The swords were lined up, only half a palm's width apart;
Shoulders were placed side by side with a one-foot gap between them.
One is as elegant and tranquil as a deep pool of ink, the other is as clear and bright as a peach or plum blossom covered with frost and snow. No matter who sees this scene, they will just think of it as a reunion of old friends, and there is really nothing more to say.
But...
At this moment, not a single sound could be heard in the entire simple teahouse. It was even quieter than when Xie Buchen came in earlier!
Since ancient times, poor mountains and bad waters have been home to many unruly people. This is also true in the cultivation world of the Nineteen Continents.
Although this teahouse is still within the range of the Central Region's Tomorrow's Star Sea, it is already very close to the Snow Region. And now that a great chaos is about to break out, who can appear here can be a good person
What's more, the reaction of the cultivator called "Xie Daoyou" did not seem like he had met an old friend.
For a moment, everyone's eyes turned to him.
Some people also quietly extended their spiritual awareness and approached the female cultivator who had just appeared, but the moment they found out the other party's cultivation level, their faces changed drastically!
Late Nascent Soul stage!
It turns out to be a real strong old monster!
In just a moment, most of the monks withdrew their gazes in fear and withdrew their spiritual awareness.
Even the red-robed monks in the corner who looked like Tantric monks showed some horror in their eyes. They turned their heads quietly and no longer looked at the table by the window.
The Nascent Soul stage is already extremely rare in the entire Nineteen Continents, not to mention the late Nascent Soul stage.
At this moment, no one in the teahouse has such a level of cultivation, but they can discover the cultivation level of this female cultivator. What does this mean? It means that she is just showing it to you so that you can be more sensible.
The law of the jungle prevails. How dare they easily offend such a "senior"
This is the world of cultivation.
After all, Xie Buchen has reached the peak of the Golden Core Realm, so it is impossible for him to be unaware of the turbulent undercurrent at this moment.
But he didn't move at all, as if he really didn't notice.
His gaze, from beginning to end, was only on his right side - Jianchou was sitting there upright, with a friendly smile on his face, which made his whole face more beautiful, but the pair of eyes that were staring at him were so deep that one could not see the bottom.
Where in life do we not meet...
Is it fate
Even a fool wouldn't believe it.
How long has he been away from Kunwu
Not long after I stepped into the teahouse, she came in right after me, which was enough to prove that she had been following me all the way. When she came in, she looked like she had just met me by chance...
A layer of haze slowly covered the sky.
But on his face, Xie Buchen's pupils, which had shrunk due to surprise, vigilance and alertness, slowly relaxed, and the corners of his lips pulled open to form an indifferent smile, without refuting: "It is indeed a fate."
Neither happy nor angry, seemingly without ups and downs.
Xie Buchen's reaction was indeed somewhat boring, but Jianchou was not surprised at all. If one day, the man in front of him suddenly became fussy and flustered, he would not be Xie Buchen anymore.
He remains calm even when Mount Tai collapses in front of him. This is who he is.
Her eyebrows slightly raised, and the smile on her lips deepened a little, but what emerged in her mind were the scenes of her conversation with Fudaoshan in Kunwu yesterday...
What a free and easy person he is usually
But after she said "I want to bring Junior Brother Yu back", her eyes turned red and she squatted beside the mountain path and started crying...
Jianchou had never seen such a helpful mountain man before.
I have never seen Junior Brother Yu who died in the snowy area.
Until she left Kunwu and caught up with Xie Buchen, that scene could not be erased from her mind.
So, the heavy feeling that had been suppressed all this time was replayed to this moment.
"Your tea."
Perhaps he also saw the depth of Jianchou's cultivation, the waiter who had previously served tea to many passers-by in the teahouse with ease, now became a little more reserved and poured the bowl of tea for Jianchou with a hint of respect.
"Thank you."
Jianchou nodded slightly, his expression was gentle.
She casually picked up the coarse earthenware tea bowl and took a sip. There was no trace of surprise on her face, as if she was drinking an ordinary bowl of tea, neither good nor bad.
The slender fingers placed on the dark tea bowl created an almost shocking contrast.
Xie Buchen's eyes fell on her slightly pursed lips and her face without any strange color. In the blood-stained ashes in his heart, a spark lit up.
In an instant, it reignited.
"Many years have passed, things have changed, and people have changed, but Fellow Daoist Xie is still the same as before."
Glancing at the rough, untouched tea bowl in front of him, he saw that the smile on Jianchou's lips had a hint of coldness that seemed real but not without irony.
"The banquet is plentiful, the food is served on a plate. No wine is served without a long poem, no tea is brewed without a snow sword—"
In the past in the capital, the third son of Marquis Xie’s mansion was a first-rate elegant man.
Unfortunately...
Who could have imagined what would happen later
Xie Buchen did not answer her, but just raised his eyes and looked into her eyes.
So those memories that should have been long gone came back so easily...
That year, Marquis Xie's mansion was raided and he and she fled.
Thirty miles south of the capital is the Grand Canal, and the arresting soldiers and the officials from the Imperial Court who were responsible for confiscating property had already blocked the city gates on all four sides. But at that time, they did not know that anyone had escaped from the palace.
So they boldly mixed in with a group of peddlers who were about to leave the city, hoping to take the opportunity to leave the city.
When Jianchou disguised herself as a peasant woman who came to the city to buy medicine, he condescended to change into the clothes of a porter.
Because there were so many people leaving the city, the two of them sat at a long distance apart in a teahouse near the city gate and waited. They only prepared to go out together when more peasant women and porters left the city.
At that time, Zhang Tang, the chief judge in the court who was known as the "Dead Face", came on horseback and passed by them.
At that time, the news that the third son of Marquis Xie had escaped had not yet spread.
The two of them finally got out of the city safely.
But he didn't expect that less than two hours later, when they reached the canal, a large number of soldiers and officers came after them. The first one to ride was Zhang Tang!
At the command, shouts of killing shook the sky and arrows fell like rain.
Even if he had thousands of talents and strategies, they were of no use at that moment. There was no other way but to escape.
So he took her hand, boarded the boat before the officers and soldiers arrived, and sailed downstream.
Halfway through the journey, he quietly jumped down under the cover of darkness.
He was shot in the shoulder by an arrow from behind, but she did not notice it at the time. Only after she floated ashore and hid in the reeds by the river did she feel shocked by the blood dripping on the white reeds.
His face was pale, his lips were blue, and his hands were shaking.
Her expression showed a bit of panic that she had suppressed and a worry that she didn't want him to see...
But at that time, there was actually only one question in his mind: Zhang Tang, how could he come so quickly and so accurately
It was not until he fell ill due to injuries and Jianchou took care of him and fetched water for him to drink that he suddenly realized where the mistake was that day.
Teahouse.
Just like the teahouse at this moment.
Xie Buchen's eyes were cold and indifferent. He withdrew his gaze and fixed it on the tea bowl in front of him. He said, "The long poem is all fake, and the snow sword is all empty..."
What others see is all fake.
Has he ever done anything without a purpose? He has never done it with a simple intention like "I like it because I like it".
As he spoke, he picked up the tea bowl and took a sip slowly.
Bitter, rough.
It also has an indescribable strange taste.
But Xie Buchen's face was just as sad as before, even his eyebrows were just as relaxed and motionless, without any clues or flaws.
Jianchou laughed out loud: "If I had known this skill earlier, I wouldn't have nearly died at the hands of Zhang Tang..."
The reason why Zhang Tang caught up so quickly was because of a bowl of tea. Xie Buchen took a sip of the tea, then frowned and put it down.
You know, the third son of Marquis Xie's mansion is of a very noble family. Even if he is not extravagant, he is very smart and has made many friends. His tea and wine must be good.
But how could the peddlers and hawkers in the market have any hobby of drinking tea
Resting in a teahouse is just to moisten the throat and quench thirst. Making a living is already difficult, so why would we care about and waste
Zhang Tang was passing by at that time and saw the details of Xie Buchen drinking tea, but did not take it seriously.
But when the news of Third Master Xie's escape came, this detail immediately popped up, which led to the subsequent rapid pursuit, which almost took Xie Buchen's life.
How could a person who strives for perfection like him allow himself to fall into the same pit twice
So from then on, he changed.
But Jianchou had never expected that when he arrived in the Nineteenth Continent, at this moment, he seemed to see the Third Master Xie again through this bowl of tea.
She knew everything about him.
She knows.
He knows too.
Xie Buchen's hands were steady. He lowered his eyes and finally put the teacup down slowly.
He wouldn't take another sip.
If others can help me, why should I help others
After all, it's just a bowl of tea.
Now, it is impossible for him to make another mistake over a bowl of tea and put himself in danger of life and death.
"It seems you are going north too."
Xie Buchen was unwilling to waste time beating around the bush on such an obvious matter.
Jianchou still had a smile on his face, but he glanced around the teahouse, lingering for a moment on the figures of those who looked like Tantric monks, and said, "Yes, let's go north. Fellow Daoist Xie and I are also friends who have been through life and death together, so why don't we go together?"
"… "
Life and death, a friendship that is "life and death". If you think about it from another angle, this is really true.
Xie Buchen looked at her sideways and didn't answer for the time being.
The Burning Lamp Sword and the Human Emperor Sword were placed side by side between them, very close, almost touching. However, it was these two swords that clearly separated the two people who were sitting so close to each other.
He is on the left of the Human Emperor Sword, and she is on the right of the Burning Lamp Sword.
Xie Buchen remembered the purpose of his trip, the Jiuyi Cauldron, the instructions of Master Hengxu, and his own...
The inner demon.
At this moment, the doubt that was buried deep in my heart finally emerged again.
Why did Master Hengxu personally say in front of so many people in the Hall of All Heavens that he would be sent to Kunwu
It’s like he’s afraid that others don’t know.
It was like telling Yashan to send someone to follow.
Travel together
Xie Buchen's eyes flickered slightly, and he glanced at the sky outside. His expression was normal, but there was a changing light in his indifferent eyes: "I have a humble cultivation level, and I am very lucky to have you as my companion. I'm afraid I'll have to take care of you along the way."
"Look after?"
When Jianchou heard that, her frosty eyes showed a little more interest, and the almost boiling murderous intent was hidden underneath, disguising her as the most calm hunter. She just squinted her eyes and stared at the "prey" beside her, but her voice sounded soft and friendly.
"You're welcome. It's my honor."
Their eyes finally met, looking at the two swords in the middle.
For a moment, it was subtle to the extreme.