so it's quite heavy. But compared to a carbon rod, it's still fifty grams off."

"Ah, yes. That's just a feeling, but the comparison issue—"

Ye Qiu snatched Ye Zhi's mineral water bottle and drank all the remaining water.

"Ah"

Not expecting it, Ye Zhi's face started to heat up, and, as if trying to play it down, she said unhappily:

"Who are you comparing with?"

Ye Qiu placed the empty water bottle on the corridor and stood up.

"I say, why don't we have a match?"

Ye Zhi looked up at Ye Qiu's face wordlessly.

"A match?"

"Yes."

Though not interested in Sword Dao, Ye Qiu nodded as if it was the most natural thing.

"Then, should we put on protective gear?"

"Hmm, although we don't have to, I'd feel bad if it led to Ye Zhi's guilt. There's still grandpa's protective gear, right? Let's head to the dojo now."