Kong Ji was sitting alone in his study, and in front of him was a small wooden box. The box was quite old, and had been placed on Kong Ji's bookshelf for three hundred years. It had never been opened, but it had not been thrown away either.
At this moment, he opened the box and looked at the triangular talisman in the box with a gloomy face. The scars on his face seemed to feel the pain again.
The voice of the head brother rang in his ears again.
"Junior brother, we have experienced hardships and injustice, but if we just dwell on the past and blame ourselves, or take our anger out on others, even some innocent children, then that would be our real failure."
"Now you and I are already elders in the sect. The cowardice and grief we once had should be transformed into wisdom and strength to guide the children in the sect."
Kong Ji tensed his facial muscles tightly, and finally reached out his hand to pick up a talisman that had not been touched for three hundred years.
In the Demonic Realm's Fuwang City, in an anciently decorated clinic, the old doctor behind the counter raised his glasses and was startled by a bright light in the corner.
He looked at the box that had never been thrown away after he had moved several times and was still placed in the corner. He hummed softly, without stopping the action of preparing the medicine in his hand.
A wave of spiritual energy flashed by, and the lid of the wooden box opened by itself. In the small wooden box lay a yellow triangular talisman, which was quietly glowing.
Nian Zaitao narrowed her eyes and carefully used her wrinkled fingers to hold a glass rod to drain the blood and mix the blood of the two monsters. In the quiet and deserted house, only the occasional sound of the glass rod touching the wall of the cup could be heard.
"Since you have activated the sound transmission talisman, then speak." He looked down at the red and blue liquids under his fingers, but spoke to an empty space, "Such talismans are very valuable nowadays. The wealthy families only use them once every ten years. They are used to communicate with your sects before trading. They are treasures for making a fortune."
After a long silence, the golden talisman rang out with a man's rough, low, and awkward voice, "I need your help... with something."
…
In front of the huge cave on the ground, the disciples of Guiyuan Sect had a dispute over whether to leave first or continue to stay here.
The sky gradually darkened, and snowflakes floated in the air. The temperature here was getting colder. Looking out from the gap in the collapsed city wall, strange shouts could be heard from time to time in the wilderness. Occasionally, the figure of a monster taller than a mountain would slowly sway past the edge of the desolate land.
"This place is too dangerous. Let's go back first."
"Yeah, there's no point in just waiting here. We don't know if there will be another powerful monster coming. We should go back and ask Uncle Lou for help and ask him if he has any solution."
Some people said this while they were already planning to leave this dangerous area, end their journey early, and return along the original route.
"Even if you are a Jindan-stage master, you can't go down into a cave like this, right?"
"In fact, even if we can, we won't come here. This is a strict rule. I heard that the leading uncles have other important tasks and are not allowed to interfere with the disciples' trials."
"What a pity! The rain fell, the flowers bloomed in the snow, and there was also the one with raging fire all over the field. The three most eye-catching disciples of this generation just disappeared without a sound."
"So we should not go forward. This place is too dangerous. We are cultivating the way to longevity. If we lose our lives, what's the point?"
"That's right. We found a lot of magical herbs and treasures along the way. We'll search them carefully and bring them back. That'll be enough."
The frightened fellow disciples left hand in hand, and only Ding Lanlan, Lin Yin and Cheng Yan were left at the edge of the cave to guard it.
"Zhuo Yu has been down there for so long, why is there still no movement?" Lin Yin looked at the bottomless cave with a hurricane blowing in it, and couldn't help but have the worst thoughts in his mind, becoming more and more anxious.
As if responding to her words, the ground beneath her feet began to tremble again, and the huge cave closed quickly, just as it had appeared suddenly, accompanied by a shaking of the ground. The raging storm, the terrifying space gap, and the vaguely visible temples and palaces were all swallowed up in one gulp, leaving no trace.
"How could this happen? Xiaoxue and the others haven't come up yet." Ding Lanlan grabbed the restored ground and shouted nervously, "Xiaoxue! Zhang Xiaoxue! Zhang Erya, come out!"
The solid ground was flat and quiet, as if nothing had happened.
Lin Yin reached out and pulled her sleeve and pushed her.
Ding Lanlan raised her head and saw a circle of light appearing on the ground not far from here, standing there brightly like a full moon.
Then, a figure appeared in the circle of light. The man staggered forward two steps, stood there in a daze for a long time, covered his mouth with one hand, and looked back and down at the circle of light under his feet.
It turned out to be the demon cultivator Cen Qianshan who fell into the cave with Xiaoxue at that time.
Ding Lanlan looked at the demon cultivator and felt that she had never seen such a complicated expression on a person's face.
He looked like he had just retreated from a battle, with shocking marks on his neck, wounds on his body, and blood oozing from the corners of his mouth. But he also seemed to have encountered something strange, his face was flushed, and he looked incredulous and mixed with a complex mixture of sadness and joy.
It was impossible to guess what he had just experienced.
"What happened? How are Xiaoxue and the other fellow disciples? Brother Cen? Master Cen?" Cheng Yan called out several times. Cen Qianshan looked at him blankly, and then as if he suddenly came to his senses, he quickly lowered his head and stared at the teleportation portal on the ground.
Soon, a lying figure appeared in the circle of light. The man had no external injuries, but his face was pale, and the front of his shirt was soaked with the blood he had spat out of his mouth. He fell into a deep coma.
"Zhuo Yu, it's Zhuo Yu. Lin Yin, hurry! He is seriously injured." Ding Lanlan and others rushed forward, carefully carried Zhuo Yu out of the magic circle, and handed him over to Lin Yin from Xuandan Peak for treatment.
A bloody arm appeared again in the magic circle. It struggled for a while, as if someone pushed it from behind, and finally revealed its entire body. The man was covered in scars and blood, and his entire body was covered in the blood of various monsters and his own blood from head to toe, so his face was almost unrecognizable.
"Changge, it's Changge, Junior Brother Xiao!"
Cen Qianshan stood aside, staring at the bright magic circle. A person came out, but it was not her. Another person came out, but it was still not her.
The people around them happily welcomed their companions and took care of and treated them intensively.
The magic circle fell silent for a moment, and remained there in silence. After waiting for a long time, there was no movement.
Cen Qianshan couldn't help biting his fingers. This feeling was like drowning, and it made him feel more suffocated than when the incarnation of the devil just grabbed his neck.
A moment ago, the touch of a dragonfly skimming the water was still clearly lingering on the tip of my lips.
In the midst of the battle, happiness came too suddenly, causing him to feel an unreasonable fear, fearing that this happiness was just his own delusion, fearing that he was not qualified to have such happiness.
God may not be so merciful to him and be willing to grant him such true happiness.
Look, Master hasn’t come out yet, why hasn’t she come out yet
I just hope she can come out soon and smile at me, to give me a clear answer whether it is real or just a delusion.
The feeling of happiness that was about to burst out of his chest mixed with the nameless fear. He was like a fish put into a frying pan, being fried repeatedly on both sides.
Until the magic circle finally lit up, and a familiar face appeared in the light.
As soon as the man emerged from the formation, his eyes immediately searched for him and he smiled brightly at him, "Sorry, there were too many monsters and we were held back."
She was hugged by her fellow senior sister, and smiled at him through her shoulder. There was a rare shyness and a little sweetness in her smile, but she did not avoid it at all, and gave him a positive answer.
Cen Qianshan's tormenting moment finally came to an end, fresh air flowed into his heart and lungs. He came back to life, holding onto the stone wall beside the road, and slowly sat down on the ground.
All kinds of perceptions returned to his body. The avatar of the demon was very powerful. It could control the invisible hand to hurt people's internal organs from a long distance. He was in pain all over his body, his throat was burning, and his abdomen was also in great pain.
But the pain made him feel at ease.
Pain means reality. It's all real!
Not far away, those people who were welcoming their companions back were noisy and busy.
Cen Qianshan sat down with his back against a wall, listening to the noise, and it didn't seem so harsh or uncomfortable anymore.
"You're seriously injured. Let me apply some medicine for you." The person he had been thinking about finally walked up to him.
The man squatted down as a matter of course, gently lifted his collar and checked his injuries.
She first used a warm wet towel to clean the blood, then applied the ointment on her fingertips to his injured neck. As the cold touch passed over, the burning pain had long been dispelled. She even moved closer and blew gently there.
The slightly cool breath brushed across the sensitive skin of the neck, penetrating the heart and bones, evoking the longing that had been buried for years and soothing the scarred body and mind.
Yes, I am the same as before, someone who will take care of me when I get hurt, Cen Qianshan thought.
…
Mu Xue used her spiritual power to boil a pot of hot water and was about to bring it down.
Xiao Qianji limped over and raised his only remaining hand, "Can I... can I help you carry it?"
Mu Xue picked it up and checked its broken limbs. "No need, you are injured yourself. I will repair it for you after I am done. I promise to make it shiny and better than before."
She put Xiao Qianji on her shoulder, picked up the pot of water, and walked towards Cen Qianshan.
Sitting on Mu Xue's shoulder, Qianji's vision fluctuated with Mu Xue's steps. It was obviously the first time he sat here, but he inexplicably had a feeling of nostalgia.
When Mr. Mu kissed his master, he happened to be sitting on his master's shoulder and saw it clearly.
At that time, the strong shock in the master's heart was transmitted to him uncontrollably like an electric current.
He didn't understand why the master didn't jump up and hug Mu Dajia and turn around twice.
He was obviously so happy, but he just sat in the corner silently. How could Mr. Mu understand his feelings
But fortunately, he still has himself.
"No one ever took care of the master when he was injured before." Qianji gestured with his small arms and said to Mu Xue, "He didn't take care of himself either. Sometimes when he got home, he would fall down in the yard and couldn't move. If I had the strength, I could drag him to the bed. If I was injured too, the two of us would have to lie in the snow until whoever recovered a little spiritual energy first. I'm so glad that you're taking care of him today."
It turned its small eyes to look at Mu Xue, the rumored ruthless snow, who walked forward silently with the kettle in hand. It was impossible to tell whether Mu Xue was moved by what it said.
In his excitement, Qianji used his small mechanical brain to work at full capacity, trying his best to search for and organize what he thought was the most appropriate words at the moment.
"Since you have kissed him, you should take responsibility for him." Qianji made a circle with his slender arms, "He has worked hard for a long time, please hug him more."
Wuqingxue, who was carrying him, stopped walking, freed up a hand after a while, and touched his head, "Thank you, you have worked hard too."
Qianji's mechanical arm was a little slow to react before it reached out to cover its head.
Oh, it’s such a warm feeling. This feeling is so familiar, as if I have been touched by this hand countless times.
It thought a little embarrassedly.
Mu Xue squatted in front of Cen Qianshan and handed him a cup of warm water and a pill.
She watched Cen Qianshan take the cup and meekly lower his head to take the medicine. The cup was held in his slender fingers, and the mist blurred his handsome eyebrows. His long eyelashes blinked in the mist, avoiding her sight, and his white earlobes had quietly turned red.
The thin lips were shimmering because of drinking water, and the mist exhaled carried a hint of the fragrance of elixir. At such a close distance, one could clearly see the pale pink tongue between the lips and teeth.
Mu Xue felt her heartbeat quickening.
Now that you have tasted him, you should take responsibility for him.
The surroundings were very noisy, and everyone was busy caring for their injured companions. Cen Qianshan sat with his back to everyone, leaning against a protruding broken wall. If you didn't come over to check, you would think Mu Xue was just carrying medicine and taking care of the injured who had just returned from danger.
Mu Xue rested one arm on his side, her eyes sparkling in the shadow in the corner. She slowly approached, so close that they could hear each other's heartbeats, so close that the other's hot breath brushed her skin.
Watching the tears in that person's eyes and the bright red crawling up that person's neck.
Mu Xue closed her eyes.
Give him a real chance to choose.
If he takes the initiative to kiss me, then he will no longer be just my disciple, but my... Taoist partner.
Mu Xue closed her eyes and waited patiently for Cen Qianshan's choice.
She felt her heart beating so fast that it was about to jump out of her chest.
A pair of cold lips finally touched her world with a slight trembling.
His movements were unfamiliar and immature, and his lips, which were cold due to nervousness, trembled slightly. With the desire to go crazy but trying his best to restrain himself, he clumsily and cautiously approached and touched lightly.
At that moment, thunder sounded in the sky and spring flowers bloomed in the snow.
Sure enough, the taste there is sweeter than the sweetest honey and more intoxicating than the most mellow wine.