Dark clouds rolled over the head like waves, and in the fine rain, the gray sky was filled with chill.
The thunderstorm has passed, and the lightning and thunder coming from the sky are real celestial phenomena.
Ning looked south for a long time, looking in a daze.
This trance is very fatal.
His spirit was suddenly gripped by something, and the pain in his soul was not even inferior to that of the little girl who had been stabbed by the inner demon before.
"When did you wake up?" Ning Changjiu asked with a little pain.
In his body, the familiar voice was colder than ever: "I woke up when you came out of the abyss."
That was the voice of the sword spirit.
Ning was silent for a long time and said, "Why didn't you take action before?"
Sword Spirit said: "Because that woman is here."
Ning Jiujiu said: "Are you still determined to seize me?"
Sword Spirit said coldly: "I told you at the beginning... But in these years, you may have been lucky and thought that I wouldn't do anything to you."
Ning Jiujiu shook his head and said: "No, I think it's good for you to be like this. Only the sword heart that is consistent to the end is worthy of the sure-kill move of the Tianyu Sword Scripture."
Sword Spirit said: "Actually, I don't really like the sword Tianyu Jianjing."
"Why?" Ning asked for a long time.
The sword spirit replied: "Because this is the sword of assassination. A truly strong man cannot be assassinated. For example, the God Lord who sits and watches the world. I want to ask for a sword, the real fastest and strongest sword. This is my long-cherished wish."
The swordsman paused and continued: "If I want to draw a sword, I must first be able to hold the sword. I don't want to be held in someone's hand."
Ning Jiujiu said: "I appreciate your wish, but it's a pity that it's me you want to take away, so I can't support you."
As they spoke, the two people's mental powers were pulling at each other, fighting for the initiative of this body.
Ning Changjiu's face was sometimes plain and sometimes indifferent, constantly switching between a compassionate person and a ruthless sword.
Ning Jiujiu's words remained calm, saying: "You can't beat me."
The sword spirit was silent for a while and said softly: "I know."
It sighed and said: "This is the instruction of fate... Not to mention that even Sin Lord couldn't kill you. But I still don't understand. I can know all the swords you know, why can't I defeat you?"
Ning Jiujiu sat cross-legged in the rain, and the lightning flashed across his figure.
His white clothes were soaked, his dark hair was draped over his shoulders, and his originally handsome youthful features were now looking more sharp.
There is no need for the sword spirit to seize the body, he is already like a sword, a straight and sharp blade unsheathed.
Ning Jiujiu said: "Since you don't understand, let me make you understand."
Behind Ning Changjiu, the soul floated vaguely, and in the drizzle, the shadow of the soul seemed to be shattered at the touch of a touch.
The shadow and the main body closed their eyes at the same time.
Then, a heavy rain began to fall on Ning's long-lasting endless heart lake, and the originally mirror-like heart lake suddenly became vast and vast.
The shadow of the sword spirit wrapped in gray hair stood quietly in the lake of his heart. Then, Ning Jiujiu's soul turned into the size of a mustard seed and came to the heart lake to confront him calmly.
The rain in the inner lake is illusory, just the resonance between the soul and the outside world.
But the ripples beneath their feet were real.
Above the Heart Lake, the battle began quietly.
They started to fight swords. The swords were exactly the same. Thousands of sword shadows were simulated by the soul, shrouded in the sky above the heart lake. Those sword images were soldiers in armor and waiting for battle. They entered the team one by one amid the beating of war drums. A bright and bright weapon appeared, and the sound of the weapon when it was unsheathed was like the rustling of a harp.
Ning sat cross-legged for a long time, already in concentration.
The sky is cloudy and rainy, and I don’t know when it will stop.
…
…
Nearly two years have passed since Ning Changjiu fell into the abyss.
More than a year in Broken Boundary City flew by in a blink of an eye. When they crossed the sundial, they once again passed through the plane where time flows at an absolute speed. After coming out, the severe winter that was supposed to come had passed quietly, the snow melted, and the wilderness The cherry blossoms are in full bloom, and in the rain of late spring, the sound of the stream rushes into the distance.
Even though so much time had passed, Ning Xiaoling still couldn't help but be lost in thought for a long time when she looked at the blue bird painting in the window.
It's raining outside the window.
According to folk saying, after this rain, summer will come again.
This is the second summer since my senior brother left.
Ning Xiaoling pushed open the door, and the beaded curtain shattered her delicate features.
She is sixteen years old this year, and will be seventeen in a few months.
The girl is no longer the youngest disciple in the inner peak, and her features are becoming more and more serious. She doesn't like to dress up, and always has a plain face. She wears a white dress with a black belt, and her head of young green hair is only tied with a hair rope in the middle, letting it hang down naturally. , almost to the waist.
Her figure is still petite, but she is much taller. Her breasts are slightly raised, as if the tide has receded, revealing the mountains that have been hidden for a long time.
If Lu Jiaojian is an immortal sword that is not stained by the dust, then Ning Xiaoling is a delicate and beautiful blade.
On weekdays, many people in the peak also regarded her as Lu Jiaojie's successor.
But in the past two years, Fengli often said that this young senior sister Ning was going to practice in a large sect called the Ancient Spirit Sect in Middle-earth.
The Ancient Spirit Sect was originally called the Netherworld Daoling Sect, but later the word "Netherworld" became taboo and was removed. In addition, the sect leader's favorite granddaughter was named Guling, so the name was changed to the Ancient Spirit Sect.
It was a famous sect in Zhongtu. It was located at the legendary site of the Kingdom of the Underworld. It was extremely accomplished in the art of expelling souls and controlling spirits. Legend has it that they also hold a share of the power of the underworld king, and each official disciple can enjoy a part of it as a bonus to assist in the cultivation.
But two years have passed, and Ning Xiaoling has yet to set off.
Today is exactly the second year since my senior brother left. He still hasn't come back.
Ning Xiaoling came to his room and cleaned the dust-free room again. However, no matter how clean he was, the books on the desk were still eroded and turned yellow by the years.
Amidst the patter of rain, Ning Xiaoling tidied up the house.
She knelt down and pulled out a red letter from the bottom grid of the desk.
That was the marriage certificate between Ning Changjiu and Zhao Xiang'er.
Ning Xiaoling opened it and read it as usual, with a gentle look on her face.
If senior brother and Sister Zhao were together, that scene would definitely be very interesting...
She was lost in thought for a long time before putting the letter back on the case. After returning to her room, she took the porcelain bottle and knocked it lightly.
In the porcelain vase, Han Xiaosu's shadow floated out: "Sister Xiaoling, what's wrong?"
Ning Xiaoling said: "Your soul has almost recovered. Let me take you back. Along the way, I will tell you the story of what happened in Linhe City back then."
Han Xiaosu looked a little scared: "This is my home."
Ning Xiaoling smiled softly: "As long as I'm here, of course I won't drive you away, but I have to leave."
"Where is Sister Xiaoling going?" Han Xiaosu was startled and immediately thought of those rumors: "Is Sister going to Middle-earth?"
Ning Xiaoling nodded and said, "Well, I want to go find my senior brother."
Han Xiaosu asked doubtfully: "Huh? Isn't Mr. Ning in Southern Wilderness..."
Ning Xiaoling said softly: "There is a saying in the book that when people are looking for people, they go to the underworld and fall down to the underworld. The underworld is too high and too far. I can't go to the underworld if I can't become an immortal. But maybe I can try the underworld."
Han Xiaosu had been with her day and night, so he naturally understood her intentions - even if Ning Changjiu died, she would still want to get him back from the Kingdom of the Underworld.
Han Xiaosu sighed softly and said: "Although the Ancient Spirit Sect is a large sect, the path to the underworld is by no means the road to heaven. My sister has already shined brightly in the way of swordsmanship, why should she be like this?"
Ning Xiaoling's voice was calm and firm: "If I don't go to hell, who will?"
…
Ning Xiaoling, dressed in plain clothes and white skirt, arrived at Linhe City in a sword boat. In the drizzle in Linhe City, Han Xiaosu reluctantly fell into the river.
The river passing through her could not reveal her shadow.
"It's so cold here." Han Xiaosu hugged her shoulders.
Ning Xiaoling said softly: "This city is also very cold. After that time, many people who finally survived also moved away. Now most of the people left in the city are widowed and elderly people who cannot escape. In the future, will you Set up a sacrificial hall here, and slowly become the river god from the river spirit, and become the entrustment of their incense. So everything can be cold, except your heart, do you understand?"
The girl's words were like admonitions, but as soft as a spring breeze. Han Xiaosu was half-immersed in the water, hugging her body and nodded gently.
Ning Xiaoling rubbed her head and said goodbye to her.
Han Xiaosu watched her back disappear at the end, swaying her ghostly body reluctantly, and sinking like a fish to the bottom of this familiar yet unfamiliar river.
More than a year ago, Zhao Xiang'er, dressed in black, killed King Jin with a single sword. He watched the fire in the palace and admired the flowers outside the palace, attracting countless thunder and lightning, and stepped into the purple courtyard.
This has become a widely circulated story among the people.
No matter how intensely and sonorously they describe the struggle of Jinguo in this story, the ending of the story is already known to everyone.
That assassination not only seriously damaged the morale of Jin State, but also frightened Rongguo, who originally wanted to reap the benefits. The leader of Rongguo was also an old man. He even tortured his own son to death and killed his eldest grandson. After surviving the mutiny, these old people who are unwilling to hand over their power are most afraid of death.
After the assassination of Jin State, he quickly ordered someone to write a letter to Zhao State, expressing his willingness to give up all the land he had invaded in the past, and to send troops together to help him annex Jin State.
Zhao Xiang'er accepted the returned territories, but for some unknown reason, he left one city unclaimed. That city was located in the center of those territories and was named Baicheng. In this white city, the flag of Rongguo is still displayed abruptly.
After that, the war between Zhao State and Jin State became more and more smooth, from the initial stalemate to one-sided later, and even famous generals from Jin State directly led their troops to surrender.
The battle that was supposed to take many years was clearly decided in just one year.
Everyone thought that the country of Jin was doomed, but after Zhao Xiang'er regained all the territory, he did not continue to send troops to destroy the country of Jin. Instead, he allowed the two countries to carry out some commercial cooperation.
Over the years, Ning Xiaoling and Zhao Xianger met occasionally, drinking and looking at flowers in the palace, chatting about their concerns.
Today, Ning Xiaoling also went to see Zhao Xiang'er after leaving Linhe City.
Zhao Xiang'er did not go to court these days and always lived in seclusion in the palace.
She is not wearing a dragon robe, but is wearing a thin spring coat with exquisite and elegant embroidery. With her increasingly proud figure, she can overwhelm the spring flowers in the courtyard as she slowly walks between the courtyards, and there are even colorful butterflies surrounding her. It was as if the embroidery on her spring clothes was the most fragrant thing in the world.
The drizzle is gurgling, and the remaining red color of spring falls to the ground.
In the misty and cold weather, Ning Xiaoling came to her bedroom as if there was no one else around. She has a jade medal given by Zhao Xiang'er himself, and she can come and go freely throughout the palace.
When the girl was in Yujian Tianzong, she was like a plum blossom in the snow, cold and proud, but in front of Zhao Xiang'er, she looked more like a little girl who had just left the boudoir.
Ning Xiaoling closed her umbrella and walked gently into the quiet palace with fluttering curtains.
There were no lights in the hall, and the beams hanging the curtains were dampened and looked even older. The decoration in the hall was symmetrical and rigid, like that of an old scholar. Only the gauze cover outside the lamp swayed with the faint shadow of flowers.
In the ancient palace, Zhao Xiang'er sat with her clothes on in front of a dark table. On the table was a burnt-tailed guqin. Next to the piano was a burner of incense and green smoke.
Zhao Xiang'er's porcelain-white and tender fingertips lightly passed over the strings, and the clang of the piano cut through the rain curtain, the incense was swaying, the mist and rain were even sadder, and Ning Xiaoling, who was wearing white clothes and tied her hair, sat silently behind her. , looking at Zhao Xiang'er's beautiful and sad back, quietly listened to this song.
Zhao Xiang'er has learned piano, chess, calligraphy and painting since he was a child, and he is a national expert in everything.
But after finishing her studies, she rarely touched them again.
This piece of music is not long, and it soon dispersed into the spring rain, and the lingering lingering sound was suppressed by the sound of rain.
Zhao Xiang'er pressed the silver string with her slender fingers. Next to her slightly hanging head, her dark hair fell down softly, covering her profile. The incense covering her beautiful brows also faintly dispersed after the sound of the piano.
"Are you leaving?" Zhao Xianger asked softly without looking back.
Ning Xiaoling asked: "Is this the case for Sister Zhao?"
Zhao Xiang'er hummed and said, "I should have left long ago, but I wanted to wait until after the three-year appointment."
Ning Xiaoling asked: "Will there be another chance to meet in the future?"
Zhao Xiang'er knew where she was going, and she also knew that it would be difficult to meet him again in the future, but she still nodded: "Yes."
Ning Xiaoling smiled softly and said: "After Sister Zhao leaves, what will Zhao country do?"
Zhao Xiang'er lowered his eyebrows, looking at the wood grain on the guqin, and said: "Even if the Zhao State today does not have me, it will not be in danger of subjugation within a few decades. Last year, Song Bian was promoted to Prime Minister by me. , from now on the throne will be vacant, and the prime minister will supervise the country. A good situation has been set, if the ministers of the Zhao Kingdom can no longer maintain their careers, then there is nothing I can do."
Ning Xiaoling listened quietly. She looked at Zhao Xiang'er's back and couldn't help but ask a question that had been buried in her heart for a long time: "Sister Zhao, have you... ever liked your senior brother?"
Zhao Xiang'er's hand playing the piano paused slightly. She tilted her head and smiled faintly: "If you want to know, let him ask me in person."
Ning Xiaoling looked at Zhao Xiang'er's profile, her expression slightly shaken.
The past two years have washed away the childishness in her eyebrows. Ning Xiaoling always feels dazed for a moment when looking at her beautiful profile, as if she is the Goddess of Luo in poetry, interpreting every ray of beauty to the extreme. .
Ning Xiaoling came to her senses and asked again: "If senior brother comes back, will Sister Zhao fulfill the marriage contract?"
Zhao Xianger shook her head gently: "Of course not, I'm not your master..."
The girl hesitated to speak.
Ning Xiaoling didn't believe it, she asked: "Why?"
Zhao Xianger was silent for a long time before she spoke quietly: "When I was very young, my mother said four words to me. I will always remember those four words."
"What four words?"
"The complete jade returns to Zhao."
…
…
It was dusk when Ning Xiaoling returned to the sect, and she took one last look at everything in the peak.
Lerou stood outside holding an umbrella.
After Ning Xiaoling came out, Lerou hugged her gently, then took out a pamphlet from his arms and handed it to her.
"What is this?" Ning Xiaoling took the book and flipped through it, finding that it was all blank.
Le Rou said seriously: "There are two copies of this book. I will hold one and you will hold one. After we are separated, we will each record the interesting things. When we meet next time, we will exchange them."
Ning Xiaoling smiled, put the booklet in her arms, and said, "Without me from now on, you can't be lazy in sword practice."
Le Rou said angrily: "Obviously I am the senior sister, why are you always lecturing me?"
Ning Xiaoling stood under her umbrella, and the two walked side by side for a section of the mountain road.
Lerou asked: "Want to go see Master together?"
Ning Xiaoling hesitated for a while and said: "Well, but don't disturb her this time. Senior brother has left. If I leave again, no matter how calm Master is, I know she will be sad in her heart."
Le Rou sighed: "Master and junior sister are both the same people."
So they went to Nanhuang before dark, and took a look at Lu Marion from a distance.
Her back is still so clear, even if she is looking at the flowers through the forest fog, she still forgets the world and can't bear to leave.
After Ning Xiaoling and Lerou left, Lu Marian turned around and looked.
She actually knows everything.
In the mist and rain, her graceful figure became increasingly lonely.
…
…
On the mountain road to the west of Nanhuang, a child wearing a bamboo hat who was fishing suddenly shouted "Monster" and then fled into the water, swam to the other side, and dived into the fishing village.
The person called a monster by the little fishing boy was a man with gray hair that almost covered his body.
The man was not tall, and his face surrounded by gray hair had the resoluteness of a boy and the delicacy of a girl. It was impossible to tell the gender.
He walked to the river, looked at himself reflected in the water, and then stretched out his hand.
His hand turned into a sword as he shook it.
He held the sword and cut a circle outside his neck.
The long hair that wrapped around her body suddenly fell down, and every strand was a unique sword thread in the world.
He picked up these sword threads and threw them into the river, thus burying an opportunity.
He looked at his shadow in the river again.
At this moment, his hair was terribly neat, like a big watermelon covering his head. It looked dull and inconsistent with his beautiful eyebrows, and at the roots of his hair, his gray hair was slowly turning black.
"How do you feel about this body?" Another young man in white walked out of the valley, his face pale and tired.
The boy in white is naturally Ning Changjiu.
Previously, he had a spiritual battle with the sword spirit, fighting from early morning to dusk, until all the sword moves were exhausted, and they all used the sword at the same time.
Sword Spirit finally lost.
The difference in defeat was very small, but it still determined the victory.
It is neither regretful nor sad, because he has done his best. Ruoning has not had the opportunity to break the boundary city for a long time, there is no Shura Divine Record, there is no law of time... No, these are not the most important, the most important thing is Its sword heart is no longer transparent.
Of course, the killing sword must be the fastest with the intention of killing.
But it knows that if it asks itself, it is not willing to kill Ning for a long time.
The slightest difference can turn the outcome upside down...
Originally, if it was defeated, Ning Jiujiu could directly devour it and refine it.
It awaits the judgment of fate.
After Ning Jiujiu's spirit returned, he did not devour the defeated sword spirit. Instead, he put his hand on his chest, pulled out the silver sword directly, and severed it from his body, taking control of the sword. Gave it to Sword Spirit.
So the sword became the body of the sword spirit, and he changed from spirit to human.
And Ning Jiujiu not only lost this silver sword, Shura's body was no longer perfect, and became a defective product with only half the power.
"Even I feel sorry for you." Sword Spirit said.
Ning Jiujiu said: "Senior brother told me that if you pay, you will always be rewarded."
Sword Spirit said: "It will be difficult for me to repay you."
Ning Changjiu smiled and said: "From now on, when I see you getting married, no one will bother me. Isn't it a reward?"
Sword Spirit was a little helpless.
In fact, he also knew that people like Ning Jiujiu would not kill him. Perhaps it is people like him who can become so strong.
He saluted Ning Changjiu seriously.
The sword spirit looked at his incomplete Shura body and said, "How can you beat your legendary fiancée without your Shura body to rely on?"
Ning Changjiu smiled and said: "Why kill a chicken with an ox-killing knife? Beating that little girl with the Shura Sword is too trivial."
Sword Spirit sneered and said: "You men really only talk bad things behind your back. If we really meet you, you don't know how submissive and shameful you will be."
"You men?" Ning Changjiu asked, "Aren't you?"
Sword Spirit was silent for a while and said, "I don't know."
He has not yet decided on his gender.
Ning Jiujiu said: "Then have you thought of a name?"
Sword Spirit said seriously: "I will think of a name after I confirm the gender."
Ning Jiujiu mocked slightly: "Do you think you are giving birth to a baby?"
The sword spirit glared at him coldly.
Ning looked at his watermelon head for a long time and smiled softly.
"Are you leaving?" Ning Changjiu asked.
"Well, I have been reading books with the old man in the bookstore for so many years. It is very boring. I have long wanted to see the world outside the book by myself." Sword Spirit said: "You go to see your woman, and I will go to see my world. , let’s just say goodbye.”
Ning Jiujiu clasped his fists and said, "Young hero, this is the farewell."
Before Sword Spirit left, he said: "By the way, don't listen to that red-headed chicken's nonsense. Zhao Xiang'er is not as good as Master Lu Feng. Even if you want to marry, let Lu Marry marry first."
Fortunately Mr. Xueyu is not here, otherwise it would have been a fierce war of words.
Another farewell.
The sword spirit disappeared into the vast mountains and rivers.
The smile on Ning Changjiu's face was finally replaced by fatigue and pain. He covered his chest and kept coughing, coughing up a lot of blood.
Shura Shenlu's forced separation had a greater backlash on him than he imagined.
But it's all just choices.
It's getting dark.
After Ning Jiujiu briefly nursed back his injuries, he took off with his sword and flew towards the Yujian Tianzong.
The Red River surrounding the Southern Wasteland is already in front of you.
In the night sky after the rain, the quiet stars flowed above the head, and the vast mountains passed under the sword.
These are unfamiliar landscapes.
Along the way, only the winding red river walked with him.
His sword flew faster and faster, crossing the mountains and rivers, and walked away under the starlight.
The waning moon, as bright and smooth as a mirror, reaches the center of the sky from its last quarter, and then draws a lonely arc, gradually sinking into the distance.
After a long time, the sky lit up.
Then the morning light gradually turned to dusk.
The mountains and rivers are vast.
The southern wilderness is too far away.
Even with his cultivation at the Purple Garden Realm, it still took him nearly a month of day and night to finally reach the south of Nanzhou.
The mountains and rivers gradually become familiar, like meeting old friends.
He did not go to the Four Peaks.
When he touched the small flying formation, he knew that Lu Marry would be waiting for him at the edge of the abyss.
He followed the old road, slowly passed through the mountains and forests, crossed the Red River, and came to the southern wilderness.
There is a newly built road in the southern wilderness.
That road followed the traces left by Jiuying when he ran through the mountains.
Ning Jiujiu slowly stepped onto the gravel road.
Dawn comes quietly, and the mountains and fragrances gradually wake up.
The abyss spread out hugely before us.
But he did not look into the abyss.
Next to the wooden house, the long-lost figure swayed through the shadow of the trees, stealing all his eyes.
At this time, the morning light shines behind the mountains. They go over the mountains and ridges in bunches and penetrate into the rain-moist forest. They are refracted by every dew drop and divide the morning light into thousands of rays.
Some of them are intertwined on this not-so-long road, like silk curtains of light; some fall on the soft undulating snow shadow, like the makeup painted by heaven and earth.
Ning Jiujiu stretched out his hand and gently touched the stream of light in front of him.
Maybe it was the early morning dew, and his eyes gradually became moist.
This was a scene he had only seen in his dreams.
Today, he finally doesn't have to wake up.
…
…
(I like this chapter so much)
(Thank you to the helmsman Luoyang Guan Luoyang for the reward! Thank you helmsman for your support and encouragement~)