Naked Sword Art

Chapter 490: Xun Wei’s Resolve

"Thanks, but it wouldn’t be wise to let the blind man lead the way," he said, flicking the pendant back toward Yu Qiuyan.

She caught it effortlessly, then turned to the others with a teasing smile.

"What about you girls? Want to give it a try?"

"Me! Me!" Xiao Hei and Li Xiang chimed at the same time.

Yu Qiuyan tossed the pendant their way. Xiao Hei snatched it mid-air, her eyes instantly sparkling with excitement. She leaped into the carriage, practically vibrating with curiosity as she fumbled with the controls.

"Can we really travel in this thing?" she asked, wide-eyed.

"Mhm. I use it all the time," Yu Qiuyan replied lightly. "Let me show you what else it can do."

Li Xiang and Yu Qiuyan stepped into the carriage to join Xiao Hei. Xiao Fang, on the other hand, moved at a more measured pace—he was in no rush whatsoever.

"That girl is truly remarkable," Xun Wei murmured while standing behind his wheelchair.

She had spent the entire night trying to heal him and barely made any progress, while Yu Qiuyan had nearly repaired his injuries with a single technique. The difference in skill was undeniable.

She didn’t need to say anything for Xiao Fang to understand how she must’ve been feeling.

"Wei’er. Come, help me up," Xiao Fang said.

Xun Wei hesitated. "You shouldn’t rush it."

"It’s alright," Xiao Fang replied.

She stepped in front of him, letting him lean into her strength as she pulled him up. Once he was steady on his feet, Xiao Fang lifted his blindfold just enough to look at her directly.

"Fang—?"

Before she finished, he raised her chin and kissed her softly on the lips.

A faint pink bloomed across her cheeks, and her icy cold complexion became slightly warm.

"Thank you," he murmured. "You’ve done so much for me."

Xun Wei’s breath trembled — not from surprise, but from how deeply she wanted those words. She always felt useless and not good enough. The only thing she really wanted was to be useful to him, even if it was just a little.

She leaned up and kissed him back—tightly gripping his robes, and this time she was really feeling his lips against hers. It was a kiss that was full of affection.

"You know I’d do anything for you," she replied, looking up at him intimately.

Xiao Fang was everything to her. She wanted him to know that.

A brief silence followed before she blinked, suddenly remembering something.

"Ah—wait. I can’t believe I almost forgot," she said, a hint of frustration crossing her pretty face. "I brought something for you," she said as she handed him a spatial pouch.

Xiao Fang tilted his head slightly. "What’s inside?"

"Cultivation resources," she replied softly. "Since joining the Core Court, they’ve given me so many things to increase my cultivation with. I... I saved these for you."

She looked faintly embarrassed as she said it.

In truth, her recent cultivation progress had slowed—not from lack of talent, but because she’d been holding back, stockpiling nearly everything with the intent to share it with him. To her, it didn’t feel right for her and Li Lian to grow stronger while Xiao Fang—the one who guided them both—received nothing in return.

Xiao Fang chuckled quietly.

"Keep them," he said. "They were given to you. My cultivation is already ahead—you’ll need those resources if you want to catch up."

Her eyes widened slightly. "You really want me to keep them?"

"Mn." He nodded. "Grow stronger. Then you’ll be able to stand beside me."

Something shifted in her expression—uncertainty giving way to resolve, a spark of confidence igniting in her eyes.

"Yes," she whispered. "I’ll get stronger. I promise."

Xiao Fang reached out and gently patted her head.

"I know you will."

Xun Wei’s heart stirred. Thinking of their future together, she felt a closeness she hadn’t sensed in months.

’I won’t disappoint you,’ she promised herself, the thought settling deep into her soul.

"Come now, help me into the carriage."

The carriage was fairly large. It had enough space to carry about 10 people. Once inside, they could hear Yu Qiuyan explaining how to fly it.

Finding a seat, Xiao Fang took out the advanced inscription book Ru ji gave him while he was in the inscription club (Chapter 244), then began to study it.

"How high can this thing go?" Xiao Hei asked, eyeing the pendant curiously in Li Xiang’s hands.

"I think it would be safer to stay low and follow the road," Li Xiang suggested.

"Safe?" Xiao Hei scoffed, stroking an imaginary beard as she struck the pose of a wise elder. "Fortune is earned by taking risks."

Li Xiang tightened her grip on the pendant, an impish smile forming. She had been entrusted with taking Xiao Fang safely to the Li Family estate, so she’d planned to be cautious—but his next words erased her hesitation.

"Do as you like."

Li Xiang and Xiao Hei exchanged mischievous looks before climbing onto the roof of the carriage.

Xun Wei sighed.

Li Xiang pointed above the treetops, and shouted,

"Let’s go!"

The carriage shot forward in a flash, soaring over the forest as both of them laughed and shouted with unrestrained joy.

"...She’s exactly like her," Xun Wei murmured under her breath, shaking her head.

Xiao Fang smirked in quiet amusement before turning his attention back to the inscription manual. His fingers brushed over the page listing the sixty-nine fundamental inscriptions, and he let out a slow breath.

After several weeks of study, he had fully memorized only ten of them—and even then, he succeeded in inscribing most of those barely half the time.

Even so, Xiao Fang felt no discouragement.

He had already learned how to create a Concealment Formation—one requiring three inscriptions—and he could now form each of those three inscriptions with near-perfect precision. That alone told him he was improving quickly.

With renewed focus, he flipped through Ru Ji’s advanced manual, skimming the next sections: the beginner formations, then intermediate, then advanced.